Whether Brendan O’Shea’s legacy will be best remembered as an athlete or as a coach is a matter of opinion. What is certain is that Brendan was both a very fine marathon runner and a very fine marathon coach!
He competed in over 100 marathons in an era when the 26 miles and 385 yards race was only for the teak-tough souls willing to endure the hardship of long, lonely miles. Prior to Fred Lebow’s transformation of the event in the early 80s with the mass participation New York Marathon, the distance was only for elite runners who were respected as being the ultimate sporting warriors.
O’Shea was Irish marathon champion in 1973, a year after he had won the Berchem International Marathon in Belgium in 2.16.50. He had previously won a marathon at Curtis, Nebraska and placed as runner-up in Humboldt, Kansas and Lawrence, Kansas. The Donore Harriers athlete would go on to make the podium in other national marathon championships and at international races, including victory at Nivelles, Belgium in 1975.
At World Masters Championships Brendan won a team gold and silver in cross-country, and a team gold and individual bronze in the marathon.
As a coach he is best known for coaching and mentoring Jerry Kiernan to finish in 9th place in the 1984 Los Angeles Olympic Marathon. Kiernan’s performance was overshadowed by the brilliant silver won by John Treacy, but Kiernan was a ‘home-grown’ runner and a rank outsider to make the top 10. The race was ‘stacked’ with all the best marathon runners in the world on the start line. Only Waldemar Cierpinski (East Germany) was missing due to an Eastern bloc boycott. Alberto Salazar (USA) was there! As was Geoff Smith and Hugh Jones (GB), Henrik Jorgensen (Denmark), Karel Lismont (Belgium), Gerhard Hartmann (Austria), Rod Dixon (New Zealand), and the best from Kenya, Japan, South Korea, Australia and elsewhere. This was a true Irish warrior against the very best marathon runners in the world!
<<NOTE: Here is a link to an RTE ‘Sporting Memories’ clip of the ‘84 Olympic Marathon – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lrvh-Wn4FxQ – that shows Jerry Kiernan among the leading group. In the clip Eamonn Coghlan acknowledged Brendan O’Shea’s contribution towards Jerry’s brilliant run>>
This is up there as one of the greatest ever Irish sporting achievements. Not just that John Treacy won the silver medal, but two Irishmen in the top 10 of the Olympic Marathon was an achievement very unlikely to be repeated. Brendan O’Shea played an integral role in that magical instalment of our nation’s sporting history.
STANDARD QUESTIONS
PLACE AND YEAR OF BIRTH? Listowel, Co Kerry. 6/1/1943
WHERE WERE YOU EDUCATED? Secondary Education; St Michael’s College, Listowel. University College Galway (now NUIG) for BSc and MSc in Mathematics. Two years at London University studying for PhD. Two Years at University of Nebraska studying for PhD.
WHAT WAS YOUR MAIN CAREER PATH? Academic, progressing from Lecturer to Professor.
IN WHAT YEAR DID YOU JOIN DONORE HARRIERS? 1971
WHY DID YOU CHOOSE DONORE HARRIERS? I had represented Ireland at Pre Olympics in Berlin 1971 and on the way back Eddie Spillane met me at Dublin Airport and handed me an Application Form for Donore Harriers. I just signed it!
WERE YOU A MEMBER OF ANY OTHER CLUB BEFORE JOINING DONORE HARRIERS? Yes. London Irish, Cornhuskers in Nebraska and UCG AC.
DID YOU PARTICIPATE IN ANY OTHER SPORT? Yes, handball had been my game until I was 22. I represented UCG at Intervarsity. I gave up handball then as I had started wearing glasses so it became too dangerous. No contact lenses in those days.
WHAT WAS YOUR FAVOURITE ATHLETICS EVENT? Marathon
WHAT WERE YOUR MAIN ROLE(S) AT THE CLUB? Athlete.
WHO WERE YOUR SPORTING INSPIRATIONS/INFLUENCES? Ronnie Delany, Abebe Bikila
SOCIAL QUESTIONS
WHAT ARE YOUR THREE FAVOURITE BOOKS?
- Aerobics by Kenneth J Cooper; this book proved to me for the first time that aerobic training was the best way to attain a high level of fitness. It influenced much of my thinking on marathon training. That was new at the time in the 1960s.
- Jonathan Livingstone Seagull by Richard Bach; every sports person should read this. I gave a copy to Jerry Kiernan when I started to coach him. He told me some years later that he used read this again before all important races.
- Bikila by Tim Judah; The glorious and tragic story of the great Abebe Bikila. He won the first of his two Olympic Marathons running barefooted in 1956. Two Donore runners, Willie Dunne and Bertie Messitt represented Ireland in the 1956 Marathon.
WHAT WAS THE LAST CONCERT YOU ATTENDED? Don’t know, I’ve attended dozens of Fleadh Cheoils and Trad sessions.
WHAT ARE YOUR 3 FAVOURITE FILMS?
1. The Quartet
2. A Beautiful Mind
3. Enigma
FAVOURITE COUNTRY VISITED? AND WHY? China. People were very friendly. China has huge respect for Ireland. I attended a concert of River Dance in Beijing. There were four parts representing the four seasons. Polite applause from packed audience after first part, a little louder applause after second part, on their feet and very loud after third part, shouting, roaring, clapping after the final part. They were totally overcome by River Dance. It was amazing. Very “unChinese”.
It was held in honour Of President McAleese who was visiting China at the time.
WHAT ARE YOUR OTHER INTERESTS AWAY FROM ATHLETICS/SPORT? Politics, Horse Racing, Academic Matters.
IF DESERT ISLAND DISCS ASKED YOU TO PLAY 3 SONGS, WHAT WOULD THEY BE? Songs and music are intrinsic in all cultures, going back thousands of years. We remember some as special or favourites because of the memories that they evoke in us. So here are three songs and the memories.
1. Cedars of Lebanon (sung by Thom Moore of Pumpkinhead). The 1970s were my happiest decade, I had returned to Ireland after five years “in exile”, had started a job that I loved at DIT, had joined Donore Harriers, made great friends there, was running good marathons, set pb 2hs 16ms 50 secs (still qualifies for 2021 Olympics) when winning 1972 Berchem International Marathon, was recently married. I attended a concert by Pumpkinhead in Dublin where this song was sung. It reminds me of happy days.
2. San Francisco (sung by Scott McKenzie)
I spent two years in Nebraska. It was an amazing two years. I could write a book on it. It was weird, wonderful, bad, memorable.
At that time USA was in turmoil, there was massive unrest and huge marches against the Vietnam War. There was also huge social unrest and a desire for a new society, especially in California, with San Francisco the epicentre. It was summed up by “Make Love Not War”, by the belief that hallucinogenic drugs (such as LSD) was the future. The “Flower People” were the heroes. The above song was Number 1 in US for months. When I hear it memories of those two crazy years in Nebraska come flowing back to me.
3.Mo Ghiolla Mear (sung by Sean Ó Sé)
This is a very old song praising “Bonnie Prince Charlie”. The first line goes” Sé Mo Laoch, mo Ghiolla Mear” which loosely translated means “He is my hero and my strength”. It reminds me of my brother Kieran who devoted his life to help the infirm and those with special needs. RIP.
ATHLETICS QUESTIONS
WHO WAS YOUR COACH? Never had one, apart from myself.
WHAT DO YOU CONSIDER TO BE YOUR BEST ATHLETICS ACHIEVEMENT? I suppose the 2.16.50 marathon, but coaching Jerry Kiernan, Gerry Curtis <<NOTE: see Club Interview No. 19>>, Emily Dowling, Eleanor Hill and others must be up there as well.
WHAT ARE YOUR BEST TIMES (PBs)?
Marathon – 2.16.50
10 miles – usually 50 minutes and a few seconds.
WHAT WAS YOUR FAVOURITE COACHED SESSION? Never had one.
DESCRIBE THE MOST DIFFICULT SESSION THAT YOU DID? Either 27 mile runs with Jerry Kiernan (25 on grass) or flat-out 13 mile runs with Jim McNamara in the Phoenix Park.
WHAT WAS A TYPICAL WEEKLY TRAINING PLAN IN YOUR HEYDAY? Most serious distance runners planned for 100 miles a week.
DO YOU HAVE A FUNNY OR UNUSUAL STORY RELATED TO ATHLETICS/THE CLUB? Not sure if this is funny but is unusual. Our host Mike Long in San Diego with whom we stayed for 6 weeks before 1984 Olympics had arranged with Jerry (Kiernan) to pick him up after the Marathon and drive him back to San Diego where we would have a small party. We arranged to pick him up at a particular time, at a particular place. While waiting there a cop on horseback approached us and asked why we were waiting there. Mike with great pride explained we were waiting for a guy who had run in the Olympic Marathon. The cop asked: “Did he win?”
Mike answered: “No, he finished 9th”.
The cop looked at us in absolute disbelief and made the memorable comment:
“And you came to collect the bum!”.
He turned his horse and rode away.
In America only the winner counts!
RUNNING IN Nebraska! It might be worth including a short description on what it was like to run in Nebraska. I could write a large book on this alone. I went to Nebraska for academic reasons, to study and research for a PhD. In that respect Nebraska was brilliant, the facilities were terrific and the scholarship that the University gave me was generous. Running was different. With hindsight I cannot understand why I continued running for the two years.
The NEBRASKA CLIMATE: The weather was rough, very rough. Winter lasted 4 months from November when the temperature was generally – 40°C. This meant one could not train outdoors. The University had a small indoor gym where we were allowed run for 2 hours. It was a cinder track, 4 lanes wide and 7 laps to the mile. So that was 70 laps for my 10 mile run, all anti-clockwise. There were always tens of runners on the track. Absolute mayhem! Summer lasted 4 months and was hot, very hot!
Most days were in the high 30°Cs with very high humidity. One could not run outdoors on most days. So I had to improvise. I ran at night when it was still in the 20°C, but bearable. I used work until 3am, go home and run for an hour through the streets of Lincoln. Needless-to-say I ignored the red man on the traffic lights one night. I was halfway across on a red man when I heard a voice say: “Hey bud, stop!”
Luckily, I noticed a cop standing on the other side of the road with his gun in his hand pointed at me. He called me over, he stood straight in front of me, holding his gun 1 foot from my chest, and warned me not to cross on the red light. He then told me to go.
It has often crossed my mind that if I had not heard him shout “Stop”, he would probably have shot me. And he would not have missed!
That was and is Trump Country.
TELL US MORE ABOUT YOUR MARATHON EXPERIENCES? OK, here’s a flavour of three marathons that I ran –
1. Denver Marathon in Colorado. Denver is known as the “mile high city” because it is a mile high, about 5000 feet. This means it is a high altitude marathon.
This was the toughest, most difficult marathon that I ever ran, after 1 mile I was breathless, with 25 breathless miles ahead of me!
2. Humboldt Marathon in Kansas. The weather was scorching. My memory of the race is that there were pools of melted tar on the roads so that our shoes were ruined as a result.
3. Iowa Marathon. The weather was very different there. It was a winter marathon with banks of snow on both sides of the road. I wore a full tracksuit with a few t-shirts, a woolly hat and gloves. Not much fun.
In summary, if you want to enjoy your running, don’t head for Nebraska!
WHO ARE YOUR TOP 3 IRISH SPORTSPERSONS OF ALL TIME?
- Mick O’Connell (GAA)
- Ronnie Delany
3. Jim McNamara. I saw what he could do at the World Veteran Games.
SPECIFIC QUESTIONS
DID YOU COMPETE AS A JUVENILE OR JUNIOR ATHLETE? No
WHERE DID YOU INTEREST IN ATHLETICS STEM FROM? When I gave up handball because of danger to my eyes I took up running because glasses were not likely to be a major problem there. I had no expectation that I would be a good runner. I just needed something to keep me active. I was as likely to take up Line Dancing as running. Just Potluck!
YOU WON THE NATIONAL MARATHON IN 1973. WHAT ARE YOUR MEMORIES OF THAT PARTICULAR DAY AND RACE? The marathon was held in Portlaoise. The favourite for the race was a friend of Ron Hill called Vince Regan from Bolton. On the way out the weather was pleasant, dry and no wind. But on the turn the weather changed drastically, it poured rain and we had a strong wind against us the whole way. The following day’s newspaper report said that the time was worth much more because of the weather. From memory I think I ran 2.22. So probably worth a sub-2.20.
DONORE HARRIERS WON THE NATIONAL MARATHON TEAM CHAMPIONSHIP THREE TIMES IN THE 1970s. WERE YOU ON THOSE TEAMS? AND WHO WERE THE OTHER LEADING MARATHON RUNNERS IN THE CLUB AT THAT TIME? During 1970s I finished 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, and 5th at least once, maybe more than once. The other top marathoners were Willie Dunne, Jim McNamara, Tony Murphy, Tony Brien, Brendan Dunne, Jim McGlynn, John Sheridan, and possibly a few more that I cannot remember by name.
YOU’VE RUN MORE THAN ONE HUNDRED MARATHONS. WHICH ONE STANDS OUT IN THE MEMORY? My win in the 1972 Berchem International Marathon. It started at 6pm which suited me as I was/am very much an evening person. I am a disaster in the morning and come alive late afternoon/evening. I cruised through the race. It felt effortless. I ran with the lead pack until 22 miles when I put my foot down and ran the last 4 miles at about 5 min pace. It was a day when I could have run even faster. Those days don’t come often.
I have other great memories from that Marathon. The organising Committee in Antwerp expected us to leave the following day but BLE had booked our return flight for 6 days later as that was cheaper. But for the fact that I had won the race and Willie Dunne and I had combined to win the Team Event they may not have paid for the six days in a Hotel but they did. Fr Paddy Coyle was the 3rd member of the team. Willie entertained us for those 6 days. He was witty, funny, clever, wonderful company. It was the best holiday that I ever had.
<<NOTE: See Club Interview No. 21 – Willie Dunne>>
APART FROM MARATHONS, WHAT WAS YOUR FAVOURITE ROAD RACE IN IRELAND AND WHY? None really. The marathon was my race.
I SEE ON THE ‘IRISH ATHLETICS HISTORY’ PAGE THAT YOU CAME 2nd TO DANNY McDAID IN THE DERRY TO STRABANE ROAD RACE IN 1966, WHAT ARE YOUR MEMORIES OF THAT EVENT? I had just one year of training under my belt at that time. This was my first race beyond 10km. I remember a bunch of us travelled to Derry by car. The race seemed very long. I lost sight of Danny by halfway. He finished well clear of me. I was a total novice at the time. When I think back on it, I reckon it was a pretty good run.
DID YOU COMPETE MUCH IN CROSS-COUNTRY RACES? AND WHAT WAS YOUR BEST RESULT IN CROSS-COUNTRY RACES? I kept away from cross-country as much as possible. I saw no fun in trying to run through muck, slipping, sliding, slithering while the rain poured down in wintertime. I remember well my final Irish cross-country race sometime at the end of the 1970s. It was the Inter-County competition held in UCD grounds in Belfield. I was running for Kerry. Six to Score. There were large pools of water all over the grounds. We had won the prize for the “most improved county” the previous year. So, I hoped we would do well this year. The day was miserable. When the results came out we did not feature. When I enquired why we did not feature I was told we had only five starters. An incomplete team. I remember going out to the field, looking at the huge pond of water and threw my spikes as far as I could into the water. Cross-Country was finished for me. Fit for animals I thought.
Or so I thought! In 1983 the World Veteran Games were held in Puerto Rico and 15 or so travelled to represent Ireland. Donore Harriers had Jim McNamara, Willie Dunne, Brendan Dunne and myself. We also had Sean Callan, who is Donore at heart.
I thought summer in Nebraska was hot, but Puerto Rico made it look cool. It literally would take your breath away. It was like being in a “full on” over. The athletics programme included a 10km cross-country race. Willie Dunne, Brendan Dunne and Brendan O’Shea from DH represented Ireland and won gold. Donore Harriers were World Veteran Champions!
There was also a marathon on the programme. Running in that heat was obviously dangerous. So, the race started at pitch darkness at 5am in the morning. It was a 2-loop course with water stations every 3 miles. But uniquely in my experience of marathon running they also handed us large cubes of ice which we carried in our hands to the next station, by which time they were melted and replaced with fresh ice. It worked because we ran well. I finished 3rd individual and we won the team event. Donore Harriers World Veteran champions again!
Nebraska prepared me well!!!
On the way home eight of us stopped off in Haiti for a week. That demands a book on its own.
HOW DID YOU GET INTO COACHING? As a scientist I was interested in finding out how one should train for the marathon. There had to be good ways, bad ways and in between ways. I experimented with my own training programs. I read what other marathoners did. I was influenced by Arthur Lydiard’s book “Run to the Top”. He believed strongly in aerobic training. His 800m Olympic Gold Medallist Peter Snell used do 20 mile steady runs. By the time I reckoned I had a definite opinion on how one should train for the marathon I was in my late 30s and clearly past my best. I could still run 2-24 but my sub 2-20 days were probably gone.
And along came Jerry Kiernan whose ambition was to run in the Olympics. He had the speed to run a 3.59 mile and the pace to run a 46.30 ten-miles, but that would not qualify him for the Olympics. He did not have the stamina for the marathon.
YOU COACHED THE LATE, GREAT JERRY KIERNAN PRIOR TO HIS PHENOMENAL RUN IN THE 1984 OLYMPIC MARATHON. HOW MUCH PLANNING AND PREPARATION DID YOU DO WITH JERRY IN THE LEAD UP TO THAT 84 OLYMPIC MARATHON? We did a lot of planning. The only hope for Jerry to get to the Olympics was in the Marathon. But he did not have the necessary stamina. Sean Meaney and I used run 20 mile runs up the Wicklow Mountains with him in 1980 but he would usually drop off in the last few miles. He could not hang on for 20.
When he asked me to coach him for the marathon in 1981 I agreed on condition the he did it my way. He would have to follow my plan which was totally different to his usual way. Jerry loved to run fast. My plan for him was no speed, no pace, only LSD. Not the drug LSD but “Long Slow Distance”.
In a marathon the top class athlete needs speed for the first 385 yds, the pace for 18 miles and the stamina to grind out the final 8 miles at race pace. Jerry did not have the latter. The plan was to develop that.
He asked me how long it would take to make a marathoner out of him. I said 4 years to complete the job but he would improve a lot in a year. I was right because he won the Dublin Marathon in 1982 and was at his best in 1985.
This was the plan: –
4 miles easy 6 mornings a week.
A 20 mile run midweek.
A 25-27 mile run on grass at weekend.
5 days of 10 – 12 miles steady
No pace running or speed sessions. He would race once every 3 weeks, usually 10k. That was to maintain his pace.
I ran the long runs at 6 min pace with him to make sure he ran steady. I was still able to run 2-24 marathons at that time.
This added up to 125 miles a week. High mileage but all steady. We were not trying to improve his speed or pace, only his stamina. It worked as he was with the leading pack in the Olympics at 22 miles. The following year he was able to gallop the full 26 miles.
He was in good shape in 1984 and won the Olympic Trail which was part of The Cork Marathon. Dick Hooper came second and both were picked for the Olympics.
We had put a lot of hard work into the preparation. I thought it would be wise to travel to California well in advance of the Games. Eamonn Coghlan gave us the contact to a friend of his in San Diego. We contacted him and he agreed to “put us up” while preparing for the Games. He was a runner also and we became good friends. I think he enjoyed the occasion also.
He did not do the high mileage while in SD but still did 90-100miles. It was all about “stamina” He did one fast 10 mile run two weeks before Olympics and it was breath-taking. He also had one low key 10k race. I knew he would run well in LA.
WHERE WERE YOU AT THE TIME OF THE MARATHON? AND WHAT WERE YOUR THOUGHTS AND MOODS BOTH DURING AND AFTER THAT RUN BY JERRY – AND ALSO THAT OF JOHN TREACY? Jerry and I went up to the Olympic Village two days before the Marathon. He stayed in the Village, I stayed in a hotel. On the day, Mike Long, Joe Walsh of Castleisland AC and I watched the marathon on TV in our hotel room. We had agreed that Jerry would relax for first 10 miles, he would then pick up the pace and get in contact with the lead pack around 17 or 18 miles. I was totally confident he could do that. It happened as I expected, he appeared on the TV screen at around 18, and looked good. I expected he would finish in top 6. Unfortunately he felt his calves twitch with cramp at 22 miles and decided to ease back so that his legs would not seize up badly with cramp. What is not generally known is that when he entered the tunnel into the stadium he stopped for more than a minute stretching his legs. Jerry was always vain, he wanted to look good when on TV in the stadium. That cost him a full minute in time. Otherwise his 2-12 would have been a 2-11!!!! A great run.
If the Olympics had taken place a year later, he would not have cramped, He would have galloped the full 26 miles 385 yds.
John Treacy was awesome, brave, courageous. He gave it everything. He did Ireland proud as did Jerry.
There was one funny end to this marathon story. The TV coverage finished with the 4th finisher. So we waited and waited to see where Jerry finished.
But there was no information. Eventually Joe Walsh phoned his brother in Castleisland to find out that Jerry had finished 9th!!!! We were in LA but did not know.
DO YOU HAVE ANY PARTICULAR COACHING PHILOSOPHIES? It is important that one should be healthy. That requires good nutrition, plenty of rest, a blood test twice a year, good running shoes, have two breaks of very easy running, 20 miles/week, lasting 2 or 3 weeks. Just enjoy your running. Train for the event for which you are aiming.
Heavy training can have some negative effects, particularly low-grade anaemia and lower the athlete’s immune system. The athlete may need to take an iron supplement.
I think the most beneficial session is a 10 mile fartlek on grass once a week. This applies to all distance runners from 10k to the marathon.
WHAT IS THE MOST VALUABLE PIECE OF ADVICE YOU CAN GIVE SOMEBODY ON RACE DAY? That depends on the personality of the athlete; I used fire up Jerry so that he would grit his teeth with determination. One tried to cool down others. The main purpose was to have the athlete determined to run hard to the line.
In the marathon one usually recommended running negative splits.
WHAT WOULD YOU CONSIDER TO BE THE MOST IMPORTANT ATTRIBUTES OF A SUCCESSFUL ATHLETE? I don’t know. Quite obviously s(he) must be willing to train hard, to follow the advice of his/her coach and be willing to give all in the race.
DO YOU HAVE ANY SPORTING REGRETS? I would have liked to have competed in the Olympic Marathon. I had finished 1975 on a high note by winning the Marathon International de Nivelles in Belgium. I was running really well at the time. It was my practise to ease back to 20 miles/week for December and party for the month, get unfit and start again on 1st January. But because the trial for Olympic Marathon was scheduled for April I decided not to in 1975. Unfortunately my body missed the December parties and I got an injured knee which prevented me running for most of 1976. No Olympics!
In general, I have had a great life professionally and running. I have made great friends in running. I have great memories. I was very lucky to join Donore Harriers.
