Dungarvan 10 Miler - Race Report by Marie Curran

I travelled to Dungarvan - my hometown - on Saturday with my husband; he was on chauffer duty for the weekend! We arrived mid-afternoon and chilled with my parents for the day (I did ditch Donal for a bit as I caught up with an old school pal, nothing like a bit of bonding with the in-laws for a few hours).

Over the evening I drank plenty of water and as I sat at our kitchen table smelling Chinese and Indian takeaways, which my parents and Donal tucked into, I enjoyed my big bowl of pasta, I snuck a piece of naan bread on the quiet… I figured it was carbs and so I was allowed.

My mind was ticking away all night, I wasn’t thinking of the race I was about to run but instead picturing my fellow club mates running and running and running like hamsters on a wheel in Finland. A text from Maeve Noone at about 11pm gave me the update I was looking for and so I headed for my coveted sleep thinking about the gang and what sort of millage they would have covered by the time I awoke the next morning and hoping Valerie could maintain her current position as 2nd woman.

On Sunday morning I made a dash for the computer to see the overnight update from Finland. Just after I had my breakfast I got a text from Valerie, it simply read “217 plus km”. I was trying to physically put myself in her shoes, she just ran a 24 hour race and completed 217 plus km, I was and still am in total awe. It made me feel almost inadequate, I was going out to “race” ten miles… it was only a drop in the ocean to what Valerie, Mick, Ray and Ruthann had just put their bodies through. But it is people like them who inspire people like me to contemplate running a ten mile race.

When I arrived at the start line I had the sudden realisation that I knew absolutely no one, not one single person. A quick look at my watch told me I had at least 20 minutes to kill before the race so instead of standing on my own like an outcast off I went for a warm up run. A whole ten minutes later and dozens of “how are you” to strangers found me back in the same spot, wishing we could start. Thankfully I fell into conversation with a gentleman from Cork who had competed in marathons and ultra marathons but who now competes in 10 mile races and half marathons. I also chatted to a lady who has turned her life around since putting on a pair of runners. Of course I informed them of what my club mates had just accomplished in Finland; I pretty much told anyone who would listen throughout the race!!

Just after we had kicked off I heard someone behind me saying “how did Val and Mick get on?” The lady in question ran up beside me telling me she had been following the updates on twitter overnight and was wondering if Val had maintained her place as second woman. Like me she was in complete awe.

The first mile was a battle with myself I was running at just under ten minute miles and I was fighting with my legs to slow down. I wanted to run the race at ten minute miles from start to finish. Thankfully I heard two men chatting behind me about what pace they were doing and were hoping they were at ten minute miles, I butted into their conversation informing them they were slightly faster than that. I got a bit of a funny look off one of them but it was quickly replaced with a smile and a thank you as I stuck my garmin in his face to prove my point. We ran along together comparing notes on the various races we had completed and what our aims for this year were. I did my best to promote the various races in the West of the country and of course I told them a little story about Finland. At about the six mile mark we departed company. I then chatted to a lady for the next mile, she shared some stories with me re rowing and her running and you can guess what story I shared with her…. It was something about a 24 hour race…..

My cousin was manning a water station at his house at about the 7 mile marker and of course had to cheer me on (he had a genetic obligation), as well as jumping in a van, getting dropped off about 200 meters ahead of me and then running back to me trying to squirt water at me, he told me I was on the home stretch.

At this stage I had dropped back to 10.07 minute miles and made myself try and get back to as close to 10 minute miles as I could for the remainder of the race. Mile 8 was met with a small hill and then a left turn onto the main Cork road. I ran along passing out various houses and chatting to myself about the people who had lived in them when I was growing up and wondering what each were doing now, this was a great trick as I was on mile 9 before I knew it. I was now on the home stretch literally, I passed my parents house and of course I had to smile that bit more and my legs were a bit lighter and a bit faster, just in case someone was watching, pride is a great thing.

The finish could not come quick enough for me, I had not been able to get to 10.00 minute miles in the last mile and instead had to settle for 10.02 minute miles and was happy with this, my mother and husband were at the finish to cheer me on and I crossed the line in 1 hour 40 minutes and 21 seconds. Ten minute miles start to finish pretty much achieved… I am allowing myself to round it off James…

It was a very well organised race, the goodie bags were spot on and the West Waterford club even managed to have someone standing at each of the mile markers calling out the time as you passed. It will definitely be a race on my calendar next year.