Love on the Run

Loving couple Niamh McDaid and Danny Mooney got Valentine’s Day off to a heart-racing start - with a speedy 15k jaunt around Belfast.

Niamh (24) is taking part in the Deep RiverRock Belfast City Marathon on May 6 for Cancer Focus Northern Ireland, the official charity for the race, and is taking every opportunity to do a bit of training.Boyfriend of six years Danny (24) cyles along with her to give much needed moral support.

Niamh actually met Danny when they were sweet 17-year-olds at their local running club and have been an item ever since.

“Running has always been part of family life for me. My parents are both involved in the sport and I started track events when I was only four years old,“ said Niamh, a cancer prevention officer with Cancer Focus.

“My mum Teresa, who is an international marathon coach, and my dad Brendan, who is a volunteer with Athletics Ireland, also met through running, so when I met Danny at our club I knew it was just meant to be.

"Our love of running is just one of the things we found we had in common. I’m really a sprinter and this is my first marathon but Danny is giving me fantastic support and eggs me on when I start to flag. I couldn’t do it without him,” she added.

“We were out on the run first thing on Valentine’s Day but rewarded ourselves with a romantic candlelit dinner later on.”

Danny has just completed a masters in physiology, following a sports science degree at UUJ, and will be taking part in the marathon relay event. He said: “Niamh is doing a brilliant job training for the marathon – her determination and her generosity in raising money for cancer patients and their families in Northern Ireland are only some of the qualities that make her a very special person.”

To register for a marathon event click on www.belfastcitymarathon.com. For more information about the marathon go to belfastmarathon@cancerfocusni.org or ring 028 9066 3281. If you’d like to sponsor Niamh go to  www.justgiving.com/Niamh-McDaid