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Sportsworld Running Club

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Home Blog Page 57

Graded Meet 6 Irishtown

Race report and no photos by Michael Cunningham

Sportsworld results below.

Race reporter Michael with his favorite cheesecake

The guilt of track training on a Saturday morning without doing a Graded track race this summer finally got to me and I signed up to do the 5000m in Irishtown on Wednesday. It had been a hectic night on Tuesday making smoothies and I felt my energy levels was subsequently lowered but I thought if I did the race I would deserve a pizza and beer and if not I would have to have a green vegetable smoothie.

Margaret Crowley was up first in the 100m sprint. She was too fast for me to see. Margaret is one of the most consistent female track racer in the club and is on the lookout for her own set of racing blocks. Trevor Sweeney is talking to Usain Bolt about coming to Ireland to give block training in return for Tea and Cake and Trevor’s Platinum Coppers Card.

Next we had Conor Keating and Martin Keenan battling it out in the killer 800m. The young and the wise battled each other over the 800m and finished within a second of each other. Gareth Murran was up next already in training for La Santa. Margaret had Gareth’s lap times memorised to the 100^th of second but after only coming back to full time training Gareth wished she hadn’t.

Then the moment the crowds were waiting for the Mens 5000m grade C.

It was my first 5000m on the track. 12.5 laps, yes 12.5 laps. Scary. At the end of each lap there is a board that tells you how many laps you have left, God I hate that board. Conditions where pretty good, there was a light rain and a light breeze but the roar of the crowd drowned that out, well Margaret and Martin did their best.

Stephen was uncatchable setting a strong pace and finished in second while myself and Justin traded places a few times during the race as we each got second winds. I had my own Ciara Mageean moment on the track with a few runners nearly tripping me up, in my head I thought about passing them all out and race to try and get second place, but this was just in my head.

John our Cork import had a brilliant race in the A grade and even though the pace was blistering he looked relaxed and comfortable just like they do on TV.

The club is trying to get a large group of runners together to do the Masters Track Championship in Tullamore on the 21 August. So if you have any questions or want more information about the event ask one of the committee members or Emily or Myles. To enter/timetable: Click here

Sportsworld results:

100m
Margaret Crowley 15.4 Sec

800m
Martin Keenan 2.17.24
Conor Keating 2.18.04
Gareth Murran 2.09.66

5000m
John Durcan 15.27.49
Stephen O’Donnell 16.54.14
Michael Cunningham 17.27.74
Justin McKeever 17.34.10

Clontarf 5 Mile and Half Marathon

Race reports by Derek Saville (5 mile) and Denise Kilkenny (Half Marathon)

Photos by Eoin O’Brien and the Clontarf Race Album: Click here

Full club results with each report below.

5 Miler Report by Derek Saville

I made the school boy error of standing beside Eoin post race. Walked away with this assignment to do for my naivety.

Race Reporter Derek in track action earlier in the season

A small group of us Sportsworlders toed the line at the Clontarf half and 5 mile race on Saturday 9th July. I did the 5 mile. The morning’s heavy rain abated in time for the start. I must say, it was much lower key than I was expecting. It is a well known race so I thought the quality at the front end would be higher. Club runners were scarce enough.

The course was an out and back, from the path opposite the Yacht pub to Bull Island. It was pancake flat which is always a plus, but it felt muggy and energy sapping. Also(I’m clutching at straws now I know), the concrete paths wouldn’t give the same bounce as tarmac might out on the main road.

Conor ran a very strong opening 2 miles and opened up a good gap on the chasing group. Myself and Diarmuid were further back behind that chasing group. We headed out together having agreed that we would try and get to the halfway turn in 15 minutes and see what happened from there.

I couldn’t hold this pace and dropped off Diarmuid. I held it around 6.20’s for the remainder of the race. Conor was eventually reeled in but finished in the top five which is great going.

I came in a place behind Diarmuid, possibly top ten. Eoin wasn’t too far behind. Places aren’t really relavant of course. Time is the only true reflection of your race. We all seemed to be a good bit off PB’s which is strange given the flat course. It is an enjoyable race. A nice part of Dublin to be on a Saturday morning. It was well run with modest refreshments and a nice medal at the end.

The out and back course allowed for some nice camaraderie amongst teammates exchanging welcome words of encouragement as we passed each other. And at the end of the day, isn’t that really what it’s all about?

Sportsworld 5 Mile Results:

Place Name Chip Time
5 Conor McCarthy 0:29:25
9 Diarmuid O Suilleabhain 0:31:37
10 Derek Saville 0:31:43
24 Eoin O’Brien 0:34:23
91 Mairead Daunt 0:39:58
146 Audrai O’Driscolll 0:42:57
162 Phil Daly 0:43:37
170 Peter Brennan 0:43:56

Half Marathon Report by Denise Kilkenny

The Clontarf Half Marathon took place last Saturday the 9th of July in the coastal suburb of Clontarf. It was an exciting day for me as not only had I never ran this course before; I had never been in Clontarf, but with Gamma White’s help we eventually made it to the start line. I had targeted this race as a starting point, something to give me a time to improve on.

Race reporter Denise with Gemma White

Although I have completed many half marathons I never really understood the importance of writing down/ remembering the time you ran it in until I joined a running club and heard the ‘PB’ word being bandied about. In the end the weather turned out to be relatively dry, except for the downpour at the start line and the strong breeze (wind) on the beach on our way back in. Eoin Ryan has reported it is ‘probably the worst conditions they have ever had’ so that makes us even better for doing it.

Gemma and I bumped into each other at wheelworx picking up our numbers and debated why we do this to ourselves, but once we stocked up on a few gels and power beans we felt a lot more confident that we could at least finish the race.

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It was lovely too greeted by so many faces from Sportsworld all wearing their club colours with pride (Eoin had warned us). And of course, our two Pacers Ronan Murray and Stephen Willoughby in their fabulous attire.

After a call from my injured running buddy Emer Casey to wish me luck, I took my places behind the 1:50 pacer. Clontarf Half Marathon is an out and back course taking in the Clontarf promenade – Bull Island – the causeway – continuing along the promenade up to Sutton Lane where participants will then retrace their footsteps back to the start/finish line.

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I had not done a half marathon since Dublin last year and in that race I had gone out too fast and ended up having to stop after 10 miles for a few seconds to compose myself, I virtually crawled the last 3 miles to the finish line. So, for the Clontarf race I was determined to take the advice of Ronan Murray and took it easier going out and if I was able to I could pick it up on the way back in.

The Half marathon start – spot the red and white singlets!

Emma and I completed the first few miles together with some girls that sounded like they came straight from ‘Coppers’ either that or they were very very excited about doing this race!! They soon dropped back much to our delight. I found the beach to be fine on the way out; I concentrated on taking in the view and sorting out the world’s problems in my head! As reported the course is flat and is an out and back in course which, I never have run before, but really liked, as I got a great boost from seeing those 12 Sportsworld faces again as we passed each other at different stages.

I decided to run my own race and leave the pacer early on remembering not to go to fast All was going well for me until we hit the 9.5 mile point; I felt strong and kept comparing it to our long runs in the Phoenix Park on a Sunday morning. However, Phoenix Park may have hills, but it does not have the sea breeze that hit me full force in the face at this point. Not sure why I refer to it as a sea breeze because it felt more like Gale force winds at the time. I decided a gel was needed to get me to through this stage of the race.

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As I ran up the beach, I actually hit my watch thinking it had stopped working ‘surely I was running faster than 9 minute miles but no, I wasn’t. That 1.5 miles (give or take) was difficult, and I was tired, but once we got to the end of the beach and got back on the road, the wind was on our back, and it carried me home.

I crossed the line a happy girl, however soon witnessed another runner in serious troublesome fellow heroes stepped up with their medical skills and we have heard since that this man has made a full recovery. We runners are a great bunch of people!!

Congratulations exchanged, we regrouped for our obligatory post race picture and some well earned carbs. Huge thanks to those who ran the 5 miles race and in true Sportsworld style stayed around to cheer us doing the half marathon over the line.

Sportsworld Half Marathon Results:

Place Name Chip Time
63 Noel Tobin 1:32:59
102 Peter Knaggs 1:36:25
145 Liam Lenehan 1:38:14
189 Zoe Greene 1:41:03
255 Padraic Moran 1:44:53
333 Denise Kilkenny 1:47:35
390 Cathy Coyle 1:50:10
463 Emma Barry 1:52:32
548 Gemma White 1:55:35
668 Valerie power 1:58:56
689 Sandra Kelly 1:59:53
707 Siobhan Clarke 2:02:26

IMRA Ballinsatoe 12k 2016

Report by Michael ‘they ate all my chocoate’ Cunningham

Results not online yet but all you need to know is Karol Cronin won and the rest of us didn’t! Its the first time Karol ran a mountain race too. Results will be posted over the weekend when available.

Nearly 10 years ago I joined Sportsworld and after doing one or two cross country races I decided (or we decided) to do the national senior cross country in Belfast. In hind sight maybe someone should have sat me down, held my hand and said maybe this is not a good idea. For the second time in ten years I felt some one should have been honest with me and told me I am crazy. Instead I was lied to and told the IMRA race in Ballinastoe would be a nice fun run with food afterwards. The following report is factual although at times it may sound exaggerated.

The IMRA (Irish Mountain Running Association) is really well run and the online registration is easy to do and you can even buy a voucher so that if at the last minute you decide to do a race you can show up and your voucher can be stamped. Like Park Run a lot of it is volunteer based and after a number of races you are expected to volunteer at one of the races either time keeping, marshalling, car parking or foot massaging (just kidding).

Eileen Rowland Photo by www.imra.ie

So Liam picked me up from Sportsworld and Eoin picked up Karol and Padraig and Eileen we discovered at the race registration. We did an easy warm up along the first hill which seemed harmless and fun before we headed back to the race start for our final instructions.

Race Winner Karol Cronin Photo by www.imra.ie

It was a bit surreal being told at the start to look out for red and yellow strips of plastic to help guide the way. At this point something did tell me this was not a normal race and the importance the speaker was putting on looking out for the pieces of plastic was unusual, surely there is a path you just follow, ha ha ha.

Spot the yellow and red tape

So the race started and off we went on the first climb, oh yeah the race was started by a guy blowing a duck hooter, the path was like a normal mountain path and I expected it was going to be like this for the 11Km race, I was wrong.

We swung a left and headed up a narrow path ducking under fallen trees on a rough trail that had to be run single file. This continued on for around 2km and then the mayhem started. We then went cross country through forests and bogs, up and down small rises and dips followed by blind corners and fences to jump.

Bottom lip trembling coming out of the woods Photo by www.imra.ie

Running through forests sounds nice but this was literally running through a forest, no path, and branches in your face and even though it was summer the dense forest made it seem like night time. And when I say bogs, I don’t mean damp patches in the middle of the path that you run around I mean knee deep muck where the path suddenly stops and your momentum from running downhill gives you no chance to put the brakes on.

It was at this point I had my Khan moment. If anyone is familiar with Star Trek (see clip) Captain Kirk swears revenge on Khan AKA Eoin O Brien for talking him into a similar race.

Cunningham left, O’Brien right

It was also at this point my nice cute runners turned into something I may have to burn.

The race was tough but the fact that you never knew what was around the next bend made you forget any tiredness and you couldn’t relax because you would end up on your face or hugging a tree or going for a swim.

Liam Lenahen Photo by www.imra.ie

Finally we were back on the original path we started on and you knew you were only 1 or 2 km from home. There were no medals at the finish line or fireworks, everyone there had done similar or worse races before so you came to the wrong place if you are looking for sympathy. We learnt Karol on his first IMRA race finished first which considering the difficulty of the race and the constant change in direction was really impressive.

What was not impressive was the chocolate I brought for the end of the race disappearing. In Ireland when someone offers you something you want your supposed to say no thanks I’m fine.

We drove to Kavanagh’s pub and watched the end of the Wales/ Portugal match and for the prize giving and raffle. I know this sounds bad but I have just realized we never waited or found out if Padraig and Eileen finished and were safe before we left. I guess we were too traumatised and hungry.

So finally at 10.30 when we realised we weren’t even going to win a spot prize we all headed home and wondered if it was going to snow during the night so work would be cancelled and we could recover and begin to talk about what happen on July 6^th Ballinastoe 12Km. Never forget.

Well done to Race winnner Karol Cronin, Liam Lenehan, Eileen Rowland, Padraig Moorhouse, Eoin O Brien, the brave and the few.

Don’t mind him, we got Michael some chocolate before the night was out

Achill Half Marathon 2016

Report and Photos by Peter Knaggs

Sportsworld results below.

The 11^th Achill Half Marathon took place on Saturday 2^nd July in the idyllic setting of Achill Island, Co.Mayo in the wild, wild west. Phillip Kerr and myself had targeted this race as a midsummer running challenge to compliment what we hoped would be a weekend of running in glorious weather away from the big smoke. Joining us were Phillip’s wife Kathryn and another few non-Sportsworld runners. In the end the weather, although not exactly glorious, turned out to be relatively dry, except for a brief shower at the finish and a stiff enough breeze throughout the race.

We had arrived the previous evening and upon arriving at the registration tent we were greeted by the always welcoming sight of Sportsworld’s Lucy D’Arcy who was setting up her myrunresults equipment. Having travelled a long way, it’s lovely to spot a familiar and smiling Sportsworld face, and few come more smiling than Lucy’s.

I was named and shamed recently, good naturedly, in a previous run report (thanks, Emmet!) for not wearing my Club singlet in a recent race, so this time I was determined to wear it with pride. This was to be my second ever half marathon following the Paris half marathon which I did earlier in the year. In that race I had gone out too fast and although I got a time I was very happy with, I virtually crawled down into the subway afterwards and it took me the best part of two months to recover from a knee injury sustained in the race. So, for the Achill race I was determined to take it easier, get around the course, enjoy the sights and smell the roses a little. I knew for this race I had tough competition from Phillip who has been running very strongly of late and as a seasoned and wily competitor I knew he would outrun me if I smelled the roses for too long.

Lining up at the start line the two of us were greeted by another Sportsworld face, Sean Donegan, who went on to finish ahead of us and record a very impressive time of just over 1 hour 35 minutes. Particularly impressive, since many said afterwards that the toughness of the course can add up to seven minutes to a normal time for a half marathon. Indeed it was a tough one, with rolling hills and wind the prime obstacles but at the same time the spectacular scenery and views of cliffs, sea and mountains took the breath away.

As we headed off out of the village, at the first mile mark, a Peig Sayers type older lady in a shawl sat by the side of the road and urged us to “G’wan now, It’s all downhill from here!” Ok, as a jackeen I’m stereotyping her appearance a little for poetic effect, but you get the idea…

Certainly if you want to meet sheep on your half marathon, this is the race for you and as we passed mile three I was starting to feel like a lamb to the slaughter myself. Phillip had gone off rather fast I felt and I was struggling to keep up with him but as soon as I got into a rhythm it started to feel easier and the two of us kept running together until about mile six with only the odd grunt exchanged between us up to that point.

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I had brought my phone with me on the race with the ridiculous notion that I would take some photos along the way, which I duly did. Don’t ask why, it was probably so that I would have some running action photos to give Eoin for inclusion with this run report but ultimately found out that running and photography are not really compatible (especially with a fiddly iphone). I passed a group of cheering onlookers who were amused that the runner was taking a photo of them.

The Cheer leaders

Hydration stations cropped up with regularity, along with groups of friendly, welcoming and cheering locals – this was a really well organised race. I pulled a little ahead of Phillip but I knew he wasn’t far behind me all the way. I came to a sign on the side of the road – “Slow down! Good food ahead”. For a brief moment, I was sorely tempted to do just that and nip in for a quick bite but I carried on regardless. The food would have to wait, my quest for glory continued.

Through some pretty villages we continued and on up some long steep hills. At the very top of one interminable hill I could see an ambulance, with medics handing out water. I looked at them and they looked at me and I thought to myself, they’re checking me out for signs of distress or collapse, so I duly put on my best “I’m perfectly fine”, smiling face and continued, merrily initially, then wearily on my way.

Phillip Kerr and Race Reporter Peter

The final few kilometres passed more quickly than my Paris experience for some reason and I felt quite good at the end. Maybe it was because I was passing the stragglers in the concurrent 10k race. Around the final bend, a quick sprint and I was home, arriving in to hearing the sound of congratulations from Lucy at the finish line. It’s those little things, the encouragement and congratulations that make all the difference and make it all worthwhile. Phillip came in around the same time as I did and in a little while we were to discover that he had come first in his age category – what a result for him! So, Achill glory following on from club championship success, he’s on quite a roll.

At the finish, the heavens darkened, rain spilled down and coldness descended but soon the shower passed over, the sun came out briefly and some finishers took to the sea to sooth and ease aching muscles with some very cold water therapy. Congratulations exchanged, we retired to the big tent for sandwiches, tea and prize giving and all the while next door a funfair of four forlorn looking amusement rides, including a whirring waltzer, were entertaining a visitor or two.

And so, the Achill running adventure had come to an end, the next Achill (non running) adventure was about to happen, but that’s another story……

Apologies if I’ve left out any other Sportsworld runners who might have run the race, whom I didn’t see, but here are the Sportworld results as I understand them;

Race won by Freddy Kerron Stuk in 1:14:58

35th Sean Donegan 1:35:28
61th Peter Knaggs 1:40:43
61th Phillip Kerr 1:41:11 (1st in age category)

412 competitors

This is very Fr Ted

Irish Runner Phoenix Park Paced Mile

Report by Naoise Waldron

Photos by Lucy D’Arcy.

Irish Runner Magazine Gallery: Click here – Finisher Videos by My Run Results: Click here

“It’s not a race Naoise”…the wise words spoken by Karl Chatterton as we waited for the Irish Runner paced mile to begin this morning. Considering that I had roped Eoin in to incorporating it in to our 12 mile run, I knew that my 6 mile warm up might slow me down slightly.

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Close to 70 people took part in the paced mile in the Phoenix Park. We were greeted at registration by the ever smiling Lucy Darcy and fellow My Run Results colleagues. The route was a down and back route, starting past the Furze Road turn off and heading toward the Aras and then back up again. After collecting our numbers, Eoin, Karl and I, continued with a warm up, before heading back towards the start line to meet fellow Sportsworld members Conor Keating and Declan Brady.

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Another short run and we were back for the pre mile stretches and then the first groups were off. Stephen Willoughby was pacing the 8 mile group and he had the company of Catherine Gilmore, Madeline Byrne and Emma Barry. The three ladies had fantastic runs and were in well under the 8 minute mark, with Catherine being the second across the line in in the 8 minute pace group in 7.13.

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Then it was time for the 7, 6 and 5 minute pace miles. I had signed up for the 6 minute pace, however was feeling less than fresh so I knew I would be lucky to keep the pacer in my sights. I was on track for the first 800m but then with the slow turn around and the drag on Chesterfield Avenue, my pacer Ronan was soon well out of my reach. Maybe next time! Karl finished 2nd overall in 5.03, with Conor close behind in 5:11. Declan has shown that the track training is really paying off and completed in 5.41.

Well done to everyone who took part, full Sportsworld results as follows:

2 Karl CHATTERTON 00:05:03
6 Conor KEATING 00:05:11
10 Declan BRADY 00:05:41
14 Eoin O’BRIEN 00:05:55
22 Naoise WALDRON 00:06:24
41 Catherine GILMORE 00:07:13
44 Emma BARRY 00:07:18
47 Madeline BYRNE 00:07:29

The next free event is Sunday August 21st. To enter: Click here

Clonee 10k 2016

Race report by Karol Cronin

Photos by Anna Delaney and MyRunResults.

The second ever Clonee 10k race took place last Thursday evening with over 360 competitors. This Royal satellite town of Dublin will fast become a popular summer road race with it’s flat course and a less than 30 minutes drive to it.

The course itself starts 10 minutes from the village from where motorway ends and country road begins. Before the race got underway, the P.A. announced to be careful as a tractor had just pulled out of a field leaving behind a trail of muck on the road.

The winner of the race was pretty much decided upon when Kenyan born Peter Somba representing Dunboyne lined the field. People may have become familiar with Peter by now as he’s competing in every road race that Athletics Ireland can license and is winning them all. With him accompanying this race was his very own camera man recording his every move. He must be making a documentary about how he’s conquering all the road races throughout Ireland.

As always there was a small but strong Sportsworld crew present. Myself, Ruth, Ciara, Padraig, Mandeleine, Emma and Catherine all lined up as well as Anna who was out to give us support. With an 8pm start, the sun managed to break through making it a pleasant but slighty blustery race especially the second half.

I let the Kenyan fly off and compete for a second place finish. The course meandered alongside country fields and after about 1k, Somba had established a firm lead. At the same time I had managed to make a gap with third place and knew if I kept working hard I’d maintain second place. There was occasional local support along the quiet roads offering water and much needed cheers.

Because of the windy conditions, I knew a pb wasn’t for the taking. I came home in second place finish with a comfortable gap to third place to Shane O’Neill from Rathfarnham A.C. Ruth and Ciara both ran brilliant races coming in 5^th and 6^th followed by Catherine and were unlucky not to win a team prize as they finished in third position. Next up was Emma, Madeleine and Catherine all finishing together followed by Padraig who all ran great.

Each participant received a giant golden medal after the race and back in the village in the Grasshopper pub, we were all treated to free pizza from Domino’s which should attract more runners next year. Ruth also learned that she had placed first in her age category and won an extra large Ireland coloured short shorts which I think Ruth will have more benefit of bringing to Lansdowne Road and waving on the boys in green.

It was a really great race to do with a nice atmosphere and fun back in the Grasshopper pub. Thanks to Dunboyne A.C. for organzing it and for Ruth providing the lift out and to Anna for all encouragement and support. On a final note, I can say it took a Kenyan to beat me.

Sportsword results:

2^nd Karol Cronin 32:35
5^th Ruth Kelly 40:43
6^th Ciara Foster 40:47
32^nd Emma Barry 48:39
33^rd Madeleine Byrne 48:54
37^th Catherine Gilmore 49:28
228^th Padraig Moorehouse 53:30

BHAA Runlogic Phoenix Park 5k Trail

Report and photos by Sandra Gowran

Full Sportsworld results below.

Earlier this week a small number of Sportsworld Athletes swapped the usual Tuesday evening training session in Bushy Park for a BHAA 5km trail run in the Phoenix Park sponsored by Runlogic.

Race reporter and Sportsword Chair Sandra on the home straight!

For yours truly it was the final chance to get an official race completed in June to keep my ‘at least a race a month’ commitment to myself this year (thanks Jose for the gentle reminder that I was cutting it fine to get a race in for June!). My motivation has really been tested over the past month and so as I cycled over to race HQ I thought to myself that Nike’s Just Do It slogan was particularly apt for where I was at – I just needed to do it and not think about it too much.

On arrival I met Emma Barry and Peter Knaggs who were also there to race, along with Stephen Willoughby, Madeline Byrne, Kathleen Horgan, Audrai O’Driscoll and former Sporstworld member Joe Haugh who were all there to steward. At the end of the race I met Crona Brady who ran with her ‘new to running’ housemate.

As I stood in the short queue to collect my number I spotted a glorious rainbow in the sky, the sun was shining and everyone was in good summer spirits. After a decent warm-up we gathered at the start of the 2 lap course, with minutes to go the sky darkened and it became obvious that there was going to be a bit of rain.

Olympian and Raheny athlete Mick Clohisey was there to officially start the race and just as he sounded the siren the skies opened and monsoon like rain and hailstones showered us for the first 1-2km. The ground that had been lovely and firm and befitting of the title ‘trail’ quickly became waterlogged and within a matter of minutes we were racing our first XC race of the season mid-summer!

Rio Olympain Mick Clohisey being shown the ropes by our own Stephen Willoughby (holding the rope tightly)

The first lap was tough as a result, the rain was cold, the ground unsure, there were lots of squeals and utterances of disbelief from the runners around me, I just put my head down and welcomed the distraction. I felt my legs were still a bit tired from the track championships on Saturday but still it felt good to be racing on a Tuesday evening in one of the best parks in the world.

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The course was as flat as a pancake and despite the wet underfoot conditions there was only one corner that was particularly treacherous. As I neared the end of the first lap I noted that Mick Clohisey was also ringing the bell to herald the final lap – pretty cool to have an Olympian supporting an average Tuesday evening race.

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I had a good final lap, I decided that seeing as I was there I might as well push myself as hard as I could and so I pushed hard for the rest of the race managing to pick a number of runners off ahead of me. I had a great sprint finish with another runner who out sprinted me in the end.

The sun was back out, June race challenge was complete and all that remained was the tea and ‘man sandwiches’ over the race post-mortem in HQ.

Sportsworld Results:

12 Paul O’connell 00:19:05
41 Peter Knaggs 00:21:18
57 Kathleen Horgan 00:22:04
85 Sandra Gowran 00:23:53
100 Emma Barry 00:24:37
112 Ashley Pearson 00:26:03 (Cronas new to running housemate)
113 Crona Brady 00:26:03
127 Audrai O’Driscoll 00:27:30

Marathon (23 K Cross) du Mont Blanc

Report and photos by Liam Lenehan

Chamonix, France – 25th June 2016

Eoin asked me to write a few words on my recent mountain race in Chamonix which I am delighted to do. I’ll keep it short and let the photos tell most of the story but now that I have the forum …

Race reporter Liam with hois wife Orla!

… If you said to me a couple of years ago ago (when a weekly five-a-side and maybe a jog or two were my staples), that having turned 56, I would be track running in Tallaght and trail racing in the Alps, I would have said you needed your head examined. But here I am, not a wet week in IMRA and Sportsworld, and my world has changed.

Bursting my lungs in Bushy Park and pumping my legs up and down the Wicklow Hills have filled my spring and summer weeks and rejuvenated mind and body. The best part of it all has been the discovery that running with others beats the socks off running solo and I have Eoin to thank who, with Myles help, sold me on the benefits (better race times and great craic he said!) of joining Sportsworld when I was collecting my number at the clubhouse for the Terenure 5 back in May. 6 weeks later I can vouch for the fantastic camaraderie in the club and I am sure I could not have run so well in Chamonix without being dragged and pushed around fartlek sessions like last nights!

To the race – many of you probably know of the UTMB which happens in August in Chamonix but the iconic Alps town also has the Marathon du Mont Blanc weekend of trail running every June. The centre piece is of course the Marathon (42k with 3,000 metres of ascent) but there is also an 80k/6,700 metres, the Cross (my race) with 1,600 metres, a 10k/350 metres and the notorious Vertical KM! (1k straight up 3.8k of switchbacks from the town centre to the Brevent ski station – winners timw was 36mins).

7,500 runners (I counted about 20 Irish or so in the entry lists) invade Cham for the weekend and 1,500 took on the Cross at 8am on a beautiful sunny Saturday morning.

Starting from the Chamonix paragliding landing field (already 1035m up) our route climbed steadily towards the upper Chamonix valley, progressively passing through the hamlets of Les Bois and Lavancher before reaching Argentière (1250m). We passed the ski stations for Grand Montets and Le Tour and reached the half way point and feeding station (distance not time as the steepest climbs were still to come) in the hamlet of Tré le Champ, a pretty village based right before the Col des Montets, from where we hit the Balcon Sud (south balcony trail with amazing views of the valley and Mont Blanc).

At Flegere ski station (1850m), thunderstorms were imminent so we were diverted (first time this has happened in 38 years of staging) from the usual higher finish at Brevent ski station (2,000m) to a finish back in Chamonix. The net result was was the same overall meterage of ascent but an extra 3k added to bring the distance to 26k, and a non stop very technical descent of 800 metres over 8k (had my only tumble on this section and it was spectacular – still have the bruises and cuts to show for it!).

The reward for the route diversion was a raucous finish in front of the crowds (runners from the other races, supporters, locals and bemused tourists!) in Chamonix town square – won’t ever forget the atmosphere!

Photo from Mont Blanc Marathon Website

Winning time was 1h:59 and first woman home was 14th in 2h:25 (both were Salomon sponsored runners). For the record I finished in 3 hours 23 minutes which earned me position 293 out of 1527 runners and 25th out of 157 in the V2h category (men over 50!). Thrilled with the time as I was targeting 3h:30 and variable weather and route change mitigated against good times.

Cant wait for next year (maybe the marathon??). By the way if you are interested in participating next year, such is the demand that there is a lottery for places – registration for 2017 is late September 2016 with the draw results a week later so if you do get lucky you have plenty of time to prep!

Sportsworld Club Championship 2016

Report By Declan Brady

Photos by Conor Kenny, Joe Byrne, Valerie Power & Eoin O’Brien

For full photo album of Womens 1500m: Click here
For full photo album of Mens 1500m: Click here
For full photo album of Mixed 4×400 relay: Click here

Full results and times on the clubhouse notice board!

Dragging yourself out of well deserved weekend slumber for 9am track starts on a Saturday can be “challenging” at times, though it’s always worth it in the end. But last Saturday provided added incentive and I was really looking forward to the Championships, my first since joining Sportsworld just over three months ago.

Race reporter Declan leading out a gang in the 1500m on Saturday!

The atmosphere was great on arrival at the Tallaght track and you could sense the excitement and expectation in the air with Emily and Myles working on organizing everyone and reminding us to do our stretches and warm-ups. The morning was a little over-cast and cool but no wind or rain thankfully so the omens were good from the off.

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The Womens 1500m kicked off and the pace seemed leisurely enough for the first lap and a half almost like it was a morning jog, but things can be deceptive and before long the expected front-runners started to pick it up and the field started to get strung out in a long line as the pace quickened.

The Brouder sisters were turning the screw over the last lap and a half and it was a tight battle in the final 200m with Helen just prevailing over Noreen, and Ruth coming in a strong third.

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The Mens 1500m started very quick with the front-runners taking off like rockets it seemed to me and it felt a bit like an elongated sprint over that first lap or so. I took off probably a bit too fast myself over that first 600 and so decided to take it back a bit over the next lap or so.

The real race was taking place a little ahead of me as Karol, Gareth, Conor, Wesley, Derek and a few others fought it out for position and the final garlands. I could feel the pitter-patter of quick steps on my shoulder for a good lap and a half and I knew it had to be Jim though I did’nt dare look round. And so it was, and where Jim goes Noel is never too far away.

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Coming into the final lap I thought maybe my early pace was going to cost me as Jim, Justin and Noel moved past quickly and motored on. But in the last 250 the double dose of Al-Bran and Red Bull that morning seemed to kick in and I found a burst of speed to overtake them again, and go on to discover later to my delight that I’d been first in the O50’s.

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In the real race up ahead Gareth prevailed as winner followed closely by Karol and Conor. But overall a great race and some brilliant individual performances across all the categories – congrats to all.

The relays were great fun and I had a flashback to Community Games relays that I’d ran in the “very distant” past, except there was’nt a baton in sight – to drop. It was exciting to see the placings change for the various teams over the different legs and the support from the side-lines was a great motivator.

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The teams were obviously well picked and seemed fairly evenly balanced with some great individual and team battles. I had the honour of captioning the winning team L as we managed to do the business. Helen gave us a great opening leg handing over in 3^rd place to me.

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I had a good leg and made up some ground and handed over to Naoise who felt the earlier 1500 a bit in her legs but held on well and Dermot ran a stormer of a final leg to break the tape first chased all the way by Noreen on team M.

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All in all a great morning for me on a personal level and a thoroughly enjoyable one for all I think. The prize-giving upstairs was great afterwards and the food laid on was fantastic : what a spread. Many thanks and a big hand to all who helped organize such a successful Event.

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Overall winners – full results and times on the clubhouse noticeboard

1500m Women

1st Helen Brouder 5:18

2nd Noreen Brouder 5:20

3rd Ruth Kelly 5:23

1500m Men

1st Gareth Murren 4:18

2nd Karol Cronin 4:25

3rd Conor McCarthy 4:32

Relay Teams

1st Declan Brady, Naoise Waldron, Dermot O’Sullivan, Helen Brouder 4:39

2nd Niamh Flaherty, Eoin O’Brien, Noreen Brouder, Paul Mitchel 4:42

3rd Rebeca Nolan, Jim Browne, Val Power, Derek Saville 4:44

Graded Meet 5 Tallaght

Report by Catherine Mulleady

Photos by Catherine and Nigel Elliott. Full Sportsworld results below.

Wednesday night saw the running of the 5th graded meet of the season. It was held on the Tallaght AC track (home turf for us). It seemed like a considerably quieter meet than usual (apparently there was some big match on??). Conditions were perfect for running even if it did threaten to lash a couple of times.

‘Apparently there was some big match on’

All races were running slightly ahead of schedule so everyone’s warm-up was cut a bit short (everyone was trying to get home early for some reason???)

Race reporter Catherine getting in the zone

I ran in the 800m B grade. There was a good turnout for the race despite the match. The race started very fast and I tried to be conservative on the first lap but despite my best efforts, I went though the first 400m in 73 seconds (this is too fast for me). It was just a matter of holding on for dear life on the second lap and trying not to let anyone come past me. I finished in 2:36 which is 1 second faster than my last outing so I was happy enough with that.

Gareth was up next in the 800m. It was a tough field but Gareth held on well to finish in 2:08. I think he was keeping something in the tank for the 3000m.

The award for track race of the night went to the Men’s 3000m C race. 4 Sportsworld men lined up for this one. Despite Emily’s words of advice Stephen decided to set the pace from the start and he opened up a nice lead on the rest of the pack.

With about 600m to go we could see that Gareth was trying to reel him in. By the final bend Gareth had caught up to Stephen and we knew we were in for a good finish. With 100m to go Gareth made his move but Stephen responded accordingly and held him off to take the win. Diarmuid ran a strong race and came home in 10:39. Noel ran well also in his first outing at a Graded Meet to finish in a great time of 11:28.

Justin went in the B grade, which was combined with the A. It was a very strong field and the pace was fast from the start. He put in a very good performance to finish in 10:14.