The lanes of Rathgaroge were lined with Striders today as the county Intermediate was being held, and organised by us. The black, white and blue were truly their in full force today, as both marshals and athletes.
The course is legendary around our part of the world, the Rathgaroge climb is known far and wide. The course had been marked out, with the women running 4k and the men running 8k. The runners began to arrive in droves, the same old warm-ups commencing, the same old conversations beginning and the inevitable gun shot which sounded the start of our race.
The women went off first and shot off like bullets. They bounded up the back road and the leaders were only a breath away from the lead van. They ran past us, our team well in place, and disappeared up the hill. We’d see them again when they finished.
Sandra Young(4) was the first Strider in, carrying the torch home for our team. Next came Lorraine Harrington(10) and Sinead Cullen(13), both running strong and steady races. Liz Conway(17) went through next, with Bernie Cashin(21) and Tina Noonan (22) just behind her. Emma Mooney(25) was next, with Yvonne O’Connor(29) bounding through and Paula Ronan(32) strongly rounding out our team.
When all the points had been counted, the women’s team came in second, an amazing result. All of the women who ran did amazing, and all of them should be very proud of themselves. It’s great to see so many new faces competing.
The men came next, as they hurried to their start like soldiers going to battle. The gunshot sounded and they were off. We saw them again when almost 2k had passed. They had two more laps to go from that point. The men packed closer than the women, gathered in groups rather than being strung out.
Brendan “The Boss” Lyng(1) came in first, staying fast and strong throughout the whole race, holding the lead position all the way through like a man on a mission. Tomas Harrington(2) and Adam O’Connor(3) followed close behind, sticking together for the whole race, pushing each other on. David Larkin(4) was our fourth man, his iconic sunglasses staying in place for the 8k, and Pat Murray(11) came striding through next. Thomas Moran(15) followed, with George Delaney(18) in pursuit. Pat Callaghan(24) carried on the team spirit, with Sean Meaney(32) not far behind. Eddie Murphy(40) rounded out our team, and the witnesses said his finish was truly legendary.
The dust settled, and we all retired to the hall for one of Eugene’s buns and a cup of tea, the winners were announced. The Striders men had claimed the gold team, after having taken every podium spot. While we did amazing today, by the looks of the other clubs we’ll have a lot of competition next year,and we’ll have to train hard.
It was a great day for the Striders, and we should take a moment to thank all the volunteers, from the people making tea in the hall to the people risking life and limb to make sure a car didn’t go the wrong way. We should also thank the coaches, who without their training, none of this would be possible. It really shows the club spirit and the sense of community we’ve cultivated all these years. We’ll see you all at the next one.
Striocaí go bragh!