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To Fuel Positive Change
Marathon Man tells your inspirational story running 35 marathons in 35 days to create something positive from a negative and raise money for charity. Why was this an important story for you to write?
My 1,500-km lap of Ireland charity run and 500-km length of Ireland charity swim were both inspired by the actions of others. If Eddie Izzard didn’t make ‘Eddie Iz Running’ for TV and if Sean Conway didn’t write ‘Hell and High Water’, it’s very likely that I would have conjured up or completed my charity challenges. It’s unlikely I would have raised €45,000 for charity without hearing their stories. They showed me what was possible. With that in mind, it was vital for me to try to pass on the baton of inspiration.
I appreciated the candid nature with which you told your story. What was the hardest thing for you to write about?
It’s hard writing openly about life’s struggles. I cover teenage acne, sporting failures, friends’ premature death, and my dad’s stroke. These personal experiences profoundly impacted my life. Whilst difficult to share publicly, it was essential to me to be as authentic and honest as possible in telling my story. These were the challenging moments that nudged me towards my 35-marathon charity project. It’s a warts and all account, but I made sure to balance the shade with light. Thankfully, I seem to have struck the right balance with book critics and reviewers appreciating my light-hearted Irish humour.
What is one thing you hope readers take away from your story?
I hope readers find my story entertaining and uplifting, seeing that hard times can be used to fuel positive change.
What is one piece of advice that you would give to someone who is struggling to find the motivation to change their life?
Break the end goal down into manageable pieces. There’s always take a tiny step today. Training to run 35 marathons in 35 days wasn’t about doing one 500-mile training run. That would be an impossible starting point doomed to fail. I trained 5 miles one day, 3 miles the next, 10 miles the next, and lifted some weights the next day and so on. Within months, I was a comfortable marathon runner. Then I became an ultramarathon runner. The exact process applies to writing a book, starting a business or anything. Consistent small steps will get you to the mountain’s peak.
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Marathon Man
Marathon Man by Alan Corcoran is an inspiring story about a long-distance runner who prepares to conquer a series of goals, including consecutive marathons within a month, while experiencing unexpected changes in his personal life. When Alan’s father has a stroke, this propels him to take greater control in a challenging situation and focus on the positive, creative options available to support his father. Alan’s ability to adapt and take charge of a difficult situation makes this story a fantastically uplifting read.
As Alan plans to accomplish an incredible feat by running 35 marathons in a row, every day for 35 days, he becomes determined to apply his ambition to raise funds for cancer and stroke charities. He continues to support his father through this process while focusing on his goal to become the first person in Ireland to achieve consecutive marathons. While Alan remains focused on his physical goal, he quickly works to combine his running challenges with fundraising, achieving multiple goals at once.
The author narrates a lively and motivational tale about taking the reigns of in an emergency and shows how Alan made the most of his father’s recovery with quick-thinking, action and creativity. Alan’s sense of humor and generous nature are endearing and authentic and that heartfelt emotion comes off the page. He offers a humble but uplifting story that will keep readers eagerly turning pages to see what happens next because, as we learn more and more about Alan, we know that whatever comes next he’ll tackle it with surprising vigor. The author demonstrates an impressive resilience for a twenty-year-old, with a determined effort to raise awareness about heart and stroke health.
Alan Corcoran’s Marathon Man is an inspirational memoir that’s easy to read and will leave you feeling like anything is possible. This book offers a glimpse into an incredible personal journey. The author is able to to shift a tragic experience into a light-hearted story about determination and resilience. Marathon Man is a well-written account of one man’s ability to make the most out of a challenging experience with excellent results.
Pages: 287 | ASIN: B08TTBKV9M
LITERARY TITAN 