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Eddie’s a real heavyweight
 
Eddie gets in some training in his garage on Glasgow's South Side as he prepares for the event in Bellahouston Park Picture: Martin Shields
Eddie gets in some training in his garage on Glasgow's South Side as he prepares for the event in Bellahouston Park Picture: Martin Shields
 
Eddie Gethins is all set to run in the Men's Health Forum Scotland 10K event<br>If I can do it, so can you!  Sign up today<br><li>To take part in the Men's Health Forum Scotland 10K run on Sunday June 17 you must be over the age of 15 on the day of the race and register by June 1. <br><li>To help people prepare there is a training programme at www.mhfs.org.uk and there are jogging groups across the city.<br><li>Every person who crosses the finish line will receive a medal, goody bag and T-shirt.<br><li>To sign up for the event, call 0141 550 7515 or log on to www.mhfs.org.uk<br><li>To take part costs £17 standard fee, £15 Scottish Athletics affiliated, or £12 if you are part of a men-only jogging group.
Eddie Gethins is all set to run in the Men's Health Forum Scotland 10K event
If I can do it, so can you! Sign up today
  • To take part in the Men's Health Forum Scotland 10K run on Sunday June 17 you must be over the age of 15 on the day of the race and register by June 1.
  • To help people prepare there is a training programme at www.mhfs.org.uk and there are jogging groups across the city.
  • Every person who crosses the finish line will receive a medal, goody bag and T-shirt.
  • To sign up for the event, call 0141 550 7515 or log on to www.mhfs.org.uk
  • To take part costs £17 standard fee, £15 Scottish Athletics affiliated, or £12 if you are part of a men-only jogging group.
  •  
    The three  generations getting ready for the East End 5K are:  Andrea Riley, daughter Laila, granny Janell Currie and Janell Kelly
    The three generations getting ready for the East End 5K are: Andrea Riley, daughter Laila, granny Janell Currie and Janell Kelly
     

    by Jonathan Rennie

    WHO'S big and clever? Eddie Gethins, that's who. The jovial garage owner on the South Side of Glasgow weighs in at a walloping 23 stones.

    Last year he was nearer the 30 stones mark.

    But the clever bit is he still managed to make it through the Men's Health Forum Scotland 10K for Men.

    Family's three generations try for 5K

    THREE generations of a Glasgow family are lacing up their trainers to take part in a brand new city sports event.

    Self-confessed couch-potato Janell Currie, 68, is gearing up for her first 5k race despite having suffered two heart attacks.

    And the grandmother will be joined by daughters Janell Kelly, 39, Andrea Riley, 42, and three-year-old granddaughter Laila for the race in Tollcross Park.

    Janell was spurred on to enter the race by husband Andrew, 71, who coaches children with physical impairments at the Kelvin Hall sports arena.

    Andrea, a paramedic, is a seasoned marathon runner but will slow her pace to walk alongside her family.

    Janell, who is from Cathkin, is raising cash for the Prince and Princess of Wales hospice in Glasgow which cared for her long-time friend Rita Dunn. The 69-year-old passed away recently after a long battle with cancer.

    Janell said: "I'm 68, I've got hundreds of ailments and I hate running or walking but I'm determined to do it.

    "The hospice did such a wonderful job of taking care of Rita I wanted to give them something back."

    The 5K race was launched last month by Scottish football hero Kenny Dalglish.

    The former Celtic star was joined by schoolchildren at the Winter Gardens in Tollcross Park.

    The run is on June 24.

    A special run for children will cover a course 2014metres long, marking Glasgow's bid for the Commonwealth Games in 2014.

  • Sponsor Janell at Janell.Currie1@ntlworld.com
  • "That's the problem with fat people; after a while the jokes just bounce off, so they do nothing about it," says Eddie, 43.

    "But the extra weight means you miss out on so much and it can stop you doing so many things.

    "So last year I decided I would do something about it and the 10K was the key."

    If you went down to watch the event at Bellahouston Park last summer you would have seen him.

    He was the guy getting all the attention.

    He was the last man to finish but after two hours and 15 minutes he made it, crossing the finishing line and receiving a roar from the crowd as if he had won the London Marathon.

    It was quite a reception for a man whose friends didn't believe he would take part, never mind finish the men-only race.

    "I started last and I finished last but I had plenty of fun along the way," smiles Eddie.

    "As I was going along some of the organisers came over and joined me, encouraging me when the going was tough.

    "I did have a Whoa, what's going on - do they know something I don't moment' when I saw the ambulancemen following me!

    "I'd be lying if I said I'd jogged or kept moving all of the way. I stopped to catch my breath along the way and with my weight my feet took a bit of a pounding, but it was a brilliant.

    "I was last to cross the finishing line but it was still an emotional moment. And I've still got my t-shirt."

    The Men's Health Forum Scotland 10K is an annual event for men of all ages and fitness. You don't have to be an experienced runner and if you want to walk the course that's fine, too.

    Taking place at Bellahouston Park on June 17 it has been designed for all men. More than 1500 men from across Glasgow took part in the run last year. This year, with the Evening Times as media partner, even more are expected to turn out.

    Like many men who took part last year, the race has proved to be the spur for Eddie to stay on course to get himself fitter.

    By his own admission he still has a long way to go, but since last year's race he has become involved with the Glasgow weight management scheme at the Glasgow Royal Infirmary to improve has diet and has been taking exercise where he can; swimming here, walking there, some light jogging. Every little helps.

    He even went swimming the day after last year's 10K.

    And far from seeing exercise being a chore, Eddie appears to be enjoying it. He must, otherwise he wouldn't have enrolled for this year's run.

    "After I finished last year I knew I wanted to get out there and do it again," says Eddie.

    "I know there are some people who would be embarrassed or worried about what people would think if they came in last but it isn't like that," says Eddie.

    "Everyone who is there wants you to do well and are supporting and cheering you on. It's great to get involved."

    And this year he has even greater motivation to take part. He isn't only racing for himself; he is doing it for his wife Avril and for their future plans.

    The couple are keen to have a family and they both hope the run on Father's Day will help them along that road as Eddie is determined to be a fit dad.

    And he can't wait for the big day. "If I make it round in less than two hours this year I'll be delighted. Then who knows about next year..."

    Publication date 17/05/07

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