'It intrigued me': Waterford man to run 10 marathons in 10 days to help change children's future

A Waterford man who has received a medal for running 100 marathons is gearing up to run 10 in 10 days for charity.

John Walsh is a residential childcare worker with Tusla, Ireland’s Child and Family Agency, and has worked with children for all of his life.

Marathons, on the other hand, are relatively new in his life, having started running them about five years ago.

It was then that he heard of the Brathay Trust, a charity that inspires young people to “build their own brighter futures.”

It does so by creating experiences that inspire children and young people to make positive changes that can last a lifetime.

By helping young people develop the skills, attitudes and resilience they need to reach their potential, Brathay empowers them to make active choices that will benefit them and the people around them.

Considering John’s career, it felt right to participate in the event to raise funds for the trust, which involves running 10 marathons in 10 days.

”It just intrigued me. I was just fascinated by the idea. Now, thankfully, I had the good sense not to try it because I would not have been able to do it four or five years ago,” John said.

He is aiming to raise €4,200 for the Trust, as it “connects strongly with my own career and values,” John explained.

“Every day, I see how important encouragement, support and positive opportunities are in helping children and young people build confidence and reach their potential,” he explained.

As the years progressed and he started running more, he decided to go back to the event.

In May of next year, John will undertake the feat of the 10 in 10.

With no actual training plan for a task like it, he plans to just “run, run, run.”

It’s nothing too far from what he has been doing, completing a marathon almost every week.

With marathons taking place all over Ireland and the rest of the world, John is now part of a small collection of people who do them all.

“I just happen to be one of those crazy people now,” he joked.

“I don't know where I was last week; that's how obsessed I got,” he said.

John’s first ever marathon was in June 2022, and it was the Waterford Viking Marathon, towards the end of which he was “in agony.”

“I wasn't able to walk. I had cramps running up the back of my legs. The lads (his family) were sitting, shouting ‘Get it done, John, get it done, get it done,’ and I was just in hysterics,” John said.

Despite the pain, he fell in love with marathons.

“It's not the running, it's the people on the course and the stories that you hear,” he explained.

While running the Waterford Viking Marathon, John came across a man with a jersey on that said ‘Marathon Club of Ireland.’

He asked about it and learned that if you are a member of the club and complete 100 marathons, you get a medal, a jersey, and a presentation.

“Oh, I want it,” John thought at the time.

“It triggered there and then. I said it immediately to the lads, ‘I'm going to do a hundred of these.’ Everyone was looking at me like I was stone cracked,” he explained, probably because he was struggling to stand after finishing his first ever one.

When he got home from the Viking Marathon, John started looking for what one he could do next, going on to finish six in his first year.

That doubled the following year, jumping to 28 in 2024, and 40 last year.

Earlier this year, John completed his 100th marathon, but in the form of an Ultra-Marathon.

He got his medal, jersey, and presentation, like he had dreamed of after his first marathon.

It turns out the Waterford Viking Marathon, which inspired John’s love of the sport, was his 102nd marathon.

Before that, he had been in England doing seven marathons in seven days, leading one to believe he would fly through the 10 in 10, but that’s not necessarily the case.

“The multiple-day ones are a mental battle... You're never guaranteed to finish any marathon, let alone multiple-day events,” John explained.

Alongside the mental battle, injuries are a common challenge many runners face.

Last year, John did complete 10 marathons in 10 days, but in the final few days he was running on shin splints with a huge amount of pain.

He shaved his legs, wrapped them in tape to suppress the pain, deciding to “suck it up and get on with it.”

He noted this is likely not the best idea and recommended that professional advice be sought if an injury was to occur.

“It's not really a very sensible thing to do. I certainly wouldn't like anyone reading this to think that they should do it because, long-term, you could do damage to yourself,” he said.

John’s relationship with running, like any marathon, has had its ups and downs.

“From probably marathon 96 to probably marathon 101, it was all very strange for me. I wasn't loving it then, but now I'm after falling in love with it again,” he shared.

“You have to keep a positive attitude about it, but they are really, really tough. It's a whole other level of toughness. I'm really looking forward to it, but I am apprehensive about it as well.,” he said, looking ahead to May 2027.

The Brathay Trust 10 marathons in 10 days will be tough, but with his love and passion for running back, and a good few months of “run, run, running,” John should get through it.

If you would like to support John on his journey and donate to The Brathay Trust, you can do so here.