Another marathon challenge for Alan

A NORTH Clare hotelier will take part in his 30th marathon at the end of the summer after just over five years running.
Lahinch businessman Alan Logue has gone from running in disguise to raising thousands of euro for charities since taking up the sport at the age of 27.
“I started running about five years ago. I was influenced to run by the late Howard Flannery. He got me into it through the Clare Crusaders. I started to run at night so no one would see me. I used to wear a cap so I wouldn’t be recognised. Then I just got obsessed with running and started to do marathons,” the Ennis man recalls.
“When I was younger I would have been slightly overweight and because of the fact I wasn’t involved in any other sport, I wanted to do something to get fit and that was the drive,” he adds.
Alan began with the Dublin marathon.
“I found it very tough the first year. I did it in under four hours and when I got over the line, I just wanted to go straight back and do it again. I started training again for another one then,” he recalls.
To date, he has done the New York Marathon five times with the West of Ireland heart charity Croí, on whose board of directors he now sits; the Dublin marathon six times, the Berlin Marathon four times, the Boston Marathon twice, the Burren Marathon and the Longford Marathon, among others.
In September, he hopes to take part in the Berlin Marathon, before doing the Dublin Marathon on the Monday of the October Bank Holiday weekend and then the New York Marathon six days later. He has followed this punishing routine for the past four years.
Of course, at this stage, Alan is used to punishing routines.
“In April 2008, I did an ultra marathon in Namibia. Myself and another fellow, Ken Dunne went out and did it, three marathons in the one day through the Namibian desert. That was the hardest thing I have ever done. It was some experience,” Alan surmises.
“I started at nine in the morning in the heat of the desert and it went on to 8am the next morning. It was an endurance test. The hardest thing was the temperature. It would go up to 40 degrees during the day and it was a self-sufficient thing, so you had to carry your own gear. You were only able to fill your camel-back, (a hydration back pack) every 20km, where a doctor would check you to see if you were ok to continue on. On the route, you were eating bananas, nuts, stuff out of packets, water with carbohydrate tablets in it to keep you going. You had to bring a Bunsen burner to heat up certain foods on the way. I suppose I was testing myself at the time but if I had known the extent of it, I would have done it for charity. I am hoping to do another similar one next year,” he continues.
At the time, he was running four days per week, averaging about 12 to 14 miles a day. “You can only train so much and after that it is mind over matter,” he adds.
“I didn’t know what I was letting myself in for with that one. People tell you about the temperature but you don’t know it until you get there. There is no shade either so there is nowhere to hide. The landscape was pure barren sand. You couldn’t see anything for miles and miles. You were landed in the middle of the desert and given a GPS (Global Positioning System),” he recalls.
Although he finished it, Alan admits the event was a slog.
“I cried, I laughed, my feet got so bad, it hurt to start going again after I stopped, so I just kept going. There was no way back. You had to keep going and finish it. My saving was that there were two of us and we helped each other along the way. We motivated each other or tried to motivate each other,” he remembers.
“After the ultra marathon, we had a few days in the area. I couldn’t wear shoes for two days or even flip-flops. It took a full week for my feet to go some way normal and it took a few weeks for the body to feel right again,” he recalls.
Last year, Alan raised thousands of euro for Cahercalla Hospital and Hospice.
“From a personal perspective, my father spent time in Cahercalla when he got sick. That is why it is so close to my heart. The care he got there was great and that is why I am dedicated to raising money for Cahercalla,” he reveals.
It is eight years since his father was there and at the time Alan wasn’t running.
“One thing that is so important, I didn’t know how worthwhile Cahercalla was, you don’t know how important it is until cancer comes to your doorstep. Everyone is touched by cancer at some point and it is so important to keep Cahercalla going and make sure it is there for the local community into the future,” he says.
After his inconspicuous start to running, Alan now happily runs three or four days of week, in public.
“The more people that see you run, the better, when you are doing it for charity. You want people to know you are doing it,” he states.
His advice is simple for those thinking of taking part in a marathon.
“Keep with it. Try to extend the distance. Go further each time. It is well worth it.
“The number of people I got to meet and know through running over the years has been an inspiration. You hear so many stories because people have different personal reasons for doing marathons. Running is also a great way of getting rid of stress and as I always say, if someone wants to get you, they are going to have to run after you,” he adds.
Inspired by his love of running and his affinity for Cahercalla, this year Alan is planning to hold his own 10km run, from Lahinch to the Cliffs of Moher on December 27.
“I don’t have all the details yet but I would hope for a good turnout,” he concludes.