Ronan Sharkey: Defying the Odds, One Trail at a Time
inspiration
By Sean Clifford · · Runner Profiles
This year at ‘The Gathering’ we had an amazing panel of Speakers… most of them battled through extreme adversity and are amongst us, running and showing everyone that even when things are hard, when the odds are against us … we need to keep fighting … keep believing … and we can achieve anything !
This year at ‘The Gathering’ we had an amazing panel of Speakers… most of them battled through extreme adversity and are amongst us, running and showing everyone that even when things are hard, when the odds are against us … we need to keep fighting … keep believing … and we can achieve anything ! One of these speakers, Ronan Sharkey, had the crowd bent over laughing as he told of his struggles and how he built a rock solid mindset that allowed him to defy ALL the Odds.
Imagine being born into a world where the doctors give you just 24 hours to live. That’s the raw, gut-wrenching start to Ronan Sharkey’s story, back in 1989. His family clung to hope while the odds stacked against him, because of cerebral palsy from a tough birth. As he puts it “it was very hard, when you’re told your child won’t last the night. When the only people that believe are your parents and the midwife.” Reflecting on it now, as a grown man pounding the trails of Ireland, Ronan says that moment forged his his unbreakable ‘anyone can do it’ philosophy. It’s not just about surviving—it’s about thriving, proving to himself and the world that limits are meant to be shattered.
Growing up in Louth, Ronan faced the kind of judgment that could crush a kid’s spirit. People stared at his walk, mocked his speech, and even teachers turned away homework because of his handwriting. “It felt like my heart was ripped apart, from the inside” he recalls, from those secondary school days when fitting in felt impossible. He tried football, desperate to “be normal,” but it only highlighted the struggles. For years, he hid the pain, wishing he could blend in like everyone else. But here’s where the magic happens—around age 30, something clicked.”I always was running after other people wishing I was like them instead of loving who I was” he admits. If he could chat with his younger self, it’d be simple: love yourself for who you are today. No more chasing shadows.