Fit4Life at Dublin City Marathon, Bank Holiday Monday, 26th October 2015
A race report from two proud Daddies!! (Alan McKernan and Mick Foy aka Believe, Achieve)
In the history of this great club there have been many great groups who have achieved great things and now added to these groups are 17 Fit4Lifers who set out on their running journeys to potentially complete a 5k – some not so long ago. Their determination, confidence and self-belief gave them the courage and determination to take on the marathon challenge. They commenced their training 18 weeks ago and week by week increased their mileage whilst taking in several races which were classed as back-weeks. During these weeks Ger Fagan’s salon was opened as well as her after-race fictitious party with rules, a race with Sunday mass strategy was undertaken, we had male topless selfies, coffee and cake day as well as questions and answer sessions which divulged a lot about ex-coach Gannon and much more. They added leg-drains, magnesium oil, cold baths and various nutritional tips to their running portfolio as they embraced all that comes with the harsh commitment of training for a marathon.
Was it worth it? Was it what!!!
17 runners set off on a damp blustery cold Monday morning but 17 warriors completed this momentous task. There are many who aspire to complete this challenge but it takes bravery and true-grit to, firstly, be willing to take it on and secondly, to continue and complete it. In these 17 we have found genuine True-Grit that John Wayne himself would be proud of. The Duke however rode a horse whilst these tore up the streets of Dublin on their feet. Step by step they completed mile after mile digging in deep to ensure their 18 weeks of work was going to come to fruition – and by God did it and ALL with a smile too.
Rocket Rachel – The 4HR mark had not even hit us and the first home for Fit4Life was Rocket Rachel Gardner, finishing in a time of 3:53. Indeed Rachel ran at times with some of the seniors. Rachel, like so many of her colleagues, entered that home straight with a smile as she made her way towards the finish line. Rachel, despite having an issue where her husband nearly poisoned her with out of date bacon on marathon eve, ran comfortably from start to finish. She commenced the race with her sister but they lost each other along the way until fate joined them again at mile 25 and kept them together until the end. It goes without saying that Rachel has great ability and shows capabilities to match many of her senior clubmates.
The Athlone 4 of Hilary Madden, David Dolan, Shea McGovern and Jackie Brannigan started together. They ran up to half way all intact before dropping and catching each other. The trio of Hilary, Shea and Jackie finished together which is very unusual, and in a super time too of 4.38. Over this distance it is unusual for running groups to finish together but the resolve and comradeship of these guys who trained together permeated as they helped, supported and motivated each other to that line. There are some great pictures of this group personifying what Monday was all about. They smiled, jumped and practically danced towards the line portraying the often omitted enjoyment factor that should be part of a marathon. I think these three may be back. David, despite a few injury scares during the training process, pushed and pushed and with his family only down from us, it was a very emotional scene as he hugged us before darting to the line in a time of 4.50. Yes – he hugged his family and yes we screamed and bullied him into giving us one too and may we recommend a Dave hug too. It is both gripping and cuddly- if you see him in the club just ask him and a free Dave hug is yours. Congrats Dave- you are now a Marathon man.
The Dunboyne duo- Jennifer Clancy & Aoife Hyland. These two ladies set out on a journey many months ago as they pushed aside any inklings their husbands may have had to do the marathon as they made the brave decision themselves. They trained a few nights a week and were seen regularly around the streets of Dunboyne as they got in their miles. Not content with simply completing the marathon they set target times which they achieved. They ran together with a few miles to go until Aoife felt ill which she set out to overcome as she pushed Jennifer on. Jennifer wanted to break 4:45 and she pushed forward with the determination that she possesses to finish in a time of 4:44:59. Now that is how to hit a target. Jennifer has now officially put an end to her husband’s running career as she looks to continue her running journey smile emoticon Aoife gathered herself and with equal determination pushed on and we could see her coming fast on the tracker and knew she was approaching. What we did not expect to see was this bullet with a blue and white singlet weaving through her fellow runners as she gunned for home. Having witnessed most club members finish, Aoife’s finish along with Storming Norma Farrell ranked as the fastest. Aoife ran for home emitting contrasting emotions as she went from smiles to tears and back again as she absorbed the appreciation and knowledge of what she was about to achieve. Aoife finished in 4.56. Well done girls- amazing!!!
Helen McLoughlin is a Fit4Life member who doesn’t attend too many Fit4Life sessions, in fact we’re not sure whether she embarks on many training sessions in general. She’s a woman of mystery. But being a first cousin of Fiona and Caroline Reid, she’s no stranger to either speed or distance and it seems she can produce the goods anytime, anywhere and over any distance. You will see Helen alongside Paul Gorey in the photo in the Park. We hope Paul didn’t set up a rival training group to Believe, Achieve cos Daddy and Daddy hate to share the spotlight! Well done Helen on a super time of 4.01.
Jim Lineen was another man who completed his first marathon and again did it with a bounce and a laugh. Although Jim trained separately from the Baker’s Dozen, Daddy and Daddy gave him a big shout as he went by and his delight as he headed towards the line was very apparent for us to see. We think Jim’s thoughts were with his own family and his late parents whose can-do attitude he has clearly inherited. Jim finished in 4:48 and judging by his delight towards the finish, he could well be back for more. Congratulations and well done Jim.
L.A.B Laura Noonan, Ann Garrett & Bernie O’Connor. Another group who trained and ran together to get over that line. These three in all races depict enjoyment as they portray the glee which is what doing any race is about. The accomplishment and achievement of completing any race is a life high but none more so than a marathon. All three were together post half way but, as happens in a marathon, they drifted but all equally finished with the look we aspired for them- the look of delight and pride. Ann came through first in 4:39 ensuring she got under the 4:40 mark. Ann looked great as she gave a smile and a wave whilst maintaining her stride for home. Laura came next less than 4 minutes later in 4.43, looking like she just walked out of her house, fresh faced, calm and joyous as she looked on giving the nod of ecstasy as she took in the hordes of screaming supporters three and four deep pressed against the barriers. Following next, 4 minutes after Laura in 4.47, was “The Smile”. Bernie could be seen by us passing the 26 mile marker with a wide eyed grin across her face. This grin grew bigger as she got closer to the finish and in passing us, it was like she running to the Spar. Bernie still had that smile on in Brady’s on Monday night and may require surgery to have it removed. These three ladies are an inspiration to their peers in this club and hopefully more people will emulate them.
Lionheart Lyndon Thomas – what can we say about this man. This man is what this club is all about. He shows no fear and embraces all challenges with a smile and enjoys it. He does not get nervous pre-race and on the contrary enjoys the pre-race banter. He is now the first person we have ever received a text from on the start line. Lyndon only made a decision to run the marathon in early September and worked on what we call an emergency specialised plan. This is a man who thought his physical limits were 5 and10 kilometre races due to knee issues but he ignored these and pushed through the barriers and smashed it. The irony being as he said- post the marathon his knees were the only thing that did not hurt. Lyndon finished in 4:47 and we saw him with 300 meters to go smiling and doing the Lyndon trot with a massive deserved look of pride etched on his face. This man is truly an inspiration to us all in the club and we could all learn so much from him and his attitude- Legend!! Yes Lyndon- you are now and always will be a marathoner. To use his Welsh expression – This man is truly epic and a top bloke too.
Stephen O’Beirne – came home with his bandana on the head as he donned the attire often worn by ourselves. Stephen finished in a time of 4:15 which was super. Stephen likes to fly under the radar whenever possible, which is not as often as he’d like in a group like Dunboyne Fit4Life. He did manage to dodge the cameras though, which is almost as impressive as his run smile emoticon. Stephen will hopefully be back again and surge beyond that 4HR mark which he is well capable of. Stephen ran the park run in Hartstown with us on Saturday in his prep and it was obvious to see his determination and running ability which will continue to grow.
Victorious Vivienne Lennon- What a woman. Without Viv, and others in Fit4Life who previously completed marathons, there would not be so many doing it this year. People like to know they have a chance to do it before they will venture into something like a marathon and it is only when they see their peers brave it in the past that they would consider it. This group started titled Viv’s Fledglings, being a group of people largely attempting their first 10miler/Half/Full marathon and nervously deciding to give it a go. Viv has a lot to do with this and for the success of Fit4Life now and what it will become. Viv, despite several issues leading to the big day which restricted her long runs, got to the start line and pushed on the group ensuring all were home safe and sound before she got there in 5:25. Viv suffered from 14 -20 miles but overcame adversity to keep going for the last 6 and displayed her dogged determined nature as she crossed the line with pride to another completed marathon. This race was all about the mental challenge of a marathon for Viv which she overcame proving an even better feeling of pride over her previous marathon. Congrats and well done to a very determined Victorious Vivienne.
In addition to this great group we had two Fit4Life coaches running the race. Gary O’Hanlon after a year of injury battered the street to come home in a time of 2:25:23 placing him 12th overall and 2nd Irishman home, claiming a Silver Medal in the National Championships. Well done Gary, you did Dunboyne Fit4life proud (and yourself of course)!!!! Another amazing achievement was from our coach on the subs bench, occasional Senior, regular Fit4Lifer and all round club stalwart Paul Gorey who was taking on his first marathon since his heart operation. Not only did he take it on but he came home in under 4HRS (3.59) Welcome back Paul!!! The saying is true- You just can’t keep a good thing down!!
Added to Vivienne we have to acknowledge the Fit4 Life Mammy who runs Fit4Life with the pride and professionalism of any corporate company. Ger’s devotion to this group which comprises of a large proportion of the overall members of Dunboyne Athletic club is unquestionable and overwhelming. She constantly strives for more for, and from the group which is highlighted by the amount of people who reached heights they never thought possible as they completed their individual challenges. This is due to the platform that Ger has in place which I know all in the club are very grateful and applaud her for. In addition to Ger we have Paul Gannon who has taken the group to a new level before stepping aside for individual goals, but from ample interactions over the last few months, it is very obvious to see that Paul’s heart is still very much with this group and he deserves applause for his work and dedication. Sincere thanks to coaches Gary O’Hanlon and Rory Kavanagh for their commitment to the group and some new sub-coaches due to make their debuts (but yet to be announced) in the coming weeks to continue the great work and Fit4Life passion. (Spoiler alert: I, Alan McKernan, aka S3A, aka S3A2, aka Daddy, aka Achieve am absolutely chuffed to be among the chosen few and I cannot wait to get started. It is a very great honour and I relish the opportunity to be more than just a “keyboard-warrior”!)
A sincere thanks to Norma Farrell, Claire Clifford and Roisin Bell whose great undercover work brought us the fantastic Dunboyne AC printed signs and kept everyone inspired, surprised and entertained en route. Huge thanks to all the well wishers, supporters, photographers, sign-holders, clubmates and Dunboyne Scouts who roared the gang on and shortened the distance for us. Congratulations to all our senior clubmates on their marathon achievements also and thanks for the year round support, year in, year out.
We want to finish by saying that it was a privilege to work with this whole group who completed many challenges during the summer and autumn. We thoroughly enjoyed it and found this whole group to be truly and honestly inspirational. To have the courage to go from running short distance races to taking on races 3, 4 and near 9 times that distance is mind blowing. We have had some laughs over the last 18 weeks as well as hopefully some helpful guidance, but it is simply guidance. We were not going out and doing the training, recovery and races- you all did and you should be extremely proud of yourselves as we, your, friends, families and this club are.
An infinite well done to you for reaching your goal on Monday and those who achieved theirs over the Summer and good luck in your future running careers. What you have done will hopefully inspire your clubmates to move to THEIR next level (whatever that may be, and it’s different for everyone) and maybe reach goals of their own. You have shown many that the desired, but considered unrealistic to some, is attainable and achievable.
Please all acknowledge the momentous achievement by this great group of fellow marathoners.
Congrats and well bloody done !!!
Daddy & Daddy!!!, Alan & Mick, Believe & Achieve
Editor’s note: On behalf of the Fit4Life marathoners we want to congratulate Daddy Mick on his own great marathon time of 3.34, completed with Mick’s usual good humour. We also want to say a massive, massive thank you to Alan and Mick for their unwavering help and commitment to this group above and beyond what anyone could have hoped for. The group got so much more than they bargained for, in every possible way!!
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