Suddenly, that sub 30-minute run after work doesn’t feel as rewarding as it once did.
Belfast’s record-breaking speedster, Emer McKee, made all of the headlines just a couple of months ago when she broke the 5km world record time in her age group.
Given the fact she’s only 12 years old, has broken a world record and is still focusing on school, Gaelic football and netball, you would think she would take some well-deserved time off.
However, it isn’t just her 5km times that separates the Bredagh GAA player from the rest of us – it’s her determination and positive attitude to keep striving for more.
In April, McKee first broke the world record during a race at the Down Royal Racecourse, clocking an unbelievable time of 16 minutes and 40 seconds.
Meet Emer McKee, the fastest 12-year-old on the planet🏃♀You only thought your 5km was fast 😳 pic.twitter.com/TDBTuWdEFj
— SportsJOE (@SportsJOEdotie) April 30, 2021
At the Lisburn Festival of Running on Sunday, she beat her own record with a race time of 16 minutes and 27 seconds – a whole 13 seconds quicker than before.
When previously asked what the secret was to her success, many were hoping for advice on the right smartwatch, running technique, recovery programme or maybe some special diet that draws all the energy from carbs and transfers it straight to your legs.
The truth is much more simplistic and sobering, as the Willowfield Harrier revealed that;
“I just try to run as fast as I can so it will over quickly.”
Well there you have it… your water diet, energy gels and £1,000 shoes don’t mean a thing.
Adults have a habit of complicating things and sometimes it just takes a young person with a great attitude to remind us that sometimes, it’s just a matter of trying harder.
