Mindspace to benefit from Alan’s ultra challenge

WHEN people hear that renowned ultra-athlete Alan Heaney is taking on ‘Marathon des Sables’ they may not fully appreciate the magnitude of the challenge.
After all the Swinford native is well-known for his ultra-cycling exploits and taking part in ultra events all across the globe.
But what if we told you that ‘MdS’ is also known as ‘the toughest foot race on Earth’?
We thought that might get your attention!
The 47 year-old from Killasser is heading off this Friday to take on his greatest challenge yet.
A six-day, 251km ultramarathon, which is approximately the distance of six regular marathons, which is held every year in southern Morocco, in the Sahara Desert.
The longest single stage is 91km long.
So what motivates the father-of-four to push his body and mind to the brink?
“The Marathon Des Sables has always been on my bucket list,” Alan explains.
“It’s starting outside Marrakesh next Sunday and I’ll be running around 265kms.
“I’ll be gone for 10 days and there will be running of one sort or another for eight days.
“I’m going on my own because it’s every man and woman for themselves with this event really. You’re going to be tested physically, emotionally, spiritually, every way, so everyone will have their own crosses to bear.
“The run is me versus myself versus the heat of the day and the cold of the night.
“For me it’s all about the mindset you get into,” he adds.
“It’s about mentally setting a goal and an end point and then making sure you hit it. I’ve always found that if you do that, you will reach it.
“I’m mentally very strong. I’m very good at taking stuff on and hitting the limit.
“I would always say, ‘Don’t limit yourself by the stories you tell yourself’.
“I enjoy it when I set myself a new limit.
“It’s very enjoyable and there’s definitely an addiction there. The endorphins and the dopamine that you get from pushing yourself to your limit is incredible.”
Alan Heaney will also be pushing himself to the limit for a good cause next week as all monies raised from his ‘Marathon des Sables’ adventure will be donated to Mindspace Mayo.
Alan is a big fan of their work and a huge admirer of their project manager, Peadar Gardiner.
“I think what Mindspace are doing is so important and I like the way that Peadar runs the service and goes about his business,” he says.
“There’s a lot of people not in a great space at the moment, there’s something in every house.
“It can be education, marriage-related, addiction, depression, or whatever.
“Mindspace gives young people, in particular, the opportunity to pick up the phone and organise somebody to listen and help. They’re doing a great job.
“I’ll be going into a new Mindspace of my own with this event. I’m sure in the middle of this marathon I’ll be wondering about the ‘why’ and ‘where’ and ‘how’ too.”
Alan, who runs three agri-tech companies with his business partner, Niall McGauran, and also farms at his home in Killasser, is the first to admit that his ultra-marathon exploits just wouldn’t be possible without the support of his wife, Carmel, (who he describes as ‘a superwoman’) and four children, Isla, Jane, Lottie and Alan.
They support him every step of the way while he also singles out his running buddies, Alan Dunne and Peter Hynes, for special mention.
They are almost always by his side when he runs around the various forests, bogs, woods and trails in preparation for his next ultra-event.
“I started off with ultra-cycling and before long I found I was using events to get fitter and stronger,” he explains.
“My first ultra-cycling challenge was a three-day cycle from Malin to Mizen Head, but myself and Gary Smyth from Kiltimagh ended up doing it again over two days and then came back a third time and did it in 23 hours and 20 minutes.
“I like a bit of organised chaos,” he smiles. “Because I like trying to fix stuff.
“The unpredictability and the chaos makes it more interesting and challenging for me.
“I started running with a buddy of mine in Swinford, Peter Hynes, the chairperson of Mayo Athletics, and I really began to enjoy the quietness, calmness and scenery.
“Alan Dunne joins us too and we’d run on Monday, Wednesday and Friday. I like to go running first thing in the morning and then we head off and do our day’s work.”
A teetotaller, Alan recently ran a marathon from Bangor Erris to Newport before togging out the following day for a Gaelic football match with a Mayo Over-40s selection against Tyrone on Clare Island.
He also finished in the top 30 of 2,000 competitors in the Sea2Summit race.
“My body is fitter than it’s ever been in terms of endurance,” he admits, before heading off to spend some time in the outdoor sauna he’s built at his home to help his body acclimatise for what lies ahead in Morocco.
“There’s a lot of unknowns with this, and I genuinely don’t know how it’s going to go,” he says.
For Alan Heaney that is half the attraction. We wish him well.

To Donate
TO make a contribution to this fundraiser for Mindspace Mayo, check out ‘Alan Heaney’s Marathon des Sables’ GoFundMe page or his ‘ultra-cyclists’ pages on Instagram or Linkedin.