SHEDDING seven stone in weight, quitting substance abuse, and then getting fit enough for a gruelling physical challenge is no mean feat, but it’s one Roxboro man John McMahon has well in hand.
At 29 years of age, weighing 17 stone and abusing alcohol and cocaine, John was on a road to nowhere just two years ago.
Suffering a heart attack was the wake-up call he needed to realise that his life had to change.
“I took up cycling and I started running. It was hard as first but now I’m really into it. I wanted to do something to challenge myself and I saw the Quest Challenge that’s happening in Killaloe on Saturday so I went for it,” he told the Limerick Post.
On Saturday (September 9), John will take on an incredible physical challenge that will see him cycle 14k, run 8k, and kayak 1k to personal victory. He says he has been doing cycles of up to 40k in preparation.
“There are a lot of people raising money for mental health causes, which are very important, but I thought I would do this to raise money for Down Syndrome Limerick,” John shared with the Limerick Post.
“My aunt had Down syndrome and the organisation was very good to her and to the family.”
Anyone who would like to support John in his triple bid for a good cause can do so on the ‘Helping People With Intellectual Difficulties‘ GoFundMe page.
