THE BEST YEARS OF A LIFE
![](https://stazzasstable.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/Jantastic-Glenmore-Challenge-Trophy.jpg)
Happy end. (Photo credit: Gerry Carolan.)
Jan “Jantastic” Corcoran took the win at the brutally tough Glenmore Challenge 10 Mile and rewrote the record books in the process. Tagging along for a jolly with her mate Turlough Conway, Corcoran had modest ambitions going into the race: “I wasn’t really expecting anything—just to give it a go.” And that she did, placing fourth overall and first female in a stonking 63:17, shattering a sensational five minutes off the course best of one of the most strenuous 10-milers in Ireland.
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The Cooley Peninsula in County Louth is known for its glorious sunshine and epic views across the Irish Sea, but unfortunately for Jan, the weather turned as sour as a lemon—she had to deal with sheets of rain as well as gale-force gusts coming from (no, not Turlough) the coast.
The Stable News’ window cleaner/reporter extraordinaire, Ally “the Chin” Smith, heard Corcoran whisked herself away to the Big Apple post race. So he sat up till midnight to phone Jan after her dinner:
Ally: Alright, Jan; quit stuffing your face with hot dogs and slices of pizza for a second. Tell me how it went.
Jan: Om, om … Sure thing, Ally. This trip’s been mental busy, so it’s a good job you called now before we headed back out.
It was a very well-organised event. Not an easy 10-miler, especially the part with the hill that went on and on for about two and a half kilometres. My buddy T kept saying, “When we turn that bend, it flattens.” He lied—it didn’t.
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The plan was to keep it controlled up to 8km, and then make a steady increase, which we did. T and I worked well together, pushing each other—he even blocked the wind for me for a bit, too. Very hilly route, and most definitely not a PB course, but an enjoyable race that definitely worked the legs. I’m very happy with the result.
Ally: Bleedin’ awesome, Jan: an all-time best, first place, and pipping Turlough to the post. You must be very happy indeed. What’s next?
Jan: Well, this weekend I’m running the four mile LGBT Pride Run in Central Park (just for fun), and next month, I plan on giving the Fingal 10K a good go in preparation for DCM. I’m also hoping to do the Frank Duffy 10 Mile in August and the Irish 3/4 Marathon in Longwood this October.
Ally: A packed racing calendar for the next few months; no wonder you squeezed a trip to NYC before all that. Enjoy the rest of your vacation, Jan, and I’ll catch you later.
Jan: Thanks, Ally. See you.
A little birdie told the News that Coach Stazza was reluctantly taking one of his girls to see some bloke called Harry Styles, so we gave his chauffeur-driven limo a buzz before he went in to scream his lungs out:
“Yeah, yeah, yeah, the sacrifices us parents need to make to keep our darling children happy … I’ve heard he’s the new David Bowie, all flamboyant and charismatic … But I know he’s a spoofer … He’ll get better with age, as we all do, and if it keeps my girl happy, then who cares? … Oh, you’re breaking up … Jan? … Glenmore? … Oh, yeah; now I know what you’re on about … A cheeky little opener for wonder woman Corcoran … A supremely paced effort (helped out by ‘Commissioner’ Conway), first place lady, and a lightning-fast clocking over an arduous route, including a course record … Fantastic, Jantastic—chapeau.”