Sinead Kane certainly believes in out-running herself when it comes to new challenges.
She faces her most gruelling yet next week when she pulls on her running shoes to take part in a 12-hour race at the Mary Peters' Track in Belfast - as the first visually impaired competitor.
The Cork solicitor will be running in the Energia 24 Hour Race challenge with guide John O'Regan, a former winner of the Irish Championship event, next Friday.
Tethered together by a flexible band, the pair will take in the 12-hour element of the event which is being supported by Belfast City Council through its Support for Sport initiative, as well as Pure Running, Belfast.
Sinead (33) has only five per cent vision but she hasn't let that stop her and in the three years since taking up running she has made strides in the Dublin Marathon, the Donadea 50K and the recent Wings for Life World Run race in Brazil where she finished 23rd out of 1,413 female competitors.
She first came to public attention earlier this year after forcing organisers of the Dublin mini marathon to reverse their decision not to allow her to compete because of her male guide - an indication of the type of single-mindedness which she says keeps her on track when battling through life generally as a - virtually - blind young woman.
"I have four different hereditary eye conditions which affect my sight, including glaucoma and nystagmus, which makes it difficult for me to run in a straight line," she said, "so staying in my own lane at the Energia race in Belfast will be a challenge in itself, but John is quite disciplined and will keep me focused."
Currently taking time out to work on School Bullying and the Law for a Phd, Sinead hopes to practise as a solicitor again once her studies are complete and says she enjoys running as a way to clear her head before sitting down at the computer each day.
"I was bullied myself at school because of my sight problems, so the subject matter of my Phd is important to me, but running is my escape and keeps me fit," she added.
"I first got into it after being asked by the National Educational Centre for Blind and Visually Impaired Children if I would take part in a 10K race - I found myself saying 'yes' just because I wanted to help, but I didn't even know what 10K was at the time.
"I took part with a guide runner and set myself a target of finishing in under an hour - in the end, I ran it in 55 minutes and raised €2,000, so I decided to keep going."
It hasn't exactly been a straight run since and Sinead was so determined to finish the course in Brazil that she ended up in hospital suffering from dehydration.
"After that happened, my family started to get a bit worried about me so I haven't told them yet about competing in Belfast," she confessed. "They'll think I'm mad so I'll leave off telling them until the last moment. My father is from Co Tyrone, so hopefully some relatives will come along and cheer me on.
"The way I see it, you can either choose to be visionary or you can choose to be blind. I choose the first option; for me, everything is possible in life and you just have to get on with it."
Sinead, who became Ireland's first registered blind solicitor, will be competing alongside 142 other competitors in the 24 hour, 12 hour race and relay sections before enjoying a midnight 'slap-up' meal provided by James Street South restaurant.
Race updates can be followed on Twitter @energia24, and on Facebook by searching for Energia 24 Hour Race.
