Buncrana’s top athlete John Joe Doherty reveals the secrets of his success

Buncrana-based Finn Valley AC athlete John Joe Doherty, who recently won the Derry’s Walled City Ten Mile Road Race in a time of 52 minutes 46 seconds, has revealed some of the secrets of his success.

“John Downes, my coach - the former Irish and British Cross Country champion - is revelatory. He’s a unique coach with a unique method which is hard to explain. It involves high mileage, you bring it up and down,” he said. 

“You’ve got to pay the toll for whatever you put into your system. You’re living on the edge if you’re running, it reduces the system. Sugar is addictive - sugar is the enemy. I eat meat, fish, eggs, sourdough, salads, but I would like to reduce sugar. Fruit is good.

 “Running is good for your mental health - you get feel-good hormones that help your brain. Exercise has an impact on the physiology of the brain. It’s natural to exercise. It’s not natural what we’re all doing, sitting down looking at our phones and screens. Running is a great thing for my mind, my mental health - it balances me and my body, and my studies.

“I do yoga once a week in the Foyle Arena after my long run with William Grant, The Yoga Man.”

John Joe was also this year’s winner of the Ballyliffin Coastal Challenge ten mile race earlier this month in a time of 55 minutes 31 seconds.

The Derry Ten Mile race, which had nearly 2,800 finishers, runs along the River Foyle, finishing on the track at St Columb’s Park. John Joe praised the community spirit of the race organisers. 

John Joe Doherty (centre) after the  Walled City Ten Mile Road Race with runners up Conal McGinley and Stephen Pickering

“Fantastic race, well organised,” he said afterwards. “This race raised £6,000 for Foyle Hospice and they give good prizes. They put the money back into the community, and the competition was rewarded.  

“ It was the first time I’ve done it,” he said. 

“I’m happy enough, you go out there and you just do your very best. Afterwards I went to the Creggan Country Club with William Grant, the Yoga Man, for a swim and a sauna.”

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John Joe, whose grandfather is from Tullydish, Buncrana, and moved back to Inishowen recently, is also the holder of Buncrana parkrun’s record – 5 kilometres on Buncrana shore path in a time of 15:41, set in 2023.

“I have Inishowen roots, I live in Tullydish. I’ve been coming here since I was a child. You’ll see me running around the roads. Some people are very polite, some people try to run me over!” he joked.

John Joe, originally from St Helen’s near Liverpool, is well known in the athletics community for his podcast Two Men on the Run which he co-hosts with fellow athlete Matthew Crehan and which is available on Spotify and Apple podcasts.

“We interviewed all the best runners from yesteryear who had been forgotten about, like Geoff Smith from Liverpool who won the Boston marathon twice in the 1980s. We had Charlie Spedding from Durham on the show, who won a bronze medal in the Olympics in LA in 1984, the same year the famous Irishman John Treacy won a silver medal. We also interviewed Patsy McGonagle, who was the Irish Olympic team manager for 25 years.”