When did you join Sportsworld?

I think it was April 2015 when I finally gathered the courage to walk up to the park to give it a try. It was a Fartlek session, something totally new to me. I remember Emily telling me to sit at the back but I thought I could handle it just fine… then the session started and reality quickly put me in my place. I barely managed two laps but by the end of it I was hooked.

Where do you work?

I work as IT manager for Brennan & Co, we distribute technological equipment to the Scientific, Medical and Industrial markets.

What is your favourite club session?

I prefer sessions were we don’t start/stop but rather keep running throughout the session. So, the Sunday long run would be my favourite one, especially if we go up to the Waterworks. I also like the Thursday fartlek sessions and to my surprise, the Saturday morning track sessions. It took me quite a while to give them a try, and now I love them. So, I would encourage everyone to try it out and do not feel intimidated by it.

What is your favourite race distance?

I don’t have a favourite distance, I certainly prefer longer races, but since joining the club I have gained an appreciation for the shorter ones as well.

What is your favourite meal before a big race?

I normally have the same as any other morning, granola with fruit, yogurt and a spoon of linseed. If I have some, I throw in few walnuts or similar.

My Favourite place to train is?

As mentioned earlier, I really like the Waterworks, although I only go there with the club. For my runs outside the club sessions I tend to stay around Bushy. If I’m doing a midweek long run I normally go from my place up to Marlay Park and back.

What’s your favourite race?

I must admit that the Dublin City Marathon has a special place in my heart, although I don’t think is something I’ll do every year.

What is your target for the next year?

I just want to stay injury free and keep enjoying my runs for as long as possible. Although, [whispering…] I’d love to get a new pb in the marathon, but I am painfully aware that way too many things have to be right on race day and not all of them are under my control…

What is your best Sportsworld memory?

I have lots of very good memories; it’d be hard to choose the best, but I’m just back from a weekend away with Mark Heffernan and John Dwyer racing in Bere Island in West Cork and it really was fabulous. That last swim at 8am in the rain is something I’ll remember for years to come.

What international events have you ran? 

A part from Lanzarote and a few other races in Spain I haven’t really raced abroad.

Where’s the most interesting place you have run?

Back in 2003 – 2005, a friend of mine talked me into entering La Marató i Mitja del Penyagolosa which translates as Penyagolosa’s Marathon and a Half, a race of endurance requiring semi self-sufficiency, which starts at sea level from the city of Castellón (Spain) and finishes at Sant Joan de Penyagolosa mountain. Racers must complete 62 km in a maximum time of 14 hours, finishing at 1,280 meters above sea level. We were grossly unprepared, so needless to say we didn’t finish, but we managed to make it to the last aid station around the 42Km mark and we were so pleased with ourselves, you would’ve thought we had won the race. It was great craic, I might go back at some point and finish what I started…

What do you like doing when you don’t run? (hobbies/past times)

At summer time you can find me most evenings in Bushy walking my dog.

How/When did you start your adventure with running?

I’ve run on and off most of my live, but always on my own, never in a club until a join Sportsworld. Something I should’ve done much, much earlier…

Tell us about your PB’s / What is your biggest achievement?

All my pbs are from last year, 19:21 5K, 39:54 10K, 1:30:41 Half Marathon and 3:11:22 for the full Marathon. I haven’t had much luck this year, a couple of minor injuries and a little nasty virus has kept me from running well, but hopefully the tide is turning now…

How often do you run / What is your typical weekly mileage?

I normally run 5 days a week and around 50Km, but with the Marathon training having started now I’m aiming for 6 days and around 80Km/week.

What motivates you? Running or otherwise

I like the challenge…

What would you say is the best thing about being in a Running Club?

For me the best thing is the people in the club.

It’s truly amazing all the support and encouragement that you get from everyone in the club, whether you are flying in a race, setting up new pbs or struggling on the 2nd lap of a 4 lap cross country race,  your club mates are there to cheer your name and help you through it.

Also, being part of the club challenges me to do things I wouldn’t normally do like cross country, or shorter races like 5km.

And finally, you can learn a lot by being around people who are much better runners than yourself.

What made you join a Running Club?

I often saw Cruzaders training around the Sean Moore Park while walking my dog or going for a run myself. So, I kept on thinking about joining but never did. Then I moved to Rathgar and same thing happened with Sportsworld, so after lots of procrastination (I’m very good at that) I approached Emily and Myles one winter evening in the Dodder, then I procrastinated for a bit longer and finally decided to join that spring.

Why is running important to you?

It’s hard to put into words… I just know is good for me. I also really enjoy the social aspect of it.

Who is the person in the club who inspires/drives to run better?

Too many to name, suffice to say that I find very inspiring both our coaches for their commitment and dedication, all the people doing lots of work in the background for their generosity giving their time to the club, the younger members for their energy and enthusiasm, and those not so young for their motivation and discipline.

Do you do any cross training / other sports on a regular basis?

I’m terrible for cross training, stretching and any of the other things I know I should do to improve my running. I made a point earlier this year of going to the core strengthening sessions on a Wednesday but at the moment that’s gone out of the window…

When did you join Sportsworld?

Just over 2 years ago in May 2016 after the Terenure 5. I’d like to think Myles was talent spotting when he recruited me but Eoin told me later they needed a few more over 50’s to make up a team!

Where do you work?

I am a chartered surveyor and myself and my wife have a small property renovation and investment business.

What is your favourite club session?

I love any session on the grass in Bushy, the track on a Saturday morning is great and Sundays in the Park are ideal for spiritual nourishment! Definitely hills and sprints is my winter favourite.

What is your favourite race distance?

If I had to put a road distance on it I would say from 10k up to half marathon and maybe a bit longer. But to be honest for me it is more about the challenge presented whatever the distance. For example I love the masters cross country races which are only 6 to 8k generally but are always gut busting. Same goes for the IMRA races which might only be 8 to 10k but have a 500m climb and rough terrain.

What is your favourite meal before a big race?

A small glass of fresh orange juice, a good sized bowl of my own home made bircher muesli with natural yoghurt  and blueberries, and of course an expresso, ideally two hours before the start.

My Favourite place to train is?

The only training I really do outside the club is for my hill running so I love trailing in the Wicklow Hills and on the quiet roads and farm lanes around Thomastown and Inistiogue in Kilkenny where I am from. There is a beautiful hurling pitch and grounds  right on the banks of The Nore in Instigoue. I sometines head down there early on sunny summer mornings and run laps before my first coffee of the day.

What’s your favourite race?

As you will already have gathered from my recent race report, The Marathon du Mont Blanc Cross race In Chamonix is special. Myles will verify that my hometown Leinster Masters Road race in Gowran brings out the competitor in me. I wont disagree with him.

What is your target for the next year?

I wont hide the fact that I enter a superior masters category next year so an auld medal or two would be great craic. But honestly, as my fellow masters will testify, being able to participate fully in all the club sessions and staying injury free will be good enough.

What is your best Sportsworld memory?

Hard to match the  camaraderie and craic on the Masters cross country and road race teams. To be pat of The Wicklow Way Relay team this year was special. I enjoy helping with and seeing the success of The Terenure 5.

What international events have you ran? 

The Marathon du Mont Blanc Cross and The Paris Half Marathon.

Where’s the most interesting place you have run?

There is a gorgeous 400m running track in Chamonix town. You can literally walk on to it from the street. Going down the back straight you are looking directly up at the peak of Mont Blanc.

What do you like doing when you don’t run? (hobbies/past times)

I am generally sports mad so love spectating and watching rugby, soccer and hurling. I get to a few Kilkenny matches. Otherwise I relax playing and listening to music and reading. I am useless at it but enjoy a bit of DIY and gardening.

How/When did you start your adventure with running?

I used to run cross country in school but then did no competitive running again until 5 years ago. I always kept in shape as I got older though with jogging and five-a-side soccer. Golf was my main pastime  through the years but funnily I don’t play at all now.

Tell us about your PB’s / What is your biggest achievement?

Before I joined the club my best 5k Park Run in Marlay was 21.30.  Now I break 20 minute most times. 42.30 is my best 10k so maybe I can improve that soon. Same goes for my best half which stands at 1.38. I got a great kick out of winning a bronze medal in the over 55’s Leinster Road Race championships in Gowran in June. Being competitive in the IMRA and other trail races is an achievement for me.

How often do you run / What is your typical weekly mileage?

I rarely manage the four club sessions in any week so Tuesday, Thursday and either Saturday or Sunday would be typical. In the summer if I am doing the IMRA races on a Wednesday or a hill run at the weekend I might drop a club session or otherwise my legs/knees would give up.

What motivates you? Running or otherwise

Getting the best out of myself and my abilities is good for my physical and mental health which in turn benefits my family and friends and everyone I encounter in my daily life.

What would you say is the best thing about being in a Running Club?

Hard to put just one in words but the best things are the moments like:

• Standing in the clubhouse before we head out to train. The tingle of excitement and anticipation. I am part of something with 50/60/70 other humans, we have the coachs instructions, we are going to run.
• High fiving with my group at the end of a hard session. I feel so alive and invigorated even though I am out on my feet.
• Hills and Sprints on a cold, wet night. I am straining to reach the top of the hill but I know Myles will shout my name and I will get there.
• The session is over. I have showered and had the banter with the likely lads in the changing rooms. Knackered, I head for home happy.

What made you join a Running Club?

I simply needed someone to run with. I have my brother to run with in Kilkenny but my contemporaries who exercise go to gyms or for a cycle on Sunday mornings, neither of which do it for me.

Why is running important to you?

It makes me feel great, all the time

Who is the person in the club who inspires/drives to run better?

I feel Myles and Emily look out for me and Myles encourages me and makes me feel like I can do more next week and next year. You can imagine the positive feeling that gives you when you are heading for ….

I am continually inspired and motivated by my fellow over 50’s (and a few approaching that landmark) runners and now friends. They weren’t in my life or even on my radar two years ago and I don’t need to name them here but they are super guys to be around. But you know, everyone in the club, guys and girls, young and older, without exception, are great to train and chat with In the clubhouse and out on the roads and at races whether running with me or supporting.

Do you do any cross training / other sports on a regular basis?

For the last year I have been doing TRX classes and I think they have contributed big time to making me stronger and helping me take the knocks and niggles that running throws at you. I am on my bike most days and cycle to work and training but they are 10 minutes each way! Summer sees me kayaking on the Nore and the Barrow.

When did you join Sportsworld?

Ten years ago although i did abscond to the triathlon gang for a year or so, always knew I’d be back to my running.

Where do you work?

I’m a swim teacher, and  gym instructor, so various leisure centres around Dublin. am also a qualified massage therapist.

What is your favourite club session?

Long long runs and the winter hills and sprints.

What is your favourite race distance?

Marathon and 50ks, I love endurance events, did my fist 100k ultra this year.

What is your favourite meal before a big race?

I’m old school night before, steak and spuds or a chicken pasta dish.  I love me grub so can eat pretty much anything. Morning before runs and races porridge on water add chi seed or nuts with berries or strawberries manuka honey and of course bananas.

My Favourite place to train is?

Any forest trails,  and  parks or quite country roads anywhere away from noisy big cities and traffic.

What’s your favourite race?

I did a 39mile ultra in Connemara in 2015 and the scenery was breathtaking and race well organised also Lanzarote is brilliant.

What is your target for the next year?

Definitely planned another few marathons and another ultra hopefully the 24h in Belfast sounds good.

What is your best Sportsworld memory?

My fist marathon in Dublin 2009, proudly wearing my club singlet, never believed I would do another one, but will always remember the feeling at the finish, its the same now after each event no matter what the distance.

What international events have you ran?  

Lanzarote running challenge, Berlin marathon, Ironman in France and Holland, Prague half.

Where’s the most interesting place you have run?

Ha, Liverpool marathon because I was sick told not to run but did anyway after staying out boozing the night before ,was a lovely course,  and have the best football team. Pity they only ran it that one year.

Where’s the most interesting place you’ve been?   (Doesn’t have to be running related)   

Croatia, Amsterdam come to mind, Canada is amazing have family so been in winter and summer, lake Garda in Italy is lovely place to tour camping and of course we love France.

What do you like doing when you don’t run? (hobbies/pastimes)

Well apart from swimming and cycling, I like to cook, and I play snooker and pool helps me to chill. I would have loved to take up boxing when i was younger but girls weren’t allowed , my dad was a Dublin champion in the 1940s and my 2 brothers boxed.

How/When did you start your adventure with running?

I was always into all sports ran a little played basketball at school but  loved football. I played soccer  and even won a FAI cup medal until I tore my cruciate ligament in my mid thirties  and gave up for a while, got into bad habits and before i knew it was overweight,  then decided to change things, lost a stone before my 40th birthday started running and I haven’t looked back.

Tell us about your PB’s / What is your biggest achievement? 

I’m not a slave to the clock prefer to just run with freedom. I’m built  for endurance so 100k 12.47,  Marathon pb 3.47, half 1.43, 50k around 4.44 finished 2 iron man distance triathlons 4k swims 180k bike and 42 k runs.

What is your biggest non-running related achievement?

As above , also having my children.

How often do you run / What is your typical weekly mileage?

Would run every day if i can and usually do sometimes twice depends what I’m training for anything from 15 to 60 miles.

What motivates you? Running or otherwise

I run a lot on my own then I talk my self into what I can achieve, so I set another challenge.  I’ve a no limits . I go off the beaten track to small local races and meeting new people , hearing there stories is amazing. I know people who would love to be able to get out but can’t I  so feel so lucky every time I put on the runners.

What would you say is the best thing about being in a Running Club?

It’s great crack we have runners from every level some serious some not so, there is a group for everyone. And now there’re more nights out.

What made you join a Running Club?

I was jogging in Bushy when i spotted the club house went and joined straight away to improve and to meet like minded people, I’ve been working in swimming pools and gyms but really wanted to be outdoors. Was exactly what I needed.

What was your first day at the Club like?

I was bit nervous didn’t know what to expect, i met Anne Sweeney we joined around the same time, have been training together ever since chatting away on many long runs, then spent a memorable week in Lanzarorte in 2012.

Why is running important to you?

It relives stress for me I’m not happy until I get my run in.

Who is the person in the club who inspires/drives to run better?

Claire Harrigton has been a great help with the ultra training she is a brilliant endurance athlete, also Shay and Ronan with their amazing events. I ran a 50k with them in Donade forest a few years back, top lads.

Do you do any cross training / other sports on a regular basis?

Swimming, pilates, few light weights.

Tell us something that no one in the club knows about you!?

I have no sense of direction which is why everyone  in the club has give me lifts at some point thanks all of you and how in the iron man cycle in Amsterdam i took a wrong turn and ended up doing an extra 20k.

When did you join?

Around September 2016.  I was preparing for a sprint duathlon in Westport that November and my training had consisted of cycling to work all summer.    I hoped a few weeks in a running club would magically improve my running speed.  I thought I’d only stay for a few weeks but I was hooked right away.

Where do you work?

I’m an accountant in the IFSC. It’s some craic.

What is your favourite club session?

I briefly loved hills and sprints – nothing like throwing your all into the hill – but I quickly realised that Deirdre O’ Connell’s 80% effort was about equal to my 120%  so I came up with an obscure injury to save face and I can’t really do those sessions anymore.   I finally did my first “long” run in the phoenix park about 2 months ago and that’s my new favourite.  It was beautiful, muck and all.  I love that you get to have great chats or just companionable (if gaspy) silences on the longer runs.

What is your favourite race distance?

I haven’t really done enough races to know but maybe 5km.  Prior to joining I did a few sprint duathlons around Westport and definitely prefer being out in the wilds surrounded by nature than the noise and fuss of road races.  I did some 10k events before joining but now 10k feels like a long time for me to be on my feet and rushing.

What is your favourite meal before a race?

When I ran the Raheny 5 mile it was my first race with the club and I was quite nervous for some reason.  I think it went something like…Egg sandwich at 8pm, granola at 3am, slice of cheese at 5 am, porridge at 8am, protein bar on the way….I’ve matured a lot since then and in my second 5 mile race with the club last weekend I just had half a bowl of porridge.

What is your target for next year?

I’d just like to find a formula for coping with my knee problems that would allow me to run consistently.  If I find that formula I guess I’d aim for a sub 50 10k and a sub 24 minute 5k, and I might try a 10 miler just to see if I can stay going for that long.  Sometime, before I’m 80, I’d like to do a sprint triathlon, time irrelevant.

What is your best sportsworld memory?

I kind of enjoy every session so it’s hard to pick a best memory.  A recent last place finish in the 1500 metres in Tallaght was great fun on a Wednesday night.  My performance on track is fairly tragic but nonetheless any visit out there seems to make me mildly delirious.   This year I’ve had some lovely longer spring runs and even longer brunches this year with a certain group of rather easy going runners.

What international events have you done?

None.  I once played an impromptu soccer match in a village school on Lake Titicaca.  I don’t think that is in any way relevant but I wanted to say it anyhow to sound like I’ve done stuff.

What is the most interesting place you have run?

While on a year out around Australia jogging was great way of exploring every new city.   My favourite place to run was  along the shore of St. Kilda, Melbourne every evening and watching sunsets before hitting the cake shops of Acland Street.

What do you do when you don’t run?

I like hiking, cycling and any kind of moderately active holiday if it’s not too hot.  A lot of that has been  off limits for the last 15 months so now so I’m trying to reinvent my splash- and- panic swim technique and studying computing.  I also discovered an alarmingly premature love of digging the garden a few years ago.

Oh and I’m on whatsapp a lot.  Any day now I’m going to tackle that social media addiction.

When did you start your adventure with running?

When I was 19 I came back from an Erasmus college experience in France about two stone overweight from living on frites and mayonnaise sandwiches and decided I needed to take the situation in hand.  I’m not competitively minded but finding running ( “ jogging” as it was called in those days), just heading out on the roads or fields by myself and clearing the head was a real gift.

What is your PB/achievement?

In the two years I’ve been with the club I’ve run just 3 races.

I did the Raheny 5 mile 2017 in 39 minutes (38:54 ish, I think, roughly) which is the fastest I’ve ever run over distance.  And I think that was largely thanks to Grainne Lynch pacing me around the course as I’m still new to the concept of pacing.

My best 5 k was a 24.03 in a Marlay parkrun. It was gutting to run over 27 minutes in the same distance this new year’s day in the Tom Brennan.

My happiest race was a sprint duathlon in Westport in November 2016 (20 K cycle, 10K run, hike half way up Croagh Patrick) where I knocked 10 minutes of my time of the previous attempt to get home in 2hours 33 minutes.

How often do you run?

At the moment 5-10k a week over one or two sessions a week if the body holds up.  Every few weeks I try to push it a bit and do different sessions or faster sessions.  One week I think I hit the grand total of 30km but then I needed 3 weeks off.

What is the best thing about being in a running club?

There’s loads I love about the club and hardly any of them are to do with running.  To list a few…Eoin O’ Brien’s warm and funny and inclusive emails (before he retired), the shouts of encouragement you get from Emily, Myles and everyone else if you’re only panting up a hill on a Tuesday evening, Michael Cunningham’s selfless workrate.  The general kindness and inclusiveness of the club.   When I got injured Grainne Lynch showed the patience of the saint (who’d a thunk it!?) to keep me in touch with what was going on in the club and nudge me into non-running ways of staying involved such as stewarding (cheap labour I was) and nights out.   At the Christmas party 2017 I by chance ended up sitting with, then stranger, Alison Mackey who kindly co-opted me into the easy-going runners gang.    It’s been a gift to be able to drop in and out of training and brunch with this group and not (as yet) get left behind.  Conor Kenny and Ellen Lavin have both, separately and in different ways, been great sources of advice and encouragement. The email support group are great (even Deirdre O’Connell, though she bullies me a lot cos I don’t run as well as the others).

What was your first day like in the club?

I don’t remember exactly.  I think we might have been doing 200 metres over by the edge of bushy park.  I’d never sprinted before so it was a great opportunity to release the inner child. Woohoo!

Why is running important to you?

It’s simple and liberating, it costs almost nothing and you can do it anywhere.  Good times or bad, running is a release and a joy and I don’t like to contemplate life without it.

Who inspires you to run better?

Usain Bolt and Irene O’Connor.  Admittedly, I don’t know Usain all that well but, speed aside, I’m inspired by how he really seems/ed to cherish the joy of running.  For similar reasons, I love how Irene just decides to do a marathon on a whim during any given week, on the way to an Ultra at the weekend.  If I had the energy and the strength I think that’s a great way to interact with the earth.

Tell us one thing that no one knows about you?

I was so shy when I was younger I was afraid of telephones. (Now I keep one strapped to me always as a reminder of the battle and the journey).