Interview: New ‘Huns and Sons Run Club’ making great strides

A new running club has been making the rounds in Wexford town. We caught up with the organisers behind the Huns and Sons Run Club to get the full story…

A new Wexford town-based running club has evolved a dedicated following over the past three months.

The Huns and Sons Run Club was set up earlier this summer by childhood friends Callum Cleary and Adam Walsh. It was an idea that had been brewing for years. After finally deciding to go for it, the pair were shocked at the response.

Adam: “I was always thinking I’d love to do it. Me and Callum – we’re not professional runners – but we used to do the Wexford half marathon every year and all. It’s something to do. So, when he said it to me, we thought we might as well give it a crack.”

Callum, who has a background in digital marketing, was behind the catchy and distinctively Wexford club name.

Callum: “I tried using AI and it was giving me all these bad names. (Laughs) There was one – ‘men on footpaths’ or something like that? Then I was like, ‘what do people say in Wexford?’ and I came up with ‘Huns and Sons’. It rolls off the tongue nicely.”

Expecting little uptake, Callum and Adam were shocked when over twenty arrived for the first run. Since then, runners have been on the rise and the feedback has been overwhelmingly positive.

Adam: “To be honest I didn’t think it would do this well. I thought it was gonna be just a few lads we know but the majority who come we don’t know. Obviously, we know them now but it’s not like they’re close friends coming to fill spaces.”

Callum: “You might’ve known their faces but now you know them because after a run we’ll stand and talk and hopefully have a coffee.”

The chat after is an important component of the Huns and Sons runs which are at their core a social event.

Callum: “It’s to get people talking and make people feel like they’re part of a group. People train on a weekday and they kind of dread training but with this, I don’t want people to dread it. You want people to be like ‘Aw, I can’t wait to go to that!’. When it finishes on a Saturday, you can’t wait to go back on Wednesday. You know you’re doing something good when you don’t want it to end.”

Adam, who works in construction management with John Paul Construction, is particularly grateful for the social aspect of the runs.

Adam: “I’m on a site but I’m in a office and you wouldn’t be socializing much during the week in work, so it’s something different to look forward to. Like everyone says, it’s always good to talk and it’s always good to chat and meet new people.”

With the Huns and Sons Run Club, Adam and Callum hope to offer an inclusive and welcoming environment for people of all walks of life.

Adam: “Stuff like this is handy for people to come out and have a chat and a bit of craic. It’s not serious, no one’s professional here. It’s a bit of craic and me and Callum would talk the ear off a wall so it’s handy for some people. Some people probably do feel shy before they come but everyone ends up having a bit of craic and ends up talking back.”

Callum: “I’d say there is people who maybe feel a bit lonely and then they come and feel a part of something. Down the line, if they wanted to speak to somebody about their mental health, they can hopefully feel like they can get it off their chest with us or someone in the group.”

Running is of course a popular mode of exercise. The Huns and Sons founders offered their perspective on its appeal.

Adam: “I think it’s accessible. Fair enough I might not have an expensive pair of shoes on my feet but you don’t need expensive gear. You can go outside your front door and run to the shop and back if you want to. You don’t have to run 5K or 10K. If you’re only able to run 100 metres, you’re still getting the benefit.”

Callum: “What I say about running is that it’s not really skill based. Anyone can pick it up. It’s not like being a footballer where you have to be skillful with the ball. It’s just consistency and dedication.”

Adam: “It’s something easy to see progress in as well. A lot of people go to the gym and probably don’t see a difference for weeks. When you run, you see it a lot easier.”

Callum: “Once you go and you’re running beside someone, you forget about everything.”

With the success of their run club so far, the Huns and Sons founders have no intention of slowing down. In the meantime, Callum and Adam are adjusting to some new-found fame.

Adam: “I’d be on nights out or walking around and the amount of people who come up to me asking ‘Do you do the running club?’ I think it was at my brother’s 30^th and genuinely fifteen people came up to me and said it. I’ve even had people come up and say ‘Aw, I’m afraid to come’ but there’s no need to be afraid to come. Anyone can do it. Whether it’s all shapes and sizes or all ages. If you can run 500 metres or 100 metres, it’s better than running zero metres.”

To stay up to date with Huns and Sons Run Club and their runs, make sure to check out their Facebook page.

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