10 Things I Think About Running

10 Things I Think About The Eyeries 5 Mile

1. No Races for a Month

I think that I did very well after Chicago not to run a race for nearly a full month. Many people have requested that I do this for a long time. I was very tempted to beat John Meade in Blarney but I resisted and made do with the Michael Herlihy method of calculating “where you would have finished in races you didn’t run” which means that in my world I was already after earning €350 before turning up in Eyeries for a shot at a potential €250.

2. The New Road

I think that there is no longer an excuse for people not to go to the races in West Cork because it is too far. With the new road to Killarney Eyeries is barely 2 hours from Glanmire and barely 90 minutes from Ballincollig. This is less time than most people spend sitting at Dunkettle every morning while I run by so there is no excuse. It is even a very nice road with a potential stop in Kenmare which is very nice.

3. Mark’s Magic Weather Machine

I think that Mark Gallagher has a magic weather machine. In my many races in West Cork it has only failed to work once. Saturday was a very dark day, a day on which Cillian Murphy would love to film a movie, very dark, no need for special cameras. Miraculously as we reached Eyeries the clouds cleared and it became almost bright, perfect for a 5 mile road race.

4. Donegal and Derry

I think that when you go to a race in Eyeries in deepest West Cork you wouldn’t expect your chief rivals for the €250 to be from Donegal and Derry. It was terrible to arrive in Eyeries and see Aidan Noone, fresh from a 2:35 in Dublin, that was bad enough but then Mark told me there was a fella from Derry called John Lenehan and that he was very good.

5. Rusty

I think that not racing for a month is very bad. I don’t understand why people don’t race more often. On the start line I felt almost nervous and unfamiliar with the whole thing especially as marathons aren’t races so it was nearly 5 weeks since I’d actually raced anyone. When we got underway it was like I had forgotten how to run, the Derry fella was gone before we reached the village and I had to work hard to get back up anywhere near Aidan. Maybe they’ve gone off too fast I hoped.

6. Derry Good

I think that it was terrible how good the fella from Derry was. He was wearing 5 year old AlphaFly1s which is a terrible sign as it means that he knows a lot about running and is extremely knowledgeable. It took until we passed the GAA club after about a mile for the hope I had of catching him to fade. The €250 was gone leaving myself and Aidan to battle it out for the still amazing €150 for second and €100 for third.

7. Non Shed

I think that it is very difficult to drop Aidan. There are some people that I have great difficulty in beating. John Meade, Barry Twohig and Aidan Noone would have similar statistics if local elite club Cork BHAA running was a computer game like FIFA. I tried everything I could to get rid of Aidan on the many uphills and downhills but it was completely impossible. He has every ability I have just a little bit better.

8. Mile 4

I think that mile 4 of Eyeries is the best mile of any road race in Ireland. It is so much fun to race someone on. The hills are vicious and unrelenting. I hadn’t run the race since my great victory over Anthony Mannix in 2023 so I had forgotten how many hills there are. I kept trying to drop Aidan by trying to run over the top of the hills but nothing worked and he stayed behind like he had probably been told to do by Kieran McKeown.

9. Sitting Duck

I think that once I hadn’t dropped Aidan by the time we reached the top of the final hill back where the race started I knew that the game was up and that I was going to finish third. I got to the sign for the village still in second but it was only a matter of time before Aidan unleashed a John Meade or Barry Twohig style finishing sprint. I tried to go after him but the gap just got bigger and bigger and bigger until I reached the popupraces gantry 8 seconds after Aidan.

10. Banners and Prizes.

I think that it was a great idea to get banners made up to celebrate past winners of the race like me. The banners were hung in the hall in Eyeries like how the NBA teams have their titles displayed on the wall of the stadium. Unfortunately, I still only have one triangular banner. I was lucky enough to collect the very generous third prize which when added to the €350 that I would have won in Blarney by beating John Meade brings my winnings to €450 in the dark months of October and November. The banners are probably better than the prize money though, no one remembers money.