Kieron in marathon charity bid
Braehead-born basketball star Kieron Achara is set to pull on his running shoes later this year to take on a marathon challenge.
The six foot, ten inch former Olympian is already hard in training, pounding the paths in his size 15 trainers, as he prepares to take on the Stirling Marathon for a cause that hits home with his own story.
Kieron will be attempting the gruelling 26 mile trek around the city’s streets for mental health charity SAMH, encouraging people to open up and discuss their own mental health.
As a professional sportsman, Kieron has seen first-hand the problems that many elite athletes have in adjusting to life away from the sporting world.
He said: “I don’t think I suffered from depression, however, I went through a difficult transition as my career neared its end.
“For the first time in my life I felt I couldn’t control things; I was playing poorly, the team was playing poorly then I started becoming obsessed by a few trolls on Twitter, who were consistently criticising my performance.
“I ended up playing to trying to please them. I would judge my performance by what two or three people were writing on Twitter.
“I then took the decision to quit one Christmas and it was like a weight off my shoulders.
“However, when the time came, it was a real shock when I saw my name had suddenly been removed from the basketball team group chat.
“I was no longer Kieron Achara the basketball player with team-mates, manager and physios. I was Kieron from Paisley, looking for a job with a baby on the way.”
It’s set to be a extra special challenge for
Kieron when marathon day comes around on October 11, as crossing the finishing line would see him enter the record books as Scotland’s tallest marathon runner.
And the ex-Glasgow Rocks captain - who was Scotland’s youngest international and played at both Commonwealth and Olympic Games during a glittering career - has his mind firmly set on the task ahead.
It started with him buying a bike and pedalling his way around the paths near his home and now he wants to complete his hometown race.
Kieron added: “That opened up a whole new world.
“I met so many on those cycle runs - people who had previously been strangers at the school gate became friends.
“I carved out a new identity. I was the father who drops his kid off at the school gates. And I’m happy with that.
“Running helps me feel good, mentally and physically. It is accessible, you don’t need a gym membership and is satisfying seeing your progress.”
“When we think of sport, we focus on the physical fitness benefits that regular exercise brings, often overlooking the positive effects that it brings for our mental health.
“The camaraderie, the sense of purpose, simply getting out of the house and socialising. It’s an important enabler for general wellbeing.”
The charity is hoping to spread that message of physical and mental health by recruiting 20 runners to raise money and awareness.
SAMH community fundraiser Cindy Cosgrove said: “Men aren’t always great at talking about how they feel, and we know that talking is one of the first steps to better mental health. Without talking, opening up and taking action, nothing will change.”