The 35th Sportsworld 5 mile race is over and the work around it is just about done. So to draw a line under the race I thought I would write a few things about this years race and its planning.

To be perfectly honest September is horrible. Summer is over, its getting dark and you have to start from scratch on the race again. You have to try and convince people to go onto the committee, apply for a new race date and start again with no sponsors, no entries and a list of improvements needed from the year before.

The only good things are time flies and we have had a number of really good committee members on race committees over the years. So at each monthly race meeting there is progress on jobs and before you know it the race is just the following week again.

Over the last few years no race has been the same and we have had to deal with changes in course, changes in venue, change in website and online payment system so each year has brought a different challenge. Without doubt this years challenge was the junior races.

For anyone who dreams of teachers holidays, working hours, all the presents they get from their students the reality of having to deal with the kids, parents and rules all bring things back to reality. If you set down and thought of all the things that could of gone wrong organising a junior race it would be a long and scary list. However around 2 years ago we decided we would do it and this year before we could write that long and scary list we announced we were doing it.

I could talk about the history of the 35years of the race, the money raised for charity or the course records but I think the junior race sums up the race history. Taking a chance on organising something that is difficult, fraught with possible problems, on paper not profitable, requires a huge amount of volunteering and good will and the reason for doing it is just for people to enjoy and get something out of running. I think anyone who saw the junior races would agree there was plenty of enjoyment. But if I hear the word ‘cute’ one more time…

There is a huge amount of people to thank for the 2019 race and there is a lot of unknown support and work in the background of the race that most people don’t know about but just to name a few – Sandra Armstrong for all her work on the junior race, Anthony Gillan for controlling everything as course director, Eoin O Brien for all the social media work so much that Facebook has actually suspended his account, Liam Lenehan for pulling money and resources out of all the local businesses, Bronwyn for creating a professional graphic design image for the race, Dr Louise Jackman for dealing with the race medical emergencies, Jim Browne, Grainne Lynch, Delourdes Seymore, Adrain Lanigan and Ann Marie Clynne for doing the many unseen race jobs and giving advice and opinions at the monthly race meetings.

One of the good things about the Sportsworld 5 mile race is it makes improvements each year. To make those improvements we need feedback so we know the things that didn’t work well or could be improved. But if we dont know about them we cant work on them. So if you have any feedback good or bad please send an email to the club.

The Belfast city marathon took place on a Sunday for the first time this year, and included a new start at Stormont and finish at Ormeau Park.

After some encouragement from Tom Kinsella and hearing it’s a new “flatter faster course” I decided I’d give it a go.???? I left Dublin at 5 AM on Sunday morning and arrived at Stormont at about 7 AM. After another 30mins of driving around, I found the elusive car park. Most people must have opted to get the bus provided from city hall to the start as there were ample car spaces. Or maybe they couldn’t find any signs for the car park either ????????‍♂️

About 8:15 I got a call from Tom where we meet up for a traditional photo before the start. Most people were just wandering about the place, we didn’t think it was gonna start on time, but all of a sudden about 5 minutes to go, people, all filled into the start areas and bang on 9 am we were off.

The weather was perfect for running, very little breeze and still feeling a little cold for the first 2km. I tried to be patient and not go out too fast, just sit in with a group and enjoy the atmosphere. There was plenty of support from locals along the streets as we headed out along the route.

As I got to the first 5km I was disappointed there was no water station available, thankfully by 10km, there was plenty of bottles available and again at every other 5km from there on out.

I hit the 5mile according to my Garmin at 30min but got to the 5-mile marker 3 minutes later up the road, I thought maybe my watch is a bit off until I heard everyone around me complaining about the marker being off. Unfortunately, this continued throughout the race with each mile marker which left a lot of runners confused about their pace.

The course is a mix of ups and downs (more ups than downs) with a massive hill at mile 17 to 18 that really takes a lot out of the legs. You do get some recovery as it goes down around the Belfast waterworks before being faced with another climb not as massive but it felt tough. The last stage is slow and flat along a boardwalk where you can manoeuvre around walkers and through the park watching out for children, dogs and more walkers.

Overall It’s not a bad marathon, the people along the route give great support which gives it a really good atmosphere. If you are running it just for fun, I’d say it’s great but if you running it as a proper marathon run I wouldn’t recommend it. They still have some work to do to get it right.

Martin ran 02:52:51 and came 68th. Tom ran 03:39:31 and was placed 862

report by Paul Hamilton

If you held a gun to my head and asked me to choose one running event to take part in, my answer would always have been the London Marathon. So when I saw that Adrian Lanigan had entered a competition on strava for a place in 2019s edition I hastily hit the join challenge button. I didn’t think of it again until one night in June 2018 I got an email congratulating me on winning one of 100 places. After confirming that it was all kosher I started to celebrate and booked flights and accommodation. I then had to put it to the back of my mind as I was running Berlin in September and Dublin in October.

Once these races had finished I started to look forward to London. As an added bonus, as well as my wife accompanying me, my mother and sister also decided to come along for the weekend.

We flew into London on 27^th April, the day before the marathon and went straight to the running show to collect my number. I hate expos at marathons. They are always jammers and designed to have you on your feet all day and the London one was no different. I collected my number and after getting a few gels and beetroot shots (yuk) and a quick look around left to get something to eat and rest up.

Race day arrived on 28^th April and I jumped out of bed at 6am and went down and had my usual porridge and coffee in the hotel. Then it was back to the room to get ready and put the kit on and try to fight the nerves. This was my fifth marathon in a relatively short period. You would think I wouldn’t be nervous but I think having done a few can make you even more nervous as you know what is ahead of you. The one thing I’m not nervous about is getting to the start line in a different city. I have learned that as soon as you walk out of the hotel you will see a steady line of people being drawn to some destination in the distance. Follow these and you will be ok.

The London Marathon has 3 starting areas and I was assigned to the green zone and would be starting at 10.10am. I arrived in good time and after dropping off my bag went for a quick 1km warm-up and some strides. What strikes you at the start is how many people in fancy dress there are. I spotted Elvis, Snow White, Rhinos, a man dressed as a bride (full make up and everything) and a 7foot water bottle (who I think finished in sub 3 hours) among many others. We assembled into our zones and were walked to the starting line. On one side of me was the afore mentioned Snow White and on the other was Big Ben himself (check out the videos of him trying to get across the finish line https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=us77YNSfllk)

And then we were off. I was aiming for a time of about 3.10 and tried to settle into my pace. This was quite hard as even though you know that you pay in spades later for any pacing mistakes, the first 3km has a lot of downhill and you feel you should take advantage of this. However I settled into a good pace and felt pretty comfortable. Right from the start the support from the crowds is different level. Almost the entire route is packed with people all shouting and cheering. Tom who ran it last year tried to tell me about the atmosphere but you can’t appreciate it until you experience it. It’s hard to explain but the only way I can is to think of the support you get in Dublin and multiple it by at least 10. I spent the first 10km settling in and chatting to a few runners along the way.

The first major landmark on the course is at around the 10km mark, the Cutty Sark. The crowds were at least 10 deep and the noise was deafening. I was still feeling great at this stage and was looking forward to the next major landmark of Tower Bridge at halfway. As I approached once again the crowds were amazing. The approach to the bridge is great as you can see it for a while but you cross it before you realize it. All was good so far and after half way is when you get stuck into the next 10 km and wait for the argument to start.

The argument usually comes for me around mile 19 and it is my legs telling my mind to just take a little walk break, just a little one, my mind answers my legs no, just keep going for now. This starts as a polite disagreement but develops over the next 4 miles into a full barney with my legs seemingly having more valid points as we progress. At this stage of the race I had entered Canary Wharf and my watch started throwing off mad paces as the GPS was blocked by the buildings. At one stage it said I was running 7 minute Kms and the next 3 minutes. I was prepared for this however and kept running by effort rather than pace. I had to make a quick toilet stop (TMI I know) at around mile 21 and continued on looking forward to seeing my family at mile 23 where they said they would be. I was struggling at this stage to keep pace and felt it dropping off a bit. When I got to mile 23 I looked everywhere as I didn’t want to miss my family who had come all this way. However I couldn’t see them anywhere. This was a bit deflating and the legs side of the argument was really starting to sound appealing.

At mile 24 I could see Elmo, yes that Elmo, and decided that no Sesame St character was going to beat me today and I took off in pursuit. The best moment of the day arrived when I heard my name being screamed by familiar voices and turned to see my family who evidently can’t count. Joy! This was just the boost I needed and it carried me through to the finish in a time of 3.14.42. Whilst I missed my A target, I had set a B target of sub 3.15 and was over the moon to achieve this.

I was shattered at the finish and after getting my medal and gear collapsed in the park suffering from cramps. I picked myself up and went and found my family and the celebrations commenced.

I said at the start of this long report (sorry) that the London Marathon was the race I wanted to do the most. Usually we are let down after building something up so much, but London surpassed my expectations. It’s hard to appreciate the depth of goodwill and support on the course unless you have experienced it. If you ever get the opportunity to do this race grab it with both hands and don’t let go. By the way I beat Elmo by 19 seconds, your next Big Bird.

report by Maria Varley

I had heard that the goodie bags from the Grocers Fun Run were the best so when I woke early on Sunday morning I decided to join Ann-Marie for the 10km fun run in the Phoenix Park. I registered on the morning and managed to bag a T-shirt. There were lots of stalls and freebies. There was face-painting for kids and there was a family atmosphere. The weather was almost perfect for running and the rain held off. We joined the start of the 10km. Most people it seemed had decided to do the 5km. They started the 10km about 100m back from the start of the 5km race. There was a delay in starting the race, but we had no clue why. We were told it was then going to start at 11 instead of 10:30. It turns out it was a health and safety issue but communication could have been better. Eventually we set off. The course is a well known 2 loops starting on Chesterfield avenue, down the Ordnance Survey Road, up the Furry Glen and finishing on Furze Road. It was a really nice enjoyable run. The second lap was much quieter with fewer people doing the 10km. We were excited for the goodie bag at the end but unfortunately they had ran out. Apparently loads more people turned up than expected. There was lots of disgruntled people at the end. It was a disappointing end but they took our names and I will be receiving a gift voucher in the post. I decided against an entry for next years race. EUR25,000 was raised for charity and we got Mr. Tayto to advertise the Tenenure 5mile.

The national road relays were on Sunday April 28^th this year. For those that don’t know the event it sounds very strange. The races are run in a housing estate in Raheny, there are no batons you just need to touch hands with your team mate within a 20m zone, depending on your leg you run between 1 mile and 3 miles which does not sound much but it’s one of the hardest races you’ll ever run.

First race up was the women’s masters and they have 3 on a team, the first leg 1 mile, second leg 2 mile and third leg 1 mile. The winning teams are those who have 3 strong runners. Some teams have one or two top class Irish runners but unless they have a good third runner they won’t be in the top 3.

Next up was the men’s Masters and again 3 legs, 1mile, 2 mile, 1mile. There were 4 teams in this race, two O/35 and two O/50. There were a number of runners doing the Masters relays for the first time and it’s easy to get caught up in the atmosphere of the race and push too hard are the start but everyone seemed to pace their legs well.

We then had the ladies senior race. Out of all the races this race probably had the most pushing and shoving as runners tried to get the best start. There were some huge changes in position as the race went on as some clubs had a 100m lead in the first leg only to have that lead wiped out by strong runners from other teams in the 2 mile second leg.

The last race of the day was the men’s senior race. 4 legs, 2mile, 1 mile, 3mile and 2 mile last leg. Some of the top clubs in the country travel to this race with teams coming as far away as Finn Valley in Donegal. My leg was the 1 mile with Conor McCarthy setting a strong 2mile pace in leg 1. The first 200m there is loads of support and you have to try and keep your head and not go off too fast. The next 400m is normally very quiet and you have to work harder than normal as there is a gentle incline. Then you turn the corner and you can feel the road is slightly down hill and you try and push as hard as you can. This road has a series of small roundabouts and you try and break up the long road by just taking one roundabout at a time. Then your into the final turn and the 200m straight. Your flat out at this stage and your desperately trying to see you team mate at the handover zone so you can make the pain stop. Leg 3 probably the toughest leg was Stephen O Donnell and the final 2 mile leg was Wesley Harrison.

Unfortunately the teams were just outside the medals but there were a number of really good runs. Full results can be found here

https://www.athleticsireland.ie/competition/results/

report by Mary Colclough

Sometime last year, a notification from Sportsworld caught my attention – a club weekend away to Berlin for the half marathon in April. I had planned a trip to Berlin waaaaaay back in 1995 –  I was 10 years old but had access to the means and money –  but unfortunately had to cancel last minute. I had never taken the opportunity to go back and here it was. Fast forward to last weekend, and Helen McGrath and I were looking at each other across an empty hotel lobby in the NH Berlin Kurfürstendamm, wondering how we had managed to alienate so many Sportsworld members. You don’t even know us… we are quite simply fabulous.

But despite the lack of running mates, we proceeded to have a fabulous weekend. It began with finding our local hostelries on Friday night. The neighbourhood, Charlottenburg, is in western Berlin, and has quite a cosmopolitan feel with a range of attractive cafes, bars and restaurants close to us. I would happily stay in this area again. The hotel was just 200m from the Savigny-Platz metro station, which took us to Brandenburg gate, where the race started and finished.

What better way to prepare for a half-marathon than by spending the day before doing a 6.5 hour 23km cycling tour around the city? Helen and I signed up for Fat Tire’s city bike tour on Saturday, ranked by TripAdvisor in 2018 as #2 experience in the world! It proved a great way to see the major sights and learn a bit about the history of the city. I would definitely recommend it (but I think #2 in the world is pushing it). Berlin felt less congested than cycling in Dublin, which surprised us both for such a big city.

Don’t worry, I’m getting to the running bit. Our cycle complete, we had a nice leisurely evening ahead and other than hopping on a couple of metros/UBahns to go to the Expo centre to collect our race numbers and take multiple selfies there, we had nothing particular planned. The evening definitely didn’t involve Helen calculating what speed she needed to go at and what splits she would need at 5k, 10k etc. That was my job. After all I had done 2 half marathons, she had only done one.

The race was scheduled to start at 10am Sunday and we headed off from our hotel bright and early to make our way to the starting point. The metro was free for anybody participating in the half so we didn’t have to worry about fumbling for change at the ticket machines. Although Helen had registered in a different wave to me, our intentions were to run together in my wave – that plan didn’t last too long. Ok, call us novices, but we thought that with over 35,000 people participating, maybe if we talked to the officials nicely and they saw our Sportsworld vests they might just let Helen into my category. There was no charming the German stewards, and in stereotypical formidable (I mean efficient) fashion, they didn’t allow her upgrade to my super elite wave. Off she sloped to the group that included a man running with a fresh pineapple on his head (sometimes you just don’t ask).

We had been told Berlin was flat and they were right! For all you serious runners, I’m sure it’s a place you would definitely get a PB. For us two vastly experienced half-marathoners, it was also a place we got PBs! (big shout out here to Stephen O’Donnell who we met for the first time in the queue for the Ryanair flight going home the next day – he will be back for his PB). There was good support on the streets, with lots of locals and tourists cheering us on and plenty of music and entertainment along the route. My favourite poster was “You run better than the UK Government”. Helen’s was “Toenails are for sissies”. The advantage of running slower is that you have time to appreciate the posters! The race finishes just after going through the Brandenburg gate. We had met a local runner on the metro earlier that morning who told us that the finish was actually 200m past the Gate, which was good to know. Nice finish.

The weather at 20 degrees, whilst much warmer than we expected for running, was perfect for sitting out after the race savouring our beers and devouring some of the tastiest pizza we have ever eaten. And you’ll never know what we did on the Club Trip after we had our beers.