Only eight months ago, the 37 year-old wedding photographer contracted Covid and was hospitalised for three days. The Lisnaskea native has spoken very openly about his journey, after contracting it while working at a wedding.

 

McMaster did not fall into the elderly category, was fit and strong but was hard hit by the virus.

 

“When I got out of hospital, bending down to pick something up off the ground, I had to sit down and catch my breath. 

 

“Coming out of the hospital I had double pulmonary pneumonia.”

 

The road to recovery has been a slow one, but alongside his coach Emma McQuaid from Lisburn he has made a remarkable comeback.

 

“I remember one of the first workouts Emma gave me. It was 400 metres on the rower, 400 metre run, five rounds, and I could hardly run. I was just slowly trying to pick up the pace on the rower gradually and then just trying to sit on the rower to recover and try and get my heart rate and lungs recover and it’s just gradually been building up over the past few months.”