By 
WHILE the rest of us freeze in snowy sub-zero temperatures this week, a Strabane-based marathon runner has jetted off to the magical world of Disney to undertake his next challenge.
Originally from Derry and now living in Church View, Dessie McShane will tomorrow join hundreds of runners – and Mickey, Minnie et al – on a 26.2-mile trek in the world-famous Disney resort in Florida. The run will be made extra special as it falls on Dessie’s 60th birthday.
Dessie explained, “I was weighing up options for my next marathon and had heard about the Walt Disney World Marathon so checked it out. It looked like a good challenge and when I saw the date would coincide with my birthday, it was an easy decision. I’ve been running since I was 15 years old and this marathon marks my 45th year in long distance running.”
Carrying a small niggle into the marathon as he prepares for Sunday, Dessie is making a holiday out of it, taking a well-earned week’s rest in the Florida sunshine after he crosses the finish line, then it’s onto the next challenge which he already has planned.
He said, “I completed a six marathon grand slam a few years ago, receiving the prestigious Abbot Major Marathon Medal for completing marathons in London, Chicago, Boston, New York, Berlin and Tokyo. Since then, three more marathons in Shanghai, Cape Town and Sydney have been added onto that list so my aim is to complete the trio so I can proudly say that I’ve done all nine to make it a true grand slam and become the first irish runner to have completed the nine ‘major’ marathons.”
