McCambridge’s sights on Santry ahead of springtime in Paris

MARIA McCAMBRIDGE, who is currently well into her preparations for the Paris Marathon in just over a month’s time, will return to the scene of one of her greatest triumphs tomorrow when she contests the Woodies DIY national inter-club cross-country championships in Santry Park.

Four years ago she claimed this title over the same course but, since then, she has turned to the marathon and, after winning the Irish title at the Dublin Marathon last October, will attempt to qualify for the world championships in Paris on April 5.

With that in mind she has spent the winter ploughing through snow and gliding over ice up in Letterkenny where she lives with her husband, Gary Crossan, Ireland’s “marathon man” with some 21 races behind him.

“I am looking forward to Sunday’s race,” she said. “I have had just the one race so far this winter — the Antrim International — so this race is important to me. I would love to win the title again but, having been stacking up the miles over the winter I may not have the same pace as I had in 2005.

“In Dublin I was just testing the water. And I have to admit I enjoyed every minute of it. I concentrated for all of the 26 miles although I had to dig in for the last four miles. I wore the wrong shoes and there was a lot of friction on my heels.

“I only hope that I enjoy my next marathon as much as I enjoyed Dublin but I did get a little bit carried away. I felt really good. I intended taking time off to recover but the following day I could run again — no aches, no pains. I got back running and then I crashed. It all came tumbling down and I went through a really bad patch so I took some extra time off and did not really come back until the New Year. I have done a lot of mileage this winter. Maybe because I am preparing for the marathon, Paris appears a bit nerve-racking but I am looking forward to it and I have a secret weapon in Gary. He will pace me.”

Last year she was runner-up to Fionnuala Britton in Belfast but the Wicklow athlete is just coming back after injury and will not defend her crown. The favourite is McCambridge’s former DSD clubmate, Linda Byrne, who won the inter-counties title in Tramore last December.

The men’s race will see Keith Kelly from Drogheda making his national cross-country championships debut. He has represented Ireland in both the European and world cross-country championships and is a former US collegiate champion but his career has been punctuated with a succession of injuries.