Sanctuary Runners create the world’s most multicultural marathon team

Included in the team of 1,700 (which spanned 30 countries) were 250 asylum seekers living in Ireland’s Direct Provision system.

Incredibly it was the most culturally diverse running team to have ever entered a marathon anywhere in the world.

Set up in January, 2018 the Sanctuary Runner movement has now grown to 29 locations across Ireland with over 4,000 participants.

“It’s less about the running and more about building a community of runners, joggers and walkers who come together as equals on a regular basis,” explained Graham Clifford, founder of the Sanctuary Runners.

The chats and coffees which usually bookend the runs are as important as the physical activity itself.

While the pandemic has impacted the Sanctuary Runners’ ability to come together in large numbers as they did before (they had a team of 400 in the 2019 Cork City Marathon) they’ve worked with Olympians such as Rio 2016 rower Claire Lambe to stay connected – using online exercise sessions, virtual running and pod running.

They’ve even established new groups during Covid19 – in Offaly, Leitrim, Wexford, Laois, Wicklow, Clare and Louth.

Next up is, hopefully, a new Sanctuary Runner group in Letterkenny, Donegal.

And earlier this year Athletics Ireland formerly supported the creation of a role for a Sanctuary Runners’ Regional Development Officer in the counties of Cork and Kerry.

Niamh Ní Chonchuir will support groups in Killarney, Tralee, Kenmare, Mallow and Cork City and look to establish new groups in Clonakility and Millstreet. She’ll also work closely with Grace Lynch, Athletics Ireland’s Regional Development Officer in the South and Mid-West to explore how the organisation and individual clubs might be able to help the Sanctuary Runners community to further develop.

“The link up with Athletics Ireland is so hugely important as it underpins the unique ability of sports to bring people together regardless of their legal status, nationality, religion, language ability, gender or sexual orientation,” said Graham Clifford.

He added: “We’re so grateful to everyone at Athletics Ireland for their vision in bringing this partnership about. We’ve some very exciting ideas in the pipeline and we hope to be in a position to appoint more Sanctuary Runner coordinators across Ireland in the coming months and years and we are so grateful to be able to call on Athletics Ireland for their knowledge, experience and expertise in the area of athletics in Ireland. We all want the same thing – to use this wonderful sport to break down barriers and to provide a pathway for a more healthy and socially cohesive Ireland which benefits everyone.”

And almost to prove the point the Sanctuary Runners were delighted to celebrate another major moment on the weekend of the Cork City Marathon when Hiko Tonosa competed at the European 10,000m Cup in Birmingham as part of an Irish team.

“We first met Hiko when he was living in the Hatch Hall Direct Provision centre in Dublin. His situation was far from ideal – especially for an athlete of his massive potential. His living conditions and situation were desperate. Hiko has always been a super friend of, and supporter to, the Sanctuary Runners. He would attend some of our runs and help the others. He’s such a lovely, lovely man and his club Dundrum South Dublin and his coach Eddie McDonagh have really been amazing in their support and care for Hiko. It always gives us such a lift to see how running has helped Hiko get back on his feet and excel. And to see him there in the green singlet was just very emotional and special,” said Graham Clifford.

And in recent weeks there’s been more success for runners who were first introduced to the sport in Ireland via the Sanctuary Runners.

Abaas Adam Edris, originally from Sudan, first became involved in running here when he went along to a parkrun event in Salthill with the Galway Sanctuary Runner group. He lives in Direct Provision in Galway city. Soon afterwards he joined the Castlegar Athletics club in Galway and he finished 4th in the 3,000 metres at the recent National Junior and under-23 championships.

“Running has provided an incredible focus for people like Abaas, a structure, a way to meet others and something to feel very proud of. And despite being such a wonderful athlete he still makes sure to go at the pace of the slowest runner when out with the Sanctuary Runners locally. He’s that kind of young guy – gentle, sound and thoughtful.”

But for every Hiko and Abaas in the Sanctuary Runners there are many, many more who come along to walk or just jog – and that’s fine too.

In an impact study carried out by the Sanctuary Runners last year some 42% of participants said they’d never run properly before joining the solidarity-through-sport movement.

The recent Cork City Marathon experience, which included runners in Australia, China, Brazil, Vietnam, Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Zimbabwe, the UK and across the USA and Canada, showed how powerful the blue wave of solidarity, friendship and respect can be in achieving social cohesion.

And to cap off an incredible weekend the group even received a special message of congratulations from the President of Ireland, Michael D Higgins.

As well as further developing their network of groups in Ireland the Sanctuary Runners are now planning to establish groups in other locations across the world.

That blue wave just keeps building….

For more information, or to join the Sanctuary Runners, see Sanctuaryrunners.ie or drop us an email to info@sanctuaryrunners.ie