Before Covid became a horrible reality, I had the pleasure of running the last running of this race back in 2019 (3 years – yikes!). A lot has happened since then as we know but somethings still haven’t changed, the England men’s football team still can’t win a penalty shoot out, Mayo (not surprisingly) have not won Sam and the route for this race is was the same as before but none of these are necessarily a bad thing. I bumped into Trevor at the start but I didn’t realise that Timothy and Deirdre were further up. Not that it mattered as I wouldn’t have stayed with them anyway. Ann Higgins also made an appearance and off we went.

The course is quite rolling at the start due to the bridges over the canal. The second 2k or so was a lovely run along the canal which I would have been more than happy to continue on but we turned back on to the main road to head back towards Lucan Harrier’s very impressive track. I personally think it is a good challenging course due to the wind, the long straits and the rolling nature of the course. The field was well spaced out so there wasn’t much shelter in groups either. I left the 40 minute pacer after 1km and could see the 35 minute pacer at various points ahead but I knew I wouldn’t get across as I knew I started to slow. You do need to keep something in reserve as it is in the second part of the course were you can claw back time. I actually ran close to my best 5k time over the last 5k of the race. My time was 38.36 which I was happy with to some degree but as I hadn’t done many races this year, I felt I wasn’t race sharp which probably explained the slow start. Special shout out to Timothy who ran an absolute blinder and his time was just over 30 minutes. Trevor also won his age category.

As always Lucan Harriers put on a really well organized race with the marshals doing a great job in ensuring the 5 mile stayed a 5 mile and nobody went off course. Plenty of nice food and refreshments too at the end and the club hosted some children’s races before the race which gave a real family feel to the whole thing. I caught up with Deirdre, Timothy and Trevor at the finish line. Trevor found the last bit of the course hard work as the hills and straights had taken their toll. Over to you Trevor – My view of the course was not coloured of course by the fact that the wheels came off after 4 miles! I had nothing left in the legs for the last 1/2 mile which was my slowest km. Despite this I managed to win my category so I shouldn’t complain!

Overall a great morning out and would strongly urge Sportsworlders to do this race next year. It’s easy to get to on a Sunday morning and there is plenty of parking at the Super Valu close to the club house. It’s a cracking Super Valu by they way with the biggest cake counter I’ve ever seen in a Super Valu. Worth the trip alone for that

The postponed 2020 Dingle Half Marathon and Marathon took place on a wet and blustery Saturday, September 3rd 2022. This was one event in which I had always wanted to run but had never had the chance.

From the sky, the Dingle Peninsula points to the sea like an outstretched finger. At the very edge of Europe, it extends from Tralee to Dunquin at its western tip for around 55km and is around 21km wide at its broadest. Voted among the Top 100 destinations in the world by TripAdvisor and referred to as ‘the most beautiful place on earth by National Geographic, its landscape is composed of soaring mountaintops, scenic hillsides, secluded lakes, sweeping valleys, ancient ruins, dramatic sea cliffs, charming sea coves and long, sandy beaches. The best way to get to know the Peninsula is to run its byroads, walking trails, beaches, woodlands, valleys, coastline, clifftops, islands, hillsides and mountains.

Having had a brilliant Dingle weekend with the Sportsworld gang back in March I was expecting great things from Dingle.  I had Martin Doyle, Adrian Lanigan, Neil Purdy, Tom Kinsella and Paul Hamilton for company on this occasion.

We set out from Dublin in the early afternoon, delayed somewhat by the partygoers headed to EP in Laois. On arriving in Dingle we headed straight for the nearest hardware store  (bar) to carb load and watch the incredible Ciara Mageean smash Sonia’s national 1500M record in the Brussels Diamon league.

I’m not a good sleeper the night before a race but the early 9 AM start meant there was no time to have second thoughts. The love for Trident Holiday Homes is strong in this group so we were only about a five-minute walk from the start. Unfortunately, Adrian had picked up a niggle and, not wanting to mess up his Chicago Marathon prep, decided not to race, so we were down to 5 on race morning. The weather was pretty miserable at the start but luckily the heavy wind and rain were mostly at our backs.

Having struggled to get the body in one piece for much of the year I had only gone over 21K a couple of times since February, but the great thing about having years of running behind you is that the endurance drops off a lot slower than the top-end speed. I set out planning to run at a steady pace of 4 minutes per kilometre.

After the initial sprinters had receded backwards I was pleasantly surprised to see that there were only about 10 runners ahead of me.  Knowing that some of them were running the full Marathon I thought that there may be a chance of a top 3 finish here. I let the race settle a bit further and started chatting with a fellow Dublin 2019 runner who was doing the full and wanted to break 2.50. It was therefore decided that we would run together up until 18K at which point I would kick on a bit toward the finish. We picked up another lad along the way and had a nice group and some banter along the way.

As we left Dingle over the bridge and past the Distillery we hit the first of many hills.  The already hilly course was made all the more difficult because of the weather,  which was pretty bad for the first 12-13K of the race. One uphill stretch near Páidí Ó Sé’s Pub in Ventry comes to mind where the rain was in our faces, lightening flashing and thunder getting ever closer. A lesser man would have been tempted to go get a pint at 9.30 AM.

As the more experienced runner in the group, it was my job to manage the pace. As can be seen from my splits it was important to slow down on the uphills and make up some time on the downs.

By the time we reached Slea Head at around 17K the views were spectacular. I’d ran the stretch from Coumeenole beach to Ballyferriter probably a dozen times before but none compared to the race environment and having the open road to ourselves. As we got to Dunmore Head I wished the lads well and put the foot down for the last 3K. Starting out it was one of the tougher parts of the course but the last kilometre was almost all downhill.

The race finishes at the famous Krueger’s bar. My time was 1.24.03 (3.59 Per / KM). Job done, time for a pint. I can’t recommend this race enough, very few compare. It has great views, enjoyable routes, organisation, excellent finish and decent support in all the small villages on the route.

The lads all adopted a similar strategy with everyone running a solid but not exhausting race pace effort. We had a few beers in the now beautiful sunny weather and enjoyed the rest of the night in Dick Mack’s and Kennedys, somewhat missing the March gang at times.

For those who race every time they go out, I would really recommend treating a few races as a tempo or helping pace a friend. It’s a really enjoyable experience and really brings home why running is such a great pursuit in the first place. I was super happy to get back on the wagon and not give into any excuses about the weather or the hills, even attarcting a few compliments on my post race positivity for once.

A big congrats to ther other Sportsworld runners who took part in the Half Marathon and extra special credit to David Trimble who ran a very tough full Marathon. Go do this next year, its brilliant craic.

For the second year in a row, I made my way up the M1 for a long weekend in the North. It wouldn’t be a holiday without incorporating a race of course and so we found ourselves once again in Larne for the Antrim Coast Half Marathon. I did try to convince my other half to sign up for it, but he decided to stick with the role of bag carrier and photographer.

After spending Saturday sightseeing, we were up and out early on the Sunday for the race. In keeping with last year, the elite race went off first at 9am followed by the mass race at 11am. I did hear a rumour that they will merge the two races next year which would be better. The early start for the elites meant that road closures were in place from the early morning. We parked the car on the outskirts of Larne just after 9am. It had been impossible to find a map of the course before the event, only a video of the route had been made readily available which was helpful in one way but didn’t allow us to clearly pinpoint KM markers or even be sure of the exact direction of the route. From a quick check of the live stream, I figured we might catch a glance of the elites on the main street so off we went. They were already quite strung out when they passed us despite only being 3km into the race. After cheering on most of the elites as they went past, we continued our way towards the Sandy Bay Playing Fields down by seafront which was the designated race hub for the day. The hub backed onto the finishing straight, so we were able to watch the elites finish. The first male, Jemal Yimer, finished in an impressive time of 59:03, with the lead female, Yalemzerf Yehualaw, finishing in 1:04:22. Both Yimer & Yehualaw set UK all-comers’ records. Feeling suitably inspired by watching the pros in action, we headed back into the playing fields and awaited the call to go to the start line. While waiting there, I saw Paul Hamilton making his way up to the front of the holding pens. Paul seemed relaxed and informed us that after a recent holiday he was aiming for sub 1:30. Oh to be so fast…]

Last year, there were a few issues with the start, but a change to the start line and pre-race hub location meant that the event was much better organised this time and we promptly got going at 11am sharp. This was my fourth half marathon of the year after completing Bohermeen, Wexford & Salzburg before the summer so you would think by now that I would know what I was doing. However, like a complete novice, I took off like lightening. A quick check of the watch after 1km said I was going too fast. I wasn’t worried though at that point – plenty of time to reign it in. No such luck though as I went through 2km just as quickly and clocked 22:30 for 5km. For context, that would be in my top 5 parkrun performances. There was no way I would keep that up for 21km and sure enough, slowly the wheels started to come off. I got through 10km in 48 mins, so I was still OK timewise but starting to really feel it. There was no water until almost 9km which didn’t help as it was a warm day. By the time we passed the water station I was gasping and inhaled far too much in one go. The route takes in the town & harbour areas before heading out onto the coast road, up to the lovely village of Ballygally where we did a loop and turned around to head back to Larne, again passing through the town centre, and finishing on the promenade. The coast road is relatively flat with most of the hills featuring in the town sections. As I approached Ballygally, I decided to chance taking on a gel hoping it would give me a second wind and take me flying back in to the finish line. At this point, I could see the 1hr 30 min group on the other side of the road with Paul nicely settled into the group. There was a good crowd and buzz around the village which was lovely. Sure enough, I did get a second wind and started to pick up the pace a bit before a stitch struck me down. At this point, I could feel the 1 hr 45 pacers coming up behind me and while I would have liked to have held onto them, I was just didn’t have it in me. After the stitch passed, I got into an OK rhythm and just focused on getting to the finish line. The lead in to the finish line on the promenade was packed with people cheering and despite the disappointment with my time I could still smile as I crossed over the timing mat.

Overall, the race was well organised & it’s an event I would really recommend. On a good day, the coast road is beautiful and the support along the route was brilliant. I might even go back for a third go next year as I feel I have unfinished business there. My time & performance was way off where I feel I am. I have set PBs at 10km, 10 miles, and half marathon already this year and only the day before had set a new Parkrun PB at Belfast Victoria when I finally broke the 22minute barrier (21:29). My focus this year has always been on the marathon though and with less than 4 weeks to Berlin I’ve learnt a valuable lesson about pacing. My training has gone well and once I start off slowly then I should be OK.

We met Paul in the race hub afterwards for a debrief. He executed his race plan perfectly and was able to pull away from the pacing group and beat his pre-race target. This is only the start for Paul as he is running three half-marathons back-to-back as he gears up for the Valencia Marathon later this year.

Results below:

The infamous Frank Duffy 10 mile took place on a windy, yet mild late August morning. The third race in the series, one characterised by demanding hills and luscious park land, it is a great test for anyone wishing to compete in the Dublin City marathon. This was my first 10 mile race (contrary to my claims on Strava that this was a PB) and I couldn’t have asked for it to have gone any better.

I had been debating the week leading up to the race whether or not I was actually going to run it as I had been feeling off and a bit unmotivated recently. This was somewhat disappointing since I have been looking forward to the race series since I started back running earlier this year in Colombia after a near 2 year hiatus due to a niggly hip injury. Saturday morning came and I decided, against my gut feeling, to don the red and white singlet and head for the Phoenix Park. I arrived around 20 minutes before the start of the race and was met by some friendly familiar Sportsworld faces ( Cian Buckley, Padriac Moran and Siobhan Clarke to name a few) and felt a bit more at ease with what was to come.

The wheelchair race took off slightly before 9 am and then we were baited forward to the start line by the organisers. The race began quite fast, and I was being overtaken by the world and its mother, but I knew I had to be prudent through the first hilly 8km of the race and stick to a sustainable pace. The rolling hills began as we turned off Knockmaroon Road heading down to the Furry Glen, onward to Upper Glen Road and eventually making our way up Military Road. I decided to stick and sit at the back of a pack of Raheny runners until we made our way back to Chesterfield Avenue. The pack somewhat dispersed and I found myself fighting against a cross field wind in the exposed area near the Magazine Fort until Acres Road. Coming back onto Chesterfield Avenue, there was a random spectator counting us as we went by “71, 72, 73” and at this point I knew I had clawed my way back up the field and was feeling relatively strong. I decided to push the pace for the last 3km, managing to overtake a few people on the way and finishing strongly on Furze Road in 1.01.23. The men’s race was won by Peter Somba in 51 minutes and 15 seconds. Speaking with him briefly he said that he was relatively happy but bemoaned the wind saying it had cost him a minute or two. The winning female, Kate Purcell made it home under the hour mark in 59.36. The results for the 18 Sportsworlders are below.

All in all I’m delighted I went against my gut feeling and ran, as racing always gives you feedback, good or bad, about how your training is going. The Dublin City Marathon is the next race on the calendar for me and one I’ve been looking forward to ever since I headed down to Sportsworld early 2018.

by Marie Bradley

Saturday 6th August 2022 seemed so far away when I decided to enter Run Killarney earlier this year.  I knew we were going to be in our usual West Cork holiday destination so a 75km trip to Killarney for an early morning race seemed like a good plan and an excuse for a family day out to visit Killarney National Park.

There were two races organised – a half marathon and 10K and I signed up for the 10K challenge.  Everybody that knows me is aware of my aversion to hills – when I reviewed the elevation profile and saw this I said ……

However, as I approached the start line it was clear that the race was going to be a relaxed affair as participants with various levels of running experience were heading in the same direction – some were members of running clubs while others were meeting friends and family.  The event was very well organised with ample parking, toilets and changing facilities.

I met Siobhan and Padraic in the Gleneagles Hotel before the race and we had a good pre-race natter in the beautiful sunshine.  The music added to the atmosphere.  There was no rain and a mild breeze so running conditions were perfect.  The race start time was 9.30am and after a short race briefing, we were off.

The race started at the Gleneagle Hotel and we ran for about 4km along Muckross Road.  Just before Torc Waterfall we entered into Killarney National Park and ran another 4.5km through the woods and gardens and past Muckross House.  Once we exited the park there was an upward slope towards the finish line at The Gleneagle Hotel.  Along the route there were two water stops and lots of support from the locals.

There was plenty of space along the course – despite this a gentleman from behind clipped my shoes as I was running through the trail in the park.  Thankfully I didn’t fall and he did say “sorry”…..But there was no apology from the Galway lassie who came from behind at the 8km mark to pass me out…she told me that there was plenty of space on the left hand side so I should run there….cheeky or what….I have her name and will be watching out for her.

I ran a steady race and tried to keep an average pace of 5 min/km.  It all worked out well with a finish time of 49.45 – I was delighted to achieve a sub 50 min time on my second attempt at this race distance.  Now I can retire!

Siobhan and Padraic are seasoned runners who were fitting the 10km run into their marathon preparation plans. They rang a further 23km the following day – I take a more steady approach to my running and haven’t ran since…..!

The race was followed by a beautiful lunch and some shopping.  I’ll make an effort to fit this race into the yearly calendar if we continue to holiday in West Cork – maybe we can organise a Sportsworld weekend away some time in Killarney to show off the red and white singlets – it’s a great destination!

Report by Deirdre O’Connell
Tuesday 26 th July 2022

A lovely mild, bright summer evening, for the Night run, with a fine SW bunch for the West Dublin race.

I did the 10k here a few years ago when I worked in Parkwest. Back then it had a September date on the diary so it was actually a Nightrun. Parkwest has changed since and a pandemic hasn’t helped, plenty of businesses are long gone including my old gym and the cafe. Parkwest looks nicer before dark too, so a new July date suited everyone.

I was back this time for the 5k, which is the full race route; the 10k does it twice. There were some club runners about, but mostly it was groups of work colleagues and fun runners, and a big, lively gang from nearby Cherry Orchard.

Overall it’s a moderately fast course, long flats through the business park and along the lovely Canal banks, with a couple of slight uphills, footpath links, and some twists and a dead turn, along the way. I like the Canal part, it’s pretty and scenic, and it’s nice to see the same delinquent, swimming, teenagers under the bridge supporting as only they can!

Paul, Anthony and Declan finished with strong runs and we were all pleased. Stephan too, he was running/pacing a couple of work colleagues who were very happy with their times. I was the second lady home, a nice surprise on the home straight when I saw the lady in front of me go for the second loop! Despite an ever so slightly long course, I was very happy with my PB time which edges me ever closer to my lie goal of subbing 20 minutes for 5k.

The same organisers are running the “3/4 Marathon / Half / 10k” in Clondalkin on Sunday 9 th October and the Sandymount Nightrun 5K / 10k on Tuesday 25 th October.

10K
14 Paul HAMILTON 00:39:12 00:39:13 143 M M40
28 Anthony GILLEN 00:41:34 00:41:35 460 M MS

5K
18 Deirdre O’CONNELL 00:20:29 00:20:30 5180 F F40
23 Declan BRADY 00:20:59 00:21:01 5466 M MS
27 Stephan DE VRIES 00:21:04 00:22:01 5057 M MS

Results here

The second event in the Dublin Marathon Race series took place in Fingal on Sunday morning in hot conditions with a great club presence at the event. The race started on Swords Main St before a turn down the Swords Bypass roundabouts. The first half was downhill before we turned off the bypass and around through the country lanes at Balhery with a gradual climb back to Main Street Swords for the finish on a lovely route.

The race was extremely well organised. It was very clear to all concerned that the weather conditions would be a factor on the day and there was a bit of nervousness that was palpable both in the warm up areas and the pen prior to the start.

News began to spread that a second water station had been added. In addition, the Dublin Fire Brigade had no less than 3 engines out with hoses to spray us down along the route. The good people of Swords were also inspired by the Fire Brigade with a garden hose or two being sprayed out of front gardens onto the route for runners to run through. The hydration stations were also help, although the vessel for consumption was a cup instead of a bottle – which is great for sustainability but bad for hydration as we all know about 95% of each cup ends up on your face. I did think at one point during the race that there might be a market for someone to travel around running clubs to teach runners how to drink out of paper cups while running. Any club entrepreneurs can have that idea for free Terms and conditions apply.

I was happy with my own run and I got around the time I was hoping to run – I was unsure about the approach  as a 10k race is relatively new territory for me aside from the Leinster Senior Cross Country race last autumn. I met my pal Ciaran in the start area prior to the gun and we decided to run together. However, after about 6k he dropped me and I spent the rest of the race trying not to let his group out of my sights.  Once again my pacing was all over the shop; heading out far too quick as usual and having to hang on for the last few km. “A masterclass in how not to pace” Ciaran described my run to me afterwards. I think learning to pace my races is something high up my list of priorities.

There were some fantastic runs from Sportsworlders with 4 club members getting top 5 finishes in their categories and several PBs also clocked despite the conditions. There was a good gang gathering in the shade afterwards for the post-mortem before we all went our separate ways into the sun to enjoy the rest of our Sundays. Full list of club times below.

Back by popular demand – Me not the BHAA 5k Irishtown run!

Im taking full responsibility for suggesting this race to my fellow Sportsworlders as ive told my Fambily im giving up Sunday running for Beach days to scald my corned beef skin so this race seemed like a good evening out!!

As I arrived in plenty of time and greeted by the usual suspects Young Trevor AKA BFF/Audrai/Eileen/Anne/Ellen/Annemarie and Grainne we did a few warm up laps on the track were Trevor was eyeing up the competition and Speedy Sweeney was doing some very serious warm up drills!!

As we lined up on the track to be given our instructions which sounded very complicated – 3 laps of the track first followed by 3 laps of the park – I started getting worried I would be left running around the track while everyone went into the park but as I looked around everyone else was feeling the same – this was too much information for my little head to take in and all I wanted to concentrate on was my running!! As we took off I couldn’t help but think was it a good idea to run 10k on Monday and do the 1000s on Tuesday but I just assured myself that the difference in time is so slight that Yes its worth it as every Run/Race is worth it and you never regret going out!!! For me the 3 laps on the track first were beneficial as I’m a regular track runner I knew not to get carried away – I secretly felt a little bit smug as I looked around and thought to myself these lot are gonna get a shock to the system (little bit mean I know but I’m an honest little creature and deep down I knew Trevor was thinking the same!!)

I can honestly say I think I only set eyes on Speedy Sweeney while we were running around the track then she was gone like lightning!!

Off we went into the park for our 3 laps – Myself and AnneMarie were side by side for pretty much the whole race and considering we did the session together on Tuesday I knew she could feel my pain and I could feel hers so we worked hard together which was great!

The finish was back on the track which was lovely the only problem was when you came into the home straight the flipping clock was turned the wrong way so you couldn’t see your time!!!

Overall this was such a lovely flat race – Maybe a few too many laps but again these were flat so it was ok and all is forgiven!

The best part of the whole evening was the quiz and nobody knew any of the answers to the Athletics Questions! –  and I thought I was a muttonhead!!

They pretty much had to prompt the answers to get rid of the prizes – Well done Eileen and Ellen! Most of all I couldn’t get over how adults couldn’t grab the concept of put your hand up if you know the answer so I found myself unintentionally shouting at strangers – Put your hand up its that simple but still they couldn’t grasp it but if they were kids in a classroom they would have went straight to detention in my eyes!!

After the quiz was the prize giving but a few of us said we were getting a bit cold so no point in hanging around as we wont be getting any prizes apart from Eileen and Speedy Sweeney as we knew they would get something in their age category – I even joked when I was leaving “Would you mind collecting my prize and present it to me at the club tomorrow” as I was driving off Anne phoned me to say Carmel you got 3^rd in the O35s – I can honestly say I nearly crashed the car and also nearly abandoned it to go back in and collect my compression socks and running belt!!Everyone knows that you never win a prize in the 30s category you have to wait until your 50 but maybe it’s a sign of things to come – Yeh right im not that stupid I know that there was only 3 people in the O35s category but it still felt good and a prize is a prize especially if you have never won one!!!

Sportsworld cleaned up on the night with Eileen/Anne/Grainne and Ellen all receiving prizes in their age categories – I’ve decided not to say which age categories as I know I would just get them wrong and I’m not one to offend people unless your Trevor, but he’s made of tough stuff!!!

I want to compliment AnneMarie on a great race as she has only recently come back to the club and training really well and great to have her as part of our group!

Well done Audrai also on a great race and spreading all your positive energy!

Saving the best for Last – what can I say you either love ‘im or hate ‘im as they say but I’ve decided to love’im – Trevor who at the start could barely put one foot  in front of the other had a belter of a race!!

Well done to Everyone who made this such an enjoyable evening – I feel a bit hard done by doing the race report considering I was the only one wearing my Sportsworld vest!!!