Бывший инвалид пробежал 14 марафонов за 14 дней в честь победы над хронической болью

Just a few years ago, JP Horgan struggled to walk. He needed a cane to help him get around the house and couldn’t take his dogs around the block without using a mobility scooter. In July, Horgan completed a more than 500-kilometre run to Montreal in 14 days, running roughly one full marathon (42.2 kilometres) every day for two weeks. After being treated for spinal schwannoma — a benign tumour on the spine causing chronic pain — for about a decade, Horgan decided in 2019 to wean himself off the medication, which he said made him feel like a zombie. Around the same time, he began rebuilding his strength, training to run marathons and volunteering at chronic pain support groups with Community Care Durham. Today, the Port Perry resident says his pain is closer to a two out of 10, rather than an 11, as it had been in the past. This year, he decided to embark on his run to Montreal as a personal goal and as a way to serve as an inspiration to others — he’s raised more than $13,000 for Community Care Durham along the way. “Even a year ago, I wasn’t sure if I could do this. But that guy back there, he would have definitely thought it was impossible,” Horgan said, referring to his past self. “I just wanted to show people we can all do way more than we think we can.” Starting on July 5, Horgan started each daily marathon at about 5 a.m. He would reach a destination about 42.2 kilometres away — usually decided the night before — and find a hotel or Airbnb to spend the night. This quirky video demonstrates Horgan’s daily routes. Halfway through his daily runs, his wife and two children, who were following along in a car, would stop by to “refuel” him with water and fresh shoes. His informal finish line was Olympic Stadium in Montreal. Along the way, he had many inspiring and sometimes emotional interactions with strangers who spotted the car, which was decorated with messages of support and a QR link to his fundraising page. “Lots of people were honking, cheering, (even) stopping and running with me a couple times. People gave me water and Gatorade,” he said. “The support was unreal. Sometimes you couldn’t tell if the honks were like, ‘Get off the road’ or if it was support — (maybe) a little bit of both.” Horgan’s online fundraising campaign associated with his journey to Montreal supports Community Care Durham, a charitable organization that offers a range of community supports, including Meals on Wheels, seniors’ day programs, support groups and health and wellness workshops. Horgan, who works as a life coach and motivational speaker, has volunteered with Community Care Durham as a facilitator for an anxiety, depression and chronic pain support group. It was this experience that planted the idea of the megamarathon. “In that group, a lot of people don’t believe in themselves. My idea was to do something so unbelievable, just to show that all of us can do way more.” He added there was also a more personal inspiration for the run. After running 45 kilometres in a day to celebrate his 45th year, he was looking for some way to one-up himself. “After that, it’s like, ‘Now what?’ And I just kind of threw it out — I’m going to run 14 marathons in 14 days,” he said. “Even saying it (now), it sounds unbelievable, but that’s where I was.” Horgan’s GoFundMe page will remain open until Sept. 10 and he is hoping to raise at least $15,000 by then. A few days later, he will present a cheque to Community Care Durham. He said the level of support he’s received has been both heartwarming and unexpected. “I’m just overwhelmed and grateful for all of it,” he said. “It shows when there’s a good cause, everybody’s on the same page — the community is there.” Error! Sorry, there was an error processing your request. There was a problem with the recaptcha. Please try again. You may unsubscribe at any time. By signing up, you agree to our terms of use and privacy policy. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google privacy policy and terms of service apply. Want more of the latest from us? Sign up for more at our newsletter page.