I'd heard a lot about the first running of the Elverys-sponsored Maree 8KM Charity Road Race last year from Ann Carter & Mark and Grainne Breen. I made it my business to be there for the second running, yesterday, Sunday 15 February 2009 @ 1:00 PM.

Rolled into Maree, with Martin Keane in tow, just after 12:00 PM to a splash of colour and a frenzy of activity. Always a good sign for a road race! There were literally already 100s of people milling around the place. The weather was fine, the banners were up and there were people already out testing the many little hills and valleys of the course. There were also at least 15 other Athenry ACers limbering up, chatting and joking with each other, old and now, experienced and novice.

Quickly signed up; time was moving along as I was delayed getting to Maree. Togged out but was still feeling very rough after a late Saturday evening 12.8M jaunt in sub-1:40. Very rough indeed. Was carrying a very rare blister in my right instep too, which needed a lather of Vaseline and a goodly amount of wide and thick insulating tape before the discomfort disappeared.

Fergal O'Neill said his few words and we were soon off down the road to the first corner, sans much of a warm-up on my part. I quickly found my place in the scheme of things, behind people I should be behind, early doors, and in front of the usual targets, some of them eyeing up my progress with interest, probably not knowing that I was already carrying two very heavy legs. I like to go into races with a few days' rest, which wasn't going to be the case here. More lessons to be learnt, always the hard way!

Got to the first KM quickly enough, but was feeling stressed already. The second KM was difficult as it was mostly up-hill along quite a mucky boreen. The slightest slip or mis-step and I could have been toast, especially considering my penchant for skipping across the central green-grassed medians of such roads at speed. Got to three KM and had slowed down a little more but wasn't been passed by many of the usuals, probably because they had already passed me much earlier. It's always a very bad sign when Brian Geraghty (GCH) imperially glides by me in a race. It usually doesn't happen until about 5KM but it was less than 2KM today. It was going to be a long day at the office, seeing my good friend slide quickly into the distance so early...

Got to four KM but was struggling badly. The previous day's miles were starting to mount up in my legs. I was gasping for air and was probably sweating for Ireland too. The wind was off-shore and niggled away at us the whole time as we proceeded outwards towards the turning point of the race, a well marshalled position just after 4.5KM. By this stage, we had been passed by the front-runners on their way back in, with our own Mick Rice in a very comfortable third position, eyeing up the second place runner menacingly. Ann Carter, also Athenry AC, back after a long injury layoff, was well in control of the women's race. I was just trying to find the turnaround point and keep the ever-increasing sweat away from my over-worked brow. Black smoke was already coming out of the exhaust, more so when I spied my only in-race split of the day, the five KM one, in 21:04. Shocking!

Derek Conerney was also moving away from me, usually a fair marker of my progress during recent years' Galway 5KM Series races.

And then 'That Hill', as we turned off onto a new part of the course, after 5.5KM. The locals probably have a pet/ancient name for that steep incline but my words for it are not printable here. At this stage, myself and a Loughrea AC runner who I don't know had begun preliminary skirmishes for 44th place. At the turnaround one KM back the road, I could see that there was no one else behind me for upwards of 150 metres so it was unlikely, unless I literally stopped or totally blew up, that no one else would pass me for the rest of the race. There was also a Craughwell AC runner just up ahead too, another chap I didn't know, struggling away. That was going to be my world for the next painful 12 minutes, seeing whether I could hang onto these two lads and perhaps, just perhaps, squeeze past them near the finish.

I held on, held on, held on. Past 6KM. Up and down still more little inclines. The Loughrea lad was good on hills but I'd claw back all the advantage on the declines, which surprised me as I'm usually a very poor downhill runner, even though I've a very long stride. The Craughwell lad wasn't getting away from us either, which added to the fun. No one was else was in the frame, either ahead, or behind us, that I could sense.

I wanted to stop but pride was preventing me from doing so, never having stopped in a race shorter than a marathon before. If it were a training run, I'd have given up already. That's real pain, mental and physical. And the niggling hills kept on coming thick and fast, with the KM markers very much slower to show themselves, especially the 7th, which felt like an age before revealing itself, on the side of another stiff little incline...

My forlorn hopes that the last KM would be all downhill were dashed. The Loughrea lad (Paul Keane) put on what looked like a sprint to me but which was more like a slight quickening of the pace to get ahead of me definitively just before we turned to go up the finishing straight, while the Craughwell lad (Liam Nolan) had "eased" away from the two of us a little further back.

I finished in a lather, with my good friend John O'Connor, high-powered camera in hand and fiendish grin on his face, awaiting me at the end of the chute. I was certainly an image to behold. I was just outside 34 minute pace - 16:38 out, 17:37 in.

How much the previous day's exertions took out of me is hard to know but it certainly didn't help! Those sorts of lessons are hard learnt, as I said earlier. I knew it wasn't going to be a day for personal PBs, but wasn't sure whether it was going to be as difficult as it turned out, even though I had predicted a time of around 34 on the start line. I may have gone out too hard but it was a pace I should have been able to hold onto in normal circumstances, given a 5KM PB of 19:28 and an 8KM PB of 31:32.

After a quick chat with some of the usual suspects, I hobbled back to my car to tog back in. I then adjourned back to the hall for two very sustaining cups of tea and three scones topped with strawberry jam. Relief.

Mick had come second, as I had a feeling he would, through sweat-soaked eyes out the country. Ann Carter had capped her return to competitive action with the senior women's victory. While our own Miriam Wall had beaten off fierce competition from Jane Campbell (GCH) for third place in the women's race. To say that Miriam was excited at the prospect of picking up a senior prize would be putting things mildly!!!!! She was elated, as it proved to be the case. Surely worth a report on its own, Miriam? Martin Keane finished in good form, just under 42 minutes. He is sure he can find those two required minutes with some more spring training before his May trip to Copenhagen... Brian Geraghty dipped under 33:00.

Overall, Maree put on a superb show. It's another valuable addition to the running scene in Galway, and at a good time of the year too, when things are usually quiet enough in the county. Over 320 people finished the race yesterday, with another 100+ in the fun run/jog/walk an hour later. Congratulations to the organisers on their organisation and efforts on the day. Where else would you get such entertainment for E15?

James A. Lundon.

P.S. How could I forget the special 'welcoming committee' that awaited the front runners around 6.5KM. Let's just say that it got a more than a little taste of my 10.5UK for its troubles.