Sunday 21 July saw the first of the eagerly anticipated Dublin race series; part of the build up to the Dublin marathon in October.  10km was the distance required and as always there were plenty of Sportsworld singlets and that distinctive diagonal red stripe on show.

I car-pooled with me old pal Andy Gordon and as we made our way over to the Clondalkin course, two things struck me:

1.       Aren’t we very early for a 10.35am start?  Turns out Andy sets his own time in his head and was mentally tuned in for a 10am start!

2.       Why are we using a sat-nav to find Clondalkin?  Where is Andy from?  You guessed it.  Clondalkin.

Anyway as I was co-pilot only, I said I’d keep quiet.  Until now.

Conditions on arrival were reasonably good, a warm and mostly overcast summer’s morning, with a stiff enough breeze.  My usual pre-race routine followed – nerves – bag drop – toilet – laces check – few kms warm up – pretend stretches – into the start chute – push up past people you think you’re faster than (note:  I’m not; but I don’t let reality get in the way)

Those last few minutes before the start feel like eternity, but finally the gun sounded and we were off at 10.35am (FYI Andy).  The first part of the race was along one side of a dual carriage-way and while that might not sound appealing it was actually fine.  However, one of the great mysteries of running is how one day you feel great, the next day you feel awful.  Today it was the latter for me & after 2 km I pulled back.  It was not going to be my day.  Excuses (part real, imagined and outright lies) are available on request, they are too numerous to list here.  Having made my peace with my fate, I enjoyed the rest of the race on a nice course.  From the dual carriage-way, we turned into Corkagh park for a nice down-hill section before taking in Clondalkin village and then onto the banks of the Grand Canal for 2+ km.  The finish came pretty quickly after leaving the canal; back in the business park where it all started.

As always there were some good performances; none more so that Ronan Masterson who clocked 35.32; a huge PB & well deserved.

Full results:  http://kbcdublinmarathon.ie/results-certificates/

This was the 9th running of the Run Killarney Half Marathon and 10K. A race that is billed as the most scenic half marathon course in Ireland. The course starts at Molls Gap and finishes outside the Gleneagle Hotel Killarney. This is 21.1K of extreme ups and downs to challenge runners of all ability levels. 

The race attracts a big crowd of local, national and international runners. I ran the race for the first time last year and received free entry for 2019 after placing 3rd. 

The race starts at 8 AM so free shuttle buses leave at 6.40 AM for the half-hour drive to the start. The roads are closed along the route so there is quite literally no way back other than running or walking. 

Friday was a very wet day down in the South West so everyone was a bit concerned about the weather up at wild and windy Molls Gap. It turned out to be one of the best days of the week with stunning vistas at the start line and on the run back to Killarney.

Myself and Martin Doyle ran the Half Marathon with a separate Sportsworld group running the 10K including Padraic and Siobhan with the Sanctuary running group. Although the results don’t allow you to search by the club so I’m not sure of their positions or times.

Both Martin and I swore that we would take it easy at the start having both gone out too fast last year, but 200M into the race we found ourselves out front, having almost jumped the gun. After seeing sense I settled into a group with 2 other lads.

My pace over these first few kilometres was slower than last year but I found myself in a very similar position at 4K with the leader ahead and running with the eventual 2nd place finisher. 

The race profile makes it look like the course is all downhill or flat but even in these early stages you have some tough hills to contend with and your legs can only take so much running downhill, which adds to the difficulty.

At 5K I had fallen maybe 20 meters behind 2nd place but I managed to pull that back to a 30M lead at 10K with a nice 15.30 split. Then came a point about 12K were my legs started to tie up. Over the course of a kilometre, I went from coasting and feeling good, to starting to struggle on the uphill sections.  I could hear the footsteps approaching behind me and over the next 3 kilometers, I was down into 4th. 

Once we hit Muckross at 16K I was holding the gap but it was too late to claw it back. Local running celeb Sinead Tangney was there to offer support which was welcome but the damage was done and that last 6K of the race was painfully slow. I finished 4th in 72.05 with Martin running 77.58.

I tried a few things out in the race, like wearing my trainers (Adizero Boston 8.0) rather than racers (Adizero Sub 2.0), they felt a bit heavy in the closing stages but the damage the next day was less. I also tried a new Cliff brand gel which turned out to be useless and too thick to use. Good to test a few things in less important races. 10 weeks to Berlin.

My only gripe and I might get some slack from the environmentalists but the race made the move to paper cups this year which for a summer Half Marathon wasn’t a smart move. There is only so much water you can get from a cup and dehydration was an issue for most of the runners I spoke to. All saying that they slowed up as a result of lack of available water.    

The atmosphere around the race is fantastic and I highly recommend it as an excellent weekend away but book early as Killarney hotels ate expensive in peak season. With no prizes to collect this year, we drove out to Dingle for lunch, went for a swim at Murreagh beach and explored in the Saturday sun. In the evening we met up with a few familiar faces and headed out on the town, exploring every bar in the town and drinking a little too much. Thanks to Sinead for showing us around. A great bookend to a week in the South West.

Beara is one of five peninsulas that form the distinctive jagged-edged ‘fingers’ in South West Ireland. From North to South they are Dingle, Iveragh, Beara, Sheep’s Head and Mizen. Beara (Irish: Béarra) or the Beara Peninsula lies between Kenmare Bay on the north side and Bantry Bay on the south. Here you can experience the rugged beauty of the Wild Atlantic Way, no two parts of the coastline are the same. Beara stretches out in the middle and trully is a little kingdom of West Cork mystery.

As you see above, Beara is bounded at its most westerly point by Dursey Island, well worth a trip on the cable car. Dursey is the most southwesterly point in Ireland and an incredible place to go hill running.

Moving east along the shores of Bantry Bay, Castletownbere is the principal white fish port of Ireland. Further east still is the scenic village of Glengarriff which has been a tourist attraction from the 18th century.

Glengarriff is the southern gateway town to the Beara Peninsula while to the north, Kenmare, at the head of the Kenmare River, is the northern gateway town. The N71, Glengarriff to Kenmare road forms the eastern boundary of Beara. Glengarriff also has great Parkrun.

Further along the Beara way are the villages of Allihies, Eyeries and Ardgroom. Ardgroom holiday village was our base for a week in West Cork.

Ardgroom is a quaint, picturesque village perfectly located on the Ring of Beara. A central point for walkers, hikers, cyclists, runners who like hills and people enjoying the scenic drives in the area, Ardgroom is a great place to catch up with the locals for a cup of tea or a quiet pint at the village in!

This isn’t an advert for the Beara Way but I wanted to set the scene. Beara is often bypassed for famous cousins in Dingle, Cahersiveen or Bantry, its time had finally come through, just don’t tell too many people.

At the entrance to the magnificent Bantry Bay and just 2kms offshore from the town of Castletownbere, Bere Island is a quiet paradise that has many attractions for walkers, cyclists, bird-watchers and history lovers. Accessed by car ferries, and with a population of just 200, Bere Island retains that distinct, easy charm of a rural community far distant from city life.

Bere Island is also a popular destination for runners who join its weekly parkrun every Saturday. Every July, there’s a bigger test when the Bere Island Midsummer Run draws islanders, mainlanders and tourists alike to the West Cork island which has a rich history and a lively community. The race is part of the West Cork island series.

This was the 6th Midsummer Run which features a 5km and a 10km road race around the scenic roads of Bere Island, with views stretching from Whiddy Island to the USA. Previous winners of the 5K include Sportsworld’s own Andrea McNamara in 2017. There was also a great report on last years race from Mark Heffernan.

This year we had 4 runners taking part. Myself, Maura Ginty and Mark Heffernan in the 10K and Claire Harrington doing the 5K. The race starts at 1 PM and the best way to reach the start is to get the Murphys ferry boat at 10.30 or 11.30. The return trip is only €5.

The start at the GAA club is just a short 10-minute walk from the dock. The facilities are great with showers and changing areas.

This was my second time to run on Bere. My first was the Parkrun, during last June’s heatwave. I found the course challenging but definitely the most scenic I’ve run in Ireland. This years weather was similar with afternoon temperatures hitting 24 degrees. Just to warn you in advance there is a huge hill at the 3KM marker.

I love doing races in different parts of the country as you don’t know the runners and just have to see how the first few kilometres go. The course is two laps so I just settled with a group of 3 runners that was down to 2 after 3 kilometres. My strategy was just to sit on lap one and see how the race went. The course is very hilly so you aren’t going to run a super-fast time.

At 4K you get a break with a fast kilometre. I took my chance to inject a bit of pace and took the lead for the first time in the race. The next 5K was actually very tough as haven taken the lead I needed to keep it. When we got back around to the steepest part of the course between 8 and 9 kilometres the heat was beginning to bite. The top of that last hill couldn’t come soon enough but had enough in reserve to push down the last hill for a fast last kilometre and strong finish. Nice to take the win in 35.32 and get a new course record.

Maura won the women’s race in 44 minutes with Mark just behind. Claire ran 30 minutes in the 5K. I forgot to mention that Maura had won the Parkrun that same morning. They only make them like that in Mayo.

After some chill time on the island, the early evening was spent in Castletownbere at MacCarthy’s bar which is right on the main square. Holding pride of place at the heart of the town since 1860, for over 150 years, the bar has been passed down from generation to generation of MacCarthy, creating a deep-rooted connection between this establishment and the rich heritage of the Peninsula. It’s local, traditional… mesmerising. A little bit of history really. It’s just charismatic. You just have to see it, have to feel it and judge for yourself. Next and final stop was the Village Inn in Ardgroom.

This is an epic race in one of the best spots in Ireland. Such real silence is hard to find. I can’t recommend it enough! Bere Island is a super place, so good in fact that I spent all day Monday walking around and exploring the entire West end of the island and its rich history. I’ll be back next year and will hopefully make one of the other runs over the summer. If you can invite Maura Ginty and ask her to drive the convertible, you’ll be onto a winner.

report by Anna Carrigan, photos by everyone

July 6^th was the date of the Achill half marathon and 10K races. The weather forecast was surprisingly good and we all arrived armed with sunscreen and summer racing gear. Most of the Sportsworlders group had travelled as far as Westport on Friday afternoon, and having sampled a little bit of the Westport nightlife that evening were really looking forward to letting our hair down on the Sat night after the race. It was going to be a good night !

We set out on the hour long journey to Keel, Achill Island at 8:30 the Sat morning. Notwithstanding the good weather forecast, the weather on the way out to Achill was decidedly misty and cloudy and even a lit bit cold. We’d been duped !

The 2 races were being run in parallel, with the half marathon starting at 10:30 on the big loop and the 10K 45 mins later on the smaller loop.

As we got ourselves ready the atmosphere was decidedly calm and relaxed. We looked at the sky and thought no need for sun screen today, some were even in two minds about wearing sunglasses. As we got ready we met up with some more Sportsworlders who had stayed the night in Achill, they were looking a lot fresher than us I have to say! We then made our way to the start line for 10:30 where we were relieved to get started so we could warm up !

My aim was to get around the half marathon course without any drama. The course route itself is very scenic, particularly the coastal parts. For me this was an extended long run. I decided I was going to enjoy the run and take in the views. Down towards the back initially for the first 5 or 6 kilometers I was in amongst likeminded people who also just seemed to be enjoying the experience and having the chats. I found myself following random conversations about the dramas in peoples lives from  love and heartbreak to their determined resolve to move on with their lives. And so they had come to conquer Achill! Having completed the first and longest of the climbs, I got chatting to a guy who had done the Achill half a few times in the past. It was great at that point to get the low down on what was left of the route, it was going to be easy for the next few kilometers and then in the second half we would need to have a bit saved for the several hills that were to come, and in particular one long steep one. Grand I thought. On the upside, the finish would be down hill – something to look forward to. Having talked about running and running personalities for a while we parted company as we embarked on the second half of the race. At about the 14k point, my leg muscles started talking  to me. I thought 7K to go, just don’t stop. The scenery helped take my mind off how I felt. Dugort beach was one such surprise which suddenly came into view as the road turned, however  Slievemore as the beautiful backdrop at the far end of the beach also provided, if not the longest climb, definitely the steepest.

This was the killer hill, which just seemed to go on forever ! Maybe the fact that it was between miles 9 and 10 also added to this feeling ! It was at this point that Grainne  entertained the spectators with a cry of frustration  – “I didn’t think we bleedin needed climbing equipment for this race !!” It was 10 miles by the time this hill was conquered.

Having mentioned spectators, I have to say the locals gave great support to the race particularly over the second half of the route, which also really helped to keep everyone going.

While that wasn’t the last of the hills, at least we were into the last 5K count down and back onto the 10K route where we met a lot of the walkers from the 10K.

The kilometers went by slowly, but finally we were into the last one. At this point we were treated to one of the most stunning views of the race (no not the finish line !) – the Minaun cliffs at the far end of Keel strand. Even with quite a bit of cloud overhead the view was just magnificent. Back to focusing on the finish – that last kilometer seemed to go on forever. We could hear the compère, but couldn’t see the finish line gantry. Finally it came into  view, and we were there!

Lots of celebrations and hugs, followed by some champagne courtesy of Irene and her husband Sean! What a way to finish off the race. We didn’t hang around afterwards for too long due to the not so warm temperatures and the cold setting in !

Despite this however, I still managed to get burned through the clouds ! I couldn’t believe I had the sunscreen in my hands before the race and decided I didn’t need it ! Definitely a lesson learned.

Overall, I would describe the race as challenging, but definitely worth it for the views Great goodie bags too !

The race done and dusted, we headed for Nevins outside Mulranny for a well earned lunch and then onwards to Westport to re-energise for the night ahead where the  jacauzzi’s and saunas at the apartment complex got a try out ! We hadn’t realized, but we had another marathon schedule ahead on the Sat night ! Once a good meal was had, it was on to the Porterhouse – where our lead dancing queens Carmel and Val kept us all dancing and singing for the night ! We were also treated to a super rendition of Amy Winehouse’s ‘Valerie’ by Bronwyn ! We partied on until about 3am, and everyone was agreed that Westport definitely had a good vibe and to be recommended !

All in all – a super weekend, made all the more enjoyable by the many people who contributed. Many thanks to everyone involved in organizing the apartments, the meal bookings, the number pickups, the photo’s, provision of champagne, the lifts etc etc

Race results below:

Half marathon:

Peter knaggs: 1.41.01

Brian Conway: 1.47.15

Grainne Lynch: 1.50.15

Phillip Kerr: 1.50.21

Rosie Mulhern: 1.56.22

Claire Rowley: 1.56.29

Maria Finnegan: 1.57.45

Irene O’connor: 1.59.47

Bronwyn Murphy white: 2.02.04

Anna Carrigan: 2.05.37

Anne-Maria Scanlan 2.06

Helen McGrath: 2.06.33

Alison Mackey: 2.26.17

Michelle Burke: 2.26.19

10k

Anne Sweeney: 49.01

Martina Nolan Jones: 49.57

Valerie Power: 54:18

Carmel Breen: 58.07

report by Maria Waterhouse

Throw back to New Year’s day 2019 & me, reflecting on my looming half century milestone birthday… feeling like I needed to mark it in some way & prove to myself & my stalwart “moving on up runners’” What’s App, Sportsworld buddies that I was not a member in name only.  I decided that the only solution was to complete a half marathon.  I originally signed up to the Achill Half Marathon, but a family commitment on Sunday 7^th meant I swapped to the Clontarf race instead.

Training went well, I avoided injury & enjoyed the long runs & chats with very supportive Sportsworld buddies.

My other half David & son Joshua accompanied me out to the start. Age & experience meant that the nerves that used to put me off racing in my younger days were nowhere to be seen.  I had a target sub 2 hour finish time in mind, but really just wanted to finish in once piece.

The weather was perfect for running, a typically ‘soft’ Irish summers day, cloudy, 15C with a light misty drizzle.  Not great spectator weather so support on the course was very scarce.

And we’re off … I stuck with the 1:50 pacemaker to start, knowing that I wouldn’t be up to that pace for the whole race .. I knew I would lose time on the beach so I thought I’d try to gain some minutes ahead of the sand.. The splits for the first few km were better than I’d hoped for .. & I felt good. 

I heard a voice saying ‘Sportsworld’ & looked to my right where  a friendly faced guy in Sportsworld livery trotted up beside me.  We intro’ed ourselves ( he Tim) & chatted briefly about the weather & our hopes for finish times.. both in around the 2 hour mark. My training buddies will know me as a bit of a chatterbox on training runs ( shut up Waterhouse!  )  but chatting was not on the agenda today !!  We had a job to do!!

Next was the wooden bridge onto Bull Island, a water station & some heavy sand to get onto the compacted sand of the beach.  The beach was difficult as there was so much slippery algae covering the sand except for a narrow strip, so the runners tracked along the sand for 2.5km or so in more or less single file, it was nigh on impossible to pass anyone.

I was glad to get off the sand & back onto the road to Sutton.  A couple of Sportsworld vests flashed by , in the other direction.. the leading pack heading home..

We were almost half way there & the psychological high of making that U turn & knowing we were on road back was energising.. but we had to face the beach again on the return journey.  The course is beautifully flat so again I tried to make up some ground before the beach loomed again.  Tim was still in sight & looked back making sure I picked up water at the stations & even surrendered a lone Jelly baby he picked up from a spectator.. Thanks Tim!!!   Who needs isotonic gel ( thanks  tho’ Mary !!) when you’ve got Jelly Babies !!

The beach felt easier on the way back, a wider track through the algae had been worn by the multitude of pounding feet.  My legs were beginning to tire & just as I passed the 18km mark I stumbled over a bump on the beach & landed face down in the sand!! The indignity !! I bounced up like a rubber ball, and was back running before the steward could get to me.  My pace slowed as I took a few deep breaths & composed myself for the final few kilometres.  I saw Tim’s familiar red vest in front of me & dug deep to catch up with him.

Just when I needed a boost I heard a familiar voice shouting my encouragement from the sidelines, Mary Colclough had come out in the rain to cheer me home. The camaraderie & support from the girls I have met through Sportsworld never fails to astonish me.   They are just amazing women .. the lot of them..  LOVE  YA  LADIES !!!

The finish line with my target time in sight was enough to put turbo boost into action & the photo will show Tim (Murphy) & I crossing the finishing line together in our matching red & white!!

Bucket list ticked… Fifty , Schmifty … you’re as young as you feel & capable of surprising yourself at any age.  Bring on the next decade !!!

report by Mark Hogan

June really is the time for some very fast road races as the summer weather finally kicks in. Following on from the huge turnout at the Docklands 5km, another big crowd of Sportsworlders made the short journey to Kilcock for the St Coca’s 5km. With an entry price of only €16, the promise of a fast competitive course and the sell-out of the Dunshauglin 10km, this meant a record turnout for this annual 5km race.

The organisation from the local club is very good with ample parking right next to the start line, a 1.2km dirt track to warm up on and real toilets (!) in the local school. After a quick warm up with a few of the lads we all lined up in the sub 18 / sub 20 category right at the front of the pack. The nice thing about the course vs. Docklands is that it is certainly less of a mental battle when you don’t have to look at the 5km distance ahead of you or think about the dreaded u-turn at a cone. The course follows winding country roads pretty much all the way round with only one slight hill at about the 3km point before a very fast finish back into the village.

My aim for the day had been to be more conservative at the start compared to Docklands and try pace myself more evenly so that I didn’t go out too hard and die a death. A 5km is never, and should never feel, comfortable but there are definitely easier ways to get the same time or better by being more evenly paced. I set out at 3.20 per km and pretty much stuck to this all the way round except for the slight blip with the hill, but was delighted with the improvement in a week. There were some great results from a lot of people in the club. But I do want to call out Wes who banked a brilliant sub 17 which is a serious achievement and one he’s been so close to over the last few races – obviously the lack of sleep and extra training is paying off!

The post-race feed was also worth staying around for, so overall a 5 star race that I would highly recommend.