Mayo AC had four members on the startline for the Berlin marathon on September 29 – Tony O’Malley M50, Angela McVann W50, Padraic McVann M55 and Mary Browne W65.
The Berlin course is flat and fast (elevation gain 73m, loss 79m) and known for it’s record breaking times which makes it very popular with those looking for a pb.
Thirteen world records have been set there since its first running in 1974 and, up until last year, the previous eight men’s records were broken in Berlin.
The Berlin Marathon is one of the six Abbott World Major Marathons and is the fastest of them all.
Padraic and Angela McVann ran in two them – Chicago 2023, Boston 2024. The others are London, New York City, and Tokyo.
Racing conditions were good – sunny intervals in a gentle breeze 8° rising to 14°.
Tony O’Malley was first of our runners across the line at Tiergarten.
He looked to be achieving something around a 3hr finish after the first half and finished just outside that in 3:10.10 .
Tony ran 2:57.34 in Clogher in 2020, and 3:14.43 in Dublin in 2023.
He’s a regular racer across a range of endurance distances from 5k to marathon and has achieved a number of pbs and top M50 places in recent times.
A few minutes later Padraic McVann came home in 3:22.07.
Among our competitors it was the performance of the day.
He ran an even paced race with a variation of 18 seconds per kilometre over the 42.2.
He was rewarded with a significant new pb – almost five minutes faster than his 3:27.17 in Chicago in 2023.
Padraic has run in a lot of endurance events over different terrains and distances and has achieved pbs at most of them in the past year.
Next in was Mary Browne W65 in 3:50.55.
She says she prepared for the race by “cramming in the Longford Half at the end of August and a 2:52 3/4 marathon earlier this month in Swinford.”
Mary was on pace for a 3:37 finish up to halfway at 1:47.08, but a second half in 2:03.47 resulted in a 3:50.55 time.
However, it was very much in line with her 2:52 3/4 marathon. It will also erase some of the painful memories of her 4:43.26 in Cork last June.
She says “I'm delighted it was a great experience”!
Angela McVann W50 had a good race finishing in 4:05.48 despite a tough last few ks, and a time significantly better than her Boston 4:42 last April.
Mick Shaw Castlebar AC one of the Mayo AC 2024 5k Series sponsors finished in a creditable 4:05.05.
A world record of over 54,000 participants completed the Berlin Marathon course.
Well done to all four Mayo AC Berlin marathon finishers! It’s great to see their dedicated training efforts rewarded on one of the biggest stages in the world.
All big city marathons are a wonderful experience notwithstanding the outcome, and Berlin is probably one of the best with its wide streets and landmarks steeped in history.
With just under three weeks until the Dublin Marathon, many members are busy preparing at the moment with long runs etc and will soon begin to taper ahead of the race which incorporates the National Marathon Championships.