Running for Redemption

Once imprisoned, John McAvoy found a new life through the power of sport—and he’s helping disadvantaged youth do the same

- BY Claire Sibonney

ON A BRIGHT September day in the French Alps in 2022, John McAvoy was 38 kilometres into a gruelling ultramarathon through rugged mountain paths. Battling fatigue, he pushed his body and mind through the final stretch of the race. With the finish arch in the famous resort town of Chamonix just four kilometres away and the soaring cloud-topped peak of Mont Blanc hovering over him, McAvoy welled up with emotion. In that moment, he felt so free and alive.

It was quite the opposite from where his life had been a decade before. He had just been released from prison in the United Kingdom after serving a 10-year sentence for armed robbery.