It’s hard to know where to start when writing an article about Shane Healy. Two great articles such as The Cathal Dennehy Interview or The Kieran Cunningham Interview would be fantastic places to start.
An athlete who lives by the mantra, nothing is impossible, Healy has had a far from ordinary childhood and into the start of his running career. From never having been a runner in his formative years, Healy found himself at Contra Costa Community College outside San Francisco. The coach offered him $50 to run a mile, which his ran in an amazing 4:52 wearing old tennis shoes.
Healy never had been a runner in his formative years, but after being but in beat-up tennis shoes he clocked 4:52, enough for the coach to offer him a place on the team. “That’s where I found the American dream,” he says.
From there, his running story started. Returning to Ireland, a chance encounter with Eamonn Coghlan at a road race would ultimately change his fate, Coghlan agreeing to coach Healy on the condition that he did everything he was told. Having fought tooth and nail throughout his life to get to the top, Healy ran an Olympic qualifying time in Madrid, qualifying for the Atlanta Olympics.
An inspiring story I could never do justice in a but a few paragraphs, you really should go back and read one of the two articles above.
Fast forward to yesterday, the ever persistent Shane Healy is still running strong. To be fair, running strong is an understatement. Currently over in Nashville in the US, Shane managed to break a 20 year old world record for the M50 mile, running an amazing 4:22. Unfortunately, his new record wasn’t to last long as Brad Barton went 3 seconds better to set a new record of 4:19.
Preparations were not ideal for Shane. Only flying over a few days before the meet, he didn’t acclimatise fully. “I didn’t sleep for 2 nights because of 6 hour time difference and jet lag. I was also thinking about race and conditions I’d be facing. It all had an impact come the race itself, as I was tired, very tired in race, but hey life goes on”.
Life does go on, and Shane isn’t one to sit on his laurels, thinking a short held world record is enough. “I am looking to the next event now. I will go for M50 1500m world record on 22nd June in Belfast, hopefully I’ll break that one as well”.
An inspirational runner, and we hope Shane goes and continues to break records!!
