Sinead Kane, Blind Marathon Runner, is Cork Person of the Month
Sinead Kane, with only 5% vision, has completed seven marathons in seven days on seven continents to establish a new Guinness World Record. Sinead is the first visually impaired athlete to complete the World Marathon Challenge and the 34-year-old Youghal native only took up running four years ago.
Sinead, with her guide runner John O’Regan, ran her first marathon at Union Glacier in Antarctica; then Punta Arenas, Chile; Miami, USA; Madrid, Spain; Marrakech, Morocco; Dubai, United Arab Emirates; and, finally, Sydney, Australia.
Sinead Kane also succeeded in a career people told her would be unsuitable for her, because of the heavy amount of reading involved – she qualified as Ireland’s first legally blind solicitor in 2009.
“It’s all about mental strength and realising why you want to do it. I want to change people’s perception of disability,” said Sinead.
Brian Crowley MEP who nominated Sinead for the Person of the Month award said “I’m nominating an elite athlete, not a blind girl, for this award. Sinead inspires all people – both disabled and able bodied – to realise their own potential.”
Sinead Kane lives with a very positive attitude “I can choose to be blind or I can choose to be visionary. It takes courage to have limited sight and to go out and run with thousands of people because the risks of being injured are higher. What I have learned from life is that courage has a ripple effect. Every time we choose courage we make those around us feel better and the world a bit braver.”
Sinead Kane will join this year’s other monthly award winners for possible selection as overall ‘Cork Person of the Year 2017’. The winner will be announced at a Gala Awards Lunch due to take place in January 2018.
