Santry Graded Meet August 2018

Last night was the last track graded of the season and it was at the Santry track where just days before the best track runners in the country were battling it out in the National Seniors. The temperature was nice and cool but there was a blustery head wind on the home straight.

First up was Gareth in the Grade A mile with the 72 minute half marathon at the weekend and marathon training finally sapping some of his energy, he is human. Next up was Diarmuid, Martin and myself also doing the mile. It wasn’t going to be a night for fast times just a chance to settle some grudge matches from previous graded track races and get some race practice in for the national track masters on in a few weeks time.

Next up was Conor, Timothy and Justin in the 3000m made more tough with 7.5 laps into the head wind.

And then finally the moment all the crowds were waiting for the first Sportsworld men’s 4x100m relay team. Big thanks to new recruit Brian who 5 minutes before the race taught us how to exchange the baton, where to stand and the rules of the relay. This is actually complicated, scientific stuff and we were way out of our depth. But this was just for a bit of fun and our target was not to drop the baton, get disqualified and make it onto the club records.

It’s quite an unusual experience looking down a track lane at a club member running full tilt at you and you have to sprint off as quick as you can and grab a baton without looking behind you, without going out of your lane and inside the permitted handover area and then do the same for your teammate. But it was fun and worth the stress.