Clonmel to Madeira Plans......

30 September, 2023 - Seán O'Neill Clare

Our journey began in Clonmel - met 2 (women 70+) runners & discussion was about Madeira 23.
So our minds were set - we are going!
Soon later accommodation was booked and plan put in place!
Plan: a) train b) no drink c) no injuries.
However 2 weeks later plans were derailed - cracked rib....
and little did I realise that Madeira would only be my 3rd race of the season (covid x 3, shingles)
But a good consistent training spell (July & August) led to confidence building!
Dublin Airport: met the green brigade! Met Paula - who said she was a recent addict to mountain running & was told that she would be in the company of 50+ more Irish addicts for the weekend!
9 km Race start : 0930 Friday - not knowing what to expect....just keep the head down ; 1 foot in front of the next......... Only vague memories of race.......But I do remember running beside a 60+ Italian - doing my head in : farting, grunting, asking every person he saw - how far more!
How will I get away from this lunatic? On the flat stretch I found my 2nd wind and raced past him!
Gone - no more sounds! But not for long & then he passes me! I'm not going to let this fella go! So I stuck in - then from nowhere I heard these shouts " Come On Ireland" "Your on the last climb - 400m to go" Music from Heaven from Mary, Olivia , Trich & Alyson.. On final flat stretch past the farter - never saw him again! Irish are doing well - so atmosphere & excitement is palpable!
Fair play to Trish & Tom for their people & organising skills - they persuaded a restaurant to open only to 50+ Irish. A great night was had!
32km race: managed to get up & cheer on the Irish!
Later back to pub again - this time the price had reduced from €1.60 a bottle to €1.20!
Barman said: no mistake - you are good customers!
2024 plans??????...........

World Masters 2023

22 September, 2023 - Brian Furey

So a great few days was had in the beautiful island of Madeira. Madeira is 90 min flight south of Lisbon out in its own in the Atlantic. I got there on Thursday evening after 2 flights. A quick call to Eddie to confirm what town we are staying in :) . Thanks to Eddie for getting my race number - I was all set for the Friday 9k uphill. I was staying with Eddie, his partner Kevina and Graham Bushe. Good folks on the coast of Paul do Mar. Our accommodation was right on the Atlantic coast surrounding by Banana trees. Different world to Dublin :) We got there with plenty of time on the Friday morning to the race start and as per usual I still didnt get enough of a warmup in. Race was to start at 10.45 but we were called into the call pen at 10.30. So need to give extra buffer for the warm-up. Plenty of Irish, British, Portuguese and a few U.S. and various nationalities. I felt good so went out a good clip and settled into a bit of a rhythm early on going up to first trails. Trails were dry and sandy - hills were fairly gradual mostly with some flat sections. Not knowing the course I tried to measure my effort. After about 20 mins of running - I felt alot better and was able to push on a bit and keep my position while gaining some more. I finished 9th M40 with Ian Conroy finishing 2nd M40 for Individual Silver and Kevin Looby finishing 16th M40 - we won the Team Gold with a few points to spare over the Japanese. For my housemates for the weekend - Graham won individual silver on the M50 team for the 9k, while Eddie was part of the M35 9k uphill gold winning team. So many other great Irish performance over weekend too and medals.
After some celebrations - the odd beer (I even converted Graham to a beer drinker :) ) - a few coffees and ice-cream - and some dips in the sea and sun, and discussions on the demise of Man Utd :), - it was back to business on the Sunday morning. 32k with 1100m of climbing. Most of the climbing in the first 16k. Race started at 8.30 am. We got there nice and early again and did some warmups. For this one - I was distracted early on during the first 400m of the race start when one the 500ml soft flask was bouncing everywhere so eventually decided to pull it out and run with it in my hand. When I looked up there was a long train of runners up the road. I did move back into the top half of the field but after that I was gaining some places but also losing some places. I had a stronger second half than the first half and even re-caught a M45 Spanish runner with 600m to go. My legs just were not ready for the 32k battle - maybe the mind too. I gave it my best effort - that's all one can do. I finished in 2.47 and videos taken of me crossing the line by Eddie will attest that I didn't have much more left!! Finished 10th M40. Eddie had a great run - winning individual Gold in the m35 category with Graham finishing strong in the M50 category, narrowly missing out on a M50 team medal with Turlough and another runner. Thanks to Ciara for holding the fort while I was away and allowing me to head off for a few days. Was nice to get back to normality - well done all who ran. Great to see and chat to so many Irish runners out there. Everyone was really supportive and helpful.

Majestic Madeira

21 September, 2023 - Edel Hennessy

A legacy of hosting the 2022 World Masters Mountain Running Championships in Clonmel was a strong irish team travelling to Madeira to compete in the 2023 event. Unlike last year, there were two race options for competitor's: a 9km "uphill" or 32km "long distance".

The team spirit was established months ago with the establishment of a helpful whatsapp group, zoom calls and the recruitment of additional team members. Travel options were shared, itinerary discussed, airport transfers and accommodation were organised, car hire booked and kit was procured.

Strong teams were created and there were competitors in most categories. Even the last minute World Masters Athletics Ireland membership requirements were sorted (don't be surprised if you see the purple Mooreabbey singlet popping up with our northern irish team mates!) Team Ireland had 73 entries in the 2 events (22 in the long distance and 51 in the uphill). Some hardy souls braved both events (to great success).

The base for all the events was a village on the southwest corner of Madeira Island, Ponta do Pargo. Most of the irish contingent were staying in towns and villages nearby so there was lots of lift and taxi sharing. At the opening ceremony on Thursday evening it was obvious that Ireland had one of the biggest teams. Energy, hope and expectations were high as the team followed the irish flag along the main street for the parade and opening ceremony.

Those expectations were well placed. On Friday for the uphill race, the competitors started in 4 waves. First off were the W55-75, followed by their male counterparts, then the W35-55 and finally the M35-55. The uphill course started in the village center and runners were immediately met with a tough incline. Over the 9km course, there was 805m of height gain. The terrain included narrow single gravel tracks and asphalt but was mostly wider tracks of red, sometimes slightly mucky on top, hard clay. Some sections had been shaped by water and shallow gulleys crisscrossed the paths. The finish was at one of the highest points on the island, Ponto do Bismo. Results were quickly in and there was great excitement at the race headquarters as it was established that there were multiple irish medals.

In total for the uphill course, there were 5 individual medals; 2 gold and 3 silver. In the team categories there were 5 gold medals, 2 silver and 2 bronze. So at the prize-giving on Friday evening, the irish anthem rang out 7 times. The overall winning ladies time was 52.41 minutes with Irelands Keeley Tidewell coming in in overall 2nd place less than 2 minutes later. In the men's race, the overall winning time was 43.11 and Irelands Ian Conroy being best of the irish again less than 2 minutes later.

Thanks to Trish Blackburns tireless organisation and initiative, team Ireland literally took over a restaurant in Porto do Pargo to bring together the team and celebrate the achievements. Many thanks to IMRA Munster for your support too and recognising the effort that was made by individuals to participate in Madeira.

On Sunday, it was time for the 32km long-distance race. From the start in Ponta do Pargo, runners set off on a fast first kilometer downhill. This was followed by over 900m of climbing in the following 15km to halfway. Terrain was similar to the uphill and between the climbing sections the tracks weaved around the hills bringing the competitors from one valley to another. When the breathing allowed, competitors could look up and enjoy views of majestic Madeira down the valleys to the sea. The route was well marked, despite cows (with horns but no fear) who roamed the route helping themselves to a few of the markers. The irish supporters were in full voice along the route and a welcome sight at the halfway mark which had been the finishing line for the uphill race. The second half of the course started with about 4km of fast downhill. Much of the second half was through tall eucalyptus forests which gave some welcome shade as the temperature started to rise from mid morning. Approaching the last few kilometers the runners were brought alongside a narrow canal which some were tempted to dip into as the bodies grew weary but persevered onto asphalt for the last few fast kilometers into the town. The last sting was the final 300m with a spicy climb to ensure the fuel tanks were emptied. The total climbing over the 32km course was 1150m.

Like the uphill results there were plenty irish medals. Again, there were 2 individual gold and 1 bronze. In the teams, there was 1 silver and 1 bronze. A strong haul amongst quality competition.

A special note to Clare woman, Dee Collins who won everything she could in Madeira. In the uphill, she won her category and helped the W35 to a team gold. She followed this up on Sunday placing 3rd overall and again winning her W35 category. Unfortunately, she was the only irish lady in the W35 category so a team medal was not possible. 3 gold medals from 2 events was a great achievement.

Next year, the masters heads to Canfranc in Northern Spain. The ski resort in the Pyrenees will again have options for uphill and long distances. Plans are already afoot for a strong irish team so if you like the sound of a long weekend with likeminded mountain running enthusiasts, a great team spirit, competitive running in an Irish singlet and beautiful surroundings, get planning!

Irish Results

21 September, 2023 - Turlough Conway

(H/T Edel Hennessy)

9k Uphill (800m) Friday 15th September 2023

Individual
Gold
W35 Dee Collins
M65 Martin McDonald

Silver
W40 Keeley Tidswell
M35 Philip Goss
M40 Ian Conroy


Team
Gold
W35 Dee Collins, Elaine Langley, Marina Quinlan
W40 Keeley Tidswell, Sarah Whelan, Paula Walsh
W45 Sharon Woods, Karen Crean, Anne Marie Kenny
M35 Philip Goss, Simon Nolan, Edward Connor
M40 Ian Conry, Brian Furey, Kevin Looby

Silver
W50 Aisling Coppinger, Sareen Walsh, Siobhán Foley
M50 Des Kennedy, Turlough Conway, Graham Bushe

Bronze
M65 Martin McDonald, Gerard Down, James John
M70 Matt Alexander, Sean O Neill, Willy Brown

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

32k long (1150m) Sunday 17th September 2023

Individual Gold-

W35 Dee Collins
M35 Ed Connor

Bronze
W45 Sharon Woods

Team Silver:
W45 Sharon Woods, Lisa Byrne, Karen Crean

Bronze:
M55 Tom Blackburn, Brian Hutchinson, Michael Kelly