Your running family

Ososlo

I'm always interested to hear where people got their inspiration to start running. Did your mother or father run? Were they competitive runners? (distances and pbs please:D) Did your siblings run? Did any of your extended family run?

No history of running at all in my family. My father was an armchair athlete. He knew everything about every past and current Irish and international athlete and race and went to Rome in 1960 when very few did such things and saw Ronnie Delaney and the boys in Santry in '58.
He instilled a real love of athletics in me but never ever suggested that I run myself. I suppose coming last in all my races in primary school made him think he was wasting his time:o. He did have great aspirations for my brother though and used to drive behind him on the country roads revving the engine so he'd go faster and faster:eek: That'd probably be deemed child abuse these days:D

I suppose I got the actual idea to run from my brother when I saw him complete a few marathons and thought, yes, I'd like to do that some day!

My ma won all her races in school and used to win money for coming first and no one could beat her but unfortunately she gave it up once she left school.

I'd love to hear some stories!

gerard_65

Nobody, either immediate or extended, run in my family. I'm actually considered nuts. Recently an uncle said to me 'you're not still at that running lark? you'll kill yourself'. He's an alcoholic who smokes 20 a day.:eek:

denis160

We lived in what would now be called 'a disadvantaged area' , although we never seen it as that. My mother got all 5 of us involved in anything that kept us off the street, local running club been one of them. At that time my mother would have walked everywhere & my father still played gaa. My brother & 2 of my sisters were flyers, me, not so good so I stuck with camoige, hockey & gymnastics. Fast forward 15/16 years & spurred on by my sisters I decided I'd give running a go & I haven't stopped. I'm still the slow 1, but I don't give a whoot, as my father says, 'jasus don't be giving yourself a heart attack trying to keep up with them two, sure they're years younger than ya'!

eviltwin

My brother is a runner and has been for years and he was the one who pushed me to do it. I needed something and I wanted something solitary, I'm not really into team sports and I knew from talking to him that running was great for all that thinking time so I thought I'd give it a go and I loved it.

The rest of my family and all my friends are couch potatoes, none of them do any kind of exercise so they all think I'm mad.

One of the great things about running is my 5 yr old son has grown up with having a mother who runs and its rubbed off on him, he's done a few little races and is doing the kids event in dunboyne next week. I'm hoping he keeps it up in the future.

Glencarraig

I got hooked by the running bug while watching the first Dublin Marathon in 1980 and decided there and then that I had to do it, no family history of running or athletics although my father was a gymnast (spelling) in the army and my brother was a goalkeeper, wanted by a number of English clubs. I trained on my own for the 1981 marathon and breezed through it in 3.29, never saw the wall. next year I thought I knew it all,messed around with the training and was in trouble before Raheny, finished in 3.43. I decided then that I needed help so joined a local running club and the difference was amazing, I had never heard of "intervals" or "hills" but two years later I finished Dublin in 2.55, oh and I forgot to mention I met the love of my life in the running club and 25 blissful years later we are still together and "happy out" as they say in some parts!

dintbo

My family were never particularly sporty. A few years back my then very overweight brother got sick and had to loose a lot of weight before he could have an operation he very much needed. He started running and fell in love with it.

Long story short I took a little inspiration from him and began to change my own unhealthy ways. He asked if I fancied joining him running dcm 13 and I figured why not. Because of injury he had to pull out but I went ahead and finished my first marathon in under 4 hours. Every time I have laced up my runners since beating that first time has been in back of my mind,

Zatopek

Athletics would have always been the predominant sport in my family. My entire family including many of my uncles and grandfather were involved in athletics at some stage so It was the natural step for me to join a running club when I was old enough. I was pretty much born and bread athletics. I originally quit myself when I was around 13/14 years old but I maintained a strong interest until I eventually returned a few years ago.

My uncles and father would have been fairly decent in their day, one of the uncles ran a 2:20 marathon back in the 70s or 80s. My father (opposite side of family to my uncles) ran a 14 min 5k, 29 min 10k, 48 min 10 miler and a 64 min half marathon. These times wouldn't have gotten him anywhere back then but he'd be probably winning all Ireland's left right and centre if he was running them today.

I wouldn't be anywhere near that standard so I guess I've a lot to live up too!

ThisRegard

I was a club runner as a kid because of my dad, who was a petty great runner it has to be said and represented Ireland internationally at one stage.

And this is not 3.30am drunk talk, it's 3.30am I'm wide awake because of the kids talk.

Have the most sedantry family in Ireland. Not fat or anything, all would be fairly lean and into sports...just no one participated until me. At get togethers the question I get asked most often us "are you still running across mountains" with a smirk, as they think it a bit amusing.

Hannibal Smith

My brother runs. Not the Olympic athlete story you're looking for..but he's played hurling and football all his life and has always included running in his regime.

He's completed a few marathons and my parents go spare at him. He's wrecking his body....humans aren't designed for such things etc. When I took it up he was as supportive as an elastic bra on a pair of double D's! He has an injury now and I'm dying to use it to my advantage! He's a half marathon in a couple of weeks which he should get a rotten time in...then I'll swoop in and beat his time and retire as the family half marathon champ!!!

Bungy Girl

No athletes in my family although my dad was a fairly decent tennis player even though he only took it up after we were all born. Thinking about that now the tennis club must have been his only ‘escape’ from 5 kids! My mum walked everywhere but was never sporty. Both of them viewed ‘jogging’ with suspicion and like Hannibal’s above would have believed running was bad for your knees etc.
This thread (thanks Ososlo!) has had me thinking a lot about how parents can influence their kids in a positive (or negative) way in relation to sport, possibly without even realising it. I don’t want to go down the soccer mom route with my daughter but I do want to encourage her to enjoy sports and the outdoors and have the opportunity to try different activities. She loves swimming and gymnastics at the moment, long may it last!

PVincent

My Dad was always fit and used to take us running in St Annes, and down in the Dunes in Dollymount, so he fostered a love of fitness. I ran in school although not very successfully , I think 16 th in the west leinsters cc probably about as good as it got . My uncle was a marathon runner so that got me to the start line in Dublin in 1982. Because of other sports( rugby, cricket and hockey) , running did not feature again till 2003 when the New York marathon was done. Definitely my father was the influence for fitness, and although we don't think he ever ran races, his guidance was a major factor for me. My mother , we never thought , was a runner until recent years when the book about Lansdowne Road was written. And lo and behold she announces that she ran there against Fanny Blankers Koen in the 100yards , and the picture are there to prove it. So that was a bit of a surprise. Whilst my brother was a top sportsman ( rugby and cricket) there are no other runners in the family , even amongst the nieces and nephews. My daughter can run and my wife won a couple of Masters medals in Tullamore last year.

Letyourselfgo

My gran used to run, we've no idea to what level (died in 82) but her 2 sons took it up at an early age, old man Tom Hopkins used to bring a few of them from Ballyboden out to Donore harriers ( where in the clubhouse there's a pic of them ...RQ
My mam a lot younger than her brothers ran for DSD/ajax.

I never ran for a club as a juvenile but one of my uncles always took me to races imra and fun runs. He got into coaching in soccer and gaa and I've followed suit with athletics and now the 4th generation (my daughters) have been running a few years and in the same club as their gran.

Laois_Man

Absolutely no running whatsoever anywhere in my family, I am the blacksheep of the family in many ways and running is just another one of those ways. When I completed DCM last year, I inspired my bro to want to give it a go, he said he'd do it with me in 2015. I had a feeling it was just temporary inspiration - and so it has proved. I doubt he'll ever do it. My son, in a few years, won't get away so easily though :cool:!

hillsiderunner

No background of running in my family until myself and a brother took it up about 15years ago... neither parents nor any other relatives were involved in running or even in other sports. My parents did take us all to swimming lessons when we were kids (I was slow!), and I did gymnastics for a few years. But no running or athletics .... I have no memory of seeing either Eamonn Coughlan's or John Tracey's successes on the TV, and in recent years my dad's only comment is that EC is annoying .

Anyhow, I took up running around 2000/2001 when I was living in Denmark. Was down to a friend who had been running in the past, and wanted to start again, and she brought a couple of us along with her. We used to run about 4-5miles in the woods. Sometimes in the summer we'd jump in the sea after . Since then I've run on-and-off with low mileage ...

One of my brothers took up running around the same time as me, but totally independently. He did a number of half-marathons and maybe 10 full marathons over the years ... but he didn't usually train enough. I have hopes to beat his PB when I do my first marathon, but will not be making a big thing of it as he can't run any more. He didn't influence me taking up running but I do think he helped me keep it going as we did a good few half-marathons together in those years (and before he had to stop running we used to email each other about training). My sister started running abut 5 years after the two of us, and I would say the two of us influenced her starting to run.

I do think there is a family factor ... also have noticed running can "spread" among friends. I have one friend who started a few years ago, I think pretty much influenced by seeing me at it, and she is now flying past me :rolleyes:. Her sister has taken it up too, but fortunately I'm still ahead there!

rainbow kirby

No running background in the family - we're more of a soccer family than anything else. My dad did coaching badges when my brother was young and coached my brother's team up to U-17, and my sister played with the boys until age 10 then played Gaelic football until she was old enough at 16 to start playing senior women's soccer. My mum has walked the Women's Mini-Marathon around 12 times at this stage, she's never ran but loves walking.

My brother and his GF have now started running after years of him giving me stick about it, she wanted to shed the last of the baby weight and running is a relatively convenient way for her to do that.

My OH has been running since he was 9, and we hope to set a good example to our future kids

Dubgal72

My dad was definitely 'the' formative influence on my involvement in running. He, in his turn, was influenced by our neighbour, the legendary gentleman that was Bertie Messitt
http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2056553244
Bertie encouraged him aged 15 and introduced him to Donore Harriers where he had a solid career as a club runner with a marathon PB of 2:29:xx He still gets out everyday for a hike aged 71, despite fybromyalgia. That seems to be under control now with steroid treatment and he's muttering about starting to run/walk now :rolleyes:
Both his brothers were involved in rugby and his sister was an avid hiker so there was always an athletic background on that side of the family. None on my mother's but she quite rightly put me in my place the other day. I must have rolled my eyes or twitched slightly when she mentioned she was walking the Wmm again this year. She replied that this would be her 24th time doing it and that I had never so I could sit down and dún mo chlob
Like Bungy Girl, I am very conscious of the models we present to our sproggies and as long as they both see physical activity as enjoyable, I reckon I can retire in peace
Thanks Os, great thread.

annapr

No running whatsoever in any branch of my family... My parents were politically active and considered sports to be part of the opium of the masses, along with religion and soap operas as in: why don't those people running marathons actually focus their efforts on something useful to society?

We were never encouraged to participate in any sport and had no sporting ability either. My mother's idea of 'going for a walk' was to drive to a local beauty spot and sit in the car. She is now paying the price in her 70's for being so inactive... Which is partly why I run.

She still says to me when I come back from a run invigorated: you must be exhausted!!!

We have always encouraged our kids to do sports... Even when it meant sitting in drafty basketball halls, cold football fields, spending the whole weekend on the logistics, dragging them whining up mountains, etc. It's worth it!

Clearlier

I never thought it before but there's very little running history in my family. Mostly rugby. My uncle took it up when he left Ireland and ran a few races. I have a cousin who has done DCM a couple of times and a sister who has run a couple of 10k's but other than that nothing that I know of. A lot of the rugby was played in the front row which might be a hint as to why running hasn't been that popular in my family.

My parents used to take us for walks as kids and we were always forced encouraged to be outside in all weathers. The next door neighbours had nine kids, there were two big back gardens and we literally broken down a hole in the wall between the two so we were always playing whatever was the flavour of the moment (tennis during Wimbledon etc.).

sconhome

The only runners in our family were 1st cousins one of whom ran 400m in the Commonwealth games. Growing up and spending summers with them at the track when you are an overweight kid with no running talent was a tough lesson. Their dad, my uncle is current Irish record holder over 70 for the 100m. They were surprised (in a nice way) to hear that I started running and stunned to hear of marathon and other silly distance events in multisport.

Other than that the only running in my family (outside of field sports) is done by my wife, myself and the kids.

Chivito550

Not sure about long distance running on the road, but for track and field it is very hard to get into it without it being brought down to you by your parents IMO. My family is not an athletics family at all, either immediate, or extended on both sides, with the exception of a cousin who was a good triple jumper. My family is very GAA dominant, so much so that I usually chat away about it at family gatherings, even though I've only a casual interest in it.

As a result I had to discover athletics by myself, hence the very late age of entering the sport.

Only the other day a member of my extended family was so confused when I said I did the 400. Running to her was running marathons for charity. I was then asked what sort of thrill I would get running around a track, and would I not be better off kicking a ball around with a bunch of teammates, and have the camaraderie.

Itziger

This is a great thread (even if we're all really kinda patting ourselves on the back a bit. I love patting myself on the back). As someone earlier said, I was from a 'disadvantaged' area too and didn't realise it at the time. We were out and about playing from sun-up to sun-down in anything other than pi$$ing rain. Most of the family were into GAA and the Ma played a Camogie AI semi final for Da Rebelettes long, long before they were called that!! All 5 older siblings tried GAA and the bro was quite the 'keeper. Even got a trial for Arsenal back when Chippie Brady was joining their ranks as he also (immorally!) played soccer.

I started running in secondary school and joined St Finbarrs in Cork. Wasn't bad (4th in Munster Schools CC one year was the pinnacle) but gave up when I met the twin delights of females and beer.

Started back when my 4th child was born. Don't know if it was unconscious or not but maybe I foresaw a time when I would be so lazy that I couldn't go out for a game of ball with him or, God forbid, a run. Now I'm dying to see if he takes up the running. I'm not going to put pressure on him but I'd love to do a few races with him in a couple of years time. He's only 7 so I should be good for a few victories in the first 2 or 3 years!

Letyourselfgo

Dubgal72 wrote: »

My dad was definitely 'the' formative influence on my involvement in running. He, in his turn, was influenced by our neighbour, the legendary gentleman that was Bertie Messitt
http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2056553244
Bertie encouraged him aged 15 and introduced him to Donore Harriers where he had a solid career as a club runner with a marathon PB of 2:29:xx He still gets out everyday for a hike aged 71, despite fybromyalgia. That seems to be under control now with steroid treatment and he's muttering about starting to run/walk now :rolleyes:

I'd say there's a good chance your dad ran with my uncle 68, was in Donore for years around that time

Dubgal72

Letyourselfgo wrote: »

I'd say there's a good chance your dad ran with my uncle 68, was in Donore for years around that time

Definitely! Is he still involved? They were kings back then weren't they?! Phenomenal standard on road, track and XC. PM me his name, my dad is still involved and had a near encyclopaedic memory of past members. Obsessed with running is not the word...
Ps, fascinating history there with your gran. She must have been running mid-century to 70s?

dna_leri

No running in my family history, a little bit of GAA but nothing serious. There was always a good interest in sport including athletics, and lots of encouragement.
My brothers and I started running through Community Games.
I stopped in late teens and did not restart for over 20 years.
My older brother stopped once I could beat him (mid teens) and has hardly ran since, although he buys a new pair of Kayano's every few years (good intentions).
Another brother started running 5-10Ks recently but he does not ask for advise so I try not to give any.

Both of them have children who run at schools/club level, who I try to encourage.
My two sons were active in athletics club until recently but now prefer football.
I think it is important to introduce children to many sports but let them choose their preference.
They can always come back to running at a later stage.

Letyourselfgo

Dubgal72 wrote: »

Definitely! Is he still involved?

Either 2013 or 14 he was 2nd or 3rd O60/65? in the Longford half with a 1'34.
Still trains like he's in his 20s though and I think at his age it's working against him.