Back in January 2019 when I was already beginning to enjoy running, I discussed with my friend Jack Murphy about us joining a club in Cork together. We naturally picked Eagle due to its great reputation and our good friend Sean Lucey was already an active member who spoke highly of the club. We tried out a few sessions and loved it. Soon after we took the plunge of signing up.
How long have you been running and what made you take it up:
I started running in the early summer of 2018. I initially took up running because I wanted to lose some weight and I was also looking to improve my overall fitness. I was already going to the gym religiously but I thought regular running would be a good addition since it was cardio based. I first started running regularly with a group in work during lunch breaks and this is where it all began. Soon after I got addicted and needed my regular fix!
At the invitation of Joe Murphy and John Quigley I joined Eagle AC in 2000. At the time I was a member of Belgooly AC but as they didn’t have a Master’s team and Eagle AC were putting one together I decided to jump ship and become an Eagle AC runner.
How long have you been running and what made you take it up:
I took up running in March 1994 mainly to lose the extra weight I had put on after quitting smoking the year before. After running on my own for a few weeks I met the Carrigohane (Straight Rd) Road runners who did a long run every Sunday out around Ballincollig and the back Lee Road. They introduced me to road racing and in October that year I did my first marathon and was hooked!
“Don’t worry, there’s 29 running it altogether, so I won’t be alone” “That’s what worries me, there’s only 29 people in the whole country who think this is normal”
It is 10 to midnight on Friday night and I am standing in the car park of Marley Park next to the board denoting the start/end of the Wicklow Way, talking to my wife on the phone, which is enclosed in a zip-lock bag to protect it for the rain that has been steadily falling for the evening. I had just been dropped off by Rob, my brother in law, who said on arrival
“You have 20 minutes to change your mind, i’ll even drive you to Clonegal tomorrow to pick up your car”. I had resisted the temptation to accept and am now standing with 28 other seasoned nutters, race organisers and assorted support crews……….
I was about to embark on a 127k adventure across the Dublin and Wicklow mountains to the little know village of Clonegal in County Wexford as part of the Wicklow Way Ultra.
Welcome to the world of ultrarunning
At mile 64, only 36 miles to go
How did I end up here?
When I started running in 2006 to train for the once in a lifetime marathon I though the marathon was the ultimate limit, beyond the boundary of what was physically possible – after all we were told that we had to go through (or more likely hit) “the wall” before we got to the finish line and sure enough I hit the wall on my very first marathon, said “never again” for about a week and came back for some more punishment six months later. I had never heard of ultra running, I thought I had reached the boundary of human endeavour and spent the next few years pushing at the only running boundary I knew – the PB. And while this satisfied my thirst for improvement and better times it was the distance boundary that began to intrigue me more and more.
When I eventually did push the distance boundary (Connemara 39.3 in April 2010) I thought that was it, I could never even contemplate running another mile, let alone the 11 that would take me up to 50 miles. I had read race reports of guys running 100 miles and how they were destroyed after them and though that was way out of my league – funny how when we break boundaries we end up setting new ones.
How long have you been running and what made you take it up:
I first took up running after work and relocations (and age) restricted my ability to train and play soccer regularly. It was just as a means to stay fit, but no more than 15 miles a week. I took up more serious running after the death of my son, Callum, who passed away at 6 weeks old from a rare genetic disorder. Running became an outlet for me where I could think and try to come to terms with what had happened. I know I broke down a lot during that time, both physically and mentally. I decided to run a marathon in his memory and completed the Cork marathon ~6 months later for Féileacáin, a baby loss awareness charity. I have been running ever since.
Favourite thing about running:
Two things stand out. The freedom that comes with it. You can go whenever you have time, where you want and for as long as you want. You get the freedom to think clearly, away from computer screens and other distractions. I also like the fact that all runners are equal, if you don’t train and put in the hard work you will be found out in a race. No matter your ability there is always an opportunity to do better than what you have done before.
Eagle Athletic Club 
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