10 Things I Think About Running

10 Things I Think About The Cursa D’Age 2024

1. Font Romeu

I think that there should be a great punishment for referring to Font Romeu as Font. It is one of the great offences. Font Romeu is a great place and deserves its full title.

2. Return to Age

I think that the people of Age must be sick of me turning up to their race at this stage. I’ve done it more times than many of the locals. It’s been going for 41 years and I’ve done about 6 of them which is impressive for a fella from the Galtee mountains and not the Pyreniees.

3. Holiday Efficiency

I think that it is very important to be efficient with one’s holidays. The main reason I’ve ended up doing Age so many times is because it’s on the August Bank Holiday weekend and that is a good week for holidays in the Pyrenees as Irish people don’t go to the Pyrenees and the flights are cheap.

4. Value

I think that small road races in Spain are amazing value. For a grand total of €30, we got three race entries with personalised bibs for me, Rhona and Billy, two Puigcerda branded towels and a bag of other goodies. There was even chip timing for what it’s worth in an approximados race with at least 2k of deadly rocks trail.

5. The Toilat

I think that the race could do with a few portaloos. I asked the lady at the registration desk in my best Spanish if there was a toilet. I don’t know if she was confused by my Limerick pronunciation of Toilet or not but she shook her head and pointed in the direction of some bushes.

6. Manic Start

I think that you have to do a few Spanish races to learn not to panic at the start when half the field is ahead of you after 100m. Uphill starts like in Age are particularly dangerous for this. Yet again after 100m I found myself in about 20th position as we ran through the ridiculously narrow streets of the small Catalan town of Age. Not to worry, once we got through the town I worked my way through to second place thinking this is grand now I can run with the fella in first.

7. Talent or Blow Up

I think that I was unlucky that the local future elite runner decided to turn up in Age. After about 500m of the race I had a decision to make. I was clear in second and about 50m of first. I could see he was looking around. He was going at about five minute mile pace and looking untroubled. I decided that he was way more talented than me so I let him off and hoped that he would blow up on the rocky trail.

8. Very Talented

I think that I was lucky to witness the destruction of the course record that took place. I was right not to even try and go with the local young Ryan Creech as he destroyed the course record and made me look like the moderately old man that I am. I got a bit complacent on the deadly rocks trail section with about 2km to go and started to hear footsteps behind.

9. In Defence of Second

I think that I did well to hold onto second. I knew that all I needed to do was get to the end of the deadly rocks trail before the downhill plunge to the finish in Age. I sprinted as hard as I could up the hill to the finish line in second place and first placed moderately old man which gets its own podium in Spain which is important and great.

10. Podium and Billy’s Race

I think that it is great to have the children’s races after the adults race. Billy ran in the mini 150m race, I ran with him, we won the race because we got a medal which was great. Then I went onto the podium twice and Rhona did once so we all got a prize.