Back in April this year the National Road Relays were supposed to happen but because of Covid restrictions it could not take place. Instead a virtual race took place. It was tough as most people didn’t have the training sessions needed to run 1and 2 mile flat out and even tougher doing the distance virtually with no one to race against.

At short notice Raheny got permission to hold the real event last Sunday and teams were quickly put together. The race has a lot of history and it is a really unique event so it was great it got a chance to go ahead.

For those that have never done the race you run on the roads in a housing estate in Raheny. Ladies and Masters teams have 3 on a team, first leg 1mile, 2nd leg 2mile, 3rd leg 1miles. Men’s senior have a fourth 3 mile leg. Runners line up beside the green and its a 1 mile loop around the estate. The first half has a slight climb but once you turn the top corner you feel your running down hill to the finish.

Its hard to describe how gruelling the 1 mile and 2 mile legs are and you feel everyone there racing are top club runners and those spectating are past top runners who know their stuff. If you feel like you give 100% at the training sessions at the Road Relays you feel you gave 200%. The fact that you are on a team and that the races can be decided on just a few seconds makes you put in something extra.

We had 6 teams racing in the National road relays which was great at such short notice and two teams got National bronze as well.

Full results below, some of the names and positions are mixed up

Click to access Irish_Life_Health_AAI_Road_Relay_Results_2021.pdf

I think it was May 2020  Emmet Wardell posted on the club IMRA Whats App group about an amazing trail run in September and convinced loads of people to sign up. Covid was at its height and a race some time in the future seemed a good idea. Fast forward to September 2021 and Emmet Wardell decides not to do the EcoTrail race along with nearly everyone else but out of boredom or stubbornness I wasn’t going to waste my 30km entry.

Tim Murphy was doing the 18km race option that day too and again I cursed Emmet for not suggesting the 18km route. Helen Dixon who is used to doing the mountain running was also doing the 30km along with Neil Purdy while Eoin Keith decided on the extreme 80km race.

Myself and Neil arrived on Bray promenade for the start and it was gorgeous. Sunny, music was playing, there was a relaxed atmosphere about the race it was like Covid never happened. Mentally and physically I was not prepared for the 30km and kept telling myself it was just an easy pace long run. If you stand on the promenade and look up to the top of Bray head where the cross is that is the 2km mark. So when you climb up the rocky, slippy climb to the cross, carrying your water and jacket and food and out of breath you reach the cross you only have another 28km to go!!!

On the positive side the course was really well marked and at no point did you think you would get lost or take a wrong turn. There were loads of new trails I didn’t know existed with some great scenery. There was a sense of achievement making it back in one piece and covering the 30km, but it was hard work and I learnt a few lessons on what to carry with me next time and what not to. The total climb for the race was higher than Carrauntouhil.

There are a number of EcoTrail races around Europe and the idea seems to be to have races which are as much on trails as possible. Each race is marked on a percentage of how much is actually on trail and surrounded by nature. So if you want to do a scenic trail race in another country checking out the EcoTrail races might be a good idea.

I had a big smile on my face last weekend. A race, a real race to look forward to.

After a quick stopover in Limerick for some carb loading, I found myself collecting my number for the Charleville Half Marathon at 8.30 AM on a windy but sunny Sunday morning. Charleville is a charming market town in the Golden Vale of North Cork. Just a stone’s throw from the Limerick border. Half of the race in fact takes place in Limerick. The race is now in its 10th year and has become one of the top half Marathons on the calendar. This was my 3rd year to run the race, having missed last year’s due to the pandemic.

It was great to see some familiar faces after 18 months without a race. There was a real positive buzz about the place.  I spotted Sadanand warming up fresh from his recent PB in Berlin and Adam Moss now of Tralee, formally of Sportsworld. There was less nervousness about what was about to come, everyone was excited and buzzed to be running.

Numbers were small for the race this year. Normally this race would attract a high standard with 100 men under 75 minutes. At 10.00 AM to little fanfare, we were off and it felt amazing (the start is downhill). After 60 seconds it was clear that if I was to stick with my race plan I would be running solo. One group ran ahead at a 3.20 Km pace and another around me was settling around 3.35 KM, including Olympian Aoife Cooke. This being my first race back I decided to stick with the slower pace. My pre-race session had indicated that I could hand around 3.28 give or take, feeling a little sluggish after a recent holiday in Bella Italia.

Another few kilometers down the road I found myself running with one other runner Dermot Kearns of Dooneen AC in Limerick (the guy in red). It was clear that we were both of a similar level so it was an enjoyable first 14K chatting on our way out to Kilmallock in Limerick.

As we turned back towards Charleville though the best-laid plans for a fast last 6-8K went out the window. The strong wind became really challenging to deal with and the exposed long open roads. From 15 KM in the race, our pace started to drop by 10 seconds a kilometer and my HR skyrocketed. Once this happens the race is basically over as it’s hard to get back to a steady-state and your perceived effort goes up. A note here to newer runners. You should never change your effort as a result of tough weather or course conditions.

If you were running up a hill and noticed your pace dropping, it would be a bad idea to try to increase your effort to maintain the same pace you were running on the flat. In the same way, it wasn’t the right move to try to increase my effort when I saw my pace drop running into the wind but it’s very difficult to maintain composure and this is where a lack of race sharpness let me down. Regardless of the weather or course conditions, the goal is to, first and foremost, tune into your subjective effort and try to maintain as even effort as possible. Of course, towards the end of the race, your effort will gradually increase, but there shouldn’t be peaks and valleys throughout.

As we got back on the main road to Charleville I got a bit of mojo back but the willingness to hurt for that extra 50 seconds off the finish time just wasn’t there. With 3K to go  Sadanand came up on my should. He was very encouraging to work together for the remainder of the race. As we approached the last 500M I knew I would have to put in a sprint to get ahead so I waited for the last 400M before kicking on and finishing just 4 seconds ahead of Sadanand. To be fair to him he is in great shape and good luck to him in his Marathon in 4 weeks’ time.  Real breakthrough performance is on the cards. We finished 8th and 9th on the day.

Post-race analysis: I needed to run harder in the first half, knowing I would slow down. If I had run closer to my threshold i.e. 3.30 I  don’t feel I would have slowed much more than I did in the second half and I would have had more incentive to hurt in the last 5K. I don’t think the time was a good indicator of my current fitness, but in the end, it’s great that I’ve dipped my toes back into the competitive arena again, regardless of how well it went! I’m healthy, fit, and continuing to build. The fast times are going to come!!!

I’m looking forward to mixing it up over the coming months starting with a fast mile relay in Raheny on Sunday and maybe the Autumn Open in October if I can find my spikes.

The race Facebook page has some excellent videos and shots.

A full set of results is available here 

Gareth Murran 01:16:43

Sadanand Magee 01:16:46

Adam Moss 01:26:57

by Irene O’Connor

Irene walking on water with what’s left of the legs after the Ultra

Hi all, finally getting around to sending this one, I’ve been asked loads about the experience so here goes, my original plan to do 4 marathons in 4 days was cancelled in Donegal, when I found out this little event was going ahead so I talked myself into it and with a bit of planning and Lucy Darcy volunteering to crew I signed up, we started in Clifden , the route roughly Maam cross, Leenane, Ballyconneely, Roundstone, Clifden a figure of 8 basically I jogged ran, walked and shuffled along from 6am on Saturday morning till 5am sunday, there was 4 check points , my motley crew stayed with me through out keeping me fed .It rained pretty much the whole way changed clothes and shoes 4 times , this was only time I stopped, the scenery was amazing even as it got dark and though the night I still felt pretty much ok , your mind takes over at this point. About 1 am I think Lucy joined me when I needed it most, by now even the sheep had gone asleep, we were joined by many bats, so i ate small snacks frequently throughout the day including pieces of chicken, eggs, ham sandwiches crisps bananas, as well as protein bars, fairy cakes and chocolate.  HA! I know longest picnic ever, and yes I put on weight. The middle of the night was peaceful but very dark , hence the head lamp and the car headlights,  my crew were brilliant they stayed alert to follow the map and tell me when to turn. By now my legs began to feel sore and I walked more, passed last checkpoint,  I was offered a can of Rock Shore by a local teenager off to party was tempted but declined.  I pushed on listening to some music and having some banter, my self and Lucy had great crack made up our own songs, Rhinestone Cowboy comes to mind, to distract  from the pain cave going on , however the anti-inflammatory tabs kicked in and I got an  second wind  and we approached Clifden where the finish included 3 more laps of the town we left in semi darkness that morning, was a great feeling to cross the finish line, still alert and happy to have raised funds for charity, I felt grateful and proud of my wonderful hubby, and my buddy for making it possible . Well lads that was the start of my hols, can be sure we enjoyed the rest .thanks again sportsworlders.

With a limited number of road race opportunities thus far in 2021, myself and a small number of Sportsworlders made a break for the border last weekend to take part in the Antrim Coast Half Marathon. The event promised a fast course, beautiful scenery and good weather to boot so when a spare entry became available(courtesy of the injured Stephen McDonnell), I jumped at the chance.

A few of us stayed at the race event accommodation at the University of Ulster where facilities lived up to their ‘basic’ description. That being said, after some light plumbing work to silence a broken cistern, and some creative engineering of the ‘bedding’ provided, a good nights’ sleep was had.

Race transport left the University at 7.30am which gave us plenty of time to warm up and watch the elite race before our own start time of 9am. Conditions on the morning were perfect with a comfortable temperature,  cloud cover and a slight breeze.

The course route started by bringing us through Larne town, before heading out the scenic coast road to Ballycastle , and then looping back into Larne to cross the finish line. Along the route there was a strong and vocal crowd in attendance. To add to the atmosphere, we were treated to a number of live music stations (including a lone bagpiper) who churned out the tunes to keep us moving. In typical novice fashion, I headed out faster than intended but felt comfortable so kept it up while the going was good. As it was a looped course,  all Sportsworlders managed to catch a glimpse of each other and shout some much needed encouragement along the way. At 17km my legs began to feel the effects of my earlier enthusiasm, but I managed to close out the race with a 5 minute improvement on my previous PB.

From speaking with the rest of the crew, all had a positive experience with many recording their own PBs. The event was definitely one I will return to next year and would recommend to anyone looking to improve their half-marathon time.

Over a year had passed since Anthony and I and most of the 200 runners had entered this flagship IMRA race so you can imagine the buzz when we finally found ourselves on the starting line on a beautiful sunny late August Sunday morning overlooking Lough Tay. Eoin who is running up and down mountains (and snapping them) for fun these days got a late entry to join us for the challenge.

And a challenge it was – 22k with 900m of climb. The route was out and back on The Wicklow Way from Lough Tay to Crone Woods. The first quarter took us mostly on boardwalk up and over White Hill to the single track Djouce shoulder and on down by The Potato Ridges to The Dargle River. The footbridge was followed by a short but steep hike back up towards Maulin and a sharp right turn to take us all the way down the WW trail above Powerscourt Waterfall to the Crone Woods Car park turnaround point.

The race was self sufficient so most competitors carried water, gels and jellies on their back or on a belt. Anthony and I ran shoulder to shoulder helping each other through two thirds of the race. Eoin headed out with the early starters and had to do it all on his own without support, fair play. Anthony found another gear to push on and complete the course in 2h13m to win his age category for the first time. The winner came home in 1h41m. Full results here.

All runners found the second half of the race very tough. The 7k drag from Crone car park all the way up and around the Djouce shoulder was brutal at that stage of the race. The only relief were the cooler misty conditions that had set in at this stage. Tired legs on the downhill stepped boardwalk for most of the final 4k made for tentative running (my quads are in bits as I pen this on Monday evening) so no freewheeling down towards the finish line on this occasion.

But finish we all did and collected our Wicklow Way mug or in my case an IMRA bandana with a printed map of the WW route on the day. Breakfast on the bonnet was the business!

Last Saturday all roads led west to Ballinasloe, Co. Galway for a track and field competition ran by Tribal Athletics in conjunction with Pop up races. Deirdre McGing took part in the 3000m and I took part in the 1500m.

The meet was really well-organised with a full timetable of events for the day starting with the 10,000m, which doubled up as the Galway County Championships.

Deirdre ran a very steady race with a strong finish clocking a great time of 12.32.70 to finish 2nd.

The 1500m race was very competitive with Irish Masters Athlete Ann Gilshinan from Slaney Olympic AC taking the win. Ann is a world medalist and holder of world records in the 800m and 1500m.

I was happy to get a PB with a time of 5.22.78. I ran a much faster first two laps than my previous attempts at the distance, so much so, that I was close to my 800 PB after two laps.

The big talk of the day was whether recent Olympian Mark English would appear, as he had signed up for the 400m. Unfortunately he did not, but the day was not without other notable athletes. Joe Gough from West Waterford AC, who is a world masters champion and record holder was a participant in one of the 400m races.

The event was attended by athletes not just from Galway, but also Dublin, Kildare, Sligo, Waterford, Wexford to name a few. It was a chance for a lot of serious masters athletes to have a good test before the National Masters Championships on the 5th September or for athletes to run a final track event before the outdoor season ends.

The weather conditions were sunny and dry despite the flooding elsewhere. The track surface was fantastic. It was also easy to find, as it is across the road from the hospital and there was ample parking. The friendly vibes and positivity (enhanced by the sun) made the day very enjoyable.

Deirdre’s dad was competing for Dundrum South Dublin in both track and field events and did very well. I had my sister Siobhain for company in the 1500m and she also got a PB of 5.26.73, which she was delighted with. We have both taken 18 seconds off our 1500m times since the first Dublin graded meet in June.

It was great to have another chance to run this distance (which I do particularly enjoy) and to have set down some times, which I am happy with, especially given the Covid restrictions over the last year. I would hope to improve on those times next year.

As I struggled up the hills of Howth last Wednesday evening, I had this nagging feeling I might get landed with a race report request – with only three Sportsworld runners in the race the odds were concerning.  Low and behold, once she had finished insulting my Strava photo, I received a WhatsApp message from Olive asking for a race report and a mini-DNS promo. The neck!!

But sure anyways, here I am. More convinced than ever that in terms of race-to-race reports ratio I would be top of the pile!

So with my moaning over I shall begin the actual report 😊

I put a message in the IMRA whatsapp group earlier in the week about the Howth mid-summer race that was coming up on Wednesday.  Anyone up for a northside adventure to the lovely Howth I ask?  Eileen’s most admirable mountain running dedication aside, I was met with what only could be described as deathly southside tumbleweed. Eoin, most likely out of pity for me, eventually muttered something about needing to go Cork so he mightn’t make it.  To go to Cork of all places to avoid crossing over the Liffey seemed a bit extreme but sure that seems to be the level of Sportsworld southside snobbery I was dealing with!

Not deterred however I lashed on an extra layer of tan and signed myself up for the event.  Now living on the northside I felt a sense of duty to represent!

Wednesday turned into a glorious sunny evening so my loyalty was vindicated (I heard it lashed in Terenure!).  The usual lovely friendly IMRA vibes upon arrival.  I happened to know the race director too as I had car-pooled with him in previous years so nice to support one of his races.

It was my second time doing Howth and in terms of views I think it is hard to rival.  The panoramic 360 views across Dublin and over the Irish sea especially basked in the evening August sun were truly spectacular (gu’an da bleedin’ Nartsoide!).  The race itself is challenging enough – some steep climbs requiring a bit of scrambling, lots of tight sharp turns and narrow passageways requiring ducking.  There were lots of narrow trails too providing a few tasty bramble and gorse scrapes and grazes that offer you a friendly reminder of your efforts for a couple of days after the race.

Given the auld muffin top is a “healthier” state these days, in terms of the running I was happy enough with how I held up. After the horror show of Djouce a few weeks back, I was definitely fretting about finishing last at one point (Looby’s bullying clearly taking its toll) but ultimately happily came in mid-table.  Eileen had a great run looking as fresh as a button when I met her at the finishing line.  When we posed for a photo as I nearly collapsed over the finishing line, I asked her do I look as bad as I feel? I admire Eileen’s response as she refused to lie – she just chuckled awkwardly before staring at the ground for a few seconds! Eoin made the race in the end and although seemingly ran the race via Cork given he covered a much greater distance than the rest of us!  He did get some cracking photos as ever though – hopefully the website people of Sportsworld will include them in this report

All in all, with no muggings to report, a fantastic evening had on the fantastic northside. The IMRA events with their scenic routes and consistently friendly vibes never fail to leave you happy you made the effort to get involved. Well done to all that raced especially my Sportsworld comrades Eileen and Eoin!

Situated on the River Moy, the picturesque town of Foxford has established an excellent reputation as a tourist center. Nestling between the Ox and Nephin mountains Foxford is the ideal location for a relaxing, stress-free break or Saturday morning race on route to North Mayo.

I got a heads up that there was a 4 Mile race taking place in Foxford. Nothing big but a good course and runners from Mayo AC. Getting up at 6 AM and on the road to picturesque North Mayo, I was excited to have my first real race to run after 18 months of training solo and time trials. Strava Local legend Maura Ginty was taking part and extended the race offer to the traveling party. Arriving in a rainy Foxford at 9.45 I was out of the car and ready to run for 10.

I went out good and hard, maybe a bit too excited. I later found out I was following a young whippet on scholarship in the US. After 5-6 minutes I dropped back a gear and ran most of the second lap as a time trial. Most of the two-lap course was run in the rain and with a time just shy of 21.30l I left feeling happy like I had run comfortably hard and could go faster with a taper and some more competition. Maura was not too far behind in 26 minutes, also 2nd lady. It was time for sustenance in Mayos finest cafe the Foxford Woolen Mills. Then it was off to a local bar to sit down in the back shouting at the TV whilst watching the Mixed 4 x 400M team relays final. The lads watching Tipp vs Waterford thought we were nuts.

Thanks to local runner John Byrne for a great low-key event. There was a real feel-good feeling after meeting some local runners and seeing the grassroots club scene is alive and well. Mayo is a massive county so it was great to hear how runners meet up for their weekly sessions on tracks and loops which would make the Dublin runners envious.

Deirdre and Adam were keen to run but got stuck pout the road behind a tractor convoy. Next time! The rest of the weekend was spent enjoying the splendid Mayop scenery, not the least of which is the Ballycroy National Park. Just say you know Maura for a 10% discount on the coffee. North Mayo is home to some of Ireland’s wildest and most rugged coastline. The cliffs at Benwee Head are taller than the Cliffs of Moher and steeper than the Slieve League, yet they are virtually unknown. A great destination for a staycation and some beautiful running around Sinead Divers home turf.