Report by Eileen Rowland
Stephan and race reporter Eileen
The Fat Turkey run on the 28th December seemed like a good idea when I registered for it back in November! But after the Fat Turkey has literally been consumed, doing the race is more of a challenge than a good idea!
But the day dawned so I set off for Sutton to meet my fellow Sportsworld runners, Audrai, Stephen, Noel, Joe and Eoin. Howth is a gorgeous northside peninsula known for its lovely views, though with today’s high winds (not behind us as we climbed but sadly in our faces only adding to the upward struggle)and grey skies, there were no lovely views!
Scenes in Howth on Monday
The first half of the race is ALL UPHILL taking you not just to the Summit pub but up beyond it to the car park where there is a quick turnaround before heading back into Sutton running downhill virtually all the way.
This downhill descent was foremost on my mind as I climbed the first half 5k which is an exercise in uphill running. You are also treated to the sight of the race winners as they start their descent from the Summit whilst you are still making your way to the Summit ! I started the race with Joe and Stephen and Joe was soon a distant vision and then out of vision whilst Stephen though always ahead of me provided some comfort for me i.e. if I can see Stephen then all is not lost !
The downward descent makes this race so worthwhile! In past years the weather has been kinder than it was today and the views and the sunshine (yes, even in December) on the sea has made for a very scenic descent. Sadly no such views today. Once you are down the hill it’s a flat run to the finish.
The Fat Turkey 10km event is to support Suttonians Rugby Football Club (est 1924) and the IRFU Charitable Trust (Irish Rugby Football Union was formed in 1978 to assist severely injured rugby players in their everyday lives and to help restore their confidence and independence). The Club provide a great feed after the race with tea/coffee, biscuits and cake etc to replace any lost calories!
Sportsworld Results:
58 Joe Haugh 47:19
65 Eoin O’Brien 47:48
79 Noel Lynam 48:46
83 Stephen Willoughby 49:09
87 Eileen Rowland 49:34
321 Audrai O’Driscoll 1:06:48
Full results: Fat Turkey 10k
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