Race Reports By Catherine Mulleady & Conor Keating
Photos by Aggie Buckley, Emily Dowling and Paul Mitchel.
Congratulations to Kevin Curran and Conor McCarthy who won silver medals for the Dublin team! Full results below.
Report By Catherine Mulleady (A+ for the fastest report submission yet!)
Catherine (centre) with Maura and Margaret
On a very wet and windy Sunday morning we set off from Bushy park in the hope that the weather might be better in the sunny south east. With Myles in the lead car we followed close behind on the long road to Wexford. As we got closer to Wexford we realised the weather wasn’t going to be on our side.
On arrival in JFK Park we hadn’t much time to spare. We made a mad dash for the toilets and then started our warm up. As we watched the underage runners covered in muck make their way around a very soggy course we realised it was going to be a tough day. I hadn’t worn spikes for the last few races due to a dodgy calf but it was obvious spikes were going to be necessary to meander this course safely.
We made it to the start line with seconds to spare which left little time for nerves. The 4km course consisted of one small lap and 2 big laps. The front runners went off hard as usual and after an initial mad dash we settled into our stride. The course was wet and mucky under foot so it was hard to get into a rhythm.
When we got the bell on the last lap I wondered how I was going to make it round another energy sappy lap. It’s at this point I really appreciated having team members nearby to keep me going. The support on the course was amazing the whole way round, which also kept me going.
Tara had a great race and was the first of our team to finish followed closely behind by Naoise and Maura. I finished next with Margaret hot on my heels and Anna close behind. It was a great team effort by all the girls.
It was a great feeling to finish, but as soon as we had caught our breath, the lads race was off. We took our positions around the course to cheer the lads on their grueling 8km race. (See Conor’s report for the low down on this race).
With the races done and dusted we wondered how what we were going to do about our muck covered legs, but we found Will had sorted the bathing arrangements for us in a nearby water feature.
After washing our muck covered legs in mucky water and changing out of our filthy clothes we headed back to Dublin but not before stopping off for some much deserved refreshments.
Report by Conor Keating
Conor down the sunny South East last Sunday
Last Sunday I went on my first road trip with the club. Sportsworld entered full men’s and women’s teams in the Leinster Intermediate Cross Country held in JFK Park, Wexford.
We’ve had a fairly mild autumn which makes me think that maybe it doesn’t rain quite as much in Ireland as the stereotypical outsider would think. Saying that however, when it does rain it tends to pour and alas, with the weather forecast being correct, the heavy rain was starting as we met outside Bushy Park before the long trip down South. We knew that we were in for a proper cross country race!
Karl, Kevin and I travelled James’ car. Myles and Emily and the girls following behind and finally a few based further south making their own way. The motorway, along with a little help from the Sat Nav towards the end, meant we reached our destination in plenty of time even with our coffee break halfway down.
Thankfully the rain had abated as we drove south but we soon got our first taste of the damp conditions as we parked up in the field before the entrance to the park – though it wasn’t bad enough to have thoughts of having to give the car a push afterwards.
Having met up with everyone else, a warm up around the outside of the course soon had my feet drenched and us ready for the task ahead. The men’s 8k race consisted of two shorter of 1k laps followed by four longer 1.5k laps.
The course itself wasn’t too bad with it being reasonably flat most of the way round before a bit of a climb back to the start line. The extra 500 metres in the longer laps brought us downhill towards the end of the lap and that increased the drag back up to the start line. The muddy conditions did make it tough with the odd spot being fit for a hell and back race.
The race was competitive but everyone ran well and we were led home by Kevin in a highly credible 20th place followed by Conor McCarthy, Karl, James, Will, myself and Eoin. Thanks to Myles and Emily and the girls for their support along the route.
Well done to the girls in their race. Unfortunately there were no showing facilities afterwards, but at least there was the fountain to wash off our legs. I didn’t get mucky from head to toe, like one junior boy that I saw before the race, so I didn’t have to dive in.
This was my second cross country race with the club, the first being the Dublin Novice in Phoneix Park last month. There is a great sense of camaraderie that comes from running in a team. Cross Country is also a good way to increase your strength and fitness so I’ll definitely be doing a few more before Christmas and would encourage everyone to give it a go at some stage.
Sportsworld Results
Women 4k
Tara Rhatigan 18:06
Naoise Waldron 18:29
Maura Ginty 18:41
Catherine Mulleady 18:47
Margaret Crowley 18:53
Anna Carrigan 20.11
Men 8k
Kevin Curran 30:32:00 – Silver medalist on the Dublin team!
Conor McCarthy 31:45:00 – Silver medalist on the Dublin team!
James Brady 32:45:00
William Greensmyth 33:21:00
Conor Keating 5:22:00
Eoin O’Brien 36:25:00
Get involved and join in, sign up for the weekend training email (bottom of website homepage) and try the Saturday cross country training sessions. Also have a read of Michael’s piece explaining the cross country set up, click here: Cross Country I Love You
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