Duleek's marathon men and women get ready for big race

FEATURE: ATHLETICS 

Autumn is - as the poet John Keats noted - a time of  'mists and mellow fruitfulness.'

It's also the time of the year when athletes in Meath and elsewhere put the finishing touches to their preparations for one of the biggest events in the Irish sporting calendar - the Dublin City Marathon which takes place on Sunday 30th October.  

That has certainly proved to be the case in Duleek & District AC over the past weeks with marathon preparations set to be reaching 'fever pitch.' 

It is expected that there will be 28 green vests bearing the Duleek & District AC name taking to the start line of the Dublin City Marathon this year, many of whom will be tackling the 26.2 mile distance for the very first time.

The level of interest in the club for this year's marathon has, it seems, surpassed all previous years. 

Entry levels have exceeded 17,000 in all with the fact that this year's race is being staged on a Sunday, and that it is occurring in the centenary year of the 1916 Rising, believed to be the main contributory factors in this popularity.

'Training and preparations have been going well and the journey which commenced in June with the Glenmore 10 mile race is now on its final leg,' explained Duleek AC official David Doyle. 

'Over the past weeks the club's athletes have fought though training runs which have peaked at 22 miles as well as midweek speed and tempo sessions to build speed endurance.

'With the onset of October the countdown to the big day begins in earnest. From this point onwards tapering well and truly begins and the upcoming days will be filled with carb loading, Epsom salt soaking and getting the all important mental preparation right.'

As part of their preparations a number of club athletes have ran in selected races as Doyle outlined. 

'One such race is the Longwood East of Ireland Three Quarters Marathon, which provides a valuable temperature check on stamina and endurance. Four Duleek & District athletes took to the South Meath village to join a large field. Longwood proved once again to be a happy hunting ground for Derek Reilly as he ran a spectacular two hours and 18 minutes for the 19 mile event.

'Paddy Lennon is shaping up nicely for his first sojourn over the marathon distance and continued an excellent year with an impressive two hours and 49 mins. Eric Devine continues to go from strength to strength and put in another excellent performance which was rewarded with a time of two hours and 38 minutes.'

Doyle also points out that Duleek AC's head coach Ray Cassin is a seasoned marathon runner and has put in some impressive performances in recent weeks which suggest he is on form.  

Recently Cassin was one of those hardy souls who ran marathons on successive days - the Monaghan Phoenix AC marathons - in the spectacular Rossmore Forest Park in Monaghan. Cassin clocked up an amazing 52.4 miles in 48 hours. 

'Ray’s marathon experience as well as stamina and determination were to the fore as he completed the first in four hours, 21 minutes which was eclipsed by his performance on the second day where he clocked four hours and 20 minutes,' added Doyle. 

'A mere seven days later Ray showed no ill effects from this exertion as he completed the Lusk East of Ireland marathon in four hours and 17 minutes. Barbara Lenehan is another who is building solidly for the last weekend in October.'

All at Duleek & District AC appear set now for the Dublin City Marathon, one of the primary events on the Irish sporting calender.