Aengus' Half Marathon Run for Brain Injury Services and Mental Health

That is me pictured in ICU in hospital 4 years ago.

Something happened that would ultimately be the greatest test to my character to date and reshape my perspective of this fragile world I lived in.

BOOM, reality hit me like a train or in this instance, a few punches. I was randomly assaulted by 2 guys, left in a coma and left with what doctors called a “traumatic brain injury”. I got a nasty scar on my brain. One inch higher and I could’ve been a vegetable. Really dramatic… isn’t it? I was left in disarray. I returned to work after a long recovery. I tried to write a report, I stared at the screen and it took me hours to write the first sentence. I valued myself on my intellect and what I felt at the time was that it had been completely stripped away from me. I was suffering from anxiety attacks, didn’t know at the time of course, and wondered everyday when I was going to get a call to my boss’ office and get let go for now being incompetent! I thought to myself, when was the last time I was truly happy with my life? Of course, when I was playing sport. One problem. I wasn’t allowed to play my beloved contact sports anymore. What do I do now? I started lifting weights week in week out and began running.

All of these non contact sports that I was not interested in in the past, were now my passion.

Now, that I'm living my life to the fullest, I am aware of how fortunate I was to be living with a traumatic brain injury and still be thriving. Unfortunately for others, this is not the case and I would love for you to assist me to raise fund for a charity very close to my heart. I want to donate to a charity called Headway Brain Injury Services. Headway Brain Injury helps improve the lives of people and families affected by brain injury  by providing support, navigation and education. Services include community re-integration, rehabilitation training programmes, psychological support, financial support and supported employment and are based on assessment of a person’s needs and their own goals for recovery with the aim to maximize potential and quality of life and promote independence.

I will also be raising money for Mental Health Foundation NZ. As you can imagine, living with a brain injury required a lot of work on my mental health. This is also for a fantastic cause that help people deal with the struggles of life and get back to being more like themselves.

I plan to run the Auckland half marathon (21 km) in a time of 01:30:00 hrs on the 20th of October 2019.

To get a time of 1:30:00 hrs or below, I have to run 04:15/km, which is a huge challenge for anyone. This is my second ever organised half marathon so this goes to show you that I'm not a seasoned runner. However, I think I possess innate capabilities to run this within that time and I am always willing to push my limits.

To add to the pressure of this challenge, if I don't complete this within 1:30:00, I will personally add $500 of a donation to these charities on top of my own donations to this page.

I hope you can support me on this 7 week journey to help me achieve this goal and challenge for an excellent cause.

Follow me @aocnutrition on instagram, where I will be uploading my nutrition, training progression and the ultimate result of my run.

Thank you in advance,

Aengus Ó Curraidhín from Galway, Ireland.