There are many inspiring runners in Ireland, each carving their own path through sweat, determination, and sheer heart. Last year, at EcoTrail Wicklow, I had the privilege of bumping into a woman I’d admired online for ages—a beacon of positivity and resilience, someone you can’t help but want to meet.
Her name is Lisa Byrne. We chatted, laughed, and just as she was about to leave, I impulsively said, “OMG, let me do a video with you!” That raw, unscripted moment—now pinned to the top of the EcoTrail Instagram account—left me in tears behind my sunglasses as Lisa, voice trembling with emotion, shared how running saved her life.
After that video, she went on to WIN the EcoTrail 47km race in her hometown of Bray!
Now, I’ve finally had the chance to delve into her incredible backstory—her struggles, her triumphs, and her dreams.
This is Lisa’s story…
and it’s one that will move you to your core.
From the Pitch to the Streets: A Childhood Lost
Lisa Byrne’s early years were filled with the kind of energy that lights up a room. Growing up in Bray, County Wicklow, she was a sports-obsessed kid, mad about soccer and basketball. “I was soccer crazy,” she recalls with a nostalgic laugh. “Manchester United was all over my bedroom—posters, duvet covers, jerseys. I even went to see them play.” She played on her school’s soccer team, dreaming of one day wearing the Ireland vest and representing her country.
But life had other plans.
In her early teens, tragedy struck.
The loss of her brother and sister shattered her world, compounded by childhood trauma from her step-grandfather and the ripple effects of family addiction. “I became very angry and hurt with the world,” she says softly. “I lost my faith in the higher power and gave up on things I loved—soccer, drama, art.” The vibrant girl who once ran freely on the pitch morphed into someone unrecognizable, hiding her pain behind a tough exterior :
I hung around the streets, putting on an act of being a hard girl, but inside I was crippled with hurt, heartache, insecurities. I was a very lost and broken young girl.
– Lisa Byrne after losing her brother & sister
The Weight of Pain: A Descent into Darkness
The years that followed were a battle. Surrounded by addiction—her grandad’s alcoholism, her mum’s grief-driven drinking, her dad’s anger—Lisa felt the walls closing in. “I don’t blame my parents,” she insists. “I love them very much. They were heartbroken and did the best they could.”
But the chaos took its toll. She stopped playing soccer, gained weight, and spiraled into self-loathing. “I used to cry myself to sleep most nights,” she admits. “My only wish then was to be skinny. Imagine—a young girl who once dreamed of wearing an Ireland vest, now her only wish was to be skinny.”
By her twenties, Lisa hit rock bottom. An eating disorder—bulimia—took hold, born from a desperate need to control something in a life that felt unmoored. “Food became my worst enemy,” she says. “I lived in fear, exercising just to get skinnier.” Malnutrition, iron deficiency, and a two-year loss of her periods followed, dropping her to a “scary weight.”
Family and friends intervened, and later, having her children—Max, Annabelle, and Ellarose—gave her a lifeline. But the shadow of her eating disorder lingered for over 20 years.
Then came the drugs and alcohol. At 39, juggling a demanding job as an Assistant Manager in a bank, three young kids, and a toxic relationship, Lisa turned to cocaine and drinking to numb the pain. “I couldn’t have a drink without a bag of cocaine,” she confesses. “I was up to my eyes in debt, taking it on my own. My heart would pound in my chest, and I’d pray, ‘Please save me.’”
She tried to quit…. but the triggers—stress, arguments, despair—kept pulling her back.
The Rebirth: A Morning That Changed Everything
February 19, 2019, was the turning point. After a heavy weekend and a toxic argument with her partner—witnessed by her daughters—Lisa broke. “I couldn’t let my girls grow up thinking this was love,” she says, her voice firm with resolve.
That morning, she left.
That morning, she had a breakdown.
That morning, she told her parents about her addiction. “To hear my father cry was heartbreaking,” she recalls. “All my life I wanted to make him proud, but I knew I had to be open and honest to overcome my demons.”
And she did. Sobriety became her salvation. “That morning, I was reborn,” she says. “The Lord finally answered my prayers and released me from everything controlling me.” With the fog lifted, Lisa left her bank job, pursued her passion as a fitness and Pilates instructor, and qualified as an Outdoor Adventure Instructor. She learned to swim, cycled, ran mountains, and even started a women-only Couch to 5K program in Gorey. “I wanted to empower them,” she says. “If I can do it, so can they—just one foot in front of the other.”
Running to Redemption: The Trail That Saved Her
Running had always been part of Lisa’s life, sparked in her twenties by a need to shed the four stone she’d gained. “I’d go to Shankill field near my family home in Bray and just start running,” she remembers. “I could barely manage a few minutes, but I was determined.” Over the years, running kept her afloat—through the Dublin Marathon in 2009, early mornings before bank shifts, and the chaos of motherhood. But it was sobriety that transformed it into something sacred.
“Running saved me,” she says simply. “Now I run because it makes me feel alive, free. Nobody controls it or owns it but me.” The mountains became her refuge, her playground. In 2023, just a year after taking up trail running seriously, she stood on a podium in Madeira, tears streaming, as she accepted a World Mountain Championship silver medal for Team F45. “Wearing the Ireland vest, hearing the anthem—it was like all my dreams came true” she says, her voice breaking.
Then came EcoTrail 47km in Bray, September 2024. Injured earlier that year, Lisa had lost confidence, but that race reignited her fire. “I loved every single moment,” she beams. “I kept thanking the higher power for this feeling.” Crossing the finish line, she didn’t even know she’d won until 15 minutes later. “I was crying my eyes out, hugging everyone,” she laughs. “It was my favorite race of all time—the people, the Wicklow Mountains, it has it all.”
Another Setback … or Opportunity to Rise from the Ashes
Last month, Lisa faced another test. On March 7, 2025, a jeep hit her while cycling, running over her leg and bike. “I crawled to the footpath, people rushing to help,” she recalls. With a broken ankle, a stitched calf, and a long recovery ahead, she could’ve crumbled. Instead, she chose gratitude. “I reminded myself how lucky I am to still have a leg, to see another sunrise, to hug my babies,” she says. “I was saved for a reason, and I’m buzzing to find out why.”
But Lisa didn’t stop there. While others might’ve sunk into despair—or binged Netflix—she seized control of her story. Unable to work, drive, or walk, she signed up for a 12-week online Level 5 Sports Nutrition course—a passion she’d always harbored. “Every grey cloud has a silver lining,” she says with conviction. “It’s up to us to take control.” Instead of wasting time, Lisa’s on track to be qualified in record time, turning a setback into a springboard. “I’ve always wanted to do this,” she adds. “Now I have the time—so why not?”
At 47, Lisa’s dreams burn brighter than ever. “I keep having this dream—me in the Ireland vest, the anthem playing, tears running down my face as I receive a gold medal,” she says, goosebumps rising. “I know it’s going to happen.” She’s studying running’s technical side, planning to conquer new mountains, and trusting the higher power has something special in store. “My life has just begun,” she declares.
A Message to the World
Through every struggle—loss, addiction, trauma—Lisa Byrne has emerged a warrior.
Her message is clear, powerful, and straight from the heart:
You can become a victim in your own life story, or you have the choice to make a change and become your own greatest hero.
– Lisa Byrne
For Lisa, running isn’t just a sport—it’s redemption, freedom, and proof that no matter how dark the path, there’s always a trail leading to light. And with every step—whether on a mountain or through a nutrition textbook—she’s showing us all how to turn grey clouds into shining victories.
Follow Lisa on Instagram or Facebook to see her write her own future and be inspired to write your own
