Irish Runner

Pisco Sour

RayCun wrote: »

And yet I joined a club, because while I have no interest in training for sprints, jumps, or throwing, I am interested in training for road races. Most clubs that I know of will have more adults training for that kind of distance than for track & field.



Because if the parent joins a club, even if the parent only does road running, their kid will be trained in sprinting, throwing, and jumping.

Yes, but as I said above, this is all well and good for maybe somebody like yourself who sees running as a sport. But what about those who see it as a weight loss activity? These people are a lot less likely to join a club. In fact many people who post here on boards aren't even in a club. If the parent doesn't join a club, then the kids wont. Somebody who is inspired by somebody who has lost weight are a lot less likely to join athletics clubs IMO. Somebody in their mid 30's who was inspired to take up running by Paula's 2:15:25 on the other hand..

Woddle

RayCun wrote: »

Yeah, look at the quote


Parent runs, kid wants to run.

Now go google her dad

Woddle

MrCreosote wrote: »

Where do her parents come across as pushy? Just looks like what we were talking about- kids wanting to do what their parent do. I'd imagine it was more like her mother finally giving in and letting her do a 5k after 6 years of pestering...

I got distracted by the baby, I meant to do this

pushy supportive

MrCreosote

Woddle wrote: »

I got distracted by the baby

The baby was looking to go out for a run, no doubt, and maybe pick up a copy of the Irish Runner on the way home?

RayCun

04072511 wrote: »

Yes, but as I said above, this is all well and good for maybe somebody like yourself who sees running as a sport. But what about those who see it as a weight loss activity? These people are a lot less likely to join a club. In fact many people who post here on boards aren't even in a club. If the parent doesn't join a club, then the kids wont. Somebody who is inspired by somebody who has lost weight are a lot less likely to join athletics clubs IMO. Somebody in their mid 30's who was inspired to take up running by Paula's 2:15:25 on the other hand..

There is one group of people in their mid 30's who had no interest in running until they heard about Paula Radcliffe's world record, but went out the next day to find their nearest athletics club (with a track! track is important!) to sign up.

There is another group who took up running in their mid 30's motivated by a desire to lose weight, and/or to remain active after they dropped out of another sport (football, GAA, hockey, whatever). Some of them go on to run in races, and some of them go on to join clubs (sometimes the other way around - joining the club comes before running in races)

My experience of the people who go and join clubs (from this forum, and from the people in my own club) is that they are more likely to belong to the second group than the first. Possibly because it would be difficult to fill a relay team with the members of the first group.

Pisco Sour

RayCun wrote: »

There is one group of people in their mid 30's who had no interest in running until they heard about Paula Radcliffe's world record, but went out the next day to find their nearest athletics club (with a track! track is important!) to sign up.

There is another group who took up running in their mid 30's motivated by a desire to lose weight, and/or to remain active after they dropped out of another sport (football, GAA, hockey, whatever). Some of them go on to run in races, and some of them go on to join clubs (sometimes the other way around - joining the club comes before running in races)

My experience of the people who go and join clubs (from this forum, and from the people in my own club) is that they are more likely to belong to the second group than the first. Possibly because it would be difficult to fill a relay team with the members of the first group.

Yes but how many people in your standard fun run are part of a club? Most are not. If the parent isn't in the club then don't expect them to get their kids into one. It all boils down to what the parent considers running to be: If he/she consider it to be a sport, and a constant drive for PB's, high placings in races etc then the kids are more likely to follow suit. If on the otherhand, the parent sees running as a way of shedding 20kg's, then I do not believe this is something that will inspire kids. Kids don't look up to that weight loss stuff IMHO. Putting Hanah Nolan on the front of IR is tagetting the 2nd group, and reinforcing many people's thoughts on what running is: a weight loss tool/ keep fit exercise, and not actually a sport.

gerard65

The IR has to walk a tight line. It needs to make money so its has to appeal to a large customer base, it also tries to appeal to the club athlete. Like the other big sellers - runners world, etc, it knows their are alot of mid - back packers out there who would find their cover story interesting. Its a difficult balancing act. In fairness, the IR covers the domestic club scene very well.

RayCun

04072511 wrote: »

Yes but how many people in your standard fun run are part of a club? Most are not. If the parent isn't in the club then don't expect them to get their kids into one. It all boils down to what the parent considers running to be: If he/she consider it to be a sport, and a constant drive for PB's, high placings in races etc then the kids are more likely to follow suit. If on the otherhand, the parent sees running as a way of shedding 20kg's, then I do not believe this is something that will inspire kids.

A small fraction of runners in any road race are club members.
Rather than shouting at them THIS ISN'T PROPER RUNNING YOU ARE ALL SO ****ING SLOW DON'T YOU WATCH THE DIAMOND LEAGUE YOU ARE RUINING ATHLETICS
it might be more productive to try getting them involved in clubs.
By having fit4life groups. By producing a magazine that combines coverage of elite athletics with running tips for beginners. By congratulating on them taking steps to improve their fitness, rather than moaning about them.

And there are plenty of runners in my club who are more concerned with keeping fit than getting PBs - who take some persuading to enter races at all. They all bring something to the club, and I'm happy to have them as members, I'm glad they feel welcome running in a group rather than running on their own.

(Incidentally, one woman joined our club in the last couple of weeks. She'll be beating me in plenty of races to come, but she's barely raced at all, and I think only runs 'to keep fit'. She didn't know how fast she was, and probably wouldn't have joined if she hadn't seen all the slower runners in our club and known she'd be welcome)

Pisco Sour

RayCun wrote: »

A small fraction of runners in any road race are club members.
Rather than shouting at them THIS ISN'T PROPER RUNNING YOU ARE ALL SO ****ING SLOW DON'T YOU WATCH THE DIAMOND LEAGUE YOU ARE RUINING ATHLETICS
it might be more productive to try getting them involved in clubs.
By having fit4life groups. By producing a magazine that combines coverage of elite athletics with running tips for beginners. By congratulating on them taking steps to improve their fitness, rather than moaning about them.

And there are plenty of runners in my club who are more concerned with keeping fit than getting PBs - who take some persuading to enter races at all. They all bring something to the club, and I'm happy to have them as members, I'm glad they feel welcome running in a group rather than running on their own.

(Incidentally, one woman joined our club in the last couple of weeks. She'll be beating me in plenty of races to come, but she's barely raced at all, and I think only runs 'to keep fit'. She didn't know how fast she was, and probably wouldn't have joined if she hadn't seen all the slower runners in our club and known she'd be welcome)

Don't get me wrong. I'm all for inclusiveness. The more people of all levels in clubs the better.

Just saying that I don't see those who are not in clubs as being likely to get their kids into one. The majority of fun runners are not in clubs.

RayCun

04072511 wrote: »

Don't get me wrong. I'm all for inclusiveness. The more people of all levels in clubs the better.

Just saying that I don't see those who are not in clubs as being likely to get their kids into one. The majority of fun runners are not in clubs.

Right, so we both want to get fun runners to join clubs.

Which do you think is more persuasive to a fun runner?
"join a club! Paula Radcliffe and Derval O'Rourke are both club runners!"

or

"join a club! Hannah Nolan is a club runner!"

(I don't know if she is, she's just an example)

Pisco Sour

RayCun wrote: »

Right, so we both want to get fun runners to join clubs.

Which do you think is more persuasive to a fun runner?
"join a club! Paula Radcliffe and Derval O'Rourke are both club runners!"

or

"join a club! Hannah Nolan is a club runner!"

(I don't know if she is, she's just an example)

A lot of people would have no interest in Hannah Nolan. She would appeal to obese/overweight people, but these would be in the category of people who don't look at running as a sport. Hannah Nolan makes no difference to my life for example (in fact I had to google who she is at the start of the thread), and there would be plenty of others like me. Derval and Paula are much more likely to inspire a healthy person to become the best they can be than Hannah Nolan.

RayCun

04072511 wrote: »

A lot of people would have no interest in Hannah Nolan. She would appeal to obese/overweight people, but these would be in the category of people who don't look at running as a sport.

We're talking about fun runners, right?

"How to get people who follow elite athletics to join an athletics club" is a different problem.

Pisco Sour

RayCun wrote: »

We're talking about fun runners, right?

"How to get people who follow elite athletics to join an athletics club" is a different problem.

As I said a few times now, Hannah Nolan appeals to those who don't care about running as a sport. She appeals to those who want to lose weight. Derval and Paula are the type of people that can inspire kids and adults to perform to their capabilities; Hannah Nolan can inspire people to get off the couch and stop being lazy. One is a sport, the other is exercise. A parent who is motivated by losing weight is unlikely to care enough about running to consider it a sport and join a club, therefore very unlikely that the kids will be part of one, which is what we were discussing.

RayCun

04072511 wrote: »

As I said a few times now, Hannah Nolan appeals to those who don't care about running as a sport. She appeals to those who want to lose weight. Derval and Paula are the type of people that can inspire kids and adults to perform to their capabilities; Hannah Nolan can inspire people to get off the couch and stop being lazy. One is a sport, the other is exercise. A parent who is motivated by losing weight is unlikely to care enough about running to consider it a sport and join a club, therefore very unlikely that the kids will be part of one, which is what we were discussing.

Yes, I read all that, and responded already.

To summarise -
People who start off motivated by a desire to keep fit and exercise can and do join clubs. They should be encouraged to do so, and welcomed once they are in. For that kind of person, Hannah Nolan (who I'd never heard of before yesterday) is a useful role model. If those people join clubs, their children are more likely to join clubs, and compete.

Which bit do you disagree with?

Pisco Sour

RayCun wrote: »

Yes, I read all that, and responded already.

To summarise -
People who start off motivated by a desire to keep fit and exercise can and do join clubs. They should be encouraged to do so, and welcomed once they are in. For that kind of person, Hannah Nolan (who I'd never heard of before yesterday) is a useful role model. If those people join clubs, their children are more likely to join clubs, and compete.

Which bit do you disagree with?

The bit about Hannah Nolan being a bigger inspiration to people who want to compete to the best of their abilities, and a more important role model for kids than the likes of Derval O'Rourke. Hannah Nolan will drive up the numbers in Mini-marathons perhaps but I don't see how it really benefits running and athletics as a sport in much more than a clutching at straws sort of way.

Dodge

This discussion has gotten off track a fair bit (no pun intended)

Niche market magazines like Irish runner cater specifically to 2 sectors; advertisers and subscribers. They might sell less than 200 copies in shops throughout the country, so the cover athlete/picture isn't really important at all

I'm not denegrating it by calling it niche market BTW. To have survived this long is a testament to all concerned.

RayCun

04072511 wrote: »

The bit about Hannah Nolan being a bigger inspiration to people who want to compete to the best of their abilities, and a more important role model for kids than the likes of Derval O'Rourke.

Ah, that make sense. You're disagreeing with the bit I never said.

AJCOT

RayCun wrote: »

Right, so we both want to get fun runners to join clubs.

Which do you think is more persuasive to a fun runner?
"join a club! Paula Radcliffe and Derval O'Rourke are both club runners!"

or

"join a club! Hannah Nolan is a club runner!"

(I don't know if she is, she's just an example)

Hannah Nolan trains and runs for Parnell AC (Rathdrum) & Sli Cualann when outside Wicklow.

Getonwithit

This topic went way off the point. Hannah Nolan is entitled to a front cover BUT not in front of Finnoula Britton, Joe Sweeney etc etc..

HelenAnne

04072511 wrote: »

The bit about Hannah Nolan being a bigger inspiration to people who want to compete to the best of their abilities, and a more important role model for kids than the likes of Derval O'Rourke. Hannah Nolan will drive up the numbers in Mini-marathons perhaps but I don't see how it really benefits running and athletics as a sport in much more than a clutching at straws sort of way.

I agree with ray, and I think there ARE benefits to the sport & to clubs of people being inspired by Hannah to join clubs, if you measure benfits in more ways than breaking records & winning Olympic medals.
Probably (with possible exceptions) you’re not going to get the next Olympic medallist joining a club through the ‘keep fit’ channels, but in my club lots of the runners who came to running in their thirties and through the Fit 4 Life route would be winning prizes in the O40, O 45 & upwards age categories, would run on club teams for races etc. So clubs can benefit in terms of prizes etc from recreational runners.
Also, I think a club is about much more than prizes & winners, and who knows how much support, stewarding, tea-making, volunteering etc the less elite people give to clubs. So that’s all positive from a club’s point of view.
And from the individual’s point of view, I think joining a club, from whatever base-level of fitness you begin, definitely gets runners / joggers more interested in racing & competing, and the support they get from others in the club really spurs them on.
I suppose I am a ‘get fit’ runner – I started running to run the Mini Marathon for charity and got to like it. I don’t think of myself as an ‘athlete’, but I do think of myself as a ‘runner’; I run because I like it & for fun, not to lose weight.
Anyway, I joined a club more than a year ago, when I still thought of five miles as a long run, just for the company / camaraderie etc. I wasn’t really on the forums that much then, but if I had been, I think I might have been scared off joining a club by all the ‘fun runner’ versus ‘club runner’ stuff I’ve read online. I just went down to the major race my club hold every year to watch it, asked about a beginners’ group, came down to it a few times & then joined up. Everyone’s been so welcoming & encouraging even though I’m never likely to cover the club in glory. Having other people to run with and having people cheering me on in races and having a club top to wear has made so much difference. I’m a fun runner AND a club runner, and I hope that non club-runners who see mid-pack people like me wearing club tops in races might see that a club can be for them too.
And back to the original point, I find Irish Runner a bit repetitive (I prefer Runner’s World because it has a better range of articles) but I’d be inspired by both Hannah Nolan and Fionnuala Britton, in different ways. I’d buy it more often if it had less Chi Running and maybe more long articles about exciting races from the past, suggested running routes around the country etc.

Pisco Sour

HelenAnne wrote: »

I agree with ray, and I think there ARE benefits to the sport & to clubs of people being inspired by Hannah to join clubs, if you measure benfits in more ways than breaking records & winning Olympic medals.
Probably (with possible exceptions) you’re not going to get the next Olympic medallist joining a club through the ‘keep fit’ channels, but in my club lots of the runners who came to running in their thirties and through the Fit 4 Life route would be winning prizes in the O40, O 45 & upwards age categories, would run on club teams for races etc. So clubs can benefit in terms of prizes etc from recreational runners.
Also, I think a club is about much more than prizes & winners, and who knows how much support, stewarding, tea-making, volunteering etc the less elite people give to clubs. So that’s all positive from a club’s point of view.
And from the individual’s point of view, I think joining a club, from whatever base-level of fitness you begin, definitely gets runners / joggers more interested in racing & competing, and the support they get from others in the club really spurs them on.
I suppose I am a ‘get fit’ runner – I started running to run the Mini Marathon for charity and got to like it. I don’t think of myself as an ‘athlete’, but I do think of myself as a ‘runner’; I run because I like it & for fun, not to lose weight.
Anyway, I joined a club more than a year ago, when I still thought of five miles as a long run, just for the company / camaraderie etc. I wasn’t really on the forums that much then, but if I had been, I think I might have been scared off joining a club by all the ‘fun runner’ versus ‘club runner’ stuff I’ve read online. I just went down to the major race my club hold every year to watch it, asked about a beginners’ group, came down to it a few times & then joined up. Everyone’s been so welcoming & encouraging even though I’m never likely to cover the club in glory. Having other people to run with and having people cheering me on in races and having a club top to wear has made so much difference. I’m a fun runner AND a club runner, and I hope that non club-runners who see mid-pack people like me wearing club tops in races might see that a club can be for them too.
And back to the original point, I find Irish Runner a bit repetitive (I prefer Runner’s World because it has a better range of articles) but I’d be inspired by both Hannah Nolan and Fionnuala Britton, in different ways. I’d buy it more often if it had less Chi Running and maybe more long articles about exciting races from the past, suggested running routes around the country etc.

Good post. Just to reiterate that I'm not trying to be elitist. Quite the opposite in fact and I'd love if track and field became more inclusive in Ireland.

All I was trying to say is that, while you may have gone and joined a club, there are many others who haven't, and just run around on their own, just to lose weight, and that these people are unlikely to get their kids involved in a club as a result, so therefore the benefits of these certain people to the sport in Ireland, and as role models and an inspiration to their children are greatly exaggerated.

Keep up the good work.

RayCun

04072511 wrote: »

All I was trying to say is that, while you may have gone and joined a club, there are many others who haven't, and just run around on their own, just to lose weight,

It would be great if they lost weight, took up running to keep active and healthy, joined a running club, and ran a pretty decent marathon time.
If only we could find people who've done just that...

tunguska

RayCun wrote: »

It would be great if they lost weight, took up running to keep active and healthy, joined a running club, and ran a pretty decent marathon time.
If only we could find people who've done just that...

Thats it in a nutshell, be great if this would happen.

misty floyd

0407... Im tired of your posts. You go off topic all the time. You mention "when I was in daegu" all the time, well done. You moan about society and peoples attitude to xyz all the time. You say you're not eletist but thats how you come across all the time. You throw in smiley faces to make light of being annoying. enjoy your running, enjoy mixing with the various running types in clubs and on boards. Chill out man. Oh and its not disrespectful to the sport if someone doesnt know what a 4minute mile really means.

......sorry for going off topic :-)

Pisco Sour

misty floyd wrote: »

0407... Im tired of your posts. You go off topic all the time. You mention "when I was in daegu" all the time, well done. You moan about society and peoples attitude to xyz all the time. You say you're not eletist but thats how you come across all the time. You throw in smiley faces to make light of being annoying. enjoy your running, enjoy mixing with the various running types in clubs and on boards. Chill out man. Oh and its not disrespectful to the sport if someone doesnt know what a 4minute mile really means.

......sorry for going off topic :-)

Chill out yourself. Just a debate. Most threads on boards are the same oul regurgitated backslapping. Nothing wrong with differing opinions every now and again. They are usually the more interesting threads.

misty floyd

04072511 wrote: »

misty floyd wrote: »

0407... Im tired of your posts. You go off topic all the time. You mention "when I was in daegu" all the time, well done. You moan about society and peoples attitude to xyz all the time. You say you're not eletist but thats how you come across all the time. You throw in smiley faces to make light of being annoying. enjoy your running, enjoy mixing with the various running types in clubs and on boards. Chill out man. Oh and its not disrespectful to the sport if someone doesnt know what a 4minute mile really means.

......sorry for going off topic :-)

Chill out yourself. Just a debate. Most threads on boards are the same oul regurgitated backslapping. Nothing wrong with differing opinions every now and again. They are usually the more interesting threads.

Yeah I'm pretty chilled out right now thanks. I'm not going to agree with you when I don't and I'm not going to pat your back. I disagree with a lot you have to say. By your logic, you must find my post interesting then. Call it constructive feedback.

Pisco Sour

misty floyd wrote: »

Yeah I'm pretty chilled out right now thanks. I'm not going to agree with you when I don't and I'm not going to pat your back. I disagree with a lot you have to say. By your logic, you must find my post interesting then. Call it constructive feedback.

Anything of value to add to the discussion?

Never asked you to agree with me, and I don’t need you to pat my back thanks.

RoyMcC

We need more of these threads. We've had posters of experience here who have made some great points and arguments though coming from differing places and perspectives. By definition we're all going to disagree with some of the assertions, if they're saying different things. None of it is personal.

It has become very PC around here and, though I'm naturally a concensus person and dislike extremes I think it's great to see people kicking off heated debates by throwing a viewpoint out there.

Maybe we ought to accept that there are times when we can be shifted from our fixed positions, and that's not a bad thing.

Pisco Sour

RoyMcC wrote: »

We need more of these threads. We've had posters of experience here who have made some great points and arguments though coming from differing places and perspectives. By definition we're all going to disagree with some of the assertions, if they're saying different things. None of it is personal.

It has become very PC around here and, though I'm naturally a concensus person and dislike extremes I think it's great to see people kicking off heated debates by throwing a viewpoint out there.

Maybe we ought to accept that there are times when we can be shifted from our fixed positions, and that's not a bad thing.

+1

Misty, why don't you give your own opinions with regards the discussion instead of sitting idley by, adding no value except popping in briefly to criticise somebody for having an opinion that isn't the A/R/T norm? These threads are enjoyable and the more opinions the better.

P.S. Hope that smiley face didn't offend you

Oisin11178

misty floyd wrote: »

0407... Im tired of your posts. You go off topic all the time. You mention "when I was in daegu" all the time, well done. You moan about society and peoples attitude to xyz all the time. You say you're not eletist but thats how you come across all the time. You throw in smiley faces to make light of being annoying. enjoy your running, enjoy mixing with the various running types in clubs and on boards. Chill out man. Oh and its not disrespectful to the sport if someone doesnt know what a 4minute mile really means.

......sorry for going off topic :-)

Ive gotta agree with most if not all of this post to be honest. the magizine is called irish runner not Irish elite runner. I have 5 old copys in the press and i dug them out and all of them have either elite runners or up and coming runners that had won medals at underage so i dont see the problem with the odd normal joe soap getting on the front page, at least its something different. Another thing is that the irish runner has to be a viable company to survive and with the womens mini marathon and great ireland run and a million other mass participation races coming up they are aiming at people like the woman on the front cover.

tunguska

misty floyd wrote: »

0407... Im tired of your posts. You go off topic all the time. You mention "when I was in daegu" all the time, well done. You moan about society and peoples attitude to xyz all the time. You say you're not eletist but thats how you come across all the time. You throw in smiley faces to make light of being annoying. enjoy your running, enjoy mixing with the various running types in clubs and on boards. Chill out man. Oh and its not disrespectful to the sport if someone doesnt know what a 4minute mile really means.

......sorry for going off topic :-)

No posts for ages and then this............thats it man get stuck in.

thirtyfoot

RoyMcC wrote: »

It has become very PC around here and, though I'm naturally a concensus person and dislike extremes I think it's great to see people kicking off heated debates by throwing a viewpoint out there.

Good point.

Pisco Sour

tunguska wrote: »

No posts for ages and then this............thats it man get stuck in.

Seems like I awoke a beast :rolleyes:

tang1

Guarantee Irish Runner will have massive interest in its next edition:p:p

ocnoc

I wonder what cover photo people would take the most offence to?

Someone in Tri kit doing an XC race? A mountain runner? An Ultra runner?
One of the wheelchair marathon guys?
Someone competing in a field event?

RayCun

Pisco Sour

ocnoc wrote: »

I wonder what cover photo people would take the most offence to?

Someone in Tri kit doing an XC race? A mountain runner? An Ultra runner?
One of the wheelchair marathon guys?
Someone competing in a field event?

ecoli

Been dipping in and out of this the last few days and does seem to be getting a bit off topic. Here is my 2c:

IR is a niche magazine with two main objectives:

1 - Stay afloat, its designed to make money as such driving up readership is one of the top priorities. More readers > more advertising > more €€€€

2 - To promote the sport. Alot of people are going on about the inspiration factor but tend to forget about other aspects of promoting the sport. By putting Hannah on the cover they may entice a few more "fun runners" to pick up the magazine for a story which they can empathize with or is of general interest to them. This means that there is a greater audience for the other articles in the magazine. I dunno whats in the magazine atm but say there is a preview Of Olympic hopefuls for example these athletes are getting more exposure than they would have by simply having just the hardcore athletics fans reading the articles.

As someone mentioned before we are a bandwagon nation (much like many countries) Success breeds popularity and unless athletes are medalling at championships etc no amount of exposure an athlete will have them inspire people.

Like it or not no one grew up saying "I want to be just like X because he finished 67th in World XC"

As such I think while it might not be a popular move in one sense putting her on the cover it could be a shrewd move in terms of achieving their mandate

Also regarding the issue of "Fun runners and clubs" while many are not in fact in clubs it would be hard to fully dismiss the connection. If little Sally sees mam running for health reasons there is a chance they want to be just like Mammy, they have no idea about what distance mammy is doing or the difference between road racing and track and field they simply see mammy running and want to do that.

I have found it is often the "fun runners" who are more often able to accept they are open help in terms of training ideas etc (whats that saying its easier to fill and empty vessel???) they accept they need help in getting the kid on the right track so first port of call is usually an athletics club.

Also I have found that even if "fun runners" dont join clubs they are usually more helpful in terms of officiating/helping coaches in the club alot more than Runners focused on improving there own times. Which is better for kids looking up to an average club runner or a fun running parent helping out to allow that the youths get as much focus from coaches in the hope that there may be the next Sonia etc amongst them.


You can either start from the top (World class athletes) and work you way down from here or start at Grassroots and work your way up and to me this seems to be an approach from the latter (right or wrong is a matter of opinion)

HannahSpanner

Hi - I wasn't going to post, but felt I just had to make a small comment. I actually didn't start running until I had lost ALL of the weight. I had become fitter through my weight loss journey and as a result one day I started running as felt my usual walks were not pushing me enough. I found I enjoyed the running a great deal and now I COMPLETELY see it as a SPORT and not just as way of losing weight (of course it has the added benefit of helping me maintain my figure - but when I'm out training 5 times a week, pushing myself to improve, to go faster - it is not to lose weight, it is because I see running as a Sport which I want to continue to improve to the best of my ability.

Yes - I have also joined an Athletics club, in which are a huge variety of abilities (including "fun runners" who incidentally also have their kids enrolled in the running club, and so will mine be once they are old enough to run - that is of course if they wantto run). Whilst I am by no means "elite", the vast majority of people who run are also not. I do look at elite athletes and of course would love to be like that - but I also more so look at some of the amazing guys running in our club who only started running in their 30's and are now winning masters titles in Europe!

I started running because I enjoyed it. Now I continue to train hard to try and be the best I can be, yes I enjoy it so it is "fun" but I look on it as Sport. The 3.30 marathon time is nothing special, I understand that - but I also think its not too terrible considering I had never done any running at all until the end of March last year. To go from not running AT ALL to completing a First Marathon in 3.33 with just 7 1/2 months training I really don't think is too awful. I have now been running exactly 1 year, and plan to continue - for both fun and for the love of the sport.

And just as an extra side note to one of the first posts. NO this was not a paid advertisement. I was made redundant 2 years ago and like many in the country have since struggled to find work. I made the decision to re-train and set up the business to try and promote health and fitness - as yet I have not made any profit and certainly not enough to cover an article in this or any other magazine.


I think its a great thing that everyone has their own opinions, and that is wonderful, .....but please maybe just consider that the person who is the subject of discussion is a human being too with feelings.

Thanks - and happy running!

Hannah Nolan

Scifo

Good for you Hannah...as far as I can make out your time would have placed you in the top 20 females in the 2011 Cork City marathon......and if you were my Mum I'd be both inspired by, and proud of, such an achievement, especially given the extra effort you went through to lose the weight in the first place.

I've competed at a decent level in a few sports and my biggest hero has always been my father (as a Deise man Kelly and Treacy were the obvious alternatives but Gods make their own importance), who was not on the front of any magazines etc.

I watched him play a bit of indoor soccer in his twilight sporting years when I was young....but what inspired me most about him, was that he made the time to support me, always attending games, races etc. and never pushed me down any particular route when I decided that I would rather mix and match and participate to enjoy, rather than focus on one sport to try and reach an elite level that I was highly unlikely to achieve.

I'm still trying to be the best that I can be in too many sports but I didn't need inspiration from those we place on a pedastal to sustain that, it is from something deep within my soul and that will be there until my body says no more, regardless of who the latest flavour of the month or cover of a magazine is.

We need to be careful about idolotry because there are plenty of examples of where we have been let down, particularly when sport and drugs mix.

RayCun

HannahSpanner wrote: »

To go from not running AT ALL to completing a First Marathon in 3.33 with just 7 1/2 months training I really don't think is too awful.

Far from it, it's a great achievement, there are few people on here who could have done it. Keep up the good work.

thirtyfoot

ecoli - I think you are giving the editorial direction of the IR too much credit if you believe it is a concerted effort to have an influence on the development of the sport here.

On the topic of fun runners benefiting mainstream athletics, aside from increasing club numbers and anecdotal evidence, I have yet to see any evidence that it does benefit. My club has a huge 'fun running' element. I have seen no new coaches come through it, no new officials come through it, the vast majority of kids are dropped off and then picked up but then again that just anecdotal.

Generally, lovely that people are inspired by their parents. Great if you want to be involved and particpate in the sport for a long time (that is something that is good and we should aspire too, ie, keeping people of all levels in the sport for as long as possible) but it won't win us any medals though in years to come though unless your dad is Eamon Coghlan or your Mam is Sonia O' Sullivan. Winning medals and elite athletics is the main interest of some people.

myflipflops

HannahSpanner wrote: »

To go from not running AT ALL to completing a First Marathon in 3.33 with just 7 1/2 months training I really don't think is too awful.

It's actually exceptional, what age are you? You should get a coach if you don't have one already and see how good you can be.

Hard Worker

HannahSpanner wrote: »

Hi - I wasn't going to post, but felt I just had to make a small comment. I actually didn't start running until I had lost ALL of the weight. I had become fitter through my weight loss journey and as a result one day I started running as felt my usual walks were not pushing me enough. I found I enjoyed the running a great deal and now I COMPLETELY see it as a SPORT and not just as way of losing weight (of course it has the added benefit of helping me maintain my figure - but when I'm out training 5 times a week, pushing myself to improve, to go faster - it is not to lose weight, it is because I see running as a Sport which I want to continue to improve to the best of my ability.

Yes - I have also joined an Athletics club, in which are a huge variety of abilities (including "fun runners" who incidentally also have their kids enrolled in the running club, and so will mine be once they are old enough to run - that is of course if they wantto run). Whilst I am by no means "elite", the vast majority of people who run are also not. I do look at elite athletes and of course would love to be like that - but I also more so look at some of the amazing guys running in our club who only started running in their 30's and are now winning masters titles in Europe!

I started running because I enjoyed it. Now I continue to train hard to try and be the best I can be, yes I enjoy it so it is "fun" but I look on it as Sport. The 3.30 marathon time is nothing special, I understand that - but I also think its not too terrible considering I had never done any running at all until the end of March last year. To go from not running AT ALL to completing a First Marathon in 3.33 with just 7 1/2 months training I really don't think is too awful. I have now been running exactly 1 year, and plan to continue - for both fun and for the love of the sport.

And just as an extra side note to one of the first posts. NO this was not a paid advertisement. I was made redundant 2 years ago and like many in the country have since struggled to find work. I made the decision to re-train and set up the business to try and promote health and fitness - as yet I have not made any profit and certainly not enough to cover an article in this or any other magazine.


I think its a great thing that everyone has their own opinions, and that is wonderful, .....but please maybe just consider that the person who is the subject of discussion is a human being too with feelings.

Thanks - and happy running!

Hannah Nolan

Well done Hannah. That was an excellent first marathon.
I know of a woman who started running to lose weight. In her own words, she had "balooned up" after having three children. She ran a decent marathon and just kept training. She later went on to win the Dublin Marathon and represent her Country in a World Athletics Championship. She had no previous athletics background.
Keep up the good work and hopefully, we will see you joining the Marathon Mission squad.

plodder

HannahSpanner wrote: »

Hi - I wasn't going to post, but felt I just had to make a small comment. I actually didn't start running until I had lost ALL of the weight.

That seems to be a better way to go about it - far less risk of injury imo.

Well done by the way, and great post!

MrCreosote

thirtyfoot wrote: »

Winning medals and elite athletics is the main interest of some people.

But it's not the interest of most people who run. Most people who run couldn't care less about medals or elite athletics.

RayCun

Just noticed this status update on the facebook page of the Great Ireland Run (ground zero for fun runners )

AMAZING! Over 1,000 children from ages 5-15 have already entered the SPAR Junior and Mini Great Ireland Runs! The future of athletics in Ireland is safe!!

thirtyfoot

MrCreosote wrote: »

But it's not the interest of most people who run. Most people who run couldn't care less about medals or elite athletics.

You are making my point for me. If you present a role model who will appeal to this mass you speak of (those that don't care about elite athletics, ie joggers aged 25+), how will this translate to inspiring people who may aspire to winning medals? They are two different audiences. So, Hannah Nolan will appeal mainly to the mass you speak of while she won't appeal to those aspiring for medals. Thats the point that some of us have been trying to make.

I am not saying there shouldn't be a body of runners who don't care about elite athletics so I presume you aren't saying there shouldn't be a body of athletics people who don't care about the recreational runner.

thirtyfoot

RayCun wrote: »

Just noticed this status update on the facebook page of the Great Ireland Run (ground zero for fun runners )

That is good news from a recreational running and lifestyle perspective.

From an (elite) athletics perspective (as that perspective does matter to some) I would love to see these kids become part of a LTAD programme that is geared toward towards fulfillment of competitive athletic goals, ie Little Athletics etc. Lets hope some come across to competitive athletics.

RayCun

thirtyfoot wrote: »

That is good news from a recreational running and lifestyle perspective.

From an (elite) athletics perspective (as that perspective does matter to some) I would love to see these kids become part of a LTAD programme that is geared toward towards fulfillment of competitive athletic goals, ie Little Athletics etc. Lets hope some come across to competitive athletics.

Sure.
I completely agree that getting lots of people to go out jogging, and kids to sign up for fun runs like this, is only a start. By itself, it won't produce any Olympians.
But it's a good start.