A West Belfast man has been recognised for his selfless work with a local running club, all while battling pancreatic cancer.
Aidan O'Neill is one of the founding members of Run Anon, a Crumlin-based running club and volunteers at the Upper Springfield Development Trust to coach newbie runners for the Couch to 5K
He was awarded Sport NI’s SportMaker Community Coach of the Year for his "selfless dedication to his club members, charity work and volunteering".
Read more: Belfast runner fighting cancer "overwhelmed" by £23,000 fundraising support
The 56-year-old received the devastating news in January that he had inoperable pancreatic cancer.
The father-of-three's family and friends rallied round him though and within a week, they had managed to raise £31,000 for a cutting-edge treatment that could help him.
He begins that treatment on Monday 12 December, but said that it was his love and passion for running that kept him coming to the club.
“I get so much out of coaching - I love seeing the people showing-up and they are from all ages," he said.
"We have people in our club from 16 to 62. We have grandsons and grannies and grandads.
“To see a group that started off doing a 5K and progress up into a full marathon – it’s unbelievable. It’s great to see them achieve that. I love it!”
He added: “The people in this club are unbelievable they put 100% in every week. They come along every week and put their heart and soul in.
"I always try to do a good job to help them achieve their goal."
His fellow Run Anon founder Shauna Gibson said his spirit and attitude to life was inspiring to those around him.
“Aidan had 12 rounds of the worst chemo that you could have and every single time he kept turning up to training to coach," she said.
"It might have been really hard for him, he would have got his chemo bottle on him on the Thursday and I would have lifted him at the house, but he showed up to every single training session bar one or two.
“He went through his full 12 rounds and two and a half weeks after it he was determined to run the Dublin Marathon. We just don’t know how he did it.
“But he got round it and that’s what makes him so exceptional."
Antoinette McKeown, Sport NI Chief Executive, congratulated Aidan on his SportMaker award win.
“Our SportMaker Awards celebrate those exceptional people who enrich the lives of others through their love of sport," she said.
“There is no doubt that Aidan is one of those exceptional people. Aidan’s passion and drive for running is only equalled by his selflessness to pass on his knowledge and skills to others, so they too can reap the physical and mental benefits of running.
“The fact that Aidan has continued to coach runners and ran a marathon while battling cancer is nothing short of incredible."
The Sport NI SportMaker Awards give the sporting community the opportunity to showcase their achievements and give special thanks to coaches, officials and volunteers who work hard behind the scenes.
There are 12 award categories recognising achievement at all levels of sports participation, from grassroots through to high performance.
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