Dublin Marathon, 27/10/24
More than 22000 runners signed up for the 2024 Dublin Marathon with nearly 18000 completing the looped course in ideal running conditions, from the city centre through Phoenix Park and returning through Chapelizod, past UCD and through Ballsbridge to the finish line at Mount Street Upper. International athletes, club runners, charity fundraisers and celebrities were joined by 10 North Down athletes, led home by Ross Murray in 100th place overall in 2:38:27. Ricky Jordan wasn’t far behind in 2:44;22 with Stuart Anderson 3:00:29 and Aaron McAuley 3:00:56 coming agonisingly close to the sub 3 hour club. Stuart’s time was a 10 minute PB. Chris Couchman 3:06:20, Andrew Nicholson 3:14:30 and Paul Floyd 3:18:47 were followed by Donald Smith who also achieved a 7 minute PB in 3:33:02. John Ferguson comfortably broke 4 hours, taking more than a minute off last year’s time in 3:54:28 with Kim McCourt 4:39:18 also setting a PB before celebrating with a cool down sea swim in Donabate afterwards!
Emma Fox, Valencia Half Marathon 27/10/24
6 of Europe’s best half marathons , Lisbon, Prague, Berlin, Copenhagen, Cardiff and Valencia now form part of the Super 6 series. Always superbly organised and attracting large numbers of runners, the Super 6 halfs include fast courses, ideal for chasing PBs. North Down’s Emma Fox headed to the Spanish port city of Valencia a few weeks after completing the Cardiff Half Marathon and is now able to say that she ran in the race where a new world record was set. The race winner, Yomif Kejelcha from Ethiopia took 1 second off the previous world record to set a new best half marathon time of 57:30! While the club’s runners stayed dry in Dublin, Emma got a Spanish soaking with the final 4 miles more akin to splashing through a stream! She finished in an excellent 1:47:52.
James Graham, Ironman World Championships, Kona, Hawai’i, 26/10/24
Each year the world’s best Ironman triathletes qualify at Ironman races worldwide for the chance to race at the most iconic triathlon event of them all, the Ironman World Championships on the big island, Kona, Hawai’i where the first Ironman race was held in 1978. Ironman began when US Navy Commander and friends discussed whether swimmers, cyclists or runners were the fittest. The debate was settled through a race combining the three existing long-distance competitions already on the island: the 2.4 mile Waikiki Roughwater Swim, the 115 mile Around-Oahu Bike Race and the Honolulu Marathon. For logistical race reasons the cycle segment was dropped to 112 miles and a US Navy serviceman Gordon Haller won the first race in 11:46:58 and was nicknamed the Iron Man as a nod to a local runner whose demanding workouts were legendary.
The sport grew and on Saturday 26th October 2536 of the world’s best male triathletes, including James Graham of North Down AC and Peninsula Triathlon Club, took to the ocean to begin the race. James completed the gruelling triathlon in the heat and wind, completing the 3.8k swim in 1:05:36, the 180k cycle in 4:54:42 and the marathon in 3:10:03, beating the best standalone marathon times of most of the club’s runners at the Dublin Marathon, finishing in 207th place, well inside the top 10%.
Garry Morrow, Frankfurt Marathon, 27/10/24
Dublin wasn’t the only European city marathon this weekend and North Down AC’s Garry Morrow headed to Germany for the Frankfurt Marathon finishing in 89th place overall and 8th M40 in one of the fastest marathon times ever recorded by a North Down athlete, 2:31:27.
