Ann-Marie sets her sights on Rome after Paris dream ends

RATHER than being downbeat after seeing her dreams of running the women’s marathon at the Paris Olympics disappear, Strabane’s Ann-Marie McGlynn has set a new goal of representing Ireland in Rome at the European Championships.

Ann-Marie, who celebrates her 44th birthday today (Thursday), ran the Seville Marathon in Spain on Sunday hoping to run a time of two hours 29 minutes in order to make the top 80 in the world in order to book a place in Paris.

Unfortunately, while she ran a creditable two hours 33 minutes to finish 39th and third in her age group, it turned out that even if she had hit her target time she would have been approximately three minutes short of the time needed to break into the qualification places such was the pace at Sunday’s event, which was attended by Olympic prospects from all over the world.

“The quota is made,” she confirmed. “There were so many people there from South America, small countries, not as many Europeans as you’d have thought. It was the last chance saloon for a lot of people.

“It was stacked because everyone was going for it and obviously I wasn’t in 2:26.50 shape, I was never going to run that standard, but I hoped to get into the top 80 with a 2:29.

“But it looks like now you need a sub-2:26.50 to get in, although there might be drop offs and it could be a high 2:27 could get you in.”

Even though Sunday was something of a hiding to nothing for Ann-Marie, it wasn’t a wasted experience and even though her ultimate dream will remain unrealised, she feels she can look back on it with pride, possibly from Rome!

“We had to have a swing at it. We needed to have a 2:29 on the board and on Wednesday we kind of knew going by the rankings 2:29 might not even get me to Paris, but we had to try.

“It’s a weird one because I gave it my all, literally, because plan A was Paris but plan B was Rome and the Europeans so I still had a job to do.

“I needed a number on the board, so yes, I’m disappointed that the road to Paris is done, I’m not going, but I’m proud, I really am proud that I stayed in. I’m happy. I’m disappointed but I’m happy because I have to be realistic.”

Ann-Marie’s coach Emmet Dunleavy ran alongside her for around the first 19 miles of the event to help her stay on pace but due to her quads causing her so much pain and discomfort, it was difficult for the Offaly native to hit her target time.

“I hung in! My heart and my head told me to stick at it and I knew the only thing that would put me to the side of the pavement was if my quads went into a bad cramp. I was literally just putting one foot in front of the other and it proved to me that I am strong mentally because I don’t know how I stayed in that race.

“I thought I was running 2:40 pace and I stopped looking at my watch because I was just focusing on getting home. I didn’t want a DNF, I wanted a number on the board.

“And I’ll be able to look back and say ‘I ran 2:33 and was third in my category’ which is a solid day, it just wasn’t what I would have loved. But I gave it a good rattle and I left everything and more on that road in Seville.”