Track displays deliver some great moments for Lynch and O’Reilly

Two Kilkenny athletes have shared their experiences of making great strides in their sport.

For Kilkenny City Harriers duo Peter Lynch and Cathal O’Reilly, the last few weeks have, respectively, delivered the chance to run on an international stage and the opportunity to enter the record books.

Lynch was part of the Irish team that competed in the European Championships in Rome, an event which delivered many eye-catching performances.

As for O’Reilly, he became the second Kilkennyman to smash the four minute mile barrier.

For Lynch, the men’s 10,000m race was one of the last events at the European Championships in Rome, an athletics championships which delivered plenty of high moments for Ireland. The Kilkenny City Harriers man was one of five Irish runners in the event and crossed the line in a time of 29:02:00.

“It was a privilege to have the opportunity to run for Ireland and a big achievement getting there,” he said. “It was a great experience and I learned a lot.”

Lynch booked his place on the Irish team when he raced The Ten 10,000m race in California back in March. He set a new personal best when finishing in 27:49:30, a result which saw him jump to fifth on the Irish all-time list.

“I was the third fastest Irish runner this year so I knew for a while that I had my ticket for Rome,” he said. “I had my time out of the way for a while so I was able to focus all my training towards the championships.

When it came to running in Rome, the race was a new experience for Lynch.

“It was relatively slow for the first 3km,” he said. “We were at 8:55 for the first 3km, which was around 29:40 pace overall, but after that it started going a lot quicker.

“The race had a real fast-slow feel to it, so those injections of pace are hard to sustain. It was pretty warm too, about 20 degrees, but I had been in Oklahoma until about 10 days before the race so I was used to those conditions - the highs had been in the 30s there, while in summer it can get into the low 40s.”

While the temperature was nothing new, the experience provided by running in the Stadio Olimpico was.

“It was a crazy experience,” he said. “The atmosphere and noise was something else. Any race I’ve ever run you always hear individual shouts along the way, but all race it was like a wall of noise the whole way around. It’s hard to get to grips with that, so you just focus on the person in front of you. It was hard to gauge how fast or slow we were going as, usually in track races, you have coaches calling out splits. I saw the clock after the first two laps and knew we were slow, but then I thought it picked up. I was really happy with the position I was in after the 3km mark but then I was passed by Andreas Algren, who was one of the favourites for the race. My plan was to stick on him, but around halfway more people started to pass me and I got a bit detached from the group.”

Lynch was a little disappointed with his performance, but vowed to take something from the European experience.

“A year or two ago I would never have thought I’d be at a European championships,” he said. “My best performances have been at cross-country; track hasn’t been the same, so it was a huge step up to make the team for a major championships - you have to take some positives from that. It has given me real motivation to get back to that stage and to perform better next time.”

And the future will see him increase his training and focus his sights on longer distances.

“So far I’m getting better with distance, so I’m going to give the marathon a go,” he said. “I’m hoping to do Chicago in October, but my long-term goal is to look at the Olympics in Los Angeles (2028).”

For now it’s back to the US to train with the Alistair Cragg Puma Elite group and look to the future.

“My plan is to devote myself to running full-time for a couple of months, run a full marathon and see if it goes well and what opportunities come from it,” he said. “The marathon is far different from anything I’ve done so far, but I’m excited to see what the future holds.”

Cathal O’Reilly became the second Kilkenny athlete to run a sub four minute mile when he clocked 3:59:26 at the Mary Peters track in Belfast Picture: George Tewkesbury/Sportsfile

For Cathal O’Reilly, the Mary Peters track in Belfast will always hold special memories after he became the second Kilkennyman to run a sub four-minute mile.

Surprisingly, setting that fast marker took some time to sink in…

“It was a bit of a shock, really,” he said. “It was only a couple of minutes after the race that we went around trying to see what the actual result was because the clock stopped at 3:58 after the winner (Max Wharton) crossed the line. I wasn’t sure if I’d broken it or not, but I got it by seven hundredths of a second (3:59:26).

“I knew it would be close enough, but I got it by more than I thought.”

O’Reilly travelled North for the British Milers Club meet in Belfast, where seven mile races were held to commemorate the 70th anniversary of Roger Bannister becoming the first person to break the four minute barrier. For the young Harrier, his confidence levels were good going into the event.

“I felt I had an outside chance going up,” said O’Reilly. “I ran a 3:45 in the 1500m a few weeks ago, which would equate to a 4:02 for the mile, so I was planning on going out a little quicker than that. With about a lap to go I was at 3:02 and when I got to within 200m at 3:31 I said I’d give it everything. Somehow I was able to close quickly enough to get it.

“I knew the pacer was going out in 59s to try and run just under four minutes so I sat towards the back of the pack early on,” he added. “I was a little detached as they went through 800m quicker than I did, but I reeled them in over the last two laps.”
O’Reilly can now claim his place in an elite club with pride, but also use the feat as a spur for future achievements.

“I’d like to get my 1,500m PB down now, so we’ll see how it goes. Next up is the seniors 1,500 at the national track and field championships, with a few more races across the summer. I’m lucky in that there is always someone from the club that I can get out and run with. It’s great to have people there who have done it before. It gives you great motivation for the future.”