Pat O Neill - Marathon Man

It was a Howl!

Firstly, apologies for the delay in updating you on the completion of the Marathon challenge.

Secondly, thank you for your generous sponsorship, which will enable the Irish Cancer society to provide services to those suffering from cancer.  Anyone wishing to sponsor me can still do so at: www.relayforlife.ie/fundraisers/patoneill/wexford.

In predicting my estimated time I sincerely believed I would take between 8 and 10 hours to complete the 42.504km distance.  However, on the day I achieved a time of 7 hours, 19 minutes and 20 seconds. 

My initial target was between 8.5 and 9.5 hours.  On Friday evening after dropping relay materials to the team tent I walked one lap of the track.  As the grass surface was still untrodden and it appeared that I would record a slower time, I decided to start at pace that would give a finishing time of about 10 hours.

I was also aware that I had very little preparation done (only 2 months) with my longest walks being 13, 15 and 24km, respectively.  This meant that the distance above 24km would be uncharted territory and proper pacing would be essential.

Over the opening laps of the 210 lap challenge I was averaging slightly over 5km/h and completed 105 laps (half way) in 3 hours, 52 minutes and 44 seconds.

However, when I started the second half my speed increased steadily until in the closing 40 laps when I was averaging just over 9 minutes a kilometre (6.6km/h).  I was also done for speeding, 6.2km/h in a 4.0km/h zone when one walker unrelated to our team clocked me at 6.2km/h.  In the end I finished the second half in 3 hours, 26 minutes and 36 seconds, over 26 minutes faster than the first half. 

The most difficult aspect of the Challenge was that I had to overtake other slower walkers.  In one instance a group of 5 or 6 were walking abreast meaning I had to move out, overtake them, accelerate and then move back in.  I also found that on the straights some walkers would walk about 1 metre from the inner line of candle bags but they would veer in on the corners cutting off my line of travel.  I had a few near misses.  On one corner I had to turn sideways to slip past someone who had veered in and was so close to the candle bags that I could feel the heat radiated from the candles within.   

Mine was one of two marathons completed on Sunday.  Eoin Murphy ran the distance in a time of 4 hours 53 minutes. Eoin is the son of the late Gay Murphy, who brought Relay to Wexford in 2016 and fought tirelessly against cancer, while making an enormous contribution to raising awareness and funds for much needed cancer services in Wexford.

As to what is next, next year I hope to up the Challenge to 50km or 12 hours.  Accordingly, there will be vacancy for anyone wanting to try the Marathon Challenge.  I have done the Roger Bannister on this and now it is up to someone else to do the John Landy on it by breaking my record. 

I’ll be back!

Marathon Challenge!

As part of the Relay for Life fundraising effort in aid of the Irish Cancer Society, on 8/9 July 2023 I will walk the Marathon distance of 42.195km by completing laps of the walking track. 

Between 1983 and 1988 I completed (ran) 9 Marathons in times ranging from 2:43:52 to 3:36:16. 

In early 2002 I was about to make a return to distance running with my focus on ultra-distance (Marathon upwards).  I had my sights set on the Comrades Marathon (www.comrades.com) in South Africa. This is a gruelling 90km road race which would have taken me about 8.5 hours – will ahead of the cut-off time of 12 hours.  Unfortunately, as I was about to start training in March 2002 my lumbar disc prolapsed, which forced me to retire from Athletics. 

In recent years I had considered returning to Athletics as a walker but, until the recent Darkness into Light fundraiser I had not taken any action.  While I was walking into the event on the morning of 6 May (the anniversary of Roger Bannister’s Four Minute Mile), I decided to walk the Marathon distance in a series of legs over the day.  While I did not achieve this on that day, over the course of that weekend, I completed a total of 71km.

Aside from the distance, walking the Marathon will present a number of challenges.

The measured lap length will be the minimum distance that must be covered to complete a lap. One of the “Rules” I have made is that, in order to avoid disturbing other walkers, I will keep to the right hand side of the track and walk through the night to complete my marathon.  

Another challenge is that, due to the duration of my walk (between 8 and 10 hours), I will have to eat during the course of the event.  Any breaks for eating etc., will not stop the clock, which will run until I have crossed the finish line.

I expect my average speed will vary from 4 – 6km/h, depending on what stage I am at.  For example, my early laps will be quite slow as I warm up and settle into the challenge. I expect to finish the challenge by breakfast on Sunday morning.

You can sponsor me at this link.  Your generous support is greatly appreciated!