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Olive Fogarty

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).

Irish Runner 5 Mile – Sunday 24th June

Report by Olive Fogarty

In spite of my best efforts to offload my entry over the past few weeks, come Sunday morning, I’m  standing in “the singlet” with a small group of clubmates on a hot road in the middle of the Phoenix Park.

On the drive over with Mary we’ve discussed tactics.  I haven’t been able to run for the past 3 weeks so my tactic is to toss a coin when we park as to whether I’ll attempt to run or not.   Mary’s more ambitious plan, delivered with serious conviction, is to “go out hard and then die”.

Even at 9.30 it’s so warm some people are stretched sleeping on the grass or sheltering under trees.  Adding a further “warm up” seems like a waste of scarce resources but we do a few hundred metres down Chesterfield avenue just to look the part.  Carmel and Ann arrive.  Carmel is looking for painkillers because she can’t turn her head until she gets some. (It turns out that organisers are reluctant to give strong painkillers to participants pre-race. )   We really push the envelope now and do a second warm up of about 100 metres when Audrai arrives.  Exhausted, I go stand under a tree and ponder the situation.  With Carmel’s neck, my eternal knees and Mary’s stated intention to die imminently there’s some quality running ahead.

Then it’s race time.  Easily led, I follow Audrai, Mary & Jose into the 35 minute enclosure.  With a target time of 50 minutes this seems a bit unfair, but apparently skipping in here is a good way to avoid the crush. (Audrai, I’m not going to say who made that suggestion).

And off we go.  Mary and Jose set off ahead.  I watch my feet, afraid I’ll break into chase mode if I keep the others in sight.  Even so, there’s a mildly alarming sub 5 minute per km time on my watch. I usually feel unwell at that pace.  Maybe all the sweat has interfered with it.  Still, no need to panic, we’re only 300 metres in.

The route takes us left at the roundabout up a slight incline.  We turn again and hit the long flat stretch of a baking North Road with nowhere to hide from the sun.

Around the 2 mile mark there’s a flat loop back onto Chesterfield Avenue where I’m pleasantly distracted from the effort by searching for Sportsworld singlets in the runners ahead who are now looping back to face us.  Someone gives a nod of acknowledgement.  It looks like the blur of Martin Doyle but of course it couldn’t be because he’s been amongst the crew that blistered Dunshaughlin last night and I’m sure I saw him setting out on the Sunday long slow run an hour ago as we drove into the park. (For the end of that cliffhanger, see results below).   Then I see Jose, calmly progressing up the straight, apparently unperturbed by being waved at by a moving beetroot from the far side of the barrier.

Mile 3 and along Ordnance Survey road there is some shade and lots of water (Thank you Irish Runner!).    I didn’t think I’d make it this far so now I’m going to finish it.  To celebrate finally made this decision I stop to drink some water.  A voice from behind says “stay going..”. and “you’ll need your energy for the hill”.  Not a Sportsworlder but some kind stranger.  I get going again.  Those hills come.  The S bends, one looping mercilessly back on another.  I like hills but not in this heat.  I stop again half way and get going again.  I meet a Canadian lady, we remark how the heat doesn’t really suit us, as best we can,  while going uphill, in the heat.  I have to stop again at the top, have a quick chat to my breakfast, go again.  The final mile, the home straight.  More unsheltered road but in the shimmering distance, the finish flags.  I have to stop a fourth time, go to the side to recover.  This is getting ridiculous.  Another kind stranger from another club tells me to get going again.   We sprint it out together for the last 200.  41:33 on the clock.  But then again, I may be seeing things.  Shay Brady, Marathon Des Sables, watch your spot.

Well done to Karl Chatterton and Katie Nugent, first Sportsworld male and female home, to Martin Doyle, for running through the night to be there, to Mary for not dying, to Carmel for persevering without the painkillers…and all who ran.

Place Name Net Time
16 Karl CHATTERTON 0:28:34
42 Martin DOYLE 0:30:16
67 Kieran LONG 0:31:39
102 Karl SHEVLIN 0:33:01
110 Paul HAMILTON 0:33:10
142 Jose CHAPA 0:33:56
181 Noel TOBIN 0:35:34
242 Katie NUGENT 0:36:10
252 Derrick LONG 0:36:50
275 Ray CARPENTER 0:37:27
338 Mary COLCLOUGH 0:38:53
433 Conor KENNY 0:40:27
461 Sibeal WALDRON 0:39:18
474 Olive FOGARTY 0:41:22
546 Anne SWEENEY 0:42:34
560 Carmel DOLAN 0:42:59
577 Karen O’CONNO’R 0:41:53
608 Audrai O’DRISCOLL 0:44:11

 

2018 Michael Manning Memorial 10k Dunshauglin

Report by Joe Byrne

Mid Summers evening and what a scorcher it was (weather seems to be a theme of all my race reports so far, from the depths of winter to the heat of summer).

Sportsworld were well represented by 3 female and 19 male athletes Saturday evening just past in Dunshaughlin. Fully coated in our high factor to keep away the blazing sun we lined up at 7.30 to run the annual Dunshaughlin 10k rod race. For many of us this has now become an established race on the annual calendar.

 

As always we were not disappointed. Brilliantly organised, cracking countryside course (did someone say flat?), lots of locals out with water, warm showers and an abundance of post race refreshments meant none of us were in a hurry home after. Yip I’ll be back next year!!!

Well done to all those who got P.Bs. Super run from Karol in breaking 33mins. To Martin Doyle for following it up with a 30min Irish runner 5 mile race Sunday morning incorporated into his 20 mile run, I can only say  “Your one hell of a man”

Thanks to Dave & Myles for support on the day.

Results as follows

Ladies

21st  Andrea McNamara  42.51
42nd  Tricia Fitzmaurice 44.54
64th Margaret Crowley 47.12
91st  Rosie Mulhern  49.25
108th Maria Finnegan 108

Men (overall team place 6th)

16th       Karol Cronin   32.53
33rd       Gareth Murran 33.44
43rd       Stephen O Donnell  34.09
94th       Martin Doyle 36.07
104th     Kevin Curran  36.35
126th     Justin Mckeever 37.18
138th     Diarmuid O Suilleabhain   37.36
161st     Damien Gerathy  38.31
171st     Mark Hollowed 38.50
175th     Derek Saville  39.08
186th     Padraig Looby  39.32
208th     Joe Byrne  40.29
216th     Sean Donegan    40.52
224th     Declan Brady   41.06
241st     Anthony Gillen 42.07
252nd    Paul Hamilton  42.24
275th     Neil Purdy  43.23
334th     Adrian Lanigan 47.16
354th     Tom Kinsella  48.07

Graded track race Tallaght June 20th 2018

I turned up at the Tallaght AC track for the Dublin graded meeting with a mixture of excitement and fear. This would be my first proper track race and although I love track training I’ve managed to do very little of it. On arrival I felt totally out of my depth. I had no clue what was going on, so I was relieved to see the familiar faces of Emily, Dave, Bronwyn and Carmel. Emily and Myles advised me to just go out and treat it as a new learning experience and a chance to improve my speed – wise words as always.

I did a few strides with Bronwyn and Carmel and we laughed as we looked around at all the “young wan’s” in their short shorts and belly tops doing warm up’s resembling gymnastic routines! I was in a pair of gym runners (the lightest my shins would tolerate) and Carmel and Bronwyn were sporting brand new, never before worn spikes. Carmel spent about 10 mins tip toeing around the track afraid of getting stuck in it!! I’d say the other competitors were bricking it looking at us!

Then it was time – luckily for us there were enough grade C runners to have our own race. I was put in lane 6. I wandered around not even understanding where to start from. The nice girl in lane 5 had to show me what to do. Myles then informed me I had to stay in my lane until I reached the tennis balls at about 100 M then I could move in. Who knew? Every day is a school day. There was a lot of support around the track from the lads warming up for their races to come. The gun sounded, and we were off. I flailed around like a fish out of water for the first 100M. I’m not used to running with nobody around me or in front of me so I lost a few seconds trying to figure out how to pace myself. Once we merged I relaxed a bit a sat in 4th place while I tried to compose myself. I then moved into 3rd and managed to hold this position until the end – just!

Next up was the men’s 800M. Declan and Gareth both came second in their respective races. Gareth managed to come from the back in the second lap and pick off the runners one by one. It was great to watch. Finally, the men’s 3000 was up. Sportsworld was well represented here and all ran strong.I have to say I was buzzing after it. It felt so good to try something different and push myself out of my comfort zone. Once I got over myself and realised that there were plenty of runners there of all ages and abilities and that nobody actually cares about my time or where I come in the race I really enjoyed it and I would encourage anybody to give it a go.

Results:

Women’s 800M Grade C

Grainne Lynch 02:57

Bronwyn Murphy While 03:20

Carmel Dolan 03:24

Men’s 800M Grade B

Gareth Murran 02:06

Men’s 800M Grade C

Martin Keenan 02:21

Men’s 800M Grade D

Declan Brady 02:31

Men’s 3000M Grade A

Karol Cronin 09:12

Men’s 3000M Grade C

Michael Cunningham 10:04

Will Greensmyth 10:11

Justin McKeever 10:28

Conor Keating 10:51

IMRA 2018 Mount Leinster 14k

Report by Naoise Waldron

Photos from IMRA: https://www.facebook.com/groups/11388560359/

Last Saturday a small group from Sportsworld headed to Mount Leinster on the Carlow/Wexford border for a mountain race organised by IMRA.

The race also doubled up as the Leinster Championship. Being very new to mountain running, on Friday night I decided to do a final last minute search for info on the run, and stumbled across this report from 2009 which almost made me want to back out of the race http://www.sportsworldrunningclub.com/news/imra-mount-leinster-race/.

Race reporter Naoise on Saturday

Most of us met at Bushy at 9.30 and Paul and Eoin headed down in one car, while Sibéal drove myself and Patricia, with Liam meeting us down there. Luckily we had given ourselves plenty of time to get to the start because we ended up on the wrong side of the mountain. A panicked phonecall to Liam later, and we were on the right road to the start line.

Wrong side of Mount Leinster

We arrived with a few minutes to spare, collected out numbers and then we were off. The first few km were on forest leading to the mountain trail and then open mountain. It is a 13.8km route with a 635m climb and a difficulty level of 9.

This was my first mountain race so I decided that I would take it handy enough and make use of the experience of those in front of me. I was also thinking that I needed to conserve energy to get me through the bog that I had read about the night before.

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Thankfully when we got to the boggy section, it was fairly dry and made for a nice soft running surface. Approaching the top, I realised that I was 2nd female, however I was soon to fall back to 3rd when we turned around to start the descent.

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Anyone who knows me, will know that I have a tendency to fall when running on flat surfaces, so I was very conservative when I started the descent, unlike my competitors who tore down the mountain leaving me all on my lonesome.

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I was going so slowly initially that my watch auto paused thinking I had stopped! Once I got past what I thought was the most difficult part of the descent, I settled in to a nice rhythm and focussed on trying to hold on to my place.

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I was delighted to get to the finish line, having made up good ground in the last few km. The adrenaline rush I had from running the race was unbelievable. Totally different to road running where time is usually the main focus.

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This was all about completing it and enjoying the trail and the views. Winning the bronze medal in the Leinster Championship was an added bonus. Both the male and female course records were broken on the day too.

The atmosphere at the finish was great and we were treated to hot coffee and cake by Liam who came very prepared. Everyone seemed to enjoy the race, even though we had a few injured parties at the finish line with Sibéal having calf issues and Eoin a swollen ankle. It was well worth the trip down and I would highly recommend that people give trail running a go.

If anyone is interested in racing the shorter Wednesday night races just email info@sportsworldrunningclub.com and we can add you to the growing IMRA Whatsapp group for carpooling etc to races from Bushy Park. Wednesday race listings:   https://www.imra.ie/leagues/view/id/283

Results

Winners:

1st Tom Upton 59:15
12th Becky Quinn 1:09:47

Sportsworld finishers:

18th Liam Lenehan 1:16:52 (2nd in age category)
21st Paul Mitchell 1:18:58 133%
23rd Naoise Waldron 1:20:50 136% (3rd overall)
30th Patricia Fitzmaurice 1:27:33
39th Sibeal Waldron 1:39:07
40th Eoin O’Brien 1:40:03

Eoin Keith

When did you join Sportsworld?

A few years back after meeting club Member Helen Dixon (who is now my wife!). I was looking out for an athletics club to join at the time, so the choice became easy.

Where do you work?

I work in the I.T. department of the R.C.S.I.

What is your favourite club session?

Very long speed intervals on the grass at bushy park on a lovely summers evening. Just the right mix of enjoyment and pain (no pain, no gain).

What is your favorite race distance?

Favourite is a tricky question to answer. My most successful event is probably 6 day racing (A fixed time event rather than fixed distance), but the event intimidates me like no other. My favourite races would be the likes of Tor De Geants, The Spine Race, or the Barkley marathons… and those really aren’t about a particular distance per se. So the broad answer would be multi-day non-stop off-road races.

What is your favourite meal before a big race?

Rib eye steak, Sweet potatoes and plenty of vegetables.

My Favourite place to train is?

The hills/mountains in sunny heat. Location doesn’t matter too much, and variety is good.

What’s your favourite race?

Until this year I would have said the Tor De Geants, but the Barkley Marathons really is something special so it probably wins at the moment.

What is your target for the next year?

I don’t usually plan much beyond the current year, and there are one or two event still left (such as UTMB).

What international events have you ran?                                 

A lot! I usually race abroad a few times every year… that’s how most of my holiday time gets used up. As well as interesting races I target for my own enjoyment I have also represented Ireland in a few European and World championship events around the world.

Where’s the most interesting place you have run?

Frozen Head State Park, Tennessee (Home of the Barkley Marathons), The course of Primal Quest Utah (Multi-sports, including running).

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

Probably the same answer as above, with the addition of a few more adventure race courses (British Columbia, Badlands of South Dakota, The Maritime Alps. Also hanging onto the side of a few mountains, such as the Matterhorn, in my mountaineering days.

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

Cycling, Adventure racing. Catching up on current affairs. Eating!

How/When did you start your adventure with running?

I fell in with a bad crowd in my hillwalking / mountaineering days! A few of them were planning to run the DCM, so I decided I would join in, as I had a suspicion I would be better at endurance running than sprinting. I realised on my last long training run before the marathon that I was going well, so adjusted my targets. A resultant 2:57 let me know that I could actually run quite well, much to my surprise.

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

I’d count breaking the record for running Mizen head to Malin head as my biggest achievement (3 days, 3 hours, 47 minutes). It was like the culmination of all my years of training. I never expected to be so relaxed and pain free whilst running fluidly to the finish.

It’s always a big honour to put on an Irish vest and run for my country. Putting in a strong performance in the national colours, especially as part of an Irish team is hugely rewarding.

My shortest PB is for 5 miles (27:30, I think), which I only one ran once in Raheny years ago (After running a hill race earlier in the morning). Next up would be 55:30 for 10 miles at Ballycotton.

1:17 for half marathon at Omagh (I tend not to run half anything and that was the only half I ever ran, but that was back in foot and mouth times when racing shut down in the Republic, so we had to venture north to get any fun)

2:41 for Marathon in Dublin in 2002. But I count 2:52 in the Snowdon Marathon as my best marathon performance, given the nature of the course.

My good PBs are all at ultra distances (There’s a surprise!).

100km – 7:45 (I think). 24 hours – 248.4km (Irish record).  6 days – 816 km (Irish record)

Also a few other notable records such as:

Wicklow Way record (12:25)

Spine Race record (95 hours or so)

Fastest Irish UTMB time (24:44)

What is your biggest non-running related achievement?

Marrying Helen!

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

By default I run every day. The breaks find themselves due to life. I try to mix in a cycle day here in there as well for all sorts of reasons. Most weekday evenings I’d run 2 to 3 hours (obviously less if it’s a speed session with Sportworld). Most weekends I’d run 5-7 hours back to back long runs (or occasionally equivalent timed cycles).

What motivates you? Running or otherwise

If I didn’t intrinsically enjoy running I wouldn’t do it. I’m always motivated to see how well I can do, be it racing for position or running against the clock. The escape from the urban jungle into the freedom of the hills when training and racing is something I always value.

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

Having fun with like minded people. Training as a group raising the standards of everyone collectively and individually.

What made you join a Running Club?

The narrow answer would be that I wanted to do structured speed training with runners who were a little faster than me.

Why is running important to you?

At this stage I’d regard as a lifestyle! The benefits are literally life altering in multiple positive ways.

Is there anything you would like to see more of or less of at the Club?

I’d like to see myself turn up more consistently… specific race preparations and a few broken bones have gotten in the way in the last while. I think the club engages in a great range of activities, both running and social.

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

I always love to hear about older runners not letting age be an excuse, who continue to train and race competitively. It’s also great to see people take on new challenges and excel.

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

Cycling (commute that way), but I should do more. I used to kayak a fair bit too, but that has fallen away (can’t do everything!).  I’m always planning to do more S&C work some day soon!

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

Given that my wife is in the club that’s a pretty big ask!

BHAA Trinity Track 2018

Report by Martina Nolan-Jones

Photos thanks to Anna Delaney, Sandra Kelly and Grainne Lynch

So my turn has come… I thought I would be a lot further into my Sportsworld running career before I would be asked to write a race report! I am not sure whether Michael was smiling so much due to the look of surprise on my face when he asked me if I had written a race report before.. or whether he smiles like that everytime he asks people to write a report.. either way it was hard to say no!

Race reporter Martina in white

 

As a TCD graduate I couldn’t resist the BHAA TCD race night.  I kept smiling to myself that day because I never dreamt in a million years that I would ever be part of a running club or would run around the cricket pitch in TCD while I was in college!

 

I parked up in Drury St at 5:30pm and made my way to TCD.  I met Grainne in Front Square and we walked down to the Moyne Institute to register and figure out what our grade would be since we had never run an 800m or 1 mile race before!  There was a great turn out from the club and Myles smiled telling us all that he expected an equally good turn out at the next graded run in Tallaght!

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The first race (Women’s 800m Std 14-30) kicked off at 7pm.  Katie took off like a rocket leaving us all behind. Patricia, Breda and Grainne were in front of me, and I gasped as I tried to keep up! I stayed on Grainne’s heels but couldn’t pass her out. There was great support from the club all around the track and Patricia won the race for Sportsworld!

 

Next up was the Women’s 800m Std 1-13,  Margaret represented the club in this race, followed by all the Men’s 800m races.  There was great representation from the club in all the men’s races too, including Bambi (who promised to remember my name from now on!). 

 

The 1 mile races started ahead of schedule at 7:50. I felt good and strong as I set off at a fast pace.. however, I was totally out of my comfort zone as I led the ladies in the first 200m.  As we approached the Sportsworld crew outside the Pav, all I could hear was Myles and Emily’s voices in my head telling me that I was going too fast! Katie and 2 other runners passed me, but thankfully from that point on I held my position and finished in 4th place.  Much to my delight, I received the 3rd place prize later because one of the runners ahead of me was eliminated from the prizes!

 

Again, all the subsequent 1 mile races were very well represented by Sportsworld. The men put in a great performance especially Will, Karl, and Karol who won their races.  With everyone in high spirits after Karol’s exciting finish to win the last race, we all walked up the steps to the Pav for well deserved refreshments.

 

Overall it was a great night of running, camaraderie, and fun! My love of running and Sportsworld grows with each of these events!  Hopefully, I’ll be back next year to win one of the 1st prize TCD umbrellas which you may spot several of the club members using in Bushy Park in the coming months!!

 

Unfortunately, the race results were not online in time for this week’s update so apologies for not including all the other great performances and wins on the night!

Cork Marathon Relay 2018

Report by Padraic Moran

The Start

Siobhan, Ann, Eileen, Audrai and Phil had agreed to enter a Sportsworld Ladies’ team into the Cork Marathon relay on 3rd June, the Sunday of the June bank holiday weekend. Not having anything else to do, and faced with the prospect of minding five handbags on a Cork street for the day, I put the word out looking for a team of my own. As luck would have it, Eileen’s Killarney-based brother-in-law Mike had four runners ready to go, with one free slot remaining. Sign me up! My Masters status and slightly-less-than-elite athletic capabilities didn’t seem to matter to Mike; the team was part of the Cork Sanctuary Runners Cork Marathon Relay initiative so inclusion and diversity was the priority on the day.

The Cause

The Sanctuary Runners initiative gets Irish people running with asylum seekers and refugees in the marathon as part of an initiative to show solidarity with those living in the direct provision system, and to build friendships and community. The Sanctuary Runners relay teams are mixed teams of Irish runners and residents of the direct provision centres from around county Cork, all with an interest in running as well as in establishing and building contacts in both communities. Some have run distances up to full marathons in their home countries; for others, this will be their first running event. Some assistance was provided to help with running shoes, training, transport and accommodation for the event. About 50 direct provision residents took part in the initiative, with an additional 100 people from the broader community.

The Format

The marathon course is divided into 5 convenient, if not equally-measured, sections, with each team member running one or more sections. The team members between them run the entire 42.2km marathon route. The legs vary in length from 7.4 to 9.3km with the shorter legs being slightly hillier than the longer ones. The first-leg runner starts with the main marathon group at 08:30, and the final-leg runner finishes with the elites, looking fresh as a daisy. In theory at least.

The relay sections were from St Patrick’s Street to Silversprings; to Ringmahon Road; to Victoria Road; to Model Farm Road; and back to the finish line on St Patrick’s Street.

The Team

Our team is from the Drishane Castle direct provision centre in Millstreet. In addition to Mike and me, we have two men and one lady from Africa, who while not actual Kenyan elite runners, have all the enthusiasm, fitness and drive to promise a very good race. Pierre (from Cameroon) is the leader and team coach; a fitness nut with the body to prove it, he is surely Millstreet’s Mr. Motivator. Reportedly an accomplished kick-boxer, he’s no slouch as a runner either. Zandille (from Zimbabe) is Pierre’s wife and, I suspect, his personal project for the Cork marathon relay. She’s a real charmer with a beaming smile. It’s her first real road race, and she’s super-excited; she has brought a Zimbabwean flag to carry to the finish line. Jimmy is from Burundi. He’s quiet and unassuming, but of all of us he’s the one who looks like a real distance runner. Slight, light and full of energy.

One of my challenges, and it’s an unfortunate oversight for someone about to run a relay race, is that I have never met any of my team mates. We’ve swapped mugshots on the WhatsApp Group; but Mike is coming over from Kerry on Sunday morning straight to the start line so I won’t meet him until transition. The rest of us are at race HQ on Albert Quay, where the relay shuttle busses will leave from. I trot on into City Hall, and as luck would have it I recognise my Millstreet team-mates pinning their race numbers onto their sky-blue Sanctuary Runners t-shirts. There’s not much chat at first; the usual pre-race mixture of excitement and nerves has set in and everyone is focused on the job at hand. But when the official duties are finished; numbers on, bags dropped etc. and everyone’s happy that they’re ready to go, we have more time for introductions and strategy.

The Race

Mike is on the first leg. I hop on the relay shuttle bus at 08:00 to the Silversprings Hotel, and bumped into Denis McCaul in a Sportsworld singlet. Out the road in a few minutes, and in plenty of time for warm-up and strides before the elites and the first of the first-leg runners arrived. Gary O’Hanlon, not content with running a marathon without a handicap, was giving Peter Somba a piggy-back at this early stage in the race. Maybe I’m wrong but Ann Henderson was close behind them and may have run a number of sub-4 minute miles to hand the wrist-band baton over to Phil in excellent time. I was keeping my eyes peeled for a tall, youthful-looking Kerryman in a blue shirt answering to the name of “Mike”; luckily I didn’t have long to wait, and also luckily I picked the right guy, as I didn’t have to mug him for his wrist-band. A quick hello and I’m off like a self-controlled version of the clappers.

 

I’ve got 8.9km ahead of me and I might have volunteered to do it at 4:30 pace. I have a 09:50 appointment with Jimmy at the Ringmahon Road and I don’t want to keep him waiting. Someone told me that the only hill was coming out of the Jack Lynch tunnel. Someone else said “don’t forget the Mahon on-ramp”. I’m not very familiar with Cork, so I thought the Mahon on-ramp was out at the Dunkettle roundabout. Not so, apparently, and it’s a pity no one told me those other hills either. Nonetheless, I made it to the hand-over point more or less at the appointed time, and picked Jimmy out from the crowd on the side of the road, among about a dozen other Sanctuary third-leggers. Job done! Time to relax. I looked around. “So, who’s finished and who still has to run?” I asked. There were a few giggles. “You’re the first Sanctuary Runner home so far!”. Not bad!

Denis had arrived; and Phil had passed the baton to Audrai. We were a few miles from HQ and it was a beautiful, hot sunny day. Given that it was still early in the day, showers and breakfast beckoned to the other two and they hopped on the bus, but I felt like cutting across through Mahon and the Blackrock Road to the next transition point and meeting up with Jimmy again. By the time I arrived at Victoria Road, Jimmy had already passed the wrist-band to Pierre. Eileen and Ann were watching out for Audrai, all on good time. The half-marathon runners had just joined the marathoners so the crowds had really swelled out, with about 16km left to go. Jimmy looked anything but tired, so we decided we’d re-join the route for another few miles. We were fairly shortly heading back out the South Link Road. I was back at race pace and Jimmy was ambling along beside me; but with 14km already done, I was nearly out of range, out of fuel, and in danger of crash-landing in The Lough like one of those RAF fighter-planes in Dunkirk. I turned back to City Hall for a change and a cuppa. Jimmy continued on to meet Pierre at the next transition point. The next time he was seen was 10 miles later crossing the finish line, having run three of the five relay legs at about 3:20:00 marathon pace!

Meanwhile, Pierre had finished his 9.2km leg to the final transition point and handed the wrist-band to Zandille. Pierre said afterwards it was that he wanted to share the excitement of the finish line with his beloved; Zandille said it was because he knew she wouldn’t run as fast if he wasn’t around; either way, they ran the last leg together, and crossed the finish line to a cheering crowd, with huge smiles and fist pumps. Funnily enough it was Pierre who had the Zimbabwean flag draped around his shoulders.

Ann, Audrai and Phil are back at the finish line by now; Eileen is on her way back from the final transition point. I finally get to properly meet my team-mate Mike; and we spread out along the route to cheer Siobhan over the finish line.

Our multi-national team has finished the marathon relay with an official time of 3:21:44; we’re 38th overall of 617 relay teams; and we’re the first Sanctuary Runners team to cross the line.

The Afters

RocketMan HQ on Prince’s St. is hosting post-race refreshments for the Sanctuary Runners. A barbeque is provided courtesy of the OurTable pop-up restaurant – an inspiring initiative by Ellie Kisyombe, herself living in direct provision for eight years, and working to highlight the need for asylum seekers to be able to select and cook food for their families. The Lord Mayor of Cork visits, to say a few words, and to present some race medals.

All team members make it safely back to HQ with back-slaps and high-fives all round, team photographs and chat until it’s time for us to move on; back to Dublin for me, Killarney for Mike, and Millstreet for Jimmy, Pierre and Zandille. We all agreed that we had a thoroughly enjoyable and invigorating day, meeting people from different backgrounds and sharing an uplifting experience with them.

We didn’t discuss doing it again next year, because, well, who knows where we’ll be in twelve months’ time?

Results

Bere Island Parkrun

I spent last weekend driving around West Cork and South Kerry from my base in Killarney. In need of a session to keep me ticking over on Saturday morning, I went looking for a Parkrun. I’d run the Killarney Parkrun last December. It’s a fine course but I wanted something new and more interesting. My plan for Saturday was to visit Bere Island in the afternoon. Whilst doing my research I saw they host a Parkrun on the island. After a quick check-in with Parkrun enthusiast Maura Ginty, I had my directions and a glowing recommendation. From Killarney, it is about a 90 minutes drive along the N71. One of the most scenic roads in the country. A 5.45 start but well worth it to see the sun rise on the Cork / Kerry border.

There are 2 ferries servicing Bere Island. Murphy’s Ferry sails between Rerrin Village and the Pontoon. I got this one at 8AM. Bere Island Ferries sails between Oilean na gCaorach, West End Bere Island and Castletownbere. This is the more popular ferry. It leaves at 9 AM and there is a bus to drop you to the start line and back. All for €10. There is no need to book either. If you have a car I’d recommend the 8 AM ferry as it leaves you 5 minutes from the start and gives you time to explore afterward.

Always one to be early. I arrived at the Pontoon at 7.40 AM, after stopping for one too many times for photos. 20 minutes later I was on the island and being greeted by a local lady who asked me if I was here the run? She then kindly invited me in for coffee. The Bere Island park run, which is on the Wild Atlantic Way offers spectacular scenery of Bantry Bay with a route which takes in a Bronze Age wedge tomb, remains of a Viking boatyard and a former World War One military battery.

The parkrun began on the island on August 29th, 2014 and has grown from strength to strength. Since then, much has changed, the Parkrun has become a regular activity on the Island, making a huge positive impact on the community. About two hundred people live on Bere Island but over six hundred people that have registered Bere Island park run as their home run; I think that says it all.

The course is well marked but there is a allot of holes in the road after the harsh winter. They have a timing clock at the end which is great and a very friendly team of organisers. The local GAA club is used for changing and showers. True to island life it doesn’t get locked. This might have something to do with the fact that the army has a base on the island. The advice from the race marshal was quite amusing in his thick accent “dont run towards the bullets”, “dont run through the village”.

The 5k measured course goes around the eastern end of the island near Rerrin Village. It’s a single lap course but much hillier than most Parkruns that you find in Dublin. The course record for men is 16:04. I went into the race thinking that was doable but after a first KM of 3.40 I was thinking maybe not. The course is amazing. You start off downhill but quickly hit too short steep inclines. To your left is the army shooting range with the sound of gunfire in the distance. You start to pick up the pace when you hear the bullets. The scenery all around the course is top class. Gorgeous cliffs give way to rolling hills. The first 4K is mostly all hills. There is a few flat sections but It’s not until the very last section which is all downhill that you really get moving past 10K pace. They had a lot of visitors on Saturday. 40 or so Air Corps cadets who had been down in the Army barracks all week on an adventure/training camp ran.

It was rather a warm morning (I don’t want to say too hot-we might jinx the great weather we’ve been getting). There was some cloud cover to start with giving a nice cooling effect, but it wasn’t long before the clouds separated letting the sun cast its waves of heat down on us, making for very warm running conditions. I finished in an official time of 17:18 which puts me 5th on the all-time list. It’s rare that I would run so slow for a 5K but I found the heat, holes in the road and hills tough.
I don’t reckon I could take more than 30 seconds off that. It’s a very enjoyable but tough course. At the end of the run, everyone heads to the Bakehouse Cafe in Rerrin Village for a coffee, scone, and a chat.

I cant recommend this enough. Put it on your Bucklist or just drive down some weekend over the summer. I’ll be back in this part of the country allot more. There is a great run down there on July 14th with a bunch from the club going. Check it out!

Tullaroan Half Marathon 2018

Report by Conor Keating

This is the first race report I’ve done since the Tullaroan races last year, which demonstrates my more laid back attitude since finishing all those damn accounting and tax exams.

My report last year fairly comprehensively covered the range of distances available and my experiences on same; 5k ( I ran it in 2017), 10k (2015), 1/2 marathon (2014) and also the marathon and ultramarathon (next year ted) – see link: www.sportsworldrunningclub.com/news/tullaroan-races-2017/

Thus after finishing the 1/2 marathon on Saturday, and without naming names, the sole other Sportsworld participant having passed the buck to me during the post-race discussion I was thinking of how I am going to stop repeating myself in this year’s report. I’ll only briefly reference last year’s report and state that I wasn’t kidding about the hills.

To mix things up a bit a ‘fun’ fact is that this 1/2 marathon was my 10th race since the 15th April.  Here’s a quick review of a What & When followed by comments format:

Sun 15th April: Local 5k in Tipperary, 20min 13secs.  Not good – It was raining heavy that morning and me being a fair weather athlete got a lift down to the start and took shelter until about 10secs before the race started. Who would have known that doing no warm-up or stretching before a race wasn’t a good idea? #cramp

Wednesday 18th Apr: Raheny 1 mile road race, 5min 20secs. On seeing that I had got picked for the national road relays on the Sunday I decided to get a bit of practice on the route. The race went well and I also got talking to Pat Hooper (Rahney Shamrock club treasurer and 1980 Olympian at the marathon) so glad I did it. When I came into training the next day Myles immediately came up to me and said that I did a good mile the night before (being the subject of a telephone conversion made by an Olympian to our club coach made me feel very important…)

Sunday 22nd Apr: National Road Relays Leg 4: 2miles – 12mins 13secs. I was running the whole time on my own and I forgot my watch so it was hard to judge but I thought it went fairly ok. When I looked up the results later on I thought my time would have been a little bit faster. Strangely on the Athletics Ireland website it still states provisional national road relays results but I’m sure they are pretty accurate (…comparing my time to other 2 mile times makes me feel a lot less important).

Wednesday 25th Apr: Graded Meeting 1 – (3000m), 2750m grade C race – damn stitch…that is all.

Mon 7th May: National Novice 6k: 24mins 14secs. I had followed the club schedule the week before, ie. Sessions Tuesday & Thursday, Tempo run Wed and a few easy runs the few days before the race and yes that came back to bite me. However much to my surprise, I won a sliver medal county medal for Dublin, along with my 5 faster teammates. which shows the importance of teamwork in the championship races.

Wed 9th May: 1500m Graded C race 4mins 53 secs. A decent run on tired legs finished in the middle of the field.

Tuesday 15th May: Bhaa 5k beach race 19mins 55secs. Very happy with this run, 19th out of 160. I had Noel Tobin on my shoulder for most of the race but produced a sprint finish to bet him by 1 sec – that’s where the track comes in useful.

May 23rd: 800m C race 2mins 24secs: I was looking to have an easy week and doing this race was half an excuse to take it gently for most of the rest of the week. 11secs off my PB and yes, I admit I finished last.

Tuesday 29th May: Dunboyne 5 mile – 32mins 4 secs. First 2 miles were grand but a bit downhill from there. Noel Tobin bet me hands down this time.

The above races however palled in comparison, both in terms of distance and elevation, to the Tullaraon 1/2 marathon on Saturday. With my prior knowledge of the nature of the course my plan was to go out conservatively say no faster than 7:20 for the first mile. So I start off and go at what I think is a steady pace, without looking at my watch and then it beeps and shows 6:29 for the first mile, Ooops.

I think I was a little distracted by a fellow competitor who seemed set on running directly behind me to shelter himself from the wind. I decide to settle into a more sensible pace for the uphill miles 2-6 and let your man off. It’s a very twisty course and the numerous hills awaiting around corners can be demoralising.

I must say however that the event is well organized with water stations every 1.5 – 2 miles. Just after mile 6 comes a sustained downhill section for about 1.5kms. It can be tempting to go too fast down this section and I think I was a little too enthusiastic as from memory I thought the second half of the course was pretty flat apart from one tough hill just after 10 miles.

Wrong – There was a fair headwind for a lot of the second half of the race and the ‘hill’ just after 10 miles turned out to be a sustained steep, against the wind, section with numerous hills (I know it was 4 years ago since I ran this but how did I forgot that?). I paid for my earlier over enthusiasm here and it was fairly brutal for that section but thankfully the last mile and a half was gradually downhill back to the village where the race both starts and finishes.

I finished in 1hour 36mins – would have liked to have been a few mins quicker but it’s a tough course and it was more windy than expected. Well done also to Eoin for driving down and finishing in 1hour 49mins. For the record Eoin said he enjoyed the course and would come back again definitely recommends it. I will personally vouch for this – if you’re looking for a PW and an excuse to go on the lash for the whole of the bank holiday weekend  (instead of being sensible and waiting until after Cork) this is for you.

The event actually has a great atmosphere with music and a marquee full of refreshments at the finish line. The race was won by Mark McKenna of Waterford AC in 1hour 20mins – as a comparison he has ran 1hour 14mins in the rock and roll half marathon which is no easy course either. The Tullaroan marathon (2 laps of our race) was won in 3hours 3mins (course record is 2hours 54mins so suffice to say this is not the course to try to get 2:59:59) and 17 hardy souls completed the ultra marathon (3 laps ) the winning time being 5hours 47mins.

????The Strava elevation gain, along with the cool bling that you get, really capture the nature of the course. The total evaluation gain is 236m compared with 108m for the Cork half-marathon. I would like to do the Cork half-marathon as I went to college in UCC but I had a family get together on Sunday so did Tullaroan instead.

Maybe next year but I still think I will keep coming back to Tullaroan, there’s a great buzz from finishing such a course and to the event as a whole. There are also races in Tullaron on the May bank holiday weekend. For anyone looking to try something different without running up a mountain, I would recommend Tullaroan.

PS: As the eagle eyed Justin saw on Strava afterwards I attempted to get my own back by asking to be dropped off at the downhill section of the course and then attempting to do a 1 mile Time Trial. Let’s just say my legs didn’t thank me for it and you can’t go a mile in Tullaroan without coming across some sort of hill and/or headwind. N,o it didn’t go to plan – 5mins 52secs for the record.
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