Farai Mupasiri has never run a marathon. He has never run a 20k, or raced a 10k, or pinned a number on for anything longer than a Saturday morning parkrun. In October he'll line up in Dublin for all 42.2 of them, raising money for LauraLynn, and he could not be more delighted about it.
His name tells you a fair bit about him before he says a word. Farai is Shona, and it translates loosely as happiness.
"I'm the first born in a family of five. When they had me they were so happy, so they called me Farai." He grins. "In Shona it means you should be happy. I try to live towards that value in my life."
Anyone who spends half an hour with him will tell you it's working.
Zimbabwe, Cape Town, Portlaoise
Farai is Zimbabwean, born and bred. He spent five years in Cape Town before moving to Ireland in 2020, so he's six years here now. He's a qualified accountant working for an international bank in Dublin, and home is Portlaoise.
He's a family man first. Married since 2016, three children, two girls and a boy. Weekends are the park with the kids, five a side with the lads to keep fit, and a parkrun most Saturdays.
Portlaoise suits him. "It's a small town, but it's a nice, quiet town. It's a good place for families."
The sport he follows is cricket rather than football, though he'll happily tell you he's a Chelsea fan and take whatever comes with that. He follows Ireland now as well as Zimbabwe, and reckons the Irish team have come on enormously since he started watching. One of his friends plays for the Dundalk club, so the local franchise chat is a regular fixture.
How You Train With Three Kids and a Full Time Job
The honest answer is that you don't do it alone.
"My wife is really supportive," Farai says. "We're both accountants ourselves, and we've found a way of making sure we're there for the family, there for each other, and also able to take time personally to do the other stuff."
So it's a straight trade. If she wants to go swimming, he's on babysitting duty. When he needs an hour or two for a long run, she takes the three of them and he gets out the door in the middle of the day.
They don't have extended family around them here, which makes that arrangement everything. "It's just us as a family. So it's important that we're supporting each other."
The running itself started a couple of years ago as a way of keeping fit and keeping his weight in check. It grew from there into something he wasn't expecting. "I feel like I'm in a really good space. My health and my fitness have never felt any better."
He's training on his own, off his own plan, with no club and no coach. He's still turning up.
Black and Irish
Away from the running, Farai sits on the board of Black and Irish, one of eight board members.
The way he describes it will be familiar to anyone with family who emigrated. If an Irish person moves to Munich tomorrow, there's an Irish association waiting for them, someone to meet for a pint, someone to explain how things work. Black and Irish does that job here, for Black and mixed race Irish people and for people of African descent living in Ireland, whether they arrived last year or were born in Tallaght.
The organisation runs local groups around the country, a national Africa Day celebration bringing the different nationalities together, and the Black and Irish Awards, which recognise people of African descent who've made a mark that year across sport, music and public life. The awards are broadcast on RTÉ.
"I'm a person who's always wanted to make an impact within the community," he says. It's the same instinct that put him in front of a marathon entry form.
Why LauraLynn
Farai came to LauraLynn through a conversation with his own board, and the connection turned out to be closer than he expected. One of the people he was talking to had a personal link to the family behind the charity, which made the whole thing land differently.
But the real reason is that he's a father.
"Being a father myself, LauraLynn spoke to me. I come from a background where, because of the economy in Zimbabwe, this isn't being done enough. Here in Ireland, somebody took that time to say I will care for these children. That really speaks to me, and I want to do my part."
There's a precedent for this, too. Back in June, Farai took on Hell and Back with Ronald McDonald House Charities, which he describes with feeling as very tough. What surprised him afterwards was the certificate that came in the post.
"I went in because it was a noble thing. But receiving that recognition means a lot. That again pushed me to enter the marathon for a charity."
He's been open with people about what he's asking for, and why.
"I tell them, this is my first marathon and it's big for me, so please help me. If you donate, you are with me in the race, because I'm taking this big step." He pauses. "It really felt good. So it's not just running. It's also fundraising."
The Only Target That Matters
Ask Farai about a time and he doesn't have one, and he isn't pretending otherwise.
"My target personally is quite simply to finish the race."
He wants the day itself more than the number. "Living in Ireland now, these are the events where you really want to be part of it and have memories. That's it."
His advice for anyone else eyeing up a first marathon comes from the middle of his own training block, not from the other side of a finish line, which arguably makes it more useful.
"In my training there are days where it's hard. I feel like I'm cramping up and my body doesn't want to move. But the moment you really put your mind to it, you feel you can do anything."
"So if somebody comes to me and they're doubting themselves, I'd say that mindset, that positivity they had when they were starting off, is what will carry them through. The win is just starting."
He's fairly clear on the worst case scenario as well.
"You're getting this opportunity to be part of it. That's already a win in itself."
Come the last Sunday in October, look out for the Portlaoise man with the smile that doesn't come off. He'll be somewhere near the back of the last wave, taking his time, having the day of his life.
You can support Farai's fundraising for LauraLynn ahead of the Dublin Marathon here.
