This October, Gráinne is taking on the Irish Life Dublin Marathon, read her personal story.

“The last 17 years have had many ups and downs for me, particularly the last 2 years with Covid when it came to living with diabetes. I faced many of these challenges by turning to sports, particularly athletics. I grew up with a family of distance athletes and their resilience in life and approach to challenges in life typically revolved around sports; we get up on the good and bad days, we get our runners on, we go outside for a run and we get on with life. Ultimately, running has helped both the physical and mental side of my diabetes management.

I would like to fundraise and run in this marathon on behalf of all diabetics and families who live with a loved one with diabetes to help them see the physical and mental health benefits of running. We don’t have to compete necessarily for a time, we can participate with a goal of simply reaching the finish line – I feel very strongly about this as my goal and mindset. Over the years, having Type 1 Diabetes has sometimes made me feel overwhelmed and made everyday tasks in life a bit more difficult to get through at times.

Having the mentality of reaching the finish line has more than just one meaning for me when it comes to running. For me, reaching the finish line allows me to reflect on the challenges I have faced with diabetes in the past and remind myself that there is always a goal to reach for the future – it can just take a bit of time, strength, and patience.”

If you would like to support Gráinne’s journey, visit: https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/gr-inne-griffin