Lap 2 by Luke Kelly
When Richy gave me the hand tap, I found myself in 3rd place behind both the white and red teams. Not too far off the red team, I set off to close some distance. Not having a lot of running experience, I really wasn’t sure how to approach the race. My thought process was to go faster than usual and see if my legs hold up toward the end.
Lap 3 by Anne Belton
I signed up to the relay as it was advertised as a fun social event, and I hoped it would be for more than just the fast runners who excel at short races. I found myself on the third leg (no surprise there), initially on the purple team and then switched to the blue team. Some last-minute team changes the day before resulted in a scramble for different-coloured t-shirts for the various teams – the WhatsApp group was hopping. I picked up Gráinne on the way, and we arrived at the car park on the Upper Glen Road – the start/finish area – where chairs, blankets, and food were laid out like a picnic with a competitive edge. Sandra who was not running, was there too, kindly volunteering as steward.
The first sign that this was more serious than expected came when we arrived just a few minutes late to find the warm-up had started on time. After consulting the course map, Gráinne and I set off to do part of the warm-up, only to realise halfway through that we’d gone wrong and missed a turn. Not a great omen! Sandra had a clever idea: our first-leg teammates could run alongside us to ensure we stayed on course, doubling as their cool- down. Among the third-leg runners there was also some joking talk that we could probably all run together and, if we trimmed part of the course, who would ever know?
Richy, our team captain, along with the five other team captains, led out the first lap. We waited at the handover area to watch the exchanges, with Val on the loudspeakers and Ronan on his bike keeping everyone updated on the team positions. Luke ran our second leg and ran a stormer of a race, arrived in second place, handed over quickly, and suddenly I was off. Not being used to being in second place, I sprinted off faster than usual with Richy, and forgot to turn on my watch, the pressure was on!
The white team of Gráinne and Trevor, ran a steady lead. Richy pointed out the right turn down a flight of the steps to a trail that we’d completely missed in our warm-up. Not long after, we hit a climb. The Phoenix Park may be 707 hectares, but it felt like our route included every hill in the park. The race description had promised “variety, location and tranquillity.” The first two were accurate – tranquillity, not so much. Richy chatted easily while I struggled just to breathe! We continued on along Lower Glen Road. On the downhill, we managed to pass Gráinne and Trevor, only to meet another incline. Richy (aka unofficial pacer) offered encouragement and tips about the route ahead, I just tried to keep running. We went up Knockmaroon Road and then wound through what felt like endless bends of the Upper Glen road, aiming to keep the white team behind us. At last, the start/finish area came into sight. I spotted Anthony waiting, stretched out my hand, and handed over the imaginary baton, then collapsed onto the grass in relief. Once I had recovered slightly, I managed to enjoy the atmosphere and watch the remaining handovers as the teams battled it out for positions. Anthony brought us home to secure first place for the blue team.
With the running over, it was time for the real highlight: food and drinks on the grass, followed by a well-earned trip to the pub. It was a fun social event for all, not just the fast runners, but the addition of unofficial pacers definitely helped!
A big thank you to Trevor and the social committee for putting together such a fantastic event.
