Maurice Ahern is the heartbeat of Donore Harriers! In his 50 plus years as a club member he has donned several caps in the administration and development of the club, including Club Secretary, two terms as Club President, Development Officer, Juvenile Section Secretary, and Club Director

He was a central person in the planning and development of the excellent club facility that we all enjoy today. His unwavering commitment to the club is now mostly in the work that he does in the background, such as grant-funding applications, dealing with sponsorships, and overseeing the day-to-day upkeep and refurbishment of the clubhouse and the track. To his many roles I also add recruiter, innovator, race organiser, team manager, coach and mentor, cheerleader, historian, author, and a social support to young athletes who come from challenging backgrounds

Those of us familiar with Maurice will know that he is the incredible disappearing man! You want to gain his attention only to be told: “that’s funny, he was here a moment ago”. Such is Maurice’s enthusiasm and popularity that he wants to be in several places at once. He’s a man of the people! Usually he can be found motivating the athletes/teams or else he’s engrossed in bringing people together in a project to benefit Donore Harriers

In the words of Orlaith Read, he is ‘Donore to the Core’

Of course, I must mention that Maurice was a good club athlete back in an era when you had to be an international class runner to make the Donore Harriers ‘A’ team. Unfortunately, his running career was cut short by injury, but his contribution to Donore Harriers and Irish athletics has been truly immense

STANDARD QUESTIONS

PLACE OF BIRTH? Dublin, whilst my parents were living in the Curragh. My father used to work in a bank in Newbridge

WHERE WERE YOU EDUCATED? My father was re-located by his bank, so I had different locations and schools as a child. I went to the National School, Tubbercurry, Co. Sligo, CBS Naas, and then I attended Newbridge College for 6 years. My father died when I was 15, so the last couple of years at Newbridge was as a boarder. Later I attended at UCD and Jordan Hill College of Education in Glasgow, where I did a professional youth work training course

WHAT WAS YOUR MAIN CAREER PATH? I worked in a bank in Inchicore, then transferred to College Green. I worked as a volunteer with the Vincent De Paul as a 17-year-old, as I had an interest in social science and youth development. This led me to study for social science in UCD, which led me to become one of the first youth workers in the country. I worked in the Crumlin area (social service centre), where there were many young persons on the fringes – and my job was to assist them by making contact with them on the street -and then seeing what was possible through state agencies in relation to education, ANCO apprenticeships and other possibilities including Youth and Probation Services. I upskilled my professional ability when I got a scholarship to Jordanhill College of Education in Glasgow in 1972. When I came back from Glasgow, I was put in charge of a project to expand the youth service throughout the city. This was to become the City of Dublin Community Projects section and would over the years develop nearly 180 youth projects throughout the city with approximately 200 fulltime professional youth work staff. I loved the work and remained working for CDYSB for 28 years. Never a dull moment!

IN WHAT YEAR DID YOU JOIN DONORE HARRIERS? 1964

WHY DID YOU CHOOSE DONORE HARRIERS? My first real love in sport was tennis, which I played in Naas Tennis Club. I tried to join a couple of tennis clubs when I came to Dublin, but I found them to be elitist or had no juniors. So, I decided to look for another sport and then I saw an ad in the Evening Herald with notices from athletics clubs. I was familiar with the name Donore Harriers, so I decided to try it out. When I first came at Donore at Hospital Lane, the first 2 people I met, Des Connolly and John Bosco Hickey, I knew from Naas. I got lost in the Park on my first club run… I got dropped!

WERE YOU A MEMBER OF ANY OTHER CLUB BEFORE JOINING DONORE HARRIERS? No

DID YOU PARTICIPATE IN ANY OTHER SPORT? Yes, I played gaelic football and soccer, and championship tennis up to U/15 level

WHAT WAS YOUR FAVOURITE ATHLETICS EVENT? Cross-Country, road and road relays

WHAT WERE YOUR MAIN ROLE(S) AT THE CLUB? Athlete. I was invited on to the committee fairly soon after joining. I had no sense, even less when I took on the role of Club Secretary for several years and then the role of Development Officer for many more. I have served 2 terms as Club President between 1979 to 1981 and between 2002 to 2005. And I’ve been a Club Director for too long!

WHO WERE YOUR SPORTING INSPIRATIONS/INFLUENCES? Rod Laver, the Australian tennis player; Eamonn Coghlan – it was fabulous to train with him at Donore. John Treacy – it was also great to witness him destroy the field on that wet afternoon of the World cross country at Limerick in 1979

SOCIAL QUESTIONS

WHAT WAS THE LAST BOOK YOU READ? The Irish Revolution – A Nation not a Rabble by Diarmaid Ferriter

WHAT WAS THE LAST CONCERT YOU ATTENDED? A Woman’s Heart at the National Concert Hall just before the Covid-19 lockdown. It featured Mary Black, Maura O’Connell, and Eleanor McEvoy who composed the song ‘Only A Women’s Heart’. There were lots of other brilliant musicians there.

WHAT ARE YOUR 3 FAVOURITE FILMS?

1. The Deerhunter

2. The Mission

3. Oh Brother Where Are Thou

FAVOURITE COUNTRY VISITED? AND WHY? New Zealand, my son lives there. It is just a magnificent country yet sad due to a really serious earthquake there a couple of years before we visited. It reflected my feelings at the time when we saw the awful damage inflicted on certain parts of the country. It has wonderful variety of stunning scenery and beauty on both islands; it was breath-taking. The Kiwis are a resilient people and will recover even if it is a country at great risk of further quakes

My other favourite is Canada, particularly Montreal and Quebec. I was at the jazz festival in Montreal; it was all over the streets like a fleadh cheoil for jazz

Finally, the South of France. It is not just a beautiful region, but an experience of a culture stylishly immersed in the sun, good food, wine and the general good life

WHAT ARE YOUR OTHER INTERESTS AWAY FROM ATHLETICS/SPORT? Current affairs/politics, social policy, human rights, all sorts of music, including Irish folk and traditional.

IF DISERT ISLAND DISCS ASKED YOU TO PLAY 3 SONGS, WHAT WOULD THEY BE?

1. Cat’s in the Cradle by Harry Chapin

2. Gabriel’s Oboe (Theme from the film The Mission) by Ennio Morricone

3. Piano Man by Billy Joel

ATHLETICS QUESTIONS

WHO WAS YOUR COACH? Eddie Hogan – he was also my mentor and a great friend. Eddie was actually a piper in the Fintan Lalor Pipe Band in Harold’s Cross

WHAT DO YOU CONSIDER TO BE YOUR BEST ATHLETICS ACHIEVEMENT? I was on some Donore Harriers senior winning teams and I can remember running stage 2 on the 40 miles Lagan Valley Road Relay, which was a high standard event. Our first leg runner Mick Flood handed over me in first place and I ran well to hand over in 2^nd position a few yards down. We had a stacked team with quality runners like John Phelan, Tony Murphy, Mick Flood, Willie Smith, Eddie Spillane, Jim Mc Glynn and Tommy Redican

I also recall a 1,500m at Santry track, where I beat Brian Geoghegan – who was also Donore Harriers and a very good track runner. I decided on a long sprint from 300m out and held on for a surprise win. I got plenty of expletives after that race!!! I ran 3.58 that day

There was this road race in Gorey and Donore Harriers sent an ‘A’ team. It was a 5-mile handicap race, and because we were regarding as the top club in Ireland, we were last to start. The first half was mainly uphill. Next thing I saw fellas hopping over a ditch on to Tara Hill and running up a mountain path. I grazed my legs and began to bleed, and the whole race was a struggle. Maybe 10 years later, we bought a caravan near Gorey. Thus, I regularly go back to the scene of my most horrendous racing experience

WHAT ARE YOUR BEST TIMES/MARKS (PBs)?

1,500m – 3.58 and 800m 1.59

Oman Cup – 9.28 (to finish 8^th against good-class opposition) 4-mile on road in club race in Phoenix Park. I ran 19 mins 56 secs

WHAT WAS YOUR FAVOURITE COACHED SESSION? That was an Eddie Hogan coached session that we called the Zoo Lap. It was 10 by 800 metre intervals that started and finished at the gate of the zoo. We had to take turns at leading. Sometimes Eamonn Coghlan joined in the session and he was our big target, especially as he was winning indoor miles in the USA in that period

DESCRIBE THE MOST DIFFICULT SESSION THAT YOU DID? The Tuesday night 14 miler. We came from Islandbridge past Chapelizod Gate, up Knockmaroon Hill, into Castleknock Village, then towards Ashtown Gate, some loops around the Park and finished by Conyngham Road bus station and back to the club house sprinting flat out! That was so tough, due to the pedigree of athletes that I was training with. Usually it was steady pace to start out, then before Knockmaroon Hill it became hell for leather! I’d be sore for days after that…

WHAT WAS A TYPICAL WEEKLY TRAINING PLAN IN YOUR HEYDAYS? I used to do 70 miles a week, running mostly on road, hills and grass. I used to run up Three Rock Mountain on Sunday mornings, towards the end of the cross-country season, with athletes from various club. It was a lovely run, but it was challenging

DO YOU HAVE A FUNNY OR UNUSUAL STORY RELATED TO ATHLETICS/THE CLUB? A gang of us went to the Olympic Games in Moscow in 1980 to support Eamon Coghlan. We went across Europe by train. It was the cold war period when Russia was a Stalinist state. One of the things that happened was that the Hughes brothers, Cathal, Harry & Owen, were with us and members of Westport AC. When we reached the Poland-Russia border the train had to be put on stilts as the track gauge was different between the two sets of national rail tracks. We were a raucous group and in high spirits. So, myself and Owen Hughes decided to go to the back of the train to write up a song-ditty for Eamon. We got halfway into writing up the chant, when we heard the train engine making noise, except the train wasn’t moving… In a panic, we looked out the window only to see the front part of the train moving away… We gave chase to the train shouting our lungs off. We saw the rest of our gang on the departing carriages waving goodbye to us. We thought that we were abandoned, until the train began to reappear and stopped on another platform… Phew!

WHO ARE YOUR TOP 3 IRISH SPORTSPERSONS OF ALL TIME (all sports)?

1. Liam Brady (footballer)

2. Eamon Coghlan

3. Katie Taylor (boxing)

Special mention: Paul and Gary O’Donovan (rowing) and Sonia O’Sullivan

SPECIFIC QUESTIONS

DID YOU COMPETE AS A JUVENILE OR JUNIOR ATHLETE? No

WHAT ARE YOUR ABIDING MEMORIES OF THE EDDIE HOGAN ERA, WHEN DONORE HARRIERS WON 18 NATIONAL CROSS-COUNTRY TITLES IN A ROW? In that period the club was centred about the cottage in Hospital Lane. The cottage was actually built by the members. It was a fabulous place to be in during training nights. It was just one room. There was a dart board, a table, and wooden benches. Everyone had their set place to sit. There was also one toilet and two showers. Eddie Hogan either stood on the table or a bench to give instructions. There were no women members at that time. People parked their bicycles, motorbikes, and cars in the narrow laneway. The place was a hub of banter and craic. I used to give Basil Clifford a lift home on my Honda 50. His feet were just off the ground! He was a lovely guy, and great athlete

When Eddie stood up there was a hush. He would instruct who was going to run with whom – and who were the group leaders. Tony Murphy was the captain and he held good authority. Eddie would go out to various parts of the course to check our progress. He had the knack of being able to pop up everywhere! He also talked to us about the schedule for the following weekend or the next week. The lads were self-motivated

There were also junior coaches, such as Christy Geoghegan, Joe Mooney and Paddy Nugent (field events), who worked with Eddie. They had very junior good athletes who came from the Drimnagh/Crumlin area. Sometimes they trained at Sundrive Park or Kenilworth Park (Harold’s Cross). Donore Harriers had some great runners and great teams under the expert coaching of Eddie Hogan

YOU’VE RECRUITED SOME OUTSTANDING ATHLETES TO DONORE HARRIERS, TELL US ABOUT THAT?

Maybe recruited isn’t the accurate word – perhaps encouraged!

I recruited Brendan Mullin, the 110m Hurdler, through Jim Byrnes when he was about 17 or 18 years old. I got to know Byrnes, who was a teacher at Blackrock College. Brendan went on to become an international rugby player who represented Ireland and the Lions. He boasts I got Mullin his first job as a Sports Officer as Fatima Mansions – a tough gig!

Another good recruit was Noel Richardson. Richardson was a captain in the army. He was from Limerick and I got wind that he was moving to Dublin, so I wrote to him and found out that he was moving to Palmerstown. He replied and we agreed to meet. He was a lovely guy and one of the top distance athletes in Ireland for several years

I managed to recruit several athletes from schools’ competitions, including Brian O’Keeffe, Vivian Devine, and Noel Byrne. As one point I was appointed the club assistant secretary with responsibility for the juvenile section

In more recent years I have concentrated on recruiting track and field athletes, sometimes in conjunction with people like Phil Conway and Sean Egan. And I remember that I spotted a guy from Terenure College, who was a fast sprinter. I knew the P. E. Teacher at the college, who introduced me to the lad. He agreed to come to Donore Harriers as he felt running would benefit his rugby. When he came to his first training session, he arrived with a lanky teammate – who wanted to try the hurdles. The teammate turned out to be Simon Taggart, who went on to become a major senior athlete, whilst the original target was never seen at the club again. Simon is now living in Canada

In more recent times I have either directly or indirectly recruited good athletes like David Campbell, David Slupko, Oran O’Brien, and Barney Kelly to the club…

Did I mention Charlie O’Neill!

DID YOU EVER HAVE TO DEAL WITH LONG-TERM INJURY? I had 2 cartilage operations on my right knee. The first operation worked well as I managed to get back to compete at novice and intermediate level. The second one coincided with a condition known as ankylosing spondylitis, which is a form of arthritis. It’s an inflammatory disease that, over time, can cause bones to fuse. It basically meant that I had to retire from running, so I took up cycling as a recreational exercise. Later I had open heart surgery, so now I must be careful with my health and level of physical activities

DID YOU RUN FOR ANY CLUB WHILST YOU WERE AT COLLEGE IN GLASGOW? Victoria Park Athletics Club were known Donore Harriers as a Donore team had finished 2^nd in a big road relay in Glasgow a few years previous. Eddie Hogan suggested that I join them, so I represented Victoria Park in cross-country league races during the winter. I also ran a few races for an Irish club at Parliament Hill Fields in London, but it was very low-key

YOU ARE THE AUTHOR OF THE BOOK ‘DARE TO RUN’ PUBLISHED IN 2004. WHAT WAS YOUR INSPIRATION FOR THE FICTIONAL STORY OF SOLOMON RUMALO? Being totally honest the inspiration for my ‘Dare To Run’ story was Sydney Maree. Maree was a world-class athlete in the 1980s. He was born in South Africa but ran for the USA. He briefly held the world record for the 1,500m. Anyway, I had heard whispers that he was having difficulty getting accepted into some big athletics meets in Britain and Europe We managed to get Sydney to compete in a Donore Harriers international meeting at Belfield. Brian O’Keeffe and I brought him to the Leinster Hurling Final at Croke Park on the Sunday before the athletics event. He was a lovely man and a great athlete. Thus, I got the chance to have a good talk with him and I based the outline of my ‘Dare to Run’ story on his experiences Eamonn Coghlan launched the book in the Donore Harriers clubhouse. We drank the bar dry. It was one of those great nights!

Here are the opening paragraphs in a Washington Post article on Maree dated 10^th July 1984. ֍֍֍ Sydney Maree, the black native of South Africa who thought he had cleared all obstacles to international competition after winning the 1,500 meters in the U.S. Track and Field Championships last month, was abruptly denied an opportunity to run in the 1,500 against Britain’s Steve Ovett Wednesday night at an international meet in Milan.

Maree’s lawyers, Stuart Ross and Skip Masback of Washington, say they fear the rejection may be only the first in a pattern intended to keep Maree, considered to be one of the world’s two or three best milers, out of top-level competition in that event on the European circuit this summer.

They said an invitation to Maree to run in the mile at an international meet in Lausanne, Switzerland, has also been withdrawn, but that the meet promoters had said he could compete in other events.

“They are keeping Sydney from running against the best in the world and proving that he is as good,” said Ross … ֍֍֍

In December 2004 the Irish Times listed Maurice’s book in its book review section ֍֍֍ Finally, though not strictly an athletics book, Maurice Ahern’s work of fiction Dare to Run (Top Print, 9.99) is partly based on his experiences within the sport. For years linked with the Donore Harriers club in Dublin, Ahern bases his story on a black South African athlete named Solomon Rumalo and the pursuit of his dream to become a world-class athlete. It is an inspiring, perceptive read that touches on the harsh realities of world athletics ֍֍֍

YOU WERE INSTRUMENTAL IN THE CLUB’S MOVE FROM ISLANDBRIDGE TO ITS PRESENT SITE. GIVE US A BRIEF OUTLINE ABOUT THAT? It became clear the club did not have a future by remaining at the cottage in Hospital Lane (Islandbridge). We wanted to expand our juvenile section and to form a women’s section. We also had the ambition to become a more defined track and field club

I think that it was about 1972 when it was first recorded at a committee meeting that we begin planning for a women’s section. To my memory, the women’s section was proposed by Jim Fanning. We looked at several options for a suitable location for the women’s section. We even considered putting a container with a hot water supply next to the cottage. However, it was evident that our days at Hospital Lane were numbered. Most of the houses in the laneway had already been condemned due to dilapidation and vermin

Pat Mullaly, who was the club treasurer, decided to buy up the condemned cottages, which he bought rather cheaply due to their being condemned buildings. It was a laborious procedure.  We eventually owned one side of the laneway, but the site was due to be regenerated

The committee agreed to buy or acquire another location. We made representation to Dublin City Council. I became proactive to liaison with DCC re- alternative sites. We also approached the OPW as we had identified a green space on the city side of the Trinity Boat Club. We got turned down on that. We then looked at another site close by, but we were unable to match the price required

We identified the site where the club is now. We put a proposal together and a delegation from the club, that included Eamonn Coghlan, went to DCC for the purpose to request half-an-acre as a club site. It was probably to our benefit that Eamon was such a high-profile athlete in that period. We established a ‘building committee’, which included Tommy Hayward (President), Eric Hayward, Matt Rudden, Leo Lynch, Sean Lavin and myself. One of first objectives was to raise funds… They were all very hands-on-people who were prepared to go the extra mile to have proper facilities for the club. Matt Rudden undertook the main building contract work and did a fantastic job.

Our big aim was to open the clubhouse in the club’s centenary year i.e. 1993. Mary Robinson, the then President of Ireland, attended for the official opening of the clubhouse in June 1993. Later that year we won the national senior cross-country on a course designed by Pat Cassidy in the Phoenix Park

WHAT ONE CHANGE WOULD YOU LIKE TO SEE AT DONORE HARRIERS? I would like to see changes in the administration of the club. Allowing for the fact that we now have a new Child Protection Officer Mary Murphy in place. I think we need to look at that subject in more holistic way. It must become a priority for the club!

We need to have a management structure that reflects all sections of the club and to have an effective communication system between all sections. Too few people in the club are volunteering to hold the club together in terms of administration and club development. I know it’s a problem, but we must try to have more people supporting the overall admin and actions of the club in a more realistic way. We need club members to help out with small tasks, otherwise things won’t get done

Also, the club needs to adopt a new constitution to reflect modern times and present-day safeguarding standards. I would like to see clearly defined governance procedures that provide better protection to club members

WHAT ONE CHANGE WOULD YOU LIKE TO SEE IN IRISH ATHLETICS AS A WHOLE? I would like to see an openness to the implementation of new ideas, such as new competitions away from championships. For example, a cross-country league throughout the country for men, women, and juveniles. Such a long-awaited initiative could be devised by a group composed of athletes and administrators. It could bring athletics back to a more local level

DO YOU HAVE ANY SPORTING REGRETS? No. I am so glad that I became active in a very good athletics club, where I have made lifelong friends. There are so many great people in our sport who I really admire and cherish in my life.

HOW DO YOU ENVISAGE THE FUTURE OF THE CLUB? I would like to think that all forms of athletics will flourish in Donore Harriers and not just in the popular events. I hope the club will continue to concentrate on developing its young people and will go about getting the necessary resources to support them in the shape of sponsorship and coaching. The last 3 years has shown what can be achieved in that regard

HOW MANY OLYMPIC GAMES AND WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS HAVE YOU ATTENDED? Not that many! I went to the Olympic Games in Moscow and London; and the World championships cross-country on 4 occasions. I was also at the London World track and field championships in 2017

WHAT WAS THE MOST MEMORABLE/EXCITING EVENT THAT YOU WITNESSED LIVE? There have been a few! I was never at an indoor athletics meeting in the USA, so witnessing John Travers become the first Irishman to run the first indoor sub-4-minute mile in Ireland was special. The Athlone Arena was packed and the stadium buzzing. It was very special! John is an athlete and person that I have really admired since I first met him as a 16 years old lad. He actually lifted the roof off with that run, scintillating, which also proved John’s popularity as both an athlete and a person

Here is a link to that race – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8aL8LdoYPqQ&t=357s

HAVE YOU WON ANY ACHIEVEMENT AWARDS? I was awarded the Donore Harriers Long-term Achievement Award at the 125^th anniversary dinner. It was a very proud moment for my wife Mary who has supported me all my life and for my three sons, Ciarán, Eoin and Dónal

WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE TO ASPIRING YOUNG ATHLETES? Listen to your coach and listen to your body. Don’t jump to stage 4 before you reach stage 3… and you will get there!

FINAL NOTE: Maurice Ahern wrote and read the following piece about the Waterhouse Byrne Baird Shield race for the Sunday Miscellany programme on RTÉ Radio on Sunday 22^nd December 2013 – ֍֍֍ Preparations are nearly complete for the club’s annual St. Stephens Day race in the Phoneix Park where last years’ winner, Michelle Dawson, will be taking to the mud again to defend her title. Following this year’s race, we will be making a special presentation to Matt Rudden in the clubhouse in celebration of a milestone birthday. Matt is the man who built the clubhouse as we know it today. It would be great to get as many members and supporters as possible out to support both our great race and this presentation to Matt Rudden.

It was Mr. Samuel Waterhouse the well-known Dublin jeweler, who presented the magnificent shield in 1896 for a 10-mile handicap cross-country race. That was a long time ago, but the race still goes on every St. Stephen’s morning in the Phoenix Park for the members of Donore Harriers. They say it’s the oldest continuous cross-country race in Europe, if not in the world.

It would have taken a tough man to stay with the likes of Paddy Byrne as he raced to victory over 10 miles of mud and snow that St. Stephen’s morning in 1915. Paddy won the shield three times and re-presented it to the club and his name was then added to the trophy. Because of the involvement of many members in the Great War the race wasn’t held in 1916 – the only occasion it wasn’t competed for in its long history.

One of those club members who joined the 10 ^th Battalion of The Royal Dublin Fusiliers was Davie Baird. Davie was badly wounded at the Battle of Ancre in 1916. Nonetheless, he fully recovered and went on to win the coveted prize in 1920, 1921 and for a third time in 1937. He also re-presented the trophy to the club. It is now called the Waterhouse–Byrne –Baird Shield.

After some years in different locations, the race has been staged in the Phoenix Park since 1934 – an ideal venue for the intrepid competitors but also for those hardy souls who brave the usually harsh elements to spectate, while at the same time getting in their post-Christmas-day “constitutional”.

The race starts and finishes every year at the same tree beside the dog pond on the horse gallop. The slowest go off first, the faster later but the handicappers try to ensure, that by the time the five two-mile laps are completed, it’s anyone’s race. That’s the beauty of it; every competitor has a chance of winning.

I’ve seen some of the great Irish distance runners take their chance and fail, sometimes because of the vagaries of the handicapper but often because of the nature of the race itself. It isn’t easy to restrain from eating and drinking a bellyful on Christmas day – which is what is required if one is to have any hope of taking the Shield. Over the years many an athlete has tried to fool the handicapper by performing poorly in prior races in order to get a good handicap.

I was there to watch the historic triumph of the first lady winner, Valerie McGovern, in 1985, in a race for so long the bastion of male athletes. Like everyone else who witnessed it, I also marveled at the great Eamonn Coghlan’s record breaking win in the teeming rain in 1979. His is the only sub 50-minute run in the history of the event.

For me, the unique spirit and magic of this event was embodied by the late Frank Cahill. For over 50 consecutive years he had tried in vain to win the event. In 1975 he finally realised one of his life’s ambitions at the age of 75 by winning the coveted shield. The following year despite having had his handicap cut back, he confounded even nature itself, by running faster and triumphing a second time. One anecdote has Frank starting the race that morning with a handicap of 55 minutes while the scratch man lay in his bed at home.

I was there as usual at eleven o’clock last St. Stephen’s morning keeping an eye on proceedings. I met up with some of my old running pals and re-ran some of our valiant efforts to win the shield. This time neither hoary frost nor clinging mud bothered me. My cross-country spikes and black and white club vest enjoyed another restful Christmas.

Nothing much has changed over the years. The starter still shouted out the names and the times they were due off. By 12 o’clock, an hour into the race, a sizeable attendance had gathered, knowing that only at this stage was it possible to identify a likely winner.  As the race came to a climax, one was aware not just of a visible attendance but also of an invisible presence. I didn’t see them, but I knew they were there – the spirits of departed officials and athletes – ensuring that the tradition and soul of this unique event was carried on. ֍֍֍