Irish Athlete Sinead Kane, with the backing of Allianz Ireland, entered the World Record Books over the weekend by becoming the first visually impaired athlete to complete the World Marathon Challenge. A gruelling challenge consisting of seven marathons, on seven continents, in seven days.
Kane and guide runner John O’Regan began their journey in Antarctica on the 23rd January and completed their final marathon in Sydney on Sunday 30th January with a time of 4:42:59.
Born with only five per cent vision. Kane qualified as a solicitor and started running in 2012 completing her first mini-marathon less than five years ago.
Gruelling
Getting to compete in one of the world’s most gruelling marathons was not easy as she confided in a Sport for Business interview before she left earlier this month.
“I could not be doing this without the support of Allianz who have made it possible for John O’Regan to come with me as my guide.”
“We had been through a lot of hoops with potential supporters but just before Christmas a partnership was pulled which put the whole participation in jeopardy.”
“Allianz came to the rescue and have brought back my confidence as well as my ability to undertake this challenge.”
“I am bidding to enter the record books and hopefully to inspire others to face whatever challenges they have in their life with a positive attitude and dogged determination.”
“The first will be the toughest as my vision impairment means I take in too much light, effectively causing what you might think of as snow blindness. Racing in such bright conditions needs to be prepared for and I have blindfolds and swimming goggles stuffed with cotton wool to get me through, with John’s help.”
Teamwork
“It’s all about teamwork, making sure you have the right support. The race organisers have been great and Allianz coming on board has been the final piece in getting this together.”
“We want to shine a spotlight on ability rather than disability and make people see me beyond my white stick.”
Kane was a guest of ours at the Teaming Up for Women in Sport event we put on at the end of 2016. She is also keen to play a part in how we take initiatives from that day forward and if she makes it back in time she will be with us when we gather a Women in Sport leadership group next week.
“We were truly delighted to lend our support to Sinead as she prepared to take on the biggest sporting challenge of her life,” said Damien O’Neill, Allianz Head of Marketing and Communications.
“Sinead’s drive, ambition and determination to compete at a world level is an inspiration to us all.”
Kane’s progress throughout the World Marathon was documented daily, through both Allianz’ social channels, and in a dedicated blog on the Allianz website.
