Race reporter Michelle Burke

TEAMS STANDINGS SO FAR:

December 2023 Sportsworld Running Club celebrated 40 years as a running club. We had some of the original members of the club as well as brand members celebrating being part of Sportsworld at the Hilton Hotel in Dublin.

Mick Dowling, Club President, welcomed members to the event and gave an introduction on the early days of the club and the building of the Sportsworld Clubhouse in Bushy Park and Emily Dowlings 40 years of service to the club as head coach. Aileen Melody and Michael Cunningham were the MC for the black tie event. Sean O Byrne gave a great round up of the history of the 40 years of the club from the early days meeting under a tree to the first running of the Mini Marathon by the first Sportsworld members.

Eoin O Brien and Gareth Murran but together a collection of photos playing in the back round from championship race wins to the annual club BBQ. The celebration went into the following day with stories and memories being shared.

A big thank you to the organising committee for putting on a brilliant and memorable event. Only 5 more years to wait for the next anniversary dinner.

If you would like to see more photos from the event follow the below link.

https://tdstudios.pixieset.com/sportsworldrunningclub-anniversarydinner/

People are familiar with football world cup finals, rugby world cup finals or All Ireland Finals. The National Senior Cross Country Championships may not have the glamour or TV coverage but for some this is their world cup final and for their club it’s the All Ireland. This years race was held in Gowran, a very familiar small town to some runners but the course was nothing anyone had seen before. The layout was similar to previous events but the ground conditions showed the continuous heavy rain that has fallen for the last few months.

Some people are into their pre race premonitions, seeing 2 magpies around the course, a double rainbow over the finish line. One thing you never want to see when you jog around a course is a pile of single cross country spikes staked beside a marshal on the course. This is scientific proof the course is going to be seriously tough, especially when any runner doing nationals knows to triple tie their shoe laces.

There was a small enough field for the womens senior XC which this year for the first time was 9km matching the men’s distance. I guess the jury is out on if matching race distances is going to work long term but the course and distance was no problem to first time national senior winner Fionna Everard of Bandan AC. There was only 63 finishers in the women’s race with DCH winning the women’s team title.

After around a 30minute delay the men’s race lined up. There were some top names in the field with Brian Fay, Darragh McElhinney or Efrem Gidey all tipped to win. Sportsworld had managed to get a team together for this important race with Karol Cronin, Paul O Beirne, Stephen O Donnell, Gavin Finlay, Michael Cunningham and Brian Conway.

Its hard to describe the race. The course was familiar, the distance was the same as the Leinster senior a couple of weeks before but the depth of the mud and the length of the muddy sections meant the 9km was more like a marathon and you almost had to constantly look at the ground to keep your balance and keep moving. There were a lot of non finishers and a lot of lost spikes. Cormac Dalton was the unexpected winner of the mens race with Kilkenny City Harriers winning the mens team. Kilkenny City Harriers had only 1 runner in the top 10 but still got the top place.

Full results on  MyRunResults

Since joining Sportsworld a couple of months ago, I was determined to try cross-country running at some point. Despite my best efforts, however, I never attended the weekend training sessions.

I was encouraged to go to Meet and Train in Tymon and thought that sounded like a gentle way in. I decided to buy some spikes and try them out before Tymon, and off I went to Eamonn Ceannt Park to run up and down a few slopes. The spikes felt VERY flat and VERY weird, and with my odd feet, I was a bit worried about how I would run in them on the day.

As the Meet and Train Day got closer, I became nervous. Reading WhatsApp messages in the build-up, I was so nervous that I misunderstood a few texts. Nerves do that to me. Running as an Individual, I thought, meant I wasn’t running for the Club. When I was added to a Team and saw that four races were scheduled, I thought I would have to run four on the same day. FOUR RACES, despite Zero training, never having run cross country, plus wearing weird shoes on my odd feet.

Not surprisingly, I was properly panicking when I turned up an hour early on the day. One of my running mates later remarked, ‘Your hands were shaking when you were trying to pin your race number on’. She was right.

I warmed up with the other runners, got a little more used to the strange shoes, and the nervousness shifted a little. My feet were soaked and muddy, and I thought, Hello, cross-country running. As a newbie, I was given fantastic advice and encouragement from experienced Club cross-country runners before the race, which helped give me a sense of belonging.

Lining up at the crowded start line, I suddenly felt 14 again at a school sports event and became slightly overwhelmed by the competitive vibe. I pushed those memories from my mind and took comfort that I was only running one race and not the four I had been dreading. Surely, I could manage one.

The crowding and slight jostling at the start made me take off faster than I had planned, and that, coupled with unexpected post-dodging, left me a bit rattled. I did feel the benefit of the spikes, though, as I noticed a few other runners in trainers slip and slide ahead of me. I began to realise after the first lap that it wasn’t starting too fast; that was the source of my burning lungs, but the fact that this was a whole other type of running. I didn’t have the comfort of regular breaths, my usual pattern of breathing in slightly fast and slowly out. For that, I realised you needed even surface under your feet. This was jumping over tufts of grass, running up inclines, uneven ground and splashing through mud. T’was very different from the road races I had run.

At the end of the first lap, I thought, how in the name of God am I going to do three laps when I can barely breathe? All around me, I could hear people breathing like I was; other lungs were screaming as loudly as mine, which was a small comfort.

I tried to keep sight of the other Sportsworlders to stay focused, and I prayed that I wouldn’t completely disgrace myself on my first outing for the Club. I also decided that I wouldn’t look back to see where I was on the course at any point. I was too scared of seeing I was Paddy Last or Patricia Last. (Apologies if someone called Paddy or Patricia is in the Club). I don’t mean ye!

I counted each lap and, heading into the third, realised I didn’t have the push to run like mad for the final stretch. Instead, taking encouragement from people shouting my name and lifting my spirits, I forced myself to overtake as many other runners as I possibly could. I was never so glad to finish a race so I could breathe properly again. I was handed a card with a number at the finish line. I hadn’t a clue that the number related to my finishing place and had misread it anyway. There was a great laugh when I declared, between mouthfuls of biscuits later, that my place number was 18 when it was actually 81.

So many runners from the Club and organisers checked in to see how I felt the race went, which was lovely. Let’s face it: all you want to do when you finish a race is talk about it A LOT. As a newbie, I felt so supported by the other Sportsworlders on the day, and it did make me want to do more cross country. It was a beautiful day, full of sunshine, hope and encouragement, and I am locked and loaded for the next three races. Thankfully, the next one isn’t until January, so I will put the time in for training this time!

Cormac Garvey

This was my 11th year togging out for Dublin marathon 2023.Dublins annual health kamikaze event. RDS friday registration was cool as I learned a few things from a health nutrition speaker (Evan@southeastNutritionClinic). Who would have thought that the breakfast of endurance champions was…. Cocopops?!

Ger Enright

Gareth Murran

The Dublin Marathon 2023 didn’t meet my expectations, but I still had a blast. I was really looking forward to it, especially after a tough time at the Limerick Marathon earlier this year. After Limerick, I realised I hadn’t logged enough miles over the past year to excel in a marathon. But that setback rekindled my passion, which had dimmed due to injuries in 2022.

When you’re running week in and week out throughout the year, it’s as vital to take breaks as the running itself. In May and June, I had fun road trips across Italy, France, and Ireland, and even did a few 5K races. But when July rolled around, it was time to get serious and start training. I set my sights on a high 2.3X finish time in Dublin, a bit off my personal best but a solid starting point for 2024.

July was mostly about working on speed, as it was still too early for specific marathon training. I became well-acquainted with the new cycleway down from Tesco. I even participated in a series of races, with one of my favourites being the Streets of Galway 8K in 27.15 (3.22).

Late August brought the Kilcock 10-mile race, which was a bit slower than expected at 57.09 (3.33). As August and September rolled on, I realized I had been pushing myself too hard, with the club 1500M, Dingle Half Marathon, and Charleville Half Marathon all bunched together in September. Both of these halves were part of a 20-mile run.

At that point, I felt like I was getting into good, if not great, shape. My final race was the Athlone Half, where I finished 3rd with a time of 75.35 (3.35). However, the following week, my training took a nosedive. I couldn’t pinpoint the exact cause, age or sickness, regardless I was struggling to maintain the pace in my workouts and long runs. I got a bit freaked out in mid-October when my training wasn’t going as planned. I lowered my race day expectations to 2.40 – 2.42, every few seconds per kilometre makes that big difference. In hindsight, I was run down mentally and physically.

Deirdre McGing

Fiona Lehany

After 15 months in sportsworld and 18 weeks of marathon training, I find myself rocking up to the start line of my first marathon  – Dublin City Marathon 2023. How did this happen?

I signed up after reading all the inspiring race reports from last year. It just sounded like something I wanted to experience and thought why not do it before I turn 50 next year. The physical side of the training went okay, a few bouts of tendinitis on my hamstring but kept the tempo work to a minimum and took a few days off when I felt a twinge. The hardest part was the mental focus, always thinking about the training, fueling, trainers, routes, hills, stretches, toe nails, Vaseline, plasters, long runs, short runs … the list goes on!! But the support on the WhatsApp group and from fellow SW members was amazing especially leading up to the day. As a first timer, I was confused as to where to start, how to start and most importantly how to keep going to the end. But I got some great advice (special thank you to Eileen and Ellen) …. Forget about pacers, run my own race and most of all enjoy it! Also, look a the times from last year to work out your plan.

I knew the biggest first timer’s mistake was going out too fast so I was determined not to fall into that trap. I had my times and motivational words scribbled on my arm so was well prepared. I arrived solo, left my bag, toilet trip x 4, and headed for the wave 2 start line. I was delighted to meet Noel whilst I was waiting around to chat and pass the time and with a few fist bump and we were both off!

Everything in the early stages were going to plan. After getting over the excitement of the first 5km I settled in nicely and reached my 5k and 10k markers exactly at my planned times. Some wonderful support at the early stages and even had a chat with Nathan as he passed me out up chesterfield avenue. He was on fire! I knew Castleknock was a bit of a slog from training, but the support was so good I hardly felt it and before I knew it, I was back in phoenix park for the nice down hill part. This is where things went hairy.  I looked at my garmin and the time read 14mins only. Something must have flicked off my timer. For that second I PANICKED!!!  SHITE!!!! … how was I going to run another 29km without the time. There was a woman beside me and she just said not to worry and then i remembered what Grainne said to me about having a plan B. THEN a feeling of CALMNESS came over me. I still had the pace working on my watch so I knew what pace i needed to do. I realised that I would enjoy the race more not having to think about time. Once i got over that blip i headed to St. Lawrence’s hill in Ballyfermot where I knew a good friend of mine would be there. She ran a km with me checking in if I needed anything and she left me again in Inchicore. 

It was nice to celebrate with the club members that night in Birchalls and share each other’s war stories of the day. Everyone was on a high!

Finally, thanks to all the stewards/ supporters who came out in such bad conditions to cheer us on and all the support from my fellow marathoners, special mention to Lucy’s wonderful energy and wisdom.  I would highly recommend it to anyone thinking about it – JUST DO IT!

Arnold Diepman

The monkey, me, myself and I

It took me 3h:54m:13s to get rid of that monkey on my back. Even now, I do not know how it got there. At some stage I had to confront it. This Sunday a year ago all omens were pointing in one – and only one – direction: 2023 was going to be my ‘beat-the-monkey’ year. No escape possible. My lot was sealed when the congratulatory email arrived at the end of November 2022 notifying me that I’d been successful “in the 2nd round of the Lottery for the Irish Life Dublin Marathon 2023”. The race was on!

I used the first half of 2023 to build a foundation from which I could kick start the actual training for the marathon. I also used that time to read up left, right and centre the do’s and don’ts of running a marathon. That led quickly enough to the conclusion that there are too many “ways to Rome” to choose from. I set my own three principles: 3 training days a week, run no more than 50 – 60km per week and be guided by a training plan. For me that training plan became the one provided by Dublin Marathon.

When the actual training started I dutifully recorded my run kilometres on the plan to make sure that I met the weekly targets. I was not bothered by speed; the objective I’d set for myself was “to finish the marathon running”. Having said that, when the weeks progressed, I got to know my average speed. I ended up in forecasting that I should be able to finish the marathon within four hours.

The training never became a chore and I had the luck that I didn’t get any injuries. The Sunday long runs in the and around the Phoenix Park (including the hills within and around it) with club members were a welcome social affair in contrast to the lonely kilometres ran during the week. Allow me to digress here for a moment: It was on one of those Sunday mornings at the early stage of the ‘greater than 26km’ training runs that the time arrangement got all mixed up and I found myself and Gerard Enright as the only two gathered in the Phoenix Park at what we thought was the agreed time. We were not alone though; we were amongst runners from other groups in the similar situation. Ger, no better man, started to chat to David who found himself in a party of one (as the rest of his party showed up on the agreed time the day before). David was invited to run with us; and so he did. We quickly found out David’s passion is mountain running. He is a fervent IMRA racer and if he is not racing he is a … first aider for the race. It was David who came to my aid when I ‘sprained my ankle’ in the “Djouce -The Ayling Abyssrace” race back in July 2021. It’s a small small world.

When race day approached, I consulted various weather apps to look for the one app that would forecast ‘fair weather’ as that is – what I was made to believe – we would have. However, no such

app existed this year. So on race day I found myself in the pouring rain at the start line. How strange it might sound with 1,000s of people round me, it felt lonely. No club mate to chase the kilometres and share the experience with. I was on my own. For 42 kilometres me, myself and I, went through my personal set of milestones: the 10, 20, 30 and 40km points were rewarded by gels and the 15, 25 and 35 km points were my Jelly Baby moments. As you can imagine I was sugared out well before the end of the race. I also made it a sport – when not consuming my milestone treats – to overtake anyone slower than me. (The thrills associated with starting in Wave 4.) Especially around Heartbreak Hill it became very lucrative. After Fosters Avenue I became blinkered and focused only on one thing and that was “get to that finish line and step on it”. Despite the sugary rewards and the highs of overtaking so many runners, the legs were starting to speak up and making themselves heard for all the wrong reasons. So the “step on it” was only converted in breaking power. I arrived at the finish line after a materially slower last 10 km. It was the finish line though and I reached it running. Mission accomplished. In my stride, I’d finished in the time interval I’d hoped for. What is there not to be happy about? To be honest, nothing. I enjoyed each and every aspect of the marathon. And what is good about finishing the marathon, is having a guaranteed entry for next year, which I’ve taken.

Gavin Finlay

2:43 (36th M40, 135th OA)
26th M40 National Marathon Championship
On Fortfield Road at around 10:25am, my daughter on one side, my wife on the other, ran
alongside me to hand me a gel and a drink. This was around mile 17 of the route I know like the back of my hand and was probably the race highlight which had its equal share of
lowlights.

From Fortfield down Templeogue Road through Bushy and into Terenure Village was brilliant
and a section I’d been looking forward to from the start. The supportive atmosphere of the
“home crowd” and the sophisticated Sportsworld support (who know their running!) was such a welcome boost after the drearier drag of Crumlin Road and the subdued Cromwellsfort -Cromwell’s name alone enough to damage spirits.

Sadly, at racepace it’s not always possible to soak up the atmosphere and truly enjoy it, at least for me anyway! The horror of Clonskeagh-UCD and the grim N11 were only 4-5 miles ahead.

Lowlights included: being slightly rushed to the startline, running groupless mostly, fuelling
not great right from the off – I felt GI distress (tummy trouble!) for most of the race.
Honestly there were moments when thoughts of dropping out drifted in, and then thankfully, out of my mind. The “Terenure Tunnel” helped drive me on, dig deeper and persevere to the end.
DCM is largely a decent course and it’s so nice to run through Phoenix Park and leafy
Castleknock in Autumnal colours. The uphills and downhills do affect your rhythm and so it’s unlikely to be a PB race for anyone but the elites.

2:43 at 43 ain’t bad I suppose. A full 10 minutes slower than my last marathon 4 years ago in London and 12 slower than my PB. But that’s the nature of this brutal beast. I thought
2:38-39 was realistically achievable based on recent sessions but that was always going to
be contingent on near perfect fuelling.

Thank you so much for all those cheers of support. And well done to all club members who
ran.
Gavin Finlay

Kimberley Kennedy

Dublin Marathon was on my mind for most of 2023, but I only really admitted to myself I was going to give it a go in late summer. I’d pushed it out of my head until I could ignore it no longer. I decided I better do some training. I started joining the club on Sundays for long runs in August and built up to 21km. Then I had a few hiccups and disruptions and after the Cologne Half at the start of October didn’t really do any long runs. I bought a few gels but didn’t try one until the day before. I still used 5 of them over the marathon and was fine..they are great, must try them in a half next time I do one.

Crona Clohisey

First marathon and the words never again were a firm feature during Sunday’s race. As they say pain is only temporary and of course im signed up for next year. And I can’t wait!

The Cologne Half Marathon has been on my radar for a while. The company I work at has an office in Cologne and pre covid organised a group to represent it there each year. I remember being in awe of how they could run that distance and it always seemed like a fun trip.

In 2019 I decided to sign up to do it. I think it was sometime in the summer. The race is always early October. I was not a runner at the time but thought maybe I could walk it. Then I heard about the cut off time being 2 hours 45 minutes, and how they pick people outside the cut off up and bus them off the course. I imagined the embarrassment of that happening in front of my colleagues. I quietly withdraw from the race, but I had paid for the flights, so decided to make a weekend of it in Germany instead. Of course, at the airport I bumped into colleagues heading over for the race and I had to shamefully explain I had backed out. I decided I would have to do it in the future to redeem myself.

2021 came around and I started the couch to 5k in March, got the running bug, and signed up for Cologne. All was going well, but then the race was cancelled due to covid.

2022 came around and I was injured and couldn’t run a HM.

2023 was my year, a group was organised through work, some from Dublin, some from Cologne and other parts of Germany, and it was all systems go…. until I tripped going down steps to the expo! I thought I had twisted my right ankle, but a few hours later my ankle was fine, the top of my foot swollen, however. Would this be the end of my Cologne HM dreams before even getting to the start line? I tested it out. Walking was sore, but amazingly, running seemed ok.

On the Sunday the race was due to start at 9am. The forecast was for 25 or 26 degrees, but there was a chill in the air as we headed over the Rhein to Deutz over the Hohenzollern bridge. The conditions were perfect, and everyone was in great form, with music and motivational commentary blasting from speakers. Off we went, right on time and from the start I noticed the amount of people out in the streets cheering on runners. I have never seen support like it. The first 12km or 13km seemed to just fly by and I was happy enough with my pace, but then things got a bit tricky…every time I pushed off my right foot, I felt discomfort that got so bad I ended up having to stop and walk a bit every couple of kms. Not great, but I wasn’t too concerned about my time, I wanted to enjoy the experience and atmosphere. And what an atmosphere it was, 6km from the end and there were so many people out cheering us on it felt like we were near the end, and that continued for the rest of the race, we were showered with confetti and glitter and encouraged along all the way.

The temperature started to increase in the end stages of the race, and I was pitying the full marathon runners who started at 10.30am as Colognes amazing cathedral came into sight. The cathedral was our goal (Der Dom ist das Ziel – the race motto). Once past the cathedral we turned right and then we were onto the red mats and the finish line. One of the race sponsors was Rewe, the German supermarket chain, and they had supplied refreshments. I have never seen so much food and drinks at the end of a race – I grabbed a fizzy apple juice (I don’t know why Apfelschorle is not popular outside Germany and Austria, it’s delicious) and picked up my sustainable wooden medal. Then it was on to find my colleagues and sit in the sun for a few hours sipping Koelsch and respecting recovery.

It was a great weekend; I would definitely run the Cologne half again, next time paying a bit more attention going down steps the day before!