 We really dodged a bullet with the weather on Sunday. Saturday would have been an incredible challenge with gale force winds and driving rain and Monday (until quite recently the traditional day for the race) would not have been much better. In between, we were presented with what some observers described as ideal conditions. However, if you were being a perfectionist in such matters you might have said that it was actually a little too warm, which is amazing for the end of October. The race had received registrations of up to 25,000, but on the day the number that actually started it was lower and only just over 15,000 finished. Still, the atmosphere was fantastic and the number of finishers was not significantly down on 2019 (even though more places were theoretically available in 2022). In 2019 just under 18,000 finished the race. In talks about preparing for the race we had discussed the need for discardable clothing to stay warm during the interminable wait for each wave to start. This year, although we were layered up a little, it wasn’t really necessary. Although it was windy on the course, the southerly breeze was behind us for much of the early miles as we departed Fitzwilliam Square and headed via Christchurch down to and then over the river and up Blackhall Place, thereafter (getting a little respite from the previous climbing) along the North Circular Road to the Phoenix Park. Those first few miles, that then included the drag up Chesterfield Ave and up through Castleknock, were where we felt the heat, sweat for some of us getting into our eyes. It’s often like that with a tailwind. It was only when we started back down the hill that led us through Knockmaroon Gate and back into the park, followed by the descent to and through Chapelizod that we were able to get some refreshment from the wind that was by now in our faces. At times thereafter the wind was quite strongly in our faces, requiring a bit of drafting, particularly around Walkinstown and Crumlin. Many of us know the course well and were not in the least surprised by the need to adapt to the conditions on such a challenging course, with so many hills in the first half, but there were others who may have been caught out and those early miles may have taken their toll in terms of the need to hydrate. There did seem to be a relatively high rate of attrition and the higher temperatures early on may have been behind this. Of course, there is also the issue of starting out too fast (the old adage of not banking miles continues to apply) and this could well have been the principal reason. The fact that there has been a long gap between Dublin marathons may have provided a certain amnesia in this respect. Whatever, Crusaders embraced the marathon challenge with gusto! So many of us have been looking forward to its return and it did not disappoint. We promised the newbies a great experience, and, as day follows night, we and they were well rewarded. Crusader support is second to none and our club supporters were everywhere. Indeed, wearing the club vest entitled us all to be recognised not only by our own fellow members but my members of other athletics clubs too. The marathon brings universal support, but running for a local club and for one as proud and as respected as our own, brings even more. The day was exceptionally long, as is usually the case for marathoners, breakfast having been taken some 3 hours before the gun for the first of four waves at 8:45. As has been the case for the past several years, Crusaders were able to take advantage of changing and bag drop facilities in Pembroke Hall on Fitzwilliam Square just near the start line, generously provided by Bob Manson. It took a lot of the stress out of the build-up (and indeed the finish). The side of the square where the offices are located also provided space for a decent warm up and, this year, exceptionally, a shortcut to the start line when a steward inadvertently let many of our clubmates through the elite warm-up area to get to the start. The results for each runner from the club are set out below and perhaps they speak for themselves, but it’s worth mentioning a few of the 80 or so runners who represented the club on the day. There were some significant PB improvements for the likes of Diarmuid Sheehan (3:06:05) and Miriam Logan (3:19:41) who, respectively improved their times by 36 and 30 minutes. For such a difficult course, with all its hills, twists and turns, there were also impressive PBs for Daragh O’Reilly (2:41:43), Thomas Vogée (2:51:07), Aoife Quigley (3:03:57), Alby Allan (3:16:35, despite an injury-interrupted training schedule), Jamie Symmons (3:27:28 with negative splits), Joanne Carey (3:31:57), Rebecca Fleming (3:35:56), Ciara Lehane (3:36:46), Paula Bradshaw (3:37:55) who had done so much of the group organising during training, Emily Glen (3:49:50, first time breaking 4 hours), Tara Gavin (3:49:55), Hannah Jones (3:57:26), Mark Browne (3:58:16), Donna Barry (4:08:11) and Kevin Kenny (4:17:16). Indeed, more than 50 of our runners were able to break 4 hours, with 11 finishing inside 3 hours, led home by a superb run in pretty level splits from Vinnie McGuinness (2:31:49 and 28th overall finisher) and Ciaran Diviney (84th in 2:40:36, in the first of two marathons in a week as he tackles New York next, followed by the 5 Nations XC a week later!). Moreover, Ciaran came home as 2nd M50 overall which will have given him national silver and Leinster and Dublin gold medals. James Cottle also picked up medals for his effort (3:06:11) in winning the M65 age category overall. James will have collected national, Leinster and Dublin gold medals. Also, Olwyn Dunne (3:29:54 and 5th F55 overall) may well have won Leinster and Dublin gold or silver medals. There could also be some team medals for the club at least at Dublin level if not provincial and national too, but these are yet to be determined and once they are, if we do receive them, the report will be updated. We had many athletes running their first marathons on Sunday and they all acquitted themselves well. Among them were Rob Glascott (2:56:18 with negative splits), Áine Crotty (3:11:48), Cian Coughlan (3:12:07), Sophia Morgan (3:53:39) and Tanja Narancic (4:07:11). There were probably more, and we would love to hear from those whose name might not have been included. Mention should also be made of Paul Dempsey (2:47:24 with negative splits) and Rory Goldsmith (3:22:38) who were using the race as a warm-up for Valencia next month, and Paul McNamara (3:12:50) and Cliodhna O’Reilly (4:39:32) who ran in Amsterdam just two weeks ago. Another runner to record a negative split was Dee Lawlor (2:53:17). Members may also be interested to know that Sean Murphy, husband of Dee Ni Chearbhaill (3:48:14), who runs with us from time to time, ran 3:09:31. Memories of the marathon include standing behind Declan Ryan, a visually impaired runner from Thurles who has trained with, and been guided by, us (most recently in Berlin where he ran 2:44), who was on the very front line and who was running the whole race without a guide. He asked us to confirm that there was no street furniture in his way to the first corner. Thankfully there wasn't, as the herd stampeded, and he was able to continue without incident and run an impressive 2:57:31 on Sunday. Then there was the breakneck descent from Christchurch to the river at Usher’s Quay (perilous for the quads!), followed by the interminable climb to the North Circular. In the park we had to deal with the bollards to the side segregating the cycle lane from the road up Chesterfield and the narrowness of the route just after the Phoenix roundabout and the challenges of the water station there. There were huge crowds in Castleknock when we turned to head down (again at breakneck speed) Knockmaroon Hill. Then there was the welcome support at the Chapelizod Gate, and, as we left Chapelizod, the obligatory screams magnified under the N4 before climbing what must be the toughest hill on the journey. Again, there was a huge crowd along the route through Dolphin's Barn and at Kilmainham. After that it all becomes a blur until hitting Rathgar, Milltown and Clonskeagh with the climbs in Milltown and on Roebuck Road to the top of Fosters Avenue, but the Crusader support was everywhere. We must applaud those who took to bicycles for the day and who popped up all over the course. Finally, there is nothing like the run into the finish at Mount Street in the sunshine with the screaming crowds all the way along the Merrion Road. There were even Crusaders beyond the finish line handing out medals and goody bags (Adrienne Jordan and John Lohan at least, marathoners themselves). What a day and congrats to all! Celebrations ran into the night and thanks to Joanne Carey and Phelim Murray for arranging the usual post-race dinner, where more than 50 of us, runners and supporters, took over a pizza restaurant for the evening. On the same day, we had at least one runner in the Frankfurt marathon (Ian Smith in 4:24:56) and over the weekend Russell Murphy, a marathon veteran, ran in the Polar Circle Marathon event, where he completed the challenging half marathon element in a time of 3:02. Russell placed 61st out of 88 runners in the race which was held in temperatures around -15 degrees Celsius on snow. Thankfully, it was not too windy. Well done to him! It is not surprising that few Crusaders took part in parkruns on Saturday and numbers generally were way down in any event. Still, we had some first finishers in the parkruns that did see our participation. Paul Cowhie joined 163 runners in Malahide where he led the field home in 17:37. Robert Browne did likewise in Shanganagh where he led 79 others home in a time of 17:40. We had a podium finish in Poolbeg for Josie Ward (23rd and 3rd in 23:19. Stephen Hurley, with pacing duties, placed 5th in the field of 111 in 20:26 and he was followed by John Lohan(21st in 22:47), Sharon Woods (23rd and 4th in 23:30), Mary Dolan (96th and 26th in 33:37) and Mari Hansen (97th and 27th in 33:38). Michael O’Conor placed 4th in 18:20 in the 164-strong field in Ballincollig, whilst Cormac McGuire prepared for the following day’s marathon by placing 5th in 23:37 the 29-strong field in Tolka Valley Park. Mairin, Fiona and Lisa Shine ran in Cabinteely, where they placed 70th (20th), 71st (21st) and 81st (28th) respectively in 35:40 (both Mairin and Fiona) and 42:39. The field there totalled 89. Colm Foley joined 117 other runners in Griffeen Park where he placed 22nd in 24:28, whilst Diarmuid Byrne ran in Poppintree where, in a field of 139, he ran 28:21 for 61st spot. Finally, abroad, Darina Scully joined 1329 other runners in Bushy Park in London, where she placed 354th and 53rd in 24:38, whilst Kris Ryan ran in Coomera, Australia, placing 39th and 11th in 26:05, in a field of 121. As usual, any errors or omissions, please let us know! Thanks. Irish Life Dublin Marathon (National, Leinster and Dublin Championships) (15182) Overall place Name Cat. Place Chiptime 1 Taoifik Allam 1 02:11:30 16 Nigist Muluneh 1 02:28:31 Crusaders AC runners 28 Vinnie McGuinness 02:31:49 84 Ciaran Diviney 02:40:36 96 Daragh O’Reilly 02:41:43 (PB) 154 Paul Dempsey 02:47:24 197 Kieran Martin 02:49:31 229 Thomas Vogée 02:51:07 (PB) 268 Maurice Kelter 02:53:01 279 Dee Lawlor 02:53:17 336 Toby Benham 02:55:06 367 Rob Glascott 02:56:18 (PB) 588 Brendan Murphy 02:59:41 715 Aoife Quigley 03:03:57 (PB) (37) 785 John Mulvihill 03:06:01 787 James Cottle 03:06:11 808 Diarmuid Sheehan 03:06:05 (PB) 1108 Áine Crotty 03:11:48 (PB) (75) 1109 Cian Coughlan 03:12:07 (PB) 1111 Ronan Moynihan 03:11:57 1174 Paul McNamara 03:12:50 1237 Michael Judge 03:14:05 1252 Philip Hamilton 03:14:32 1397 Alby Allan 03:16:35 (PB) 1403 Karl Walsh 03:16:59 1418 Paul Campbell 03:16:24 1651 Miriam Logan 03:19:41 (PB) (141) 1793 Rory Goldsmith 03:22:38 1879 Christophe Marsan 03:23:28 1888 Phelim Murray 03:24:09 2172 Cormac McGuire 03:26:00 2195 Jamie Symmons 03:27:28 (PB) 2286 Gerard Moore 03:28:20 2487 Olwyn Dunne 03:29:54 (263) 2775 Emer Kenny 03:31:38 (309) 2776 Joanne Carey 03:31:37 (PB) (310) 3126 Rebecca Fleming 03:35:56 (PB) (374) 3215 Ciara Lehane 03:36:46 (PB) (395) 3353 Paula Bradshaw 03:37:55 (PB) (423) 3919 Kevin Lambe 03:43:16 4097 Liz Nixon 03:45:58 (593) 4392 Dee Ni Chearbhaill 03:48:14 (675) 4570 Jemma Lyons 03:49:02 (732) 4640 Charlotte Rufié 03:46:31 (749) 4711 Emily Glen 03:49:50 (772) 4898 Tara Gavin 03:49:55 (PB) (819) 5062 Robbie Moore 03:53:29 5188 Sophia Morgan 03:53:39 (PB) (898) 5247 Kate Murray 03:53:34 (918) 5325 Paul F. Kelly 03:54:02 5506 TJ Bourke 03:57:08 5593 Hannah Jones 03:57:26 (PB) (1010) 5685 Mark Browne 03:58:16 (PB) 5835 Margaret Foley 03:58:23 (1074) 5916 Joe Dunne 03:59:43 (PACER) 6112 Noel Reilly 03:59:45 6236 Ian Weldon 04:01:39 6336 Mary Fitzsimons 04:01:56 (1203) 6919 Tanja Narancic 04:07:11 (PB) (1401) 6958 Neil Brown 04:08:36 (PB) 7043 Donna Barry 04:08:11 (PB) (1446) 7301 Patrick Needham 04:10:13 7423 Franky Keane 04:10:47 8221 Tara Murphy 04:18:57 (1855) 8292 Kevin Kenny 04:17:16 (PB) 8338 Alan Kavanagh 04:19:45 9566 David Tuohy 04:28:48 9582 Gian Piero Allerta 04:30:10 9815 Aitor Arribas Velasco 04:33:08 10327 Mairead Cashman 04:34:31 (2674) XXXXX Cliodhna O’Reilly 04:39:32 12373 Martin Joyce 05:02:43 12384 Carina Davidson 05:02:19 (3556) 13074 Nicola Maguire 05:20:30 (3879) 13256 Leo Lundy 05:24:47 14461 John Gallagher 06:25:24 Full results here: https://www.tdleventservices.co.uk/event-results/events Malahide Parkrun (164) Overall place Name Cat. Place Guntime 1 Paul Cowhie 1 00:17:37 10 Cindy Hickey 1 00:20:33 Crusaders AC runner 1 Paul Cowhie 00:17:37 Griffeen Parkrun (118) Overall place Name Cat. Place Guntime 1 John Canny 1 00:18:02 16 Lorraine Heffernan 1 00:23:33 Crusaders AC runner 22 Colm Foley 00:24:28 Poppintree Parkrun (139) Overall place Name Cat. Place Guntime 2 Calvin Alexander 1 00:19:04 18 Kate Cleary 1 00:22:53 Crusaders AC runner 61 Diarmuid Byrne 00:28:21 Poolbeg Parkrun (111) Overall place Name Cat. Place Guntime 1 Mark Coughlan 1 00:19:10 4 Ava Rose Clarke 1 00:20:25 Crusaders AC runners 5 Stephen Hurley 00:20:26 21 John Lohan 00:22:47 23 Josie Ward 00:23:19 (3) 25 Sharon Woods 00:23:30 (4) 96 Mary Dolan 00:33:37 (26) 97 Mari Hansen 00:33:38 (27) Ballincollig Parkrun (164) Overall place Name Cat. Place Guntime 1 Kieran McKeown 1 00:17:04 5 Nollaigh O’Neill 1 00:19:38 Crusaders AC runner 4 Michael O’Conor 00:18:20 Tolka Valley Parkrun (29) Overall place Name Cat. Place Guntime 1 Lee Duddy 100:20;42 11 Aisling Murnane 1 00:26:08 Crusaders AC runner 5 Cormac McGuire 00:23:37 Shanganagh Parkrun (80) Overall place Name Cat. Place Guntime 1 Robert Browne 1 00:17:40 3 Sarah Baryga 1 00:18:19 Crusaders AC runner 1 Robert Browne 00:17:40 Cabinteely Parkrun (89) Overall place Name Cat. Place Guntime 1 Alan McAndrew 1 00:20:29 6 Maria Dolan 1 00:22:13 Crusaders AC runners 70 Mairin Shine 00:35:40 (20) 71 Fiona Shine 00:35:40 (21) 81 Lisa Shine 00:42:39 (28)  Russell Murphy  Russell Murphy (215)  Russell Murphy (on left) Comments are closed.
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