Table of Contents
Born into a life of crime, John McAvoy had acquired a firearm by the age of 16 and was incarcerated by 18.
However, after a remarkable transformation sparked by using a rowing machine at the gym, he has become an Ironman triathlete and achieved numerous records.
Ironman John McAvoy, whose life sentence was lifted in 2019, competes in a mountain runCredit: instagram/jonnymac83
John was involved in crime from a young age, acquiring a firearm by 16 and being imprisoned by 18
John transitioned from prison gym to professional athlete and record-breakerCredit: instagram/jonnymac83
Londoner John, now 42, runs projects aimed at inspiring underprivileged youth. He states: “For a long time, my identity was tied to crime.
But my time in prison liberated me.”
John’s uncle Micky was the mastermind behind the UK's largest gold heist, where £26 million worth of bullion was stolen from a warehouse near Heathrow in 1983.
Other family members were involved in criminal activities, including dealing in stolen cars.
His stepfather, Billy Tobin, was a notorious armed robber who became a millionaire by the age of 20.
John shares with The Sun: “I viewed having money as a measure of success, and I saw many men — all incredibly successful due to their wealth.
“I decided to engage in crime, and at 16, I purchased a firearm.”
At 18, John was sentenced to five years for conspiracy to commit robbery, spending his first year in a segregation unit before being released halfway through his term.
Just 18 months later, he was caught in a scheme to rob a security van.
“Look out the window, John,” an officer told him after his arrest, “you won’t be seeing this for a long time.”
John was sent to Belmarsh, which had previously housed notorious criminals and several key figures involved in terrorism.
His new neighbors included hate preacher Abu Hamza and the four terrorists who tried to detonate bombs — just two weeks after the 7/7 bombings.
‘Rotting in this cage’
At only 24, John received two discretionary life sentences, one for possession of firearms and the other for conspiracy to commit robbery.
His world was turned upside down on November 14, 2009, when his best friend, Aaron Cloud, tragically died in a car accident while fleeing from Dutch police after a cash machine robbery.
John learned about Aaron's final moments while watching the BBC’s News at Ten in his prison cell.
He recalls: “It was the first time I cried since I was a child.
“In my cell, I became very emotional, and it made me realize the value of life and the likelihood that I would have been in that car with him if I hadn’t been in prison.
I was sitting in prison with a Rolex Daytona on my wrist and realized how trivial it all was.
John McAvoy
“It was a profoundly transformative moment.
“I was in prison with a Rolex Daytona on my wrist and realized how insignificant it all was.
“At 25, I was just wasting away in this cage, and from that night, I knew I would never commit a crime again.
“I no longer wanted to be part of that world.”
The next morning, John noticed another inmate using a rowing machine in the gym — he was rowing a million meters to raise funds for a children's hospice.
John approached the gym manager to see if he could try the machine, and was told he could if he raised money as well.
In his first session, he rowed 32,000 meters.
“I remember sitting on that machine, watching the numbers, and I experienced a runner’s high that transcended me,” he explains.
“It felt like I had created a little portal that took me out of prison.
It liberated me.”
Within a month, he had rowed a million meters and then set a goal to row five million — the equivalent distance across the Atlantic.
By chance, prison officer Darren
Eze Chidiebere Paul
I'm dedicated to creating high-quality content that informs, inspires, and delights. If you have any questions or suggestions, don't hesitate to get in touch. Happy reading!
