Derry man begins 'herculean challenge' as he takes on five marathons in five days

A local man who established an addiction recovery centre in the city will embark on a herculean challenge today as he aims to complete five marathons in five days.

Gary Rutherford founded ARC Fitness – Addiction Recovery Coaching just over two years ago and since then the organisation has grown exponentially.

As part of a ‘No Shame’ campaign, which seeks to end the stigma associated with addiction, Gary is set to run 5 marathons while wearing a 22lb weighted vest.

The vest symbolises the heavy burden of shame that people suffering from addiction can so often feel. 

There will be a different route every day allowing the ARC community to participate in three and four-mile loops.

In chronological order for each day, runs will commence at Gransha Park, the quay at Sainsbury’s, Gasyard Centre, Ebrington Square and the day 5 run will start and finish at Guildhall Square.

Speaking to the Derry News about the gruelling task at hand, Gary says: “I’ve run five marathons before, but I ran them in 18 months.

“The driver of this is that lockdown came, everything closed, and I wasn’t a fan of training in my living room.  So I started running again.

“I got a weight vest for Christmas, as you do, so I thought I would use that as symbolism.

“I’ve never taken on anything like it; I’m not sure how it’s going to feel, I’m sure it’s not going to be comfortable, but, you know what, I’ve been through worse.”

On raising awareness, he adds: “This was just a way of us formalising what we do all the time anyway.

“I fully get how shame and blame and judgement stops people from accessing help, whether it’s a person or families who are struggling with somebody.

“For us it was a way of helping people to tackle that stigma and have conversations about something that is right in front of your nose.

“To do it in a way where there is no judgement because if you do that sooner then maybe people don’t have to make the mistakes that I did for example.”

Gary battled with addiction for 15 years and was fortunate not to sever his spine after suffering a broken back in a 2005 car accident.

With a focus on physical and mental health, he recovered and ‘rebuilt’ his body.

Gary reflects: “I struggled with addiction for a long time, I will be clean and sober 10 years in August.  I went in and out of treatment for rehabilitation and had hospital issues.

“I lived through the destruction of it all, so I have a full understanding of that life.

“I joined a running club, I hated it; it was awful and hard.  I was so unfit, 18 and a half stone, I had broken my back in 2005 – my body was wrecked.

“But I really stuck at it and started developing that love for exercise and running.

“And then there were the benefits of all that: physical and mental health, self-confidence and self-esteem which was really, really important.

“So I always wanted to find a way to work with people who were struggling with substance mis-use and bring the exercise aspect of it in.

“I wanted to offer that to other people to raise them up again.”

A goal was set to help others going through the same troubles.

ARC was established when Gary, a registered mental health nurse and a qualified PT, wanted to sign-post people to mental health support, addiction services and reputable trainers.

After deciding that he could provide the service himself, ARC was registered as a not-for-profit organisation and snowballed from there.

A six-week physical activity programme was organised for a small group as a way of testing the waters. 

By the end of those six weeks, Gary identified a building where he could run the programme. 

He remains at Distillery Brae in the Waterside area where they now have a waiting list due to ever increasing demand.

NATIONWIDE PROJECT

The business has gone from strength to strength and now has a team of 10 professionals, who specialise in different areas.

However, of most import to Gary is that they’re all non-judgemental individuals capable of understanding and relating to their clients.

People come to them for support with a broad spectrum of issues, from mild to severe; for some addiction leads to strained family relationships, complex mental health issues and the loss of employment.

As someone who only immersed himself in fitness in his 30s, Gary is also an example that it’s never too late to start.

“People think they have to join a gym.  But we do a lot of wellness workshops; it’s about sitting down less and moving more.

“It can be walking, it doesn’t have to be what I do, it’s about finding something you enjoy.

“That’s why we offer indoor climbing, running therapy sessions, strength training, mindfulness.  We try to offer a variation of activities,” he says.

Moving forward, Gary has plans to expand the business, to reach out to families and workplaces in order to change the misconceptions linked to addiction.