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Streets of Galway 2016

Report by Will Greensmyth

Photos from Streets of Galway Facebook page: Click Here

Sportsworld results below along with Sportsworlds all time top 5 Streets of Galway times.

The following is a report on the 30th running of the Streets of Galway. In writing this report, I have I put aside my intense bitterness, spite and disgust at Galway being awarded the European City of Culture 2020 over the eternal city of Limerick.

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Munster race reporter Will enjoying the sights of the winning 2020 City of Culture (it wasn’t Limerick)

For the uninitiated, the Streets of Galway (SoG) is a midsummers race with which Sportsworld have had a long history (see end of race report for the history). This was my first year taking part but definitely not my last. The race has lots going for it – organised by a running club, fast course, evening time, decent price. And culture. Lots of culture.

The Road Less Travelled

This year, a small selection group of SW’s “finest” toed the line – namely Bambi O’Brien, Phil Kilgannon, Packie Enright and myself. The Real Paul O’Connell was also in attendance although he was staying with his running in-laws of Crusaders AC. We were accompanied in our expedition by now two time winner Siobhan O’Doherty.

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Pre-race lunch on Saturday

Siobhan and myself had quite the journey, somehow navigating ourselves from a niece’s christening in Toomevara to Galway via the less travelled backroads of North Tipperary and South Galway to arrive in time. Bambi and Phillymanjaro on the other hand set out from Dublin and had the relative luxury of the M6 to experience, enjoying a pitstop in Mullingar to pay their respects to Joe Dolan, arriving in Galway to enjoy lunch, a stroll along the prom and each other’s company.

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When in Rome/Mullingar

The atmosphere was to change however when the gents realised that they had managed to book a B&B that only included the first ‘B’ and was probably the most expensive guesthouse in the country. At least they had the glamour of a roundabout to look at from their windows.

Race

The Race HQ was on Nimmo’s Pier, named after the 19th century architect who designed some of Galway’s more distinctive landmarks including Roundstone village.

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Nimmo’s Pier

At 7pm, the race started a little away from Nemo. There was a wonderful atmosphere at the start as people warmed up for the race. Surprisingly for Galway city, there was no one playing a didgeridoo or bongos at the start line. Culture.

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One thing which was clear to all was how strong the wind was. If I thought it had been tough for the Gradeds in Tallaght on Wednesday night, it was gale force strength in Salthill, to the extent that the organisers were looking for able bodied volunteers to assist in keeping their finish line tent fixed to the ground.

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It wasn’t 27 degrees in Galway

The race started with a rifle shot and off we went. After 1km, we ran past the Spanish Arch. In 1588, the year of the Spanish Armada, two hundred Spaniards who came ashore after a shipwreck in Galway Bay were butchered by the locals. Coincidentally, 1588 was also the last time Galway was awarded the European City of Culture.

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Spanish Arch

We then hurtled towards Eyre Square before sweeping over towards the Cathedral. It’s not the prettiest building in Ireland. So lacking in aesthetic qualities, it was recently described in an Irish Times article concerning “ugly” Irish buildings as a “squatting Frankenstein’s monster” and “a monument to the hubris of its soft-handed sponsors”. Culture indeed.

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Frankenstein

A sharp left past UCG which has over the years educated some of the finest minds in Sportsworld and we were running towards Salthill.

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After 4k, we approached Pearse Stadium. Probably the worst located stadium of any GAA ground in the country and as anyone who has played there will attest, also home to what might most favourably be described as “erratic” localised wind patterns. Flags were still at half-mast following the Galway footballers capitulation at the hands of Tipperary. This section of the course was full of poxy drags and climbs that really tested us especially with the wind battering us and ruining everyone’s hair.

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Pearse Stadium Location

Thankfully we were shortly onto the Prom, made famous by Steve Earle’s “Galway Girl”, and the wind was now at our backs as we kicked for home. The legs felt strong, and the stride length opened up, as Bambi said…He felt like the BFG running in to the finish.

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We entered the Claddagh. Up to the 19th and early 20th centuries, the Claddagh was a distinct Irish speaking community across the Corrib river from Galway City, with its own king, who led the fishing fleet and made the big decisions. The King of the Claddagh sailed a galway hooker with a special white sail, and settled disputes between the locals. #dreamjob

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Past the Claddagh, and the final turn back on Nimmo’s Pier where glory, garlands and eh…’gratulations awaited us.

Results

Siobhan had a cracking run finishing as first lady, and adding the Streets to her list of 2016 victories. Phil and Paul O’C weren’t far behind. I was delighted with my own 30 minute effort with the King of cratloe hot on my heels. Bambi also had a great run, despite the niggles of a dodgy calf, he was well under 35 minutes. Despite being easily distracted by the amusements and fairground in Salthill.

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Race Winners! (yes its August)

Post race

After Siobhan collected her prizes and we all had a chance to freshen up, there was a bite to eat before we joined up with the Crusaders and MSB gang in the Front Door where race performances were analysed over a few refreshments and some epic dancing. The much loved Kilgannon Shuffle was on show. The obligatory 2am Supermacs visit rounded off a great night. The Chief Logistics Officer, Bambi is already planning the next Sportsworld expedition. Stay Tuned.

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History of Sportsworld and the Streets of Galway

For those that are interested, the SOG website shows the race results as far back as 1999. A quick analysis identified that Terenure’s finest (and Terenure’s finest blowins) have togged out for this race in big numbers on many occasions. I’m sure if the pre-1999 results could be searched, they would reveal sizeable marauding parties from Bushy Park from the first iteration in 1986 onwards. The numbers of Sportsworld have dropped considerably in recent years but might see a rebirth from 2016 on.

By way of snapshot, in 1999, we had 14 runners in the top 200, with Dave Morley (24th) and Ciara McCarthy (62nd) our top finishers.

The 1999 results also show Emily finishing in 31’45” while husband Mick (202nd in 34’36”) looks to have been pipped on the line by both Conor Kenny (200th in 34’34”) and Ruth McGann (201st in 34’35”). I hope Conor enjoys reminding Mick of that sprint finish!

A wider look at the available results shows that Sportsworld runners over the years have blitzed the 8k SoG course.

Top Five Sportsworld Women’s Times:
Sandra Gowran 29’06” (2004)
Eimear Martin 29’10” (2005)
Aoife O’Leary 29’11” (2009)
Ciara McCarthy 29’29” (1999)
Lucy Darcy 29’30” (2005)

Top Five Sportsworld Men’s Times:
Eanna Cunnane 25’16” (2007)
Dave Byrne 25’49” (2002)
Phil Kilgannon 25’50” (2007)
Paul O’Connell 26’34” (2002)
Packie Enright 26’45” (2006)

We’ve also had Aoife O’Leary finish second, Eimear Martin finish third and Crona Brady finish fourth over the years, while Eanna finished 9th.

2016 Sportsworld Results

18th O’Connell Paul 00:27:57
29th Kilgannon Phil 00:28:28
63rd Greensmyth William 00:30:19
272nd Enright Packie 00:34:28
297th O’Brien Eoin 00:34:54

 

Rock n Roll Half Marathon & 10k

Race report by Neil Purdy

Photos from Rock n Roll Facebook page: Click here

So second race this week following the DLR Bay 10 K on Monday I lined up for the Dublin leg of the Rock ‘n’ Roll (half) marathon series. Was early enough down to the start line but still didn’t see any familiar faces in the crowd.

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Race reporter Neil hydrating before the race

The route looked ok on paper with a long stretch up the quay’s and through Kilmainham, Chapelizod and into the park for the long stretch up Chesterfield Avenue and the well-known Military road and upper Glen road hills to finish.

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Atmosphere was good at the start line as the corals were let loose on Dublin. I set off just ahead of the 1.45 pacer and settled in quickly enough. Was nice to have the city roads free to run on and took in the sights of the quays and the music from the first of the bands along the route.

Our course took a little diversion up Winetavern St just to add another hill and show off Christ church cathedral for the visiting runners.

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Back to the quays and up towards Guinness, Avoid eye contact with the black gates until after the race!!

As we reached Kilmainham the sun began to split the clouds and the 1.45 pacer charged past me. I eyed the Garmin but everything seemed fine, either I had got the pacing wrong or he was banking time for the hilly finish.  Anyway I continued on at my pace and we left Kilmainham with another band playing away for the passing runners.

We were now on the reverse of the Dublin marathon route heading to Chapelizod with some welcome downhill sections to catch a breath.

The first sight of the park was the split for the 10K finish, Very tempting to take that turn and be done but onwards we went with a nice breeze on our back which was welcome but knew it wouldn’t be when we turned into the park.

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‘Oh hello wind’ – Yep I was right the wind was right in the face for the long section up Chesterfield Avenue. A welcome left turn onto Acres Road took us out of the wind and some encouragement from the Sports world Marshalls was welcome. At this point I passed the 1.45 pacer and the much smaller group.

Last two hills were tough enough with wind in the face but again some great encouragement for Myles and Dave pushed me up the last climb and onto the last flat section before turning and putting in a kick for the finish line.

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Was happy with a finish time of 1.44.43 which gave me a 10s PB over my last half!

Huge congratulations to the womens team of Noreen, Ruth and Naoise who where the runners up in the National Half Marathon Championship and picked up silver medals! Noreen also came 2nd in her age category so she gets another medal for her efforts! Full club results below.

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Sportsworld Results

National Half Marathon Championship

Justin MCKEEVER 01:23:47
James BRADY 01:24:23
Diarmuid O’SUILLEABHAIN 01:25:37
Noreen BROUDER 01:25:39 (Team Silver Medal + Individual Age Category Silver Medal!)
Ruth KELLY 01:33:38 (Team Silver Medal!)
Damien GERAGHTY 01:35:42
Naoise WALDRON 01:37:35 (Team Silver Medal!)
Caoimhe COSTIGAN 01:38:06
Francis MAHON 01:44:04
Neil PURDY 01:45:03
Adrian LANIGAN 01:53:18
Emma BARRY 01:56:55
Mairead DAUNT 01:57:15
Grainne LYNCH 1:58:41
Ed COLLINS 02:02:31
Paula DOOLEY 02:03:42

10k

Peter KNAGGS 0:42:08
Noel LYNAM 0:47:20
Stephen WILLOUGHBY 0:47:24
Katie NUGENT 0:48:33
Nuala O’CONNOR 0:49:44
Denis MCCAUL 0:49:47
Sandra KELLY 0:50:07
Aggie BUCKLEY 0:50:20
Madeleine BYRNE 0:51:50
Rosie MULHERN 0:52:45
Phil DALY 0:54:58

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Bohernabreena Tallaght 10k (Waterworks)

Report by Mary Finn (Race Winner!)

Photos from Born to Run Facebook Album: Click Here

The inaugural Water Works 10k took place on Thursday 4th August starting at St Anne’s GAA grounds at 7pm. There was great representation from Sportsworld including Peter Knaggs and Philip Kerr who are well known to the Born 2 Run races and only recently competed in Newcastle at the base of Slieve Donard.

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Race reporter and race winner Mary Finn!

If you are looking for a race with a difference the Born 2 Run races might meet your needs. Their motto is ‘Great Races in Great Places’.  These races are unique as they are off road and take place in beautiful scenic settings.

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It was quite some time since I had ran in the Water Works. From memory I knew it was going to be a hilly course. Conor Kenny gave us a race debrief beforehand, outlining where the toughest parts were and when to push on.

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The rain stayed away and it was a warm muggy evening. The race started with a tough climb for about 1 mile up to the waterworks. I completely underestimated how steep this was going to be and set off way too fast. After 1 km my legs didn’t feel like my legs! The race took in the two reservoirs along the lovely tree lined trails. The scenery was spectacular (if you took the time to look around and take it all in).  Each km was marked and there was a well needed water station along the way.

Overall it was up and downhill for the next 6km. The last 2km was a lovely welcome downhill. Conor had said to us that if we have any breath left at this stage to pick up the pace here through to the finish. I attempted this but had nothing left.

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For me this was the toughest 10k I have ever done. In saying that I would definitely do it as the scenery, lovely trails and off road experience made up for the pain. At the end we were all awarded with a medal and yummy sausage rolls from the BBQ (perhaps not the best post-race recovery fuel but tasty all the same!).

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Sportsword results

6 Mary Finn 00:41:41 (Race winner!)
9 Peter Knaggs 00:43:25
11 Nigal Burke 00:43:39
15 Phillip Kerr 00:44:02
18 Shay Brady 00:44:25
26 Nigel Elliott 00:45:42
29 Noel Lynam 00:46:21
47 Eileen Rowland 00:49:31
58 Conor Kenny 00:50:50

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Graded 8 – Tallaght

Race report and photos by Eoin O’Brien

Photo album: Click here

Full Sportsworld results below. To see the club records: Click here

The last Graded Meet was in Windy City last night at a bright but increasingly blustery Tallaght track. The Graded Track Series is organised annually by Dublin Athletics and held across eight Wednesday evenings during the summer, usually a fortnight apart utilising the tracks in Tallaght, Santry and Irishtown.

Each meet consists of 3 different track events and 3 field events. On the final night this year the chosen track distances where the 100m, 400m and 3000m. Each distance is then usually run 4 times from Grade A (the highest) to Grade D although they can combine races to save time i.e. run the Grade’s C & D together.

We had the usually posse role up to race with the notable exception of a post-honeymoon Catherine Mulleady who was spectating rather than racing. She might not yet be ready to race again but I found her strength & conditioning boxing class powers haven’t faded with the dead arm she give me.

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Anyway there was only one story tonight, and that was Will Greensmyth going for and epic trilogy of racing in ALL THREE races on the night. Just like Goldilocks he wanted to dip his finger in all 3 bowls of porridge to see which he like best. And why not. Nom Nom.

The Trilogy Part 1: The 100m

First up was the 100m sprint. Sportsworld only had men’s representation in this event. Usual sprinting suspect Margaret Crowley decided to focus on the 400m (Margaret was late). So first up our resident sprinter David Saunders was in action. The blustery conditions meant our boy was running into a head wind from a standing start but undeterred he still blasted home in  a convincing 12.73 seconds.

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Next up was Goldilocks Greensmyth with race 1 out of 3. He was caught Googling ‘proper warm up routine for sprinting’ earlier, as in 10 minutes before the race,  so all eyes (and cameras) where trained on him to see if he’d fall out of the starting blocks.

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Up until last night there were only 2 out of 3 recorded times for the 100m in the official Sportsworld records; so even if Goldilocks walked this he would actually still be guaranteed a spot in the club records. But in fairness to him:

A. He didn’t fall out of the blocks and
B. He gave it a right lash running 13.75 and getting himself on to the all time club records page in 3rd spot (Click here)

Goldilocks Verdict: This porridge was a little too hot.

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The Trilogy Part 2: The 400m

Margaret showed up by this stage and jumped straight into 400m action. Margaret’s been one of the most consist club performers at these meetings over the past couple of years. Starting out tonight she had a difficult lane 8, right on the outside, but got a good start and ran a great 70.07 into an ever increasing head wind on the home straight.

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Next up in 400m action was David Saunders again for his second race of the night. That would be a big story in itself but sure we know who’s racing next. Dave ran a very tactical race biding his time before making his move in the last 150m, driving out of the last corner and keeping that momentum up as he ate up the last 40m,30m20m and across the line in first place knocking 3 secs off his PB and running the fastest EVER 400m recorded by a Sportsworld athlete of 54.81!. An excellent evenings work! 

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Also in this race was new club member Brian Martin who had an excellent 57.57 on his club debut! A good enough time to enter the Sportsworld records in 3rd place for the 400m! (Club records: Click here)

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Brian Martin (555)

Goldilocks Greensmyth was up next and back in the starting blocks (camera set to video, check). David Saunders had given Will the lowdown on how to run a 400m race and he executed it perfectly coming out of the last corner with the momentum gained to pick off a couple of runners in to cruise home in 59.42!

Goldilocks Verdict: With a strong headwind to finish with, this porridge was a little too cold.

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The Trilogy Part 3: The 3000m

It was coming up to 9pm and you’d really notice the evenings getting darker. Well I did anyway with all my poxey photos starting to blur without the flash. I digress, again it was left to the men to represent the club in this distance. John Durcan up from Cork for the summer to train with us hopped into the Grade A race and had an excellent turn out in coming 4th in 9.19.81.

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The Grade C race with Michael Cunningham and Justin McKeever turned into a thriller. The lads opening laps where very tactical sticking to the back of the main bunch and letting them do the hard yards. As the laps unwound a couple broke away so Michael assumed control at the front of the chasing pack with Justin just behind.

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This continued until the final 300m when Michael had a blistering acceleration to pick off the couple of front runners and absolutely leave them for dust on the final 100m. He tore up that home straight as if he saw a new Pokemon Go. A fine first victory for Michael Cunningham in a big competitive field with tough racing conditions. Perfect timing with the national Masters on in 3 weeks.

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Finally we had Goldilocks and Declan Brady in the second of the Grade C races. To complete the trilogy, Will just had 7.5 laps ahead of him. The race started well for our boys as they held on to the leading lights and sat back in the group. Goldilocks was looking particularly comfortable. It was only after 3 or 4 laps when the main pack dropped him did we fear that the 100m and 400m may have taken a bit too much out of him.

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But fear not, like any good fan that travels regularly with the Irish soccer team he got a second wind. From about 50m back he dug in and caught the group. Not resting on his laurels with 900m to go he pushed on crossing the start/finish line in the lead with 800m to go. Will was stilling looking good out front on his own with 600m to go before the group reeled him back in for the final dash over the last lap. Still a great race with a solid finish after his earlier exploits.

Goldilocks Verdict: An exceptional run that nearly resulted in a win, this porridge was just right.

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So to sum up:

  • Michael Cunningham had his first win in the 3000m.
  • David Saunders won his 400m race.
  • David Saunders now holds the club 400m record.
  • Will Greensmyth completed all 3 races and entered the club 100m records.
  • Brian Martin made it on to the 400m records on his race debut.

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Well done to all who ran and thanks to all those who supported, Catherine, Aileen, Dave and Martin along with Myles who was timekeeping on the night. The drama didn’t end there as it turned out Goldilocks went home and tried all his housemates beds.

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Till next year…
…unless you are over 35. Then you can race in the National Masters in Tullamore in August 21st.
Whoever said life begins at 40? To enter: Click here

Sportsworld Results

100m Grade C
Saunders david 12.73
Greensmyth William 13.75

400m Grade B
Crowley Margaret 70.07

400 Grade C
Saunders david 54.81 – Race Winner!
Martin Brian 57.57
Greensmyth William 59.42

3000m Grade C
Cunningham Michael 10.15.28 – Race Winner! Greensmyth William 10.26.34
mckeever justin 10.30.05 Brady Declan 11.28.88

3000m Grade A
Durcan John Togher AC 9.19.81

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Dun Laoghaire Bay 10k 2016

Report by Damien Geraghty

Photos by MyRunResults: Click here

As I was doing my warm up around Dun Laoghaire bay this morning I realised that I didn’t see too many familiar Sportworld’s faces….so my first thought was who is Eoin going to get to do a race report…..After meeting Peter Knaggs at the start line he said as much to me and we laughed about it…..Peter did you tell Eoin I done the race??? (Yep he sure did Damian. He emailed me, texted me and called me to be sure – Eoin)

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Race reporter Damian

For anyone that didn’t know the dlr bay 10k Road Race has distinguished itself as one of the premier 10km races in Ireland taking part each Aug bank holiday. The course follows a scenic route starting along Dun Laoghaire seafront and going through picturesque Seapoint, Monkstown, Glenageary, Killiney and Sandycove and finishing up at Dun Laoghaire town hall.

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While doing a 3km warm up on the Harbour I ran past Karol doing a slow warm up by his standards….I remember thinking to myself I had never seen him run so slow before….the results of the race proves he was saving his energy and I was wasting mine.

I decided to enter a 10km race as part of my training plan for the Dublin Marathon in Oct….it had been 3 months from my last 10km race were I had gained my PB 39.52 so it would be a good test to see how the training was going…..all be it at a much shorter and faster distance.

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Myself and Peter Knaggs took to the starting line together both pretty nervous of what was ahead of us as neither of us knew the route but had heard it was very hilly. The first 2km was relatively flat which allowed me to get a good split start however that quickly turned as hills on the 3rd, 5th and 6thkm put that good start to bad. As Peter past me at the 6km mark I remember thinking to myself, there can’t be any more hills…..and thankfully there wasn’t. The last 4 km of race was flat to down hill which meant for a fast finish and that helped me get my split times back down to 4.11 per km.

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Results in and I managed to get a top 100 finish coming in 77th placed just behind Peter in 74th ….(fantastic by Peter who had ran the parkrun on Sat as well as 10mile club run on Sunday)….overall happy with finish time in what was a challenging course…….was nice to be back in race action after concentrating on getting the miles up the last few months as oppose to speed work. Next up is Rock n Roll half marathon on Sunday followed by Frank Duffy 10 mile on 2oth Aug (will be studying the hills on these).

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Massive congratulations to Karol Cronin who finished in 2nd place with a time off 32.56.

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Sportsworld Results:

2nd – Karol Cronin – 32.56
11th – Phil Kilgannon – 36.32
32nd – Ian Cairns – 39.11
74th – Peter Knaggs – 41.40
77th – Damien Geraghty 42.07
204th – Neil Purdy 00:47:11
543 – Peter Brennan 54.39

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Sea to Sky 10k

Report and photos by Philip Kerr

As an introduction, BORN2RUN was set up by friends Carol McMenamin and Gerard and Jane Rowe in 2012. All members of the same running club, they enjoyed organising their club race so much that they decided that this was something they would like to do more often.

These races very from 10km to half marathons and Born 2 Run’s motto is Great Races in Great Places, located in very scenic areas such as National Trust grounds and are run on multi-terrain trail circuits which make a great change from road races.

The races are extremely well organised and very friendly, with an impressive race medal on finishing and complimentary post-race refreshments and massage. See website for more info: Click here

Race Commentary:

OK, I thought I had managed to avoid race report duty thus far but as there were only two Sportsworld runners, it landed on my plate somehow.

Peter and myself found us heading north on the M1 on a very warm and sunny summer Friday evening at 4:30pm for yet another Born 2 Run race in their adventure series, this time in picturesque Newcastle at the base of Slieve Donard, one of the Mourne mountains, and were joined by a number of the “Marlay Mná” runners.

The 5th Annual Sea 2 Sky 10K Race and Walk is a great route that started on the Promenade in Newcastle and included a coastal road, a mountain forest road that climbed gradually to the 3-mile mark, a single track across a bog rewarded by stunning views over Newcastle and beyond, recreational parkland and finally a fast descending route to finish on the Promenade.

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A crowd of 809 runners supported by over 50 running clubs gathered on the seafront with the runners warming up under the instruction of Adam Mitten from Go Figure Newcastle.

The race was started by Olympic bound steeplechaser and European finalist Kerry O’Flaherty to the sound track ‘Born To Run’ by The Boss, the Born 2 Run signature tune at the start of all their races.

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Race reporter Philip (463) with Peter Knaggs

Race 10km Circuit with mile markers and a large hill in the middle showing elevation gain of 557 feet.

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Off we went, along the seafront, and up into the hills. Everywhere along the route out of town the locals had gathered to shout encouragement and bathers waved from the sea.

First sign of motivation “If it was easy everyone would be doin’ it” and “Running: cheaper than therapy”.

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Nearly completed the forest trail climb beyond the 3-mile marker (yes it was hard work by the look of it)!

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Brush and bog trail run along the top of the course, single file only at this stage of the race!

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Through a park we ran, across well marshalled roads, manned by relaxed looking PSNI officers, past what looked like a circus tent.

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Peter’s relaxed finish arriving back at the Promenade just as the sun disappeared and the rain started!

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By the race end, because of the various terrains encountered it felt as if we’d run a 10 mile race and indeed our times reflected a tough and challenging course.

All that remained was to collect our medals which are one of the things that sets Born 2 Run races apart. Always an original creation for each race, the medal this time doubled as a bottle opener.

Complimentary post-race refreshments were served in O’Hares pub on the Promenade to provide suitable sustenance before the drive back to Dublin.

Sportsworld 10km Results

Men’s winning time – 36:16

Women’s winning time – 42.28

Phillip Kerr – 48:04

Peter Knaggs – 51:46 (following on from the Docklands 5km race the previous night in a 19:33 P.B.!)

Next Born 2 Run Races

The inaugural 10km Bohernabreena Tallaght (Water Works) on Thursday 4th August starting at 7:00pm in St Anne’s GAA grounds (race registration / collection of race packs 5:00pm – 6.45pm).

Complimentary post-race refreshments BBQ style will be served after the race outside St Anne’s GAA hall, with the bar open for a few post-race drinks.

Let’s see how many Sportsworld runners we can get to support this local race!

To enter: Click here

Plus the Malahide Castle Dublin 10km race on the following week Thursday 11th August at 7:00pm.

If anyone fancies the Born 2 Run Dam Busters half marathon in the Silent Valley Co. Down on Saturday 20th August at 11am (or 10km at 12:00 noon) to get a flavour of their unique brand of picturesque “Great Races in Great Places” running, I’m travelling up.

Irish Olympic T&F Timetable

Irish T&F Olympic Timetable

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Timetable and athlete profiles can be found at Athletics Ireland: Click here

 

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Fingal 10k 2016

Report by John Dwyer

Photos and on the day support by Paddy Lynch

At training in Bushy Park I made a mistake of wearing a newly acquired race t-shirt that I got from the Fingal 10k race that was held on the previous Sunday. The t shirt was spotted by the editor and I was “coerced” into writing a race report. Lesson learnt from a green new member!

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Race reporter John showing off the t-shirt that got him caught

Anyway, the Fingal 10k is the second race of the Dublin Race Series: Click here 

When I heard the rain bouncing off the window on Sunday morning I was wondering would I bother going all the way out to Swords for some punishment. Anyway when I got out to Swords it was dry, warm and humid with no sign of any rainfall there.

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The Fingal 10k is a well organised race. The bagging area, finishing area etc are set in the spacious grounds of Swords Castle Park. I met some of the Sportsworld guys there who were keen to go for a warm up. I left them to it, preferring to warm up in the first few kilometres of the race to try and conserve some energy!

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The start line was on the main street in Swords with a good atmosphere generated. There was a special welcome and announcement for Mick Clohessy (Course record holder and representing Ireland in the Olympics in the marathon). We were in good company.

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Race winner and Rio bound Mick Clohessy

The race started at 10:00 am heading south, up the main street, until we hit the Swords bypass dual carriageway. The race continued up the “dualer” for 3k. I hate running on these big straight expanses where you can see the big line of runners way out in front of you.

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Eventually (at 4 km) we turned a sharp left onto a narrow country lane. I find these more interesting, with the more road bends and the nice adjacent fields to keep your mind off the job in hand. There was also the small matter of trying not to slip on the recent road kill and not getting your legs ripped to bits by overgrown briers.

As the race went on I’m sure the temperature went up a good few degrees. The heat was severe with no breeze in the area. Around the 8 km mark, the good people of the fire brigade were spraying water in an attempt to keep us cool.

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When we hit the outskirts of town at the 9th km there is a long drag up a hill called Watery Lane. I know now why it is called this. I felt like crying myself as there was nothing left in the tank. You wonder what the hell is this running all about!!

The fastest man I know who ran on this road is Eoin O’Brien ……. when it came to going home time from Swords Labs, where we worked together, many years ago J.

The last stretch to the finish line is downhill but it still wasn’t easy. Naoise Waldron came running effortlessly past me to finish on a high.

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I was really delighted to finish and meet the welcoming Sportsworld party just past the line. I found it very tough.

We received a nice “goodie bag” with the red “bloody” t shirt.

After meeting all the gang we went for a coffee in the Pavillion SC and had a good laugh in the afterglow of the race. It’s funny how you forget the pain during the race and start thinking of the next one.

Sportsworld Results:

Kevin Curran 00:36:19
Ian Cairns 00:39:18
Noel Tobin 00:39:46
Declan Brady 00:41:18
Peter Knaggs 00:41:49

Paul Brady 00:41:53
Stephen Willoughby 00:42:59
Naoise Waldron 00:42:41
Caoimhe Costigan 00:42:52
Johnny Dwyer 00:43:30

Phillip Kerr 00:43:53
Emma Barry 00:48:33
Patrick Mcmorrow 00:48:44
Catherine Gilmore 00:50:03
Caroline Lynch 00:52:11

Audrai Odriscoll 00:53:51
Sean Obyrne 00:54:31
Katie Nugent 00:49:24
Killian Dirwan 00:53:39
Peter Brennan 00:57:41

Liberties 6k 2016

Report by Phil Kilgannon

Photos from St  James Hospital Facebook Page: Click here

Sportsworld results below

 

Raised on songs and stories, heroes of renown
The passing tales and glories that once was Dublin Town
The hallowed halls and houses, the haunting childrens rhymes
That once was Dublin City in the rare ould times

Ring a ring a rosey, as the light declines
I remember Dublin City in the rare ould times

(Pete St. John.)

This Liberties 6k has become a bit of a favourite of mine and always brings to mind the old Dublin City Rambler’s/ Dubliner’s tune, evoking the spirit of some of the most authentic pockets of real Dublin on the Western edge of our fair city.

The race is hosted in the spectacular grounds of IMMA, which has recently hosted the might of Faithless, Elbow, Blur and the Great Leonard Cohen, but to name a few.  A stone’s throw across the road is Kilmainham Gaol where the leaders of the Rising were ruthlessly executed a century ago for lighting the fire that later led to independence.  Their memory and legacy is intrinsic to the city, but particularly here and now in this year of reflection and commemoration.

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Before entering the race, I actually had the good fortune of receiving an entry from one Eoin O’Brien Esquire.  Rumour has it that on the track last Saturday there was a collective gasp as the ‘Bekele of Balally’ pulled up with a calf strain.  I queried him the following day at Longditude suspecting that he must have had an axe to grind, to exert such a strain.  Indeed after a couple of glasses of prosseco he admitted to wanting to “put Jim Browne back in his box”.  Inheriting the entry would of course entail submitting a piece of prose depicting events of the night.  There’s no such thing as a free lunch.

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Prosseco’s and 99’s the week before

I haven’t been able to race much of late due to a conundrum of aductor/calf strains that can arise at any given moment.  This has substantially curtailed my ability to train, though building fitness at a glacial pace appears to offer some promise of progress.  And so it was time to resurrect the racing vest, which sat bundled in a corner, BHAA number still pinned to it from the RTE race in early May.  Setting the violin aside a race such as this is effectively a conveniently timed pace run to incorporate into the training plan.  It’d be nice to get the weekly mileage up to 50 miles a week again, but for now it was time  to race.  In the words of the immortal Madness; One Step Beyond …

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This race strangely doesn’t get a huge turnout and similarly the club didn’t have a huge representation, though we had a high calibre of ladies participating.  Meeting Anna and Maura before the race, the latter appeared excited about the possibility of seeing ‘gurriers’ on the course.  I’m not sure if this was an anthropological curiosity or perhaps some form of pokemon hunt.  The cheeky chaps never fail to entertain in fairness though and there’s always a bit of banter on the way around.  And so the grand depart…

We exited the back of IMMA and meandered along Francis and Thomas St. up through Pimlico and past Sean Dempsey’s House.  I’d a good number in and around me to keep a steady pace.  Up front David a Flynn, a fine young runner on scholarship in the University of Arkansas had the race to himself.

After that there was a decent plot unfolding.  Donal Foley of Raheny who I’ve duelled with on a few occasions was best of the rest and far stronger than I today.  Caroline Crowley, our European Cross Country medallist was in hot pursuit of him.  Her Crusaders team mate Orla Drumm was in a group with a myself, a Donore guy and another fella, but she pushed on in the second half, despite a head wind.

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My breathing wasn’t great as has been the case in training, but I held my ground with the two lads as we pushed past the Coombe and on towards Inchicore approaching the penultimate kilometre.  An intriguing race was emerging up ahead as Orla tracked Caroline and Donal drifted back to Caroline.  In the heal of the hunt, Donal pushed on when the pressure was applied and Caroline did likewise.

Orla drifted back a little coming within view as we opened up along the canal.  Orla remained strong though past St. James’s entrance, turning right onto South Circular. Approaching the magnificent entrance to IMMA and one of the great finishing straights in any race, I found myself in sixth place.

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The finishing straight

I was just off fifth and even had fourth within view.  I’d always back myself in this situation normally, but was running on empty at this point.  With no reserves of energy from which to summon a burst for the line, I had to accept that this was mission accomplished for today.  Instinct prompted a harmless incursion on the shoulder of the fella ahead but he surged again and all that was left to do was push though the line to nip the clock at 20.30, before it rolled another jot.

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Race Reporter Phil Finishing 6th!

Unfortunately, I haven’t been able to find the results, though I saw Stephanie, Anna, Maura and Claire Rowley on my way out chatting over spirited efforts as the evening light declined.  There were another couple of club singlets floating around and I apologise for the lack of information as my google search for results was in vain.

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To conclude, a satisfactory day at the office, given where the fitness is at and a step in the right direction.  I’d need to chip 10-15 seconds a kilometre off at this point, which is considerable, though with mileage manageable.  Admittedly preparations at Longitude on Sunday were less than ideal, but in the words of another force of nature born 100 years ago, Roald Dahl:

“A little nonsense now and then is cherished by the wisest men”.

Sportsworld Results – 864 finishers

1st David Flynn 00:18:20
3rd Caroline Crowley 00:20:04

6th Phil Kilgannon 00:20:29
42nd Stephanie Bergin 00:24:22
135 Maura Ginty 00:27:41
136 Anna Delaney 00:27:41
139 Claire Rowley 00:27:31
152 Grainne Dilleen 00:27:46
153 Katie Nugent 00:28:10
156 Grainne Lynch 00:27:58
223 Sarah Lavan 00:29:33
313 Audrai O’Driscoll 00:31:25

Steveys Epic Adventure in Aid of Autism

Report and Photos by Ronan Murray
On Thursday I convinced Shay Brady to run with me on Saturday for a great cause (steveysepicadventure.com ) Basically this guy is running 40miles per day for 60 straight days in aid of Autism and was going to be in the phoenix pk most of Saturday.
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He was due in the pk at 11am with some miles done , so we went to the pk early and did a few warm up miles first and then when he arrived we all set off together. The route was the 2.7km loop at the magazine and we changed direction every 3 laps.
We started off with about 20 people but after a few laps we were down to 6 , then 5 , then just Stevey , Shay and myself. At that stage it was extremely hot as we approached marathon distance and our aches & pains were coming fast. We had run with thus guy for a couple of hours at 9 min pace and he then informs us that he likes to up the pace in the last few miles.
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At that stage Shay let us off as he didn’t want to change pace , we went from 9 min to 8.10 min down to 7.30 pace around the top of the magazine. I was dying on my feet but didn’t want to loose him. Finally we were in his last mile and we regrouped with Shay some of his other supporters to cross the line.
My watch had stopped earlier so I had to do some calculating and estimating but we decided that Shay had done almost 33 miles and I had done 35 miles ( longest ever run ) we were both exhausted but thrilled to be there to support a great cause and of course you can’t forget that sportsworld assisted Stevey in setting a new world record. I had an amazing time and to make thing better I’m if to spain for a few weeks to recover. See you in August.
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