Keep on running for Alistair who notches up 20 marathons and raises money for charity

Keep on running for Alistair who notches up 20 marathons and raises money for charity

3 November 2021

A SAINTFIELD man who ran his 20th marathon in Boston last month has raised nearly £11,000 for liver research. 

Alistair Craig is now back on course for completing the Six Stars — the accolade of completing the world’s top marathons — when he aims to run the Toyko Marathon in 2023.

He would have completed all of the big six races— London, Berlin, New York, Chicago, Boston and Tokyo — last year but the Covid-19 pandemic meant he was unable to travel internationally. 

Forty-four year-old Alistair said: “I managed to run the New York Marathon and return just before the pandemic took hold and then the Boston race was cancelled and ran virtually which I also took part in.

“One of the big challenges with Boston is that you nearly have to be semi-pro to be fast enough to get in and qualify, or else you have run it for charity

“I ran for the American Liver Foundation which funds research into different liver disease and cancer and helps support patients. I did so because my mum Marilyn has had liver cancer for the last three years.”

Alistair said that the Boston Marathon was quite an emotional event for him this time due to his mother’s illness.

“I ran as part of a charity team with 50 people from all over the States and some other international runners and I got to hear why other people were running and their situations as well.”

The overall time effort was raising $500,000 which will go into medical research. 

Alistair has raised thousands more for other charities, such as Barnardo’s, from his running.

He felt that running the marathon was not as challenging as actually getting to Boston.

Alistair explained: “There was lots of training without knowing if it would even happen, waiting and hoping the US border would open to allow travel and when it didn’t in time, I had to convince the US Consulate in Belfast to grant me a special exemption to travel, so there were lots of hurdles to overcome on this journey.”

Alistair’s achievements are all the more impressive since he only took up running nearly six years ago.

“I decided to take up running for fitness and I used a couch to 5K running app on my phone. I certainly wasn’t particularly sporty. I found that running “I started at Christmas 2015 and did my first my first marathon in November 2016 in Valencia, Spain, so my progress was quite quick.”

Alistair, who is CEO of the tech company, PeopleHawk, continued: “Once I did my first half-marathon, the move-up to full marathon was not that bad.

“Running has not only improved my fitness but it also helps me to unwind and de-stress, and clear my head.

“Anytime I felt under pressure, I would go out for a run and when I came back I felt so much better.

“You never regret going for a run, despite the struggles that you have to convince yourself to get up and go.”

He is still in a marathon runners’ hall of fame as the top five finishers.

Married to Julie, Alistair is the father of ten year-old twins, John and Hannah.

He plans to do two or three marathons next year in the UK or Europe in preparation for Tokyo.