‘If I can do it, then anyone can’

LOCAL lady Elizabeth Ewing swapped her hiking boots for running shoes last weekend when she took on the Dublin Marathon to raise money for Air Ambulance.

Elizabeth, who until last year had sparingly exceeded walking pace, faced the biggest challenge of her life on Sunday, when she headed south to the Irish capital.

At the mercy of the torrential rain, and with her feet blistering from the fourth mile, it looked like it would be a long day for Elizabeth.

However, just over five hours after leaving the starting line, the Omagh woman had conquering the grueling 26.2-mile circuit, and raised over £1,100 for a life-saving charity.

Speaking with Elizabeth earlier this week, she told us, “It wasn’t graceful and it wasn’t fast, but I did it. And if I can, anyone can!”

“My personal trainer convinced me to enter my name in the ballot, but I never thought my name would be drawn. But, low and behold, it was, so I had to get serious about my training.”

And serious is exactly what Elizabeth got.

“The first day I went out, I could not do a mile, but a few months later I managed the Omagh Half Marathon, and I just kept pushing from there.

“On Sunday, we had some of the worst conditions ever witnessed in the 40 years of the Dublin Marathon, so I had to put my head down and push on through.”

On Sunday evening, Elizabeth said she was sure she would never do another marathon.

On Monday, she was ambivalent.

But on Tuesday, when we spoke with her, she said she would not rule it out.

If you wish to donate to Elizabeth’s fundraising page, visit her ‘Angel of Adventure’ blog page on Facebook and clink the link featured at the top of her timeline.

She said, “Air Ambulance do such an amazing job, especially for people in this area, where we are a considerable distance away from a major hospital.”

Before saying goodbye, we asked Elizabeth what her proudest part of completing the marathon was.

“Probably having inspired some other people that they can do things that they otherwise might not have thought they could.

“I never ran until last year. If I can do it, anyone can.”