Thanks to Anthony Gillen for the race photos and Liam Lenehan for the cover picture.
Full Sportsworld results below – 35 finishers!
Arriving early for once to collect my number, there was a small crowd warming up and jogging down to the start line, but this quickly changed as the high numbers for this run turned out on the sunny Sunday morning.
The race started just before the Tesco in Rathfarmham and went downhill for the first few meters until hitting the turn up towards tenure which took a little more effort. Once back on the flat, past the bank of Ireland and running back towards bushy park. However not home yet as the race past the park and moved back towards Tesco with about 600 meters to go towards the finish.
One of the best things about being in a running club is the number of people you know along the route cheering club members on. Thanks for those who came out to support.
The final 200 meters was the longest ever, your nearly there I heard a few times! (why did this 200 meters seem longer than normal!).
After crossing the finish line, I saw the sea of Sports world colours all gathered together after the race. There is lots of chatter about results and the upcoming awards night!
After missing the last years Berlin last year through injury I was entered again this year determined to give a good account of myself on what is the fastest course in the world.
To be honest after building up to this race for the whole year I was very nervous setting off from Dublin on Friday evening. I bumped into Diarmuid on the flight and we made plans to meet up after the race on Sunday.
Saturday morning I joined the traditional “Breakfast Run” and 6km jog from the palace at Charlottenburg to the Olympic Stadium.
Olympic Stadium
There is a great atmosphere at this run with people from all over the world decked out in their national colours and flags.
The jog finishes in the Olympic stadium which is now home to the Hertha Berlin soccer team, but of course this was the site of Jesse Owens great displays in the 1936 Olympics and more recently Usain Bolt set world records here at 100m and 200m in 2009.
The warm sunshine was pleasant but I know it would probably be a factor in the big race the following day.
After picking up my number at the expo across town it was time to relax and prepare for the main event.
On Sunday the weather was near perfect in the early morning. This race is superbly organised and even though there are 40,000 entrants there seems to be much queueing up needed.
At 9:15am we are off around the streets of Berlin. The support out on the course is fantastic with big crowds, DJ’s, bands and all sorts of entertainment.
There is also no shortage of aid stations with everything from water, sports drinks, bananas, even tea.
As with every marathon it is crucial to get your pacing right. I’m targeting between 3:25 and 3:30 so I’m trying to stay at the slower end of that range but the GPS watches are not much use as the signals are affected by all the tall buildings.
I keep an eye on my times at the 5km intervals and am happy enough with my progress. I get through halfway in a time of 1:43:05. This puts me bang on target so just a matter of keeping things together for the second half of the race.
Easier said than done though as the pain increases with each km marker and the temperature heads ever higher.
I’m really hanging on a bit after 40km and I’m never as glad to see the sight of the Brandenburg gate. Remembering the advice from last years runners that the finish line is a little beyond the gate I save something for the final straight and am delighted to see a finish time of 3:26:56.
I didn’t exactly give Kenenisa Bekele a run for his money but I’m delighted to take over 20 mins off my marathon PB.
Sportsworlds Adrian and Diarmuid meet up before starting the race
The post-race atmosphere is truly amazing and I again meet up with Diarmuid for some post race beers and to exchange war stories.
This is truly a great experience and it’s a race I’d recommend to anyone, as long as they have the training done.
After a day of battling Berlins many, many steps in name of some sightseeing it’s time to head home after a job well done and taking with me a medal and some great memories.
Sportsworld Results:
Diarmuid O’Suilleabhain 2:59:25 (PB)
Adrian Lanigan 3:26:56 (PB)
As 9000 runners descended on the Phoenix Park for last Saturday’s Dublin race series Half Marathon, I was feeling more optimistic than I was for the last half I ran in Clontarf a couple of weeks ago. I’ve been in training since then and was interested to see what kind of time I could dig up despite the rain and wintery conditions.
The atmosphere was electric and all looking very organised until the end when I tried to retrieve my bag (more about that later ……)
I knew there was a good contingent from Sportsworld running and I first bumped into Peter Knaggs who told me he was planning on taking it easy (Yeah right Peter, check out his time below :))
I walked towards the start line and saw Denise Kilkenny ready to go so jumped in beside her.
And we were off ….. my plan was to start steady and try to quicken up for the second half of the race but as often happens, I got carried away with the crowd and ended up running faster than originally planned. As I got to the 10k mark, I was hoping I could continue at the same pace for the next 11kms or so and thankfully I did. For me it was a nice course with downhill’s and some uphill’s but all in all a good challenging route which took in Farmleigh and most of the park.
I saw a few Sportsworld vests during the race and everyone was looking first class.
Thanks to Paddy, Myles and Emily who all shouted some encouragement and were positioned towards the end when you most need the support.
I came in at 1:49:34 which was a whole 10 minutes faster than Clontarf so was delighted. My glass of white wine obviously did me no harm on Friday evening ……..
A few of us gathered after the race to swap notes and take a few customary photos as we wouldn’t dare leave without some evidence of being there!!!
Then the real fun began ….. the bag drop tent. I’m not exaggerating when I say the queue was 20 people deep and nothing moving. A few of us joked that there was more chance of picking up a Dublin bus than our bag at the rate it was moving. We were hanging around almost as long as it took to run the race. I managed to shout over to a kind man who was standing near my bag and retrieved it for me. After which, the barrier came down and it was like a first class mill to grab your belongings.
Congrats to all the club runners for a great weekend’s running, partying and celebrating …….
Sportsworld Results
Kevin Curran 01:19:34
Justin McKeever 01:22:35
James Brady 01:23:20
Jim Manning 01:25:21
Sean Duffy 01:25:22
Paul Brady 01:30:16
Damien Geraghty 01:30:32
Noel Tobin 01:33:32
Peter Knaggs 01:37:15
Johnny Dwyer 01:39:30
For the 3rd year running myself and Judith entered the ‘Ronde Ceretaine’, a 20km hill run in the foothills of the Pyrenees. I’m not going to bore everyone with the same details as last year except to say that the route had not got any shorter, the hills were just as steep and the weather just as warm. Unfortunately for me the time had also not improved. One thing I did learn though if you want to complete a hill run doing 800,s and 1000,s on the flat in Bushy Park is not the best preparation. Nevertheless we finished it. Being the gentleman that I am I held back on the 2nd. lap so allowing Judith to finish ahead of me getting 2nd in her category and a place on the winners podium. Till next year!
Photos by Denis and from the Grant Thornton 5k Facebook albums: Click here
Prepare yourself for shocking revelations of;
Women loving my short shorts
Ringers Heightism
Starting Corral Snobbery
Flat courses not being fast
Mad Voices in runners heads
Post race conversations to avoid
Obvious Drug Taking
Journeys win over Destinations
Yes the Grant Thornton 5k on the outside may seem like a corporate fun run. But underneath lurks the murky world that few ever get to see.
Around five years ago Grant Thornton started a race series of 5ks. You can only enter as a business team of four so individual members of Irelands workforce are not welcome. Being self employed I am therefore excluded. No way I would be doing this then, shunned by the Corporate giants.
When I got a text from clubmate Stephanie that she needed someone to fill in for a fallen comrade from her team called Gulliver (not his real name), I stuck to my guns and said no way, I was no sell out. After finding out it would be free I said yes. So I was to be a ringer, pretending to be someone I am not.
4,453 runners crossed the finish line. It was a very competitive affair up the front being won in 14.29 and you had to run sub 17.40 just to make the top 100!
I recently moved to Donnybrook so decided I would jog into town as my warm up. So with foam rolling completed I strapped on the shoulder bag and began the short commute. You know those guys you see while sitting in traffic who jog/run home from work with a bag on their back containing their work clothes etc. I often wonder if the bag would drive you mad jostling around with each stride, and are those lads Gowls? Well I quickly discovered that yes it does, and yes they are so after 80 metres of pretending all was fine the jog became a walk.
Women loving my short shorts
Passing through Ballsbridge I was wearing my very short race shorts with the split high up the thigh. I knew it would only be a matter of time before they worked their magic. Soon a female cyclist pulled alongside and started talking to me. It turned out to be Anna Delaney. Obviously weak at the knees for my legs her bike wobbled all over the place while we chatted race tactics. Eventually as she was a danger to herself beside me she pretended she was late to meet her team mate and pedalled on.
Anna Delaney
Ringers Heightism
The hub of operations was operations was Grand Canal Dock where there was a bag drop. Stephanie arrived promptly at the 6.45 meet time with my race number in hand.
Stephanie Bergin
Here is where the shocking heightism in Irish Corporate running reared its ugly head.
(Some names have been changed to protect the innocent)
Me: Hi Stephanie, who am I filling in for today then
Stephanie: A guy called Gulliver (not his real name, but you can see where this is going…)
Me: I hope he is not like a super fast elite
Stephanie: He is very tall
Me: Oh he must have a long auld stride
Stephanie: He is the complete opposite of you Denis
Me: Oh really, in what way?
Me in my head: (He must be brutal looking)
Stephanie: He is over six foot I’d say, he is very tall
How I see Myself
How Stephanie see’s me
The Six Foot Plus Guy Guy I Was Filling In For Who Was Indosposed
And there you have it, dealt a crushing low blow before a step has even been taken.
I dragged myself to drop in the bag and off the two of us went for what seemed to be the longest warm up either of us ever did as the race start was not until half seven.
The race takes place on the quays and warming up we jogged over Matt Talbot bridge and turned right heading for the Point Theatre where a bunch of wineo’s were having a screaming match that was threatening to come to blows. When we passed them on the way back they had calmed down and one was sitting on the railings with his can, separated from the rest. Apparently the naughty step is employed for all ages. I wondered would they join in when the race passed by.
Starting Corral Snobbery
I had been warned by Sportsworlders after asking advice on Facebook to line up at the front. Myself and Stephanie joined in at a point that I felt would be fairly reflective of where we would finish. We were probably about 150 to 200 people back ish in the first Corral for people finishing between 15 and 20 mins. I normally try and start where I think I will finish as that way I won’t be in anyone’s way. In hindsight when I saw the two girls standing beside me with phones in hand, leggings and giant headphones I should have realised the take off was going to be a bit of a mess.
And so it turned out to be. I aimed to go out hard for the first time ever to see what would happen. When we were here a few months back Kate Kelly from the club took off faster than me and I spent the whole race trying to haul her back in and failed by one second. So I took her advice afterwards and set myself a goal of 3.30 for the first k and hang in for the last four!
Flat courses not being fast
The first k was a mix of two 90 degree turns over Matt Talbot bridge where everyone ran into the back of each other and then being blocked in behind a walls of runners which meant a lot of weaving in and out. The course might be only 5k long but it crosses the Liffey four times.
How is it that you line up behind maybe two hundred people but when the race starts after around 500 metres you get past a good few but there still seems to be around 3,000 in front of you?
During the long stretch down the North quays the runners ahead of you end up running past you in the opposite direction on the other side of the cones. This is the Athletics equivalent of a few hundred slaps in the face. Well if that’s the leaders, and we have only gone 2k I thought to myself then the 180 degree turn must be just up head, I couldn’t be that far back, surely.
I could have made tea, drank it and washed the cup by the time the turn arrived.
As I ran back up towards The Samuel Beckett bridge I heard Maura Ginty shouting out encouragement.
Maura Ginty
I had the Sportsworld vest on so probably stuck out. Fair play to her for the shout I thought to myself, I couldn’t shout back as by now I was struggling to keep breathing and running at the same time.
You don’t realise how steep the rise onto a bridge can feel until you are tired. After crossing the river we were sent on a loop around a block of buildings. More turns, bad road surfaces and congested narrow bits made what I thought was going to be a fast course not as quick as expected. Started to feel shagged at this stage and the old inevitable internal conversation starts. I assume everyone has these monologues when things start feeling bad.
Mad Voices in Runners Heads
This is what the voice inside my head sounds like nearly every time…
Jesus Denis boy you can’t even feel your arms, they are numb, legs are tired now, no more juice left in them, oh God I would love to stop now, no one will think any less of you if you do, this pain can all be over straight away if you just move over to the side and start walking. Two k left, oh that’s a long way, that would be five laps of the running track in Tallaght, five like, you know how long one can feel like, lads are starting to pass you now, your pace is dropping, stride getting slower and longer, slow down a bit before you die, aw sure look you have come this far, keep going, it will be the final km marker soon, you always feel better and run faster in the final k, sure the first four are just you tolerating it until the last k, keep your cadence up, you are not going as slow as you think you are, just keep moving, the last k is coming up, you didn’t go through all this pain to stand at the finish line and see you missed your time by a few seconds so cop on and dig in, you could be injured again next week and not have this chance again, you have enough training done and videos watched and vegetables eaten and hours stretching and foam rolling to endure this. Now power up, open that stride, swing those arms, mimic the posture of the track runners, breathe harder, now pump and lift those knees and drive, strong level hips, fast rythmn, maintain it, pass the next guy in front, now aim for the next one, the finish line is just over the bridge, what time on my watch, I have 40 seconds to make it, that looks like a long way to cover in 40 seconds, I could never do that, oh shut up and start sprinting, you call that sprinting, they go quicker than that going into Bingo, 200 metres to go, come on just one last rattle down here to the line, I think I might puke, don’t puke before the line, one last push, look at the clock, stop my watch, am I going to puke, nope, thank God that’s over, that was pure torture, jesus never again, wayyyyy harder than I thought it was going to be, lot of pain, keep walking, just keep walking and don’t fall over, left, right…
Post race conversations to avoid
It’s amazing how quickly after a 5k that you feel better, you can go from dying to grand in a matter of a minute. Unless of course you bump into Conor McCarthy. While I hadn’t run as fast as I hoped I was feeling good that I didn’t give up and might have snuck in for a pb.
Conor McCarthy (at the cake sale!)
Me: Hey Conor, how are things boy
Conor: Ah not bad Denis. I think the course was short…
Me: What?
Conor: Yeah I got 4.87km on the watch, my buddy got it short too
Me: Ah sure you can never trust the watches. What time did you do?
Conor: 16:39 and Karol ran 15:15 I think
Me: Was that a PB for you?
Conor: It is but I’d say the course was short alright . How did you do?
Me: (With head lowered!) 18:27 My watch says 4.89k so might have been short, don’t know
And there you have it, you can go straight from oh that exam wasn’t too bad and then you meet other students outside who gave different answers to you and you doubt everything.
“Hi Denis” came a voice from behind me while we picked up water and bananas. An old school friend Patrick Casey, oh thank God, I hope he didn’t run 16 something as well and tell me the course was definitely short…
As we walked along we chatted about how it went and I began to feel a bit better again when we came across Will Greensmyth, he ran 17:30, feeling crap again!
Made my way back to Grand Canal Square where I met Karl Chatterton, 16:48, Jesus who am I going to meet next, Mo Farrah?
Obvious Drug Taking
At this stage I feel like I should start taking drugs to speed up. And that’s when it hit me, these lads must all be on drugs. I immediately felt better. Am looking forward to my pharmaceutically enhanced performances of the future. (Just kidding, kinda!)
Maura Ginty arrived and was in great form after her run, Stephanie arrived and ran way faster than she originally predicted breaking 20 minutes. So after a few photos and post race chat it was time to head home. While walking home I bumped into Grainne Dilleen who has been doing some Parkruns in Marlay lately and enjoyed a great run too. Did you know that in 2013 Grainne ran 3:43 in the Dublin Marathon. She never forgets to tell me that every time I meet her, great memory that girl.
I posted some photo’s to Facebook and got landed with the job of writing this report by Eoin.
Tip: If you want to avoid doing a race report, don’t be the first one to post to FB after the race! Seriously though Eoin is doing an amazing job with the weekly club communications by Email and updating the website so well done him.
So in summary while I expected it to be a fast course I actually think Rathfarnham 5k next Sunday would be a quicker track. It has a better maintained road surface, less twists and turns, long straights with plenty of room, yes it does have one hill but the fast start and finish more than compensate for it.
I haven’t run since the Grant Thronton as have been laid low with a cold (could be Ebola, who knows) and am typing this in bed drinking Lemsip waiting for the All Ireland final between Mayo and Dublin to come on but hope to be back running by next weekend. When someone else can write the Rathfarnham race report which will be far more challenging as half the club is running that one and Eoin will be expecting 2,900+ words from you too whoever you are!
In closing I will leave you with the lessons I learned Tuesday night.
Your shorts lads, less is more, a big hit with the ladies
Apparently I am the opposite to tall (that came as quite the shock Stephanie)
If you see someone beside you at the start wearing headphones move forward 10 rows
When things get rough learn to drown out the negative crazy voice in your head with something more positive like images of Cork winning All Irelands
Don’t talk to Conor McCarthy after a race, no good will come of it, just nod and carry on eating your banana
If anyone finishes quicker than you don’t compare yourself to them, they are probably on drugs
Achieving a goal or pb is often an anti climax compared to the time you spend training for it. So enjoy the training with your clubmates as much as you can, it’s the best part
Journeys win over destinations
I thought I was cursed for the last 18 months with injuries and illnesses. If someone had told me then how long it would take to get back to where I was I am not sure I would have bothered. And am still not 100% fixed. But I enjoy running more now because of the setbacks than I would have if they never happened. I have got to run with every group in the club and met way more people because of it. And in hindsight I can see now that before the injury I was obsessed with times and improving and was a bit full of crap about it all. Am not running Olympic times like. Now I know to shut up more and value just being able to get out and run with people from the club. No matter what the pace or weather. I have even discovered that I don’t melt in the rain. I can run all day with the club but couldn’t run to the end of the street on my own. Which I guess proves that the really enjoyable part is the training and you, the people I get to run with, you are far more important than the races or the PB’s.
So a big thank you to everyone who has put up listening to my whining for the past year and a half.
I promise to never mention an injury again (unlikely to happen) and not to hark on about pace and times and running form articles (equally unlikely, if not more).
Until of course the day ever comes I break half an hour for the 5 mile and 5 mins for the mile or ever win a Parkrun.
Then I probably won’t shut up about it for the rest of my life.
(Feel free to unfriend me on Facebook if that ever happens, or even now to avoid the rush J)
Sportsworld Finishers Grant Thornton 5k
Karol Cronin 9th 15:15
Paul O’Connell 16:34
Conor McCarthy 16:39 (PB but his watch said course short so committee says no PB)
Karl Chatterton 16:48
Will Greensmyth 17:31
Denis McCaul 18:27 (PB)
Peter Knaggs 19:05 (PB)
Stephanie Bergin 19:39
Catherine Mulleady 20:24 (PB with a sore knee, that even rhymes…)
Anna Delaney 21:08 (who also followed up four days later finishing 2nd female in Ballincollig Parkrun 21:35, she should write a race report about that Eoin)
Damiano Celestini 21:32
Anne Dalton 21:54
Maura Ginty 22:18
Grainne Dilleen 22:29
When you’ve missed much running and racing through injury, it’s normal for the seeds of doubt to set in. Of course, the murderous tales Johnny Dwyer was about to tell us trumped all of that. More later.
The Lakes 10K around the shores of Blessington has always been a calendar race for many Sportsworld athletes. Today was no exception. “I will if you will” gathered pace and car-pooling arrangements were made.
Blessington
Also known locally as the Blessington Lake, the reservoir was created when the waterfall at Poulaphouca on the River Liffey (which flows from the Wicklow Mountains to Dublin) was dammed by the ESB for a hydroelectric plant which is still in use today. The valley was flooded and the resulting lakes extend over approximately 5,000 acres. A small village was submerged by the damming of the waterfall, and the remains of roads can still be seen leading down into the lake.
In addition to electricity, the lakes also provide water for the locality and the Dublin region as well as a leisure resource. The lake is also extensively used by boatmen and fishermen, and is a training location for the Irish Air Corps HQ divisions from Baldonnel.
Bad weather
The weather was not kind. We were reminded of the Warriors who braved the recent Frank Duffy and were thankful our 10 was kilometres rather than miles. It was grim but none of our number bailed out and cries of “There’s no such thing as bad weather, just weak men” were everywhere.
The view from Adrian Lanigan car at the Blessington Lakes
Car park antics
There are 3 car parks. 2 flat, 1 on the slippy side of a big grassy hill. Conscious of sliding quickly to the bottom on such a wet mucky day, we asked the marshals if we could park in No.1 or No.2 flat gravel based car parks “No, they are the overflow. Please go on ahead to slippy, slidy, grassy hill as instructed”. We did. This was the first test of the day. Would my little front wheel drive car get us up the hill? Never fear, Farmer Browne had laid substantial amounts of hay to give grip. Our turn came as athletes began to watch this new automotive sport. To cheers from within our car, our turn. Up we went slipping, spinning and sliding and we were parked. The rain got worse but numbers had to be collected. Out, out, out we went.
“Oh My God, would you look at Missus and Miss Paris Hilton?” Have you ever, I mean ever, seen experienced athletes walking around in full race gear and walking, in singlets with …. an umbrella? Enter Ms Val Power and Ms Anne Sweeney. No getting wet here but we did confess to jealously admiring their joy de vivre.
Johnny Dwyer’s stories were still ringing in my ear.
Off we go
I laughed at the fella who, with just 10 metres run, cheerfully shouted out “Only 10K to go Lads”. We were off.
It is a beautiful race. Starting out in the middle of Blessington Bridge, (complete with its 7 concrete arches and built in 1935) the route is a lovely rural road pulling slightly uphill for 5K to Manor Kilbride. You could be anywhere in Ireland but you’re just 25K from O’Connell Street yet Manor Kilbride overflows with the history of Ireland, our struggles and of course, the massacres of 1798 were in the fields around us.
(In 1798 over 20 persons massacred nearby by the Ancient Britons and local yeomen. The rebel camp at Blackmore Hill near Blessington was abandoned after attack by Sir James Duff’s forces and a new camp formed at Clohogue).
At 5K there’s a natural turn right which acts as a clear ‘half way’ symbol. If you’ve competed here before, you know what’s coming. What we didn’t know was, at exactly the 6K mark, you begin a very tough climb of almost 1K but today, a fierce wind and even worse downpour added salt to an already pained body. However, this is where running club training shakes out the steel and grit. Everyone reported passing people on this terrible tempest of a hill.
At 7K the road gives up its battle to kill you and you can almost hear it say “Fair play, here’s your reward”. That reward is 1.5 miles downhill and any loss is quickly recovered. The bottom of the hill veers left and there’s a long but beautiful straight sheltered by the most beautiful elegant trees. “Keep going, that bend ahead is just 500 to go”. You round it and, in the distance, you see the narrow bridge and the welcoming gantry. You’re in, you’re home, it’s over …. Almost. I’m still thinking about Johnny Dwyer.
Olympians
Not many know it, but Sportsworld has its own real Olympians. Lots know Mick Dowling who represented Ireland twice. Less will know Emily’s long time training partner, Ailish Smith, who ran the Olympic marathon.
Full of Rio on our minds, we waited for Anne Sweeney to rock home. Anne is Mum to a future Olympian – Carla Sweeney and today was Anne’s first race in 18 months. No easy jaunt for her, straight in to 10K.
We realised that the commentator was perhaps not as au fait with athletics as some. It was an opportunity we couldn’t resist. You see, she became conscious of the many Sportsworld singlets and I could hear her asking anyone she could grab “Who are Sportsworld, where are they from, there’s loads of them”
Anne Sweeney was in sight, about 200 metres out. Carmel, who told us she was born with a gift to spot anything interesting at over 1,000 metres gave us the “She’s coming” warning. Turning to the commentator, we asked her if she wouldn’t mind giving a plug. “Can you give a special shout out to Anne Sweeney? She’s a former Olympian”. Well talk about lighting a fire, it went something like this;
“And now, and now (higher pitch) here comes Anne Sweeney, the well-known Irish Olympian who has represented her country on numerous occasions”. Anne, who was recently voted the most photogenic Sportsworld Member, trotted gracefully across the line and said (not remotely out of breath) “Who is the Olympian?” In chorus, we said “You”
The Long Walk
One of the nice things about The Lakes is the walk back to the start. It allows for chat, fun and sounding off. After the personal battles come the shared stories and support. It reminded me of a conversation Mick Dowling and I had, in the waterworks, about 15 years ago. He said “It’s only later in life, when you’ve been in the club for many years, you realise that it has given you so much more than running” In the end, friends and family are all that matter.
We took off to Avon Ri, got a great big table, superb food and even better chat. Today, people ran really great races on a tough day but that was never what this was about, it was about a road trip, a challenge, running hard against yourself, supporting one another and having fun. If that was the test, we scored 100%
Special Kudos Awards
The Understated Award – Johnny Dwyer for saying he ran “43” but actually ran 42:57
The Delightful Debut Award – Margaret Crowley for a blistering first ever 10K … with a nasty stitch too.
The Lazarus Comeback Award – Anne Sweeney for choosing a 10K to start her racing return.
The Keep Me Company Award – Aileen Melody for synchronising our finish so perfectly.
The Paris Hilton Umbrella Award – Val Power
The Make 10K look Easy Award – Adrian Lanigan en route to Berlin
The Best Lakes First Timer Award – Orla Greaves for running so well on her debut.
The 20/20 Visionary Award – Carmel Dolan for spotting Anne Sweeney & Val Power in a car from 1,262 metres away.
The ‘I Just Enjoy Running’ Award – Clare Finnegan for reminding us that time is always second to enjoying the journey.
Back to Johnny
Johnny Dwyer is a lovely guy who smiles forever and is always cheerful. If ever he gave up running, we’d miss him. On that note, if you notice Johnny absent for any length of time would you please go straight to your nearest Garda Station? We are worried;
You see, when I collected Johnny today along with Carmel, we remarked on what a lovely sylvan suburban house. Quiet, private and safe. Well, that’s what we thought until Johnny told us more. Not one, but two wives, on that road, decided they might possibly enjoy life more without their Dearly Beloved and, before long, they were all gathered in churches listening to “Dearly Beloved”. It seems that ‘twas murder they wrote. Yes indeed, 2 women put paid to 2 husbands and not even on the same day!
Now Johnny, next time you decide to tell us your version of Tales of the Unexpected, would you mind doing so ‘after’ the race?
The Results
Johnny Dwyer 42:57
Adrian Lanigan 43:10
Margaret Crowley 43:54
Aileen Melody 48:43
Conor Kenny 48:43
Val Power 51:04
Clare Finnegan 53:56
Carmel Dolan 54:14
Orla Greaves 57:43
Anne Sweeney 59:35
Sunday 21st August started off a dull calm day weather wise and after the gales and rain from the day before the bunch of Sportsworld Masters set off to the National Masters Track & Field championships thankful they weren’t on the day before!
Race Reporter Aileen picking up a gold medal!
First up on the track at 12 O clock were the girls taking part in the 3,000m race. They were Ruth Kelly, Anna Delaney, Lucy Darcy and Sandra Gowran. Everyone ran a great strong race and congratulations to Lucy who came away with Bronze in her age category.
A special mention to Sandra who had come back from holidays the day previous and had had to endure a 5 hour longer trip on a car ferry than she should have in stormy seas and gales, despite not being fully recovered she lined up and stormed home (excuse the pun!)
Next up were the lads in the 5,000 at 3pm. Damian , Michael and Justin ran hard and played a blinder though the competition was strong.
Then we had a long wait until half past 5 for the Ladies 1500 in which I was the Sportsworld representative. Why didn’t I go in the race earlier in the morning!! My race started well but with my lack of recent training I struggled in the last lap but I managed a medal in my age category we will say no more about that!!
Following straight after in the Men’s 1500 Martin, Wesley & Declan gave it their all.
Even though the races were hard and the competition strong everyone did the Red & White of Sportsworld proud and had a bit of fun during the day even if it was just to slag Nick about not knowing his wife’s age but all is forgiven!
A big thank you to Emily for all the coaching and encouragement and support on the day.
Fridays are great, aren’t they. I love them. And the best thing about any Friday is of course the Phoenix Park facts section in Eoin O’Brien’s weekly email. Where does he find them, I chuckle to myself over my morning tea. This great object of fascination for everyone’s favourite middle distance grass track specialist provided the setting for the the Dublin Athletic Board 10 mile Road Championships which was ran in conjunction with the Frank Duffy 10 Mile race last weekend.
The Frank Duffy takes place at a great time of the year usually with lovely summery warm conditions and blue skies but this year would be different. It has been said that Inuit people have 50 different words for snow and I could think of as many to describe the rain on the morning of the race. Although, none of these can be published here, I could only laugh as I togged out between the start line and the ha-ha* that runs around Ashtown Demesne (a.k.a. the Phoenix Park Visitor Centre), gingerly changing from one wet item of clothing into another.
I enjoyed the sight of all the runners gathered like clusters of penguins under the large trees near the start line, their teeth chattering, half jogging on the spot, and constantly checking their watches. Yes, time really is moving that slow. With less than 5 minutes to the gun, they emerged, and keeping the warm-up to the bare minimum made their way to their corrals.
The course for the race changes a lot and this makes it harder to judge where you are at in terms of your own fitness. It was changed again this year and combined with the unfavourable conditions certainly made for a slower race.
The introduction of Acres Road at about mile 8 made for especially difficult conditions running into a 40km/h headwind but it will take more than that to deter Myles Nugent and Dave Clarke who stationed themselves at the bottom of this section so could shout us all up the Upper Glen Road. The finish line couldn’t come fast enough but generous cheers always make it easier.
We had approximately 40 people in the race which was impressive considering how many were going to the National Track Masters in Tullamore. Fortunately the weather cleared at the end and we had the chance to share our post race synopses.
From looking at the results from this and last year, the times seemed to be 1-2 minutes slower comparing 1st, 10th, 50th, & 100th positions from both years (That’s my excuse anyway). That said, there were a number of PBs had by Sportsworlders on the day.
Congratulations to our Ladies over 50 team of Eileen Rowland, Carol Lynch and Audrai O’Driscoll who won silver medals! Eileen Rowland who also won gold in her age category along with Ray Carpenter & Sean O’Byrne who got bronze in theirs! Listed below are peoples times. Well done to everyone for getting out there running and supporting, and apologies for anyone who I haven’t included.
Sportsworld results:
Kevin Curran 01:00:43
James Brady 01:03:55
Diarmuid O’Suilleabhain 01:03:59
Sean Duffy 01:06:42
Noel Tobin 01:08:32
Damien Geraghty 01:09:31
Sean Donegan 01:10:17
Jose Chapa 01:11:06
Andrea McNamara 01:12:21
Naoise Waldron 01:12:25
Paul Brady 01:14:36
Johnny Dwyer 01:14:36
Stephen Willoughby 01:15:31
Eoin O’Brien 01:16:39
Denise Kilkenny 01:18:34
Neil Purdy 01:20:21
Paul Cassidy 01:21:16
Denis McCaul 01:20:23
Grainne Dilleen 01:21:52
Eileen Rowland 01:21:17 (Gold medal age category & Team O50 silver medal)
Claire Rowley 01:23:14
Ray Carpenter 01:27:18 (Bronze medal age category)
Caroline Lynch 01:28:21 (Team O50 silver medal)
Stephanie Bergin 01:27:45
Catherine Gilmore 01:33:53
Sean O’Byrne 01:33:58 (Bronze medal age category)
Yvonne Ryder 01:33:08
Tara Murphy 01:32:47
Audrai O’Driscoll 01:34:19 (Team O50 silver medal)
Madeleine Byrne 01:34:47
Emma Barry 01:34:48
Phillip Kerr 01:36:26
* These are sunken fences, or walls, which are used to prevent cattle and other animals gaining entry to the garden about a house, or other building, but allow for uninterrupted views of the surrounding landscape (In the above photo you can see the ha-ha in action – the cows desperately want to go onto the nice lawn, but can’t). You’ll see these all over the park. James Brady is a big, big fan of this landscape feature. Did you know the ha-has gather water in the winter and provide important spawning sites for frogs. Watch out for the frogs here next spring. How’s that for a fact Eoin!?
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