The June Bank Holiday is synonymous with the Vhi Women’s Mini Marathon! What a wonderfully inspiring event- the largest all female event in the world. Now in its 37th year, the annual event has raised millions for worthy charities over the years. The theme was Women with Impact – celebrating the impact women have made through their fundraising and fitness.
On June 2nd over 30,000 women took to the streets of Dublin to walk, run and jog the 10km course.
Sportsworld ladies turned out in force for the big day. This has always been an important race in the Sportworld calendar. I met with Maura, Maria and Naoise just before 1pm for our warm up close by the course. Thanks so much to Maura for letting us use her place to drop off our stuff. There was a fantastic atmosphere and so much colour around. We were blessed with exam weather. This was going to be a great day.
I have taken part in this race a good few times now but I have never managed to qualify for a number which would guarantee me a spot up at the top of the pack. Naoise got a late entry and ended up in my wave so I was lucky to have her lovely company. We made our way into the wave early so we were as close to the start line as possible. We actually ended up very close to the top and it was great to see Kate and her mum up from Roscommon for the day.
I don’t think it had massively hit me that we were just about to do a 10k race. The build up was so relaxed. However, just after 2pm we were off and the hard work begins. There was so much support and noise out on the course. It was just fantastic. Thanks so much to everyone who came out to cheer us on. The ladies on the course were all so supportive too and offered words of encouragement to those around them as they made their way around. That is what makes this event special.
There were excellent results for all the Sportsworld crew who raced. I think there were a few pbs and everyone seemed happy afterwards. This was my first 10k since this race last year. I managed a pb taking nearly 3 mins off my time and guaranteeing myself an elite entry next year. This was beyond my expectations. I decided this year less is more and have tried to cut down on my racing and just pick some great races and give them my best shot. The mini marathon was always on my list. It is such a feel good run. It makes no difference how long it takes to cross the finish line- everyone is a winner.
We finished the day with a lovely evening of great chats, food and drinks.
The winner of the race was Aoibhe Richardson in 34.35. The results are listed below. Apologies if we missed anyone.
Ciara Brady 39.58
Maria Jones 40.18
Maura Ginty 40.23
Naoise Waldron 41.20
Katie Nugent 43.06
Kate Kelly 44.11
Patricia Fitzmaurice 45.24
Jessica Kennedy 46.16
Anne Sweeney 46.40
Laura Murphy 48.18
Delourdes Seymour 50.24
Maria Finnegan (channelling Bronwyn Murphy White) 50.55
Mary McNamara 52.22
Lucy D’arcy 52.35
Valerie Power 51.34
Liz Lanigan 52.45
Siobhan Clarke 53.17
Anna Carrigan 54.14
Rachel McGuirk 52.29
Orla Greaves 59.36
Sinead Farrell 58.10
Alison Mackey 69.02
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