He took up running 70 years ago - now 'sprinting monk' finally has gold medal
An elderly monk has shown off his gold medal for winning his first athletic championship at the age of 81 - after 70 years of trying.
Dubbed the 'sprinting monk', Father John Gribben - inspired by the film Chariots of Fire - ran the 60m, 200m, and 400m sprint races in aid of poor children in Africa.
He has now been pictured with gold medal he won in a 400 metre race - fulfilling an ambition that has spanned decades.
Father John, originally from Belfast, first took up running 70 years ago in the 1950s. The pious pacer, said he almost collapsed at the time, but has flourished in the last ten years and now takes two buses every Saturday morning to attend a Parkrun event in Huddersfield, West Yorkshire. He has also raised £6,000 (€7,100) for the Tariro charity, which helps young people in Zimbabwe.
In February, Father John beat out the competition to take gold in the 80+ category at the British Masters Indoor Track & Field Championships at the Lee Valley Athletics Centre in London.
He completed the race in two minutes, three seconds, 190 milliseconds. Despite the unexpected win, Father John says he doesn't believe there was any divine intervention behind his win, instead crediting it to his hard work and the support others have given him.
He said: 'I'd hate to think that I was using something that gave me an advantage of the others other than my training and my strength. But, the encouragement that comes from my faith is a great help. There have been bad nights, or nights when I've had too much to eat, when I'm not in the mood for going out for a run.
'I just say to my saviour, 'if you go with me, I'll go running', and then I start to get my gear on and go out. As to being given an extra surge of energy or strength, I'm not sure that would be fair.'
The sprightly monk continues to take two buses every Saturday to attend his local Parkrun before heading home to his Monastery – taking time to stop for a bacon butty first.
As well as his gold in the 400 metres, Father John also achieved bronze in the 60 metres with a time of 13.16 seconds, and in the 200 metres with a time of 47.66 seconds.
Father John joined the Community of the Resurrection in Mirfield, West Yorks., in 1979, after moving from Belfast.
He discovered the monastery on a visit to Liverpool in 1966, while he was watching Brazil play in the World Cup, and was taken by its beauty he made the move 13 years later as there was a lack of Anglican churches in Ireland. He's since devoted his life to prayer, worship, and ministry.
For the last 10 years, he's found solace in running and keeps fit by training six days a week, involving a mixture of running around the monastery, at his local Parkrun and hitting the gym.
Click here to donate to Father John's fundraising efforts.
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