Martin Mcquaid

Over the last couple of years, Martin has an avid runner, including both road running and cross country. He recently partook and finished the Belfast Marathon in the top 100 which was a fantastic achievement.He is also a keen footballer within the local community and has recently decided to go down the route of management with the u-16 team. Through all his sporting accolades and achievements, he has still managed to maintain his very excellent academic record. He is currently on course to achieve 4 A's in his A-levels which include PE, Biology, Maths and Chemistry and he is currently aspiring to become a vet and already has 15 weeks work experience already behind him despite his tender years. He has played Gaelic Football for his local club from the age of eight and made his debut for the senior team at the of just 16. The main reason why i would nominate Martin for this award would be his general passion for running. Only seriously taking up running about 3 years ago, to run the marathon in 3 hours in 15mins was a brilliant achievement. He also captained his schools cross country team to a number of successes. Martin is a great example of someone who has passion and has worked very hard to achieve. Unlike most athletes, he wasn't very naturally gifted and also he didn't discover he had a talent until his mid-teens whereas most athletes are running for 7 years by that stage. To conclude, Martin would be a great choice as he higlights what hard work can achieve.