THE Ealing Half Marathon is known for inspiring onlookers to lace up their running shoes for the first time.

Darren Moore, a marketing director from South Ealing, is one such person who has gone from being a complete non-runner to someone who will be tackling this year’s event on Sunday, September 29.

Darren the spectator never imagined he would one day be crossing the finish line in Lammas Park. Yet in 2017 everything changed.

He joined one of his running friends for a mile on holiday, and two weeks later completed his first parkrun at Pitshanger. He signed up to Ealing Half Marathon, began to train properly and the rest  is history.

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“I can honestly say running has changed my life,” he admits. “I used to think my running friends were crazy and that they were wired differently. But, once I started running properly, I realised it was something I really enjoyed.”

Running has certainly brought physical and mental benefits and he now regularly runs the trails by the canal and in the parks close to home.

As a Green Party candidate, Darren is a big supporter of Ealing’s open spaces, and the immersion in nature is a key motivation for his running.

He now takes his running shoes whenever he goes away for business or holiday and is able to discover beaches, mountains and all kinds of places he would never get to see if he wasn’t a runner.

Ealing Half Marathon is looking forward to welcoming 7,000 runners from 25 countries to its eighth anniversary race.

Go to www.ealinghalfmarathon.com to register and for further race info.