Podcasts

56: Keith Russell: Running With Purpose And Love For Alanna

ByJoanne Murphy |


Keith’s running journey started in 2016 with his daughter Alanna, running the Dublin Marathon with her in 2017, capturing and captivating the hearts of the nation as they completed the event together with Keith pushing Alanna in her chair over the 26.2 mile distance. Tragically Alanna passed away unexpectedly just a few weeks later, however, Keith continues to run in her honour and her memory.  He embraced running with Alanna and now has pushed beyond what he ever thought possible by taking on some mammoth Ultra Running Events.  It wasn’t an easy road to running success for Keith in fact he hit rock bottom after Alanna passed away before he began to pick up the pieces of his life again and realise that he had a reason to not only survive but to thrive. Running is his recovery and his therapy on a road that has hit some heart breaking obstacles and challenges.  But Keith is not afraid of these obstacles he now faces as a runner, in fact he embraces them, the bigger and tougher the better for the man from Navan who was a participant in RTE’s Special Forces – Ultimate Hell Week in 2019,  he has his eyes set on success at the Marathon Des Sables in the future and Big’s Backyard Last One Standing World Final in Tennessee this October, just don’t ask him to get back on a rowing machine anytime soon! 

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