Meningitis survivor on top of the world

The 46-year old was invited by race organiser Richard Donovan to attend the event which the Galway native has organised on Arctic Sea ice for 12 consecutive years.

Donovan ran the race alone, with the help of Russian Special Forces personnel, for the first time in 2002 and has since run the annual event in April of each year. It attracts marathon runners from all over the world.

The ultramarathon specialist decided to invite Bohermore resident Liam to attend after noticing a big improvement in his health over the past couple of years.

Liam, a former member of the French Foreign Legion, enjoyed sharing the race experience with the 47 competitors from 20 countries and rubbing shoulders with the Russian personnel who helped with the organisation of the race in minus 30 degrees Celsius.

The two men attended Colaiste Iognaid back in the 1980s – and Richard has seen a huge improvement in his friend thanks to ground-breaking treatment in the United States over the past couple of years. 

“Liam said to me that it was probably the best week of his life,” said race organiser Richard this week. “I wanted to bring him up there for some time, and such has been his improvement I knew the time was right.

For more on this story, see the Galway City Tribune.