McCarthy goes the extra distance to get it right

MARTIN McCARTHY completed his preparations for Sunday’s Ballycotton 10 in most unusual circumstances at the weekend.

McCarthy won the Eagle five-miler at Carrigaline in just under 25 minutes on Sunday morning but en route to the line, he ran 15 miles to complete his 20-mile training run.

The day before he measured 15 miles back from the starting line and timed it almost to perfection a minute's silence before the race helped him finish his preparations. Notably, he completed the final mile of the event (his 20th mile) in 4 mins 46 secs. "That's what I need for the marathon," he said ahead of next month's trip to London, where he competes alongside Mark Carroll and cross-country specialists Seamus Power and Peter Matthews as well as Gary Crossan.