Navan man sets off on mammoth charity run from Navan to Donegal
After months of preparation, a determined Navan man has this morning set off on the mammoth challenge of running from Navan to Donegal to raise funds for two local charities in memory of his best friend, who passed away in 2017.
Dave Tyrrell will run an extraordinary 227km in 48 hours to raise money for SOSAD and Meath River Rescue, two charities that became close to his heart following the tragic death of a close friend.
Dave admits his life spiralled out of control in the intervening years leading him down a road of addiction, anxiety and depression that made him feel “like he had no way out.” However with the support of his family along with discovering running, a pastime he says has helped to "save his life," the dad-of-two has come out the other side and wants to let other people struggling know that there is light at the end of the tunnel.
“I lost my best friend unexpectedly, we were with each other pretty much every day, he was basically like a brother to me, all of sudden you have that and then one day it’s taken away without any warning,” he said.
"When that happened I just went really into myself, I started using cocaine, I was compulsive gambling, just anything that would numb the pain and take me away from my thoughts. I wasn’t seeking any help at that point, I just wanted to lock myself in a room and isolate.
“It got to a point where I just said I can’t do this anymore, I’m going to have to face my demons.”
Dave remembers a turning point where he decided to take back control of his life and seek help.
"I hit rock bottom so many times with anxiety and depression,” he explains. “A few months ago I got up in the morning, sat down and put my work boots on and started balling my eyes out to my girlfriend. She asked what was wrong with me and I said I just feel like jumping off the scaffolding, I just didn’t want to be here anymore. I just had a spiritual awakening where I said I can’t be like this anymore.
"Just to get myself out of the hole I was in was a massive task anyway. I’m in counselling five or six months now with SOSAD, it is such a great organisation and I want to do something for them. I ran a marathon in 2018 for both charities then so I want to do as much as I can to help them."
Dave says long distance running is like “therapy" for him. He added:
"When I get out running, anything that is in my head, I lose out on the roads. There was massive overthinking with me and I always have negative thoughts in my head, I never really spoke to anybody about any of my problems so everything kind of built up with me. I just dealt with it all by myself, I suppose what men do bury everything.
"With the running and the counselling my head started to get a little bit clearer and the negative thoughts started to go away so I just realised this is working for me. So now a 30km run is kind of normal, it’s a free therapy for me. I always need something to be focused on, with the way I am, if I don’t have something to focus towards, I will start overthinking things.
"Running enables you to release anything you have inside, I go out and run for four or five hours, it is just me and my thoughts and the birds singing."
The running enthusiast puts counselling down to success with his ongoing recovery and wants to let people in challenging situations know that there is hope. He added:
“I spent twelve weeks in Cluain Mhuire treatment centre back in 2021, the counselling I got there was brilliant because I never spoke to anyone about anything, nobody knew what was going on with me at all. It was a complete false reality I was living.
"If I can reach out to anyone in my situation because I know how it feels, you are at the bottom of the barrel and nothing will go right and all you are thinking then is that you don’t want to be here anymore. I was there in that situation and there is a way of dealing with it. I still suffer from anxiety and depression but I have the tools to deal with it now and I know the triggers.”
Dave says turning 40 earlier this year was a milestone and feels he is starting “a brand new life."
"I feel like I have been completely reborn, I turned 40 on July 12th and it the fittest I have ever been in my life and I feel like this is where my life is starting again. I have learned from the 40 years I have already lived but it’s kind of like a new life stepping away from the darkness and into the light. It’s about working on yourself, you can’t all of a sudden say you are fixed. Everyday I have to work on myself, I even started saying prayers at night time, anything I find that helps I just do and praying is one of them now as well.”
The route will take him through picturesque landscapes, towns, and villages, all while raising awareness and support for SOSAD Ireland and Meath River Rescue.
https://www.gofundme.com/f/daves-fundraising-run-from-navan-to-donegal