Kildare marathon was an experiment. It had been over two years since my last marathon in London in 2024. In the few years before that, I had been taking on two or three per year. However, it was taking its toll, and my knees in particular were feeling the effects. Following an MRI, my GP advised that pounding the roads over long distances might not be a great idea and recommended I should cut back significantly. Reluctantly, I resigned to…
This summer we introduced the Odd Mile League, an informal running league designed to cater for all abilities and open to everyone. The aim was to keep members running together on Friday evenings after the 5km series had finished, while creating a relaxed and enjoyable atmosphere rather than another highly competitive event. The league proved to be a great success, with excellent participation at every run. We also included a virtual option, allowing members who were away or unavailable on…
The inaugural Abbeyknockmoy Half Marathon, organised by Abbeyknockmoy Hurling Club as a fundraiser, was on Sunday 12th July. With 5K, 10K and half marathon distances on offer. There was a great community feel from start to finish and a distance to suit everyone! The 10K course is particularly flat and fast, so that’s definitely one to consider next year if you’re looking for a PB. Everything before the race ran smoothly. I got an email with all the key details…
I signed up for the Roscommon 10-mile race in late April thinking 8 weeks training would bring me up to required fitness. I was recovering from a viral infection at the time, feeling sorry for myself which acted as motivation to make the commitment. I had run it once before and thought it was 2 years ago but on checking past results after the recent race found out it was 4 years ago; time goes a bit too quick as…
Castlehackett is a small rural community nestled between Headford and Tuam close to Knockma, which is associated with Queen Maeve. The annual 8k run is a fundraiser for their primary school since 2015. The school itself is the typical older type 3 or 4 teacher school and on the race day it was beautifully cleaned and decorated, with many of the pupils “helping out” to provide a great buzz in the hall before and after the race. During the 5K…
On Sunday, 31st May, several of my friends and I joined 28,000 other women in Dublin for the VHI Women’s Mini Marathon. It is the largest women’s event of its kind in the world and has been going for 42 years but this was my first time taking part. Although I have completed a fair few races at this stage, it was a first for a couple of my friends which added to the excitement. As a girl in my…
Limerick marathon took place at 9am Sunday the 3rd of June. I had many conversations about choosing a Spring marathon and Limerick won me over in the end for several reasons. Firstly, being able to sleep in my own bed the night before and not having to deal with a hotel breakfast the morning of (I did have a friend that transported a microwave with her to ensure her porridge was “just right” the morning of!) were key reasons. Well…
Having watched a documentary on Netflix or YouTube probably over 7 to 8 years ago about the Backyard Ultra I was always fascinated by how runners would push themselves to grind out lap after lap to breaking point. My first thought back then was “No Way” not for me. The Backyard Ultra is a race created by American Gary “Lazarus Lake” Cantrell in which you have an hour to do a lap, or yard as it’s called. Each yard is…
We flew out early on Saturday morning on the 6:05 flight from Shannon. It was slightly delayed taking off. I travelled with Aideen ( driver), Annemarie, Ciara and Angela, which set the tone for the gender balance of the 35-plus participants on the trip. The club trip ran from Saturday to Tuesday morning, with another early flight home. I was really looking forward to it, as I hadn’t been on an international running club trip since the first Berlin trip…
On March 1st I completed the Brighton ½ marathon. I was accompanied by my nursing friend Helen and a group of friends from London doing it yearly for charity. The morning of the run was near storm like with wind and rain. Luckily we had a hotel near the start line. The atmosphere was good despite the weather. However no warm up done! The route started at the Peace statue on Brighton sea front , headed up to Brighton pavilion,…
