Ironman Cork 20th august 2023

I met Kevin Higgins at Magee university Derry nearly thirty years ago.

I was at a particularly low point in my life

At a time when people didn’t know much about mental health big Kevin seemed to instinctively know the right things to say.

He was the right friend at the right time. I lost touch with the big man after uni. I tried to find him a few times to no avail

when his brother became Derry city manager I asked did anyone know him on the City fb page

Kev’s bro Paddy got back to me and passed on my number to Kevin. He had been in Sweden all those years and it was unsurprising that he had been working as a mental health counsellor.

Despite having mastered Swedish he still had the Limavady brogue.

We caught up over a few phone calls and kept on touch on Friday nights on WhatsApp while watching the Derry city matches.

  I then got the terrible news a few months ago that Kevin had died of a heart attack in Sweden.  

Kevin had said that if anything happened him he would like to be buried at home in Ireland and that’s were the fantastic Kevin bell trust comes in.

They brought him home.

I met Kevins family and they were as warm and welcoming as the big man himself. I promised Kevins brother Paddy that I would do the Ironman in Kevin’s honour for the KBRT.

Training has been hampered by illness injuries and job moves to the point were I was going to defer Ironman to next year

last year I didn’t finish and I’ve no gaurantee of finishing this year. I do these events for myself. However in the process it will be good to raise something for the Kevin bell trust. Also the big fellas name might just drive me over the line.2.4 mile swim 112 mile cycle and full 26.2 marathon.

With four weeks till the big day in Cork

I will be doing as Kevin always said and horsing the bananas into me sir