Sunday last saw Mitchelstown-born Tom Roche run the London Marathon and in the process, raise almost £3,000 for two charities – The Irish Cancer Society and Kayleigh’s Wee Stars.
Now living in Aberdeen, Scotland, Tom only started running a few years ago but soon fell in love with the sport.
‘‘I started running in 2015 as a New Year’s resolution after a couple of weeks of over-indulgence. Soon I discovered that I loved it, meeting other runners, the sense of freedom, the elation at the finish line, feeling great,” said Tom.
After a couple of years of trying to get fast while training for 10ks and half-marathons, Tom took on his first marathon in April 2018 at Stirling (2:33), followed by another in September in Inverness (2:36).
Tom’s dream was to run a sub 2 hours 30 minutes’ marathon and he smashed it last Sunday. His time was an incredible 2 hours 27 minutes and 22 seconds, making him the second fastest Irishman in the race.
Cheered on by family and friends, he came 7th in the Over 40s category and came 44th overall. An amazing achievement.
Huge congratulations to Tom from his wife Caroline and children Hamish, Maeve and Martha, from his Mam and Dad in James’s Street, his sisters and brother, nieces and nephews and all who supported him on this journey.
