The Kerryman (South Kerry Edition)
‘He left memories that were more important than any trophy I’ve ever won’
‘HE was a great friend and always gave people a huge lift in life’ is how world champion hill runner John Lenihan described the passing of Tom Shanahan. Tom (59) sadly died on Saturday last after battling cancer and his passing has left a huge void for his family and the many friendships Tom formed during his running career - both in Tralee and around the county.
A native of Abbeydorney, Tom lived in Clogherbrien, Tralee, for most of his life. Running was his passion and he could be seen regularly pounding the roads around Tralee in preparation for marathons.
John Lenihan spent many an hour training with his dear friend over the years. The Ballymacelligott man described him as a person who was responsible for encouraging and increasing the numbers of people who took up running and training.
“The reason I believe this is because we used to meet in Ballymac on Monday nights. We started out with five or six, but this group eventually grew to 30 members. Tom was a major reason for this,” John said.
“Tom was a comedian and so humorous. Any night he wasn’t there you could feel the void. He was such a witty character, who always had a story or a yarn to tell. He was such a lovable man.”
John has always believed in the old saying that ‘memories last forever, while trophies gather dust’. It’s a saying that springs to mind during our conversation as John paints a lovely picture of his friend as someone who was always there for him during good days and bad throughout his career.
“That was very much Tom. He might not have won anything major in athletics but by God he was part and parcel of athletics in this county. He left so many memories that are more important to me than any trophy I’ve ever won. If you ran a bad race, or lost a race and you were feeling down, it’s then that you really needed Tom. In fairness to him, he was often better to a person when they lost a race as his character would pick them up immediately,” John added.
In 2005, John, Peter Murphy, Eoin McKenna, and Tom travelled to the World Championships in New Zealand. Eoin and John were part of the Irish team. They invited Tom along as he had been a big part of their preparations.
“We were delighted when Tom decided to come on that trip. He was brilliant over there. The fun and craic we had was something else. Tom was a spectator in New Zealand and I remember saying to him that I had a spare Irish tracksuit with me and would he wear it. Always game for a laugh, Tom jumped at the opportunity and he was part of the parade with us. He was so game for a laugh. After that we went hiking together in Greece. Tom was very much part of our circle. He will be missed by everyone,” John said.
Tom Shanahan is survived by his beloved wife Betty, children Erika, Robert and Aaron, father John, grandchildren Eabha, Cody, Patrick and Mason, brothers Mike and John, sister Norma, family and friends.
BY GOD HE WAS PART AND PARCEL OF ATHLETICS IN THE COUNTY
John Lenihan