Two events to report on this weekend and we have to lean heavily into the Dublin marathon! with this weekend’s event our club broke 500 annual races for the first time with our runners having donned race gear 505 times in 2023 so far!
DUBLIN MARATHON 2023
A record twenty of our runners were signed up to start this year’s Dublin Marathon but late illness, misfortune and injury whittled away Mark Willoughby, Anthony Breen and James McCarthy in the final days – leaving a glorious seventeen (an attendance record in the Dublin Marathon for us) securing two Club Records, 12 PBs, and 5 debuts!
In general it’s been a good year for marathon with the 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 6th fastest men’s times and the fastest women’s time being run in 2023.
| RESULT |
| 1. Kemal Husen (Ethiopia) 2:06:52 |
| ——GLENDALOUGH AC RUNNERS————- |
| 972. Marcus Murphy 3:04:49 (PB, M40 PB) |
| 1452. Aran Lynham 3:13:01 (PB, MS PB, MS Club Record) |
| 1589. Donna Quinn 3:14:59 (PB, Club Record, F40 PB) |
| 2098. Philip O’Brien 3:20:53 (PB, M35 PB, M35 Club Record) – debut! |
| 2274. Gavin Kennedy 3:23:14 (PB, M45 PB) |
| 3288. Kevin Ferguson 3:32:02 (PB) |
| 3357. Eoin Phelan 3:32:51 (PB, M35 PB) |
| 5136. Mark Lindsay 3:47:25 (PB, M35 PB) – debut! |
| 5209. Nora Butler 3:47:53 (PB, F40 PB) – debut! |
| 5660. David Murphy 3:50:32 (PB, M50 PB) – debut! |
| 6473. Annie Lowney 3:55:38 (PB, F40 PB) |
| 6650. Ben Lewis 3:56:25 (PB, M45 PB) – debut! |
| 8008. Donal Flanagan 4:05:58 |
| 12876. Dave Lawless 4:49:43 |
| 13707. James Heggie 5:01:17 |
| 13726. Gleb Reys 5:01:49 |
| 14100. Ross Thompson 5:08:24 |
Marcus Murphy – in only his second marathon (having run 3:57 in 2009)- led home the charge with a fine 3:04 despite a late hamstring cramp slowing him down from 36 km onwards. He was our only man in the top-1000. Marcus’ time is the 4th fastest run for our club and makes him the 6th fastest marathoner in the club currently.
Next home was ‘young’ Aran Lynham who improved his PB by 16 minutes for a 3:13 lowering his own club record for the Male Senior category in the process. Donna Quinn was third and our first female finisher whilst taking just over 3 minutes from her best from 2022. She lowered her own overall and F40 club marathon record as well.
Fourth was Philip O’Brien nearly cracking 3:20 in his debut . Three minutes later Gavin Kennedy recorded 3:23 smashing his 2022 PB by 22 minutes. Kevin Ferguson just missed out on the sub-3:30 barrier but still got a 12 minute PB. Outdoing nearly everyone else Eoin Phelan washed away his DNF disappointment from EcoTrail 80k (four weeks earlier) by not only dipping under the 4 hour barrier for the first time but knocking 40 minutes off his PB (we may as well hand out the Most Improved award now!).
We had three debutantes next in a three minutes window as Mark Lindsay arrived 28 seconds ahead of Nora Butler followed by David Murphy. Annie Lowney knocked over 30 minutes off her 2022 time a bit later arriving in 3:55. Ben Lewis arrived nearly at the same time going under the 4 hour barrier in his first attempt.
In 4:05 was Donall Flanagan running his 11th DCM and then Dave Lawless arried in 4:49 and James Heggie and Gleb Reys in 5:01 with our man from Dynafit Ross Thompson (with a 3:20 PB) keeping a friend company and closing off our runners with 5:08.
PUMPKIN RUN 5k
Flora McKnight meanwhile continues to improve in the colourful Florida 5 kms she currently she attend finishing in 29:20 in the scary Pumpkin 5k and 15th in her age category. The event was well attended with nearly 1200 starters.
RESULT
- Jeff Provenzano () 0:17:53
——GLENDALOUGH AC RUNNERS————- - Flora McKNight 0:29:20
Glendalough AC 