After a DCM 2013 that brought huge success for the club many members were turning up for this year’s edition of the Dublin City Marathon with lofty ambitions. But on a day that brought soaring temperatures (for October) & strong gusts, coupled with a new route that most people found taxing, those lofty ambitions were lowered for many on a tough day out in the capital. That’s no slight on our members as it was clear that this year’s race became a war of attrition for many entrants as PB targets were shelved with many people happy just to finish this year. So in seeing so many struggle, it makes it all the more impressive that some members still hit & exceeded those targets.
Firstly, huge congratulations are due to our two womens teams who will be picking up some National Championship medals for their performances on Monday. In the W35 category Mairead Sullivan lead the team home with a new PB of 3.24.39 & one of the standout performances of the day. She was closely followed by Deirdre Quinn in 3.24.43 with Maeve Noone soon after in 3.32.41. This was Dee’s return to the marathon distance since having her first baby & at the start of the marathon training cycle her main aim was to just get to the finish line. She did that, and some, for another fantastic performance. Together they claimed a silver medal in the National Marathon Championships team event & are rightly proud of their achievements.
In the W50 category Frances Leahy ran a 4.20.22 for a 2 minute PB & lead her team home with Martina Passman in 4.34.01 & Maire Treasa Beatty in 5.30.41 completing the trio. Together they collected a bronze medal in the team championships, finishing 15 minutes behind near neighbours Galway City Harriers. With significant times gains possible between this trio, silver & possibly even gold could well be within their sights should they wish to target it in the future.
First members home for the club were Kenyan’s Lezan Kimutai & Peter Brandon. Ten years after winning the race, Lezan returned with a convincing performance to finish 8th overall with a time of 2.22.34. Peter found the going a bit tougher in his debut at the marathon distance, staying close to the lead pack until 30k he faded in the run in & finished with a still impressive 2.33.26 & 18th position.
Next home was Mick Rice in a 2.49.13, hitting his target of a sub 2.50 but narrowly missing out on a National Championship medal, finishing fourth in his category. It’s a welcome return to his beloved marathon distance, this being his second marathon of the year after a long absence & he is definitely on his way back to challenging his 2.44 PB. Joining Mick in the sub 3 bracket were Ray Somers with a 2.53.06 & Lyall Guiney, 2.58.21. Great performances by all three with a 40 second PB for Ray & a sub 3 marathon from Lyall off a four week training cycle.
In her first marathon in an Athenry AC singlet Roseanne Trehy did herself & her new club proud with a 3.34.15 & a 20 minute PB. Just rewards for some consistent training this year. Joining her with new PB's were Pat McDonagh, 3.23.21 & a 10 min PB plus Sheelagh Earls, 3.59.32 & an 8 minute PB.
We had plenty of members taking part in their very first marathon this year with 10 of the 47 members crossing the line making their debut. Ronan McCarthy, who received a last minute call up finished with a 3.54, impressive considering he hadn’t previously run further than 16 miles.
Mary Rohan & Angela McManamon were regularly seen together in recent months, pounding the roads around Athenry in preparation for their first outing in the marathon & they both hit their target of a sub 4, crossing the line together in 3.58.04 whilst Caroline Freeney & Cheryl Winston finished just either side of the 5 hour mark on their debut (and after previous comments about this being a once off I personally heard Caroline say she'd get the baggage claim right 'Next Year'!!! - It's addictive Caroline).
We had more debutants with Aidan Madden, Enda Fox, Angela Sweeney & Brian Burke all taking part for the first time and experiencing the highs and lows that a marathon can put you through.
Stalwarts Martin Keane & Peadar Nugent completed yet another Dublin City Marathon, finishing with a 5.05.56 & a 5.30.41 respectively. Walking this year on doctors orders (his 35th consecutive Dublin City Marathon), Peadar entered with a target of 5.45 & ‘still having a few thousand finishing behind me’. He easily hit both targets with over 1100 finishers behind him & many more DNF’s on the day.
For those members who were chasing the small improvements on already impressive times it turned out to be a tougher day. Our sub 3 chasers, Gearoid & Jane Ann, crossed the line in 3.04. Maybe not what he wanted but still a big PB for Gearoid. Pat Forde agonisingly missed out on a PB by 20 seconds with a 3.14.34 but with the on course conditions thats easily a PB performance regardless of the time.
Our 3.15 & sub 3.20 chasing group of Chris Deakin, Kenneth O' Hara, Martin O' Hara. Jim Leahy & Pat McDonagh all fell foul of the tough conditions and barring Pat McDonagh who posted a 3.23.21 for a PB, all struggled home well short of their best.
Congrats to all members who took part this year. On a tough day when seasoned marathon runners commented that they had never seen such attrition everyone made it to the finish line. Some hit their targets; some didn’t but all agree it’s still one of the top events of the year & not be missed.
A big thanks also to those members who made the trip up to support the club. Whilst we may not show it at the time, those shouts of encouragement as we are flagging in the latter miles really do help & don’t go amiss. It’s great to get the support & long may it last.