'I am free now', says marathon runner who has quit smoking after years of failed attempts

"A 32-year-old man, who runs up to two marathons a year, has told how he was able to give up smoking while training for the events - only to lapse back into his cigarette habit after he had crossed the finishing line."

"I started smoking at 15 and from the age of 25, I tried each year to stop."

A 32-year-old man from Charleville, Cork runs up to two marathons a year. He stopped smoking during marathon training but resumed his cigarette habit immediately after crossing the finishing line. He began smoking at age 15. Beginning at age 25 he attempted to quit each year. The pattern indicates that training-related motivation and routine changes enabled temporary cessation. The relapse after the race suggests the cessation was tied to the goal rather than to a sustained change in smoking behavior. The case shows the challenge of maintaining abstinence outside of structured goal-driven periods and the need for support beyond event completion.

Read at Independent