The 2019 Sportsworld Terenure 5 Mile is on Sunday May 12th!
Sponsored by Lisney, South Dublin Vets, Mitsubishi Ireland: Bill Sheehan & Sons, The Bretzel Bakery and Thorntons Recycling, this will be the 35th edition of Sportsworlds 5 Mile classic!
2019 will feature NEW junior races before the main event on May 12th! Races for ages: 8 years and under 12 years and under 14 years and under 17 years and under Details in the flyer below! €5 per entry. Children running must be PRE-REGISTERED
The last time I ran this race
was way back in 2011, a whole 8 years ago, which don’t feel that so long
ago! In mid October, I set myself a goal that I would run the Mallow
10 mile road race and aimed to run it in 65 minutes. This race was also
seen as my return to race running again as the last time I raced in a
road race (wtih the exception of a few park runs here and there) was
Rathfarnham 5 K back in September 2017!
This race, to the best
of my knowledge used to be on in January many years ago, and one year it
was cancelled due to bad weather conditions and brought back to March,
ever since it has become a popular race and even more so since the
Ballycotton 10 miler no longer exists. Just over 1500 started the race
and conditions for the race were perfect, nice and cool with a slight
breeze in places. The course itself is reasonably flat with some
downhill sections where a cushion can be built for the few up hill
sections of the course that slow the pace.
I set off with the
65 mile pacers and at the 3 mile downhill section I kicked on a bit and
increased the pace to 3:48 min/Km , once on the level again my pace
steadied to 4:05 min/Km. At the 7 mile marker, the 65 min pacers were
at my back and then passed me out, feeling a bit flat, I tried to keep
in touch but the negative thoughts kicked in that if I try to keep in
touch I won’t maintain their pace and will burn out, these thoughts were
short-lived until I reached the 8 mile mark and found myself in a good
rhythm again, maintaining a 4:02 – 4:03 min/Km pace. The pacers were
just ahead of me and I tried in earnest to gradually tag on again to the
back of the small group remaining. In fairness to the pacers, they
were fantastic. They continuously checked to see if they could keep the
group together and although I was just behind the pace (10 – 15
seconds), they kept coming back to me to to urge me on to try and catch
up! With 800m to race where I was flat out and pushing hard, one of the
pacers wanted me to get within the 65 minutes.
65 min Pacer : ‘Come on, have you anything left?’
Me: ‘Not much, I can’t go any faster!’
With 400 to go,
65 min Pacer: ‘1 min left to the finish, stretch it out…’
Me: ‘Lets go!!’
As
hard as I tried, and sprinting down the curved stretch where I
eventually saw the finish line, I knew I wasn’t quite going to break 65
minutes but I certainly wasn’t disappointed finishing in 65:07.
The
race itself was won by Sergiu Ciobanu in 49:21 and the first woman home
was Aoife Cook in a superb time of 55:17, making her the second fastest
woman for the Mallow 10 mile road race.
Before the start of
the race I bumped into fellow Sportsworld runners Maura Ginty and
Deirdre O’Connell, recognised by our Sportsworld running tops, and
likewise after the race, both were happy with the race and times
achieved. Maura finished in 67:35 and Deirdre in 74:17.
Afterwards
there was a great spread put on by Mallow AC, with plenty of food and
refreshments. Hands down the Mallow 10 mile road race is a great event
and I won’t be leaving it 8 years before I return again! I would highly
recommend it, roll on Mallow 10 Mile 2020…..
P.S. Although I haven’t been at the club in a while! I’ll be back soon ;-P
Another IMRA race report! As an IMRA enthusiast,
I was asked/bullied into writing a race report as to hopefully
encourage people in the club to give it a go. I wrote a report for IMRA
Downshill Trail Race 2018 which can be found here.
While I cringed a little while rereading it, it does seem like I
enjoyed myself to be fair! Last Saturday I and a few others from the
club took on the Maurice Mullins half (with Shay braving the full –
hashtag respect as the young folk would say!). It was
25 odd kilometres with a 1,000 odd metres of climbing (conveniently
rounded up for dramatic purposes) so survival, for us mere mortals at
least, was the name of the game!
The Maurice Mullins half was previously known as
the Wicklow Way half but has recently been renamed after Maurice to
acknowledge the impact he made on running in Ireland A short
documentary on his life can be found
here – I am yet to actually watch it myself so hope it is suitable
(Brettster didn’t provide the link so we should be ok!). By complete
chance myself and the aforementioned Andrew Brett randomly ended up
chatting with Maurice’s daughter in the queue for
the portaloo – esteemed potty company indeed! The route starts in
Ballinatoe taking in Djouce, Crone Woods, Prince Williams Seat and many
other beautiful but challenging parts of the Wicklow Way, before
finishing near Glencullen. The race has a reputation
of being a belter and it wasn’t to disappoint (for the record the full,
known as the Maurice Mullins Ultra, starts in Glencullen does the
opposite of the above and then returns to Glencullen – crazy folk!!)
After some laziness, a sustained period of
excessive ‘socialising’ and then of course ‘the illness’, early 2019 saw
me a long way off fitness wise. However, the last few weeks I have
slowly but surely started to feel some fitness return
so before the race I was feeling relatively good. Thankfully my
positive pre-race outlook for once transpired into a positive race!!
The pain of the hills aside I loved every minute of it and after my
first DCM and my last DCM I would rank it the most enjoyable
race I have ever done.
Despite of course being shattered at the end I
never felt in big big trouble meaning I could enjoy all the good things
that an IMRA race has to offer. These good things of course being the
amazing scenery – on this occasion the view
down to Lough Tay and then across Dublin Bay being the highlights – the
joy of reaching the top of a big climb, descending the far side at an
irresponsible speed and of course the camaraderie amongst runners and
stewards alike. While running as an activity
generates camaraderie aplenty regardless of terrain, the atmosphere in
terms of encouragement, support and all-round positivity at the IMRA
events is up at another level making them really special events to be a
part of. On Saturday I also had the pleasure
of Liam Lenehan’s company for large chunks of the race. Liam is one of
the club’s true gentlemen and in fact you would travel far and wide to
find a nicer man. To take the high and lows and up and downs of the
Maurice Mullins half in the spring sunshine
with Liam as company was a pleasure – thanks Liam!
A little over 2.5 hours after leaving Ballinastoe
I was elated to be approaching the finish line in relatively good
shape. I was absolutely buzzing having passed a hand full of
competitors over the last few kilometres and loved every
minute of the entire experience. My finish line ‘high’ was somewhat
interrupted though, when Brettster, showered and changes at this stage,
spotted me and shouted “what took you so long?!?!”! What a
b&%$x!!!! If I had had the energy to stop and make a fist
I may have turned around and clocked him one!
To be fair to Andrew he ran a cracker of a race
finishing 9th out of 180 competitors in his first ever IMRA. He came in
1:57 compared to my 2:33 so possibly did have a point! He is a
phenomenal runner and 2019 could be a big year for
him. Other Sportsworld competitors were Liam, Ronan Murray a man for
the long distance as always, Denise Cill Chainnigh extremely impressive
only months after giving birth, Gerard Keating and then of course Shay
doing the MM full.
Recent years have seen a kind of retrospective
effort by society to become more active, spend more time outdoors and of
course be more environmentally friendly. It just so happens, that
these three things are at the core of what IMRA
as organisation represents. The active and being outdoors element
needs no further explanation and on the environment front, IMRA works to
a ‘zero trace’ policy on its events and goes even further with
initiative such a carpooling (think I mentioned this
in the last report – you can tell I don’t have a car!!!!).
The organisation is of course Not for Profit.
Above all though the sheer joy of running in the
mountains/hills/forests/trails is very hard to beat and we are blessed
to be spoiled with endless mountains and trails on our doorstep. Finally
the IMRA stuff can really compliment your road running efforts as it is
an excellent endurance builder, provides a fresh challenge and also
strengthens a wider range of muscles to road running which can help
prevent injury long term.
Full disclosure on the mountain running
experience – be sure to expect a lot of pain afterwards. Is that good
pain you ask? Erm, yes, but barely! My quads and IT bands are only
just recovered and that is 4 days later! It is the downhill
running where the body takes the real punishment.
In short if you have not tried an IMRA event or
two you are mad!! As you may have gathered at this point I am fan.
There is a Sportsworld IMRA WhatsApp group so if you have any questions
just ask to join and fire them out there.
That’s all for now I believe. Well done to all Sportsworld’ers and all competitors who took place in last Saturday’s race.
On a sunny spring day, the Sportsworld contingent descended upon Straffan. Arriving relatively close to the race start time (as I usually do!), it was great to see so many club mates there already warmed up and ready to go! It had the feeling of a typical Saturday morning session, but with less wind and rain than recent weeks! In fact, I spent so much time meeting and greeting everyone that I suddenly realised that I had ten minutes to do my warm up! After a few lengths of the car park, my legs felt a lot looser than normal. I took that as a good sign before starting my first 10k since September!
After a slight delay at the start line, the crowd eventually moved back the required ten metres and the race was underway. The course left the grounds of the K Club and went out approximately 2KM on the country roads around Straffan. The route then consisted of two 3KM loops and returned back along the original 2KM to a slightly uphill home straight. To be fair, it is definitely one of the flattest routes around so it is ideal for fast PB running. It may have been a few metres short, but not short enough to take the shine off all the great times run!
Trying to be patient for the first half of the race, I eventually found myself latching on to Mark from about KM2 to KM7. Mark then cruised home to finish with a very impressive time of 34:52. Myles was well positioned throughout the race at around KM 2, 5 and 9 and in full voice, as always, with great encouragement. At KM 9, he was cheering for Wes and I. I didn’t realise that Wes had been sitting on my shoulder for the previous couple of KMs! With his cover blown, it was at this point that he powered past me and finished in a fantastic time of 35:12. Despite my waving to Myles, I don’t think I could’ve gone any faster to hang on-great racing by Wes!
At the front of the race, Karol flew the flag for both The Teachers Team and Sportsworld and finished a very credible 5th place in 32:05, backing up his 3rd place finish in the Tubbercurry 10k last week! Phil continued his recent run of good form to finish 25th in 34:08. Stephen pulled out his usual classy performance and finished 38th with a time of 34:35. Kevin made a great return to racing with a solid performance. Other standout performances came from Ronan (smashing his PB), Conor, David, Neil and Eoin who were rightfully pleased with their showing. Will had a great first 5KM and bravely toughed it out in the latter half.
In the ladies, Lisa went from strength to strength and finished a sensational second place with 38:12 in her first ever 10K! Unbelievable achievement! Not to be outshone by the great men’s results, there were some other fantastic performances by the ladies! I didn’t get a chance to chat to everyone after the race, so all results can be seen below… https://bhaa.ie/race/k-club-10km-2019/ All club members who participated earned the fantastic spread laid on by the K Club from gourmet hotdogs, to delicious fruit tarts; it was a brilliant ending to another superb day of racing for Sportsworld and many more to follow!
The next big race for me is Rás UCD 5k on the 6th of April with all proceeds going to a great cause, UCD Volunteers Overseas. It would be great to see you all there!
It wouldn’t be Paddy’s weekend without the annual MSB 5KM. Well
except for last year when it had to be cancelled due to snow. No such
conditions this year. The weather was perfect despite me causing mild
panic on the whatsapp group that morning about it being Baltic out and
causing everyone to rethink their race attire. It wasn’t, I was just
being overly dramatic! The race HQ and bag drop was in the Mansion
House. It was like stepping into the twilight zone with the fluorescent
lighting and a lady playing the harp. I looked around for some familiar
faces and spotted Peter Knaggs sitting on the floor looking like he was
at a festival not about to run a race . He claimed he needed a rest
after running 10 miles up the waterworks the day before (he still went
out and broke 20 mins)!
It’s one of my favourite races.
It’s seldom you get the chance to run around this part of the city.
There were plenty of Sportsworld singlets to be seen warming up in St.
Stephens Green. After the obligatory group photo we climbed over the
barriers to the start line and we were off. A ripple of amusement went
through the crowd of runners as the commentator announced “see you all
back here in about 14 minutes” We wished!! It’s a fast, flat, course
starting and finishing on St. Stephens Green North, taking in Baggot
Street, Fitzwilliam Place, Leeson Street. I was nervous beforehand
having been out since the new year with a hip injury. I knew I wasn’t
“race fit” so just set out with no time expectations. I was pleasantly
surprised with my time. I was looking at the backs of Anne Sweeney and
Conor Kenny for the entire race but couldn’t quite catch them (That 1
second will haunt me forever Conor ????). There was also great support
along the route from the ever present Emily and Myles. Thanks also for
the shout out’s and photos from Maura, Michael, Olive, Maria and Gemma.
Everyone came across the finish line smiling (except Eoin who came
across crying – there’s a photo to prove it).
After the
obligatory post- race analysis and photos it was off to Brasserie 66 for
lunch, kindly organised by Anna Carrigan. There was a great crowd there
and as always a few of the usual suspects (no names, no scandal) went
on to the Long Hall for “1 more”. Soon the few people became a few more
as Sportsworld began to take over the pub and the “1 more” became “1 too
many more”. But, I digress. This is meant to be a race report so…..
Big
Congrats to Gareth Murran who had another a great race finishing in the
top ten. Congrats also to Ann Marie Clyne who bagged herself a
fantastic PB knocking 1min30secs off her time! Sportsworld was very well
represented as you will see from the results. Well done all!
The National Indoor Masters Championships took place on March 3rd in AIT Indoor Arena in Athlone. After the enjoyment of the Leinster races the week before I was looking forward all week to competing with the best M35 in the country over the 800M and the 1500M in Athlone. From the club, Michael Cunningham was also running the 1500M in the M40 race. Athlone is a great spot for running with a Greenway to Mullingar, Indoor and Outdoor tracks and only 80 minutes from Dublin.
A fine day in Athlone
Despite my first race the 800M being on at 1:40 PM I was on the road early. You never know if the event will run to schedule so I’d rather be early and relaxed. I was far from relaxing when we were waiting to be called. I knew from the start list that I was racing for a 2nd place in the 800M. The eventual winner Denis Coughlan is the best Masters runner in the country over the distance and can still mix it in a good senior race.
I was drawn in lane 1, the inside lane. Inner lanes on indoor tracks are generally slower (because of the tight turns), so they are generally not preferred. I managed to get off fast and was sitting nicely in 3rd place. I was moving well going through in 30, 61, 1,32 and 2.04. Having not done much speed work I was happy to be only .3 seconds off my indoor PB. I finished hoping I’d run 2.03 but it wasn’t to be. A bit disappointed with that but 2nd place in the National in my weaker event.
Indoor tracks are banked
The setup in Athlone is different from Abbotstown. It’s a smaller arena with a warm-up track on the upper level. I prefer running on the tighter track as the atmosphere is better, with the crowd on top of you. The smaller venue does make warming up difficult. I did a few strides after the race but then went and did 5K on the Athlone Greenway with a fellow runner from Sligo.
Athlone Indoor Arena
Next up was my favored 1500M. I used to prefer the 800M but chasing a PB has gotten progressively harder as my 30’s catch up with me. We were drawn in with the M45 runners so I wouldn’t get a chance to race MC. They often combine races but you win the title for your age group, not the race. I fancied my chances in the race and the age group. It went out at a very steady 35 seconds for the first 3 laps. At that stage of the race, all the runners were just strung out in a line.
800M 2nd Place
The leader Mark O’Shea from Drogheda picked up the pace and me and Shane O’Neill from Rathfarnham went with the pace. As all good championship races so it just kept getting faster. I made one mistake in the race by sitting in with 3 laps to go. At that point, I felt really good and should have pushed the pace a small bit. You need to balance your pace over the whole race. Too fast and the lactic will get you and too slow and you just won’t run fast. Unless it’s a very slow race you can’t rely on a fast finish. I went past Shane with 2 laps to go but he came back at me with 200M to go. I was feeling the 800M and struggled to kick back. I finished just behind the 2 lads, 3rd in the race but first M35 in a time of 4.13. Both these guys were in the M45 category, and have run sub 4.10 this year, a very impressive feat. Michael ran in the race just after mine. he took 5 seconds off his time from last week running 4.43 with a fast finish.
1500M First Place
I set the goal to win the gold in the 1500m last year and missed the indoors and finished second in the outdoors. A hard winters training and many early starts have made all the difference as I am running betterer than ever. I didn’t run any personal bests over the season but lets see what the faster outdoor season brings. It’s now on to the outdoors. I can’t wait to start training up in Tallaght on March 30th. The 400M track is easier to run on but it will seem gigantic for a while as I found out recently in Portugal.
Rare photo opportunity with the Chairman
This year, the Leinster Senior & Masters Outdoors are on June 2nd with the National Seniors on July 27th. I haven’t run Seniors in 4 years but may give the heats a crack this year if I can keep the fitness levels up and shake off some love handles. The last track event of the year is the National Masters Outdoors on August 18th. That is getting close to Sunday, 29 September which is my main target for the year the Berlin Marathon. I’ll have to see if I can get the long run done midweek and sneak down to Tullamore. If it’s not on Strava it didn’t happen after all!
race report by AnnMarie Clyne, photos by Deirdre O’Connell
Last Sunday saw the Sportsworld ladies travel over to Abbottstown in Blanchardstown for the final cross-country race of the Meet and Train league. Abbottstown is the home of Athletics Ireland and was a great opportunity for us to run on the national cross-country track.
There was plenty of excitement arriving at the course as
this was the last cross-country of the season and more importantly Sportsworld
Team A was leading the Diamond league.
Our first thoughts about the course was that it was well manicured and
more reminiscent of a golf course – this is cross-country Dublin style! In typical cross-country form though the
weather gods came out in force for us with plenty of rain and wind. If you had
to write the script for a cross-country this would be it!
At 11 a.m. we were off on 4 laps of the 3KM course which
transpired to be nearly a 4KM race by the time we finished. We did hear a story about a man measuring the
course and rushing off to celebrate his mothers 80th birthday but I
think that story is better for another day!
The general consensus was that the course was not too bad
but every one of us were very thankful for the group of supporters at the top
of the hill particularly on the final lap.
This was my first time competing for Sportsworld, this event
is very inclusive everyone plays an important part on the team, even if you are,
like me. one of the slowest runners. It is an event for all levels and abilities
with the overall theme being that it is competition with the fun factor. The camaraderie between team members is
fantastic and a great way to get to know other members of our club. Also despite it being a competition the
camaraderie between other clubs is not something you normally see at other race
events.
Results came in later in the evening and unfortunately
Sportsworld Team A were beaten by Crusaders Team A in a closely fought battle
on the day. Hard luck guys but
congratulations nonetheless.
Congratulations are also extended to Sportsworld Team B who came second
in the Silver Division and Team C and D who were well placed in their
respective divisions. A shout out should
also go to the runners who took part as individuals, well done to you too.
Full results have been posted on the club noticeboard.
Many thanks to all the supporters who came out to cheer us on, the encouragement coming to the finish line really does work! Also thanks to Deirdre, Naoise & Trish and all those that helped with stewarding and with the after race teas and coffees, your support was very much appreciated.
After the high of the Clontarf 5 mile back in November, I started to look at other races of similar distance and signed up to the Lusk 4 mile event. To my horror, I discovered that the last race of the Meet and Train and the Lusk 4 mile were scheduled for the same day. Not to worry the races were scheduled for 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. respectively and it seemed possible to do both. Not one for doing things on my own I persuaded Alison Mackey and Michelle Byrne to sign up and be as mad as me in doing two races in one day. There is comfort in numbers after all!
Race day came and as weather conditions worsened we began to question our decision. We left the comfort of the Meet and Train post-race tea and biscuits to head across to Lusk. We arrived in Lusk with plenty of time to check out the race start area and decided to head to the nearest coffee shop to take cover from the heavy rain. Seemingly Lusk is a farming town and there are no Starbucks, Costa or similar coffee houses to be found. We headed to the second pub in the town where the bar man was kind enough to direct us to the bar area and placed us in front of an open fire. This is where we did the warm up of our wet runners, socks and clothes. It brought a whole new meaning to pre-race warm up!
The new Nike Ad
It was hard to leave the pub and our pots of tea but as we had travelled this far we were now committed. By the time we got to the start area we were wet again and decided to take some cover in the local church porch some might say we were looking for divine inspiration to get us through the race. Alison, Michelle and I decided we would run this race together, we were feeling so miserable at this stage that we needed each other to get this race over and done with. The course was a relatively flat 2 lap course with a 200m hill to the finish. The route takes participants on the outskirts of the town onto the motorway and back in passing building sites and warehouses. If you read Catherina McKiernan’s race report (female winner) she is much more positive about the course!
Despite the rain and being soaked to the skin, we enjoyed
the run and delighted with ourselves that we managed to run two races in one
day. We were also delighted that we
managed to complete the course before the snow came down. I’m not sure I’d recommend this race but the
goodie bag certainly made up for the crazy day we had!
The Leinster Senior and Masters Indoors took place at the national indoor arena on Saturday March 2nd.
The club had 3 runners taking part this year. Gareth Murran (M35) and Michael Cunningham (M40) ran in the Maters 1500M and Derek Saville (M40) in the Masters 400M. The first race was the 1500M, a combined M35 – M45 race. Often the races are combined but medals are awarded for each age group, going up in 5-year increments.
The 1500M is 7.5 laps indoors. The lack of straights means it is often more difficult to pass other athletes, compared to the wider lanes on the outdoor track. Gareth took the lead from the begging of the race and ticked off the first 5 laps, running a steady 35 seconds for 200M.
With a lap and a half to go in the race, one of the other runners came up on the outside so there was a need to pick up the pace and hold the line. The last 300M was covered by Gareth in just over 48 seconds to take the Gold medal in a time of 4.18.
Michael, running in the same race finished in a time of 4.48. Outside the medals but running well.
After a long wait and a cool down around the cross country course, Gareth was up in his second race of the day. With 10 in the race, Gareth received a good lane draw in lane 3 but also had to share.
Determined to stay out of trouble in the race Gareth was out fast, going through 200M in 30 seconds. On tired legs the next couple of laps slowed to 32 seconds, a very manageable pace, more akin to a fast 1500M race.
With 200M to go Derek gave the shout to Gareth that he had 2-3 meters of a lead, not knowing what was behind, all that was needed was to hold the pace in the last lap.
In the last event of the day, Derek ran in the 400M. The M35 and M40 ran together. Derek managed to win a gold medal in a time of 59.54. A good day for the club with 3 medals. Roll on the Nationals next week and then some outdoor sessions.
The
Wicklow Hospice 5k, 10k and Half Marathon took place on Saturday in the
stunning Avondale Forest Park in Rathdrum, Co Wicklow, as a fundraiser for the
Wicklow Hospice Foundation. Avondale Forest Park is the birthplace of both
Irish forestry in the 1770s and Charles Stewart Parnell in 1846, and this was
the first time for me to pay it a visit.
My
colleagues Aoife and Carmel had both run in the various events previously, and
were making the journey back down again for the 10k, as they had really enjoyed
the run the previous year. When myself and my husband found that we would be
going to Wexford on the same day, we decided to head off a bit early to
participate in the 10k as well, which was to be a mix of trail and road
in Avondale Forest Park and Rathdrum itself.
We
arrived in time to collect our race numbers and do a very quick warm up and
have a quick chat with my colleagues who described the course as hilly but
lovely. All 3 races had different starting points so I only saw clubmate Louise
Jackman in passing before the start and then as she was finishing the half
later on. The event was not chip timed but instead the old school method of
race starter phoning the clock starter ensued, much to our collective
amusement. 10 second countdown and then we were off (see Denis McCaul’s
Dunboyne race report for further explanation (http://sportsworldrun.wpengine.com/news/bhaa-dunboyne-5-mile-2017/)
We
started with a short down hill and then we were up and on to the trails, past
Avondale House to do a loop of the grounds and then we headed out of the park,
and on to road to Rathdrum. I had been advised that there would be 3 miles of
uphill and the course did not disappoint! I love the challenge of the hills and
for the most part there was a bit of a break in between them, but there was one
particular stretch when we turned left at Avon Motors to head towards Avoca,
when the hills went on for 2km in to the wind…this was mentally tough but I
just visualised Emily standing at the top shouting at me to keep going and
before I knew it, the climb was over!
As
I approached the finish line, there were shouts for the race director that I
was 1st female and to make sure I told the race timer as I crossed the line!! I
was really happy with my run, which I had just treated as a good hard training
run rather than a race, and the win was a bonus. There was great atmosphere at
the end, where the 5k and 10k finishers were gathering. There was a fantastic
spread of biscuits, cake and freshly made sandwiches whilst we waited for the
prize giving. I was honoured to be presented with my winners plate and prize by
Wicklow Hospice Patron Fionnuala McCormack. The men’s 10k winner was local
running legend Mick Byrne in a spectacular time of 35 mins on a tough
course.
Huge
kudos has to go to Louise for doing the half marathon which would have taken is
most of the hills twice…not a bother to her though after the Art O’Neill
Challenge!
The event itself raised €11,000 for the Wicklow Hospice Foundation who have been working tirelessly for the past 10 years to provide a hospice and palliative care services for the people of Wicklow. The hospice build itself is due to be completed this year. They are hosting a 4 day festival of running in June – more info can be found here:
