'Recovery didn't start by swapping a pint for a 10k'

Kieron Brosnan has run 10k a day for nearly a year

A man who five years ago was hospitalised for addiction issues will mark a year of running 10k every day next month.

Kieron Brosnan, 36, from Bristol, has spent 11 months running for at least an hour a day, including in several different countries and even in the middle of the night.

He said he never planned to undertake such a challenge and it came after he found himself living in an emergency shelter and walking into A&E asking for help with his drinking.

Describing his running efforts, Mr Brosnan said he was "again battered mentally and physically, but in a different, more positive way".

But while running has now become a huge part of his daily life, Mr Brosnan said his recovery "did not start by swapping a pint for a 10k run" and credits much to the help of a support group.

Mr Brosnan said that by July 2019 his drinking was "causing a lot of problems with jobs and relationships" and after six months of drinking heavily, he was admitted to hospital for a medical detox.

"I was having to drink through a straw because I couldn’t hold a glass up without spilling it, that’s the physical effect of withdrawal," he said.

Mr Brosnan has even run through the middle of the night to reach his goal

But with the help of medical professionals and the support group, five years on he is in recovery and due to celebrate a year of running 10k a day.

"The timing of all of this was not planned or not what I was thinking about when I started the challenge," he said.

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Mr Brosnan was initially inspired to go for a run by someone he followed on Instagram, who was seven months into his own 10k-a-day challenge.

He soon found himself stepping out around Bristol every day, setting himself a number of rules including "have fun" and "don't get injured".

"I've definitely broken both of those," he said, adding that he had "hit a wall" at about the six-month mark, but which he managed to push on through.

His only other rules were that he must complete the run in one go, and must at least begin the run before midnight for it to count for that day.

"If I had actually planned this I probably would have told myself 'you have to get up everyday at 6am and do it before work', but I've just had to fit it around my life really," he said.

The approach has seen him getting out of bed of an evening to complete runs and even setting out late at night in Malaysia after a 14-hour flight.

Five years into his recovery, Mr Brosnan hopes to inspire others who are struggling

As he nears the end of his efforts, Mr Brosnan has encouraged people to donate to the foodbank charity FareShare.

He volunteered for the chairty in 2020, towards the start of his recovery, taking "good-to-eat" surplus food that would otherwise go to waste, to more 47,000 people across the region.

"I've seen the amazing work they do supporting people and the community, including giving support and opportunities to young people to get into work," he said.

CEO of FareShare South West, Lucy Bearn, described Mr Bronson as "a wonderful ambassador for the charity".

"He's so passionate about supporting others," she added.

"He really is an inspiration."