Full Name
Adam Paul Furlong

When did you join Sportsworld?
My current girlfriend, knowing I liked to run, encouraged me to join her at a training session in Bushy during the first summer of Covid when restrictions had eased & you could train in pods at different times. I recall thinking I was a great lad & smashing out sprints (which Martin Doyle is still teaching me to temper) & Coach Emily berating me that I’d gas out. Needless to say, she was right.

Where do you work?
I work in property management, it’s incredibly exciting.

What is your favourite club session?
Summers sessions in Bushy, even though they can be tough, you’re always buzzing after.

What is your favourite race distance?

100m you barely have to breathe & the pain is over quickly. Having said that I’m starting to half enjoy 5ks.

What is your favourite meal before a big race?
It’s an oldie but yoghurt, berries & granola with a slice of toast & of course a coffee.

My Favourite place to train
Probably still Bushy but I’ve only done the 10 miles in the park a handful of times but loved it, I need to just get up early on a Sunday & go.

What’s your favourite race?
Even though I performed horribly, I really enjoyed xc last year purely for the camaraderie & the support on the sidelines but I’d highly recommend the NIA in Abbotstown. It’s a championship track & as a complete amateur, I got such a kick warming up with Mark English & Nick Griggs.

What is your target for the next year?
I know it’s going to be tough but desperate to get sub 40 mins for 10k

What international events have you run?
Well, I completed my first international running challenge in La Santa last November. The running did get in the way a touch but I loved it, 99% sure I’m going this year.

Where’s the most interesting place you have run?
Again it was last year I ran the grand prix circuit in Singapore (it’s a street circuit with the garages & grid a permanent fixture in Marina Bay).

Where’s the most interesting place you’ve been? (Doesn’t have to be running-related)
I’ve been lucky enough to do a bit of travelling & one of the places that stands out for me is Hoi An in Vietnam, the people, the food and the architecture, are stunning. Only last year on the same trip I was in Singapore I went to Borneo & into the Rainforests & up the Kinabatangan River which was mind blowing.

What do you like doing when you don’t run? (hobbies/past times)
I’m fanatical about sport particularly running, obvs, Horse Racing, Rugby & Football. I love live sports so again I’ve been lucky enough to have attended Old Trafford, Elland Road, Villa Park, Wembley, Twickenham, Murrayfield, Millennium Stadium, Aintree & Cheltenham. I also love Music & live gigs & am mad about film.

How/When did you start your adventure with running?
I was a fan of athletics in school but never kept it up until a good pal of mine Andy Maher from Wexford encouraged me about 10 years ago to run the Wexford half with him. I’d say I managed a long run of 12k max beforehand, I hadn’t a clue what I was doing. Halfway through the race (which was about as far as I’d ever ran) I was in absolute bits & ready to pull out but if anyone is familiar with the course after Johnstown Castle you’re in the middle of nowhere so I plugged on with all the hazard lights flashing until Andy came out of nowhere alongside me & coaxed me home. We crossed the line together in 1hr 55mins & the elation I felt after lasted for a week (even though I couldn’t walk) & I was hooked.

Tell us about your PB’s / What is your biggest achievement?
5k 19.32 (Naas Parkrun Dec 2022)
Half Marathon 1.32.02 (Dublin Half Phoenix Park 2022)
Marathon 3.21.13 (Dublin 2022)

My first ever Marathon in Dublin this year is by far & away my biggest running achievement, it was a goal of mine for a long time even having entered & not got a number in previous years.

I can categorically say that a bit like my first half I really didn’t know what I was getting myself into, but I simply couldn’t have done it without Sportsworld & the support & advice I received.It almost made the 5 months of training & those excruciating last 6 miles worth it.

What is your biggest non-running related achievement?
Convincing Deirdre O’Connell to go out with me

How often do you run / What is your typical weekly mileage?
I hit 90k pw during Marathon training but I’m back down to a sensible for me anyway 50k pw

What would you say is the best thing about being in a Running Club?
It has to be the encouragement, motivation, competition you get from running with likeminded half-crazy masochists.

What made you join a Running Club?
First & foremost it was to complete my goal of running a marathon but I just fell off a cliff running solo & I love running with clubmates.

Why is running important to you?
As Gareth Murran has told me, it’s nearly mental health over physical health although I appreciate the effects of the latter. Regardless of how you’re feeling & how little you want to lace up I have never come in from a run regretting it or not feeling better.

Who is the person in the club who inspires/drives to run better?
It goes without saying Emily & Myles for their dedication, support, advice & devotion but I’d also like to mention Mikey Cunningham & Paul Duffy who carry the same traits. Last year in my first & last intermediate cross country in Meath I was the only runner left on the course & poor old Mikey in an icy wind came out to the far reaches of the course to encourage me home, much respect. I’d also like to mention & she won’t like this but Maura Ginty who whilst living in the wilds of Mayo travels the length & breadth of the country to represent the club.

Do you do any cross training / other sports on a regular basis?
I like to swim & recently joined the gym in UCD for access to their 50m pool.

Tell us something that no one in the club knows about you!?
I’m originally from Kildare & as everyone knows, ahem, we invented the horse & as I grew up within a throwing distance of Naas racecourse, Punchestown & the Curragh the writing was pretty much on the wall. A couple of years ago a very good friend who had been working in Hong Kong set up a syndicate of which I’m a member. The horse’s name I hear you ask, Yafordadoe….which is Cantonese for One for the Road. On his first win in the Curragh Jerry Hannon the commentator exclaimed “Yafordadoe is up for the dough”. We’ve had a few great days out but unfortunately, he’s quite seriously laid up with a ligament issue.