Berlin marathon success for Mayo runners

Four Mayo AC athletes were on the startline for this week's Berlin Marathon: Tony O’Malley, Angela McVann, Padraic McVann and Mary Browne all took on the challenge and ran well.

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. 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 and Boston 2024. The others are London, New York City and Tokyo.

Racing conditions were good and Tony O’Malley was the first Mayho AC athlete across the line at Tiergarten. He looked to be on course for a three-hour finish after the first half and finished just outside that in 3:10.10 in the end. 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. It was the Mayo AC '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.

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 very creditable 4:05.05. A world record of over 54,000 participants completed the Berlin Marathon course.

With just under three weeks until the Dublin Marathon, many Mayo AC members are busily preparing at the moment with long runs and will soon  begin to taper ahead of the race which incorporates the National Marathon Championships.