Sophie Clarke
Friday July 14, 2023
Sadaq Farhan with Michael McKnight after winning his NI Ulster under 20 title
A group of young men who fled conflict in their home countries are using running to help rebuild their lives in the north.
In recent years, asylum seekers from Somalia, Ethiopia, Eritrea and South Sudan have all made their way to Belfast.
All exceptionally talented athletes, they have found a new family in Northern Ireland, assisted by running coach and mentor Michael McKnight.
During lockdown, Mr McKnight helped set up Waste Land Track Club, a group affiliated with south Belfast's Annadale Striders.
Since its formation, the club has welcomed members from across the north and further afield.
“During lockdown we found a piece of waste ground near Belvoir forest where gravel pitches had overgrown and we repurposed it into a track and we ran socially distanced and the name kind of stuck," Mr McKnight said.
“We have several African runners who got involved and joined the group. A couple of them just turned up at the track looking for guidance and help. Or some have just joined through word of mouth and that’s been really rewarding."He said members come from Somalia, South Sudan and Ethiopia, all of which have endured conflict.
“They all have absolutely horrific stories in terms of the challenges they’ve overcome just to get here," Mr McKnight said.
“The youngest guy in the group is a guy called Sadaq Farhan who’s only 18 and he’s from Somalia, which has an ongoing conflict but also famine and he has no family, so the group has been a good support for him. He’s really bright and really talented and it’s great to be able to help him."
Speaking to The Irish News, Sadaq said that joining the club helped him feel more at home in Northern Ireland.
“Before I started running with the club, I wasn’t doing too much. I was at home every day, thinking a lot. I was stressed. I was having bad memories, but when I started running with the club, I liked it and I like running with the team and it makes me feel good and happy to be doing something with the boys. I belong somewhere now," he said.
“[The club] have given me shoes and clothes, they take me to races. They’ve made me love running. I’ve never had people like that in my life before."
Although it has been rewarding to work with Sadaq and the other members of the team from developing countries, Mr McKnight says it has been an incredibly eye-opening experience as well.
“You think you’re going to be coaching and then you end up becoming a bit more of an expert on the whole asylum system and we try to help the guys with housing and we work with local charities that support them, but the whole thing has been an education.
“The guys are all so stoic as well, so that’s been very humbling. I think Irish people, more than most, should have much more empathy towards people having to leave their country because of famine or poverty or war.”
Mr McKnight said there had been some issues surrounding money to help with training and competitons.
"The guys need support in terms of running shoes and entry fees are really expensive, but Annadale Striders has been great with that. A couple of years ago there was an increase in our membership fees so we could support the guys more,” Mr McKnight said.
It is clear the club means a lot to its members and they take a lot of pride in representing it, he said.
“When Eskander Turki, another runner in the club who is originally from Ethiopia, received his Ulster vest to run in the inter-counties cross country, I went to give him the vest and you would have thought I’d given him a million pounds. He was so proud,” Mr McKnight added.
“A lot of them have found running because it’s a really great way of helping them deal with their mental health because they’re all carrying trauma, they lost family members. One of the guys' friends drowned in the Mediterranean in a dingy and he started running in Monaghan when he was there because his GP said that exercise would be good for him," he added.
Sadaq agreed, saying since he started running he has felt much better physically and mentally: “I’m sleeping better, it’s helped my mind and my head.”
Since the runners have joined the club, it has grown in diversity and inclusivity as well as success, Mr McKnight said.
“For a long time, Annadale was really struggling for members and then Eskander the guy from Ethiopia turned up and he was a brilliant runner from the get go, so he became almost like a beacon of renascence for the club.
“When you have good runners who are starting to do well in races you get a bit of momentum, so I think the addition of the African guys and him in particular has really changed our fortunes.
“If you find a sport, whether it’s running, football or GAA, if you’re a young asylum seeker, it’s a way of making friends and establishing roots in the local community which can be a real game changer in terms of feeling like you have a home and you are accepted.”