Dublin Intermediate Cross Country 2015

Reports by Maura Ginty & Brian Conway

Thanks to Lucia Prihodova, Conor Kenny and Gareth Murran for the photos. Full album here: Gallery

Sportsworld results below.

Report by Maura Ginty

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Maura leading the charge

Dublin female intermediate championship is held over a 5k course a week before the national novice. It’s on 3 weeks after the Leinster intermediate which itself is over a 4k course. Ours is not to reason why. [Ok – have checked the rules and these are indeed the prescribed distances by athletics Ireland and athletics Leinster respectively]

Our female team was missing a few speedsters, both through ineligibility and other personal commitments. Caoimhe was racing her first xc race and was remarkably calm beforehand, wondering what it would be like. I muttered something about it “going to be grand” not making eye contact, knowing it was a complete lie, but it was what people had told me when i was racing first. The rest of us had the usual varying issues with injury, holidays, lack of race fitness etc. Mine was the holiday’s one – see Gareth’s report for a full run-down. It was clearly not an ideal preparation week, but I honestly don’t know when is for this level.

The course is a couple of laps around Tymon Park and reasonably flat with a pretty sweet downhill, which you can really make up places on. Ground was fine, not really muddy.

Got to the start and even allowing for the fact that the national novice (which some clubs appear to have been prioritising) was on in a week, there was only 38 runners which is disappointing and not reflective of female participation/level of running in the county. Though I quickly decided that the start line was not the time to be analysing the state of xc running in county Dublin.

And we were off! Caroline was her usual enthusiastic self from the gun and took Gemma with her as they tore off. Rest of us tried to stay with them with lots of jostling for position and people being very polite with lots of “sorrys” which was a bit bizarre.

My aim had been to stick with the girls for as long as possible and match or better my performance in the Leinsters -where i was behind Naoise and just ahead of Margaret and Catherine. After about 1k Caoimhe/Naoise and Catherine/Margaret were whizzing by and i just did not have it in me to keep with them. With hindsight, I’am disappointed with that and feel I should have been able to run for longer in a pack. Though sure what is a race without development points?

Soon after our team became very fragmented; Caoimhe was off in the distance and we were all running individually after Caroline and Gemma came back to us, with Lucia slightly after Gemma. Apart from Emily’s ever present optimism, medal placing didn’t seem to be a probability, and the rest of the race was a real slog. I tried to catch a Bros Pearse runner which kept me occupied and out of trouble from those behind.

Crossing the finish was the usual euphoria that it was all over and the weekend could begin. In particular, the performance of Caoimhe was so impressive and gave us all cause for optimism.

So 4th place overall for the team, which is a significant improvement on 2014’s 9th. And we look forward to a strengthened team (and bodies) for the novice and upcoming seasons.

Big mention for all the support (especially the lads who were racing next) which was absolutely brilliant and despite the grimaces, we were grateful for all the shout outs.

I could not wait around for the tea/biscuits afterwards as my driver had some 20% discount shopping in BT’s to attend to.

Report by Brian Conway

Brian in action Saturday

This year’s Dublin Intermediate 8K cross-country took place in Tymon Park. For cross-country runners this is a familiar place. Over the years it has been the venue for many BHAA cross-country races. And it has a lot to recommend it as a course: it is relatively flat, is solid underfoot, and extends over a large geographical area.

For all that, it is not an easy course. There is little shelter on a windy day. There are stretches where you have to face an uphill battle. There is one steep downslope. 12307491_939457239465410_2194170705451346420_o

The race set off on time – 2.20 – and the first lap of four was fast. I settled into a steady pace on the second lap and tried to keep it up until the finish. I ran most of the course with Eoin O’Brien, who helped to keep me up to the pace. There were strong individual and team performances from Sportsworld (see below for results). Thanks to all the Sportsworld supporters along the course.

Justin McKeever had an outstanding race finishing in 18th overall, completing the 5 mile cross country course in 30min 43sec. He was followed by Damian Kelly, Karl Chatterton and Diarmuid O’Sullivan who all came home within 90sec of each other. Anthony, Conor and Will made up the rest of the mens team.

Afterwards the prize ceremony, with tea and biscuits, took place in the Templelogue soccer club.

Sportsworld Results:

Womens 5k
16 Caoimhe Costigan Sportsworld A.C. 22.59
20 Naoise Waldron Sportsworld A.C. 23.32
23 Catherine Mulleady Sportsworld A.C. 23.47
25 Maura Ginty Sportsworld A.C. 24.24
28 Margaret Crowley Sportsworld A.C. 24.34
29 Caroline Conway Sportsworld A.C. 24.50
32 Gemma White Sportsworld A.C. 25.14
36 Lucia Prihobova Sportsworld A.C. 26.15

Mens 8k
18 Justin McKeever Sportsworld A.C. 30.43
24 Damien Kelly Sportsworld A.C. 31.22
33 Karl Chatterton Sportsworld A.C. 32.02
41 Diarmuid O’Sullivan Sportsworld A.C. 33.00
50 Anthony Gillen Sportsworld A.C. 33.54
52 Conor Keating Sportsworld A.C. 34.17
53 Will Greensymth Sportsworld A.C. 34.25
58 Brian Conway Sportsworld A.C. 36.13
60 Eoin O’Brien Sportsworld A.C. 36.50

Full results: Dublin Athletics

Lanzarote 2015

A small group of just 11 headed to Club La Santa last week for the annual international running challenge. We had 2 lovely apartments in the new part of the complex. With 3 of the lads injured or sick we had just 3 lads and 4 girls running all 4 races.

For anyone that hasn’t heard of it. La Santa is a small village near Tinajo in North Eastern Lanzarote. Club La Santa is a top class sports holiday location sitting high on the hill above the town. It caters for every summer sport imaginable.

Each year 300-400 club runners from Ireland, Denmark and the UK compete over 4 days in 4 races. It’s a tough challenge that will make or break your winter training block.

Day 1 started with 10k on the road.This area of Lanzarote is windy beyond belief. Even with a relatively straight course this year the tough mind made conditions a struggle. The new course went out to the village if La santa and back a couple of times. At home this course would seem easy but the hard surfaces and win adds significantly to the difficulty.

The lads team of Paul Fleming, Kevin Curran and Jim Browne ran very well against some very tough Danes and Tom Hogan from SBR in Ireland. Our girls ran together at first but then spaced out more as the race progressed. Between them Ruth, Shóna, Anna and Maura had very little training done but they held their own against strong Crusaders and UK teams.After day 1 it was clear that the depth of quality was up this year despite some lower race entry numbers.

Day 2 was the 13k ridge run. The Sportsworld supporters headed out in our rented car to drive up the ridge and catch the runners going up and coming down.

Maura after flogging herself half to death on day 1 took it a little easier on day 2. By the time she passed us on the way down she was still smiling. The wind was a killer on the ridge. The course was 700m too long. It all added up to the runners being blown back up the hill rather than being able to lean in and power down it.

Kevin who has been running fantastic all autumn was bounding down the hill and looking fantastic doing it. His smooth stride brining him home well ahead of his rivals. All that work paying off

A nice thing about the races is that you have all levels of races within races,national pride, age group awards and team rivalries. Jim and Ruth were in each others sights all week. On the ridge it was no different, with Ruth pipping Jim on this ocassion . After the race our girls team looked comfortable in 3rd place.

The only thing fast on day 3 was the fashion on the streets of Carmen. You arrive at the beach each year hoping for some hard and compact ground under foot. This year disappointed. The pace was fierce and the beach was almost all puffy soft sand. As the 2nd of two laps came around you could see the heads dropping and race pace slowing. Paul as always had a blinder, he knows how to run that race. Jim also had a fantastic race as did Shóna.

Day 4 is the morning of the half marathon . The 3 lads. Gareth , Michael and Wesley went out on mountain bikes to support, give out some water and gels. Emily at the last kilometer to shout the last words of encouragement.

The runners arrived at the start to hear that the course was slightly changing. It was all a bit confusing with most people expecting a second trip up Lanzarotes own version of heartbreak hill. This didn’t happen in the end with the runners doing just 1.5 laps around Manc Blanca. The diversion was difficult because of the strong winds which again were slowing down the runners.

The nice thing about supporting the half is that you can see the runners in a few spots. I think its appreciated by everyone running. With lots of Irish clubs now taking part the support is like a home race.

By the time the runners had La Santa in their sites, everyone from Sportsworld was still looking strong. Like the ridge run you couldn’t really compare the times with previous years as conditions and courses did vary. This both mixes it up and can be a little frustrating.The running part of the week ended with the annual awards, as introduced by Kenneth a Club La Santa tradition.

Well done to everyone that ran. Jim was under pressure from day 1 with Gareth, Wesley or Michael not able to run. He ran himself really hard each day and was a great addition to the men’s team. Maura was on the comeback trail in a get fit for La Santa pact with Shóna. Ruth, Paul and Kevin all won race awards and some age group prizes.

Congrats to the Crusaders team that won the women’s team event with Orla Drum taking 1st girl. The mens was won by the Danes yet again with Tom Hogan from SBR taking first in the men’s by 4 seconds over 4 races. Impressive running throughout from Tom and Orla. Wednesday night ended with plenty of fun, a few sore heads, lots of bad dancing, new friends and stories over a few glasses of Lanzarotes finest wines. It was late very late.

For anyone thinking of going I can’t recommend it enough. It’s a great way to get to know people in the club better. The food in La Santa village is fantastic and 24 degree days in late November is hard to come by in Dublin. All of this is before I even get to the trips to the beach, long bike rides chasing Shona and picturesque scenery. If your the adventurous type you can try sports like windsurfing or aerial yoga for free every day

Full results below and on the club La Santa site. No doubt we will be back with greater numbers next year and be even more determined to get 2 teams on the podium.

Lanzarote 2015

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Special thanks to Emily for organising the trip. Everyone had a great week. She does an amazing job each year getting the trip planned and the keeping the group together during the week. A few photos below with lots more on Facebook.

7 158 RUTH KELLY 40-44 IRL 00:42:51 01:00:59 00:23:25 01:30:15 03:37:30
8 153 SHONA KEANE 30-34 IRL 00:42:58 01:03:06 00:24:08 01:30:53 03:41:03
18 112 ANNA DELANEY 40-44 IRL 00:46:46 01:07:45 00:26:05 01:41:32 04:02:06
24 159 MAURA GINTY 35-39 IRL 00:47:51 01:08:14 00:26:54 01:47:36 04:10:33

6 4 PAUL FLEMING 40-44 IRL 00:35:05 00:50:34 00:19:15 01:15:36 03:00:28
9 174 KEVIN CURRAN 30-34 IRL 00:36:48 00:51:48 00:21:08 01:18:10 03:07:52
47 162 JIM BROWNE 50-54 IRL 00:42:20 01:02:27 00:22:53 01:37:24 03:45:02

Full Results and age group awards for Sportsworld runners

Ronan Murray

This week we meet up with Ronan who has just wrapped up not one but two marathons over the past 3 weeks…this was a man who once smoked 30 a day!!! Ronan has gone from strength to strength and now has PBs of a 3.30 marathon and 19min 5k for all his efforts!

When did you join Sportsworld?
I think its about 5 years now but feels a lot longer

Where do you work?
I could tell you but I’d have to kill you.

What is your favourite club session?
Fartlek in Bushy – when you get a group working together it’s a great session

What is your favorite race distance?
Currently Half marathon , I think I have done 27/28 now but im leaning more toward Marathon now that im getting old and slow

What is your favorite meal before a big race?
Whatever I can get my hands on. I have a strong stomach so I can eat anything

My Favourite place to train/compete is?
Defo waterworks , love the views and clean air ( and I can run from home)

What is your target for the next year? –
Im strongly thinking about an ultra and possibly a Duathlon

What is your best Sportsworld memory?
The weekend that 18 of us went to Berlin to run a half Marathon proudly sporting club colours and the night on the beer that followed ( No details given – what goes on tour stays on tour )

What international events have you ran?
Half marathon in Torrevieja Spain and half Marathon in Berlin

What do you like doing when you don’t run?
Go on the beer

How/When did you start your adventure with running?
When I realised I was fat and unfit. I was 16st and smoked 30 a day , so I quit the fags and joined a gym. A year later I had lost some weight and was able to run a bit so I came down to the club with Sandra Armstrong , and the rest is history.

Tell us about your PB’s / What is your biggest achievement?
PBs 3.30 Marathon , 41min 10K , 19.00 5K . Biggest achievement was last weekend when I ran the extreme trail Marathon in Newry , just a few weeks after Dublin. More climbing that I have ever done in any race , 9 miles uphill and loved every minute.

How often do you run / What is your typical weekly mileage?
I usually run 4/5 times per week about 35miles ( unless in Marathon training)

What would you say is the best thing about being in a Running Club?
The friends you make and the fact that you run better in a group

What made you join a Running Club?
Damn Sandra Armstrong

What was your first day at the Club like?
– Hell. It was the Terenure lap time trial and I knew nobody so Sandra said just stick with me and don’t let me get away. At the time I had never run faster than a jog and Sandra was running very well , so it nearly killed me to stay with her. I think I might have puked afterwards.

Why is running important to you?
Work is stressful , so running helps clear my head and you generate a great circle of running buddies. Plus you get to work off all the beer calories

Is there anything you would like to see more of or less of at the Club?
More -Vary the Sunday runs , the park is like groundhog day
Less – Giving out to me for not taking enough recovery after races –HaHa.

Who is the person in the club who inspires/drives to run better?
There is not just one person that offers inspiration , Myles ,Paddy and Emily all inspire me and Emily drives me to run better with her gentle encouraging tone ( That you can hear on the other side of the Tesco lap) Kidding !

Do you do any cross training / other sports on a regular basis?
I go to the gym 4 times a week and cycle a bit when the weather in favourable ( fair weather cyclist)

Clontarf 5 mile & Half Marathon

Report by Emmett Wardell

Photos sourced at Racepix.com taken by Dusan Uhrin . Click here for full album: Clontarf Races

Before I go on to document my own travails, I would like to offer a massive congratulations and well done to Diarmuid O’Suilleabhain for placing third out of over 600 runners in the Clontarf 5 mile on Saturday morning. A fantastic achievement and great reward for all Diarmuid’s improvements and hard work throughout the year – Well Done Diarmuid!

Diarmuid O’Suilleabhain

As for myself, my first year of running recreationally (or competitively depending on you look at it I guess!) was bookended with an awful 5 mile experience in the Phoenix park in June and a bit of a struggle over the same distance in Clontarf on Saturday. June saw untied shoelaces, horrific blistering from my €15 diardora runners and post-race migraines while November witnessed a real (harsh!) lesson in racing in strong winds. In my first race since my marathon debut on bank October bank holiday Monday, my aim was go sub 32 for the 5 mile. Despite not feeling so strong on Saturday morning, given all the training I had put in recent months, it was a goal which I thought was still very achievable.

The course was out and back in nature and reaching half way in about 15:30 and still feeling reasonably strong the sub 32 dream remained alive. However, when I hit 2.5miles and turned at the designated point (i.e. a traffic cone!) …..my word….the wind!! Such was the strength of it, it really felt like turning and running into the proverbial wall.

5 mile course

By circa 2.6miles the sub 32 plan was already in serious doubt and by the 3 mile mark I was eyeing up the Irish sea down to my left and considering a doggy paddle short cut across the bay to get home quicker!! I persevered on land however and struggled my way back ultimately finishing in a time of 33:33. About a minute faster than my time from that painful day in June but alas not quite as fast as I was hoping. On a personal level, the biggest positive I can take from the day was learning (the hard way!) how important it is to have some sort of pre-race strategy in place for running in the wind.

It was great to see the familiar Sposrtsworld faces of Joe Haugh and Diarmuid O’Suilleabhain at the finish line. Joe was there in a supporting capacity however Diarmuid, as I mentioned earlier, after running a cracking race had placed third in a field of over 600 runners, a truly fantastic effort. The way Diarmuid’s times have improved this year has been very impressive, and watching all his hard work pay off has been inspiring!
The race as a whole was very well organised and there was a great atmosphere throughout the morning. The scenery was fabulous and despite the pain of the 33 minutes and 33 seconds it was still a very enjoyable morning – such events really are a fun and brilliant thing to be a part off.

As for the plans for 2016 – master the 5 mile or never run the 5 mile again?! Only time will tell…. Am still none the wiser if I prefer the shorter stuff or the longer stuff. Either way though, something tells me that 2016 may well see me take on marathon number 2. The buzz of completing the 26.2 miles was a truly unforgettable experience and definitely the highlight of my short running career to date.

As always, thanks to all at Sportsworld for all their help along the way.

Sportsworld results from the Clontarf 5 mile
Diarmuid O Suilleabhain 3rd 30:51
Emmet Wardell 11th 33:33
Jim Manning 171st 44:01

Sportsworld results from the Clontarf Half Marthon

William Greensmyth 1:32:53
Noel Tobin 1:34:27
Stephen Willoughby 1:42:18
Aodh O’Connor 1:44:01
Karoline O’Sullivan 1:46:45
Ed Collins 2:00:33
Caroline Lynch 2:03:53
Louise Kearney 2:09:37
Claire Harrington 2:11:41
Pamela Doyle 2:19:05

Half Marathon Course

Races next Weekend!

Double header of racing for Sportsworld athletes next Sunday, 29th November

Race 1: Meet & Train Winter League starts in Swords, race starts at 11am. It is hosted by Fingallians and Paddy Lynch will be putting teams together this week.

Race 2: Dublin intermediate cross country is in Tymon Park. Women start at 14:00 followed by the men at 14:20. Teams are on the noticeboard on the backdoor of the clubhouse.

Post-race food after National Novice Cross Country

For those racing the national novice cross country on Sunday December 6th in Waterford, Tara Rathigan (with the aid of local knowledge) has kindly volunteered to organise somewhere in Dungarvan for the club to rendezvous after the race and get a bite to eat.

There are little options between Dungarvan and Dublin; the plan is to meet up after the race for a chat and some food before the drive home. Due to the large numbers on a Sunday afternoon Tara wants to book a spot in advance.

If you are racing or supporting and want to meet up with your club mates after the races; than put your name on the list in the clubhouse – it’s on the backdoor where the training plan is.

Those racing you know who you are!

If you are interested in racing and a day out, just ask Emily to put your name on the team – entries are through the club and everyone is welcome.

Novice women: 4k race starts at 14:45
Novice men: 6k race starts at 15:00

Catherine Mulleady

This week we meet Catherine who after only a year with the club is now a key member of the senior cross country team. After winning the award for best newcomer at the club awards this year, she has gone from strength to strength!

When did you join Sportsworld?
August 2014

Where do you work?
Glenasmole N.S., Bohernabreena.

What is your favourite club session?
That’s like asking me which form of torture is my favourite but I suppose if I had to choose I’d say fartlek.

What is your favorite race distance?
I’m not really sure but definitely the shorter distances like 5k or 5 mile.

What is your favorite meal before a big race?
It depends on what time the race is at but most races I do are in the morning so I’d usually have scrambled eggs with salmon and maybe some brown bread and a cup of green tea.

My Favourite place to train/compete is?
I’ve really started to enjoy the waterworks. It can be very tough but the scenery is so beautiful it makes it all worth while.

What is your target for the next year?
Survive the cross country season?? Seriously though, I would love to get under 20 minutes for 5k.

What is your best Sportsworld memory?
I’d have to say the weekend we went to Berlin for the half marathon. It was great to have such a big gang going abroad for a race. I enjoyed most of the race and then the post race celebrations were great craic. It’s just a pity I wasn’t able to handle to the German beer so well.:(

What international events have you ran?
Berlin Half Marathon

What do you like doing when you don’t run?
Sitting on my ass recovery from the club sessions and probably watching crap tv 🙂 I also love meeting friends and eating out.

How/When did you start your adventure with running?
Well I originally started running when I was in primary school and kept it up until I was about 16. I took about a 10 year break basically because I got lazy and none of my friends wanted to run. I started running again in my mid twenties but didn’t realise what ‘real’ training was until I joined Sportsworld. It was a shock to the system 🙂

Tell us about your PB’s / What is your biggest achievement?
I don’t really have any brilliant PB’s or major achievements but here are my PB’s. My PB for 5km is 20:37 which I got at the docklands 5k, My PB for 5 mile is 35:10 which I got at the Irish Runner 5 mile this year. My Pb for 10k is 44:22 which I got at the Womens Mini Marathon and my PB for the half Marathon is 1::41

How often do you run / What is your typical weekly mileage?
It all depends on the week in question but I try to train with the club 3 times a week and if I’m having a good week I’ll manage a 4th session.

What would you say is the best thing about being in a Running Club?
Definitely having other people to train with. I love the social side of it even if it’s just catching up with everyone in the clubhouse before we head out for the session. I also love the well earned cup of coffee and a chat after a long run on Sunday. Running with other people also makes you push yourself more than you would if you were just training on your own.

What made you join a Running Club?
I don’t enjoy running on my own. I find it difficult to conjure up the motivation to go out for a run on my own especially in the Winter. It’s so much easier to head down to the club and join a group for a run.

What was your first day at the Club like?
Once I got over the initial fears of not knowing anyone I actually really enjoyed my first session. There were a few other newbies who had just recently joined and I remember Seán and Conor took charge of us and showed us the ropes. I’m pretty sure it was a fartlek session and I remember leaving thinking that I’d definitely be back.

Why is running important to you?
We’re getting to the deep stuff now 🙂 I’m not really sure why it’s important to me. I guess I like the feeling of being fit and trying to better my times. It’s also a great way of clearing your head and just forgetting about any problems and it keeps me away from the aforementioned crap tv 🙂

Is there anything you would like to see more of or less of at the Club?
I’m not sure maybe some more advice on stretching after a session.

Who is the person in the club who inspires/drives to run better?
Well when Eoin starts shouting his motivating words that usually drives me to run faster and of course Emily drives me and encourages me to do better.

Do you do any cross training / other sports on a regular basis?
I’m a bit sporadic with my cross training but I try to swim and cycle a bit and I also practise pilates and hope to teach some time soon.

Run in the Dark 2015

Report by Anthony Gillen

Thanks to Peter Knaggs for sending in the photos.

Monday evening the weather is somewhat poor so rather than go for the run that’s on the training plan I stay in and watch some darts. That same evening a friend from Lanesboro phones me offering an entry to Wednesday’s Run into the Dark 10k. Initially I wasn’t very enthusiastic as not only was I looking forward to Tuesday’s hills and sprint session in Rathfarnham, but I reckoned it would also be difficult timing wise to get home Wednesday and then gt into the city in time.

The Run into the Dark is an event held in over 50 cities worldwide where tens’ of thousands of runners (and walkers) join with the Mark Pollock Trust to support ongoing research to find a cure for spinal cord injury. A charity well worth supporting.

So Tuesday evening I gave hills and sprints due respect and crawled home.

Wednesday after arriving home at 6:15pm there waiting for me was an envelope with a race number, bag tag, an armband with LED sparkles on it and a page giving all the necessary event details. Race start time is 8pm and bag drop closes at 7:20pm. Hmmm, sore legs and not much time left to get there so decision made. After a quick change, off I cycle the 15km to the bag drop area.

First impression is that this looks well organised and there are a lot of marshals on hand to help.

The evening was windy, cold but at least dry. I didn’t bother with a token warm up and headed to the race start area where I met two fellow club mates Peter Knaggs and Noel Lynam.

Noel, Peter & Anthony

We chatted a bit giving advice to each other – mainly don’t start too fast. When 8pm approached we danced on the spot a bit probably copying everyone else. 15 minutes later we were still dancing and wondering whether to put long sleeve tops back on. The MC was still winding up the crowd in the background so at 8:15 long sleeve tops were back on.

The race started at 8:16 in front of the Custom House along Dublin’s north quays and headed out in the direction of the Three Arena. I was nowhere near the front, so the first 500m was spent dodging slower traffic. The next 500m was spent trying to get to my target average km pace for the first km. So first lesson learnt, I must get up to the start line for the next race. Long sleeve top is now back off. And legs feel sore already and I had to force myself to think ahead and not about the previous night.

At this point we are turning left at the Three Arena and then it’s upwards to the next roundabout to return back the way we came. The route then takes us left over the Liffey via the Samuel Beckett Bridge and after a short loop we split from the 5k runners by going down Cardiff Lane, fortunately not left down Misery Hill, but left on Pearse Street and then onwards to Ringsend. The support from locals on this stretch was fantastic. I am sure a few were wondering what madness had gotten into us given the inclement weather.

So I soldier on sound in the knowledge that I was under my target time for the distance. Around 8km I found the going a bit tough and when my watch broadcasted the latest lap time it was time to dig deep and stay on the heels of some runners trying to edge away. Onwards towards the Eastlink Toll Bridge and over the bridge to the Three Arena turning left for the home straight.

At Samuel Beckett Bridge the 5k folks join us so the possibility of a fast finish is denied and the dodging match resumes. Finally the finish line appears and a token 25m sprint ensues taking me over the line in 39:39. My first sub 40 minute 10k!

Following the organiser’s instructions I kept moving back to the CHQ building picked up a goody bag containing some candy, picked up my bag and cycled home, uphill and against the wind, with the excitement that one feels from achieving a career milestone. Hooray for someone else’s entry. Thanks Marie!

3773 runners – Full Results

Sportsworld Results (Apologies if anyone’s missed)

64 Anthony Gillen 00:39:39
136 Peter Knaggs 00:41:35
183 Andrea McNamara 00:42:28
239 Stephen Willougby 00:43:37
423 Naoise Waldron 00:45:47
481 Noel Lynam 00:46:16

Tollymore Trail Marathon

Report by Ronan Murray

For those of you who have run a Marathon you will be familiar with the empty feeling you sometimes get once you have completed the challenge , there is something missing. You have been training hard for weeks now all of a sudden you have no goal any more. Thats exactly the way I was feeling after Dublin so I decided to get back on the horse straight away and find a bigger challenge.

First step to find an event ,then some comrades , so I roped in Shay Brady (full marathon) and Stephen Willoughby (half-marathon) and we headed off to Co Down for this challenge, see video below!

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Cross Country I Love You

Cross Country I Love You by Michael Cunningham

See Sportsworld Running Clubs Cross Country Titles to date here: Cross Country Titles

Cross Country I Love You. Well one of us had to say it. The Cross Country season is fast approaching and there are a lot of new runners in the club who will hopefully be embarking on their first cross country love affair this year. But before the cross country haters pervert their minds some information needs to be passed on.

Michael Cunningham Loving Cross Country

Tell someone you couldn’t do a marathon and they would train every day until they proved you wrong. Tell people cross country is tough and can be hard work and they will instantly believe and agree with you and swear an oath never to do a cross country race, ever.

Some times its hard to understand why people don’t instantly like cross country.

You don’t need a watch as unlike track or road races, time is not important. Road races can blend into a blur but Cross Country races are memorable, the hill in Avondale or the mud bath in Santry are indelible and although there are team events in road races, a Cross Country race is all about the team.

Individual medals in cross country are like hens teeth so most runners are out to get their club a team medal even if it involves passing Usain Bolt on the home straight just to get one more place.

So if teams medals interests you there are 3 regions:

Your county (people born outside Dublin have been known to run for Dublin),
Your province (Munster supporters have been known to run in Leinster cross country races) and finally
The Nationals, the big time.

Within each region you have 3 levels (which are not always as they seem):

Novice
Intermediate
Senior

So simply 9 races: the three regions, each with three levels. See fixtures below.

There are also Masters races in each regions – these are races for those over 35 years old. But you can still race in the other levels. (i.e. compete in both the Dublin Novice and Masters races)

In theory Dublin novice is your starting point and National Senior is your end point with 7 races in between. Dublin novice is a fast 6Km for men and 4Km for Women and National Senior is 12Km endurance for Men and 10Km for Women. Some people prefer the faster shorter races where as others like the longer distance races.

The terrain is never predictable. As the weather, the number of previous races and the Gods decide if there are hills, firm ground or hot showers.

There is a move to get more people into cross country running with the Dublin Novice teams (October 4th 2015) needing minimum 6 runners to make a team with the top 4 scoring. So you need minimum 6 runners for your club to count, if you have 5 you have no team so that is why it can be so important for people to commit to doing races as the rest of the team depends on you showing up.

The scoring is the simple adding up of the positions of everyone on the team, and the top 3 teams are the ones with the lowest team score (1st, 13rd, 25th, 39th would have team score of 78).

Even if you don’t make it on to a the team your position could be ahead of a scoring runner on another team making their team score worse so every team members place counts not just the top 4.

By scoring on a gold winning county team or getting an individual 1st, 2nd or 3rd means you are no longer welcome at that race next year as you are now just too good. You need a Phd to work out what medals rule you out of what races so its best just to concentrate on getting the medals first.

We are going to try and advertise cross country race dates as soon as we have them and get people focused on having full men and womens teams in each of the 9 races. The first race of the season is the Dublin Novice on October 7th 2018 and we will let people know the rest of the dates as soon as we have them which should be at least a month before each race.

You don’t need any special equipment for Cross Country just a pair of spikes and a club singlet. As soon as the closing ceremony takes place at the Tallaght track we will be moving the Saturday morning training to Phoenix park or the ‘Field of dreams’ in Kiltipper.

The training is no tougher then the Saturday track training and some people may even enjoy it more. So if you have any questions about cross country racing the best thing is to try the Saturday morning training and as the Graded track relay race proved the training and races are more enjoyable the more people from the club that take part.

The 2018/19 cross country season could be a seriously successful year for both the men and womens Senior and Masters teams so make sure your name is down on the team list.

The Championship Season

(inc Masters Level*)

National Senior (The Inter Clubs)
National Intermediate
National Novice
National Masters

Leinster Senior
Leinster Intermediate
Leinster Novice
Leinster Masters

Dublin Senior
Dublin Intermediate
Dublin Novice
Dublin Masters

Other races:

Inter-Counties Cross Country (Athletes selected by their county board).
Autumn Open Cross Country (The Autumn Open was formally the Gerry Farnan XC. It’s a season opener that anyone can enter – all the other races above are only open to Athletics Ireland club runners and teams are entered via your club secretary.

* Masters Level is over 35 years old. But you can still race in the other levels.
(i.e. compete in both the Dublin Novice and Masters races)

See Sportsworld Running Clubs Cross Country Titles to date here: Cross Country Titles

Sportsworld Running Club

Barry & Johns Backyard Ultra (95km) 10th May 2025

London Marathon 2025

Lisbon Half Marathon March 2025

Meet and Train Race Abbottstown

National Masters & Intermediate Westport 2025

Dublin Intermediate Cross Country 2015

Lanzarote 2015

Ronan Murray

Clontarf 5 mile & Half Marathon

Races next Weekend!

Post-race food after National Novice Cross Country

Catherine Mulleady

Run in the Dark 2015

Tollymore Trail Marathon

Cross Country I Love You

The Championship Season

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Sportsworld Running Club History

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Cross Country I Love You

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