Mirfield monk’s ‘knobbly legs’ help carry him over the 10k line - in 70 minutes!

The engaging Mirfield monk’s feats, however, are anything but ordinary.

Fast approaching the grand age of 79, Fr John, who has resided at the Community of Resurrection since 1979, was determined to finish the 10k route from his base, on Stocks Bank Road, to Deighton and back in “just over 60 minutes”.

And his sprightly legs did not let him down, finishing the course in 70 minutes, all while raising nearly £6,000 for Tariro UK.

He said: “It went very well. I couldn’t have picked a nicer day for it.

"It was a beautiful day. But it wasn’t too hot - if it was too hot it would have been hard work!

“It was a nice route and I did it in 70 minutes, which is quite good. That is better than any of my trial runs.

“Then, on Sunday night, the day after, I did a four mile run!

"I was quite fit and happy and I didn’t have any pains and aches at all!

“I am not carrying much weight and my legs are a bit knobbly but they carried me well.

"I’ll be 79 in early January so it’s not bad for the age either!

“I am not intending to do anymore runs but you never know!”

Having received positive feedback from the Reporter Series’ article prior to Fr John’s charity run, the Belfast-born monk is happy just to be seen as an “ordinary bloke”.

He said: “We got a lot of feedback from the first article and it was the best advertisement we could have had.

“Anything that shows us as being quite ordinary blokes is a good thing in itself but it is also a good thing for people to know that this is a way of life that is open to some people.

“And others can join in without joining the community but you can come to the retreat and our big open days or see us online. Our services are all streamed.”