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Saturday, August 16, 2025
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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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Graded Meet 7 Santry

Report by Margaret Crowley

Photos by Will Greensmyth

Full Sportsworld results below

There was a very poor turnout from Sportsworld at the second last graded met of the summer at Santry. I debated going myself and even turned the car off the motorway at Ballymount when I was submerged in all the traffic on the M50 knowing that I would not make the 200m race. I shortly came to my senses realizing I had nothing to lose by giving the 800m ago if I did not make the 200m race, (which unfortunately started as I arrived).

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Race report Margaret in 800m action Wednesday

The first Sportsworld member on the track was David taking part in the 200m. David came second in his met.

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Next up was Margaret (myself) who competed in her first 800m race. I will definitely try this distance again but as a sprinter I was far too hesitant to go out fast, but lesson learned, go out a bit harder next time.

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David was back for more action and signed up for the Grade C 800m race along with Will. Will ran a great race, sat in comfortably for the first 600m and then sprinted it all the way home for the last 200m (this man has definitely recovered from his trip to France for the Euros). David also ran a strong 800m race and found his 6th gear for the last 200m.

Note: The Morton Games are on at the same track tonight, Friday 22nd. This is a top international meet which kicks off at 7pm, there is always a good crew from the club there so head along.

For details and a preview: Click here

Entry is €10 with U/16 free.

Map to Santry Stadium: Click here

Sportsworld Results

200m Grade C
Saunders David 25.16 (New club record!)

800m Grade B
Crowley Margaret 2.40.95

800m Grade C
Greensmyth William 2.17.06
Saunders David 2.21.02

Club Marathon Talk Tuesday 19th July

Club marathon talk on Tuesday 19th July with Emily and Myles straight after training for all those planning on running Dublin in October or any upcoming marathon.

They will be giving advise, taking questions and going through training plans.

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Docklands 5k 2016

Report by Aine Kelly

Photos by the Docklands Facebook Page (Click here for Album 1 & Album 2) and the Sportsworld Gallerys (Click here)

I First started running with Sportsworld back in December with the view to work on my running; little did I know I would also end up having to work on my writing – thanks Eoin! For those of you who are new to Sportsworld– NEVER show up to a race without your Club attire, unless of course you want to spend your Sunday evening writing a race report!

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Race reporter Aine…..in  pink….hence why she is the race reporter

Anyhow, enough complaining, onto more serious business;

7.30pm last Thursday evening rang in the annual crusaders AC ‘Docklands 5km’ Run.  The race was well attended with over 1500 entries, 200 of which came in under the 20-minute mark.  PBs were rife owing to good race conditions and a pancake flat and fast route.

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Approximately 31 eager red and white Sportsworld members (and one plain clothes member; namely myself) assembled at their private dressing room (thanks Will Greensmyth) on Rogerson’s Quay, very conveniently located only 1 minute from the official start line.

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As we set off on our group warm-up there was lighthearted chitchat about time aspirations and PBs. However the conversation quickly progressed to the more serious matter of GnTs in the Ferryman after the run! 15 minutes later I became quite concerned. I asked around: “Shouldn’t we be ‘resting the legs’ before the big event?” Just goes to show how much I know! As a rule of thumb; the shorter the race, the longer the warm-up. I’m always learning!

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The event was well organized with 20, 25 and 30km pacers. The ‘U’ shaped route went from the South Docks at Lime Street to the Matt Talbot Bridge, across the river and straight down to the turn around point at the 3 Arena. From there we traced out footsteps back past the start line and finished at Sir John Rogersons Quay.

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I lined up behind the 20km pacer with Liam Lenehan and Naoise Waldron. Liam joined the club only 2 months ago after running the Terenure 5 mile back in May. Myles promised him that his times would improve under Emily’s watchful eye. He proceeded to run a PB of 19.47, almost 2 minutes faster than he had previously achieved. I’m not sure if I should say well done Emily or well done Liam!

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While I optimistically lined up with the two athletes above I lost them after a minute (delighted with myself that I’d stuck with them for that full minute) and decided to run my own race. I felt good on the outlet part of the route but the return leg felt long in the humid conditions. Despite this, the spectators, stewards and all important club supporters offered many words of encouragement, which drove me on.

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I finished up with my own PB of 21.04 which I was chuffed with. You wont find my name on the results page because I took Wesley’s race number – Wesley of course will be disgusted that I have blackened his speed rep forever. Fans will be shocked – sorry Wesley! But thanks for the race entry!

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The well-known Peter Somba won the race in a lightening speed of 14.40. As always, several Sportsworld runners did the club proud making top rankings. Gareth came in at 16.35 while Noreen, Kate, Andrea and Naoise were among the first 20 ladies home. Kate Kelly, the 26year old ‘one to watch’ came in at 19.04 and Noreen Brouder at 17.49, both made it home in the top 10.

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Much needed refreshments were sourced in the Ferryman pub after the race. While some of us know our limits and left at a reasonable hour, others went on in search of more refreshments, finding themselves being kicked out of Flannary’s at 3.30am. We wont name any names though, Eoin, Gemma, Denise & Will!

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Roll on next years Docklands 5km. We are ready for you!

Sportsworld Results – 36 finishers!

17 GARETH MURRAN 00:16:35
37 SEDANAND MCGEE 00:17:08
73 NOREEN BROUDER 00:17:49 (5th female)
78 DIARMUID O’SUILLEABHAIN0 0:17:58
92 WILL GREENSMYTH 00:18:18

97 EMMET WARDELL 00:18:24
105 NOEL TOBIN 00:18:40   (5th in age category)
121 DAVID SAUNDERS 00:18:55
123 PAUL BRADY 00:18:55
129 DECLAN BRADY 00:19:05

130 KATE KELLY 00:19:04  (9th female)
131 DENIS MCCAUL 00:19:05
149 EOIN O’BRIEN 00:19:22
151 JOSE CHAPA 00:19:23
170 PETER KNAGGS 00:19:33  (5th in age category)

173 DERMOT SULLIVAN 00:19:32
202 LIAM LENEHAN 00:19:47 (1st in age category!)
210 Andrea MCNAMARA 00:20:04   (17th female)
217 NAOISE WALDRON 00:20:01   (18th female)
235 KATHLEEN HORGAN 00:20:25   (4th in age category)

239 Stephen WILLOUGHBY 00:20:22
267 AINE KELLY 00:21:00
313 DENISE KILKENNY 00:21:26
383 Crona BRADY 00:22:15
406 CLAIRE ROWLEY 00:22:27

404 Thomas KINSELLA 00:22:40
418 SANDRA GOWRAN 00:22:46 (3rd in age category)
434 MAIREAD DAUNT 00:22:56
457 GEMMA WHITE 00:23:13
458 GRAINNE LYNCH 00:23:13

471 EILEEN ROWLAND 00:23:34  (2nd in age category)
497 AGNES BUCKLEY 00:24:13
506 Rosie MULHERN 00:24:03
566 AUDRAI O’DRISCOLL 00:24:31  (5th in age category)
589 MARIA FINNEGAN 00:24:56
652 PETER BRENNAN 00:24:39

Graded Meet 6 Irishtown

Race report and no photos by Michael Cunningham

Sportsworld results below.

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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.

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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.

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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 100th 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.

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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.

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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

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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?

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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!!

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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

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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.

 

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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).

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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Cunningham left, O’Brien right

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

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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 6th Ballinastoe 12Km. Never forget.

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

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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 11th Achill Half Marathon took place on Saturday 2nd 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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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

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This is very Fr Ted

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