A very popular man down the running club and a long standing member of the club committee and race committee. Michael Cunningham is a great example of a club runner. Although he’s favoured the longer distance and cross country Michael is now keen to give the National Indoor Masters next Spring a try.
When did you join Sportsworld?
Not sure the exact date but somewhere around 2007
Where do you work?
Naas Kildare, Mechanical Engineering
What is your favourite club session?
The coffee and cake session or Hills and Sprints
What is your favorite race distance?
10Km Cross Country
What is your favorite meal before a big race?
Porridge
My Favourite place to train/compete is?
Phoenix park
What is your target for the next year?
After Martin Keenans success in the in door I’ll have to give it a shot
What is your best Sportsworld memory?
Emma Fogarty from Debra Ireland speaking after the 2014 Sportsworld 5 mile
What international events have you ran?
Berlin Half marathon, Hannover Marathon and countless Lanzarote Challenges
What do you like doing when you don’t run?
Trying to cook so I dont have to buy nice food and started wood carving a couple of years ago
How/When did you start your adventure with running?
Around 10 years ago in a gym determined to run 1Km without stopping
Tell us about your PB’s / What is your biggest achievement?
Best race was probably National half marathon in Waterford a few years ago 1 hr 15min 37 sec. Frank Duffy 10mile 57min 45. National CC Division B gold team medal
How often do you run / What is your typical weekly mileage?
Probably not enough, 4-5 times a week, not huge milage probably 30miles on average but I dont keep a record
What would you say is the best thing about being in a Running Club?
Surrounded by people who dont think its weird getting up on a Sunday morning and running 10miles in the rain or understanding the enjoyable exhausted feeling after a tough session
What made you join a Running Club?
There has to be somebody else like me I cant be the only one. Like most people who join the club I didn’t think I was good enough to join a running club but luckily I took the chance
What was your first day at the Club like?
Painful, I had done a couple of marathons before I joined the club but didn’t realise how tough 800m could be.
Why is running important to you?
Clears your head, gives you something to aim for and surprises you on what you can achieve
Is there anything you would like to see more of or less of at the Club?
Diffently like to see more people coming forward driving new ideas and improvements. There has been loads of examples this year especially with people taking ownership of ideas and getting them done.
Who is the person in the club who inspires/drives to run better?
I think there are a number of people in the club who set the bar, Martin Keenan taking on the indoor championship, Ed McEntee for his consistent times and training knowledge, Paul Duffy for showing whats possible when you put the work in and Emily and Myles for not taking any fake excuses to skip a session.
Do you do any cross training / other sports on a regular basis?
Have done the boxing conditioning a few times and find it helps the fitness alot
