Dad-of-two Ian Lawton who lost an incredible eleven stone in nine months says that “running saved his life.”

Animal lover plans 50-mile marathon in bare trotters

A NAVAN animal lover is preparing to run a 50-mile marathon barefoot to build a new home for two pigs in a local sanctuary.

During lockdown earlier this year Ian Lawton (47) undertook an ultra marathon distance of 41 miles around loops of his neighbourhood deciding to go the “extra mile” to raise money for the “superhero doctors and nurses who fought to save his son” who tragically passed away when he was just one-day old.

The brave dad raised over €3,000 and provided care packages for every special baby care unit in Ireland.

Just two years ago Ian at 25 stone was morbidly obese, pre diabetic, in danger of having a stoke and struggling to come to terms with the loss of his son Hank who was born prematurely in 2011.

The dad of two who lost an incredible eleven stone in nine months says that “running saved his life.”

Now the inspirational athlete has turned his attention to another cause close to his heart and hopes to make a difference for Back into Daylight, an animal Sanctuary in Navan that houses and cares for over 400 animals.

To add to the challenge on 27th September, Ian is not only upping his distance to 50 miles, he is doing it barefoot.

Speaking on his latest endurance test, he said:

“I fell in love with Bella and Charlotte two amazing, intelligent and friendly pigs I met at Back into Daylight Animal Sanctuary.

“When they were taken in they were tiny little piglets in their own little enclosure but they have grown so rapidly and so enormous that they need more space.

“A new space is under construction for them where they will have more room to play and roam but an essential piece of equipment to finish their new space has fallen into disrepair.

“The sanctuary has been quoted the amount of €1,500 to repair the small digger and finish Bella’s and Charlotte's new home so I’m hoping to raise that amount.

“They are doing selfless work and they exist purely on donations.”

Ian is reluctant to use the V word as he says it can shut down conversations but he has has followed plant based diet for many years as he explains:

“This is a cause close to my heart. In 1989 I learned about factory farming and decided that I wasn’t going to eat meat any longer.

“What helped me recover was compassion and once I started to adopt a self compassionate mind set it just starts to radiate outwards after that and compassion makes you very aware of what’s on the end of your fork.”

Running an ultra marathon barefoot is no mean feat but it is actually a more enjoyable experience according to Ian, also dad to Ike (10).

“I have been running barefoot quite frequently because it is good for your form, good to build up muscle and strength.

“We are not really designed to wear shoes as such. A lot of running injuries started to come in in the early 70s when Nike introduced to its shoes first.

“There is a whole movement called minimalist shoes and barefoot running that are going back to how we evolved.

“To have all this cushioning under our feet is just weakening what’s naturally occurring in our bio skeletal structure.

“The first time I ran barefoot I ran my fastest ever 10km and I have never been able to beat that time, I did it in 58 minutes, I couldn’t believe it.

“It felt so free, there is no piece of rubber disconnecting you from the earth, it really grounds you to the earth and connects you with the environment.

“It is mainly on grass you are running on this way, I have a couple of places in mind but I haven’t decided yet where I will do it.”

The ultra marathon runner turned to food to ease his pain as he grieved for his son as he explains:

“When Hank died, I ate my grief. I swallowed my feelings and buried them with food. Hank was my second son; a boy I didn’t get to know. I never got to teach him to ride a bike and never got to collect him from school.

“For about seven years I pretty much kept it bottled up and suffered the consequences physically and mentally.

“My doctor was concerned about my risk of stroke, my blood pressure was through the roof and I was pre diabetic but I still ignored it until one day in May 2018, I took the bull by the horns and decided to change my life.

“I lost eleven stone in about ten months and took to running.

“It’s like most hardships in life, whether its enduring obesity, or enduring the loss of a baby, you can keep running after the marathon. That ability is within us all.”

To donate see:

https://ie.gofundme.com/f/barefoot-ultra-in-support-of-back-into-daylight