Home Race Report Dublin Port Tunnel 10K Run 2017

Dublin Port Tunnel 10K Run 2017

Report by David Saunders

The mark the 10^th anniversary of the Tunnel’s opening, a 10K Road Race in aid of Focus Ireland was arranged. It was a glorious Sunday morning which marked the beginning of summertime, so all participants had to get up an hour earlier.

The route was to run 5km to the exit of the northbound bore of the tunnel in Whitehall before turning back to run a further 5km to Dublin Port. The start was fast in beautiful sunshine, then into the tunnel for a long downhill section. This was followed by a gradually uphill section. We caught a glimpse of the outside before turning back to the start line in the opposite tunnel. This section had a longer downhill stretch and a steep last 1km to the finishing line. The second half of the race was faster.

There were a number of Sportsworld Athletes in action with Aoife and Crona Brady keeping pace with each other and narrowly missing out on a medal position. They finished just outside the top 3 with identical times.

The tunnel run was certainly a different kind race and considering it’s in a tunnel it was a new experience for many participants. The traffic information boards were used to display encouraging messages, there was music and lights at the 3km and 7km markers. It was a fast course on a straight piece of road allowing the competitors to take advantage of race track like conditions.