By Liam Lenehan
Firstly I would like to say a big thank you to everyone in Sportsworld for your support and good wishes. I will never ever forget the reception when I turned up (late!) at the Thursday Bushy training session after I got back from Italy. I think I hugged you all with joy!
I will keep my report short and simple, bullet points to highlight specific memories, moments and images from an incredible trip as part of the Irish team to the World Mountain Masters in Meduno in the Italian Dolomites. There are already several great reports and detailed Irish results/performances and videos out there, links below. No sense in repeating or cutting and pasting! I didn’t make it into (not pretty enough or athletic enough!) the official Youtube championship video but it’s a good watch and you might spot an Irish competitor or two that you recognise!
So, in no particular order:
– The team Pizza party on Sunday evening hosted by IMRA in Maniago – 100 athletes and their supporters stuffed into a local pizzeria for food, drink, celebrations and speeches
– Ger Maloney, one of Ireland top all time mountain runners and individual silver medal winner, (10 years on from winning a team O55 gold medal), putting his arm around me and saying, as we mounted the podium for our team gold medal presentation “Liam, these moments are very very rare and very special, savour them”
– Singing Amhran na Bhfiann atop the podium at Sunday evenings medal and closing ceremonies
– Racing Sunday morning back down the mountain and through the streets and stepped lanes of Meduno village in the closing stages of the Classic up/downhill race (15k with a 750 climb), on the edge, risk v reward, knowing that I needed to deliver a high finish for the team but would be no good to them if I fell and lost time or couldn’t finish
– Rounding the final bend before the short sharp climb to the finish gantry, to the flags and cheers of the Irish supporters
– The moment earlier in the race when as I passed the German number 1 from Friday’s race near the top of the climb in the Classic and he glanced sideways and said “Go Irish”.
– Not getting passed by any competitor in my age bracket on the Classic descent – a first for me, ask Anthony!
– Waking up Sunday morning after a restless nights sleep wondering have the legs sufficiently recovered from Friday to go again
– News early that morning that one of our main men, Martin McDonald was injured and unlikely to run meaning “you have to step up and deliver for the team Liam”
– On course supporting our Irish team colleagues competing in Saturday’s long distance race, mad stuff!
– Brilliant recovery pasta bowls and drinks after each race in a huge refectory tent rocking with live DJ tunes
– Reccing the two race courses with my team mates the day before each race
– Team technical meetings after the recces – which trail runners to wear, deep lugs for the uphill race as very greasy and technical but OMG, can’t decide for the classic – deeper lugs for grip on the up or shallow lugs for speed on the down , went for speed! – whether to use poles or not – poles not compulsory but permitted for the uphill race but if you start with them you must finish with them, I am used to them so opted in, good call as it turned out.
– Keeping the body going and your head in the game during the seemingly never-ending slog straight up 800m of technical terrain over 5k in Fridays uphill race
– Finding a kick up and over the uphill false summit (ready for it from the recce) with 250m to go, overtaking a small group including a couple of Austrians only for one to get back past me just before the finish line (see photo). We knew they would be in the mix so I was on tenterhooks that that lost place might count. Austria finished 4th, phew!
– Crossing the finish line at a the top of the mountain with teammate Conor there egging me home.
– The moment with Conor Nolan and Martin McDonald when it was confirmed after Fridays race that we had finished third (Conor 5th, Martin 9th and yours truly13th, out of 48 competitors), a world championship medal, tears, I can believe it
– The moment with Gerard Maloney and Conor when their individual silver and bronze positions were posted and my 7th place (50 competitors in our age category) backing them up for our team gold
– The proud feeling being presented with the bronze medal in Fridays ceremonies not having any idea that we would do even better on Sunday
– Cheering every Irish podium at the medal ceremonies (1,100 athletes representing 32 countries across the 35 to 75 age categories)
– Travelling, rooming and hanging out with all the IMRA Irish runners – early evening, very large amazing pasta dinners and very early morning, simple carb loaded breakfasts
– Arriving back into Dublin airport with my medals and to my shock no sign of RTE Nine O Clock News cameras!
