INTERVIEW
"It's the buzz of the Cork Marathon that makes it so special" Says veteran runner, Dolores Duffy
D
olores Duffy took to running later in life, but the Cork mum has certainly made up for the delayed start in the 14 years since. Newly divorced aged 40 and “a little bit overweight”, Dolores decided to start pounding the pavements as much as for her mental health as for any physical gains. She quickly discovered a love of longer distances and within four years had started running marathons - racking up a staggering 79 of the races across the globe since. Perhaps unsurprisingly, the Cork City Marathon is one of her favourites – and one she has tackled multiple times previously. And Dolores will be lining up among the 10,000 other runners expected to turn out on June 5 to take on the 14th staging of the race. She told Irish Runner: “I do it every year. Obviously being my hometown, that has a lot to do with it, and all my running friends will be doing it too so this year for me it’s a goal marathon and I’ll be trying to do the very best I can. I’ll train specifically for it. “I came third one year at 3.14 but I’d like to get under 3.15 this year, I’d be very happy with that. Another aim a lot of Cork girls would have would be to get in the top 10, so to do OK in your age category. That'd be everything.” The passion and love Dolores, 54, has for her hometown marathon is palpable and for any newbies this year, or for anyone still deciding if they should sign up, she has this advice. “It has a big city feel to it, the support is amazing and there’s a massive buzz at the start line and the finish line. But people shout for you all the way through. Also, what's good about the Cork City Marathon is that they have relays. So at the relay stations there are a few 100 runners waiting to run and they all scream and roar as you go through and it’s a massive buzz and that's what's brilliant about Cork. I love it for that."
38
Irish Runner #1 - 2022
Surely a veteran at this stage, and aiming for the stars under the tutelage of running coach Gary O’Hanlon, Dolores shared some of her top tips for success on the Cork City track. She explained: “Definitely increase your mileage. Start a training plan, you can get one online or go with a coach. That's what suited me best because then you structure it correctly. So you increase your weekly mileage bit by bit, then start cutting a few weeks out. Also, try to do a speed session once a week. So you could do that with a club or you could do a short race. Maybe do a short race every couple of weeks. That would really bring somebody along as well. "And more rest is really important. If you're going to train for Cork City Marathon and you're going to increase your mileage, and you're going to put a lot of hours into it, then definitely try to allocate an extra hour per night sleep, it makes all the difference. So personally, if I'm increasing my mileage by 10 miles a week, I'll give myself an extra hour in bed because honestly, it’s all about recovery. Recovery is more important than training because you can destroy yourself and you might be out then for six months so I’m more concerned with recovery time. “It’s also important to plan your race. How are you going to nourish yourself throughout the race? Are you going to carry gels or what's really helpful is to have people on the course to give you your favourite drink or favourite gel.“I usually plan my nutrition for the marathon so I'd have a friend give me the isotonic drinks or if I don't have any friends at the race, I’ll carry gels and then there’s the water stations.” What she’s wearing is also a huge motivating factor for Dolores. She said: “I spend money on the trainers, a pair of trainers that suit you, a pair of trainers that make you feel like you're on springs. I like Nike Alphafly,
