In this episode we meet Ashling Smith, who logged her place in the annals of the club history by winning the national junior cross-country in 1990, becoming the first Donore Harriers woman to take a national title. She won the national junior 3,000m in 1991. Ashling talks about rekindling her love for the sport as a masters athlete; the positive influence of her father Willie (yes! Our Willie!); and offers some very firm advice to aspiring young athletes…

STANDARD QUESTIONS

PLACE AND YEAR OF BIRTH? Dublin (Holles St!) 1972

WHERE WERE YOU EDUCATED? Bray (primary), Dublin (secondary and Uni) and UK (BA, Exmouth University of Plymouth).

WHAT WAS/IS YOUR CAREER PATH? Varied! Hospitality, retail, early years education and finally, lately, my dream career. After my children were born, continuing in academia (I was taking the PhD route in UCD) wasn’t feasible. In 2017 I retrained and am now qualified as a Sports/Physical Therapist and Sports Massage and Injury Therapist. I work with athletes, get to treat athletes, talk about athletics… and get paid for it. What could be better?!

IN WHAT YEAR DID YOU JOIN DONORE HARRIERS? No idea. 1980-something. I was a juvenile and junior athlete, so Dad took care of that. I suppose I was a member until 1992?

WHY DID YOU CHOOSE DONORE HARRIERS? There was never going to be another club! Dad followed Bertie Messitt to Donore as a 15-year-old and I followed suit. I had been going to Donore with Dad as a kid and have very vivid memories of the set up in Hospital Lane.

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

WHAT CLUB ARE YOU WITH NOW? Sli Cualann outside Wicklow and Bray Runners inside Wicklow.

DID YOU PARTICIPATE IN ANY OTHER SPORT? Not really. Basketball and Irish dancing as a teen. A bit of cycling in the non-running years (decades!). I was very active as a child though. Lots of skipping, hopscotch, chasing, roller skating etc. I think these aspects of informal, unstructured play are integral to athletic development.

WHAT WAS/IS YOUR FAVOURITE ATHLETICS EVENT? I love cross country and track. I suppose the mile and 1500…and the 3000m on the track. I love the national road relays, to watch and participate. More recently, Armagh 5k/3k road is a really fabulous event. Really hard to choose just one.

WHAT IS YOUR PRESENT ROLE AT YOUR CLUB? As well as athlete, I’ve been secretary, chair, captain and now am back to secretary.

WHO WERE/ARE YOUR SPORTING INSPIRATIONS/INFLUENCES? I loved Eamonn Coghlan as a child, who didn’t? It was also the era of great milers so Ovett and Coe too. I love Laura Muir. She is the complete package and I love that she too was a ‘late developer’ in terms of athletic development and success. I really admire Fionnuala McCormack’s attitude.

Middle distance master athletes such as Joe Gough, Anne Gilshinan, Kelly Neely, Denise Toner, Jackie Carthy and Mary Leech are some of the many master athletes who inspire me.

And I grew up surrounded by greats in athletics through Dad and Donore Harriers. I probably absorbed these influences through breathing!

SOCIAL QUESTIONS

WHAT WAS THE LAST BOOK YOU READ? Am reading ‘The Mirror and the Light’ by Hilary Mantel and ‘Quicksilver, the Mercurial Emil Zatopek’ by Pat Butcher

WHAT WAS THE LAST CONCERT YOU ATTENDED? Probably Kris Kristofferson last year in Cork with the hubby, Ian.

WHAT ARE YOUR 3 FAVOURITE FILMS? Only 3!!!

1. Greystoke, Legend of Tarzan. Cry every time
2. True Romance.
3. The Green Mile. Another good cry every time

FAVOURITE COUNTRY VISITED? I fall in love with every place I visit so can’t choose just one. Italy if I have to…

WHAT ARE YOUR OTHER INTERESTS AWAY FROM ATHLETICS/SPORT? Haha! What do you mean ‘away from athletics’? Ok reading, history, nice food and wine, country walks. Simple things.

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

1. Rock n Roll Suicide by David Bowie
2. Loving Her Was Easier by Kris Kristofferson
3. Me and Bobby McGee by Janis (sore spot with the hubby he prefers Kris:) )

ATHLETICS QUESTIONS

WHO IS/WAS YOUR COACH(ES? I have been so fortunate. I have had the best coaches. As a teen Dad was my coach and of course the legend Eddie Hogan. Eddie was way ahead of his time. He was so quiet and gentle and observant, especially with the vanguard of female athletes in Donore Harriers in the 80s. When I came back to running in 2014, I was coached for a while by Gerry Curtis (maintaining the Donore connection although we were now both Bray based). Since 2017 I have coached myself but rely heavily on Richard Kavanagh for mentoring and of course Ian. Still trying to persuade Dad to run me up a schedule, he must have a conflict of interest with his Donore women!

WHAT DO YOU CONSIDER TO BE YOUR BEST ATHLETICS ACHIEVEMENT? In terms of success, probably two. Winning the National Junior Inter Counties in November 1990. I had been training well that year but nevertheless it was a huge surprise. I was a reasonably late breakthrough athlete and had a big dose of imposter syndrome.

More recently, in 2018, I achieved a national record in the W45 1,500m. I had been training with Avril Dillon’s DSD crew in Irishtown that summer and was feeling sharp and strong. I knew that morning it was going to ‘happen’. We talk of ‘flow’ and ‘the zone’. I was definitely ‘there’ that day and thankfully, no Imposter Syndrome that day. It was a beautifully hot day and Ian was there, along with our three kids. Just perfect.

WHAT ARE YOUR BEST TIMES (PBs)? As a junior, and Dad may correct me on these, 2:18 for 800m, 4:34 for 1500m and 9:50 for 3000m.

As a master, my best times were achieved as W45 in 2018.

Track 2:28 for 800m, 4:55 for 1500m 5:25 mile (also a national record) and 10:38 for 3000m

Indoor times I don’t have to hand but I remember a 5:22 indoor mile in a mixed race and 10:38 for 3000

Road racing is neglected by me, but I have run 19:11 for 5k, 10:48 for 3k, 41 something for 10k, 93 minutes for half marathon and even a 3:53 for marathon (don’t ask!)

WHAT WAS/IS YOUR FAVOURITE COACHED SESSION? As a junior probably hills in the Phoenix Park with Gwen (Stanley) and Helen (Saunders).

400s on the track are always a good one. Lately hills near my house. Also love going out for a good hard five miler with the hubby.

DESCRIBE THE MOST DIFFICULT SESSION THAT YOU HAVE DONE? That’s a tricky question. Lately I am a huge advocate of ‘train don’t strain’ but now and then it is important to ‘leave it all out there’ in training. There is a steep hill near me and over last winter I did reps on it frequently. My clubmate, Suzanne Foot, and myself did 8 x 90-seconds reps on it in January. We push each other very nicely and I have to say it was probably the most I have pushed myself both mentally and physically.

WHAT WAS/IS A TYPICAL TRAINING PLAN? Lately one ‘hard’ session and one long run, sometimes doing sharp 8 to 10 seconds up a steep hill with a 2 to 3 minutes recovery. All the rest is recovery/easy runs. I am a big advocate of listening to my body and if a recovery or easy run is ‘not happening’ I head for home and let my body do what it needs to do. Lockdown has enabled me to focus on my own strength and conditioning stuff a bit more too.

DO YOU HAVE A FUNNY STORY RELATED TO ATHLETICS/THE CLUB? As a child, Dad took us to the club frequently. This was in the Hospital Lane set up and the men’s changing room was in a prefab. I must have been 8 or 10 and Maurice Ahern was chatting to me and told me to punch him in the tummy, as hard as I could. Dad wasn’t that keen, but I could see he found something amusing so with permission, I let rip…. only to meet a wall of Plaster of Paris from Maurice’s operation.

WHAT CHANGES HAVE YOUR OBSERVED SINCE YOUR DAYS AT THE CLUB? I was still a member when the club transitioned to the new premises in Chapelizod. So, they have a fit for purpose facility and a running track! The membership has changed and now has a large juvenile and junior section… as well as a fabulous cohort of women! I am proud to have been part of the first ‘women in Donore’ and love seeing how women are now firmly entrenched in the history of Donore Harriers.

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

1. Katie Taylor
2. Sonia (O’Sullivan) and Catherina (McKiernan)
3. Ronnie Delany

SPECIFIC QUESTIONS

YOU WON THE NATIONAL JUNIOR CROSS-COUNTRY TITLE, WHEN WAS THAT AND WHAT DO YOU REMEMBER ABOUT THAT DAY? I do. It was November 1990. I remember being in the leading group early on and something got into me because on the brow of a hill on the first lap, I continued to push and broke away. I know Dad was groaning inside because he thought I had gone too soon. Me too! Fear drove me the rest of the way around! I was still expecting to be caught, even on the finishing straight. It was all a bit surreal to be honest. I remember Dad phoning mam and I think she shed a few tears? There was a big fuss that day but sadly there was an inner voice telling me that it was a fluke, that I didn’t deserve to be there. If I knew then what I know now……

WHAT OTHER SUCCESSES DID YOU HAVE WHEN COMPETING FOR DONORE HARRIERS? I loved the road relays and with Gwen (Stanley) and Helen (Saunders), we upset the apple cart by getting a silver medal in the senior race one year (1990/91?). Two of us were still juniors and Helen was probably only 21.

I won another national title on the track, 3000m I think, and another two titles in the Intervarsities, 3000m and 1500m on the same weekend.

<NOTE: Ashling won the National Junior 3,000m in 1991 in a time of 9.58.47. She also won the Intervarsities 1,500m (4.37.54) and 3,000m (9.53.34) representing Trinity College Dublin in 1991>

YOU COMPETE FOR IRELAND IN INTERNATIONAL MASTER COMPETITIONS, PLEASE TELL US ABOUT THAT EXPERIENCE? Masters athletics is the best experience, ever. I have met so many wonderful and inspirational people both in Ireland and abroad. Plus, I met my husband, Ian Egan, in Aarhus at my first European Masters event. We probably had the fittest and healthiest looking wedding guests ever!

The camaraderie and support in masters athletics is second to none. And of course, the competition is another level and brings out the best in you as an athlete.

<NOTE: Ashling won a team silver in the 5km XC at the 2018 European Masters in Madrid – and a team bronze in the W35-49 4km XC at the 2019 European Masters in Venice. In the 2018 Champs, she came 5^th in the W45 3,000m (10.59.64) and 4^th in the 5km XC. Her husband Ian Egan (Castlegar AC) won 2 team silvers and a team bronze at World Masters and 2 team silvers in the European Masters. When Ian won an M45 team bronze at the 2017 World Masters Championship, the Irish team included former Donore Harriers member Michael Cornyn>

TELL US ABOUT YOUR PRESENT INVOLVEMENT IN SPORT? When I stopped running in the early 90s, I walked away from athletics completely. I didn’t even watch an Olympics during this time. I think I may have watched the opening ceremony for London 2012 and was vaguely aware of the hype around Mo Farah.

When I started to run again in 2014, my passion for athletics gradually reawoke. I have been involved, as mentioned above, on a committee level for the last few years. I started my own business this year too and my focus is on supporting runners of all levels through Strength and Conditioning and deep tissue massage.

I’m working my way through the AAI coaching courses and am Level 1. Combined with what I know about nutrition and psychology for sports performance, I plan to be involved in coaching young female athletes. I feel I have a lot to contribute to this area.

YOUR FATHER WILLIE IS A VERY WELL LIKED AND RESPECTED COACH AT DONORE HARRIERS – AND A GREAT CLUB HISTORIAN. YOU MUST BE VERY PROUD OF HIM! HOW MUCH HAS ATHLETICS AND DONORE HARRIERS BEEN PART OF YOUR CONVERSATIONS? My Dad is the best. He gave me the best gift of all, running. Mam too. She may have been in the background but most certainly couldn’t have done it without her either. Dad is such a stats geek, in the best possible way. His knowledge of athletics and coaching is second to none. He lives and breathes athletics and yes, we certainly ‘talk athletics’. Rather he talks, I listen (and learn). I’m not really sure what we talked about in the intervening years when I walked away!

I love that Dad’s 2:29 marathon put him in the ‘good, average club runner’ grade!

WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE TO ASPIRING JUVENILE/JUNIOR ATHLETES? Enjoy it, have fun, remind yourself that you do this because you love it… Be good to yourself. Fuel that hard-working body. Don’t focus on what others are doing or training, just be the best version of you that you can be on any one day.

Also, do not allow your sport to be your complete identity. It is OK for athletics to be part of your identity, but make sure that you are the sum of the parts – not just one. I know that when I stopped running, I struggled for some years coming to terms with myself as a non-runner.

Thank you for inviting me to be part of this (interview series).

Zak Higgins is an aspiring senior athlete who has come through the juvenile ranks at Donore Harriers. He is one of several very good 400m runners at the club. In this interesting interview he talks about having to deal with long-term injuries, the good vibes amongst the sprints squad, and how team colleague Adam Halpin assisted his recovery at a National League meet. Please read on…

STANDARD QUESTIONS

PLACE AND YEAR OF BIRTH? Dublin 1997

WHERE ARE YOU BEING EDUCATED? TUD

WHAT IS YOUR PLANNED CAREER PATH? To be honest I change my mind every day. Don’t think I really know what I want to be yet

IN WHAT YEAR DID YOU JOIN DONORE HARRIERS? I think it was 2009 or 2010, I was in 6th class of primary school anyways

WHY DID YOU CHOOSE DONORE HARRIERS? I really wanted to be on my primary school athletics team, but that meant being in the top 4 or 5 fastest people in my class. So, I thought I’d better practice. My Dad told me about some running track down in Chapelizod, so I went down to visit one day and ended up joining in with John Geoghegan’s training group. To this day I still train with John’s group. And I must admit that I am still unsure on how to spell John’s family name.

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

DID YOU PARTICIPATE IN ANY OTHER SPORT?I was always heavily involved in GAA growing up and still play the odd junior hurling match during the off season. Running can get a bit boring/too serious sometimes so I like to play something else where I can just have fun and not care. When I was younger, I played it much more competitively. I also do Brazilian Jiu-Jitzu and other combat sports, just for the sake of doing something different

WHAT IS YOUR PREFERRED ATHLETICS EVENT? I do 400s mostly and they’re probably my favourite to watch also, especially the indoor races. But I also enjoy when Dave (Campbell) or Maurice (Ahern) throw me into a random National League field event and I’ve to figure out what I’m doing. So, I guess I enjoy several events

WHAT IS YOUR PRESENT ROLE AT THE CLUB? Athlete

WHO WERE/ARE YOUR SPORTING INSPIRATIONS/INFLUENCES? Too many to name but probably David Gillick. It was simply great to see someone from the same place as me, doing the same event as me, up there competing with the best in the World. He’s also a really nice guy in person and always seems to have time for others

SOCIAL QUESTIONS

WHAT WAS THE LAST BOOK YOU READ? George Orwell 1984

WHAT WAS THE LAST CONCERT YOU ATTENDED?Can’t remember the last time I went to a gig, but I think it was the Red-Hot Chili Peppers in the 3 Arena. This question has made me realise I need to get out a bit more

WHAT ARE YOUR 3 FAVOUITE FILMS?

1. Forrest Gump

2. As Good as It Gets

3. One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest

FAVOURITE COUNTRY VISITED? Too many to choose from. But if I had to recommend one country to visit, I would say Bosnia, particularly down south in the likes of Mostar

WHAT ARE YOU INTERESTS AWAY FROM ATHLETICS/SPORT? Music, fixing/ making computers, doing online chess competitions, photography, jumping in the sea (with the Donore gang), eating, napping, climbing trees, etc

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

1. Khalid – Another Sad Love Song (reminds me of warm weather training with Donore Harriers cos it was played every 10 minutes)

2. Can’t Stop – RHCP

3. Is This Love – Bob Marley (never a bad shout)

ATHLETICS QUESTIONS

WHO IS/ARE YOUR COACH(ES)?John and Emily Geoghegan, Paul Clarkin

WHAT DO YOU CONSIDER TO BE YOUR BEST ATHLETICS ACHIEVEMENT? Not sure about this one, but it was good to win the National Senior 4 by 400m. Also, I won a national junior medal. That was a big one, because of how much I improved in that year. I just felt like training was paying off and I was going in the right direction.

WHAT ARE YOUR BEST TIMES? 49.53 for the 400m, which was ran in Santry in 2017

WHAT IS YOUR FAVOURITE COACHED SESSION? 300m, 250m ,200m during warm-weather training in Portugal last year

DESCRIBE THE MOST DIFFICULT SESSION THAT YOU HAVE DONE? The session was 3 x 3 x 300m. There was also a group doing a simultaneous 3 x 3 x 200m at a quicker pace and I tried to keep up with the guys doing 200s for the first 200m, which was a bad idea! Basically, I made the session much harder than it needed to be. I learned my lesson – less is more sometimes!!!

WHAT IS A TYPICAL WEEKLY TRAINING PLAN? Tuesday – speed session, Wednesday – weights, Thursday – longer run with core afterwards, Friday – rest, Saturday – long sprints and weights. I have a flexibility routine that I also do after every training session. Also, I revert to doing push ups or pull ups at home as a way of avoiding study, so basically, I do these every day

DO YOU HAVE A FUNNY STORY RELATED TO ATHLETICS/THE CLUB? I have way way too many! Most of the ones that I do have are probably not suitable for the Donore Harriers Facebook page. One funny time was in National League in I think 2016 in Santry. I came over the line 2nd in the 400m and made it as far as the little corner just inside the gate at the finish line. I then fainted and was out cold on the side of the track for about an hour. Everyone thought I was just having a nap. Then Adam Halpin came over and woke me up and told me I had run a PB. Obviously, I felt better with that news

WHAT ONE CHANGE WOULD YOU LIKE TO SEE AT DONORE HARRIERS? I would love to see people getting more involved with the National League teams. I believe the men’s and women’s teams could both go very far if they always put out their best possible teams!!

WHO ARE YOU TOP 3 IRISH SPORTSPERSONS OF ALL TIMES (all sports)?

1. Katie Taylor

2. Derval O’Rourke

3. David Gillick

SPECIFIC QUESTIONS

YOU SUFFERED A LONG-TERM INJURY. TELL US ABOUT THE INJURY AND THE REHABILITATION PROCESS? I’ve had a few long-term injuries; the main ones were the stress fracture and the LCL tear. I don’t mind doing the rehab. I always enjoy going to the gym, so rehab for me is always straightforward enough. It a matter of trusting the process. The hardest part about injuries for me has always been initially coming back to the sport and trying to figure out how your body works again, because a lot can change when you’re out for that long. It’s very hard to just come back and to be as good as you were. And it’s harder still when I see that athletes around me are progressing and I feel like I have to start all over again. But all’s well that ends well, and I’ve definitely learned how to avoid injuries, and I’ve realised it’s very rare that you get “unlucky” with injuries. Most injuries are just out of bad habit, and at the end of the day it’s my own responsibility to deal with that and to fix things

THERE IS A GREAT CAMARADERIE AMONG THE SPRINTS GROUP, HOW WAS THAT ACHIEVED? In my opinion the reason we’re all so close is because most of the time spent in training is spent doing literally nothing. Seriously, it is our recovery time… and it gives us the chance to talk. So, going to training for me never feels like training. It nearly feels like hanging out with your friends and going for some runs every now and again. In my opinion that’s the way it should be. Otherwise, the athletes wouldn’t enjoy it as much and would be less inclined to come to training sessions.

Also, going to the warm-weather training camps in Portugal twice and other running trip has brought us all a lot closer together

WHAT CHANGES HAVE YOU NOTICED AT THE CLUB DURING THE TERM OF YOUR MEMBERSHIP? When I started in Donore it was mostly a middle/long distance club, but now we have an equal amount of top-level sprinters!!

DID YOU EVER CONTEMPLACE STEPPING UP TO THE 800m? Funnily enough, the reason I started 400m was to work on speed for the 800m. It just so happened that I stayed with the 400m. But I’ve always had it in the back of my head that I’d go back to the 800m, so maybe I will someday. Recently I’ve been experimenting with new events. In fact, just this week I made a javelin out of a stick and I’ve been practicing in the field near my house every day

DID YOU SISTER SARA JOIN THE CLUB AT THE SAME TIME AS YOU? AND IS SHE STILL INVOLVED AT DONORE HARRIERS?No, Sara joined a few years later, after I convinced her. She’s still involved in the club and just this year, she moved up to the group that I train with. She was struggling with a broken ankle and ligament damage from camogie for a lot of the pre-season, but she has since got back running. At the minute, the two of us are training together at home, trying to somewhat copy our weekly training plan in Donore Harriers

WHAT IS YOUR BIG ATHLETICS AMBITION? I don’t really make any long-term goals anymore to be honest. So many things can change along the way, so I prefer to just work on short-term goals. It keeps me more productive too. Most of the goals are just targets I have in my head that I want to hit in training or racing. If we get any kind of season this year, one goal I’d have is to just beat my PBs. It’s a long time since I ran a PB due to my injuries. I’ve never really felt like I reached my potential, so now I want to prove to myself that I’m able to come back and be faster.

PJ Leddy gives a regular ‘like’ to reports and news on the Donore Harriers FB page. I wondered if he were related to former Irish Olympian Eddie Leddy, as Eddie was one of my running heroes. Of course, PJ was also a very fine athlete. He set an Irish Schools 3-mile track record (14.50) in 1967, before going on the win the Irish Junior XC title. PJ was part of the Ireland team at the World XC Championships in 1968 and 1969. He then took up a 4-years scholarship (1969-73) at the East Tennessee State University, where he enjoyed more athletic success. Let’s meet PJ!

STANDARD QUESTIONS

PLACE AND YEAR OF BIRTH? Mohill, Co. Leitrim – 10 November 1948

WHERE WERE YOU EDUCATED? Drumnamore National School, St. Felim’s College, Ballinamore, Garda College Templemore, East Tennessee State University

WHAT WAS YOUR MAIN CAREER PATH? Secondary Teacher St. Clare’s Comprehensive School Manorhamilton.

ARE YOU RELATED TO EDDIE LEDDY? Eddie is my only and younger brother (just the two of us) – we had no sisters.

<NOTE: Eddie Leddy represented Ireland in the 1972 Olympic Games 3,000m Steeplechase (timed 8.47.4 in Heat 2), and in the 1976 Olympic Games 5,000m (13.40.54 in Heat 1) and 10,000m (28.55.49 in Heat 2)>

WHAT ATHLETICS CLUBS WERE YOU A MEMBER? My Clubs were Ballinamore Athletic Club, East Tennessee State University and North Leitrim Athletic Club (Founding Member)

DID YOU PARTICIPATE IN ANY OTHER SPORTS? I played Gaelic Football, some handball, basketball, volleyball, soccer, badminton, tennis

WHAT WAS YOUR FAVOURITE ATHLETICS EVENT? 12km Cross Country, 5000m & 10,000m

WHAT IS YOUR PRESENT ROLE IN ATHLETICS? Committee Member (Vice President Irish Schools Athletic Association & Vice Chairperson Connacht Schools Athletics Association)

WHO WERE YOUR SPORTING INSPIRATIONS/INFLUENCES? Padraig Griffin, Ronnie Delaney, Roger Bannister, Herb Elliott, Mick Molloy, Willie Morris, Tommy Madden, Tim Smyth, Dave Walker, Fr. John O’Donnell, Fr. Kevin Ryle, Ronnie Long, Noel Henry, Packey McGarty (Leitrim GAA Footballer)

SOCIAL QUESTIONS

WHAT WAS THE LAST BOOK YOU READ? “Leitrim Echoes of the Great War” Padraig Griffin.

WHAT WAS THE LAST CONCERT YOU ATTENDED? The Musical “Billy Elliott”

WHAT ARE YOUR 3 FAVOURITE FILMS?

1. Gone with the Wind

2. Michael Collins

3. The Mapmaker

FAVOURITE COUNTRY VISITED? USA

WHAT ARE YOUR INTERESTS AWAY FROM ATHLETICS/SPORT? History Archaeology, Politics, Community Organisations, Trade Union (ASTI)

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

1. Lovely Leitrim

2. Young Willy McBride

3. Joe Hill

ATHLETICS QUESTIONS

WHO WAS YOUR COACH? Padraig Griffin (Ireland) & Dave Walker (USA)

WHAT DO YOU CONSDER TO BE YOUR BEST ATHLETICS ACHIEVEMENT? Winning the Irish Schools Athletics Association 3-mile Track Title in 1967

WHAT ARE YOUR BEST TIMES? 880-yds 2.02; Mile 4.17, 2-mile 9.06, 3- mile 13.55, 5000m 14.20, 6-mile 28.49, Marathon 2.25.12,

WHAT WAS YOUR FAVOURITE COACHED SESSION? At the Bears Club in Gormanston College in 1966 with the late Sean Kyle – and many other sessions with Padraig Griffin in Ballinamore

DESCRIBE THE MOST DIFFICULT SESSION THAT YOU HAVE DONE?  24 x 440 yards in Johnson City Tennessee (at ETSU Track)

WHAT WAS A TYPICAL WEEKLY TRAINING PLAN?

Monday – 4 miles (morning), 15 miles evening

Tuesday – 4 miles (morning) 10 miles and 10 x 440 yards (evening)

Wednesday – 4 miles (morning), 12 miles (evening)

Thursday – 4 miles (morning), 10 miles and 6 x 880 yards (evening)

Friday – rest day

Saturday – race – cross country or track

Sunday – 10 miles relaxed run

DO YOU HAVE A FUNNY STORY RELATED TO ATHLETICS? I haven’t a funny story that comes to mind but there was always great banter before and after races in Ireland, the USA and before and after my two World Cross Country championships in Tunis (1968) and Glasgow (1969).

YOU ARE A KEEN FAN OF DONORE HARRIERS. WHAT ONE CHANGE WOULD YOU RECOMMEND FOR THE CLUB? I don’t think Donore needs to make many changes – perhaps Donore might consider reviving the Club’s Open Half Marathon Cross Country race in the Phoenix Park, in which I ran – once or twice.

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

1. Ronnie Delaney

2. John Treacy

3. Sonia O’Sullivan

SPECIFIC QUESTIONS

TELL US WHAT YOU REMEMBER ABOUT THE NATIONAL CROSS-COUNTRY RACE BACK IN 1968? I was running for Ballinamore AC (as an individual) that day in Mallow and I was very happy when I finished 7th and was selected (in the last place) on the Irish Cross Country team for the World (International) Cross Country in Tunis.

DID YOU EVER GET TO TRAIN WITH ANY OF THE DONORE HARRIER LADS? I never really trained with Jim McNamara, Eddie Spillane, Tom O’Riordan and the Donore lads, but I certainly remember many of their great races and their terrific dedication to training.

DID YOU GO ON A SCHOLARSHIP TO THE USA? IF SO, CAN YOU TELL US THE POSITIVES AND NEGATIVES OF THAT EXPERIENCE? I attended East Tennessee State University from September 1969 to June 1973, when I graduated with a B.Sc with a double major in History and Physical Education and a minor in Health Education. Positives – I gained a university degree with which I became a Secondary Teacher in Ireland in 1973; I won many local college races in 1969 and 1970 and I placed 4th in the 1969 United States Track and Field Federation Cross Country at Penn State; I ran my fastest mile, 2 mile, 5000m, 6-mile and marathon times in America. I (placed 2nd in the 1971 United States Track and Field Federation marathon in Wichita Kansas;  I was a member of the East Tennessee State University cross country team that finished 2nd in the 1971 NCAA Division One Cross Country in Houston and I finished 15th individual, which gained me an All-American Cross Country Team award; negatives – very few – I missed out competing in the 1970, 1971, 1972 and 1973 Irish cross country championships.

YOU STILL TAKE A GREAT INTEREST IN IRISH ATHLETICS. FROM AFAR, WHAT ARE THE MAIN CHANGES THAT YOU OBSERVE IN THE DONORE HARRIERS CLUB OF THE 1960s/70s TO THAT OF 2020? The Club has a great women’s section now that it didn’t have in the 1960s and early 1970s. Donore has had a great Masters section for many years now. I only remember Mick McNamara as well as Tommy Hopkins (Senior) plus one or two others as Masters in the 1960s.

WHAT ARE THE FACTORS AROUND THE RECENT PROGRESS OF ATHLETICS IN CONNACHT? Connacht Athletics progress is probably due to the dedicated officials and coaches who work with their athletes in all the Connacht Athletic Clubs, particularly at juvenile level. The Connacht Schools Athletics Association provides a good level of competition for young athletes, as well. My own North Leitrim Athletic Club’s Tom Kelly is a good example of a coach who works dedicatedly with young athletes but every other Athletic Club in Connacht, which includes Longford, has coaches doing excellent work with their club’s young athletes. The Connacht Master athletes also make big contributions to the sport in the province.

ARE THERE ANY MAJOR CHANGES THAT YOU WOULD LIKE TO SEE MADE IN ORDER TO DEVELOP THE SPORT OF ATHLETICS IN IRELAND? A change that could help to develop the sport of athletics in Ireland, and all other sports as well, would be if the Department of Education would recognise athletics achievement and participation – similarly for all other sports, on each individual students record of achievement like a Junior and Leaving Certificate Grade (As, Bs, Cs, Ds, etc.,).

I SEE A PJ LEDDY LISTED AS A SPORTS REPORTER WITH OCEAN FM, TELL US ABOUT THAT? I have been a part time Sports Reporter with local radio since 1991 (North West Radio and since 2004 Ocean FM, plus a number of other local radio stations and RTE). Since they early 1990s, I also have contributed sports reports etc., to many local newspapers – Leitrim Observer, Sligo Champion, Sligo Weekender, Longford Leader, Western People and Mayo News – and to the national newspapers – Irish Examiner, Irish Daily Mail, Irish Sun, Irish Star, Irish Times, Irish Independent, Irish News and Belfast Telegraph.

Anne Gormley is synonymous with Race Walking and Donore Harriers. She has won 8 World & European Master Athletics Championship medals, including 3 team gongs: – 2005 European Masters 10km Road Walk (silver) & 3km Walk (bronze), 2010 World Masters 10km & 3km Walks (both bronze), 2011 World Masters XC team (silver), 2012 World Masters 10km Walk (bronze), 2016 World Masters XC team (silver) and 2019 World Masters XC team (silver). She has won many national titles and is a regular on the Donore Harriers national track & field league team.

STANDARD QUESTIONS

PLACE AND YEAR OF BIRTH? Dublin. 20^th March 1963

WHERE WERE YOU EDUCATED? Oaklands Community College, Edenderry

WHAT IS YOUR PLANNED CAREER PATH? Post-person

IN WHAT YEAR DID YOU JOIN DONORE HARRIERS? I joined in 2001

WHY DID YOU CHOOSE DONORE HARRIERS? I knew some of the members and they encouraged me to join

WERE YOU A MEMBER OF ANY OTHER CLUB BEFORE JOINING DONORE HARRIERS? Yes, Carbury AC and Edenderry AC.

DID YOU PARTICIPATE IN ANY OTHER SPORTS? I played Gaelic football and national league squash.

WHAT IS YOUR FAVOURITE ATHLETICS EVENT? Race-Walking

WHAT IS YOUR PRESENT ROLE(S) AT THE CLUB? Athlete.

WHO WERE YOUR SPORTING INSPIRATIONS/INFLUENCES? Sonia O’Sullivan, Eamon Coghlan, Jim McNamara, Carl Lewis

SOCIAL QUESTIONS

WHAT WAS THE LAST BOOK YOU READ? The Humours of Edenderry by Sean Norman.

WHAT WAS THE LAST CONCERT YOU ATTENDED? The Script

WHAT ARE YOUR 3 FAVOURITE FILMS?

1. Ghost

2. Sister Act

3. Independence Day

FAVOURITE COUNTRY VISITED? Australia

WHAT ARE YOUR OTHER INTERESTS AWAY FROM ATHLETICS/SPORT? Travel, cinema, gardening…

ATHLETICS QUESTIONS

WHO ARE YOUR COACHES? Willie Smith, Sandra O’Neill, Daniel Jacome

WHAT DO YOU CONSIDER TO BE YOUR BEST ATHLETICS ACHIEVEMENT? My double bronze at the World Masters Championships at Kamloops in Canada in 2010.

<ANNE’S TIMES were 18.27.12 for the 3km and 1.05.18 for the 10km>

WHAT ARE YOU BEST TIMES (PBs)?

3km WALK – 17.26

10km WALK – 1.05.15

WHAT IS YOUR FAVOURITE COACHED SESSION? 5 x 1,000m

DESCRIBE THE MOST DIFFICULT SESSION THAT YOU HAVE DONE? 3 x 5km

WHAT IS A TYPICAL WEEKLY TRAINING PLAN? Monday – 5 x 100m, Tuesday – 5km and spin class, Wednesday – gym and 8km, Thursday – 30 min bodypump, Friday – rest, Saturday – boxcise spin, Sunday – 1hour plus 7km.

WHAT ONE CHANGE WOULD YOU LIKE TO SEE AT DONORE HARRIERS? I would like to see more senior athletes getting involved in the national league

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

1. Jim McNamara

2. Sonia O’Sullivan

3. Eamon Coghlan

SPECIFIC QUESTIONS

WHAT SIGNIFICANT CHANGES HAVE YOU SEEN AT THE CLUB DURING THE TERM OF YOUR MEMBERSHIP? I’ve seen a lot more coaches getting involved with the juvenile and junior grades, which is great! The women taking part in the national league is another very positive step

WHAT IS YOUR INVOLVEMENT IN RACE-WALKING APART FROM TRAINING AND COMPETITION? I am a national judge in race-walking with Athletics Ireland

HOW MANY TIMES HAVE YOU REPRESENTED IRELAND AND HOW MANY MAJOR MEDALS HAVE YOU WON? I’ve represented Ireland more than 20 times and won more than 30 medals

IRELAND HAS BEEN SUCCESSFUL AT WORLD LEVEL IN RACE-WALKING, YET IT REMAINS AN EVENT THAT IS LARGELY IGNORED. WHAT DO YOU THINK MUST BE DONE TO PROMOTE RACE-WALKING AT CLUB LEVEL, INCLUDING DONORE HARRIERS? Race-walking needs to be part of every event from juvenile to masters, both in track and on the road. Clubs and county boards should promote race-walking through a programme of training sessions

YOU ARE A GREAT SUPPORTER OF THE NATIONAL TRACK & FIELD LEAGUE – AND A REGULAR TEAM MEMBER. DO YOU THINK THE FORMAT OF THE LEAGUE SHOULD BE CHANGED/IMPROVED UPON? The league was started to get more clubs involved in track and field. I think the introduction of county teams makes it harder for most club to compete, so maybe a separate division for county teams would be fairer to the clubs

RACE-WALKING IS SEEN AS A DUBIOUS EVENT OWING TO THE RULES BEING DIFFICULT TO UNDERSTAND/REFEREE. HOW DO YOU DEFEND AGAINST SUCH NEGATIVITY/SCEPTICISM? Race-walking is such a technical and difficult event. Most athletes will compete within the rules, but there is always the few which give the event a bad press. But we carry on…

This week we check-in with 400m athlete David Campbell. As Men’s T&F captain, David has been integral to the club’s steady rise in the National Leagues – both outdoor and indoor: and he is constant in his encouragement and support of developing young club athletes.

STANDARD QUESTIONS

PLACE AND YEAR OF BIRTH? I was born on the 15^th June 1992 and have lived in Celbridge, County Kildare for most of my life.

WHERE WERE YOU EDUCATED? After finishing secondary school at Salesian College in Celbridge I went onto my Undergraduate Degree in Business Management at National College of Ireland. I then went onto DCU where I completed my Masters in e-commerce which was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made. I think it’s very important to be continuously learning throughout life and I have recently finished my Postgraduate Degree in Digital Marketing from the Digital Marketing Institute.

WHAT IS YOUR PLANNED CAREER PATH? I have been lucky in life so far as the Masters in DCU set me up extremely well. My current role is the Head of e-Commerce in ‘flexii’ and I’m also a Director of ‘Digital Business Ireland’. I’m passionate about Online / Digital Marketing and love helping clients selling online in Ireland and Internationally. I’ve always wanted to work abroad so I may venture to our Head Office in Sydney with flexifi, but New York has always been a dream spot for me, so we’ll see what the next few years holds!

IN WHAT YEAR DID YOU JOIN DONORE HARRIERS? 2011 when I was in 6^th year at Salesian College and never looked back.

WHY DID YOU CHOOSE DONORE HARRIERS? The legend that is Maurice Ahern approached me one day at the Leinster T&F championships in Santry and the rest is history. He’s been like a dad to me since day one and I have huge respect for this man!

WERE YOU A MEMBER OF ANY OTHER CLUB BEFORE JOINING DONORE HARRIERS? I ran locally with Celbridge Athletic Club. I wanted to move up to 400m and Donore Harriers seemed to be a great fit in terms of facilities, coaching, and a training group.

DID YOU PARTICIPATE IN ANY OTHER SPORTS? When I was young, I played Gaelic and Hurling like most Irish kids and badminton was always a big part of my life. I got selected for the Irish squad back in 2011 but athletics was the sport I wanted to pursue in college.

WHAT IS YOUR FAVOURITE ATHLETICS EVENT? Watching on TV it would probably be the sprints, anything from 100m – 400m are always great and there’s some serious young talent out there. My favourite event when competing is the 4x400m relay. There’s nothing like it, I love getting the chance to run with the boys, the adrenalin rush and seeing Donore Harriers crossing the line first! I usually run my best races of the year in the 4x400m, I run the first leg and try to imagine there’s a dog chasing me from behind!

WHAT IS YOUR PRESENT ROLE(S) AT THE CLUB? I’m the Men’s Track & Field Captain and have been in this role since 2013.

WHO WERE YOUR SPORTING INSPIRATIONS/INFLUENCES? I’m a huge fan of Michael Johnson but David Gillick was my favourite athlete in the World. I really looked up to him because he showed that an Irish man could mix it with the best athletes across the Globe. He won the European Indoor Championships twice and was a finalist in the World Indoor & Outdoor 400m championships. He’s still our National 400m record holder with 44.77 which is incredible. You can’t forget about the great Usain Bolt, he was one of a kind!

SOCIAL QUESTIONS

WHAT WAS THE LAST BOOK YOU READ? I think it was Usain Bolt’s book, I’m terrible for reading and I’m ashamed to admit this one took me over a year to complete. I find it very hard to sit down and read, I always prefer to be up and moving around doing something.

WHAT WAS THE LAST CONCERT YOU ATTENDED? Picture This in the 3Arena. They put on a class show and I would highly recommend going to see them!

WHAT ARE YOUR 3 FAVOURITE FILMS?

1. Step Bothers…never gets old!

2. Oceans 11 – 13…I loved these.

3. The Bourne Series.

FAVOURITE COUNTRY VISITED? China was incredible, I went to Beijing and Shanghai which was some experience. I went to the Rugby World Cup in Japan last year and the Japanese are probably the nicest people in the world. I’ve travelled a lot with work across Europe, but I really love the American lifestyle.

WHAT ARE YOUR OTHER INTERESTS AWAY FROM ATHLETICS/SPORT? I love fishing down West with my dad. I used to spend my Summers down In Mayo as kid with my grandparents. We fish on the Cong river as well as on Lough Corrib for Salmon and Trout. We head out to Connemara during the Summer for Sea fishing for mackerel…. 6 fish on 1 line is some fun!

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

1. Summertime by Will Smith… an ideal setting!

2. American Teen by Khalid… reminds me of those hot days training in Portugal and all the good times with my training partner Jack Raftery!

3. Californication by Red Hot Chilli Peppers… one of my favourite bands in the world!

ATHLETICS QUESTIONS

WHO IS YOUR COACH? I have moved around a lot since joining Donore but right now it’s John Geoghegan, Emily Geoghegan and Paul Clarkin. These three are ace and all the group love them!

WHAT DO YOU CONSIDER TO BE YOUR BEST ATHLETICS ACHIEVEMENT? The first time Donore Harriers won the Outdoor National Track & Field League in 2014 and got promoted to the Premier Division. Three years of hard work and the boys put on an epic performance! Simon Taggart was a “beast” of a man and he always filled the squad with positivity and confidence. John Travers also put in huge shift winning the 800m, Steeple Chase and a finished off with a nifty 4x400m leg!

WHAT ARE YOU BEST TIMES (PBs)?

200m – 23.20

400m – 51.18

800m – 2.00

WHAT IS YOUR FAVOURITE COACHED SESSION? I love hills at the Magazine Fort, it’s always a killer but after you feel 10 feet tall…once you’ve picked yourself up from the floor that is! Another one I love is 2 sets of 2x200m off 3 minutes and 6 minutes recovery, great for race prep and to find out what sort of shape you’re in. 30m fly’s are serious fun and I love getting to race the lads at full tilt.

DESCRIBE THE MOST DIFFICULT SESSION THAT YOU HAVE DONE? A real man killer is 375m – 400m – 425m at race pace. I think everyone genuinely fears this one and it leaves nobody standing.

WHAT IS A TYPICAL WEEKLY TRAINING PLAN? Currently it’s challenging for everyone but if everything was perfect then the below would be an ideal week:

Monday: Pilates

Tuesday: Speed Work on the track

Wednesday: Gym & Yoga

Thursday: Speed Endurance on the track

Friday: Yoga

Saturday: Long track session “Lactic City” followed by gym.

Sunday: Easy run or 200m tempo.

DO YOU HAVE A FUNNY STORY RELATED TO ATHLETICS/the CLUB? I’m banned from running 1^st in the 4x100m relay because I’m such a liability for false starting. Louis O’ Loughlin created the saying “TTS” (Topless Training Session) so when it’s the last rep and someone calls TTS you better bring your A game.

I’m also known for developing creative ways of hiding the fact that I may need an athlete to run a dreaded 4x400m leg…sorry lads. I know he puts in a huge amount of work on the track and gym, but I always tell Jack Raftery that if he runs a big PB I’ll buy him Krispy Kreme Donuts…it works!

WHAT ONE CHANGE WOULD YOU LIKE TO SEE AT DONORE HARRIERS? A full 400m tartan track!

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

1. Sonia O’Sullivan

2. Jonathan Sexton

3. Katie Taylor

SPECIFIC QUESTIONS

YOU HAD A SPELL WHERE YOU WERE TRAINING AND COMPETING AS A MIDDLE-DISTANCE ATHLETE, COMPETING IN THE WATERHOUSE, BYRNE, BAIRD 10-mile HANDICAP RACE AND THE DUBLIN NOVICE CROSS-COUNTRY. HOW WAS THAT EXPERIENCE? I was being coached by Gerry Naughton and we had a serious group with the likes of Louis O’Loughlin, Jack Raftery and Abdel Laadjel. The sessions were gruelling at times with the Kenyan Hills, Indian Hills and the track pyramid sessions. My favourite session was 600s on the Polo Grounds, I miss these!

I found the training was a better fit because I really struggled to recover from training with work / college and it was nice to be able to do sessions from home if needed. I wanted to run 16 minutes for 5k at Jingle Bells but on the day I got sick and dropped out after 1km so I was determined to put things right at the Waterhouse Byrne 10 mile which nearly killed me… I ended up in A&E a few days later! I wanted to drop out several times during the race but ended up finishing 2^nd in a time of 67minutes which was a big step up from the usual 400m, so I was delighted. Gutted to miss out on the win but I don’t think I’ll be making a return.

THE NATIONAL TRACK & FIELD LEAGUES ARE CLOSE TO YOUR HEART. INDEED, YOU HAVE BEEN INSTRUMENTAL IN THE MEN’S TEAM STEADY RISE IN THE LEAGUE. HOW DO YOU SEE THE NEXT STEP TOWARDS CHALLENGING FOR NATIONAL TEAM TITLES? Right now, it’s hard to know if we will race again this year on the track but the goal hasn’t changed. We want to do the double and win Gold at the Indoor and Outdoor National League. We have an amazing group of talented athletes across all disciplines and I genuinely believe we can do it.

Donore is special, it’s like a family rather than an athletics club. I don’t have any brothers but the lads on the team feel like family members to me and I’ll do anything I can to help them. You also must acknowledge those who have been there since the start such as Adam Halpin, he would do any event for the team. The big thing we need is commitment from all groups and once this happens there’s nothing stopping us from winning outdoor Gold and having Donore Harriers represent Ireland at the European club championships…believe!!!

THE CLUB IS PRESENTLY BLESSED WITH A HOST OF VERY TALENTED YOUNG ATHLETES IN SPRINTS, MIDDLE-DISTANCE AND FIELD EVENTS. HOW DO YOU THINK THE CLUB CAN BEST SUPPORT THESE ATHLETES TO TRANSITION TO SENIOR LEVEL? The most important thing is to make sure an athlete is enjoying the sport. We’ve all had days when you want to hang up the spikes and this is where coaches play such an important role. Coaches are almost like a mother / father to an athlete who develop a special bond. Not every athlete is the same so it’s important to understand that athletes will respond differently to training and the environment around them.

Sponsorship will play a huge role in terms of making sure athletes get support for physio, training camps and equipment etc. Most of all, check in with your fellow athletes regularly because mental health is even more important than your physical health. My physical therapist Ciaran McDonagh not only keeps my body in check but he’s the best person in the world to keep my mind positive, I always leave the treatment room full of confidence!

IS COACHING SOMETHING YOU WOULD LIKE TO DO IN THE FUTURE? I don’t want to think of myself as a coach right now, I’ll stay as an athlete because I still believe my best performances are yet to come on the track and I’ve a lot of running left in my legs.

Down the line I may look into coaching, but it depends on several factors. I would only start coaching if I could fully commit to this role, there’s no point in doing a half-hearted attempt. The same principle applies to me in my job, I’ll never commit to a project unless I’m passionate about the area and can guarantee I can devote my full attention.

GOT ANY SPECIAL MESSAGE? Yes, special thanks to all our amazing athletes, coaches, committee members, our president and supporters for all their work. Donore Harriers is a special group and I can’t wait to see everyone back on the track soon… stay safe!

This week we get to know popular member Alan Farrell a little more… like he took up running after a football injury… and misses the club craic during the Covid restrictions…

 
STANDARD QUESTIONS
PLACE AND YEAR OF BIRTH? The Coombe…1972
WHERE WERE YOU EDUCATED? James’s Street C.B.S
WHAT IS YOUR CAREER PATH? I did an apprenticeship after school and on completion of this returned to College to do an Engineering Degree. After college I worked for Ericsson here and abroad for a few years doing Telecommunications. Currently working as a lecturer in Bolton street or Technical University Dublin to give it the new name.
IN WHAT YEAR DID YOU JOIN DONORE HARRIERS? Still relatively new. Joined in 2014 I think.
WHY DID YOU CHOOSE DONORE HARRIERS? As a kid growing up in the area, Donore was “the” club to join. I would regularly run by club. On Saturday mornings I would see them training on the magazine, but I always felt they were elite and never had the courage to join.
WERE YOU A MEMBER OF ANY OTHER CLUB BEFORE JOINING DONORE HARRIERS? No, but I ran with a group called “Dublin Runners” in the park. It was basically a meetup group. So, if you were going for a run, you’d post it in advance and people would join the run. It was a great introduction to running as to be honest. I hadn’t a clue beforehand.
DID YOU PARTICIPATE IN ANY OTHER SPORT? I played soccer from the time I could walk until I was 40 odd. I would still be playing aul fellas soccer but I bust me knee so in some ways it was fortunate because I wouldn’t have started running. I thought it was the best kept secret when I started.
WHAT IS YOUR FAVOURITE ATHLETICS EVENTS? Women’s pole vault.
WHAT IS YOUR PRESENT ROLE AT THE CLUB? Aul fella athlete
WHO WAS YOUR SPORTING INSPIRATIONS/INFLUENCE? Must be the Chairman of the Boards, Eamonn Coghlan. Local lad born in Drimnagh and a legend. Gave a great speech to the kids when they opened the lounge upstairs.
SOCIAL QUESTIONS
WHAT WAS THE LAST BOOK YOU READ? Build your own Camper van for less than £1000:)… but that’s a whole other story in itself. Tony Griffen will tell you all about it!
WHAT WAS THE LAST CONCERT YOU ATTENDED? A House in Vicar street… with young Donal Iremonger and sure we bumped into Ray (O’Keeffe) and Leonie (Newman). It was like a Donore night out!
WHAT ARE YOUR 3 FAVOURITE FILMS?
1. Goodfellas
2. Shawshank Redemption
3. The Breakfast Club
FAVOURITE COUNTRY VISITED? I worked in Honduras for 6 months when I was doing telecommunications. Everyday was a different adventure!
WHAT ARE YOUR OTHER INTERESTS AWAY FROM SPORTS/ATHLETICS? I suppose I’m always fixing things up. Old bikes, cars, motorbikes. Anything where you get your hands dirty.
IF DESERT ISLAND DISCS ASKED YOU TO PLAY 3 SONGS, WHAT WOULD THEY BE?
1. Dignity: Deacon Blue
2. Just a Shadow: Big Country
3. Love Will Tear Us Apart: Joy Division
ATHLETICS QUESTIONS
WHO IS YOUR COACH? Willie Smith. I idolise the man! Absolute inspiration. I can’t thank him enough for his dedication, enthusiasm and hard work for everyone in the group. Always up first thing Saturday morning setting the course out and you know its going to be spot on. If Willie says its 400m it will be 400m.
WHAT DO YOU CONSIDER TO BE YOUR BEST ATHLETICS ACHIEVEMENT? Not really an achievement as such because it was all down to the handicap but getting my name on the Waterhouse Byrne-Baird shield. The history of the whole race fascinated me when I joined the club first. Plus, you get your name on the board so the kids will think you’re great cos you don’t mention handicap to them.
WHAT ARE YOUR BEST TIMES (PBs)? Not exact because I’ve a head like a sieve but…
16.55 5k… Thanks to Des Tremble
35.39 10k.
59.54 10 mile
1.23.06 Half marathon
2.54 Marathon
WHAT IS YOUR FAVOURITE COACHED SESSION? I love the first session on the Polo grounds each year regardless. It’s the start of Summer.
DESCRIBE THE MOST DIFFICULT SESSION THAT YOU HAVE DONE? There was one about 2 years ago. I only ever did it once. It was full on from the Wellington roundabout until Michael D’s window. Easy till the North road then on again till the Garda entrance. We did that 4 or 5 times. I remember sitting on the top of the stairs rocking back and forth like a loon self-grooming because I was too tired to get in the shower.
WHAT IS A TYPICAL WEEKLY TRAINING PLAN? Session Saturday, long run Sunday, Easy Monday, Session Tuesday, Easy Wednesday/Thursday and No homework of a Friday because you’ve been good all week!
DO YOU HAVE A FUNNY STORY RELATED TO ATHLETICS/THE CLUB? I was doing the Novice race for the first time with Donore and my daughter was playing with her friends in the avenue beside our house. She asked me could she come along with her mates. So, because I live near the park I said no bother. So I ended up on the start line with about 10 kids screaming Alan, Alan, Alan… I was scarlet… twas grand after the first lap because I was that far back they gave up on me.
WHAT ONE CHANGE WOULD YOU LIKE TO SEE AT DONORE HARRIERS? I suppose we could do more social activities. One thing is for sure when this Covid malarkey is over it would be great to all get together and have a session which doesn’t involve running. Running on your own is grand but you miss the craic and slagging you get at the sessions.
WHO ARE YOUR TOP 3 IRISH SPORTSPERSONS OF ALL TIMES (all sports)?
1. Sonia O’ Sullivan
2. Roy Keane
3. Stephen Cluxton
SPECIFIC QUESTIONS
DO YOUR REGRET NOT TAKING UP RUNNING EARLIER IN LIFE? No. I was a sprinter for the school team, but football was always my first love. I’m delighted to have the opportunity to run now at nearly fifty.
WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE TO ASPIRING YOUNG ATHLETES? Stay away from booze and women…
DID YOU EVER CONSIDER TAKING UP COACHING? I’d say I’m too selfish. I have nothing but admiration for anyone willing to give up their time. If I couldn’t run anymore, I would definitely try it. I tried football management after I couldn’t play but I couldn’t handle the bickering.
WHAT IS YOUR INVOLVEMENT WITH THE JINGLE BELLS RACE? For the last few years, I have been mainly on Elf duty. Every year its great to see the club coming together for the race everyone helps. Its so important to the club’s fund raising.
ROAD RACE OR CROSS-COUNTRY? Cross country, I love the muck and the hardship. It’s a killer.

ANNE CURLEY

This week we are on the inside track with Anne Curley – a true club stalwart. Anne talks about getting to ‘like’ the marathon, having to deal with long-term injury and the influence of coach Willie Smith on the Women’s/Men’s Squad in the aftermath of the sad passing of Jim McNamara.

STANDARD QUESTIONS

PLACE AND YEAR OF BIRTH? Dublin 1971 (I’m 21 with 27 years experience)

WHERE WERE YOU EDUCATED? St Joseph’s Primary and Secondary School Stanhope Street, Dublin, and courses in UCD and TCD.

WHAT IS YOUR CAREER PATH? An accidental civil servant since I retired from the rat race in 2002. I have a lifelong ambition to start a revolution from within the establishment, I have yet to devise a plan

IN WHAT YEAR DID YOU JOIN DONORE HARRIERS? I joined in October 2000 just two weeks before the Dublin marathon. I had intended on joining sooner but wanted to get myself fit enough first so I wouldn’t make a show of myself.

WHY DID YOU CHOOSE DONORE HARRIERS? It’s a long winding story but the short answer is that I joined because it was a highly prestigious club with a great history and was based in the park.

WERE YOU A MEMBER OF ANY OTHER CLUB BEFORE JOINING DONORE HARRIERS? I trained and raced with Clonliffe (shock, horror!!) even scoring on a bronze medal team in the Dublin Novice in 1993. I also trained and raced (badly) with DUHAC for a short time. That’s when I thought about switching to Donore. It didn’t happen until years later. I also ran with London Irish AC in Perivale. PJ Fagan was the coach there and although he was very encouraging, I still wasn’t able or willing to apply myself to the hard training required. Back in Dublin when I joined Donore and first met Jim McNamara he told me that PJ had since died and that came as a huge upsetting shock. I will never forget his kindness at my short time there.

(rely from Gerry N) I USED TO KNOW PJ FAGAN BACK IN THE DAY (1980s). MY CLUB BACK THEN WAS QUEENS PARK HARRIERS AND JOHN DORGAN, THE SECRETARY OF LONDON IRISH, WAS ALWAYS ONTO ME ABOUT SWITCHING CLUBS. I NEVER DID. JOHN DIED A COUPLE OF YEARS AGO – Yes, I thought that there was no way that you wouldn’t have known the great PJ. I also met John Dorgan. He used to come out to support the team running in the Met (Metropolitan XC) League and after a bad run in Wormwood Scrubs I was introduced to him as a new recruit. I was pretty embarrassed I ran so bad in front of him! I also read an article about London Irish a few years ago and it was done at the time of his passing. Such a shame the club is now no more!

DID YOU PARTICIPATE IN ANY OTHER SPORTS? No, unless doing gymnastics as a child counts. I did it for a few years in St Kevin’s in Ballygall road, Ballymun. I got through two stages out of four of the proficiency awards and came second in my age group in the yearly club competition. My participation fizzled out after getting a bad fall and badly injuring my neck and back. Also becoming a moody teenager killed any interest in exercise at all.

WHAT IS YOUR FAVOURITE ATHLETICS EVENT? The marathon by a mile but it took me a long time to warm to the event. I ran my first one in 2005, got a bad injury after it, didn’t run my second one until 2008, suffered very bad and it put me off again for another three years. In 2011 I committed myself to getting faster over the distance and since then I have ran 24 marathons in all. I finally fell in love with the marathon after my 13^th one in Gloucester in 2017.

WHAT IS YOUR PRESENT ROLE(S) AT THE CLUB? I took on the Treasurer role in 2015 and handed it over in 2019. In that time, I was also a Director. I was previously secretary from 2004 until 2005 and women’s captain from 2002 to 2003. Now I am just an athlete.

WHO WERE YOUR SPORTING INSPIRATIONS/INFLUENCES? As a child Mary Purcell piqued my interest when I saw her on the TV win the women’s race in the Dublin Marathon in 1983. It was also the first time I became aware of Dick Hooper and I remain a big a fan of him and his brother Pat. When I started running in 1992, I admired the likes of Liz McColgan, Ingrid Kristiansen and Rosa Mota, I was also in awe of our own Sonia O’Sullivan and Catherina McKiernan who burst on the world scene that year. I was inspired to run as fast as I could over 6 miles the day after watching the epic duel between Derartu Tulu and Elana Meyer in the 10,000m final in the Barcelona Olympics. I just couldn’t get my head around how anyone could run 10k in 31 minutes! Let’s just say I will die still wondering! When I joined Donore Harriers it was Jim McNamara who would become my ultimate muse and inspiration.

SOCIAL QUESTIONS

WHAT WAS THE LAST BOOK YOU READ? Forgotten Voices of The Holocaust

WHAT WAS THE LAST CONCERT YOU ATTENDED? The Gloaming

WHAT ARE YOUR 3 FAVOURITE FILMS? Very hard to pick three but I will pick my three more respectable favourites

1. The Remains of The Day

2. Raging Bull

3. Schindlers List

FAVOURITE COUNTRY VISITED? I haven’t travelled enough being a Generation Xer but I will find any excuse to keep going back to Berlin. I would like to visit Japan at some stage.

WHAT ARE YOUR OTHER INTERESTS AWAY FROM ATHLETICS/SPORT? I like cultural and historical events, I would also like more time to do a bit more theatre and cinema visits, working and training makes you lose yourself a bit.

IF DESERT ISLAND DISCS ASKED YOU TO PLAY 3 SONGS, WHAT WOULD THEY BE? Very hard to pick three as I love all types of music, but I never get tired of these –

1. Fight the Power – Public Enemy

2. Leftfield, Afrika Bambaataa – Afrika Shox

3. New Order – Blue Monday

ATHLETICS QUESTIONS

WHO IS YOUR COACH? Jim McNamara was my coach from 2000 until he passed away in 2016, since then Willie Smith and Brendan O’Shea, Brendan has been a key adviser to me since I committed to the marathon.

WHAT DO YOU CONSIDER TO BE YOUR BEST ATHLETICS ACHIEVEMENTS? I’m quite proud of my first eleven marathons that were all ran under the sub 3 barrier. Some of them were bad runs at the time as I was targeting 2.50 but I appreciate them all so much more now that I have been slowed and humbled by Injury! My fastest one was 2.53 in Dublin in 2011. Other good ones were 2^nd and 3^rd placings in Cork in 2011 and 2012 and winning Derry in 2014.

Another special performance was finishing 3^rd in the National Half marathon in 2009.

I am also very proud of my three National senior cross country team medals, two bronze and a silver in 2005, 2008 and 2009 although my best performance in the Nationals was in 2012 when we didn’t medal at all! That’s the way it goes.

You need the savour the good days in this game as you will never get enough of them, you also never know the day or hour when it’s as good as it going to get.

WHAT ARE YOUR BEST TIMES (PBs)?

3000m track 10.29 National League Belfast 2009

Mile 5.40 National Road Relays Raheny 2003

5k is 18.21 in Citywest 5k Dublin 2002

4 Mile 22.57 Dunboyne 4 2009

5 Miles 2009 Raheny

10k is 36.38 in Navan National 10k champs 2009

10 miles is 60.13 in Dungarvan 10 in 2013

Half Marathon is 80.56 in National Half Marathon Waterford 2011

Marathon is 2.53.55 in Dublin Marathon 2011

WHAT ARE YOUR SPORTING AMBITIONS? My best days are behind me now. I have been slowed down by injury (and maybe age?!) However I want to continue running half respectable over the marathon. With the current world crisis I’m not sure if the three autumn marathons I had planned will happen. When marathons can happen again I hope to help the team win a national championship senior or master medal as long as I am able.

WHAT IS YOUR FAVOURITE COACHED SESSION? My favourite session for years was the magazine hills on a Saturday morning. It was always the real test of your current form.

DESCRIBE THE MOST DIFFICULT SESSION THAT YOU HAVE DONE? Interval miles on the road or track were always the toughest for me. The plan was to build up to ten but I never made it that far! Mainly because they were always ran with a very short recovery! That was Jim’s way – the Kenyan way! I remember 4 x 800, 4 x 1000 and 4 x 1,200 on the Munich lap with 200m short sprint hills to finish. While it was a big session it was not as hard as those interval miles.

DO YOU HAVE A FUNNY STORY RELATED TO ATHLETICS/the CLUB? I didn’t witness this but I believe paramedics were chasing after Jim McNamara on the magazine hills one morning when he got a turn while out training with his group, needless to say they didn’t catch him and the ambulance had to drive off. Club members who were there can fill in the gaps on this story!

WHAT ONE CHANGE WOULD YOU LIKE TO SEE AT DONORE HARRIERS? That’s a very difficult question but the shortish answer is that I would like to see more cohesion among members, more loyalty to the club colours and to fellow club members. Our club survives by coaches, captains, committee members giving their time and energy on a voluntary basis and members repay this debt by giving back either by competing or supporting in other ways. As athletes we give back every time we slog our guts out in championship races and we should support each other more rather than just trying to beat each other, that should be reserved for rival club athletes. A club is like an army at the end of the day and I think the collective battle instinct is lacking a bit in us compared to other clubs.

WHOT ARE YOUR TEOP 3 IRISH SPORTSPERSONS OF ALL TIME? Again, picking three is not fair but my athletics choice is because Catherina achieved world class success from a home base and because she has the Irish women’s marathon record!

1. Katie Taylor

2. Catherina McKiernan

3. Andy Moran (because I’m a very biased Mayo supporter!)

SPECIFIC QUESTIONS

YOU HAVE HAD TO DEAL WITH A LONG-TERM INJURY – HOW IS THE RECOVERY PROCESS FOR YOU NOW? It has been a challenging five years as I have a compression injury to a main artery in my left leg called Iliac Arterial Endofibrosis. I am stuck with the condition so there is no recovery. I have learnt to live with it. Most of my training now consists of slow miles just to maintain an aerobic base. It goes through bad patches and good ones but even in a good spell speedwork, tempo runs and short races are hugely problematic with leg seizures. That’s why I only focus on the marathon now as it’s the only distance that ‘suits’ the leg. The condition has led to other favouring injuries to my Achilles, foot and glutes in recent years, so I have so had to reduce the mileage as well. It has been very hard to deal with mentally as putting yourself on a start-line when you are only half fit is tough. Once I can stay under the 310 barrier over the marathon I will keep running them.

THE SAD DEATH OF THE GREAT JIM McNAMARA WAS OBVIOUSLY A GREAT LOSS TO YOU AND THE WOMEN’S SQUAD. TELL US ABOUT THE RECOVERY PROCESS AND THE IMPACT OF WILLIE SMITH TO THE SQUAD? Jim’s passing was a seismic change to the women’s group and to the club. The rudderless heartbroken ship steered itself for a while with womens’ captain Florence Curley and vice-captain Mary Murphy at the helm until Willie Smith approached the group saying that he wanted to help us. This was a hugely humble and generous act and being a man of his word he has stuck to the huge task ever since. The Jim Mac Era started unofficially in the same way back in 1995. Now Willie took on the new ‘reign’ in 2016. Willie began setting fartlek sessions and The ‘Big Willie’ recoveries were a novelty at first as we readjusted to a different way of training! As we got the knack of fartlek running we realised that it is deceptively tough and equally as effective, particularly for building endurance and stamina. As the weeks and months passed the dynamic of the group changed too as more of the men began to train with us. Fast forward four years and Willie has firmly established himself as coach for our senior, master and novice men and women. A lot of new members have joined and they have all thrived on the training with Willies’ group. We had great results in the Dublin marathon this year with our masters/intermediate level men all getting pbs. Two of our best senior athletes Josh O’Sullivan-Hourihan and Barbara Cleary are regulars. Josh in particular is the star of the group and Willie has been guiding Josh to some great performances in the last year. Grace Kennedy has come back to group sessions and was in the shape of her life before the (corona) virus hit but she is on for a huge marathon pb when things return to normal. Watch this space for Willie’s Army. Willie is hugely encouraging to everybody and makes sure that all levels of ability are catered for. He places great emphasis on recovery and tapering properly and is very insightful on how to train smart and not to be tired on race day. I personally have missed out on much of Willie’s training in recent years due to the difficulties with my injury but I improve very quickly when I can get a good few weeks of his fartlek treatment! I am sure that all of our athletes look forward to Tuesday evenings and Saturday mornings as Willie makes them a unique and special experience every time. The sight of Willie placing his signature flags in the ground marking the course for the session is always a welcome sight on the warm up, just like it used to be a welcome sight seeing Jim mark out the course with his signature cones! Willies reign is going strong and long may it last. Long live King Billy!

LUKE BOLAND
With no weekly reports due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic we hope to do a series of interviews with club members. The first person in the frame is Luke Boland, winner of the 2019 Waterhouse Byrne Baird Shield.
 

STANDARD QUESTIONS

PLACE AND YEAR OF BIRTH? Dublin, 1984

WHERE WERE YOU EDUCATED? Hartstown Community School & DCU

WHAT IS YOUR MAIN CAREER PATH? I’m a Civil Servant – I’m currently with the Department of Foreign Affairs & Trade but I still expect to make a spectacular leap into professional athletics stardom… just as soon as my glutes start activating (any day now)

IN WHAT YEAR DID YOU JOIN DONORE HARRIERS? Around 2014

WHY DID YOU CHOOSE DONORE HARRIERS? I worked in Chapelizod at the time. Actually, I live much closer to Liffey Valley AC but I prefer the Donore colours

WERE YOU A MEMBER OF ANY OTHER CLUB BEFORE JOINING DONORE HARRIERS? Nope

DID YOU PARTICIPATE IN ANY OTHER SPORT? Not really – GAA when I was very young. I was a pool lifeguard for a while but I’m not an elegant swimmer

WHAT IS YOUR FAVOURITE ATHLETICS EVENT? Maybe 1500m but I like the marathon too. They all have their good and bad aspects. As a spectator I like pole vault

WHAT IS YOUR PRESENT ROLE AT THE CLUB (e.g. COACH, ATHLETE, ADMINISTRATOR, DIRECTOR)? Athlete

WHO WERE/ARE YOUR SPORTING INSPIRATIONS/INFLUENCES? I read ‘Running with the Buffaloes’ when I first started running and the coach in that, Mark Wetmore, stuck a chord- his emphasis on starting out controlled and trusting your fitness at the end. Having said that, I really admire the likes of say Prefontaine or Alysia Montaño – people who just go out like a lunatic and try not face-plant before the finish line… I’ll try it one of these days

SOCIAL QUESTIONS

WHAT WAS THE LAST BOOK YOU READ? Under the Net, by Iris Murdoch

WHAT WAS THE LAST CONCERT YOU ATTENDED? Orbital

WHAT ARE YOUR 3 FAVOURITE FILMS?

1. Fight Club

2. The Big Lebowski

3. Dr Strangelove

FAVOURITE COUNTRY VISITED? Cuba was the most interesting. Mexico the most fun. I love Spain, though

NAME 3 SONGS THAT YOU RECENTLY LISTENED TO?

1. Bobby Womack – California Dreamin

2. Kamasi Washington – Street Fighter Mas

3. Elis Regina – Águas de Março

ATHLETICS QUESTIONS

WHO IS YOUR COACH? Iain Morrison / Willie Smith

WHAT DO YOU CONSIDER TO BE YOUR BEST ATHLETICS ACHIEVEMENTS? Finishing 2^nd in Lanzarote Half Marathon was great fun and then winning the WBB Shield two weeks later. I ran my first Marathon in the Sahara in 2014 – I’d only intended to run the half marathon and decided the evening before to switch my entry – it wasn’t a great athletic achievement but it was pretty brave, looking back on it so I’m proud of that too.

WHAT ARE YOUR BEST TIMES/MARKS (PBs)? According to the Jack Daniels running calculator my best time is a 4.16 1500m, from 2015.

WHAT ARE YOUR SPORT AMBITIONS? Break the above and maybe add another B to the WBB Shield 🙂

WHAT IS YOUR FAVOURITE COACHED SESSION? Anything on the Polo Grounds on a summer’s evening

DESCRIBE THE MOST DIFFICULT SESSION THAT YOU HAVE DONE? Any pyramid session. I’m a conservative racer but I’ve messed up more than one of these by hammering the first few and not being able to finish

SPECIFIC QUESTIONS

WERE YOU SURPRISED TO WIN THE 2019 WATERHOUSE BYRNE BAIRD SHIELD? TELL US ABOUT THAT … Absolutely – when the handicaps were sent around I didn’t think I’d nearly enough of a head-start on Rossa – luckily for me he didn’t toe the line. And afterwards I didn’t actually realise I’d won for a minute ‘cos I’d seen there were people in vests already standing around the line. I was delighted when I realised. About 7 miles in, my Achilles seized up. I remember thinking ‘what if I quit and could have won and there’s nothing wrong with it?’ and ‘what if I don’t quit and don’t win but I’m doing damage?’ Happily, I won, cos it was partially torn.

WHAT WOULD YOUR WEEKLY TRAINING PLAN LOOK LIKE? Normally two sessions and as much easy running as possible. I’m only getting back into things now – I’d say my total mileage for the year is 50. I’d built it up fairly steadily last year to 80+ miles/week. It paid dividends, so hope to back there

WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE TO ASPIRING YOUNG ATHLETES? I feel kind of unqualified here as I was a late-comer to the sport, but I suppose the obvious one is that you’ve time on your side – keep it enjoyable and consistent and the gains will take care of themselves