Women’s Mini Marathon: ‘I wanted to make my mam proud – every race I run now, I believe she is on my shoulder’

“My mom was diagnosed with cancer so I decided that I wanted to run it [the Mini Marathon] in 2011 and raise money for the Irish Cancer Society. I wanted to run it without stopping because the way I saw it, my mom was fighting cancer, and if she could do that, then surely to God, I could run 10km,” she says.

A month after she had run that first race, Canning’s mother sadly passed away, which is at the forefront of her mind every time she laces up now. “Apart from raising funds, I wanted to make my mam proud. I believe in every race I run now, she is always on my shoulder,” she adds.

Despite the fact she is a seasoned athlete nowadays, it wasn’t something she grew up doing. “I played sports in school, but when I left school I didn’t do any sports. I had kids and settled down and travelled and whatever,” she says.

Thankfully, the athleticism runs in the family. Canning’s late grandfather, John ‘Spike’ McCormack was a famous Irish boxer, which she believes has given her even more mental dedication. “Everybody’s saying, ‘you’ve got your granddad’s mental strength’, because I don’t give up. I think I possibly do have a sporting gene from him. Because, that first Mini Marathon, I did it in 49 minutes. I had never run before,” she says.

“So I just asked one of my friends for a plan and he said to me, ‘Oh, look, if you can run 5km, you can run 10km’. So I just went out and started jogging. I was delighted with myself when I did my first one,” she adds. After crossing the finish line with such an impressive time, a friend called and said her natural talent would be well-honed in a running club.

These days, she has all manner of races under her belt, and will be taking to the streets of Dublin in June alongside thousands of other women. When she isn’t training for herself, she’s coaching others, working alongside junior groups and people trying Couch to 5k training programmes.

“I love running, it’s my therapy. Drogheda District is my local running club — they are just amazing. They’ve been a godsend to me. I train four times a week with them and I just love it,” she says.

“I seriously wouldn’t have coped without running. I’ve had a lot of losses in my own family and running has got me through it.”

Running has also given Canning the opportunity to raise funds for the people and groups that need it. “This year I’m raising funds for my cousin who had a terrible MMA accident in training and he was left paralysed. He’s in a motorised wheelchair now but he still needs funds for his rehab, so I’m raising funds for that, for Ryan,” she says. Her target has already been exceeded.

Fundraising adds another motivator when the race comes around. One year, Canning ran in aid of her niece, Grace, who had a heart problem and passed away at 15. “I actually got a PB [personal best] the year I ran it for my niece because I was thinking of how Grace was a little warrior and she fought so hard,” she says.

Asking people to support your cause financially can be difficult, particularly within the Irish culture of not wanting to be a burden. It is something Canning has contended with during her previous stints of fundraising.

“When I first went to do a marathon, it was my first marathon, one of my friends said to me, ‘you should fundraise’, and I said, ‘oh God no, like I already fundraised for the Mini Marathon, I don’t want to go fundraising again’, and they said ‘no, it’s a massive achievement, and people are helping somebody by sponsoring you’,” she says.

“But I think that’s the good aspect of social media. I know there are lots of negatives to it, but it’s great for fundraising because you can get your platform out there and if people even share your thing — you’re not asking people directly, you just post it up that this is what you’re doing and people will get on board behind you and support it if it’s good cause, I find.”

There are plenty of people who may feel like 10km is out of reach, but Canning insists it’s a race for everyone, whether you’re running, walking, or doing a bit of both. “You can walk it — my sister walks a bit, jogs a bit. I’d encourage anybody to try. I would suggest to anyone on the fence about running the mini marathon to give it a go, as it was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made,” she says.

“The atmosphere on the day is amazing and everyone is capable of completing it: just one foot in front of the other with women supporting women all along the course.”

The Vhi Women’s Mini Marathon takes place in Dublin on Sunday, June 2. See vhiwomensminimarathon.ie