BOHERMEEN RHAPSODY

Keeping warm.

Stablemate Mike “the Bike” Dowling cranked out a cracking canter at the Bohermeen Half-Marathon, clocking 1:26:05 and securing a 3’53” PB!

The laid-back Lycra-lover removed the padded insert from his shorts and slathered on some Chamois Butt’r for a smooth and chafe-free run in the rain.

He told The Stable News:

“Event was well organised, and the course was pretty flat, with some rolling stretches and twice over a motorway overpass. And despite the rain and cold, it turned out to be a good day for running. Placed 261^st out of 1,486. Happy with that!

Next race is the Hamburg Marathon on April 28, so this was a good benchmark. The dream is sub-3, but I’ll need a consistent, injury-free block between now and then to have a real chance.

My current PB is 3:29:06 from the virtual Dublin Marathon during lockdown, doing laps around a wet and windy Phoenix Park. There was a 3:30 in Seville five weeks after contracting COVID, which was not reflective of my fitness at the time. So sub-3 would be a big jump.”

Coach Stazza added:

“A superb gallop from Mike—a hefty PB after only joining us last September … He loves to spend his summers faffing about with carbon fibre frames and crankshaft whatchamacallits … But it keeps him happy and fit for real road racing … Now, a sub-3 in burger town is a tall order … And it’s gonna be tighter than those shorts he lubes up for … But I think he’ll ace it!”