Taking Pleasure and Refuge in Running: The Joy Offered by Sanctuary Runners.

By Mánas Ó hAirt

It’s a cold Thursday evening in Marina Park. A group of runners, all wearing blue, pass by on their way down the old railway track. The music of many languages and accents hovers around them, accompanied by the rhythm of their jogging feet. Friendly conversation is punctuated by bursts of laughter. The  group is Sanctuary Runners(SR), and it’s how I like to spend my evenings.

I am an MA student of Early and Medieval Irish at UCC, and in recent months I have derived a great deal of pleasure from my participation in Sanctuary Runners, which is a non-political organisation, and aims to bring asylum seekers, refugees, migrants and all other Irish residents together through running and walking. It is not a charity, but rather a group built on the core values of “solidarity, friendship and respect”. The group uses these values to unite people through a shared interest in sport. SR welcomes people of all ages, abilities and backgrounds.

SR was established in 2018 by Graham Clifford and Clare Keogh, in response to the challenges posed by the world’s humanitarian crises. That same year, 200 people from the organisation participated in the Cork City Marathon. These numbers have since grown: SR had 1,200 participants by the next year. The organisation has spread beyond its Cork roots to encompass groups across Ireland, and has a developing presence internationally. There are already three groups established in London and more to come in Europe.

I have taken pleasure in running as an activity for a long time now, having started as a teenager. However, until I became aware of SR, I had always ran alone. There is a simple joy to be found in running and is also an activity anyone can pick up without the need for many resources. It is a natural source of endorphins and serotonin and makes you feel better about yourself. I can attest to all this myself, running for me has even been somewhat addictive!. After running for so long alone, I first encountered SR at last year’s St. Patrick’s Day parade. It immediately piqued my interest. I figured running is something I’d be doing anyway, I might as well join a club whose values I support. This was a decision I’m grateful for. My enjoyment of running, already considerable, has been greatly enhanced with my involvement in this group. Within two weeks of attending, I had made new friends from all around Cork, whom I would just not have encountered otherwise.

As someone who studies languages, I personally find happiness in the opportunities provided by SR to make friends with people of diverse backgrounds. On some occasions I’ve found myself speaking Irish, English and Dutch, while learning Xhosa and Arabic, all within the duration of a 40-minute run. This has enabled me to take a broader view of the world’s diversity, while sharing my own culture with others. Not only is this exchange a source of pleasure for me, but I feel a sense of great pride to be part of such a diverse group. An aspect of SR I appreciate is the group’s lack of further motives beyond its stated principles. I feel this openness allows each person to find their own causes for enjoyment in SR’s activities.

Omar, originally from Somalia, first became involved with SR in Dublin before moving to Cork. “Running in a group is like therapy, another world”, he says, “it offers psychological freedom, and it’s really good health-wise, which are [both] wonderful things”. Omar feels SR offers an antidote to some of life’s challenges: “we pass through a lot of loneliness, and running shoulder to shoulder with others helps people to forget their situation for a while”. 

Omar also believes SR’s work  can challenge the problems posed by isolation. “Many people are stuck at home, and this group gets you out of the house”. For Omar, SR definitely lives up to its name. The group provides the opportunity to find sanctuary from one’s problems in a fun and active way. SR also offers members a broad network of friends, and the chance to be part of a community, things essential to human happiness. Omar, for example, recently returned to Dublin to celebrate a fellow participant’s 18th birthday.

Manaia, a former UCC student from the United States stated that “having only moved to Ireland recently myself, finding SR was truly the best thing that could've happened to me.”, she says. For Manaia, the group’s inclusivity provides a great deal of enjoyment: “The community, inclusion and love that courses through the group is immediately evident and enduring.” Like Omar, Manaia finds refuge in the joy offered by the group.“Sanctuary really is a home away from home for myself and many others. It provides a place where everyone belongs no matter what and I believe that's one of the most beautiful things anyone could ask for”.

For me, there is also a deep sense of contentment to be found in achieving things with others as a group. Finishing every run each week feels like a new achievement. I have never completed a run with the group without the feeling that I’ve done something good for myself and for others. I hope to take part in the next Cork City Marathon with the group for this reason. Previous participants have told me of their feelings of collective achievement while representing SR at the event, and this is a joy I wish to share.

SR are currently in the process of establishing society within UCC to broaden the organisation even wider. I encourage anyone with an interest in running or thinking of beginning to become involved with this community. “A Sanctuary Runners Society at UCC would enable students to demonstrate in a very practical way their solidarity with runners from all over the world” says UCC lecturer and SR  organiser Angela Flynn.She also feel that a society like this would co align with the already in place structure within UCC. “The society would be well-placed to liaise with and co-host events with the Fáilte Refugees Soc and the Students’ Athletics Soc”. And of course, members of these existing societies will find a particularly warm welcome at SR.

I hope that new members will find their own reasons to take joy from running within our group. As we say in Irish, “ní neart go cur le chéile”: for me, this means the principles of friendship, solidarity and respect can only grow as more people bring their experiences to the group. The result of this will surely be greater enjoyment for all involved.