Congratulations to Sportsworld Runners

Aoife Brady 7th / Lucy Darcy 9th in the Senior race.
And Carol Lynch 2nd >in the o/60 category.
In todays Rathfarnham WSAF 5k Road Race.
Race report by
Paddy Lynch

There were strong runs by all our members in sundays Dublin Novice Cross Country race. The sportsworlds ladies team got the bronze medal, with the men’s team finishing 8th, the full results are here

Two sets of photo’s for you all

Dublin Novice Cross Country 2008

Dublin Novice Cross Country 08

And video!!

The girls start. The loudest starting gun ever, “and can people please keep the course clear”.

The men’s start

And the finish (thanks to jakub for providing the pedal power)

The dublin novice race on sunday kicks of the season (the sooner it starts, the sooner it ends – is one approach to managing these races), so best of luck to all our runners (remember your spikes and singlets).

For our non-novice lady runners, a sunday trip to carlow is on the cards, where the only extra piece of equipment required is the big handbag, so the expected array of prizes can be carried safely home.

Looking forward to seeing all the loot from the weekend next tuesday.

A fairly warm morning for todays half marathon in the pheonix park. Here are some photo’s and we’ll get the results up as soon as we have them.

Kilmore Quay looks lost! Hiding on the very south eastern tip of Wexford this quaint little village is more like a hybrid of Cornwall and Connemara. Tudor thatching sits easily beside rugged shorelines and the ocean dominates every part of its character.
The Village is a contradiction, beautiful but with a history of tragedy dominated by maritime losses and a struggling fishing industry. An unlikely place then for a band of runners to race 10k, but inspiringly handsome all the same.

There was something almost ‘wild western’ about the posse of Dublin cars sweeping into the village. The locals looked perplexed. That initial excitement and urge to explore was quickly muted. A sunny September Saturday quietly refreshed the early risers. A stroll down to the harbour to watch the boats come in. Even the 2 sea lions looked lazy, sleepy and unhurried.

On to the sea shore and a beautiful memorial garden to all those lost at sea. When you read the names and their age it becomes more real. A calm day out to the horizon hid the deadly power of this moody ocean.

The peaceful mood led to a relaxed drive to the race start. Sportsworld represented about half the field. The red and white cut a powerful symbolism.
Registration was fun. The man in front of me refused to give his age. The middle aged, no nonsense matronly woman was having none of it …”I said how old are you?” He mumbled, muttered, and stuttered. She grew more agitated and in a loud voice said again …”How old are you?” He finally confessed to being 70. She said “70 exactly or older?” His dream of being mistaken for something younger was truly perished.

The warm up strides were dominated by a young local girl sprinting at the speed of light. Mr. Bolt would have been proud. We did wonder if she would survive the first 100 metres let alone 10k. Apparently she did!

The race start was just as relaxed. A man who had been club secretary for 105 years started the race. He had a chest full of pride and this was ‘his day’. We all smiled.

Off and a fast pace it was a twisty peaceful country road. It went up a little, down a little, but always pretty. Big propeller wind turbines competed for our attention. They might be ‘friendly’ but they sure do blot out the view. The locals encouraged us and even their dogs too. Marshals attended every corner even though we saw no cars to hinder our rapid journey. Soon, back into Kilmore and a fitting finish right by a graveyard that was set out to look like a grandstand!
The crowd at the finish were warm and hearty; it made the slog all the more worthwhile.

That night we dined in Keoghs. There was good food, great cheerful service and wonderful music. We ate together, sang together and went back to our hotel together. It’s what a club is all about. Nobody talked about ‘their’ race but everyone wanted to know how you did.

The walk home was cheerful and fun under the bright full moon. Then we went dancing. It was fun and it was straight out of JB Keane. It was Ireland of the 50s. Two local girls competed for the title of Dance Queen Diva. Their competitive spirit led to increasingly more ‘interesting’ moves. We remained unshaken!

Hardy souls were up early to take in the sea, the dunes and the air. Soon, we were saying our goodbyes. A plan and a trip was now a memory.
You see, a club is about much more than running, it is about people and people create the precious memories.
So, to my club, yet again, thank you for another super little adventure. But, to those who made it happen, Kilmore AC, Dermot and Rachael, we may not often say it but ‘thank you for the memory’ [Conor Kenny]

The full results from saturday’s Kilmore 10km Road Race are now available. Both the men’s and women’s team won the team competition, and there were good individual results scored all round. I’d like to thank dermot and rachel for doing a great job organising this trip.

Congratulation to Lucy Darcy who came second in the national half marathon, and to the guys who travelled down to waterford last weekend.

78 Merrick Ronan Sportsworld A.C. M 80.58
99 Darcy Lucy Sportsworld A.C. F 83.22
126 Duffy Paul Sportsworld A.C. M 85.40
184 Splauski Jakub Sportsworld A.C. M 92.50

Waterford Halfmarathon

Fairly overcast, windy and cool morning in firhouse saw the first running of the pearl izumi 10km road race. You’ll notice the luminous orange t-shirts with the ‘run like an animal’ logo on the back, that all runners and some scroungers got!

6 121 00:33:53 Paul O’Connell
43 211 00:40:03 Rachael Morgan
57 103 00:41:17 Kathleen O ‘Callaghan
61 209 00:41:25 Mary Finn
99 130 00:45:20 Louise Bruton
128 204 00:48:06 Susan Mc Donnell

I’m fairly sure i missed two people from the list, please let me know if so and i’ll update.

People ‘drafting’ behind mary finn

As if to motivate runners for the Longford marathon and half marathon Tony Mangan was breaking the world record in the registration hall for the longest run on a threadmill in 48 hours. He covered 251 miles and then went on to run in the marathon.

Runners where to need of this motivation as the half marathon course was changed from last year and although it can’t be described as hilly it certainly wasn’t flat with the men’s winning time 3 minutes slower then last year. We where treated to a nice cooling shower (or downpour) for the first couple of miles and then the sun came out for most of the race but there where plenty of water stations and locals giving out water along the route.

Although it was a challenging course Lucy D’Arcy came home in first place with a 20 second lead to claim her first Longford half marathon win, Mary Finn also claimed the 6th place prize with Orla Jordan a top ten finisher.

19 – 2641 – 01:21:08 – Michael Cunningham
1 – 2326 – 01:23:14 – Lucy D’Arcy
6 – 2580 – 01:30:23 – Mary Finn
10 – 2214 – 01:35:29 – Orla Jordan
144 – 2353 – 01:39:30 – Eoin O’Brien
30 – 2380 – 01:43:52 – Anne Jordan
186 – 2553 – 01:44:56 – Ray Carpenter
37 – 2198 – 01:45:00 – Louise Bruton

Thanks to Michael for the report. If people have any photo’s please forward them on.