‘Tough as Leather’ book launch.
THE life of one of the Kerry’s most storied and intriguing athletes has been told in a new book.
‘Tough as Leather’ is written by Con Dennehy on the life of runner, John Lenihan, a man forged on the slopes of Kerry mountains who went and conquered the world.
John Lenihan, has run more than 140,000 miles during his illustrious career, the equivalent of running around the world six times.
The summit of the Ballymac man’s long and fruitful career was reached in 1991, when he became the first and only Irishman to win the World Mountain Running Championships.
In his career, Lenihan was practically untouchable on the peaks of Kerry mountains and on 19 occasions he triumphed in the gruelling Carrantouhill Mountain Race.
The book delves into his “lonely childhood” where he was home schooled by his grandmother with very little interaction with other children.
It also explores a near death experience he had while running in Kerry, along with races he competed in around the world and other inspiring aspects of his incredible life.
The launch of ‘Tough as Leather’ will take place in Gally’s Restaurant, on Friday, June 12 at 8:30pm.
The foreword of the book was written by John Tracey, chief executive of the Irish Sports Council and winner of a silver medal at the 1984 Olympics.
