Marathon to mud…Clonliffe one two in Park plus Remembrance 5k

Gary O’Hanlon 1st,  Declan Power 2nd in the “Marathon Cool Down” event held in the Phoenix Park on Saturday morning. The 8-mile course was set over a mixture of grass, trail and road, with some testing short and steep climbs and some muddy patches.  Gary opted for spikes, which proved to be a shrewd choice… after he completed first 400m on the road in what looked like a poor audition for ‘Dancing on Ice’, he then prevailed over the grass and muck to win with ease. Declan opted for racing flats, which resulted in a few wheel spins in the muddy sections. If this was Formula 1, he would have switched to wet tyres at next pitstop! Gary recorded a time of 42.48 with Declan running 45.23. In 8th place was Joe Phipps in 51.36.  All in all, a well organised event, attracting up to 1000 entrants. (Photo of Gary in Dublin Marathon by Lindie Naughton)

Update: Remembrance 5k also took place in the Phoenix Park 24 hours later, Sunday 11th. Kris Valters was 4th in 15.57 with Mark McDonald 7th in 16.18.