Heart attack survivor training hard for his marathon from Enfield to Tooting

A heart attack survivor has been training hard in preparation for his virtual marathon from Enfield to Tooting.

Geoffrey Donohoe, 42, had a shock heart attack while running the Birmingham Half Marathon in 2016.

Since that day, Geoffrey has fought to keep his passion for running alive and has gained a community of loyal supporters.

One of the most spectacular running achievements was when Geoffrey ran nineteen miles to The Ramble Inn after seeing they were open for takeaway pints on Boxing Day.

Now Geoffrey will be tackling a 26-mile route from his home to Tooting's iconic pub for the 2021 Virtual London Marathon on October 3rd.

Geoffrey has been hard at work training for the marathon, as well as attending The Ramble Inn where his supporters will be meeting him when he finishes.

Geoffrey explained to Nub News what finishing at The Ramble Inn means to him: "I first visited the Ramble Inn pub after they retweeted my Radio Interview from Who Radio.

"I had never heard of the pub before so when I saw that my Radio interview had been retweeted by them I had to pop down that weekend to thank them."

"This is why The Ramble Inn means a lot to me.

"The good community vibe, good staff and being able to have the reward of tasting their lovely pint of Guinness gives me the motivation to run from Enfield to Tooting."

Geoffrey says he was introduced to a community of like-minded runners through his time at the Tooting pub.

"Owner Jimmy introduced me to some runners from Wimbledon running club and I was really taken in by the good community vibe the pub brought," Geoffrey added.

Geoffrey will be running to raise money for the British Heart Foundation after they and the NHS helped him after his heart attack in 2016.

Geoffrey said: "I feel I owe it to those organisations.

"They kept me alive and got me back to running long distances after I was on Cardio Rehabilitation at North Middlesex Hospital."

The planned route will bring Geoffrey past Hyde Park Corner, The Oval, Vauxhall Bridge, Tooting & Mitcham FC grounds, and finally to the pub for the finish.

The shock heart attack in 2016 gave Geoffrey a new perspective on life.

Geoffrey previously told Nub News: "I finished the last three miles of the race with the pain and luckily for me there were medics at the finish line."

Geoffrey was taken to a hospital in Birmingham and treated immediately.

"I was burning the candle at both ends and being very naive with my training," Geoffrey said.

"I wasn't thinking about the junk I was eating and thought that whatever I ate I could just burn off the next day.

"I was also a social smoker and I still do love a pint, all of these things contributed to my clogged arteries."

"It was the scariest moment of my life."

Geoffrey now runs and lives a lot more sensibly - making sure he is able to keep his love of running (and Guinness) alive.

"Running is my favourite pastime, and another pastime is my taste for Guinness," Geoffrey said.

"Not to forget the craic of being in a good Irish pub."

You can find out more about Geoffrey's fundraiser by visiting HERE.

Good luck Geoffrey!

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