Gerry Curtis has no regrets about his running career; he describes it as ‘an incredible journey’. He was National Senior XC champion 3-times in 1989, 1990 and 1992, came 2^nd on 3 other occasions and led Donore Harriers to their last senior team title in 1993. He represented Ireland 6 times in the World XC championships. On the track, Gerry won the National 5,000m (14.08.47) in 1987 and 10,000m (28.49.26) in 1988. He won the Ballycotton 10-mile (48.07) in 1993; and was the winner of the Raheny 5-mile in 1987, 88 & 89. His 1987 time of 22.39, long before the Vapor Fly shoe, is still the course record.

The Donore Harriers man starred on the Irish team that famously won the America-International Ekiden Relay in New York in 1989. He competed at the highest level in races in Britain, the USA and elsewhere. Gerry Curtis was a super athlete and a great competitor! The question to be asked is what Gerry would have achieved if he came to the sport earlier in his life and had the opportunity to be a full-time athlete!

Before you read Gerry’s compelling interview you might wish to see the man in action; so here is a link to Gerry running against a star studded field in the Cork City Sports 5,000m in 1988 when he placed 3^rd in 13.42.32 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kogrn8GfVC4

STANDARD QUESTIONS

PLACE AND YEAR OF BIRTH? Dun Laoghaire, 18^th May 1959

WHERE WERE YOU EDUCATED? CBS and Tech College in Dun Laoghaire

WHAT WAS YOUR MAIN CAREER PATH? I was a soldier between 1978 and 1981. I then worked in the Fire Services for 34 years

IN WHAT YEAR DID YOU JOIN DONORE HARRIERS? Not exactly sure, but I think sometime in 1986

WHY DID YOU CHOOSE DONORE HARRIERS? Sean Meaney (a former senior athlete with the club), whom I worked with in the Fire Brigade told me about Donore Harriers and suggested that I should join. I was soon encouraged by Brendan O’Shea and Maurice Ahern to sign up for the club

WERE YOU A MEMBER OF ANY OTHER CLUB BEFORE JOINING DONORE HARRIERS? Yes, I was with Blackrock A.C

DID YOU PARTICIPATE IN ANY OTHER SPORT? I enjoyed sea rowing and I played volleyball. I did a bit of coaching in volleyball and I was also a gym instructor

WHAT WAS YOUR FAVOURITE ATHLETICS EVENT? I have to say that I loved it all, track, cross-country, road… but road racing was my absolute favourite

WHAT WAS YOUR ROLE AT THE CLUB? I was an athlete with Donore Harriers

WHO WERE YOUR SPORTING INSPIRATIONS/INFLUENCES? When I was a kid all the talk was about Ronnie Delany. He was the first famous sportsperson that I admired. I then remember being in the local Yacht Club watching Eamon Coghlan run in the Olympics… and I also admired John Treacy and Ray Flynn for what they achieved

SOCIAL QUESTIONS

WHAT WAS THE LAST BOOK YOU READ? Staying the Course by Dick Beardsley. You might remember that Beardsley came 2^nd in the Boston Marathon in 1982 behind (Alberto) Salazar after a mishap with a motorcycle

WHAT WAS THE LAST CONCERT YOU ATTENDED? Bruce Springsteen in Cork a few years ago

WHAT ARE YOUR 3 FAVOURITE FILMS?

1. The Quiet Man

2. Trouble with the Curve, starring Clint Eastwood. The story is about a baseball scout

3. For the Love of the Game, starring Kevin Costner. That’s about an aging baseball player

I also like the movie St. Vincent starring Bill Murray

FAVOURITE COUNTRY VISITED? That’s a hard one! Probably the USA. In terms of running I would say Fuerteventura in the Canary Islands. Great facilities and great running trails

WHAT ARE YOUR OTHER INTERESTS AWAY FROM ATHLETICS/SPORT? Reading, doing a bit of gardening, gym, swimming, and the movies

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

1. Fairy tale of New York – The Pogues (Shane McGowan) and Kirsty McColl

2. Living Years – Mike and the Mechanics

3 What a Wonderful World – Louis Armstrong

ATHLETICS QUESTIONS

WHO WAS YOUR COACH? Ian Hamilton, who was an athlete at Villanova (USA), and was coaching at Blackrock AC always offered good advice. Brendan O’Shea was my coach at Donore Harriers

WHAT DO YOU CONSIDER TO BE YOUR BEST ATHLETICS ACHIEVEMENT? Winning my first national senior cross-country title in 1989

WHAT ARE YOUR BEST TIMES (PBs)?

3,000m – 7.52.07 in Belfast 1988

5,000m – 13.34.70 in Hechtel, Belgium 1988 (1^st)

10,000m – 28.01.0 Sodertalje, Sweden 1989

5km Road – 13.54 in Los Angeles 1991

10km Road – 28.24 in Bangor, Co. Down 1987 (1^st)

10 miles – 48.07 Ballycotton 1993 (1^st)

Half-Marathon – 1.02.40 in Belfast 1988

Marathon – 2.14.37 in Boston 1990 (placed 12^th)

WHAT WAS YOUR FAVOURITE COACHED SESSION? A 4-mile tempo run starting in Greystones and going uphill all the way to Bellevue Woods. That really got the heartrate going!

DESCRIBE THE MOST DIFFICULT SESSION THAT YOU HAVE DONE? That was a pyramid session with John Treacy whilst in the States. It was 1km, 2km, 3km, 2km, 1km at 5km pace with a short jog recovery

WHAT WAS A TYPICAL WEEKLY TRAINING PLAN? It changed according to the season. October to Christmas was about building up the mileage. Nearer the race reason it was a 90-mile week that included a long run, a tempo and a fartlek

DO YOU HAVE A FUNNY STORY RELATED TO ATHLETICS? In the Fire Brigade I had to wear steel-cap shoes and we were told “Never run in steel-caps”. The story is that I got selected to run two road races in Yugoslavia and I had to apply for special leave. After a few days I got a call to go to the office. Being excited I started running towards the office, fell on my arse, bruised my hip… and the injury meant that I could not make the trip…

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

1. Eamonn Coghlan

2. John Treacy

3. Ray Flynn

I can say that they all made a positive impact on my life

SPECIFIC QUESTIONS

WERE YOU EVERY OFFERED A SCHOLARSHIP TO THE USA? Yes, coach John McDonnell offered me to go to Arkansas University. However, I felt that I was a bit too old to go and I had work commitments

DID YOU COMPETE AS A JUVENILE/JUNIOR/SCHOOLS ATHLETE? No. I was 22 years old when I took up running. Whilst I was always fit, I probably lost out by not having a stronger fitness base from a younger age

YOU WERE 2^nd IN THE NATIONAL SENIOR CROSS-COUNTRY CHAMPIONSHIP IN 1987 AND 1988, SO HOW DID IT FEEL TO TAKE THE WIN IN 1989? WHAT CAN YOU TELL US ABOUT THAT DAY? It was a very mucky course down in Killenaule. I remember that my Mom and Dad came to watch me. My Dad was not a person for giving hugs, but after the race he gave me a great big hug. He died a little over 2-weeks after that, so it was a very emotional period for me

YOU LED HOME THE DONORE HARRIERS TEAM THAT LAST WON THE NATIONAL SENIOR CROSS-COUNTRY TITLE IN 1993; WHAT DO YOU REMEMBER ABOUT THAT DAY? I had fractured my back a couple of years before, so I had reached the end of my running career. However, Donore Harriers had a few good runners that made winning the title possible. We had won the National Road Relays a couple of times, but I knew that winning the Inter-Clubs meant a lot to Donore Harriers. I ran out of my skin that day and was actually closing on the winner Noel Cullen (Clonliffe Harriers) in the final stages. Noel Richardson was 3^rd and Senan O’Reilly and Ciaran O’Flaherty closed the winning team

YOU RAN 13.34.70 FOR 5,000m in HECHTEL, BELGIUM IN 1988; TELL US MORE ABOUT THAT EVENT/RACE? It was a night race and Hechtel was a small rural track. I was in great shape. I won the race, but I missed the Olympic qualifying standard by just one second

YOU PROBABLY NEEDED TO COME 2^nd or 3^rd IN THE RACE TO PULL YOU THROUGH TO THE QUALIFYING MARK? Yes, definitely! Brendan Quinn finished in the field in the Steeplechase, but he got the qualifying standard. The other problem was that I was alone… I mean I didn’t have anyone on the side of the track giving me splits and encouragement

YOU REPRESENTED IRELAND SEVERAL TIMES IN THE WORLD CROSS-COUNTRY CHAMPIONSHIPS; WHAT IS YOUR BEST MEMORY FROM THE WORLD XC? I had my best run at Stavanger in Norway <placed 35^th in 41.44>. I was the first Irishman home and finished close behind top American runner Ed Eyestone. A few weeks later I beat Eyestone in a road race in the States

YOU WERE ON THE IRISH TEAM THAT WON THE EKIDEN (marathon distance) RELAY IN NEW YORK IN APRIL 1989; THAT MUST HAVE BEEN A GREAT EXPERIENCE? The Irish team included John Treacy, Marcus O’Sullivan, myself, Frank O’Mara and John Doherty. We were against some of the best national teams in the world including Kenya, the USA and Britain. I ran the 3^rd leg <9.3km run in 26.17> and started in 3^rd place. I passed Gary Staines (GB) and Ed Eyestone (USA) and reached Frank O’Mara in the lead…

<NOTE 1: This is a comment on boards.ie about Gerry’s performance in that race – It reminded me, in particular, of the Irish team’s victory when Gerry (Curtis) was head to head with the U.S.’s Ed Eyestone. It was great to hear the Yank’s commentary early on suggesting that Eyestone would just run away from the ‘full-time fireman’. They were initially taken aback when Curtis when ahead, only for Eyestone to come back and take the lead. Almost immediately Curtis came again and buried Eyestone. The Yanks were gobsmacked that a full time Olympian athlete could be beaten by a full-time fireman. It was brilliant>

<NOTE 2: Here is a YouTube link to the 1989 Ekiden relay with Gerry Curtis at the beginning of the clip – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5TZg7pFEAa4

WHAT IS YOUR BIGGEST SPORTING REGRET? I give the sport everything whilst I was competitive. It was difficult because I had work commitments. But I loved everything about athletics, and I loved competing for Donore Harriers. That was my favourite singlet to wear. The club has always had a special place in my heart. I know that people might think that I should regret not competing in the Olympics, but I got the standard in the marathon (2.14) and in the 10,000m (28.01). I am happy with that! What I can say is that the whole running journey has been incredible and good to me

WHAT SIGNIFICANT CHANGES HAVE YOU SEEN IN IRISH ATHLETICS SINCE THE 1980s? MAYBE GIVE US A POSITIVE AND A NEGATIVE? There has been a big improvement in sprinting, whilst the sport has stood still in distance running. The standard in distance running has improved recently, but that maybe more to do with the science of shoes than anything else. I suppose on the plus it is good to see so many more people out running…

WHAT IS YOUR CONNECTION WITH RWANDA? Let me explain that when I worked in the Army, I saw many awful things whilst stationed in the Middle East. When I finished running, I decided to go on a 3-months work project with the GOAL Charity in Rwanda. The club raised funds for the GOAL trip. There was mass genocide in Rwanda, and it was a life-changing experience

ARE YOU STILL INVOLVED IN SPORT/ATHLETICS? Yes, I believe in giving back to a sport that has been good to me. I am a coach at Bray Runners

THE CLUB HAS SOME VERY PROMISING YOUNG MIDDLE-DISTANCE ATHLETES AT THE MOMENT, INCLUDING LOUIS O’LOUGHLIN, ADBEL LAADJEL, GAVIN CURTIN, OLIVER HOPKINS, SEAN KINSELLA AND OTHERS; WHAT IMPORTANT PIECE OF ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE TO THEM? Enjoy it! It will all go by so quickly, so don’t get caught up in the pressure of it all. Listen to your coach and don’t get caught in the trap of hearing different things from different people

Lara O’Byrne is a very impressive young woman. She has been the club’s most prolific medal winner in recent years. Her tally is much too long to be included here, but among her collection are gold in the National Indoor combined events championship in January 2019 and the National Junior Heptathlon championships in June 2019. She won the Dublin Juvenile Athlete of the Year award in 2018 after winning a gold (100m), silver (Long Jump) and bronze (Shot Putt) in the National Under 19 T&F champs. In this interview she talks about the joy of representing Ireland at the SIAB Games – and how she juggles college work with her athletics training…

STANDARD QUESTIONS

PLACE AND YEAR OF BIRTH? I was born in Dublin on 10th November 2000

WHERE ARE YOU BEING EDUCATED? I’m studying in Trinity College doing biological and biomedical science

WHAT IS YOUR PLANNED CAREER PATH? I want to study environmental science in third year and then go on to be an environmental scientist

IN WHAT YEAR DID YOU JOIN DONORE HARRIERS? I joined in 2010 when I was nine

WHY DID YOU CHOOSE DONORE HARRIERS? My best friend Cara, her dad Liam Brennan used to run for Donore Harriers. He was a sprinter and brought us down one day in May in 2010.  I’ve been there ever since

WERE YOU A MEMBER OF ANY OTHER CLUB BEFORE JOINING DONORE HARRIERS? No, not in athletics

DID YOU PARTICIPATE IN ANY OTHER SPORT? I played camogie for Lucan Sarsfield, and football on a boys’ team for Ballyowen Celtic. I did taekwondo, Irish dancing, dancing, GAA football for my school team, cricket on a school team

WHAT IS YOUR FAVOURITE ATHLETICS EVENT? My favourite is high jump and hurdles I can’t choose between the two

WHAT IS YOUR PRESENT ROLE AT THE CLUB? Athlete

WHO WERE/ARE YOUR SPORTING INSPIRATIONS/INFLUENCES? Jessica Ennis has always been my number one idol. She such a lovely person as well as being one of the greatest heptathletes of all time. One thing that I admired about her is that she came back and won the world Championships one year after having a baby. I also love Kevin Mayer who smashed the world Decathlon record

SOCIAL QUESTIONS

WHAT WAS THE LAST BOOK YOU READ? The Longest Holiday by Paige Toon

WHAT WAS THE LAST CONCERT YOU ATTENDED? James Arthur was the last concert I’ve been to

WHAT ARE YOUR 3 FAVOURITE FILMS?

1. Soul surfer

2. Maze runner

3. 10 things I hate about you

FAVOURITE COUNTRY VISITED? Definitely America because it’s just such a different world and Florida is my favourite place ever. I’m such an adrenaline junkie so I love going on all the rides in the theme parks

WHAT ARE YOUR OTHER INTERESTS AWAY FROM ATHLETICS/SPORT? I love anything that’s outdoors. I love swimming in the sea, hiking in the mountains, wakeboarding, skating, literally anything that’s active outdoors

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

1. Bazzi – Young and Alive

2. Ariana Grande – Stuck with You

3. GASHI – Safety

ATHLETICS QUESTIONS

WHO IS YOUR COACH? Ciaran Donohoe who’s a multi events coach

WHAT DO YOU CONSIDER TO BE YOUR BEST ATHLETICS ACHIEVEMENT? Definitely, it was getting my first Irish vest in 2017. I won the national school’s pentathlon and qualified for the SIABs (School International Athletics Board) in Glasgow. It was my biggest goal in athletics to get the Irish vest and I’m so happy I got to represent my country

WHAT ARE YOUR BEST TIMES/MARKS (PBs)? 

1. High Jump – 1.66m

2. Long Jump – 5.19m

3. 100m Hurdles – 14.91s

4. Javelin – 28.83m

5. Shot Putt – 10.03m

6. 200m – 26.89

7. 800m – 2.22:93

WHAT IS YOUR FAVOURITE COACHED SESSION? A high jump session is always the most fun, but I really do enjoy every single session and event

DESCRIBE THE MOST DIFFICULT SESSION THAT YOU HAVE DONE? Any lactic session kills me because I have exertion migraines and I can’t move for about a half an hour after lactic session. For example, 2 x 150, 120, 80 would kill me as I

put my all into each session and I find it hard to finish them as the headaches would literally put me on the ground

WHAT IS YOUR TYPICAL WEEKLY TRAINING PLAN I train in the gym on a Monday and Friday and on the track on a Tuesday and Thursday

DO YOU HAVE A FUNNY STORY RELATED TO ATHLETICS/THE CLUB? Over the years I have had best time ever with so many funny memories. I’m constantly laughing on the track. I can’t think of one specific moment just because there are so many funny stories

WHAT ONE CHANGE WOULD YOU LIKE TO SEE AT DONORE HARRIERS? I’d like to see more athletes being coached in multi events

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

1. Katie Taylor

2. Sonia O’Sullivan

3. Michael Carruth

SPECIFIC QUESTIONS

WHAT DO YOU CONSIDER TO BE YOUR BEST EVENT? I get the most points in high jump, hurdles and 800m. I think I am the best at high jump though. I’m more of a jumper than a sprinter

MULTI-EVENTS REQUIRES A HUGE COMMITMENT, WHAT SUPPORTS SHOULD BE IN PLACE TO HELP YOU REACH TO THE NEXT LEVEL? I definitely think a coach who can coach all events is essential. Going to different coaches for different events can lead to being overworked as there is not much communication. Having the facilities to train in each of the events is also crucial

HAVE YOU HAD TO DEAL WITH INJURIES, PLEASE TELL US ABOUT THE NATURE OF THE INJURY AND THE RECOVERY PROCESS? Yes, I was out for a year with Osgood Schlatter when I was 14. I had to completely rest it which was so hard for me because I wasn’t allowed to do any sport. Last year I had a tear in my Achilles, and I was out for a few months. I had to do calf raises over and over again, it was very repetitive, but I did it because I wanted to get better. Last year and early this year I had a stress fracture in my foot. I had a boot on for 6 weeks and then I had to just rest it for another few weeks afterwards

A LOT OF YOUNG PEOPLE SKIP OUT OF SPORT AFTER 2ND LEVEL EDUCATION, SO HOW DID YOU FIND THE TRANSITION BETWEEN SECONDARY SCHOOL AND 3RD LEVEL EDUCATION IN TERMS OF MOTIVATION, FACILITIES AND YOUR OWN TIME MANAGEMENT? It is hard to do it all but if you love something enough you don’t mind being busy all of the time. As soon as I come home from college, I have my dinner and go straight back out for training. I do my college work in the breaks between lectures and when I get some spare time. I’ve always seen athletics as my priority even though my education was very important

WHAT HAS BEEN YOUR MOST MEMORABLE EVENT? AND WHY? Running for Ireland in Glasgow was definitely my most memorable moment. It was something I have always wanted to do and when I finally put on the Irish vest, I never felt so proud of myself. Competing at an international level was so different to what I was used to. I felt like there was a lot more pressure on me which I found quite tough, but I’ve gained some experience from it.

WHAT IS YOUR BIG TARGET IN ATHLETICS?  I just want to compete for Ireland again to be honest. I would love to travel to all over the world representing my country. I’ll continue to work hard and hopefully my goals will become a reality

When Ian Redican won the Waterhouse Byrne Baird Shield in 2014 it symbolically marked the 50^th anniversary of his father’s (Tommy) victory in the same event back in 1964. Whilst Ian had a background in soccer and GAA, as a family member of the Redican/McNamara running dynasty, his sporting roots were engrained in Donore Harriers…

PLACE AND YEAR OF BIRTH? Dublin, 1973

WHERE WERE YOU EDUCATED? I’m originally from Finglas so for anyone familiar with the area I went to the triangle of schools in Finglas East – The Mother of Divine Grace / De La Salle / Beneavin College – or as Finglas people call them: the ‘Mudder’, the ‘Dee-La’ & Beneavin. Afterwards, I studied Photography in D.I.T. Kevin Street

WHAT HAS BEEN YOUR CAREER PATH? While in Kevin Street I discovered the Gardaí had a photographic section, so I thought why not… If I could just get my head around dead bodies and a fear of flying [we take aerial shots from an open-door helicopter], I’d be sorted. So, I joined An Garda Síochána in 1996. Spent 5 years in Irishtown in the Ringsend/Sandymount area of Dublin; and the last 18 years in Crime Scene Examination in the Photographic Section of the Technical Bureau in the Garda Depot, Phoenix Park

IN WHAT YEAR DID YOU JOIN DONORE HARRIERS? As a member… in 2013… but in practice I’ve been on the periphery all my life through my family. I literally grew up in Hospital Lane and was always around in some form or other through the years. Certainly, Stephen’s Day for the past 40 years, I don’t remember missing many. Always the spectator until I joined the club. When there was a bar in the club… Stephen’s Day was quite a long day. Nobody seemed to want to go home!

WHY DID YOU CHOOSE DONORE HARRIERS? Donore Harriers chose me… There’s’ no other club allowed in the Redican/McNamara households don’t yeh know!

WERE YOU A MEMBER OF ANY OTHER CLUB BEFORE JOINING DONORE HARRIERS? No… the family would disown me!

DID YOU PARTICIPATE IN ANY OTHER SPORT? It was GAA & Soccer the whole time growing up. I’m sorry I didn’t try and include running in with them in hindsight

WHAT IS YOUR FAVOURITE ATHLETICS EVENT? Dublin Marathon [ouch, great painful memories] but there are a few races on the calendar that I go back to year in, year out because they’re so well run and organised and enjoyable…: the Raheny 5, Dunboyne 4 Mile [now 10k], Drogheda 10k to name but a few. Again anyone that knows me, knows I’m a regular fixture at the BHAA

WHAT IS YOUR PRESENT ROLE AT THE CLUB? Athlete… although I’ve great plans to contribute in the future since I’m not getting any younger, faster and after my time is up in AGS. Unfortunately, my free time in taken up, apart from my family; with my positions on the Garda Athletic Club and USPE (Union Sportive des Police d’Europe). I travel a good bit with USPE thru my position on the Technical Commission where I’m responsible for Police Sport Competitions in Marathon and Cross Country

WHO WERE/ARE YOUR SPORTING INSPIRATIONS/INFLUENCES? Didn’t have to look too far away from home in my Dad and Jim Mac(Namara) growing up. But nowadays I have a lot of people around me who are achieving great things at great ages… I’m finding great inspiration from them and who knows…. Master’s Masters is the new Senior!

SOCIAL QUESTIONS

WHAT WAS THE LAST BOOK YOU READ? Not a great book reader to my shame… Anything I read is usually short… almost all the time. If I do it’s usually something historical. Always been movies for me for escapism

WHAT WAS THE LAST CONCERT YOU ATTENDED? The Paper Kites…. [The Paper Who?]

WHAT ARE YOUR 3 FAVOURITE FILMS? Hard one… have to separate them into ‘Of All Time’ and of the ‘Last 12 Months’

All Time:

1. Le Chateau de ma Mere

2. The Assassination of Jesse James [with the big long title…]

3. It’s a Wonderful Life

Last 12 Months:

1. Once Upon a Time in Hollywood

2. 1917

3. The Peanut Butter Falcon

FAVOURITE COUNTRY VISITED? There are so many, but recently I’ve found a soft spot for Greece. Blue Sky, blue sea, lovely people, great food… and generally a chill atmosphere!

WHAT ARE YOUR OTHER INTERESTS AWAY FROM ATHLETICS/SPORT?

Photography… In work I have restored and archived the photographic police history of the country from the 1900’s onwards. A fascinating unique glimpse of old Ireland, people, towns and villages. Did a lot of similar work in Donore too in recent years assisting Maurice Ahern in restoring our athletic past in pictures. Working in photography has also been a dream job. Except for the gruesome things I photograph, I’m effectively working at my hobby every day

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

Any that knows me usually says who the hell is that you’re listening to?

1. Tenenbaum [The Paper Kites]

2. Here Comes the Sun [The Beatles]

3. Tonight, Tonight [Smashing Pumpkins]

ATHLETICS QUESTIONS

WHAT DO YOU CONSIDER TO BE YOUR BEST ATHLETICS ACHIEVEMENT? In 2011 I ran from the Spire in O’Connell Street to Eyre Square in Galway… 1 Marathon every day for 5 days [also on one of them, the local Garda patrol car while giving me an escort out of Ballinasloe took me the wrong way and I had to double back adding 3-4 miles onto that day’s total!].

Also not much beats the WBB Shield win in 2014

WHAT ARE YOUR BEST TIMES/MARKS (PBs)? Unfortunately, I was closer to 40 than 30 when I started finding a short-lived rhythm in the legs. Glad anyhow that I broke certain barriers that most runners target like the 20 in 5k, the 40 in 10k and the 3:30 in marathon…. So, on that its: 1 Mile: 5:14, 5k: 19:21, 10k: 39:59 [skin of your teeth stuff], Marathon: 3:27:46

WHAT IS YOUR TYPICAL WEEKLY TRAINING PLAN (pre-COVID)? Ah… welcome to the life of a on-call Garda Photographer… Plan = It’s quiet for the moment… have I got time for a run. Every day: minimum of 5K. When I’m preparing for a marathon then it’s your usual marathon mileage plan with the exception that I could be running at weird times of the day or slightly off the schedule for long runs +/- a day

(During COVID). Every day – 5k. Think I’ve missed 2 days in the entire time [Tony Griffin can testify to that… he’s around the corner and sick of seeing me go by! Reckons I’m planning something!]

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

1. Eamonn Coghlan

2. Brian O’Driscoll

3. Sonia O’Sullivan

TOP INTERNATIONAL SPORTSPERSON? Eliud Kipchoge [he has just gone to the top of the list without question. He is the greatest and the only runner to bring me to tears]

SPECIFIC QUESTIONS

CAN YOU PLEASE TELL US ABOUT THE REDICAN FAMILY CONNECTION WITH DONORE HARRIERS? My Dad, Tommy Redican & Jim McNamara are first cousins on my grandmother’s side. Then there’s Noel, my Dad’s brother who also ran and who later trained some successful young Donore teams. There’s another brother of my Dad who ran also for a little while during that 70’s period: Maurice or Mossie as we call him. My own brother Derek was good talent in his teens/late teens. Noel’s son & my cousin Mark competed during the 90’s, and again was a great talent. Jim’s younger brother Mick McNamara was another great talent in the late 70’s, early 80’s with some titles to his name. But I suppose it’s Jim and my Dad Tommy who are most noted. They joined only weeks apart in 1963 [Jim first]. My Dad wanted to give up cigarettes at the time and this was his quitting method of sorts. They were both part of the successful Donore Harriers 60’s/1970’s period under Eddie Hogan alongside such great names as Tom O’Riordan, Eddie Spillane, Tony Brien, Mick Neville, Brendan O’Shea, Tony Murphy, Mick Connolly, John Sheridan, Willie Smith… and onto Eamonn Coghlan, Frank Greally, John Phelan, Pat Cassidy, Maurice Ahern… Forgive me if I’ve left out any; but even more greats were still around the club like the Dunne brothers and Bertie Messitt. It’s like an endless list of great runners…

YOUR 2014 WATERHOUSE BYRNE BAIRD SHIELD WIN WAS GREETED WITH A UNIVERSAL APPROVAL. WHAT CAN YOU TELL US ABOUT THAT DAY? What a fantastic day… winning the WBB Shield in 2014. If I could have written the script it wouldn’t have been much better. It was 50 years to the day since my Dad won it and we had a few members of the family out that day walking and jogging to commemorate it. I passed a few of them on various laps so I think getting cheered at different points on the course must’ve gear me up a bit. My cousin Jim Mac was still out on course, unknown to me, going into the last lap at 8 miles; but he shouldn’t have been because he told me just before he set off that he was just going to run “a lap or 2 for Tommy”. I didn’t realise that a possible win was on until going into the last lap, when my uncle Noel stuck his head out in front of me and told me I was insecond! I could see a runner in front in the distance and eventually I overtook them at the stone bridge. I thought I was leading then based on my info, but heading into the trees ahead I could see the ‘very obvious gait’ of Jim. It was actually Jim Mac that was leading with just over half a mile a to go as we approached the ‘down & up’ hill alongside the Kyber. I caught up with him going up the hill and put my hand on his back. Jim turned and said, “thank God it’s you Ian… keep going and do it for your Dad”. Almost at that point my uncle Noel had run across the fields to tell me I was winning and to tell Jim to keep going and hold on too. Jim was pipped close to the finish by John Dunne, who was off scratch. A day that will live long in the memory and Jim’s last WBB run… and what a run by him

CROSS COUNTRY or ROAD RACING? Cross Country all the way. I love characteristics of a good XC course. The best one is our own WBB course… but for our Garda National XC we run the same lap, 3 times, with the added addition of a 2^nd steeper hill just further on instead of heading in towards the cricket grounds

ANY SPORTING REGRETS? That I never started running at a younger age

HAVE YOU HAD TO DEAL WITH ANY LONG-TERM INJURIES? Immediately after my first marathon in 2006, I was suffering badly with cramping pain in my feet. So much so that I’d only get a couple of hundred metres before the pain would bring me to a halt. After a couple of consultant and hospital visits it was diagnosed as compartment syndrome. The blood flow in my feet was cramping them. The right shoes got me sorted. My advice to runners apart from pronation type is to check this out and make sure the shoe is right in the upper part also!

WHAT HAS BEEN YOUR MOST MEMORABLE RACE OTHER THAN THE W.B.B WIN? AND WHY? The most memorable race for me was the 1^st time I broke 3:30:00 for the marathon in Paris. On the plane on the way over my wife asked me: “So if your time is 3:30:00 will you be happy?” “No”, I said. It had to be minimum of 3:29:59. On a roundabout heading towards the Arc d’Triomphe, my GPS said 26.2 miles and 3:29:22 and I could hear the finish line speaker but couldn’t see the line. Panic was setting in. As I rounded the roundabout the line suddenly appeared. I kicked in as fast as I could manage. 3:29:54. The finish line video is funny… as I disappear stage right off camera in a ‘jock’!

Claire Mulligan is a relatively new member of Donore Harriers, having only joined in 2018. She has been a scoring member on Donore Harriers teams that medalled in National and Dublin road and cross-country championships. In this enlightening interview Claire talks about training with Donore Harriers for the first time and the benefits of training in a structured squad…

PLACE AND YEAR OF BIRTH? Kilcock, Co. Kildare 1977

WHERE WERE YOU EDUCATED? Local secondary school and U.C.D

WHAT IS YOUR CAREER PATH? I have worked in Healthcare settings for the past number of years and currently support adults with Intellectual Disabilities in Stewart’s Care, Palmerstown

IN WHAT YEAR DID YOU JOIN DONORE HARRIERS? October 2018

WHY DID YOU CHOOSE DONORE HARRIERS? I regarded the club as having a great reputation, and it came recommended by Alan Farrell who I knew through Dublin Runners

WERE YOU A MEMBER OF ANY OTHER CLUB BEFORE JOINING DONORE HARRIERS? St. Coca’s A.C. as a juvenile

DID YOU PARTICIPATE IN ANY OTHER SPORT? Basketball competitively at second and third level

WHAT ARE YOUR FAVOUTIRE ATHLETICS EVENTS? To watch the 1500m because of the kick that often comes into play on the final bend. To run cross country because of the team aspect and purity of it.

WHAT IS YOUR PRESENT ROLE AT THE CLUB? Athlete

WHO ARE YOUR SPORTING INSPIRATIONS/INFLUENCES? For inspiration, fellow club-member Ann Woodlock because of her tenacity and competitive streak. For influence, my parents who introduced me to club running from a young age and gave me an appreciation of all things athletics-related

ATHLETICS QUESTIONS

WHO IS YOUR COACH? Willie Smith, gentleman and coach

WHAT DO YOU CONSIDER TO BE YOUR BET ATHLETICS ACHIEVEMENT? A few months after joining Donore, I was lucky enough to pick up two team medals when we won O-35 National 10k and Senior 10 mile

WHAT ARE YOUR BEST TIMES (PBs)?                                                             

5k: 20.03

5-mile: 32.40

10-mile: 71.22

WHAT IS YOUR FAVOURITE COACHED SESSION? Anything around the Magazine Fort in the wintertime

DESCRIBE THE MOST DIFFICULT SESSION THAT YOU HAVE DONE? Khyber Hills session, 10 x 400m

WHAT IS A TYPICAL WEEKLY TRAINING PLAN?

Mon – rest

Tues – intervals session

Wed – easy run

Thurs – steady run

Fri – rest

Sat – session (maybe fartlek)

Sun – 10 miles easy

WHAT ONE CHANGE WOULD YOU LIKE TO SEE AT DONORE HARRIERS? More club races throughout the year would be welcome

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

1. Fionnuala McCormack

2. Sonia O’ Sullivan

3. Katie Taylor

SPECIFIC QUESTIONS

DO YOU REGRET NOT TAKING UP RUNNING EARLIER IN LIFE? I ran competitively from an early age then drifted into team sports and just got back into running in my late thirties. The BHAA (Business Houses AA) races were a good way to ease back into competition, as the standard is good, and all abilities are welcome

IT CAN BE DAUNTING FOR A RELATIVELY NEW RUNNER TO TURN UP AT A ‘HARRIERS’ CLUB FOR THE FIRST TIME! WHAT WAS YOUR FIRST IMPRESSIONS WHEN YOU JOINED DONORE HARRIERS? It was daunting and I was fortunate that Alan (Farrell) was there to introduce me to everybody at those first few sessions.  Florrie, as women’s captain was also very welcoming and encouraging.  I was impressed by the wealth of experience everybody had and how modest all of these good runners were.  A week after joining, it was baptism by fire running in a Donore Harriers singlet for the first time at the Dublin Novice XC Champs, and a humbling experience at that.

The thing that daunted me most were the weekly race reports and the fact that there was no hiding once you lined up.  When you are running solo, you can go incognito in comparison! I tried to use it as an added incentive to improve

WHAT IN YOUR OPINION ARE THE MAIN BENEFITS OF TRAINING IN AN ORGANISED GROUP, SUCH A WILLIE SMITH’S SQUAD AT DONORE HARRIERS?

You can see improvements quickly when you’re part of a good training group.  Willie has time for everyone and is always on hand with sound advice.  The pre and post-race training sessions are a big help in reducing the chance of picking up an injury.

When you train with people of a similar (and faster) pace to yourself, you’re striving to keep up with them and they incentivise you to put the work in and be consistent.

It’s also great to have people you train with around on race day, as they’re always a good yard stick as to how you’re doing, and often you’ll work off each other as you would in a training session

CROSS-COUNTRY OR ROAD RACES? Cross-Country

YOU WERE A PART OF THE DONORE HARRIERS TEAM THAT WON THE DUBLIN INTERMEDIATE CROSS-COUNTRY IN DECEMBER 2019, WHAT DO YOU REMEMBER ABOUT THAT DAY? We gave it our all that day because to have a full team was a bonus. The previous year, we didn’t have a full squad to score. I think this made us all the more determined to try and medal. It was definitely a team effort with Ariana (Ball) turning up and running when still sick

HAVE YOU EVER RUN A MARATHON? AND DO YOU CONTEMPLACE DOING A MARATHON IN THE FUTURE? No. No real plans to run one, but enough time spent around the Sunday morning group from the club and I might be lured into one someday!

Today we meet Jona Kalemi, a regular on the club’s national league teams – and a huge supporter of all things Donore Harriers. Jona talks about ‘burn out’ during her college years; describes the running scene in the USA; and lists Paralympic athlete Greta Streimikyte amongst her sporting inspirations…

STANDARD QUESTIONS

WHERE WERE/ARE YOU BEING EDUCATED? DCU & Boston University

WHAT IS YOUR PLANNED CAREER PATH? Consulting

IN WHAT YEAR DID YOU JOIN DONORE HARRIERS? 2007

WHY DID YOU CHOOSE DONORE HARRIERS? It had excellent facilities and it was located right beside the Phoenix Park, where I used to run before joining Donore Harriers. I went to the club for a trial, loved the vibe, atmosphere, people and joined. I was so right!

WERE YOU A MEMBER OF ANY OTHER CLUB BEFORE JOINING DONORE HARRIERS? No, but I was a part of the Greater Boston Track Club when I was studying in Boston & also a part of the Cameron Blazers Track Club when I was interning in Jamaica

DID YOU PARTICIPATE IN ANY OTHER SPORT? Yes, basketball, football and volleyball.

WHAT IS YOUR FAVOURITE ATHLETICS EVENT? 800m

WHAT IS YOUR PRESENT ROLE(S) AT THE CLUB? Athlete & I try to volunteer when I have some free time

WHO WERE/ARE YOUR SPORTING INSPIRATIONS/INFLUENCES? My first coach, John Downes and my friends Greta Streimikyte & Ciara Mageean.

<NOTE: Greta Streimikyte, a native of Lithuania, is a member of Clonliffe Harriers. She became an Irish citizen in 2015 and represented Ireland in the Paralympic 1,500m in the T13 class as she is visually impaired>

SOCIAL QUESTIONS

WHAT WAS THE LAST BOOK YOU READ? Extreme Ownership: How U.S. Navy Seals Lead and Win (Jocko Willink and Leif Babin)

WHAT ARE YOUR 3 FAVOURITE FILMS?

1. Soul Surfer

2. Gladiator

3. Lion King

FAVOURITE COUNTRY VISITED? That’s a difficult question! It’s a mix between Rio de Janeiro, Brazil & Paris, France

WHAT ARE YOUR OTHER INTERESTS AWAY FROM ATHLETICS/SPORT? Travelling, Music (I played the piano for 5 years until sport took over my life), Reading, Debating, Constantly Learning & Improving

ATHLETICS QUESTIONS

WHO IS/ARE YOUR COACH(ES)? At the moment I am training with the Trinity College team under Iain Morrison’s guidance

WHAT DO YOU CONSIDER TO BE YOUR BEST ATHLETICS ACHIEVEMENT? I still haven’t achieved it yet!

WHAT ARE YOUR BEST TIMES/MARKS (PBs)? 800m – 2.36 outdoors (2019).

WHAT IS YOUR FAVOURITE COACHED SESSION? I like 300m’s & 400m’s track sessions

DESCRIBE THE MOST DIFFICULT SESSION THAT YOU HAVE DONE? 2 sets of 5 by 200m @ 800m PB pace, off 25 seconds, 20 seconds, 15 seconds, 10 second recoveries between each with 10 minutes rest between sets

WHAT IS YOUR TYPICAL WEEKLY TRAINING PLAN (pre-covid)? Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday are session days; Monday, Wednesday and Friday aerobic running and gym/core. Sunday is a long run

WHAT ONE CHANGE WOULD YOU LIKE TO SEE AT DONORE HARRIERS? More women doing track

SPECIFIC QUESTIONS

HAVE YOU HAD TO DEAL WITH ANY LONG-TERM INJURIES? Luckily no, but I get niggles all the time!

WHAT ARE YOUR ABIDING MEMORIES OF THE CLUB TRIP TO THE ‘LOTTO CROSS’ EVENT IN HANNUT, BELGIUM IN 2012?

I loved it! I have a lot of great memories from the trip. It showed me how hard you can train when you are fully rested and, in that respect, how important rest is for both training well & performance (It is probably my biggest downfall, I never rest enough). Competing in the Lotto Cross Cup also was a great motivation & inspired me to continue working hard upon returning home. I think these kind of trips are really important, to keep motivated, when the monotony of training kicks in

HOW DID THE TRANSITION BETWEEN SECONDARY SCHOOL AND 3^RD LEVEL COLLEGE IMPACT YOUR RUNNING? It was very challenging to be consistent during my college years and my running has only really become more consistent after I graduated. However, this had mainly to do with my personality as I wanted to do everything and perform at every level, which resulted in constantly burning myself out and having to start over and over again

WHAT WAS THE RUNNING SCENE LIKE IN THE U.S.A COMPARED TO IRELAND?

At club level (GBTC), the focus was on long distance running type of training & there were very few athletes my age. This was mainly due to the fact that athletes my age either trained in the university or they didn’t train at all. Similarly, once they leave university, they either go pro or stop running altogether.

At university level (BU), unfortunately I couldn’t be a part of the university team due to NCAA regulations. However, I observed that there were a lot more support structures in place for student athletes than in Irish universities. I also liked the fact that academic performance was equally as important as sporting performance in the American education system. For instance, scholarship athletes had to record a number of study hours per week & they had incentives for student-athletes to motivate them to perform at both levels.

Other observations were just that they trained really hard (much harder than in Ireland) & were super competitive! For students who were not on sports scholarships, they had ‘intramural sports’ which was meant to be more fun and for amateur sports people. But even getting on the intramural sport team- irrespective of the sport- was really competitive and difficult.

In this episode we meet the Jackson family. Marloes, a native of The Netherlands, is an administrator of the club’s vibrant younger-ages juvenile squad. Her children Isabella and Luuk are two very promising young club athletes, whilst her husband Stephen takes a break from coaching at Coolmine Rugby Club to run the occasional marathon. This interview indicates that Donore Harriers has a bright future thanks to the commitment of people like Marloes and her family

STANDARD QUESTIONS

PLACE AND YEAR OF BIRTH? ISABELLA? LUUK? Isabella in September 2007 and Luuk in July 2009, both were born in Holles Street Hospital, Dublin

WHERE ARE ISABELLA AND LUUK BEING EDUCATED? Currently, Isabella is in 6^th class and Luuk in 4^th class of St. Brigid’s NS Castleknock. Isabella will be going to Mount Sackville Secondary School in September

MARLOES, WHAT HAS BEEN YOUR CAREER PATH? After receiving my Master’s in Law from the University of Amsterdam in 1997 I moved to Ireland for an internship at the Embassy of The Netherlands in Dublin 4. After the internship I decided to stay on in Ireland for a while but never moved back to The Netherlands! I worked in a few different jobs but eventually ended up back in the Embassy in 2003 where I am now the Operations Manager

IN WHAT YEAR DID ISABELLA AND LUUK JOIN DONORE HARRIERS? Isabella joined in June 2017 after winning a silver medal in the 200m sprint at the Dublin Community Games, which got her excited about athletics! Luuk then joined in September 2017

WHY DID THE FAMILY CHOOSE DONORE HARRIERS? We asked a few friends what athletics club we should join, and Donore Harriers was recommended by most! Donore has such a great history and is also known as a very friendly and welcoming club. Luuk already had a few friends who were in the juvenile group, so it was an easy decision in the end

DID ANY MEMBER OF THE FAMILY BELONG TO ANOTHER CLUB BEFORE JOINING DONORE HARRIERS? No.

DO ISABELLA AND LUUK PARTICIPATE IN ANY OTHER SPORTS? Isabella plays hockey and until last year also did competitive diving. The diving training sessions clashed with athletics and ultimately, she chose athletics. Luuk plays GAA (football and hurling) and rugby

DOES STEPHEN PARTICIPATE IN SPORT? He is a coach of Luuk’s rugby team at Coolmine Rugby Club. He runs socially and has completed a few marathons over the years

MARLOES, WHAT IS YOUR PRESENT ROLE(S) AT THE CLUB? Administrator of the juvenile group (ages 9 to 13)

LUUK, WHO ARE YOUR SPORTING INSPIRATIONS/INFLUENCES? Brian O’Driscoll and Wayde van Niekerk <South African, he is the current world and olympic record holder and olympc champion at 400m. Also competes over 200m>

SOCIAL QUESTIONS

WHAT WAS THE LAST BOOK YOU READ?

MARLOES? “The Choice” by Edith Eger

STEPHEN? “Shoe” Dog by Phil Knight

WHAT WAS THE LAST CONCERT YOU BOTH ATTENDED? Isabella and Marloes went to see Ariana Grande in September 2019

WHAT ARE YOUR 3 FAVOURITE FILMS TO WATCH AS A FAMILY?

1. Johnny English

2. Paddington

3. Elf

FAVOURITE COUNTRY VISITED AS FAMILY? The Netherlands (of course!)

FAVOURITE FAMILY MEAL? Spaghetti with Meatballs (with lots of parmesan cheese)

MARLOES, WHAT ARE YOUR OTHER INTERESTS AWAY FROM ATHLETICS/SPORT? Cooking, travelling and fitness

IF DISERT ISLAND DISCS ASKED YOU TO PLAY 4 SONGS, WHAT WOULD THEY BE – ONE EACH?

1. MARLOES = Prince – 1999

2. STEPHEN = Luke Kelly – On Raglan Road

3. ISABELLA = Ariana Granda – 7 rings

4. LUUK = Drake – Toosie Slide

ATHLETICS QUESTIONS

WHO COACHES ISABELLA AND LUUK AT THE CLUB? Isabella is coached by Paul Clarkin and John Geoghegan. Luuk’s coaches are Niall Lynch and Dianne Nunan

LUUK, WHAT DO YOU CONSIDER TO BE YOUR BEST ATHLETICS ACHIEVEMENT? Silver medal at the 2019 Dublin Outdoor Championships

LUUK, WHAT ARE LUUK BEST TIMES/MARKS (PBs)?

60m – 8.81

600m – 1:46.82

1,500m – 5:20

ISABELLA, WHAT IS YOUR FAVOURITE COACHED SESSION? Acceleration sprint session

LUUK, DESCRIBE THE MOST DIFFICULT SESSION THAT YOU HAVE DONE? The under 11 team had qualified for the National cross-country in December 2019. It was agreed that the team do a combined session with the Academy Squad. We had to do laps that included a 200 metres steep hill at Waterstown Park. It was really tough! I realized how hard the older boys train after that

MARLOES, WHAT DO YOU CONSIDER TO BE THE MOST REWARDING ASPECT OF SUPPORTING YOUNG ATHLETES? I mainly do the admin for the juvenile group and help out at various competitions. For me, it is most rewarding to see the confidence levels of younger athletes getting a boost when they have finished a race at a competition or completed a time trial during training. Even more so for the athletes who are at first more reluctant to compete

LUUK, WHAT IS YOUR TYPICAL WEEKLY SPORTS ACTIVITY (pre-covid)?

Monday –GAA

Tuesday – Athletics

Thursday – Athletics

Friday – GAA

Saturday – Rugby training, GAA match (football or hurling)

Sunday- Rugby training or match

STEPHEN, DO YOU HAVE A UNIQUE OR FUNNY STORY RELATED TO SPORT? Not really funny, but I used to bring the oranges out to the Irish rugby team at half time in Lansdowne Road… It was back in the day when the teams would stay on the pitch in a huddle at half time!!

MARLOES, WHAT ONE CHANGE WOULD YOU LIKE TO SEE AT DONORE HARRIERS? I would love to see more parents of juveniles get involved in the club. The current juvenile numbers are really high and the waiting list to join continues to grow. In order to develop the juvenile section at Donore Harriers further, the support of parents is key

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

1. Brian O’Driscoll

2. Eamonn Coughlan

3. Keith Wood

SPECIFIC QUESTIONS

ISABELLA, WHAT IS YOUR FAVOURITE ATHLETICS EVENTS? (EG. HIGH JUMP, 200M) – 200m

LUUK, WHAT ATHLETICS EVENT DO YOU HOPE TO CONCENTRATE ON IN THE FUTURE? 400m

ISABELLA, WHICH DO YOU PREFER – CROSS-COUNTRY OR TRACK? Track

STEPHEN, WE’VE BEEN TOLD THAT YOU RUN MARATHONS, WHAT WAS YOUR BEST MARATHON PERFORMANCE? I ran the Rotterdam Marathon in 3hours and 28 minutes

MARLOES, WHAT DO YOU FEEL ARE THE BENEFITS OF ATHLETICS TO YOUR CHILDREN? From a fitness point of view: they build up their endurance, speed and agility. From a social point of view: it is a sport where boys and girls of all ages train together and support each other at sessions and at competitions, which I think is great for their social development. It’s lovely to see the camaraderie between the club athletes at competitions

Sinead Lambe began life at Donore Harriers in the Fit4Life squad. Last year she was the lead out runner in the club’s historic national road relay winning team. She describes “ordinary runners” as her inspiration, but many aspiring athletes can take great encouragement from Sinead’s progress and achievements. In this interview she talks about her early days at the club, having to deal with long-term injury and the personal benefits of running

STANDARD QUESTIONS

PLACE AND YEAR OF BIRTH? Wexford, 1986

WHERE ARE YOU BEING EDUCATED? I am currently a final year (hopefully!) PhD candidate in DCU. Although I might still have a student card and be in the Masters Category at the same time yet!

WHAT IS YOUR PLANNED CAREER PATH? Having taught in a junior boy’s school in the inner city for 12 years, I began on a new career path in August and am now fulltime lecturing in Early Childhood Education in Marino Institute of Education

IN WHAT YEAR DID YOU JOIN DONORE HARRIERS? I joined Donore Harriers in 2011, I think!

WHY DID YOU CHOOSE DONORE HARRIERS? I started doing a bit of running with Ronan in 2010. He managed to get me to start line of the Great Ireland Run that year where I ran 54 minutes. I was delighted and I loved it so I began looking into joining a club. I looked at a few different websites and I liked the look of Donore Harriers and the location of the club. I rang up and got talking to Tom Byrne. I told him that myself and my partner were looking to join a club. He asked me what times I could run. I told him 54 minutes for 10k. He asked me what time Ronan could run. I told him 37 minutes. He told me to send Ronan down to the men’s group and advised me to join Barry Potts Fit4Life group. So that is what we did. It was brilliant advice. Barry was the best first coach you could ask for. Supportive and kind and gentle. I met Des Gill on the first evening I went down to the club and we became firm friends from then, even when I got much faster than him. Nicola Dowdall was also in the group and we enjoyed many evenings running together. I loved Barry’s training and after about 6 months when I could run around 7 minute miles for 5 miles, Barry told me it was time to join Jim McNamara’s group. I was terrified at the prospect but Barry brought me up and made the transition easy. I began training then with Jim and the women’s group on a Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday and every now and again would head out on the Monday and Wednesday with Barry and the gang. Soon I was running 6/7 days a week with Jim and the girls, and I moved on, but I will always be grateful to Barry and the Fit4Life group for the gentle and warm welcome into the sport

DID YOU PARTICIPATE IN ANY OTHER SPORT? I ran for a short while as a child but I couldn’t handle the pressure of racing, so I stopped. I played tennis, camogie and basketball for fun growing up. I played hockey for DCU during my time as a student in St. Pat’s, but I only ever really enjoyed the running drills at the start. When I was positioned as an extra midfielder with the sole purpose of marking and running around the opposing midfielder so that our real midfielder could be freed up, I realised I wasn’t really using the hockey stick very much and that I probably should just take up running

WHAT IS YOUR FAVOURITE ATHLETICS EVENT? I haven’t figured that out yet! Open to suggestions!

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

WHO WERE/ARE YOUR SPORTING INSPIRATIONS/INFLUENCES? I am inspired mostly by the people I train with and race against. I find the everyday, ordinary runners most inspiring and more relatable than the stars of the sport. Somebody like Aislinn Nic Dhomhnaill who ran a 2.48 marathon this year in Dublin, while working and being a mam to three small children is what I find inspiring. Gerry O’Connell who raced 67 races a year or two back and who really loves the sport. I have learned that it really doesn’t have to be about being the best. I admire anyone who shows up and trains hard and who is modest. I admire those who don’t take themselves too seriously and those who are better than you but still find time to chat to you at the races. Fionnuala McCormack is somebody who I really admire for her modesty, her humility and her immense work ethic and talent. And of course, her sister Úna Britton, who despite being able to bury you on any run, isn’t interested in doing that – unless it’s a race!

Jim (McNamara) of course, had a huge influence on my love of running and how I train still. Jim taught me to train hard and to prepare thoroughly. He was all in and I love that. No shortcuts, just do the work. I have great respect too for my brother Conor, who has made great strides in the last couple of years due to hard work and dedication and who is always encouraging and supportive of my efforts. He has a fantastic mind-set and sets himself no limits

SOCIAL QUESTIONS

WHAT WAS THE LAST BOOK YOU READ? A Run in the Park by David Park

FAVOURITE COUNTRY VISITED? I spent 12 weeks in Addis Ababa which was a fabulous experience. I just wish I had have taken up running at that stage, the high altitude benefits were utterly wasted!

WHAT ARE YOUR OTHER INTERESTS AWAY FROM ATHLETICS/SPORT? At the moment my time is largely taken up with my work and study outside of my training

ATHLETICS QUESTIONS

WHO IS YOUR COACH? For the past couple of years my training has been guided by Gerry O’Connell who I began running with in Marino. Gerry has been brilliant in helping me to build a base by running lots of easy miles (always on the grass!) and by encouraging me to race more and race often. He wouldn’t consider himself a coach but he has certainly helped me to improve my endurance and I managed to run PB’s over every distance -1500m, 3000m, 5k, 4mile, 10k, 10mile and half marathon over the past couple of years of training with Gerry. I like his simple approach to training which is to ‘keep getting out’. He believes in doing the miles and not over complicating it and that has worked really well for me. I check in also with Conor’s coach Donie Walsh who offers guidance and structure to my week and I find that really helpful too. I am guided always too, by the great training that I did with Jim and I still run sessions now that I did with Jim. I do however, run the easy days easier (much easier!)

WHAT DO YOU CONSIDER TO BE YOUR BEST ATHLETICS ACHIEVEMENT? I think one of my best runs was in the Waterhouse Byrne Baird Shield two years ago, in 2018. I ran 65.46 that day. It was the toughest race I have ever ran and I was delighted that the hard training paid off. I was even more delighted when the astute Willie Dunne told me that he thought it was one of the quickest runs by a female after the great Valerie McGovern.

WHAT ARE YOUR BEST TIMES (PBs)?

10 mile- 61.29

Half Marathon – 82.48

5k- 17.31

1500m- 4.45

800m- 2.19

4 mile – 23.13

WHAT IS YOUR FAVOURITE COACHED SESSION? I love mile or km repeats on the Polo Grounds, but I loved Jim’s gully sessions the most

DESCRIBE THE MOST DIFFICULT SESSION THAT YOU HAVE DONE? Jim (McNamara) was reading something about the way the Kenyans trained at one time and had myself and Íde and Sorcha do a session on the gully lap where we would tempo run for 20-25 minutes, then up on the flat for 12 x 200m or 8 x 400m and then back on the gully lap for another tempo run of 20-25 minutes. I also did some great hard 10 mile runs with Gerry (O’Connell) of 3 minutes on 1 minute off on the grass in Malahide in preparation for the Byrne Baird Shield

WHAT IS YOUR TYPICAL WEEKLY TRAINING PLAN (pre-covid)?

Monday – easy run in am and pm

Tuesday – easy run in am and pm

Wednesday – Session (hills)

Thursday – steady medium long run

Friday – rest or easy run

Saturday – Session (tempo)

Sunday – long run

WHAT ONE CHANGE WOULD YOU LIKE TO SEE AT DONORE HARRIERS? I would love to see all of the senior athletes (male and female!) forming a cohesive, coached training group

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

1. Fionnuala McCormack

2. Eamon Coughlan

3. Martin Storey <Wexford hurler>

SPECIFIC QUESTIONS

WHICH IS YOUR FAVOURITE RACING TERRAIN, ROAD, XC OR TRACK? I love trail! But I like them all!

YOU HAVE HAD TO DEAL WITH INJURIES, PLEASE TELL US ABOUT THE NATURE OF THE INJURY AND THE RECOVERY PROCESS? The most significant injury that I have had was a pelvic stress fracture in 2013 which left me out of the sport for almost two years. Following the fracture, I developed osteitis pubis which was very slow to heal. I think it is important to be honest and say that part of the recovery process for me was engaging with a sports nutritionist and a sports psychologist. I had developed RED’s, unknown to myself – previously known as Female Athlete Triad syndrome. I had low bone density as a result of inadequate diet and my period had stopped about a year prior to the fracture. I worked with Sharon Madigan on improving my diet and with a sports psychologist who helped me to reflect on how and why I had developed such a serious injury. I am so grateful to Dr Noel McCaffrey who referred me at the time and who made me look at the bigger picture and encouraged me to take the time and the steps necessary to recover fully and properly. I am now fully aware of what I need to do to fuel the body to train hard and am a much better and healthier athlete and person as a result.

In recent years I have had minor injuries, plantar fasciitis was one, which Gerry helped me to run through by running only on the grass, very slowly and by changing my runners much more regularly. I was unlucky in the run up to the marathon this year to acquire a partial tear in the peroneal tendon in my foot while innocuously walking around the house in my bare feet.

WHAT HAS BEEN YOUR MOST MEMORABLE RACE? AND WHY? There have been lots of good days and the most memorable days are often not the days you win or run your fastest times. But I guess the Road Relays last year was a particularly memorable day, winning national gold for Donore Harriers for the first time in the club’s history. I feel lucky to have been a part of that team!

<EXTRACT FROM DH RACE REPORT: In the senior women’s race (National Senior Road Relay at Raheny on 28^th April 2019) over 4 miles (one mile, 2 miles and one mile) Sinead Lambe (5.23) got Donore off to a solid start reaching the handover in 4^th place, as Crusaders AC took an early lead. 46 years-old Barbara Cleary (10.47) then had a pivotal tussle with Irish junior international Jodie McCann (10.56) of Dublin City Harriers (DCH) over 2 miles. Cleary’s fine run put Donore Harriers just 2-seconds behind leaders DCH going into the final one-mile lap with North Down AC 100-metres back in 3^rd place. Final leg runner Ide Ni Dhomhnaill (5.15) soon sped into the lead and putting 21 seconds on her DCH rival and gave Donore Harriers (21.25) a historic and convincing win, with DCH (21.44) in 2^nd and North Down AC (22.10) in 3^rd>

HOW HAS ATHLETICS IMPACTED ON YOUR CAREER? AND HOW HAS YOUR CAREER IMPACTED YOUR RUNNING? I think running definitely gave me a newfound confidence in terms of my work and my study. I began furthering my education after I started running and I really believe that the two are linked. I began to believe in myself more and realised that our capacity and potential is unlimited and that you get out what you put in, in both running and in your career. Gerry reminds me often that you can apply the same rules to the PhD as you do to running, keep showing up, keep tipping away and the end result will come. Eventually. I hope!

Charlie O’Neill is serving his 2^nd term as Club President, having previously held the position between 2008 and 2011. Charlie was a very fine senior club athlete in a very competitive 80s era, and then went on to achieve more success as a master athlete. In more recent times he has been an active member of the Dublin Athletics Board and became an official Athletics Ireland race starter. In this interview Charlie talks about overcoming cancer to complete the 2019 Dublin marathon, the important functions of the Dublin Athletics Board, the rise in the participation of juvenile athletics and his rivalry with club colleague and friend Joe Rankin…

STANDARD QUESTIONS

PLACE AND YEAR OF BIRTH? 26th May 1954, the old Coombe Hospital Dublin

WHERE WERE YOU EDUCATED? I went to CBS Crumlin and College of Commerce Rathmines, studying marketing

IN WHAT YEAR DID YOU JOIN DONORE HARRIERS? I joined Donore Harriers in 1982

WHY DID YOU CHOOSE DONORE HARRIERS? In late 1981 I did a 10-mile charity race as preparation for the Marathon. The one and only Maurice Ahern posted me a letter asking that I consider joining Donore Harriers. I eventually phoned him, and he was very persuasive. He set me up with a Donore Harriers group who would meet regularly at lunchtime and were also training for the Marathon. Lunchtime suited me as I was on the road a lot and liked to be home and stay home in the evenings. After a while, I eventually joined Eddie Hogan’s group, training every Tuesday and Thursday evening and on Saturday mornings. I met some great people and running legends. The rest is history…

WERE YOU A MEMBER OF ANY OTHER CLUB BEFORE JOINING DONORE HARRIERS? No, I was never a member of any other club. One life, one club!

DID YOU PARTICIPATE IN ANY OTHER SPORT? I played street soccer as a kid and GAA in school but was absolutely hopeless… move on!

WHAT IS YOUR FAVOURITE ATHLETICS EVENT? My favourite events are the 800m and 1500m, but I absolutely love watching the steeplechase at International level. I also love watching the Euro Cross Country. Yep, even more than the World Cross Country! My daughters say that I would watch two flies running up a windowpane!

WHAT IS YOUR PRESENT ROLE(S) AT THE CLUB? Club President (second term) I was also Hon, Sec at one stage and also served on the committee

WHO WAS YOUR SPORTING INSPIRATION? Muhammad Ali

SOCIAL QUESTIONS

WHAT WAS THE LAST BOOK YOU READ? “Milkman” by Anna Burns

WHAT WAS THE LAST CONCERT YOU ATTENDED? Graham Nash in the National Concert Hall 2019

WHAT ARE YOUR 3 FAVOURITE FILMS?

1. The Godfather

2. Paper Moon

3. Schindler’s List

FAVOURITE COUNTRY VISITED? Canada (British Columbia) The Rockies are stunning and have fab trails to run on. Watch out for the bears though!

WHAT ARE YOUR OTHER INTERESTS AWAY FROM ATHLETICS/SPORT? Strumming the guitar (badly), but its very relaxing

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

1. A Day in The Life by The Beatles my favourite group of all time.

2. Gimme Shelter by The Rolling Stones.

3. Mr. Blue Sky by ELO

ATHLETICS QUESTIONS

WHAT DO YOU CONSIDER TO BE YOUR BEST ATHLETICS PERFORMANCES AND ACHIEVEMENTS?  5th in the Frank Duffy/Dublin Championship 10 mile in 1984 in a PB of 52.11.

My best 5-mile road time is 25.31 set in the Sportsworld Classic in 1984.

I have a marathon PB of 2.37 set in Dublin 1984 and ran 2.53 in the national marathon at Tallaght for third place in the over 45s category, which was good enough for Dublin individual gold.

I was Dublin over 40s track champion for the 5,000m in 1990 in a time of 15.20. I ran a blinder that day!

The Ballycotton “10” was the premier 10-mile road race in Ireland but now sadly gone. It was always an ambition of mine to win something in Ballycotton and I always upped my training after Christmas in preparation. So, I was happy to win the over 45s category in 59.35. Donore Harriers had great weekends in Ballycotton, but what goes on tour stays on tour!

I also won lots of cross-country team medals at Dublin, Leinster and National championships the bulk at master level. I hated cross country and much preferred the road and track.

I’m also grateful to have been able to complete the Dublin Marathon last year which I felt marked full recovery from my bowel cancer operation in 2016. I’m technically still in remission but I just know that I have it beat

DO YOU REMEMBER HOW MANY TIMES YOU COMPETED FOR THE WATERHOUSE, BYRNE, BAIRD SHIELD? AND WHAT WAS YOUR BEST RESULT IN THE EVENT? I did the WBB Shield race every year since 1983 until relatively recently. The last time I competed was 2017. Allowing for time out with injury, I must have done this race at least thirty times.

In all honesty I cannot remember the exact year, but I did just over 58 minutes one year which earned my highest place, third. A former Donore Harriers President, Joe Rankin, has won it twice. We were, and still are, great buddies. Our rivalry in races was intense, however. Man, we had some great races together, and, more often than not, he brought out the best performance in me on any racing day. But he won the Shield, not once but, twice! You can see that I’m still envious after all this time.

DESCRIBE THE MOST DIFFICULT SESSION THAT YOU HAVE DONE?Coach Eddie Hogan would confiscate our watches and we would do a ” blind” Fartlek.  After a two-mile warm up, he would blow his whistle and we would speed up. After, what seemed like an eternity, he would blow his whistle again and we would recover with a jog. It would continue like this, fast and slow, to the shrill of his whistle for about an hour. With no watch on my wrist or markings on the course to mark specific distances, I had no point of reference. It exhausted me in mind and body, but I learned pacing and how to surge in races when the legs can hardly hold you up. A killer!

WHAT IS/WAS YOUR FAVOURITE COACHED SESSION? Fartlek, the traditional type and not Eddie’s version, I stress.

DO YOU HAVE A FUNNY STORY RELATED TO ATHLETICS/THE CLUB? Some years ago, one Saturday, a well-known official was missing for the 10,000 metres National T&F Championship. His usual role of lap counter was given to someone else. He arrived on Sunday and enquired how things progressed with the final. He was told “ah sure yer man made a bags of it by ringing the bell with two laps to go. As a result, everyone finished a lap short. It’s ok though as we added a minute to everyone’s time to make the result look right in the papers“.  Our friend was furious and wanted me to write to the Governing Body and insist that the race be run again a.s.a.p. at some future date. To this day he still believes that this is what happened in his absence.

WHAT ONE CHANGE WOULD YOU LIKE TO SEE AT DONORE HARRIERS? I just wish that members would support our teams more readily. Too often our captains have to chase and beg members to become part of a team. We have often lost championship titles not because we were the worst club but simply because we couldn’t put out our strongest team. Please support your club!

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

1. Sonia O Sullivan

2. Eamonn Coghlan

3. John Tracey.

SPECIFIC QUESTIONS

YOU WERE COACHED BACK IN THE DAY BY THE LEGENDARY EDDIE HOGAN, WHAT CAN YOU TELL US ABOUT THAT EXPERIENCE?What I learned from the great Eddie Hogan was the importance of teamwork. “Usually there is only one race winner, but the last person to score on a team is equally as important as the first person, and very often, is more important. So always run to your best and run THRUUGH the finish line, not TO the finish line ”

That advice got me lots of team medals.

YOU ARE ON YOUR SECOND TERM AS CLUB PRESIDENT, WHAT SIGNIFICANT CHANGES HAVE YOU SEEN IN THE LAST FEW YEARS? Improvements in the club is the coaching structure which is in place now. We try and cater for everyone and the commitment of our coaches in time, effort and innovation simply amazes me.

YOU ARE VICE-CHAIR OF THE DUBLIN ATHLETICS BOARD AND A LONG-STANDING MEMBER OF THAT COMMITTEE, TELL US SOMETHING ABOUT THE IMPORTANT FUNCTIONS OF THE COUNTY BOARD?The main function of the Dublin Board is to provide competition for registered Club athletes of every ability. We organise competition on road, cross-country and track (indoors and outdoors) for juveniles right up to masters. It’s a huge workload!

It’s important that athletes understand that we provide competition for ALL abilities. For example, we organise an annual Graded track and field competition with races catering for, not only, the fastest but also the slowest club runner. The rival track competition is organised by The Milers Club. These races are really geared for the fastest club runners to improve more, and races are led by a pacemaker.

We, on the other hand, give every club runner, regardless of ability, a chance to experience the thrill of racing on a track with athletes of a similar level to themselves. Real racing if you like. I guess there is room for both ideals.

Secondly, we act as a conduit for Dublin Clubs to address the AAI on matters of competition and propose new rules or changes to existing ones.

And thirdly, we can act as mediators with inter Club disputes.

THERE HAS BEEN AN INCREASE IN JUVENILE ATHLETICS PARTICIPATION IN RECENT YEARS, WHAT DO YOU CONSIDER TO BE THE PRIMARY FACTOR FOR THIS DEVELOPMENT? Dublin Board cater for an enormous number of juvenile athletes. Our indoor competition alone could have three thousand athletes competing and the numbers are growing year on year. This presents logistical challenges on a grand scale and Dublin Board do their best with the few regular volunteers we have.

I think the reason for the big jump in juvenile competition is that the parents of today come from a culture of exercise. They were active in sport before becoming parents and are well informed. Therefore, they understand the importance of sport in physical and mental fitness as well as fighting obesity in the young. When you think of it, running is a foundation stone of all field games

YOU RECENTLY BECAME AN OFFICIAL RACE STARTER, I MEAN YOU ARE THE MAN WITH THE GUN, HOW IS THAT EXPERIENCE?For years I have been a race official at both Dublin and National events, but I particularly enjoy being part of the starts team. Beginning my apprenticeship with Tom Mc Cormac (Liffey Valley) and later Cyril J Smyth. I find it immensely satisfying

My job is to be in full control of the start to ensure a fair and safe start for everyone. I just cannot be distracted and am totally in the zone.

It has thought me patience, acute awareness and it has improved my concentration levels. It’s also given me confidence and the ability to control my nerves under pressure. Yes, it can be a long tiring day, but I have a “front seat” watching the sport I love. What’s not to like?

WHAT CHANGES WOULD YOU LIKE TO SEE IN IRISH ATHLETICS?I would love if people in the National organisation with influence abroad can effectively tackle the global issue of drug cheats. Maybe start a campaign to outlaw the agents involved and impose stiff fines for the athletes as well as a ban. Clean athletes have been robbed by cheats and it’s now got to the stage where every top-class performance is under suspicion, which is not good

THE COVID-19 RESTRICTIONS HAS BEEN A DIFFICULT TIME FOR EVERYBODY, DO YOU HAVE A FINAL MESSAGE FOR THE MEMBERSHIP? My advice to our young athletes during Covid 19 would be to cross train. Add fun to your fitness routine but stay active. Also it’s not a weakness to feel anxiety and no one will think any less of you if you discuss any issues you have in life with a parent, guardian,  coach or trusted friend, It’s good to talk. I guarantee you will feel all the better for sharing. Sharing your feelings with someone you trust, when feeling down or anxious, is the weapon of the strong, not the weak

Abdel Laadjel is one of Ireland’s most exciting young middle-distance talents. He was first junior in the Tom Brennan New Year’s Day 5km running 15.19, placing 8^th, just 7 seconds and 2 places shy of Liam Brady – the 2019 national senior cross-country champion. Just prior to the Covid-19 restrictions he won the All-Ireland Schools intermediate grade cross-country championship. In 2019 he won the schools Under-16 One Mile and represented Ireland in the Celtic Games XC at Mallusk

STANDARD QUESTIONS

PLACE AND YEAR OF BIRTH? Born 2003 in Dublin

WHERE ARE YOU BEING EDUCATED? I’m currently in 5th year in Kishoge Community College in Lucan

WHAT IS YOUR PLANNED CAREER PATH? I’d like to follow a career path in something based on computers or business

IN WHAT YEAR DID YOU JOIN DONORE HARRIERS? I joined Donore Harriers in 2017

WHY DID YOU CHOOSE DONORE HARRIERS? I chose Donore Harriers because Gerry Naughton came up to me in the West Leinster Schools cross-country championships after I came 4^th in my race. He asked me to come down and train with the lads. He has been the person why I’ve improved and achieved since then

WERE YOU A MEMBER OF ANY OTHER CLUB BEFORE JOINING DONORE HARRIERS? No, I only started running when I joined Donore Harriers

DID YOU PARTICIPATE IN ANY OTHER SPORT? I no longer participate in other sports. I stopped playing regular football in 2018 to focus on running. It was hard to balance the two sports and I wanted to do well in athletics. I still play GAA matches for my school

WHAT IS YOUR FAVOURITE ATHLETICS EVENT? My favourite track event to watch is either the 400m or 1500m as they are two events that are very tense to watch

WHAT IS YOUR PRESENT ROLE(S) AT THE CLUB? I am an athlete in the Academy Squad coached by Gerry Naughton and Ciaran O’Flaherty

WHO WERE/ARE YOUR SPORTING INSPIRATIONS/INFLUENCES? My sporting inspiration have been Muhammed Ali for mental toughness, and Hicham El Guerrouj for dominating middle distance running. Zinedine Zidane is also a big influence, as he has been both a great footballer and the best coach. Not many ex-footballers can say that!

SOCIAL QUESTIONS

WHAT WAS THE LAST BOOK YOU READ? “Moroccan Success; The Kada Way” which I have yet to finish. It’s about all the success of Moroccan athletes and the brilliant coaching of Abdelkader Kada, focusing on how he coached Hicham El Guerrouj to greatness

WHAT WAS THE LAST CONCERT YOU ATTENDED? The last Concert I went to was John Gibbons, one the most famous Irish DJ’s in the Academy in Dublin

WHAT ARE YOUR 3 FAVOURITE FILMS?

1. The Battle of Algiers
2. Blue Story
3. SpiderMan (the first one)

FAVOURITE COUNTRY VISITED? I would have to say that my favourite country visited is Spain, especially the Granada region and the ancient town of Alhambra, which is one of the most beautiful ancient towns I’ve seen. I’m really into going to historic places, so that probably influenced my choice

WHAT ARE YOUR OTHER INTERESTS AWAY FROM ATHLETICS/SPORT? My interests away from sport are computers and coding with them. I’ve been interested in messing around with computers since I was a very young kid. It has always been my intention to keep learning more about coding and computers

<NOTE: coding is the way humans communicate with machines, and it allows us to create software like programs, operating systems, and mobile apps>

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

1. Juicy (The notorious B.I.G
2. Unforgettable (French Montana)
3. No Words (Dave)

ATHLETICS QUESTIONS

WHO ARE YOUR COACHES? My coaches are Gerry Naughton and Ciaran O’Flaherty

WHAT DO YOU CONSIDER TO BE YOUR BEST ATHLETICS ACHIEVEMENT? Probably winning my first Irish vest or my All-Ireland Schools cross-country win. Hopefully, many more achievements to come!

WHAT ARE YOUR BEST TIMES/MARKS (PBs)? My pbs are – 800m 2.00, 1,500m 4.10, Mile 4:34 and 5km road 15.19

WHAT IS YOUR FAVOURITE COACHED SESSION? Favourite session is either 6 by 1km or 4 by (4 by 4) 400m reps. They really hurt, but I enjoy getting them done and feeling the benefits

DESCRIBE THE MOST DIFFICULT SESSION THAT YOU HAVE DONE? The most difficult session I’ve done is either ‘paarlauf in the park’, Kenyan hills or the steep hills in Watertown Park. It’s basically any session that has hills that I find the most difficult

WHAT IS YOUR TYPICAL WEEKLY TRAINING PLAN (pre-covid)?

Monday – Rest
Tuesday – an hour steady run
Wednesday – Track session or hills
Thursday – an hour recovery run
Friday- 45 min run (sometimes rest)
Saturday – Tempo session or Hills
Sunday – 12-mile steady run

DO YOU HAVE A FUNNY STORY RELATED TO ATHLETICS/THE CLUB? When we were on the warm-weather training camp in Portugal last year, I dolphin-dived/belly-flopped into the steeplechase water pool after a session in front of the group.

Another is when I was on a Sunday long run with the lads. I fell once on my face and then 30 minutes later I fell again on my face and I looked like I just finished an MMA fight by the end of the run.

And another is something called T.T.S, which was created by Louis O’Loughlin. It stands for ‘topless training session’. It’s a tradition in our training group at this point

WHAT ONE CHANGE WOULD YOU LIKE TO SEE AT DONORE HARRIERS? One change I’d like to see at Donore Harriers is a 400m track and/or a club physio

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

1. My top of all time must be Eamonn Coghlan for setting the mile indoor world record 3 times and he was renowned for destroying the field on the indoors track
2. Roy Keane for what he’s done in football and with the national team
3. Micheal Conlan (boxing) after being robbed in the Olympics went back and fought the same guy in a professional fight and beat him

SPECIFIC QUESTIONS

TELL US ABOUT YOUR INVOLVEMENT WITH FOOTBALL AND WHY YOU DECIDED TO QUIT THE GAME? I was involved in football at a very young age as my Dad was really into football. I loved football since I can remember and always enjoyed putting on my Liverpool jersey. It was very hard to give up football, but I eventually did so as to concentrate more on my athletics. I am still a huge football fan. I watch a lot of games and play the odd times with my mates

WHAT DISTANCE DO YOU PLAN TO CONCENTRATE ON IN THE FUTURE? The distances I plan to concentrate on in the future are the 1500m and 5000m as I think I’m built for those two distances. I know I have the endurance for the 5,000m and the strength for 1,500m

THE NATIONAL UNDER 17 CROSS-COUNTRY RACE IN DECEMBER (2019) PROVED TO BE A DISAPPOINTMENT, WHAT DO YOU RECALL ABOUT THE RACE? The national U17 cross-country race at Cow Park in Dunboyne was a huge disappointment. I went into the race going for the win and came out in 12^th place. I knew I was in top shape. I felt good! But when I got into the race I didn’t feel right. I got tired before the halfway point and lost focus. As my coach Gerry (Naughton) says “It doesn’t matter how you feel before the race, it’s how you feel when you are out there in battle” which is one the truest thing I’ve heard. Nevertheless, I didn’t let the disappointment get to my head. It probably made me to feel more motivated. I believe everything happens for a reason, so it was meant to happen that day
ON THE OTHER HAND, THE ALL-IRELAND SCHOOLS INTERMEDIATE RACE IN MARCH 2020 WAS A GREAT RACE FOR YOU! TELL US ABOUT THAT DAY? The All Ireland schools in March was a big win for me after losing out so badly in the under 17 nationals as I was racing against the same top 3 from that race. I wanted to redeem myself and prove that I deserved to be up there. I was very motivated going into the race and I was going for the win. I spoke to my coach Gerry before the race. Gerry had just got off a plane the same morning and came to watch the race. He told me that it would be close race with 4 or 5 serious contenders and that I should not make my big move until the last lap. In the race I was very relaxed and let everyone do the work for the first 3.5k. I broke clear from the pack in the last 1.5-kilometre lap. I knew I had it in the bag. It was a good feeling crossing over the line because I knew all the months of hard work in the winter months was worth it

WHAT IS IT LIKE TRAINING WITH LOUIS O’LOUGHLIN? HE’S OBVIOUSLY A VERY GIFTED ATHLETE! Louis O’Loughlin is one the best training partners and best mates to have. He’s the best junior 800m runner in Ireland without a doubt – and he still has so much more to come. His talent extends to every event from 400m up to cross-country. He can pretty much do it all. I know Louis has much more to give and will keep improving from what is already a crazy PB in the 800m of 1.50. We love pushing each other in training and challenging each other. We all want to improve together with the other lads like Gavin (Curtin), Sean (Kinsella) and Zak (Sekeriye Ahmed). A big shout out to Louis’ music, everyone should hear him play the piano!

TRACK OR CROSS-COUNTRY? As much as I run cross-country, I must say I prefer the track for racing and championships. I am more of a track person in general than a cross-country runner. But the atmosphere in cross-country is something else!

IS IT TRUE THAT YOU HAVE A FAN CLUB IN ALGERIA? It was taken down by Noureddine Morceli as he is scared that I would take all of his records in the future – LOL! Hopefully one day I’ll race in Algeria while on a visit to my family there

Jim Fanning followed his father’s footsteps to become a member of Donore Harriers in circa 1958. Both were national high jump champions and Jim set an Irish record of 2.06m at the AAA Games at Crystal Palace, London in July 1973. He won European gold and World silver in the master’s grade. Jim was Donore Harriers president between 1987 and 1990 and until recently was coaching at the club. In this fascinating interview he mentions sporting legends Brendan O’Reilly, Tom O’Riordan and Brian Hewson… and recounts a great career in athletics

STANDARD QUESTIONS

PLACE AND YEAR OF BIRTH? Terenure, Dublin in 1946

WHERE WERE YOU EDUCATED?St Mary’s College, Rathmines and UCD (B. Comm.)

WHAT WAS YOUR MAIN CAREER PATH?Accountant and later on Course Bookmaker

IN WHAT YEAR DID YOU JOIN DONORE HARRIERS? I got involved with Donore Harriers around 1958

WHY DID YOU CHOOSE DONORE HARRIERS? My father, Pat, was an active athlete and then committee member since 1930s

WERE YOU A MEMBER OF ANY OTHER CLUB BEFORE JOINING DONORE HARRIERS? No, only the boy scouts

DID YOU PARTICIPATE IN ANY OTHER SPORT? I played rugby at a low level. My last rugby match was 6 days before breaking the Irish high jump record in Germany in 1972. Rugby and high jumping don’t mix!

WHAT WAS/IS YOUR FAVOURITE ATHLETICS EVENT?My favourite events are high and triple jumps, 110m hurdles and decathlon

WHAT WAS/IS YOUR PRESENT ROLE(S) AT THE CLUB?I’m proud of having been a former president of Donore Harriers and was always involved with the club. Up to last year, I helped Graham (Hopkins) and Niall (Lynch), who are doing a great job coaching the younger athletes

WHO WERE/ARE YOUR SPORTING INSPIRATIONS/INFLUENCES?Donore Harriers man, Brendan O’Reilly, whose Irish record I broke, was always an inspiration having watched him jumping as a young kid

IS IT TRUE THAT BRENDAN O’REILLY BECAME A CLOSE FAMILY FRIEND? Yes, indeed! When Brendan O’ Reilly returned to Ireland with his new model wife, Linda, in 1959, having graduated from Michigan University, my father organised a flat for them to start their new life here. Brendan, who was unlucky not to make the team for the Melbourne Olympics, due to lack of finance from our athletics body, then got his break in the sports department of Telefis Eireann. The two of them remained good friends over the years, and when my father died in 1974, Brendan sent me a beautiful letter of condolence, which I treasure.

SOCIAL QUESTIONS

WHAT WAS THE LAST BOOK YOU READ? Henry Cecil – biography of a top horse trainer

WHAT WAS THE LAST CONCERT YOU ATTENDED?James Blunt in the RDS – a marvellous singer/songwriter

WHAT ARE YOUR 3 FAVOURITE FILMS?
1. The Pianist
2. Philadelphia (Tom Hanks)
3. Race (the story of Jesse Owens)

FAVOURITE COUNTRY VISITED?Iceland.  Competed there with the Irish team in 1973. The day before our competition, there was a chess match in the stadium between the Icelandic and Norwegian champions. It attracted a crowd of 8000 spectators. About 500 came to the athletics!

I must also include Ethiopia. It’s a fascinating country! Our cross-country coach, Mick Bourke set up an athletics club in Yirgalum, a town in southern Ethiopia, around 2004. I made a few visits there coaching long and triple jumping. Unfortunately, there were no facilities for high jumping. I admired the great humanitarian work Mick was doing there. Nearly 100 enthusiastic kids turn up for training at 6am – and later adjourned for breakfast in the local cafe, courtesy of Mick, before going on to school. Mick attended to the physical, mental, educational, and sometimes financial needs of those in the community and did so in a low-key manner. He is indirectly responsible for Irish 5000m champion and new Irish citizen Hiko Tonoso (DSDAC) coming to Ireland.

WHAT ARE YOUR OTHER INTERESTS AWAY FROM ATHLETICS/SPORT?I play bad golf and also, bridge, and enjoy all sport and current affairs

IF DESERTS ISLAND DISCS ASKED YOU TO PLAY 3 SONGS, WHAT WOULD THEY BE?
1. Come on Eileen!
2. Everybody hurts (REM)
3. Outnumbered (Dermot Kennedy)

ATHLETICS QUESTIONS

WHAT DO YOU CONSIDER TO BE YOUR BEST ATHLETICS ACHIEVEMENT?Winning the British Indoor Championships in 1974. And as a master athlete, in 1987 getting silver medal in World Master Championships in Melbourne, jumping 1.87 which is still a master’s record

WHAT ARE YOUR BEST MARKS/TIMES (PBs)?High jump 2.06m, Triple Jump 13.95m, 110m Hurdles 16.0, Javelin 53.38m

WHAT WAS A TYPICAL WEEKING TRAINING PLAN?When I was 18, I broke my thigh bone, playing rugby and spent 10 weeks tied to the bed in hospital to recover. I grew about 8cm in that period, which must have been a help for a high jumper. I was in my 20s before I took athletics seriously. I concentrated on strengthening my legs by doing two hard sessions of weights a week in the Apollo Gym off Aungier Street which was frequented by bodybuilders. It improved my leg strength immensely and gave me great confidence. Fifty years ago, there were not the facilities that are available today – no indoor arenas, no synthetic tracks, no foam landing areas, no dietary information and very few coaches. I trained five to six days a week, working on speed, strength, stamina, and suppleness

DO YOU HAVE A FUNNY STORY RELATED TO ATHLETICS/THE CLUB?Competing in a Coca Cola sponsored athletics meeting in Crystal Palace, London, there was heavy rain before the start of the high jump, leaving the take-off area slippery. I asked the chief official to delay the start, but he blankly refused, stating the event had to start at 2pm. I then spoke to Dwight Stones, multiple world high jump holder, about the impasse. Dwight then went to the official saying he won’t jump in those conditions. The competition was delayed an hour, and Dwight went on to win

WHAT ONE CHANGE WOULD YOU LIKE TO SEE AT DONORE HARRIERS? I would like more of our members to take a greater interest in the running of the club. More should attend the AGM and make it a more sociable occasion.  Also, I think the triple jump is a great event for those who have leg strength and may lack the speed of a long jumper. So, I would like to see more emphasis placed on it

WHO ARE YOU TOP 3 IRISH SPORTSPERSONS OF ALL TIME (all sports)?
1. Ronnie Delany
2. Sonia O’Sullivan
3. Aiden O’Brien (horse trainer)

SPECIFIC QUESTIONS

DID YOU COMPETE AS A JUVENILE/JUNIOR OR SCHOOLS ATHLETE? I competed in athletics at school, but back then I lacked the speed and strength. I finished 3rd in Senior Leinster Schools Championships

WERE YOU FOSBURY FLOP OR THE STRADDLE? I did the Western Roll until Dick Fosbury changed the event in 1968. I then managed to get a few sacks of foam runner from a Dublin mattress- making company.  I then became a flopper

WERE YOU EVER OFFERED AN ATHLETICS SCHOLARSHIP TO THE USA? I was never offered a scholarship. Not good enough at the time

YOU WON A GOLD MEDAL AT THE EUROPEAN MASTERS AT VERONA IN 1988, WHAT DO YOU REMEMBER ABOUT THAT COMPETITION?I won master’s gold in the beautiful city of Verona in 1988. I had twenty years of enjoyment with master’s athletics, travelling around the world meeting marvellous people and loving the craic. I highly recommend this sport for the more mature athlete

WHICH TO YOU TREASURE THE MOST – THE EUROPEAN MASTERS GOLD MEDAL OR THE WORLD MASTERS SILVER MEDAL FROM 1987?My silver medal in the World Championship was a better performance, as there were jumpers from five continents competing.  There was a three way jump off for the gold and it was a Yugoslavian who prevailed

HOW HAVE YOU REMAINED INVOLVED WITH ATHLETICS SINCE YOU RETIRED FROM COMPETITION? I still take much interest in the club through Facebook and follow the goings on also through Willie Smith and Mr. Donore, Maurice Ahern.

DO YOU KNOW HOW YOUR FATHER PATRICK ‘PAT’ FANNING FIRST BECAME INVOLVED IN THE HIGH JUMP EVENT?My father, Pat won the 1937 high jump Irish Championship, beating another Donore man, Jack Mac Gowran, an actor who starred in such films as Dr. Zhivago and The Exorcist.  Athletics in those days was a much more casual thing, with villages throughout the land organising sport days in their local football field. Prizes could be a barometer, a clock or cloth for a suit.  In the 50s and 60s, Pat attended European Athletic Championships and two Olympics with another Donore stalwart, Pat Mullally, travelling by car.  At home, he officiated at all the athletic events

<NOTE: Donore Harriers has a very proud tradition in the history of Irish high jumping. Richard ‘Dick’ O’Rafferty won a record 15 national titles between 1934 and 1949 and the aforementioned Brendan O’Reilly won 14 national titles between 1950 and 1964 (first 3 as member of St. James Gate). In that period there were two national athletics associations AAUE and NACAI. Pat Fanning won the NACAI title in 1937. Tom Ward and Ronnie Martin won AAUE titles in 1955 and 1962, respectively. Jim Fanning won 3 national high jump titles in 1972, 1973 and 1974 under the rules of the combined BLE association. Brendan O’Reilly (1929- 2001) was selected to represent Ireland at the 1956 Olympic Games in Melbourne, but there were no available funds to finance the trip. He was also a household name as a broadcaster, singer, journalist, and actor >

TELL US ABOUT THE FANNING FAMILY CONNECTION WITH THE GREAT TOM O’RIORDAN?When Tom O’ Riordan came back from Idaho University, he worked in my father’s wholesale grocery business in Cuffe Street for a couple of months. He resided with us for a short time. Tom eventually became a sports journalist with the Irish Independent.  In 1964, Tom qualified for the Tokyo Olympics, along with fellow Donore Harriers man, Basil Clifford

<NOTE: Tom O’Riordan was national cross-country champion in 1963, 1965, 1966, 1968 and 1970. Tom finished 9^th in Heat 2 of the 5,000m at the Tokyo Olympics 1964>

YOU ALSO HAVE A STORY ABOUT THE BRITISH MIDDLE-DISTANCE OLYMPIAN BRIAN HEWSON AND YOUR UNCLE’S GREYHOUND? Pat befriended the handsome English runner, Brien Hewson, European 1,500m champion, when he used to come over to race against his nemesis, Ronnie Delany. He would guest in our home in Rathmines. My father introduced Brian to his brother, Jamesy, who was a farmer and greyhound trainer. Jamesy had four unraced greyhounds, and Brian decided to buy the pick of the pack, Clonalvy Romance, after having seen the greyhounds in a trial run on the Harold’s Cross track. It was a Friday evening, and Brian had earlier beaten Ronnie (Delany) in the Billy Morton track meeting in Santry. It created a frenzy of media coverage when Brian flew home with the dog on the following day. The greyhound was entered in the 1960 English Greyhound Derby at White City, London. Having been backed to win the competition at 100/1, against 64 runners, Clonalvy Romance won his semi-final, while the other semi-final was won by his litter brother, Clonalvy Pride, a fabulous feat!  My father and his brothers travelled over for the final on the following Saturday. Clonalvy Romance broke well, led coming around the last bend, but the outsider Duleek Dandy flew home and got over the line by the shortest margin. However, Brian got great fun from his greyhound adventure over the next few years, and there’s an iconic picture on his Wikipedia page of Brian with Clonalvy Romance.  At 86 years old Brian is in good health and is in regular contact with his old friend Ronnie Delany

WHAT IS YOUR BIGGEST SPORTING REGRET? I regret not taking high jumping seriously at an earlier stage

WHAT SIGNIFICANT CHANGES HAVE YOU SEEN IN IRISH ATHLETICS SINCE THE 1960s? MAYBE GIVE A POSITVE AND A NEGATIVE!Athletics in Ireland was divided in the 1960s with two associations, which was holding the sport back.  Also, there was little money available and no back-up for athletes. I was the lone Irish representative at the European Indoor Championships in Gothenburg 1974 and there were RTE cameras there. Yet I had no financial help from our athletics body, having to pay my own way over. Today, we have wonderful facilities with the Indoor Arena at Abbotstown nearby, and a host of synthetic tracks available. However, life is hard for all, these days with being isolated from Coronavirus. So, I urge our members to stay strong, stay focused, stay training and also, stay connected.  Athletics is a great destresser. And it won’t be long before the sport recommences and we meet our friends, and the good times will return

AND FINALLY, YOU PENNED A POEM ABOUT THE HIGH JUMP? A poem called ‘Seven Foot’. My aim was to jump 7-foot, but alas it never happened!

SEVEN-FOOT by Jim Fanning
Oh seven-foot I long to reach you
My body strives to win your soul
I’ve sacrificed the wine and good life
To be your fancy, you’re my goal
Those lonely hours spent getting stronger
Each year I train a little longer
The stress, the ache, the pain, the anger
Seven foot, it’s you I long for
Oh, seven foot, you stand too mighty
You only flirt with those more flighty
Into your bosom I’ve been denied
Yet I’m more a man for having tried