Douglas Barry

22 July, 2010

Thanks to everyone who prayed hard that the torrential conditions that induced the local Lewis Hamiltons to drive at 20kph along the M50, but luckily didn't infect the environs of the N11. The torrents held off and the Glen of the Downs race went ahead in a slightly longer format thanks to the old route being blocked.

I'd also like to thank all who helped out on the night especially Dermot Murphy, Vivian O'Gorman, Ken Cowley, James Clancy, Caoimhe Muldoon, and Pat Reid who had to give up his run to do First Aid. Anybody who didn't register your volunteering let me know - see below.

Joseph Mooney won it and I'd like someone to tell us all about it. So please send in a report to give us your flavour on the event. Any glitches on the results, let me know directly by email and I'll try to have them corrected asap.

Douglas

email imra at iol.ie

Rene Borg

22 July, 2010

TEAM RESULTS

MEN
1. Sli Cualann 18 (5 Jimmy Synnott, 6 Rafael Salazar, 7 Ben Mooney)
2. Boards AC 31 (8 Mick Hanney, 11 John Ahern, 12 Jeff Fitzsimons)
3. Raheny Shamrocks 218 (53 David Brady, 80 Ciaran McGrath, 85 Mike Gomm)

WOMEN
1. Crusaders AC 21 (4 Susan Seager, 8 Lornie O'Dwyer, 9 Emma Boland)

Jeff Fitzsimons

22 July, 2010

A tale of two laces

This is my first real season hill running and the trail league at Glen of the Downs was one of my first hill runs(if the purists will forgive me for calling it such) back in 2008. I turned up and registered with little enthusiasm last night, I've had a very frustrating few days, with all sorts of boring stuff to do which has distracted from running. I slipped back to my car and shut my eyes for 10 or 15 minutes. Enthusiasm was no better when I set off for a warm up 15 minutes before the start.

Had a brief chat with Amidou up the initial hill, legs still dead. Ran into the single track, met Dermot running back towards me doing a great job marking the course. Back to the start, met John Ahern, we swapped excuses regarding why we were going to be slow. He'd had two chocolate bars earlier in the day, I hadn't.

Off we went after an explanation of an extra 500 metres on the course due to an obstruction. Great, more suffering, just as well it's only 7 Euro a race or I'd be feeling even more sorry for myself! In a split second I'd decided to try hang on to the front pack for as long as possible as I've tried in vain once or twice previously, the theory being I'll never know how hard I need to go if I don't see and feel it for real at least for short periods of a race. So at the turn onto the single track I was a place or two behind Mick Hanney,
surprised and exhausted in equal amounts. Held the gap with those in front of me on this section and this was when I first noticed my right lace was undone. No time to stop and fix it, plough on. John Ahern passed me some time round here and when we hit the first descent the front guys took off and left us slow coaches for dead.

It was around this point the race for me became a tussle with John & Amidou. Amidou blasted past us both on a tricky slippy descent. John paused looking for a marker in the trees and I being a fool and a gent in equal measure pointed him in the right direction whilst remaining behind him. We went through the car park and someone, I never looked to check who, was on my shoulder and pushing me hard. I put the foot down and think I dropped them with raw power and determination, it may however have been a jogger finishing their run
in the car park. I know what line I'll be sticking with in the pub though! On the climb after the car park John caught Amidou and I slowly reeled him in also.

The lace was now flapping completely open, my right foot resembling some sort of barefoot running experiment gone wrong, my left snugasabuginarug as it should be. No time to stop, John was in sight and catchable. Amidou was always going to be a threat on the sharp run in to the finish where his downhill speed would tell. Where is the finish? My Garmin died at the weekend, my stop watch had stopped without my requesting it to some time ago so I was running to a finish somewhere soon hopefully. Hit the road down to the finish and tried to kick on. I looked behind me and saw a glimpse of Amidou, John was in view but not in my reach. I ran to the finish a man pursued,
wondering if this was how Art O'Neill and the lads or Harrison Ford in The Fugitive felt when they were on the run? OK, so I exagerate but that's how it felt!

All in all a very enjoyable race. I had no interest in racing when I turned up but once we got going I was in great form, thanks mainly to John and Amidou making a race within a race for us and my right shoelace for giving me a 30 minute will I, won't I question to ponder.

The funnny thing is that speaking to Jim Fitzharris after he said he was also not feeling great about the prospect of running beforehand
but had a great run on the night.

I suppose that's why we keep turning up, we never know what we'll get and one good race can keep us going through several less enjoyable ones. Thanks as ever to all the volunteers who made it possible.