Meet John Mulholland from the Experiment Group and ambassador for SPAR

Name:  John Mulholland

Tell us a little about yourself:

I am the ambassador for the Henderson group who through SPAR are one of the sponsors of the Deep RiverRock Belfast City Marathon this year.  I work as a Key Account Manager in Henderson Foodservice.

What inspired you to take on this challenge?

My father was diagnosed with cancer about 9 months ago and is now terminally ill, as Cancer Focus NI is the charity we are running for it was something I wanted to do for him.        

Were you an active person before you signed up?

I played football and Gaelic football all my life up until a very bad leg break 15 year ago, now I keep fit doing circuits and coaching football.

Longest run to date:

My longest run has been 10 miles

What has been the biggest struggle so far?

I am an early riser and love getting outside to train but the beautiful Irish weather is tough.

What are you enjoying?

I am really enjoying the training schedule which has been put in place for us all by Stuart Kennedy, it focuses the mind when you know exactly what you are doing every day. The support and banter within the group is amazing.

What kind of things do you think about when you’re running?

I tend to run early in the morning around 5 am, so I like to plan the day ahead, although sometimes it’s nice to switch the music on and think of absolutely nothing.

Do you think you’ll keep up the running after race day?

I was never a runner before and if you had asked me this after week 2 of training I would have said no, but the answer now is a massive yes.

Has your diet changed?

The nutritional advice from the team at Framar Health has been excellent so yes. I am eating a lot more seeds and pulses than previously.

What’s the first thing you’re going to do after the marathon?

I am hoping that my Father will be at the finish line along with the rest of my family, so it will be hugs, tears then pints.