Race report by Louise Jackman

I could abbreviate my race report into a single sentence; I followed Shay!

For those of you who have moved on from primary school history, the race is based on three prisoners escaping Dublin Castle via the sewers into the night. Art and Henry O’Neill, along with Red Hugh O’Donnell escaped from Dublin Castle on the night of 6 January 1592 making for the safety of Glenmalure. Art succumbed to hypothermia during the escape, hence the race is held in commemoration. Madness..

Nevertheless, Friday night at ten, I find myself dragging a backpack through town towards Dublin Castle. Snag one, I can’t find the way in. How am I going to navigate to Glenmalure if I can’t even find the entrance?! About six more misfits are lurking, clearly in the same boat. We stand out like sore thumbs in high-vis loaded with gear. En masse, we skirt around to the side entrance and in I skip. Registration has a few steps: gear check; bag-drop; and tracker is taped on securely. All done and dusted quickly. Midnight rolls around at last. Out to the courtyard for the countdown. It’s a perfect night for running – cool and clear. I certainly didn’t think I’d be starting this race in a t-shirt! 

The klaxon sounds and off we go. Round the corner and straight past Leo Burdocks. There’s a ripple of laughter, we’re all cracking the same jokes about stopping for a bag at this stage. It takes a few minutes to settle into a pace, but quickly Shay and I are jogging along taking it all in. We head along familiar roads – Clanbrassil Street, Harold’s Cross and we’re turning at the Blue Haven before I know it. We leave the security of streetlights and footpaths as the road begins to climb. And climb it does. We’ve agreed to make this 30k as easy as possible. We walk the hills and run the rest. It works well. We end up playing leap-frog with the same six or so runners who struggle up the hills for us to pass them again when it flattens out. I’m happy to save the legs thinking on what lies ahead. The mental checkpoints tick off. Stone Cross, Kilbride Camp, Shay’s pal’s house (the last landmark before THE TURN!) Shay has pointed this nondescript gate out to me every-time and it still looks like a gate into a field. There’s more of a hint tonight as the lights from head-torches bob as runners ahead jump it and start the slide downhill in the tractor-tracks. Back on road, the climb starts again in earnest. We look back at the stream of torches behind weaving along the roads and down the field. I wish I’d stopped for a photo. 

In to checkpoint one before I know it. Well-warned to stay away from the heat of the camp-fires and the lure of the seats, I sit on the ground and swop running gear for heavier trail clothes. Head-torch finally goes on and I switch the GPS on. A quick coffee and off we go again. Later I look back and the timer says we were twelve minutes in CP 1! Twelve! And no wetsuits involved. We jog out of camp and I realise why we seemed to get there so quickly. It’s 2k closer to the road than usual. D’oh. We turn up out of Ballynultagh Woods and start hiking. A fog has rolled in and it’s raining heavily. Visibility has dropped to a couple of metres. We hit the same track we recce’d on Wednesday night, but it’s a different place. We hit the planned turn and jump the stream. More hiking to hit the ridge. On Wednesday, Blackhill, Mullaghcleevaun were obvious landmarks. Now we’re working off compasses and altitude. We end up veering slightly off-course closer to Blackhill than we should. We are descending sooner than we should and with no visibility, we backtrack. I shove the GPS into the bottom of my bag and follow ViewRanger on the phone. Back on track we descend into Billy Byrne’s gap, on the other side of the valley to plan, but this ground is good enough we can mostly run. We’re running at the same pace as another group so all stick together and can have the chats. The streams are bigger than on the recces but the head-torches light up the rocks enough to hop across safely. One last stream and through the gates at Sheep Pen i.e. back on fire-road. Yesss. The group breaks up at this stage as we can properly run at this stage. We fly down the track, cross the road, back onto the track before running into CP 2. 

More coffee – I’m not obsessed, CP 1 was two hours ago! Two minutes later, we’re back on the track, albeit with cheeks full of chocolate in my case. I’m delighted with life, having put in fresh batteries in my head-torch. We hit the foot the steep climb I’ve been dreading and start making decisions. We had already decided bypassing Art’s cross was a given. It’s a slower route and in darkness it’s not so meaningful if you can’t see it. Randomly we land back into the same group. The girls who were slower on the fire roads seem to have skipped CP2 and hence we all catch the front guys who are slower fording a stream. They are keen to take a route we hadn’t planned on. Disclosure: I’ve done CP2 – Glenmalure once, and that was in darkness. All I know is there are endless peat hags which equate to leg-sapping misery and losing one’s sense of direction constantly. The security of a group is tempting, so we trudge on as a unit. My sense of time is sketchy here, but I suspect we hiked up water-logged bog for about an hour before there was even a chance of running again. We progressed from single file hiking to single file running. I wish I’d been wearing a Go-Pro, both to capture the fun of running freely with streams and rocks appearing with a split-seconds notice, but also the falls. Running fast on an uneven surface means you’ll probably fall, adding in wet rushes means you’ll slide. We all took a few spectacular tumbles. We hit Table-track without me ever being too sure of where we are. Sneaking a look at a phone or watch almost guarantees a fall and a few seconds on the ground means running a risk of getting separated.

As soon as we hit the rocky path of Table-track the three guys in front get a burst of speed. They look like they’re at 5k pace, strange for 50k into a race and on a slippy surface. One girl picks up a similar pace, which makes up my mind for me. The are three girls in our little group and we have made serious progress over the mountains section. I don’t fancy trying to outsprint anyone in the last 100m should be told we’re vying for places. I spend the next 50m or so trying to get by this girl on a narrow track. I get a few thorns to my face for my troubles but I squeeze by. Suddenly my tired sodden legs are forgotten and I try to chase down the lads. It’s easier to run in the stream of water where possible than on the track proper. The track is a cruel combination of smooth rock or loose shale. It’s like trying to sprint downhill on ice, making it the most unnerving 4k of all. I look back for Shay’s torch and promptly smash my ankle on a rock. Genius. Briefly light-headed with pain, I try to put my foot to ground but can’t put any weight on it. I have visions of not finishing which kicks me into action. I hop a few steps and start partial weight-bearing. I’m able to limp-run quickly enough. I can feel the sticky trickle of blood, but decide I’ll look when I’m done. As the ground flattens out, I look behind again.. There’s a head-torch about 100 metres behind. It’s the impetus I need. I pick up the pace with gritted teeth. I even manage to pass a man toughing it out on his own. Of course he then picks up the pace then so it’s hard to work out if the head-torches have also chased me down. I feel a light right behind me, then they draw level. I give a side-glance, to see that it’s Shay! 

Perfect timing – we cross the final bend, barely notice the river and are at the finish! It probably takes us a minute to remember to cross with all the chat. I’m 3rd lady, which is a nice surprise. It’s such a surprise, I forget about my battered ankle(s) especially when I see the breakfast roll tent. I still don’t remember in the pub; helpfully open at 9 in the morning. DMRT know how to organise a race alright! 
In summary, everyone should stick their name in the lottery for an entry next November.

Results: 
1st man Florian Reichert 4.51.06- new course record

1st woman (joint) Aoife Fennell / Diane Downes 7.46.28

Shay Brady 7.48.45

Louise Jackman 7.48.45

There was a ladies 3K and men’s 6K for the Dublin masters. We have a race report first from Deirdre O’Connell and then Tom Kinsella.

For me, nothing beats cross country for getting to know your fellow club mates. Be that from the profile photos on the Ladies XC Whatsapp Group as I identified a few names to faces I’ve come to know (and chuckled at the unladylike of all questions being asked of said ladies, “Are you over 35 or 40, or 45?!”), to shouting in support of the Men’s race after our own slog was done. Naoise, standing beside me, would shout, Go Derrick, and I’d duly shout, Go Derrick, as if team-mates for years. I now know Derrick.

The day was smashing for a number of reasons. Many dry weeks beforehand, a few weeks ravaged with Christmas excess which would fuel the race, a surprisingly balmy day weather wise, a relatively short spin to St. Anne’s Raheny, and nearly 500 competitors in the biggest ever Dublin Masters field. I reckon each runner brought three more people too, as the crowds the entire way around our short 3K course were immense. And with a huge contingent of Sportsworlders, including many non-runners only there to support the rest of us, the mood was great.

22 of Sportsworld’s finest ladies slotted right into the massive field of 225 Dublin Masters. I’m too new to it to get involved in discussion on whether to have worn the spikes or not, I just put mine on, though I could have washed them since the mud carnage of Navan in mid December. Note to self.

 Turns out 3K is a lovely short distance, my favourite, and though a little caged in at the beginning, the field spread out soon enough. It was my second time running this one, a huge benefit in hindsight. I found the run “okay to semi-enjoyable”, ground was hard enough and only two laps of the route is pleasing mentally. I’ve never run to such huge crowds and cheers from the side-lines either and that part felt great!

The Sportsworld ladies did very well. A call out and welcome back to Crona Brady, back after some time. The dream team of Noreen Brouder, Catherine Bambrick and Ruth Kelly came in second, to Raheny. “Would Raheny do it so well off their home turf? Come to Bushy and we’ll see!” hollered a Mayo born / Ennis bound Sportsworlder.

Well done everyone. You can’t beat that craic. Roll on Kilkenny.

The first cross country race of the year in St.Annes Park, Raheny always has a great turnout and so it proved last Sunday with massive numbers from Sportsworld involved as well as some fantastic support from the younger runners in the club (your time will come).

The conditions were dry and the ground fairly firm so this was an ‘easy’ home run of a race by all accounts – rubbish. Cross country doesn’t do easy!

Just a decision on what length spikes to wear so the track spikes it was.    

After the ladies blazing run which should be covered (above/below) it was over to the men.

The course is 6km (4 loops of 1,500m) with 5 turns, two concrete paths to cross(great for the spikes) and a log to hurdle.

There’s great banter at the start of the race when all age categories and levels are treated as equals but that ends as soon as the whistle is sounded and the elbows extended(the drone footage shows all).

As it was my second ever cross country race I decided to start conservatively, probably too much so which I was reminded of by Noreen on the first lap.

The aim was just to enjoy it as much as possible and acknowledge the ‘supportive’ comments from the familiar faces dotted all along the route. (high fives from Maria after the log jump an annual favourite!)

I stuck in behind Peter Knaggs for the majority of the race and overtaking a few runners along the way, thanks Peter!  

After the team photos it was over to the clubhouse for tea/coffee and biscuits as the awards were presented.

There were some excellent individual running and the Sportsworld women and men first teams both got brilliant silvers!

Well done to everyone on the day and thanks to Emily and Myles for making it all possible.

For parking I’d recommend two places :

If you have to head after the race Watermill Lawn just off Watermill Road and right beside the start line has lots of parking.

To make it easier when leaving after the presentations, park near Raheny GAA which is a 10-15 minute walk from the start line.

The annual ‘Streets of Wicklow’ organised by Inbhear Dee AC, has been taking place in Wicklow Town on St. Stephens Day for over 10 years and has become quite the featured event, what better way to run off the Christmas Day indulgences than a festive family 5 km fun run, walk or crawl. with a 1 mile race for the younger athletes.

This year had over 500 participants with all ages, and abilities taking part making for a fun day out, whilst raising much needed funds for Inbhaer Dee Athletics Club. With good representation from a lot of the Wicklow clubs – Kilcoole, Parnell, Ashford and Greystones to name a few, and a wider presents from some Dublin clubs – Rathfarnham, Sportsworld, Crusaders and Bros Pearse; this was a well supported event. on a bright sunny Wednesday morning.

This was my 6th time to run the race and 2nd outing on the new course which was introduced in 2016. I have a good record in the race with a win in 2015, 2nd in 2017 and a few 4th place finishes.

This year I was in good company with Phil,Gavin and Conor Kenny running alongside. The course is not super fast with hills, twists and turns but I always seem to run well.

It was clear standing on the start line this year that a top 3 was going to be challenging. To name but a few there was Hiko Tonosa, Thomas Fitzpatrick, Emmett Dunleavy and Sean Hehir standing on the startline. There was prizes for top men and women so I decided to go out hard and hang in for as long as possible.

The first kilometre of the race is up the main hill in Wicklow town. Its a tough climb but you hit a sharp downhill just as you are reaching breaking point. The next section is flat along the port. When I hit the 2K marker I was on 3.03 kilometres and starting to feel that pace was a bit too hot. I wasn’t going to last another 3K at this tempo.

At that point in the race I was in 8th. I decided to slow things down to a more manageable 3.10-3.12 pace and try to catch the lads in front running a more steady pace. The next section is quite picturesque along the sea front. The surfaces are good but I’m always left wondering what must the average beach goer be thinking as 500 grunting runners fly by.

As luck would have it I was in 6th but seriously struggling as the 4K marker approached. I completely missed it during the race but I remembered roughly where it is from previous years. It comes at a point in the race where you have just 200 meters of small climb to go before a fast downhill finish. When I finally caught a glimpse of the finish with 500M to go (picture below) I could see the 5th place runner and clock in front and knew that I was going to have to sprint to get under 16 minutes and to stand a chance at that 5th place prize. I finished in 15.57 and from the finish line video just ran out of road, finishing in 6th place. It has been a while since I went sub 16 minutes and I was 15 seconds faster than last year. A good sign and nice to pick up an age group prize.

Gavin was fast finishing just behind with Phil a short bit further back. Conor Kenny was next home for Sportsworld. A superb race as always. My fastest 5K of the year. Looking forward to having a crack at a PB in 2019. A heavy month of training starting to pay dividends.

The mens race was won comfortably by Hiko and local international lady Emma O’BRIEN.

Gareth Murran 15.57 (2nd in age group)
Gavin Finlay 16.17 (3rd in age group)
Phil Kilgannon 16.59 (1st in age group)
Conor Kenny 23.44 (4th in age group)

Conor Keating was in Clonmel for the annual 4 mile and follows that report up with a run down of his year in racing.

On Saint Stephen’s Day I headed down to Clonmel for the 30th edition of the MSB Clonmel 4 mile road race. Clonmel is the largest town in Tipperary and on the sporting front is a particularly noted for soccer and athletics. The town has two teams in the Tipperary south premier south soccer league – Clonmel Town whose grounds we passed on the way to race (cannot remember if we lost that U18 game 6 or 7 Nil?) and Clonmel Celtic (random fact of the day is that there pitch is opposite the Bulmers factory). Ahh the memories from my soccer days – Clonmel was one of the main reasons that convinced me that I had a better chance in athletics, than soccer, to getting capped for Ireland. I’ve having second thoughts now though – which is easier? – Being able to string 3 passes together or running a 100 miles a week?(Must try that sometime).

Anyway back to the running, I was wondering how this would go as I had been roped into doing a GOAL mile on Christmas day. My official time was 5:23 but my mile time per Strava was a bit quicker as swerving & shouts of ‘Four’ were required on a few occasions…Sorry I mean ‘Track’ (i’m not that good/don’t want to bore you with another failed sporting adventure – I’m good at pitch and putt though). If I ran into someone in my soccer days it would have been more Karl Chattenonnn style rather than taking a step to the side.

Clonmel A.C took bronze in this year’s National Senior XC and would have won gold if they had a strong fourth member to back up Sean Tobin (2nd), Kevin Maunsell (3rd) and William Maunsell (13th)..

This year’s race was conspicuous by the absence of the 3 aforementioned runners which significantly boosted my chances of…not being over a minute a kilometer behind the winner. There was just over 500 in the race and, having also done the race last year, I knew that the first mile was a bit downhill, miles 2-3 relatively flat and then a slight incline to the finish line. I ended getting caught into doing the first mile too fast and then the Xmas mile (and the festivities) kicked in at around half way. However I stuck with a decent group of about half dozen others most of the way and I eventually finished in 24mins 18 secs. (if I was a minute a km faster I would have had enough time to do about 4 knee slides/slide tackles over the line and still won) A bit disappointed with this but mainly trying to maintain fitness and try to put in decent effort into the remaining XC’s races in the new year.

2018 was a better year for me than 2017 which was not great with some more sobering Clonmel sporting memories being:

• Being out injured after having to have an operation in Clonmel hospital on my toe which had been bitten in a ‘playful’ manner by the family dog.
• Arriving late to the start line for the 2017 MSB Clonmel 4 mile and having to try to navigate my way past a few hundred runners (I can neither confirm or deny that elbows and pushing were involved).

Anyway I’ve just checked Strava and apparently this was my 33rd race of 2018. My attention span is waning so here’s a short list of the races (with a few grouped together) with a one line description (without getting into times – They are not nothing to write home about)
Jan:

• Leinster Intermediate XC: I didn’t getting lapped nor finished last! (moral victory)
• Indoor 3k in National Sports Arena: Perfect preparation for…
  Feb
• National Intermediate XC: (That field in) Clarinbridge will never be the same again.
• Resorted back to shelter with another 3k in National Sports Arena.
  Mar
  -John Kelly 7.5k memorial race in Loughmore in Tipperary:He represented Ire in the 1968 olympics in the 50km race walking event.
  Apr
• Local 5k: Even if it’s raining it’s still best to do a w/up #cramp.
• Raheny 1 mile road race: This was the Wednesday before the national road relays and a good blowout around the same 1 mile route.
• National Road Relays (4th leg – 2 miles): I got to see what real Olympian’s look like. A great experience to take part even though out of my depth.
• 7 Graded Track races [1 x 800m, 2x1500m, 3x3000m, 1 x5000): It was great to see so many new people trying track races this year and I would encourage more people to give them a go as the grading of the races make them suitable for all and it’s great for increasing speed. (Apr-Aug)
  May
• Leinster Novice Road race: It’s best to taper before a race rather than following the training schedule during the week and expecting to run a good race on the bank holiday Monday.
• BHAA 5km beach race: Me and Noel Tobin were neck and neck the whole race but I just pipped him with a sprint finish (honed through the track).
• BHAA Dunboyne 5 mile: I went out at 6 min mile pace…
  June
• Tullaroan 1/2 marathon: The t-shirt says ‘I got some thrills in the Tullaroan hills’…sure.
• Docklands 5k: Great night for (racing) drinking.
  July
• Irish runner 10 mile: I was going to Killarney for a few days so doing this on Saturday morning would allow for a few ‘recovery’ days in Kerry.
  September
• Rathfarnham 5k: Forgot my watch and ran a PB.
  October
• Dublin Novice XC: Finished half way up the field in a XC race (first time for everything)
  November
• Leinster Novice XC: On the same course I ran over a minute faster than 2017 (when I finished 91st out of 100) and I finished 91st (out of 115 so relative improvement)
• Leinster Senior XC (7 laps-10k): I ran a consistent pace and was happy enough and accepted that more people would lap me than finish behind me.
• Clontarf 5 mile: The ad should read ‘Ireland’s flattest and windiest races’
• Lanzarote International Running challenge (10k on road, 13k ridge run, 5k on beach and ‘Half marathon’ on trials/road). My best races were the ridge run and the ‘half marathon’ when I didn’t drink the night before #lame. The only reason you’d complain that a half marathon was short is if it denied you a PB.
  December
• Dublin Intermediate XC: I got back after 12 last night and should still be in bed.
• National Novice XC: A tough race and with over 250 in it – Let’s just say I wasn’t in the top 200. On the plus side I managed stayed on my feet in slippery conditions.
• Clonmel 4 mile road race: See a few pages up.

I’ve managed to get a few photos from the race from the Tipperary athletics facebook page and also a picture of me at the finish line with the tea holder given to all participants. Competition Time: There’s a familiar face, in the background, in one of the photos which you can look for if you’re not too fed up already. Please post your answers in the comments below (liking and sharing is optional). Prize is a complimentary entry to the 2019 Clonmel 4 mile race on me. Terms and Conditions: Travel not included. Organiser reserves the right to retain any race entry goodies unless it’s a t-shirt in which case you can have mine as well. Winner drawn at random at Sportsworld Cake Sale December 2019.

I definitely plan to do less races in 2019. This is not a new year’s resolution as this will only kick in in February as I plan to do the remaining 2 XCs races (Leinster and National Intermediate) and at least one of the indoor races in the National Sports Arena. I did a 21k training run today – would have been easier just to do the 10k races in the Tullaroan hills. This race report nearly took as long as the 21k so new year’s resolution is to write shorter race reports in 2019. Happy New Year and all the best with your running, and other subsidiary goals, in 2019!

Katie Nugent ran an impressive tally of 5K races over the Christmas period. well done on her 3rd place finish in Ardagh.

It is inevitable that the social calendar and the kitchen cupboards fill up in the lead up to and during the festive period. This may make it more difficult to stay on track when it comes to running. However, there are plenty of festive Christmas runs/walks around to help burn off the mince pies and roses and help keep us all somewhat on track.

More recently when busy at work or otherwise, I try to keep up with some sessions or fit in at least one quick run a week just to keep myself in check. Christmas is no different so there are a number of local races that I will always support.

On St. Stephen’s day in Newtownforbes in Longford, the Shane Brennan 5k takes place. It is a very fast relatively flat 5k which is becoming more popular every year with a great number of club runners in attendance. There are usually a few familiar Sportsworld faces there and this year was no different with a great run by Wesley Harrison to finish in the top pack of runners with a fantastic time of 17.35. Barry Sheil of Longford AC was the first male in a time of 16.08 and Catherina McKiernan was first lady in a time of 17.33 which shows what a fast 5k it was especially for the day after Christmas Day! I was happy with my run for the day completing the course in 21.11.

I absolutely adore Parkruns and everything that they offer. They are free, offer a great distance in 5k and are so sociable. I always try to take part in one on a Saturday morning if I have no other plans or races on. There is a relatively new Parkrun in Strokestown in Co. Roscommon which is close enough to where I am from and anytime I am home I try to do it.

Strokestown has got enough press over the last few weeks so I probably don’t need to explain where it is???? In any case it is a lovely Parkrun if anyone ever finds themselves in the Midlands/heading west and are looking for a run. I had already signed up to the Ardagh Challenge 5k in Longford for Saturday 29th December but decided I would take on the ‘double trouble’ challenge and do both. At least it would keep my hand out of the roses tin for a few hours???? I ran a good steady run at the Parkrun and was happy to keep my time within the 21 minute bracket which had been my goal for 2018. I was also 1st female finisher and happy to stay on the first finisher list for another week????

I went home for a couple of hours and had a snack and then went to my second run of the day in Ardagh. I have taken part in the Ardagh Challenge four times now. I previously ran the 10 mile race which offers a very challenging course with a lot of hills???? The weather can also be hit and miss for this event but thankfully on Saturday last it was a perfect day for running. There is a 10 mile race and a 5k race so there is something for everyone. It is organised by Ardagh Moydow Glen Community Games and is a chip timed event with prizes in many age categories. The race has grown in popularity over the last few years and saw the largest attendance this year which saw many entrants having travelled far and wide to attend the event. This year the 10 mile race was won by Sportsworld’s own Gareth Murran who saw off some very tough competition from previous winners to claim first place in a fantastic time of 55.35. I took part in the 5k event and was happy to claim 3rd place in a time of 21.21. Ardagh is a beautiful, historic village and is certainly worth a visit. I would definitely recommend the challenge to anyone who is looking for a good testing run before the end of the year.

As we come to the end of a fantastic running year for the club, I would like to wish all club members, families and friends a wonderful 2019. I hope you all achieve what you set your minds to for 2019 and more importantly enjoy the journey as you strive to get there.

Happy New Year ????????

Race report by Andy Gordon

Despite the best endeavours of Met Éireann to prevent us from leaving the house all weekend, a large contingent of Sportsworld women and men put on their singlets and bravely ventured out the front door in the howling wind and lashing rain and made their way down to the, appropriately named in the conditions, “Adventure Sports” centre in Navan to compete in the Novice Cross Country Championships. I’d been reliably informed that Alcatraz was easier to escape from than having your name on the list for cross country events and if an Orange weather warning wasn’t going to be sufficiently reasonable grounds for enjoying the seasonal festivities on a Friday evening and having a relaxing Saturday afternoon’s recovery, to my mind nothing would! The talk on the journey down was about how the course would hold up, especially following a series of underage races throughout the day and there were some nervous whispers as to whether we were in for a repeat of the treacherous conditions faced in Clarinbridge earlier in the year. Thankfully David Kennedy was thoughtful enough to put our minds at ease and let us all know he was making his way safely home after his Friday night out, so that was one less thing to worry about on race day…cheers pet J

We got to the course in plenty of time and, after twenty minutes of psyching ourselves up to get out of the car, made our way down to the track to survey the conditions. First impressions were worrying. The walk from the car park to the course was like a mud bath and with each squelching step, the fear was that Storm Deidre had won out and we were in for an uncomfortable afternoon. However, having collected our race numbers and tentatively heading out for a (in the conditions, futile) warm up, the general consensus was that the course had held up remarkably well. All of a sudden it was time for the women’s race to start. Two laps of the course for a total of 4km was the challenge and there were great performances from all participants who had superb races in very testing conditions. Congratulations to Ciara who was the first Sportsworld lady home in a very impressive 39th position of an extremely strong field.

Next up were the men who were tasked with three laps of the 2km course. This being only my second cross country, I was hoping for a far more enjoyable experience than my first venture in Tymon Park for the 8km Intermediate earlier in the month. I was completely unprepared for such a harrowing experience but I was willing to convince myself that was still due to the after effects of a big night out on the last day in Lanza! These negative thoughts were thrown abruptly from my mind by the sound of the gun and we were underway.

The pace of the field was worryingly quick and as I struggled to keep pace with the group of runners towards the back, I feared that my initial positivity regarding the conditions were misguided. Thankfully, I managed to establish something resembling a rhythm, settled into the race and even, whisper it quietly, started to enjoy it. The course was difficult in parts and trying to overtake was proving tricky with plenty of tight corners and pockets of terrain with a similar consistency to quicksand. The support from the Sportsworld contingent around the track from coaches, supporters and the ladies who’d completed their race was fantastic and was definitely a vital factor in getting some of us up the large incline at the end of the lap one final time and over the finish line.

There were some great individual performances on the day as well as a great sense of achievement having come out and raced in such difficult conditions. Well done to all of the many runners who represented the club so well. Special mention to Andrew Brett who broke into the top 100 by finishing in a very commendable 84th place which to me, only emphasises how much of a unique skill cross country running is and the high calibre of athletes competing on the day.

As the spikes came off and we began making our way to our cars for the journey home, there was time for some club members to show that we’re not just egotistical, prima donna high-performance athletes, only concerned with PBs and personal glory, and show some festive spirit. An ambulance which had made its way down to the course for the duration of the event was having a tricky time trying to get off the field and back onto the road. Feeling invincible after getting through the race, we rushed down to the driver’s aid and began to push. After some slipping and sliding and a lot of endeavour (I’m chalking this up as fulfilling my entire strength training requirements for 2018), the wheels began to turn and the ambulance was back on its way. The only hiccup was that yours truly had unwisely made the decision to push from the very right hand side of the ambulance and soon found himself covered head to toe in mud once the wheels began to spin again! I suppose no good deed goes unpunished.

Finally, as this was the last cross country event for the (calendar) year, I’d just like to take the opportunity to say a special word of thanks to Emily, Myles and Paul for all the effort and dedication they have put into the events this year. I get the impression that cross country isn’t the most popular event among some of the runners in the club so it’s a great testament to them that Sportsworld has been represented at these events in such large numbers. The support and encouragement provided both during and outside of races doesn’t go unappreciated!

Wishing all club members a very Merry Christmas and looking forward to seeing you all in January as we try to atone for any over-indulgences over the festive season!

A few of us from the Club decided it would be a good idea to sign up for a run before the Christmas. The Aware Christmas run is in its 13^th year and promised to be suitably festive to get us in the Christmas spirit and with the Sportworld Christmas party on that evening, that extra mince pie would be well earned! There was a 5km or a 10km option but as I had been doing a lot of Parkruns, I decided it was time to start doing some longer runs, so the 10km it was.

The morning started out promising as the weather was fine and crisp, but by the time we had parked and found the “village” at the start line,the rain had arrived. The bag drop was more like a people drop but with 10 minutes to go, we decided it was time we at least attempt a warm-up and brave the cold and rain. As luck would have it the rain cleared and we made our way to the start. After what seemed to be ages hanging around, we started. Ann-Marie and I decided to stick together for a while and despite getting swept away initially and starting out with a bit of a sprint, we settled into our race pace. Alison found us at the 1km mark. There was a nice buzz, with lots of Santa costumes, jingle bells and of course purple Santa hats. Cadbury’s who were one of the main sponsors were handing them out along with lots of chocolate bars and hot chocolate. I was afraid I’d have to ditch mine halfway around but it managed to stay on my head for the whole race. It provided just the right amount of warmth.

The race consisted of 2 laps, beginning on Chesterfield Avenue between Furze Road and the Phoenix Monument. The finish line was on Furze Road.We got around the first 5km pretty easily making light work of the hill. We were worried about the next lap when the 5km runners would have just started.We had to negotiate a lot of walkers at the start of the next lap, but by the 7km mark we felt energised by the fresh legs of the 5km runners around us and we were beginning to look forward to the hot chocolate at the end, despite round 2 of the hill to come. At the top of the hill, we had 8km done and were on the home sketch. Allison decided to stretch her legs and made a move for home. I decided to wait until 1km to start my sprint for home. I found my target in an army cadet in full military uniform and rucksack and set off in pursuit. Having made light work of catching him, the finish line still seemed along way off. Had I gone too soon! As I crossed the finish line, Ann Marie had timed her sprint finish better and caught me.

We made our way towards the hot chocolate to see who we could find for a photo. We meet Mary and Maria in the queue. Mary was delighted with her run. She was agonising outside of the 50 minute mark, but with a flatter course and no wind, we all felt she would easily be breaking that time soon. Helen,who had booked an early appointment in the hairdresser for the Christmas party had zoomed around the course. Clearly a tip for future races – added time pressure. There was the usual chatter of who else from the club was there and of course excitement was beginning to build about the Christmas party.

Mary, Ann-Marie and I enjoyed our Coffee and scone at the visitors centre, happy to have gotten up and out on a Saturday morning and looking forward to that extra hard earned mince pie.

Sportsworld participants:

Karl Shevlin

Eoin O’Brien

Mary Colclough

Maria Finnegan

Helen McGrath

Alison Mackey

Ann-Marie Clyne

Meadbh Keane

Maria Varley

Well done to Naoise Waldron and Katie Nugent on their excellent times and places in the 5k. 

Decided later in the year to enter this one, seemed like a good challenge to finish the year. Drove down in the camper early friday, its a 4hrs trip and was busy as the hotel car park was the start/finish line. Just about got parking had dinner and an early night weather forecast was good little windy not too cold. Opted for the 9am start there was a great easy going atmosphere, many wheelchair athletes, even santa and his elves pouching there chair. Fair play lots of charity runners and a minute silence held, Frank Greally got us under way, I met Will Murphy from sportworld, also present Catherina mac Kiernan , think she did the 10k so she never got to meet me ???? .

The course was one of the most challenging I’ve done hills, hills and more hills, plenty of aid stations , bottled water and sweets, breath taking scenery over the coast , bit of chat with 2 lads who’s mates were in lanzaorte marathon also today oh the contrast ha????.

I was moving well but slowly and walked the big hills like most others, on 23 miles it lashed rain and the wind nearly knocked me over. Kept going and eventually crossed the line with a chap i met, slowest yet but delighted 4Hr 27, welcome tea, biscuits and soup at at the finish . Bit disappointed the pudding and sausage stall had just packed up. ???? Didnt delay as we needed to hit the road back for the xmas party , as i thanked lucy and my run results for a great job i got the added bonus of first 0/50 . First man Freddy Stuck, 2Hr 39.20, woman Charlotte Kearns 3Hr 18. Time to plan 2019 have a good one folks stay healthy and injury free