From New York to West Cork... thanks to Sandy

New York came to sunny West Cork as Clonakilty got its bite of the Big Apple’s Hurricane Sandy mop-up and 2,500 athletes worked up a pre-Christmas appetite at the town’s third Waterfront Marathon series of races.

“It was like a 26-mile mountain climb, definitely the toughest run I ever did,” said delighted finisher Louise Fitzgerald, who picked up a New York City marathon medal as well as a Clonakilty one, after substituting the West Cork race for New York’s.

She and her husband Pat had been among the 47,000 runners ready for road in Central Park five weeks ago before the marathon was scuppered by Superstorm Sandy. On a sun-kissed Saturday in Clon, the Cork couple made amends: Louise added New York and Clonakilty medals to her previous haul of Dublin (2), Cork, London and Paris marathon, and ‘beginner’ Pat, who did the full London race this year, finished the Waterfront’s half marathon in his first run out after hospitalisation three weeks ago.

Marathon running is dangerously contagious, and getting as good as she gave was one of the race’s organisers, Swedish-born Maria (Ia) Hilliard. She presented Louise Fitzgerald with her medals, but Ia also earned her own New York City marathon medal, after running the 26-mile course with her husband Bobby in advance on Wednesday, as both were on duty all day Saturday.

It was her 15th race, while Bobby did Dublin’s Phoenix Park race for his New York medal — so he just ran on Wednesday to keep her company, all the time on the phone organising the big day for 2,500 others to follow in their shoes.

Saturday’s Waterfront race was a Hilliard family triumph. Key founders, keen runners and race organisers, brothers Mark and Bobby Hilliard oversaw from Inchydoney Island the logistics of three different distances and courses on one day.

Bobby and Ia Hilliard’s son Jonathan, 21, finished his first ever full marathon; grandparents Joe, 79, and Phil Hilliard walked the mini-marathon route, while numerous other family members were roped in as runners, marshals or as members of the 200-strong volunteer team, backed up by gardaí, huge local authority support, and even the Model Railway Village’s train as a shuttle to and from the beach’s start and finish line.

Each of the runners had their own personal story of inspiration and achievement. One of the first finishers was wheelchair athlete Paul O’Flaherty in a time of 2.35, while his father Tadhg ran in the over 50s category. Overall winner was Dubliner Garry O’Halloran in 2.37.22.

Out running on his own yesterday — 24 hours late — was West Cork local John Duggan, who flew back from work abroad in Qatar to race, but missed the actual event due to a family bereavement.

After back surgery three years ago John, 39, did the mini-marathon; last year he did the half-marathon, and yesterday he did the full 26.2 miles.