Great Railway Run 25k 2024

10 Things I Think About The Great Railway Run 25k

1. Suncream

I think that races where you have to put on suncream before the race are my favorite types of races. Normally these races don’t happen in Cork but miraculously after six months of cold rain and wind Sunday morning was calm, lukewarm and sunny. Perfect weather for the unusual distance of 25k between Cork and Carrigaline.

2. John Buckley Loop

I think that the new route for the race is better than the old one. Because of the digging up of the Marina we got to do the John Buckley 5k loop before heading out onto the line. I had mapped the course out on Strava the night before so that I knew where I was going. On the start line I met a lot of people that I would rather not have raced over 25k. Two former Cork Marathon Winners, the winner of the most Cork BHAA races in history, Barry Twohig, Aidan Noone and Danny Mullins. Too many people when there were only prizes for the first four.

3. Making the Calculation

I think that the 25k distance is possibly more tactical than the marathon. There is a fine line between what you can run for a half marathon and 25k. It’s almost the same but not quite. Based on the half marathon last week I figured 5:30 pace was about the limit so I ran the first two miles around the loop a little bit faster than 5:30 hoping that it would encourage a few people like John Meade to just do a handy run. Initially only Cillian, Aidan and Danny decided that my pace was suitable which was perfect, a group of four for the four prizes.

4. The Breakaway

I think that Danny Mullins should get the award for most aggressive racer of the day. He ran an excellent race in a style that I approve of, just before we got to the pedestrian bridge at the end of the line he gradually increased the pace and left the group of four. I looked at my watch and saw 5:30 pace so I wasn’t able to go with him and instead stayed with Aidan and Cillian. You normally don’t catch someone in a race when dropped so I was pretty sure that second place was all that was left to play for.

5. Just Me and You

I think that it looked very good for a second or third place finish after 10k. As we ran along the water on the cambered path between Hop Island and Passage that pays the mortgages of the physios of Cork, Aidan said to me that Cillian had dropped off. Normally in a race, after 10k if you can’t hear or see someone you aren’t going to see them again, so I was quite confident of a podium place, all I had to do was keep going.

6. The Away Kit

I think that the worst part of the race was in Monkstown. Monkstown is a lovely spot, I was happy out looking at the boats in the sunshine when suddenly I was passed by John Meade and Barry Twohig both dressed in the St Finbarr’s away kit of all orange. I had no option but to latch on to the back of the orange train which thankfully was moving at my limit of 5:30. I almost enjoyed being towed along as the uninvited guest for the few miles between Monkstown and Raffeen.

7. AlphaFly Ascent

I think that this was a race where a pair of AlphaFlys paid for themselves. All was going well until we reached the start of the climb from Raffeen to Shanbally. I hadn’t noticed Barry’s new vibrant yellow AlphaFly3s until I saw them bouncing up the hill destroying any hope myself and John Meade had of victory. It wasn’t long before Danny’s significant lead was in doubt such was the pace difference up the hill.

8. The Dynamic Duo

I think that John Meade and Barry Twohig are a dangerous combination. As we left Shanbally Danny’s hard built lead was just about to fall victim to the luminious yellow AlphaFlys of Barry. John Meade while not as impressive on the climb was still impressive enough to destroy any hopes I had of a second place finish. On the climb out of Shanbally Danny was swallowed up by the dynamic duo who quickly disappeared off up the road in their orange singlets.

9. Don’t Give Up

I think that just like in a marathon you never know what is going to happen in the last few kilometers of a 25k. I was wearing a special Ronhill singlet that is supposed to help cool you down. I think it worked as I didn’t feel any heat in the last few kilometers. I could still see the orange train and the distanced Danny up ahead as we passed the turn off for Curraghbinny so I kept pushing hoping that someone might encounter trouble and increase the size of my prize.

10. Sunshine and Envelopes

I think that I was very lucky that the last kilometer of the race was downhill into Carrigaline. As we got to the 24k marker I caught back up to Danny. I knew that I had to go straight past him as I couldn’t beat my own shadow in a sprint so I went as fast as I could for that last kilometer. I went so fast that I nearly caught John Meade which would have been amazing, but I didn’t so I ended up third which wasn’t bad. Barry won by miles and got the biggest envelope and a big trophy. I was happy with my envelope and even happier to sit around in the sunshine after the race. If only it was like this for every race.

photo: https://corkrunning.blogspot.com

Ballintotis 4 Mile 2024

10 Things I Think About The Ballintotis 4 Mile

1. Ballintotising

I think that it has been too long since I last raced Ballintotis. For a multiude of reasons I haven’t raced it since 2017 when I ran 22:00 in a pair of Brooks Ghosts which according to the validated Michael Herlihy magic shoe calculator is equivalent to 20:48. Amazingly and shockingly this was John Meade’s first ever time Ballintotising, the alure of a potential county champion medal was probably too much to resist for him.

2. Good Parking Comes to Those That are Late

I think that the parking for the race was amazing. Tim kindly drove us down and also provided Billy minding services, we were slightly later than most people who seemed to arrive at 5:30pm for the 8.00pm start. We arrived at 7.30pm and were awarded with the best car park just before the turn into the finish only 500m from the hall.

3. Les Amis de Ballintotis

I think that the roads in Ballintotis should be preserved like they preserve the cobblestones in Paris Roubaix. They are proper roads for road racing, they have everything one could want in a road race surface, a nice camber, filled in potholes, dust, mud, soft verges. It’s a proper test of strength and agility, none of that smooth black tarmac stuff.

4. Elite Level Organisation

I think that Ballintotis could handle a world road race championships. The organisation is elite level. They could definitely achieve a gold label event. Everything worked, over 1000 runners in a small village the size of Anglesboro should not be possible but somehow it all hums along perfectly. The start line should be a mess but instead it’s probably the least stressful start of any race.

5. Sun Safety

I think that it was nice for the rain to finally stop. It was becoming silly how cold, wet and windy all the races had become. Apparently, it is always sunny for Ballintotis. It was so sunny that the sun was almost dangerous for the first mile. The first half a mile was terribly fast and slightly uphill. Once we turned right after the hall we hit the sun, perhaps due to having not seen the sun in six months it was hard to see the lumps and bumps on the road so I had to pick up my knees to make sure I didn’t trip and end up getting trampled by 1000 runners.

6. Chariots of Fire

I think that for a small race in the countryside there was an atmosphere like a big city marathon. They even had music at most of the mile markers. Chariots of Fire gave a little boost around two miles. At that point I was at the front of a big group of people that I wanted to beat. A foreign athlete Brian Murphy was helping me at the front with the likes of John Meade hiding behind waiting to pounce once the line was in sight.

7. Tarmac

I think that it is a terrible shame that they put smooth tarmac at the left turn between two and three miles. I would love to have seen how bad the road was for Cork County Council to have spent money on the road. These old style roads should be preserved only for running and should only be repaired using tar and chippings to preserve the character of the race.

8. Three Miles

I think that I was very surprised to be still ahead of John Meade at three miles. I had pushed the first two miles at an effort that was probably unsuitable for my moderately old man legs. To my surprise when we got to the three mile mark I had only the foreign athlete Brian Murphy for company. I could see Aidan Noone and Mark Walsh just up ahead so I began to think less of John Meade and more of catching my Leevale colleagues.

9. Talking Tactics

I think that I could probably have run a faster time if it wasn’t for the tactical running of John Meade. I had been running honestly and with full effort until we turned left onto the N25 by the lake. Then in the corner of my left I eye saw the all too familiar sight of John Meade rolling level. I thought he might keep the pace honest but instead he decided to slow down so we all bunched up leaving the foreign athlete Brian Murphy to escape up the road. It took James Hayes bombing past us on the outside at twice the speed for John Meade to be triggered into action just before we turned into the finishing straight.

10. Championship Sprint

I think that the finish of the race is wonderful. The last 500m of the race once we turned off the N25 was like a bunch sprint in the Tour De France except it was for the Cork County Championships and it was in Ballintotis and not on the Champs Elysees. Once I hit the 400m mark on the road I launched a hopeless effort at catching John Meade and Aidan Noone but succeeded only in being passed by James McCarthy in sight of the line. No shame in that I suppose. Great fun at a great race.

PHOTO: Graham miekle

Cobh 10 Mile 2024

10 Things I Think About The Cobh 10 Mile

1. The Great Wind Island

I think that the winner of the race today was the wind. The wind was a great wind, an unusual wind, it was very strong, it was big, it was consistent, and it brought no rain. I heard a lot of negative things being said about the wind, if I were the wind, I would be extremely upset at what was said about me out on the course.

2. Rest Day

I think that I will never again take a rest day before a race. I said I’d try it as everyone seems to think that tapering is great. The wind on Saturday made it easy to do no running as it was even windier than today. I ran no miles on Saturday even though there was nothing wrong with me which makes no sense to me. I expected to wake on Sunday morning feeling like a fella who drives a Tesla after two weeks of restful holidaying in Center Parcs. Instead the rest day did nothing, if anything I felt worse that normal, even the combination of coffee and beetroot shots didn’t work.

3. Never Judge a Startlist by its Contents

I think that it was scandalous altogether that all the better runners than me were allowed enter after the entries had closed at 1000 people. The published start list looked very promising for a potential top 4 finish, John Meade, Barry Twohig and Anthony Forristal seemed to be the likely 1,2,3 so I was hoping for my usual 4th place finish and a few bob. I was absolutely horrified to arrive at the start line and see numbers that went over 1000. What made it worse was that every person with a number over 1000 was a very good runner with far more talent than I have. It was very unfair on me.

4. The Fast Two Miles

I think that the hardest job today must have been pacing. On a calm day the Cobh 10 route would be hard to judge but with the great wind it must have been next to impossible, even an AI robot would have had difficulty calculating the splits required. The race went began with two miles with the great wind behind us. They were also downhill miles which made them very fast. The late entries group plus Anthony Forristal took off at a Sean Tobin course record breaking pace. I was left with the group that entered the race before the deadline. We went through two miles bang on 10 minutes which was about as good as the race got from a Strava bar graph point of view.

5. Alp Du Cobh

I think that the geography of Cobh is unusual. It is an extremely hilly island, very similar to Achill in that it has great wind and great climbs. After the first two miles the Strava bar chart took a steep drop, the beetroot juice stopped working, the wind started blowing and the road went up and up. The first hill before three miles is probably the worst on the course. It destroys average pace, destroys it and makes ones Strava look terrible. I just about got up it on in contact with Barry and John who climb like sherpas compared to my elephant like efforts.

6. Hatred Acid

I think that the combination of the great wind, the great hills and constantly being destroyed by John Meade and Barry every time the road titled upwards generated excessive hatred. On Youtube influencers use €400 lactic acid testers to test their lactate so they can put numbers they don’t understand on Strava and sell stuff to people with too much money. I think I might develop a similar hatred tester, a simple prick of the ear to test the blood for hatred. There is probably a hatred inflection point too where the hatred becomes too much for the body to process like happened to me today just after mile 5. I’m not sure what you would do with the data but sure everyone loves data.

7. Sports Psychologist

I think that the next big thing will be in race psychologist calls. It’s only a matter of time. I would definitely have paid money for someone to talk to me from mile 6 to mile 8. The wind, the straight road, the John Meade disappearing up the road with the other fella I don’t know wearing AlphaFlys. It was torture. I needed to phone a friend and have them talk to me and tell me I can do it. Instead I was swimming in a sea of hatred acid with a horrible wind pushing me further and further away from John Meade.

8. The Rugby Match

I think that the worst part of the great wind was the turn just after mile 8. It was cruel, like a trick. I ran down the steep hill full of hope thinking that once I turned the corner the great wind would blow me back to Cobh. Unfortunately the shape of the great island meant that the great wind was a full on headwind for that crucial ninth mile. When I rounded the corner it was like the wind turned into a giant second row rugby player and stood me up preventing any further forward progress. Then to make it worse Barry Twohig came flying by like he was running in a different climate.

9. The Final Straw

I think that the last mile of the race was wonderful. If all the other miles had been like mile 1, 2 and 10 we would have been fine and all broken the course record. The race organisers should make that happen next year, they could either turn the island around or run the course in the opposite direction. I would have been very fast on mile 10 too but just as I started it I came down with a case of exploding toe nail which meant that I couldn’t be bothered trying to chase Barry so I jogged home, I slowed down even more when I saw that we were miles outside the most important metric in 10 mile running, the 55 minute cut off for being included in John Walshe’s list of almost good runners.

10. The Last Leg Hurter

I think that the Cobh 10 is the only race left that is brave enough to leave in the hills. Even though I’m terrible at the hills I love the hills, especially mad Cobh hills. It’s like returning to the good old days of Ballycotton, with wind, hills, sunshine, sore legs and a nice race mug at the end. The atmosphere in the town at the end is worth suffering for, just maybe dial down the wind a little and close the entries just after I enter so that I can win or maybe come 4th, that would be perfect.

Kinsale Regatta 5 Mile 2022

10 Things I Think About The Kinsale 5 Mile

1. Operation Quieten Viv

I think that it is a disgrace that Viv is making a show of all the very young runners like me. He’s only running 15:30 for 5k in magic shoes and winning by miles which is a desperate standard. When I found out that he was running Kinsale I had to go to see if I could quieten him.

2. Magic Roads

I think that Kinsale is very hard to get to. The roads don’t make any sense. There isn’t really any road to Kinsale just lots of roads that meet at deadly crossroads where you could easily be killed on your way to the race.

3. Toolbox

I think that there are very few things left in the toolbox for getting better at running. I could try training properly but then it would be really boring and I’d have to tell people that I’m training for a sub 2:30 marathon the whole time and never ever run a race for fear of missing a session. Instead I bought a pair of Asics Metaspeed Sky+. I was going to wear them as I thought they might be magic but I was terrified of being beaten by Jeremy if I didn’t have magic shoes so I didn’t.

4. Strategy

I think that I had a good strategy for the race. I had analysed Viv’s previous races where he had won easily, actually there was only one but he won easily. In that race he was allowed run slowly from the start and then pick it up for the last mile and destroy everyone. I figured it would be a good idea to make it as hard as possible from the start in the hope that he would be wrecked by the time he got to the last mile. Jeremy agreed that was a good plan and agreed to cooperate.

5. 4:56

I think that my plan would have been easier to execute if Gavin O’Rourke hadn’t shown up. While it made taking the race out at what I would call hard easier as we had someone to follow it also made me realise how terribly slow my version of hard is, even with a 4:56 mile Gavin was miles up the road. I was stuck with Jeremy and a hopefully suffering Viv.

6. 4:54

I think that the second mile of this race is completely mad. It is incredibly downhill, well there is one section that is almost vertical. I am exceptional at falling down hills so as soon as we got to this section I went for it. I managed to shed Jeremy but somehow Viv stuck to me like one of those limpets on a rock. We went so fast down the fall that we nearly caught up to Gavin.

7. Davide Rebellin

I think that the third mile of this race was incredible. It was horrible to come off the hill and suddenly meet gravity again. It felt like I was crawling along which I probably was. Viv came up beside me and then promptly danced off away from me. Gavin was a nice bit up the road but Viv continued to prance up to him effortlessly like one of those fellas from the early 2000s in the Tour De France.

8. Hometown Hero

I think that Jeremy was very happy to beat me badly in this race. The last time I saw him this happy was eating his Knickerbocker Glory the night before the Berlin Marathon. He was very clever and hung back on the crazy downhill and let me destroy myself trying to get rid of Viv. Then he caught me on the flat near the three mile mark and then dispatched me on the little hill on the way back into the town. At least it took a PB for him to beat me. It’s definitely a PB course for downhill PBs.

9. Cars into the Gap

I think that just letting Jeremy run away from me on the way back to Kinsale was a bit weak. Those first two miles destroyed my legs, I’m not able for that leg speed. Once Jeremy was gone I was mainly concerned about Fergus who I knew was thinking about beating Jeremy. I was able to relax when they started letting cars into the gap behind me. I knew this meant I was safe in 4th, my third consecutive 4th, my third consecutive race with no prize.

10. Outdoor Dining

I think that the finish of the race is pretty unique. All races should finish in the middle of town where people are sitting outside eating their Michelin Bib Gourmand dinners. When I got to the finish I expected Gavin to have sat behind Viv and kicked by in the last 400. But no Viv had dropped Gavin with a 4:50 last mile and won. I wonder did the outdoor diners realise that they were watching one of the best masters athletes in the world putting on an exhibition. An amazing performance.