Derry Shows A Touch of Class - Dublin Marathon 1989
Derry O'Driscoll - A Touch of Class
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Derry Shows A Touch of Class
Irish Runner CDL Dublin City Marathon 1989 Results Supplement - Page 7
A touch of class was how one vastly experienced athletics afficionado described 52 year old Derry O'Driscoll's briliant 2:30:56 marathon performance in Dublin on Marathon Monday.
This was a quality performance by the St. Fnbarr's runner, and one good enough to sweep the top spot in the O/4O age category. It was yet another top drawer run for the Cork father of eight who, for the past serveral years, has been a model of consistency on the Insh roads
As with every race he enters. Derry went out to give his very best possible performance in Dublin. He ran through the opening mile in 5:30 and, at 3 miles, he was joined by his great Cork rival John Buckley. Neither runner knew at that point that Michael Roche of Waterford, last year's second placer in the O/40 divison, was a non-starter. "It was probaby best that way". Derry said, "as we were pushing all the way at that stage"
By two miles, John Buckley had pulled away from Derry O'Driscoll, but the CMP Dairy General Manager had his pacing right, and he felt his confidence rising as he hit the 10 mile checkpoint in 56:59.
Derry O'Driscoll, John Buckley, Billy Porter and Robert Taylor
Soon he had hauled in John Buckley, and he was also conscious of a good German veteran who was making a serious challenge on the vets' title.
At 15 miles, Derry spotted Michael Roche in a spectator's role at the side of the rood. The sighting further strengthened his resolve to push on harder and, by 20 mies, he felt that the race was within his grasp. His second 10 mile split was just 57:01 and his only serious challenger at that point was the Scot, Gregory Redden, who joined him on the road for a brief period.
By 24 miles the race for the leading vet of '89 was over, but there was no let up for Derry, as he maintained his poise and rhythm all the way to the finish.
The Dublin Victory crowned a great year for the Corkman. Already he had won the National O/40 10 mile and half-marathon championships, but the Dublin victory was particulaly special to hm.
A moderate weekly trianing mileage of 80 miles is Derry O'Driscoll's recipe for success. The training week consists of a daily 10 mile run at lunchtime, with Tim Goulding, Tim O'Donovan and Billy Horgan, in about 63/64 minutes. A weekly speed session of 8 x 400m (63-68 secs) or some 200m runs is also included in the schedule.
Regular racing, Derry feels, is the key to keeping his sharpness. "I also do a lot ol physical work at home in my garden, such as wood chopping and general gardening, and I feel this helps my overall strength", he says.
Derry is a master of time management, and as well as his busy schedule as general manager of CMP Dairy, and his running, he also finds time somehow to pursue a night-time course in Law at UCC. Now that he has won everything on the roads in Ireland in the veteran class, it is likely that Derry will soon be making a big impression in the vets' division of some international marathons, such as Boston or London. Derry has no intention of slowing down going into the '90s.
