This year the 6th of February was a big day in Dungarvan, Co. Waterford, with the John Treacy 10 Mile, hosted by West Waterford AC, back for its 30th anniversary. I’d wanted to run this race for a while. It’s known to sell out every year and I set my alarm early the day entries went on sale to make sure I got one. Dungarvan is a super setting for a run, taking in stunning sea views out across Dungarvan Bay, as well as rolling green farmland, not to mention the view of the beautiful Comeragh mountains in the distance in the last part of the race. I may be biased (I grew up in Dungarvan) but I think it’s one of the most scenic settings in Ireland. And if that’s not enough, the event is also well known for its goodie bag. In normal times there are even refreshments put on in the town sports centre, but Covid prevented that this year unfortunately.

So back to the big day – I went out early Sunday to get my legs moving, walking around town, admiring the familiar sights. It was at this point I also realised the weather wasn’t ideal, with strong winds and light rain. My internal debate on what to wear started – jacket? long sleeves? I decided against them and settled on short sleeves and shorts – better to be a bit cold on the start line than cursing bringing layers over 10 miles. Then by chance as I was heading to the start, I bumped into fellow Sportsworlder Deirdre Durcan all wrapped up. She remarked I must be planning a fast race in the shorts…I wondered if I looked like I had ideas above my station, but it was too late to change, so I headed out to the start to warm up and was relieved to see plenty of other short wearers up there.

The atmosphere was great out the Youghal road, with people chatting and laughing as they warmed up. I looked around for Deirdre but didn’t spot her or any of the other Sportsworlders down for the race. I turned my focus to the start – I had no tactics planned, other than enjoy the race and not go too hard. I love pushing myself in a race, but as it was my first 10-mile, any time would be a PB. I still had last week’s Raheny 5 Mile (and that rogue 500m) in my legs and wanted to be fit for next week’s cross country. I remembered last Tuesday’s club session and Emily telling us to stick to short and sharp runs in preparation for the cross country. It crossed my mind a 10-mile road race might not have been what she meant.

Promptly at 11am we set off, starting on the Youghal Road, heading towards town, looping around Mitchell Street and back out the Youghal road until veering right at Déise Vets up an incline to the GSK roundabout. The first water station was here, with tetra pack water – better for the environment, but the design needs some work, I struggled to open it, then when I managed to get the top off the water went everywhere and it was impossible to drink from it while running.  Anyway, I dumped the water and we headed out the bypass, left at The Spring roundabout and out past the old glass factory. Then it was out to country roads I hadn’t been on since I was a young “wan” bombing around the place on my bike, past farmland and smells a Dublin runner doesn’t encounter much. I can’t remember much from about mile 3 to 8, I think I just settled into a pace and did a bit of daydreaming. I do remember the support along the way being fantastic, there were people in gardens and at every junction along the way offering words of encouragement.

In no time we arrived down at Ring cross for the last few kilometres back to town. With dismay I remembered cycling this road and it being an uphill slog. It had also started to rain, and the wind had picked up. Amazingly though I was feeling strong and even overtook a few groups on this stretch – all those XC sessions in the Phoenix Park paying off! There is a last horrible incline before the end of the race, but again I got past a few people and it was downhill then for the last few hundred metres, so I picked up my pace and sprinted to the end by Eurofins laboratories. We got our goodie bags here – after the let down in Raheny last week these were top notch, plenty of chocolate and treats and a nice Nike running top.

Olympian Aoife Cooke won the women’s race, breaking her own course record by 4 seconds. She won in an amazing 54:19. Hugh Armstrong of Ballina A.C. came first in the men’s race in 48:51.

I thought I might bump into some of the other Sportsworlders at the end but didn’t see anyone.  I did find their details in the results below. Impressive running in pretty strong winds at times.

I’d highly recommend this race to anyone looking for events a bit further afield. Dungarvan is a great town for a weekend trip, loads of great pubs and restaurants, near beaches, and hiking trails, not to mention the Waterford greenway. It’s really got it all and the race is great fun, a nice route and just a super atmosphere. I will definitely be back next year hoping to shave a few minutes off my 10-mile time!

The town

The Reward

Not my best look, but never let it be said I don’t give my all in a race!

The NIA Live events are held in winter through spring each year and offer a great variety of standards and distances for everyone to dip their toe into on the indoor track in Abbotstown. Race director and founder Dave Matthews sums up what to expect much more eloquently than I ever could “The Nia live nights are fun, fast and as competitive as you want, Our aim is to provide a best in class athletic experience for the competitors… Whether you are a fit4Life runner and want to try out a 1 mile indoors or an Olympic athlete there’s run or race for you on the programme”. On the menu last Wednesday evening was the 60m, 200m Masters, 400m, 800m and 1500m along with some Pole Vault and Shotput.

I signed up for the event after Michael recently encouraged me to give it a go. I was initially hoping to do the 800m but when I saw this was sold out half an hour after entries opened I settled for the 400m. I guess it’s the athletics equivalent of trying to get a Garth Brooks ticket and having to settle for a James Blunt one instead. Currently, the next event is waiting on Government Guidance which will (hopefully) mean that the evening can run until 9.30pm instead of 8pm. This will allow for an extra 125 athletes to run which will help alleviate some of the demand for entries.

The facilities in Abbotstown are really brilliant. The campus is a top-class outlet for Irish Sports and seeing it for the first time was very cool. I quite apprehensive in the run up to the race about how my own run might go. I spent the weekend before watching Youtube videos on how to use the blocks and trying to figure out what footwear was appropriate. Gareth had also told me about a metallic burning my lungs might feel from the indoor air (learned quickly enough this is a thing!). I was placed in Heat 2 and lane 3 of the 400m race. On the initial sign up, you enter a predicted time and entrants in this particular heat reckoned we would all be around the 60 second mark for 400m. We got about 2 minutes to set our blocks up on the track and the nice chap in the lane next to me gave me a quick crash course in how to do this and also how to use them. Once we were ready to go we were instructed to stand behind our blocks and then before we knew it we got the nod to settle down and wait for the gun.

I am not sure I got the block technique fully right but was happy to get up and not fall over. Once I found my feet there was a bend immediately in front of me which turned out to be tricky enough to navigate. On the first straight I managed to drive on and got myself into the lead before we met another bend. After this bend we met the tennisballs which indicate you can cut in to lane one with 250m left to run. This all felt a bit hectic but once this part was done things started to hurt a little and I had to dig in. I was happy to not feel my legs get too heavy as it meant I could keep my pace going before making a push for the line which I was happy to cross in 57.75s having set a goal of sub60 prior to the start of the race. The cross-country season has definitely helped me get a bit of strength in my legs.

The race was a great first experience on the indoor track for me. There was a very friendly community buzz. It was also great to see a couple of sub-elite athletes racing in the events after mine. For anyone thinking of giving it a go I cannot recommend the event enough and even getting the chance to run on the facility is a great opportunity but make sure to get your entry in early.

It’s Saturday 15^th January, the date for the Leinster Masters XC in Dunboyne.  The Cow Field in Dunboyne has been mentioned from time to time during long Sunday runs so I’m a little nervous about what lies ahead as I’ve never been there before.  The course is 4K rather than the usual 3K so an extra effort will be required to get over the finish line.  However, I’m telling myself that the most important goal in cross country is to support the team and finish no matter how tough the course is – race times are a bonus.

I pick up Eileen Rowland having been guided accurately to her home by google maps.  We head off and find ourselves being directed by Google maps to Dunboyne via Lucan?  As I drive through Lucan village Eileen is amused by the scenic route – I’m not in a position to comment as I’m completely lost.  However, we’ve loads of time to make a few errors as we left at 10.45am.  When we arrive in Dunboyne we can see the train station which is the designated parking spot but cannot find the entrance.  Our first attempt was to go down a road with tarmacadam on the left and right hand side and grass in the middle……clearly that wasn’t correct so we did a quick U turn and eventually found the correct entrance.

The Cow Field is a short walk from the station so we simply follow the crowd.  There’s a good buzz and a bit of banter with the other walkers as we make our way to the course.  As we enter we see a sign “Entrance Fee €5”.  The lady selling the tickets looks at us and says ‘I suppose you are running?” There’s a big laugh……why in the name of god would we be in a field in the country side unless we were running!

Eileen and myself walk the course and to my surprise it’s grand…..a few sections with long grass but otherwise the ground is relatively solid and the spikes will do their job and prevent runners from slipping.  We met up with the other Sportworlders who are gathering behind the Tullamore Harriers tent.  Emily is in great form and hands out the race numbers and safety pins.  She sends us off to do a warm up – her instructions are….”if you’re not sweating at the start line you haven’t done a proper warm up!!

We make our way to the start line for the 12.50 start time.  Teams are separated by corrals so Sportsworld picks one in the middle of the line…. it’s a good spot…..there’s a minute silence in memory of Aisling Murphy which is a very poignant moment….then the gun sounds and we’re off.

Maybe it’s just me but every time I’m in a race, any pre race plan is quickly forgotten and I just do what I can.  I never have time to check my watch and I simply listen for the beeps from my Garmin indicating the distance completed.  The extra 1k was really tough but at least the course is just 2 laps of the course.

Sportsworld has another great day with the F35+ team winning the silver medal.  There were fantastic personal performances from Noreen Brouder who came 3rd in the overall race and was the first sportsworlder to cross the line.  She was followed closely by Maria Jones, Aoife Brady O’Leary, Maura Ginty, Jean Wilson , Louise Jackman, Kimberley Kennedy and Martina Nolan-Jones.

Anne Sweeney leads the women’s 50+ team home with a fantastic run followed by myself and Val Lacey Power.

Eileen Rowland and Aileen Melody represented the 60+ group in style.  Eileen missed out on a bronze medal by 1 second….bad luck….Eileen has since identified the runner that pipped her at the finish line….I expect that will never happen again!!

There was a great buzz at the finish line and the usual feeling of utopia that one gets once a race is over kicked in.  As we changed behind the tent (no privacy!) I was smiling to myself – cross country is one of those sports that hasn’t benefit from modern comforts…..over 30 years ago when I ran cross country for my school we changed in similar conditions…..its as “raw” as ever.

As we changed Noreen Brouder was happy to give autographs to anybody who asked….Maria Jones was blushing because we heard her name over the loud speaker on a number of occasions during the race…..Aoife Brady O’Leary was denying rumours of a transfer request to leave Sportsworld to join Raheny Shamrock A.C. …..Maura Ginty had studied the form and competition and was answering any questions asked….Jean Wilson was giving me orthodontic tips and advising me to hang in as the 2.5 year inconvenience would be worth it….Louise Jackson was juggling babysitting with clothes changing and kept singing a version of the Jackson 5 song “Anne Marie I want you back”….(seemingly men have to do a pre-race warm up also!)….Anne Sweeney was waving her ‘bubble gum pink socks’ and telling everybody where they could be bought…..

Kimberley Kennedy had her head in her phone admiring the successful implementation of her race strategy of taking it easy for the first 2K and then pressing the boost button for the last 2K….Martina Nolan-Jones was looking forward to “the better part of her day” that commenced as soon as the race was over…Val Lacey-Power was no where to be seen….she was busy buying a hot chocolate drink that she had promised herself (she brought her own marsh mallows just in case that tradition didn’t exist in Dunboyne)….Eileen Rowland was highlighting the benefits of trek running shoes over spikes…..Aileen Melody was fulfilling her duty as Club Secretary by taking notes of the proceedings…..at least this motley crew had paid their subs so she didn’t have to tap our shoulder to give us a gentle reminder to pay up…..Emily was beaming from ear to ear as her girls hadn’t let her down !

After the race was over it was onto cheer leading duties….Maria Finnegan couldn’t be found to ask her for her pom poms so we just shouted louder….

And then it was home time…..we headed back to the car park and packed the car…..I sat in first and let Eileen finish her packing….I was in a hurry to get back to make my 4.30pm blow dry appointment so started the car and left in breakneck speed…..Mick Clohisey was in front of us so while I couldn’t beat him on the race course, I was certainly confident that I could give him a good challenge on the N3….. however red lights started flashing and there was a loud beeping sound….I stopped…..the passenger and drivers door were closed so no issue there…..I stepped outside and walked to the back of the car…..Look at what I found…..

And where were Eileen’s shoes?…….FORD….Found on Road Dead……!!

A big cheer also for the girls running in the Intermediate race. Katie Nugent ran a great race and was the first home followed by Deirdre O’Connell, Aoife Carroll, Sinead Staunton (who ran together for much of the race) and Majella Hayden.

I’ve no insight into their post race antics…….

Men’s Race Report by Paul O Beirne

This race was run with the tragic backdrop and national outpouring of emotion to the murder of Ashling Murphy, while she went for a run in Tullamore, and so it was fitting that a minute silence was observed prior to the commencement of the race –  Ar dheis Dé go raibh a hanam.

What better way to haze the new people than to jump in front of them at the finish line of their first club race and ask for a race report.  This week that duty (guilty pleasure) fell to Michael Cunningham for the Dublin Masters 2022. That still feels weird to write.

Fresh from the fields of Raheny we have excellent reports from Darina Hynes in the Women’s race and Adam Furlong in the Men’s race. Adam was later awarded the honorary best running cravat 2021 by Raheny Shamrocks, as can be seen in the video below. First up I’ll give you a look at the two of them so you can say hello at the club. Great reports and races from the two of them.

Overall it was a great day for the club with our F35+ women taking gold and the M35+ lads getting bronze. High place finisher of the day was the ever-impressive Noureen Brouder in 4th place. Full Results with team and age group breakdowns are on MyRunResults. Thanks to Raheny for hosting an excellent race and congrats to them on winning the inagraual Pat Hooper cup. Pat was a great supporter of grassroots athletics and is sorely missed at these meets.

Darina Hynes

I agreed to be part of the entries for the Raheny Masters Cross country race which was a race into the unknown for me!

It was a full-circle moment for me as I grew up in Raheny and took me to join Sportsworld to embrace running! It brought back happy memories of my childhood like going to the annual St. Anne’s Rose Garden Festival with my granny, doing the KitKat tennis summer camps with my brothers and trying out the pitch and putt course with my friends!

A crisp morning faced all the runners but it was an amazing atmosphere to see everyone warming up together and trying out the course ground before the starting line.

Emily kindly arranged for my first pair of spikes and were worn for my first ever cross country race to match my singlet and shorts! My spikes were officially christened and were very muddy afterwards, I am still trying to clean them!

The overall winner of the women’s Masters was Barbara Clearly who dominated the race from start to finish. The women’s over 35 team winners were Sportsworld RC. Points were allocated to each club based on over all finishing place in their age team results.

Well done to all the ladies especially the gold medalists, our ever encouraging coach Emily and all our supporters. It was great to hear your name being called from the sidelines which gave you an extra push to get through the mud!

It was so inspiring to be part of the Sportsworld ladies team and thank you for your help after reaching the finish line, I was so happy to cross and take my spikes off!!

Thank you to fellow twin Mum Kimberly for treating me to a hot cuppa afterwards at the Last Lap Café J

Looking forward to coming back for the Raheny 5 mile race on Sunday, January 30^th!

Adam Furlong 

So it was with a frisson of excitement that I approached not only my first Dublin Masters (only just making the age grade, ahem) but my first cross country full stop. I had heard a few horror stories, getting “spiked” avoiding obstacles “tree trunks in the middle of the course” or my favourite “avoiding swans swimming on a waterlogged course”.

As it transpired it was a bright brisk afternoon when I arrived in camp & myself & John Skehan headed out for recon on our warm-up lap discovering certain sections were quite testing. We also discussed tactics & as debutants, I would tuck in behind John at the start who was keen to go quickly early but having sought Emily’s advice this was shelved in favour of finding a position & enjoying the first lap before the field began to string out.

As we lined up at the start I got a tap on the shoulder from a former primary school classmate running for Blackrock & a fellow debutant, we both agreed we hadn’t run around a field since those halcyon days and the gun was off.

Well, you may have guessed it but tactics went out the window immediately as John sped off into the distance & I took an elbow from a lad from Brothers Pearse no love lost or runners community spirit here. I did manage to find a good position & settled into a nice rhythm but having to go wide on a number of turns only meant I was lengthening the course for myself.

As I went out for the second lap I could see Paul Hamilton not too far ahead & comforted myself that after his recent heroics in Valencia I must be traveling well. It wasn’t long for the comfort to melt away as I went out on my third lap, I was really starting to hurt & to be honest the only thing that kept me going was the incredible support I was getting from the sidelines. It genuinely spurred me on. I’ve never experienced anything like it.

Now here’s where I feel a bit bad for Mick Clohessy as I got such a huge roar when I took the bell coincidentally as he was crossing the finish line…. Ahh who am I kidding I’m sure he found comfort in his individual & team gold.

I could smell home as myself & Karl Shevlin traded places going up the straight as we passed a few but his finishing kick caught me & I just missed coming in under 27 minutes clocking 27.04 which for my first attempt in heavy ground(Anthony & Brian Conway may beg to differ re ground conditions) I’m actually quite pleased. As they say in National Hunt parlance I should come on for the run.

A big congratulations to Karol, Gareth, Andrew & Gavin for taking the team bronze. I really got a big kick out of the experience but especially the comradery. I’d just like to thank Deirdre O’Connell for motivating me to train over Christmas.

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Report by Gary Murray

The Streets of Wicklow 5K takes place on St Stephens Day each year, around Wicklow town. I have been doing this race since 2009, managing to win a couple of times and only missing 2 years. Over the years I have gotten to line up against greats like Fionnuala McCormack, Martin Fagan, Mary Cullen,  Roisin Mcgettigan, Deirdre Byrne, and Hiko Tonsoa. Despite running all those years the race announcer still calls me Gary Murray each year.

For some, the prospect of a race straight after Christmas may send them into a tailspin, but I savor the prospect of keeping my post-Lanza fitness boost going with a few races over the festive season.

One of the fun things about these local races is that you never know who might turn up. More often than not I am part of the top group of lads in this race. This year the announcer was bigging up a young guy named ‘Tudor’ who runs with Clonliffe. Tudor has a 14.46 time to his name. These races don’t mean anything so you can play a few games and go out hard, sub 15 is a bit too hard so I decided to hold court in the second group. A good junior runner Jonas Stafford went with Tudor. At the start, the two lads ran off and I sat back with a larger group.

With local races up to and down the country you have a few local lads in GAA shorts who shoot out and then die after the first kilometer, this particular Sunday in Wicklow was no different. I don’t claim to be any good at the hurlin’ lads so get a grip. You cant start a race with a sprint and expect to finish. Maybe it’s to get their photo in the local paper, who knows?

At the start, there was a group of 12 which was down to 2 up front and 3 in my group after 2K. It stayed that way for much of the race. The lads in front were good enough to make up five seconds every kilometer on the chasing trio. The weak point in my races of late has been the middle section. I start strong and have a good kick but the mindset seems to be to settle in the middle. If I can give myself one bit of advice looking back it would be that fast times aren’t run by holding back. The top two lads ended up running 15.28 and in hindsight, I should have tried to stick with that pace. That said both of them are 20 years younger than me so maybe I should be more self-effacing.

By the time we entered the 4th kilometer, I was locked in a battle with Matthew Kane of Rathfarnham. Any thought of a good time was out the window at this stage and the focus was on getting 3rd place. With 600M to go, I went for the lead, only to be rebuffed, again at 400M I went and was passed. With 200M to go, I dug deep and started the sprint for the line, which is uphill and still seemed far away. Happy to say that my competitor had nothing left and I made up 4 seconds to snatch 3rd overall and €75. It was amazing to hear ‘Gary Murray is having a great race’ yet again.  The last bit of a 5K hurts. It’s in the last kilometer that the anaerobic part of the race really gets going. My finish time was 16:04 which would have been a sub 16 run if not for a young kid on a scooter driving straight at me in the 3rd kilometer.

At the time of writing, I have also run the Tom Brennan in 15.55. That was a much tougher race in really strong winds. I’m in decent shape going into the Master’s XC season but also contemplating if my best times are in the past. I might need to do a track race or two and get some endorphins back.

I really like this race. Maybe it’s because I have been doing it for so long and my family always come to watch but it’s also because it has a great grass route, electric atmosphere and is clearly put together by runners.

The course itself starts at the school, you run up the big hill in the middle of town, then it’s a flat but exposed stretch along the waterfront. The stretch from 3K to 5K has a few uphills so it can be a challenging route on a windy day. The end is a long straight of 600M which I really like as you feel like you are almost finished at 4.5K.

Also running was Eoin O’Brien who finished in a time of 00:23:58. Eoin ran 4 races in 4 days over Xmas and finished 4th in the Toblerone 10 Mile in Tipp (Sponsored by Cadburys).

I signed up to the Farranfore St. Stephen’s Day 5k Race just a few days beforehand. The fear of racing after the Christmas day feast deterred me every other year, but after a couple of years of no road races at all, I decided the time had come to stop making excuses!

An early morning of showers gave way to glorious winter sunshine for the 60th Annual Farrenfore Road Race. This year’s race attracted a field of 301 runners, which included Olympian Michelle Finn, as well as a few brave souls who told me they were hoping the run would cure their Christmas hangover! There was a great atmosphere beforehand, lots of cheerful, friendly faces and a fantastic buzz around the place. It really seemed like everyone was genuinely delighted to be there, after last’s year’s race, like so many others, went virtual. The morning kicked off with a 2K Fun Run, which had nearly 100 participants and was full of lots of smiling young kids & families with buggies in tow.

I spotted a few friendly faces I recognised from running groups in Tralee & unashamedly invited myself to join their warm-up, which consisted of a very easy 14-minute jog and 4 X 200m sprints. The start & finish of the 5k race was at the Kerry Mill in Farranfore, running close to the cross-roads in Firies and returning via the same route. The pre-race nerves didn’t get a chance to kick in at all, until I was at the start line looking at the hill ahead of me, but even then, I felt markedly more relaxed than I usually do!

The gun went off and pure adrenaline forced me up the hill without too much exertion. Before I knew it, I was taking advantage of the downhill reprieve that followed and happy to be back to the flat part of the course. I tucked in with a small group of runners, we got a nice rhythm going, and it wasn’t long before we were approaching the small uphill to the turn-around mark of a little cone. I was totally immersed in the buzz of racing & the encouragement from onlookers and fellow racers was fantastic. It was great to see the crowds of runners coming towards us as we headed home and the ensuing nods, waves & cheers of encouragement, on both sides, made the next kilometre fly by. I could see Niamh, the 3rd lady, ahead of me for the whole race but couldn’t quite muster the energy to catch her! As we hit the last uphill in the 5^th Kilometre, the fatigue had kicked in and my pace slowed but once I got to the top, momentum gathered in the little pack of racers around me, adrenaline building up again with a downhill finish line in sight. The last few hundred metres felt like a sprint as the racers beside me powered on until we crossed the finish line, all delighted to be done!

My goal for the last couple of years was to get a sub 18min 5k so it’s not an understatement to say I was over the moon to come in at 17:23. I honestly questioned whether my watch might be wrong! Obviously, a testament to the success of Emily’s ever demanding training sessions!

First 3 Men & Women:
1 15:13 Oisin Spillane M Sen Tralee Harriers
2 15:58 Derek Griffin M Sen
3 16:02 Aogán MacDomhnaill M Sen West Limerick AC

1 16:05 Michelle Finn F Sen Leevale AC
2 16:19 Sorcha Ní Dhomhnaill F Sen Donore Harriers
3 17:20 Niamh O’Mahony F Sen An Ríocht

Full results here

This was the second win in 8 days for the spectacular Michelle Finn, who won the Newmarket 5k on the 19^th of December, and then went on to win the Togher 5k on the 28^th of December, the day after her Farranfore win!

The Baldy Man Run takes place every year between Christmas and the New Year in Tramore. The race consists of a full loop of the peninsula at Tramore beach before returning to the prom via the Back Strand. Named after the largest of the sand dunes in Tramore, the Baldy Man is an 8km course and has a great variety of terrain including stones, sand, dunes and sometimes the sea. No prizes for guessing why the sand dune is called the Baldy Man.

The conditions on the day were tough going (think cross country meets Takeshi’s Castle) with a lot of wind and rain thrown in for good measure. The only respite from the ankle deep sinking sand on the beach was a couple of rocks and pebbles every 30m or so – as such most of the course involved either trying to not break your ankles or wondering where your ankles are.  The tide was also in so hard sand was tough to find unless you wanted to find yourself paddling.

My melodrama and excuses aside – the race was a great morning out. After a little chat with myself in the car about how it would probably be all grand, I eventually plucked up the courage to get out and collect my chip before doing a short warm up. The pace was quick to start off with (too quick from me as usual) and I could see the kilometre splits getting longer on my watch as my calves got progressively heavier on the sand. A slog is the word that springs to mind for the first 7.4km – I was close enough to euphoric to receive the welcome feeling of tarmac under my feet for the last 600m – I crossed the line in 32:50 and 12th overall. Very happy to get the experience of another race under the belt and after a week of eating and drinking over the festive season it could have been much worse.

This year’s event was organised primarily to raise funds for WLR’s Be A Little Star Christmas Appeal in aid of St Vincent De Paul. The race was efficiently organised and there was a great buzz about despite the conditions the day threw at us. A shoutout to the race stewards and Coastguard for their support throughout is definitely also warranted.

It was the night before the Tom Brennan 5km race and New Years Eve. The tension was mounting. I really wanted to start 2022 with a new PB and to run sub 23 minutes. I’d managed 23:17 at the beginning of December (although it had half killed me) and had trained hard since. I knew I was fit enough to do it. But despite telling everyone who would listen to my racing talk that I wasn’t drinking on New Year’s Eve so I’d be in top form, I caved, and ended up staying up much too late despite all my good intentions. I knew it was a mistake – how was I going to achieve my goal now? As the wind picked up in the early hours, I was awoken to the sound of my neighbours’ trampoline being flung over the wall and wondered if I might be off the hook. It’s sure to be cancelled I thought. Alas, as dawn broke, I realised the first day of 2022 was actually going to be unseasonably warm and sunny – perfect racing conditions! There was no getting out of this. The pre-race nerves increased, along with the post wine headache.

I got to the Phoenix Park at around 11.20am and saw another few Sportsworlders warming up. The familiar faces and smiles helped settle my nerves. I did a 3km warm up and felt like I was running well. Maybe I could do it after all. Time to head to the start line. By my watch the race started a few minutes early, so there was no time for fretting, I just had to get going. Off we went, I looked at my watch and realised I was going a bit fast but felt great so just went with it. I lost my nerve at the 1km stage though and decided to ease up in case I crashed and burned. The route is two laps starting on Furze Road, going clockwise around to Chesterfield Avenue, back to Furze Road and around again. The conditions were great, windy at times, but it was nice and flat and very sunny.

The last 1km was when the going got tough, I held on to my pace as best as I could. It felt like the longest 1km ever and it was only later I realised it probably was. As I approached the finish, I saw the seconds just coming up to 23 minutes. I didn’t bother picking it up as I knew I wouldn’t get under 23. Initially I felt despondent, but then I looked at my watch – the distance was showing as 5.06km. Where had those extra 60 metres come from? Had I not stopped my watch on time? I was pretty sure I had, but I’d still somehow managed to run over the 5km – maybe I went too wide somewhere or off course. Whatever happened, my watch had my 5km time below 23 minutes. While not sub 23 minutes officially, I’d still knocked 13 seconds off my old PB in the official results with a time of 23:04 and now I knew I could run under 23 minutes in the future if I stuck to the right distance (and resisted pre-race wine) – who knows, maybe there is even sub 22 minutes in me for 2022.

Overall, it was a great race, great atmosphere and there were some brilliant times from club members. A total of 18 from Sportsworld ran in the race, with Gareth Murran leading the club and coming 10^th overall with a super time of 15:55.  There was also good news later when we heard Sportsworld got 2^nd place ladies team thanks to amazing runs from Maria Jones, Aoife O’Leary and Katie Nugent.

The history of Valencia, one of the oldest cities in Spain, begins over 2100 years ago with its founding as a Roman colony under the name “Valentia Edetanorum” on the site of a former Iberian town, by the river Turia in theprovince of Edetania. Blah, blah, blah. (sorry Jose)

The only thing I cared about one night in September (other than having another glass of wine) was that Valencia is very flat, the weather is usually good in December, and most importantly they had a marathon that was still open for entry through a waiting list. So I stuck my name on the list and was notified I was position 84. No chance I thought. I woke up the next morning and I checked my phone and I was now down to no. 20. Within three days my entry was confirmed, flights and hotel booked. Viva Espagne.

My last marathon was in New York in November 2019 bp (before the pox) where I set my PB of 3.14 which confirmed my place in Boston for April 2020.I started getting notions of myself and started to think that (whisper it) a sub 3 marathon might be on (it really wasn’t). I made the mistake of mentioning my lofty goal to a customer in a meeting who very kindly pointed out that I was probably a bit too old and had left it too late. This is the last thing you should say to a man in the mist of a full on mid life crisis who can’t afford the
traditional route of buying a flash sports car. So I upped the training milage and decided I’d show him.

Now you don’t need me to tell you what has happened over the last two years but suffice to say marathons weren’t the most important thing on peoples minds and we all had to find our own ways to cope. Mine was to try to learn french and up the milage to average 50 miles a week for the year. I had entered the Frankfurt Marathon in 2020 more in hope than expectation but this too was cancelled. So I continued to train (et apprendre le français) awaiting for a chance to race. This summer when a few more races started to open up I managed to get a 5k PB and a new half marathon PB of 1.25. So the dream was alive and I was starting to think what colour paint I would use to decorate the afore mentioned customer’s house with the numbers 2.59, how do you like them apples.

I entered Frankfurt again and started training hard. Once again though, the pox (that’s my wife’s name for it) has taught us not to get our hopes up and the marathon was cancelled again. So this brings me back to the beginning of this report where instead of going training on a Thursday I found myself on the couch at a one man pity party thinking what’s the point. However another thing the pox has taught us is resilience. So after I realised no-one else was coming to my pity party I copped myself on and started looking up other marathons to enter. Et Voila Valencia.

So I had 13 weeks to train and I got stuck in. Training went well and by the time the taper came I was felling pretty fit and optimistic. Then a week before I was due to fly – OMICRON. This time though was different and I found myself on a 7.30am Ryanair flight on 4th December ready to run. Much like the last two years, this report has dragged and I apologise so I’d better get to the race. My schedule was pretty tight due to flights and it meant flying in on Saturday, collecting my bib, racing at 8.30am Sunday and then flying home at 4.30pm after finishing. (throw in a covid test as well) I woke up good and early on Sunday (in truth I never really slept) and had coffee and breakfast checked out of the hotel and walked the 30 minutes to the start.

My plan was to run with the 3 hour pacing group but I arrived a little late and by the time I got into the starting area I was at the back and couldn’t make my way up to the front. No problem I told myself and just go off easy and run within myself. The race started and although the starting area was pretty packed the wide roads meant this wasn’t a problem and I soon found my rhythm. I checked my pace at KM 1 and all was well. So I settled in found a group to run with and turned my brain off. Valencia is a great marathon course for fast times (1847 people went sub 3 on the day). It’s very flat with long straights. The only problem on the day was the stiff breeze (gusts of 60kph) which I often found myself running into. However I maintained my pace and crossed halfway in 1.30.08. I was still feeling good but I just noticed that at the next few 5k checkpoints my pace was just dropping off ever so slightly. By 20 miles I was struggling a little bit and for about 2 miles I really struggled as I saw my goal slipping. The best bit of advice I ever got about the marathon was from Ronan Masterson when I was training for my first Dublin. He told me whatever you do don’t walk. Even if you need to slow your pace right down just keep running (sounds simple doesn’t it – it isn’t). I followed that advice here and dropped the pace a bit and managed to regroup and aim for my B goal which was sub 3.05 and managed to finish strong and cross the line in 3.03.07. The finish line in Valencia is brilliant with a great atmosphere and setting. After regrouping I soaked in the atmosphere and cheered the other runners in. Then it was back to the airport and catch my flight home.

I met a couple of the Irish elites on the flight home. Gary O’Hanlon came second in the O45 category in 2.20. I also got to congratulate Fionnuala McCormack who smashed her PB to run 2.23 and move to 2nd fastest Irish lady ever.

This marathon has made me eager for my next attempt at a sub 3 marathon but more importantly I’ve decided on red paint for your man’s house when it does happen.

It was a bright, fresh afternoon in Gowran, Co.Kilkenny on Sunday 5th December where the National XC Novice Race took place. 

Sportsworld Running Club was represented with competitors taking part in both the women’s novice 4000m and men’s novice 6000m. This was my second cross country event and the previous days heavy rain made the going tough (so I was glad I purchased the XC spikes two days before). The challenging course was offset by the brilliant atmosphere created by supporters along with my fellow competitors and team mates !! 

Majella Hayen