Full Name:
Val Power
Full When did you join Sportsworld?:
1990
Where do you work?:
I worked for a pharmaceutical company but took early retirement in May. Yippee for me.
What is your favourite club session?:
10×400’s or anything shorter.
What is your favourite race distance?:
5K or anything shorter.
What is your favourite meal before a big race?:
I don’t eat a big meal just a good breakfast as I run faster if I’m hungry.
What is your favourite place to train?:
I love the track and in winter I love the magazine hill in Phoenix park.
What is your favourite race?:
Rathfarnham 5km or Jingle bells.
What is your target for next year?:
To stay injury free and stay healthy and then who knows!
What international events have you run?:
I ran the New York marathon and the La Santa running challenage 6 times.
What is the most interesting place you have run?:
Maybe NY as it was so interesting and kept my attention looking at everything and not feeling the pain.
What is the most interesting place you have run (non running related)?:
I love Sintra in Lisbon, Mexico was good and ski trips to different places.
What do you like doing when you don’t run?:
I volunteer at the DSPCS and help out in the rehoming unit so I get to walk and cuddle all the dogs. I’m not allowed take any home.
How/When did you start your adventure with running?:
I came down in 1990 to do some drills with my friend and Emily asked if we would like to just join in a session and before I knew it I was in a Meet and Train race.
Tell us about your PB’s / What is your biggest achievement?:
Dublin Marathon 3:50, Crumlin 4 mile 19.05, Mini Marathon 39.58, Raheny 5 mile 31.05, Rathfarnham 5km 21.26, 400m under 60seconds.
What is your biggest non-running-related achievement?:
Maybe being a Mother, a wife, a daughter, hopefully a good friend and sister and doggie mammy.
How often do you run/ What is your typical weekly mileage?:
I just do the 3 sessions per week, so thats it really.
What is the best thing about being in a running club?:
Being part of the club is a real privilge and its really my extended family.
What made you join a running club?:
When I was 8 my whole family were in west Dublin in Sundrive so I always wanted to join.
What made you join a running club?:
Running has always been my happy place surrounding myself with happy positive people.
Who in the club inspires you to run better?:
Emily and Myles inspire me to run better. Emily is my other Mother and Myles is the Godfather of Sportsworld. Carmel and the girls are my sisters. A club without Emily is like a garden without flowers. Loads of people inspire me, too many to mention everyone but the club committee also do a great job, Aileen, Paul, Eoin, Michael.
Do you do any cross-training or other sports regularly?:
No I dont cross train, I barely normal train. I walk alot with dogs.
Tell us something no one in the club knows about you?:
When I was under 12’s I got my first Silver Dublin championship medal from Ronnie Delaney for cross country. I nearly had gold but ran the wrong way, never did that again.
