Carrickfergus mum gearing up for fourth Red Dress Run

When Julie McAllister, 48 from Carrickfergus, suffered a major heart attack almost 10 years ago, she came to realise just how important it is to keep active and look after your heart.

And with Northern Ireland Chest Heart & Stroke marking National Heart Month in February, she’s keen to encourage others to actively consider their cardiovascular health and sign up for this year’s virtual event.

“I exercise regularly but have been advised not to take my heart rate too high. I walk three to five miles, five days a week, and I go to the gym for one hour three times per week. The cardiac rehab taught me how important it is to keep my heart muscle strong through exercise,” explains Julie.

“I ran my first Red Dress Run in 2017 on the fifth anniversary of surviving my major heart attack. I was only 39 and I couldn’t believe heart disease could be as serious to a woman as breast cancer.

“Since then, I’ve been running every year for the charity and on February 21st, I will be donning my red dress for the fourth time and stepping out to raise awareness and much needed funds so NI Chest Heart & Stroke can continue to help rebuild healthy local hearts just like they’ve done for me.

“When I had my heart attack at such a young age, I realised how important their support would have been in my recovery. I know that this support will be important in the future and that the charity will be there for me, so I will do as much as I can to raise awareness for them.”

With the pandemic impacting people’s health, both mentally and physically, more than ever before, it has never been so important to take simple lifestyle steps towards better health, says the charity

Julie adds: “Each Red Dress Run is important, but it feels even more vital to take part in the virtual event this year, because heart disease didn’t stop when the pandemic started.

“My family is the most important thing to me, and I am determined to stay safe and healthy for them and I will continue to support a charity that has been there for me in the past and will be there for me in the future.”

With chest, heart and stroke disease responsible for 16 deaths per day in Northern Ireland, the charity is passionate about keeping hearts healthy. Funds raised through the Red Dress Run will help rebuild thousands of lives. In the last year alone, the charity has invested £2.9 million in services and supported over 3,300 people living with a heart, stroke, or respiratory conditions.

If you’ve been inspired by Julie’s story, then why not step up to the challenge? Whether you are running to keep fit or in memory of a loved one, sign yourself, friends, and family up to the Virtual Red Dress Run on Sunday, February 21, at 11am.

If you can’t take part on the date, you can run or walk your way any day throughout February. Sign up at www.nichs.org.uk/reddressrun

Click here to read: These are 11 of the best places for runners to live in the UK - and why

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