To start the week Lindie Naughton brings us all the Irish endurance action and news from the weekend just gone (Monday 25th November).
For seven days from Thursday November 14 to Wednesday November 20, Dubliners (and many others) were glued to their social media accounts anxiously following the footsteps of one of their own —Ger Prendergast, a father of three now aged 44, who in the past had won the Deca Ironman. That’s ten iron distance triathlons in ten days.
On that Thursday, Prendergast a member of Ballymun Athletics Club since its foundation exactly two years ago, had landed in Antarctica from Cape Town on a special flight. There he would run the first of seven marathons on seven continents in seven days — a challenge called the Great World Race.
‘Antarctica had to come first because the timing of the six others would depends on when it took place and the start was heavily dependant on the weather.As it happened the race was brought forward by a day to Thursday November 14 this year,’ he says.
Time is of the essence for this challenge which must be completed in seven days, or 168 hours.
Of course it was challenging at Fang’s Tooth in Antarctica. Not only was it bitterly cold, but the sun reflecting off the pristine snow gave most of the 32 race partipants sunburn.
Despite that, Prendergast made a great start to the week finishing third overall in 3 hours 19 mins 40 secs. His best for the distance is just over three hours.
‘ I couldn’t be happier with how the day went’, Prendergast said. ‘Antarctica was how I imagined it and more! The weather was on our side, with calm winds giving us ideal running conditions. Every step, every breath, and every frozen moment was unforgettable.’
Records for Maunsell and Paulson
On a good day for the Irish, William Maunsell from Clonmel AC, who had completed the Dublin Marathon in 2 hrs 14 mins less than three weeks earlier, was first home in a course record time of 2 hrs 38 mins 42 secs. The time broke the 2:53.33 record clocked by track athlete Sean Tobin in 2022. Tobin, also from Clonmel, happens to be Maunsell’s coach.
Other Irish finishing were Fergal Mullen who was 12th in 4:13.30 and Patrick O’Toole 13th in 4:18.00.
Also setting a record was Ashley Paulson of the USA, the Badwater Ultra outright champion (and someone who served a doping ban in 2016), who was first woman home in 3:18:02. She, along with four others, smashed the old Antarctica record of 3:47.41.
No sooner had all the runners finished, changed and settled into the specially chartered Boeing jet than they were on their way back to Cape Town in South Africa a five-hour flight.
‘Cape Town was very warm and it was a shock to the system after the cold in Antartics. But the course was good and I finished equal third in 3:15.46,’ says Prendergast. Winner again was Maunsell in 2:43.01.
An eleven hour flight to Perth on the west coast of Australia followed, arriving at 3am local time. ‘We went to our apartment — the only time we got to sleep in a proper bed — by 4am and by 6am were up again for the race which started at 7am, when mercifully it was not as hot as it might have been later.’
Prendergast, ever consistent, was fourth in 3:14.46.
Picture: Mark Conlon
The next stages a bit warmer
Next up were two marathons which would take place on either side of the Bosphorus Strait in Istanbul, Turkey, the first one in Europe, the second in Asia. In the European race, Prendergast finished fifth in 3:14.34 — his fastest time of the week. Across the bridge in Asian Istanbul the next day, he clocked a time of 3:22.28 for sixth place.
By now everyone involved in the challenge was suffering. ‘You couldn’t describe it as a cold, although I was certainly sniffling. It didn’t stop you running but you didn’t feel right. It may have been the air in the plane, but everyone was sick and some were vomiting.’
On the next flight from Turkey to Cartagena, Columbia at the northern tip of South America, their fifth ‘continent’, the Great World racers did their best to catch up on their sleep. The flight took over twelve hours. ‘They stopped to refuel in Madrid but they left us sleeping.’
By now Prendergast was suffering with an Achilles tendon problem. The brutally hot conditions in Cartegena did not help but he battled on to finish 16th in 5:01.25. ‘I was walking a lot of the time, but I was determined to finish and I did.’
Willie Maunsell, first in the previous four marathons and the only participant to break three hours consistently, was forced to pull out with heat stroke.
Finally came a short hop to Miami Beach in Florida — the American leg of the race —where Prendergast crossed the line in 4:09.11. ‘I took painkillers just to get me through it and they worked’.
Acting as ‘bag man’ for Prendergast on the trip was his wife Miriam, who managed to complete a seven kilometre run at each of the stops in between looking after her husband.
His overall view of the event? ‘The running was the easy part. It’s the logistics that make it tough — getting from place to place, having to sleep and eat on the plane.’
When Prendergast arrived home on Sunday morning, he was greeted by a surprise welcoming party including a guard of honour organised by his family and Ballymun Athletics Club.
‘After a mind-blowing journey across seven continents, running seven marathons in seven days, all I wanted was a proper cup of tea! To see my family, my running club, and the amazing Ballymun community come together to welcome me home was overwhelming in the best way.’
Ger Pendergast’s memoir ‘Gotta Keep it Movin’ is available online at the usual outlets. And from the man himself!
Road running
Martin Hoare (Celbridge AC) proved the class of the field when winning the Clane GAA Community 10km in Co Kildare in a time of 31 mins 46 secs on Saturday (November 23). First woman in 41:01 was Ciara Regan 9Crusaders AC).
Dmytro Moyseyev (Clonliffe Harriers) won the 5km in 15:29 with Catherine O’Connor (Sli Cualann, W40) first woman in 19:12.
Cross-country
Dymphna Ryan (Dundrum AC, W40) was the runaway winner of the women’s race at the Munster Masters Cross-Country Championships, in Two-Mile Borris, Co Tipperary on Sunday (November 24).
Ryan’s time of 13 mins 52 secs saw her finish over a minute clear of Ann Marie Connellan in 15:15 and Becky Coughlan in 15:19, both of them from Ennnis Track. Connellan was also first W50. Finished sixth and first W60 was Niamh O’Sullivan (An Ríocht AC).
Ryan was also leading Dundrum to team victory over St Fimbarr’s AC and Ennis Track AC.
Brian Murphy (Iveragh AC, M40) was the men’s winner finishing in 22 mins 26 secs. Donal Coakley (Leevale AC, M35) was second in 22:52 and Nicky O’Doonoghue (East Cork AC) third in 23.00. Sixth and first M50 was Michael Harrington (Durrus AC) in 23:15.
East Cork was the winning team ahead of Limerick AC and Ennis Track AC.
Stateside
In the NCAA Division I Cross Country at Madison, Wisconsin, on Saturdfay (November 23) Anika Thompson (Leevale AC/Oregon) finished best of the Irish in the women’s 6km, placing 32nd in 20:00.6,
She was followed by Laura Mooney (Tullamore Harriers) 56th and fourth placer for Providence College team that finished third. Next came Anna Gardiner (East Down AC/Providence) 128th, Laura Nicholson (Bandon AC/Toledo) 131st, Sophie O’Sullivan (Ballymore Cobh AC/Washington State) 135th, Niamh O’Mahoney (An Ríocht/Providence) 193rd and Cara Laverty (Finn Valley AC/Providence) 200th.
In the men’s race, Dean Casey (Ennis TC/Colorado) was 30th in 29:21.1; James Dunne (Georgetown)123rd, Shay McEvoy ( Kilkrnny City Harriers/Tulsa) 130 and Sean Donoghue (DCH/Villanova) 224 with 252 finishers in all.
At the Division 2 championships held in Sacramento, California, Ava O’Connor (Tullamore Harriers) in 19th place helped Adams State to team victory.
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Source: fastrunning.com