Reykjavik Marathon 2022

1. Cancelled Volcano

I think that if it wasn’t for the volcano I wouldn’t have gone back to Reykjavik for the marathon. The volcano is just outside Reykjavik and hasn’t erupted for 6,000 years. Unfortunately, the day we arrived it decided to stop and go back to sleep. At least the marathon wasn’t cancelled.

2. SuperValu and the Marina Market

I think that Iceland is like living in a country where you can only shop in SuperValu and drink coffee in the Marina Market. It’s not “expensive” as such, mainly because Ireland is just as bad. €7 for a coffee and a croissant is just Cork hipster market prices, it’s still ridiculous but at least it’s in Iceland and not down the docks in Cork City. The shops are just SuperValu prices.

3. Goldilocks

I think that Reykjavik could be one of those goldilocks marathons. It is about the only place in Europe where you can run a marathon in August with temperatures guaranteed to be under 20 degrees and probably below 10. It’s not particularly hilly but not flat. It could be perfect if it wasn’t for one thing, the wind.

4. 156 Words for Wind

I think that Icelandic wind is special. I’m familiar with wind, I grew up under the Galtee mountains, so I have good wind knowledge. I have never experienced anything like Reykjavik wind. A northerly wind that felt like it had come directly from the artic tundra. At the start it looked like a normal day, a perfect day for a marathon. It was only when we reached the coast after a mile that the wind started. Unfortunately the next 10 miles ran directly along the coast.

5. Fly Away Chip

I think that it would be a good idea for the Reykjavik marathon to use a separate chip for timing. The timing chip was attached to the number. The problem with this is that if the number comes off the timing is gone. As we ran along the coast the number was under serious pressure. I began to picture the number breaking free from the safety pins and flying off into the Atlantic never to be seen again. It almost would have been a blessing. To stop it rattling around so much I tucked the number and singlet into my shorts which worked well.

6. Oh Yeah I’m in a Race

I think that I only really started to think about the race after 10 miles. The first 10 miles were all wind, there was nothing else to think about. I let a lot of people go ahead of me while I was thinking about how terrible the wind was. I had considered stopping as the pace as hitting 6:40 pace. Then when we reached the turnaround at about 11 miles I saw that of all the people ahead only three were running the marathon. The first two were well clear and gone but the third and Italian looking fella was only about a minute ahead. Third was money, money was motivation.

7. Inland Catch

I think that I would have run faster in the race if I hadn’t caught the Italian in third so quickly. Once we got off the coast the wind was barely noticeable. I started counting down the gap to the Italian, it is very motivating to see that you are catching money ahead. As we got to 15 miles I caught him and went straight by making sure to bury him. I did feel a bit bad as he was wearing adidas suction boots so it probably wasn’t a fair fight.

8. Fear of Fourth

I think that my fear of fourth place was not as good a motivator as my desire to get into the money in third. Once I had dispatched the poor Italian and his adidas suction boots I was left with 10 miles on my own. Thankfully a steward appeared on a bike and began to cycle a bit in front of me. I’m not sure if I’d have been able to follow the course if it wasn’t for the bike as it was very convoluted in and around housing estates. It’s not a bad course, just lots of bike paths and twists and turns. It goes by quickly.

9. Prisoner of Time

I think that Marathons are ruined by the obsessions with times. I was half disgusted when I got to the finish and saw the time on the big red clock. It was the sort of time that I would expect to click on and see a Strava pace graph falling off a cliff, but it wasn’t like that at all. I ran the last mile and a bit excellently fast; it was very unusual. When I crossed the line I was met by an official who told me I was third and to be at the podium at 11:40 to collect the money.

10. Seventy Five Thousand

I think that I might never win as much money in a race again. Icelandic money is excellent as it is very big. On the podium I was given a bag with a note in it saying that I had won 75000 Icelandic money for third place in the marathon. If I had of been Icelandic it would have been double that. I think I will have to look into Icelandic citizenship, I would be the second-best marathon runner in Iceland. I must have some relatives up there, we are all related to Vikings, perhaps if I grow my hair back it might help. Donal Timothyson.

Liscarroll 7 Mile 2022

10 Things I Think About The Liscarroll 7 Mile

1. Donkey Sanctuary

I think it is apt that Liscarroll is home to a Donkey Sanctuaries and a seven mile race between two old donkeys like myself and John Meade.

2. Castle on the Hill

I think that this was my first time in Liscarroll. Liscarroll is very far from anywhere, especially Glanmire. It is to the opposite side of Mallow to Doneraile but about equally as far away. In addition to the Donkey Sanctuary there is a lovely castle up on the little hill and what looks like a nice pub. John Meade said that Liscarroll means Fort of Carroll.

3. Seven Miles

I think that there aren’t enough seven mile races. It is a lovely distance to run, not as horrible as ten miles and not as short as 10k. I won the last seven mile road race that I ran in Donoughmore so I thought it would be a shame to miss out on the final one of the year. That and I missed the deadline to enter the old man track 5k in Tullamore which has to be entered three months in advance.

4. Sure Who Else Could There Be in Liscarroll

I think that it was rather foolish of myself and John Meade to think that we would have the race to ourselves. Owing to the ridiculous heat I was happy to do John Meade’s abridged warm up of about a mile. When we got back the the car we were greeted by the sight of a thoroughbred Paul Moloney getting warmed up to ruin the donkey derby that we had planned.

5. Compressed Charleville Half Marathon

I think that this route had all the hallmarks of a Michael Herlihy designed course. It was pretty much the Charleville Half Marathon map compressed to seven miles and overlaid on the roads around Liscarroll. The only difference was that there was a slight up hill on the straight road out and a slight downhill on the straight road back. Perhaps the two races should partner up as it was the perfect preparation for Charleville. It even had the heat and humidity.

6. Group of Three

I think that I did everything right in this race. At the start Paul Moloney tore off ahead like we expected, I was left in a group of three with John Meade and Karl Lenihan. It was a lovely civilized group, we ran along together up the slight hill to the three mile mark where there was a much needed water stop.

7. Aqua Bleu

I think that John Meade must be the best man in the local road racing scene at collecting a bottle from the side of the road. As we approached the water stop John moved to the front and got the bottle from the only person standing at the left hand side of the road. Myself and Karl had to veer over to the other side of the road and with that John Meade got a gap. This made me very angry and I considered shouting at John to give back the unfair advantage. Thankfully my fitness is improving so with a massive effort I was able to bridge back up to John and get a gap on Karl reducing the group to two.

8. Gradually Growing Gap

I think that this was possibly my best ever performance against John Meade on the road. I have beaten him on the road before but on all occasions I had Vaporflys and he had Adidas suction boots so that probably doesn’t really count. As we ran back towards Liscarroll I tried everything to keep in touch with him but he just kept pulling away slightly bit by not until I had no hope of catching him. This is probably why they don’t get big audiences for road races on TV as gaps just grow gradually, nothing dramatic ever happens and no one closes a gap ever.

9. Podium

I think that it was wonderful to finally break my run of fourth places. This race was setup for another fourth place as in Galbally Karl Lenihan had flown past me at about 6 miles and bridged up to John Meade so I was particularly worried about him once we got to 10k. Despite the incredible heat I didn’t feel too bad over the last mile and was able to keep John Meade in sight and finish third just behind John and just in front of Karl. There was even a brown envelope for third which I should have given to Tim for minding Billy at the race but I didn’t.

10. 10% Coakley’s

I think that this race deserved a much bigger turn out for such a perfectly organized race. When I looked at the results 10% of the entrants were Coakley’s. Coakley is an extremely rare name. I suppose a Friday night in the middle of August in a heatwave wave when Westlife are playing in Pairc Ui Caoimh probably isn’t the best night for a race. It is definitely one of the better races that I’ve done, hopefully there is a bigger crowd next year, all preparing for Charleville in a big North Cork road racing series.

Kilbeggan 10 2022

10 Things I Think About The Kilbeggan 10 Mile

1. David McWilliams

I think that David McWilliams could do a good economics podcast on road races in 2022. The difference between road races in 2021 and 2022 is amazing. Every road race in 2021 had to be entered months beforehand, people were traveling from Gdansk to do road races and selling entries on Facebook. Now you can rock up 30 minutes before pay a few bob and race the locals, I’m not sure if it is better.

2. Commonwealth Games.

I think that we should adopt the UK attitude to running. In the UK it seems to be par for the course to do a race full tilt and then race the next day thinking nothing of it. Tally-ho old chap. Here you must taper for at least a week before a race and run no more than 5 miles the day before. Then you must perfectly pace your race running each mile at precisely the correct pace so that all the mile bars are the same height on Strava. Perhaps I’ve been watching too much commonwealth games but I think the UK are right.

3. Champion of The Glen

I think that doing a ParkRun the day before a race is dangerous. It is very easy to get carried away. I decided to do The Glen because it is such a nice route and I never get the chance to do it. I thought I would just run around but in the end I got a bit carried away and became Champion of the Glen, contrary to rumours on a podcast I was not running pushing Billy in the buggy, that was the week before in Tramore Valley of Desolation Park when we came 9th.

4. Streets of Galway

I think that I probably should have done the Streets of Galway instead of Kilbeggan. Someone had to mind Billy and that someone was me. I would have run around with the buggy but buggies are only allowed in ParkRuns so I had to settle for watching. I will do the Streets of Galway next year, it looked excellent, very fast, thankfully Galway is close to Kilbeggan so it was easy to go to both.

5. Different Magic Shoes

I think that this was the first race I have been to where everyone in front of me was wearing a different shoe to me. I was beaten by a Next%2, an Adidas Adios Pro 3, a Saucony Pro 3, an AlphaFly 2 and an AlphaFly. I still think that the original yellow and pink Next%s were extra special and that Nike were told to dial it back a bit. All the new shoes seem to have about the same level of magic, except for the Brooks ones, they seem to be nonmagic.

6. No Country for Young Men

I think that road racing is becoming an over 40s sport. In Kilbeggan the battle for third was about between 5 M40s and me. I know I look extremely tanned and young for my age but I am nearly always the youngest person at races even though I am actually nearly old. What is going to happen in 10 years time when I am very old and nearly 46? Will there be anyone to race me? Will the hybrid athletes emerge from the gym and suddenly take up running at 40? John Meade will be nearly 60 and probably still be beating me.

7. Lovely Wind

I think the wind on the road out of Kilbeggan was wonderful in the race. Due to global warming or the natural warmth whatever side of the fence you are on it was too hot for running in Kilbeggan. Thankfully the lovely headwind made it feel like February so a big group of M40s and me were able to run up the hill to the left turn at 3.5 miles in the village who's name I can't remember.

8. My Favourite Road

I think that the Kilbeggan 10 route is one of the better 10 mile routes The boggy road once you turn left off the main road is one of the best sections of road in any race. It has relentless little hills that you can see for miles ahead. They are great fun and if you are in a group you can see which of the magic shoes work better on the uphill and which on the downhill. The AlphaFlys look very bad uphills but very good downhills.

9. Downhill Wind Aided

I think that the last three miles of this race were very annoying. They should have been very fast, the wind was behind us and it is kind of downhill if you forget about the ramp over the motorway. When we turned left off the boggy road onto the road with grass running down the middle of it I suddenly felt the heat, then it felt like someone had thrown a bucket of water over me. I didn’t think I was slowing down as I wasn’t losing or gaining ground on the M40s up ahead but they were slowing too. Humidity is running's enemy.

10. Climate Calculator

I think that MyRunResults or PopUpRaces need to incorporate a heat and humidity calculator into the race results. A 10 mile race in August is like the Raheny 5 in 2022 and a 10 mile race in February is like the Raheny 5 in 2019. I found a basic one on google which told me that I was a lot better than my time which is great. Unfortunately all the M40s would also be a lot better too so I’d still have been 6th just faster and happier. I'll just have to stop racing in the summer.

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.