These are a list of mentors within the club who are available to help members with advice on their training plans and targets.
Mentor.....Caroline Holohan
Bio......Caroline has run in many races across various distances from 5K's to Half marathons in Ireland, UK & Luxembourg as well as two full marathons - Edinburgh & Rome. Caroline is also a qualified Athletics Ireland coach.
Mentoring.....For the new runner who looking to run in their first race or is just starting out, Caroline can advise you on how to get ready and what training you will need to do.
5 kms to 10 kms...
Mentor.....Paul Cotter
Bio.......With many years of running under his belt, Paul has covered every distance from 5k's to Marathons. His preference however is for the local short fast races from 5 to 10 kms.
Mentoring.....Paul leads a lot of the faster sessions at the track. If you have a particular race in mind or would like some advice on racing shorter distances then send Paul an e-mail.
Mentor.....Joe Roche
Bio.......As a long standing member of the club, Joe has a wealth of experience running many races from 5k's to Marathons. Over the years, Joe has mentored the following club members......Sheila Byrne, Jane McGrath, Loretta Dougan, Laurence Courtney, Emma Legrand, Deirdre O Reilly, Monica Twohig and Maura Regan as well as a host of other non-club runners as well. Lots of members have followed his track sessions when he was training for particular races.......e.g. National Half-Marathon in 2011.
Mentoring.....Joe does most of his mentoring via email and a few brief meetings. If you want to discuss your preparation for a particular race then send Joe an e-mail.
New Runners looking to try 10 mile races and Half-Marathons...
Mentor.....Elaine Guinane
Bio......Elaine has been running for over 5 years and has 4 Marathons to her credit (PB...3:39). Elaines speciality is in running Half-Marathons with almost 20 completed at this stage. Elaine is also a qualified Athletics Ireland coach.
Mentoring.....For anyone who is looking to take a step up from the shorter distance races (e.g. 4 miles / 5 miles / 10 kms) then talk to Elaine. She can advise you on how to adapt your training for the longer distances.
Marathons...3:30 to 4:00
Mentor.....Denis Looney
Bio.....Denis has completed almost 20 Marathons including 50k and 63k Ultra-Marathons. He is also a regular pacer at the Cork City Marathon (4 hrs). Denis's personal best time for the Marathon is 3:24.
Mentoring.....If you have a target Marathon in mind and you want to break a certain time in the 3:30 to 4:00 hour region then talk to Denis.
Ultra-Marathons...26 miles and up!
Mentor.....Grellan McGrath
Bio.....A veteran of roughly 20 Marathons, Grellan is the club specialist in running Ultra-Marathons. His meticulous approach to training has seen him run the following personal bests....3hr 46m for 50k, 5h 02m in the Connemara 39.3 mile Ultra and 9h 16m for 100kms.
Mentoring.....If you fancy going in off the deep end then give Grellan a shout.
Trail and Mountain Running...
Mentor.....Paul Daly
Bio.....As well as having done a host of shorter road races, Paul comes into his own over the longer distances. He has taken part in many Marathon races and is a regular pacer at the Cork City Marathon. To date, Paul has completed several Ultra-Marathons including the Portumna 100km and the Connemara 39.3 mile Ultra. Paul's speciality is off road running on trails and in the hills and mountains.
Mentoring.......If you are interested in training or running off-road, Paul's the man to ask.
Endurance...Half-Marathons, Marathons, Ultra-Marathons and Triathlons...
Mentor.....Joanne Fearon
Bio.....Joanne brings a huge amount of experience to the club in endurance based events. She is an Athletics Ireland Level 1 coach and is also a Triathlon Ireland coach. To date, Joanne has completed almost 60 marathons and 9 Ironman Triathlons. Other endurance events completed were running from Malin to Mizen in five days, the grueling six day Marathon des Sables in the Sahara desert, the Connemara 100 mile as well as some 24 hour races. She has also acted as a support crew for multi-day races, a cross channel swimmer, etc so she brings a vast amount of experience and knowledge to the club.
Mentoring.....Endurance events from Half-Marathon, Marathon, Ultra-Marathons and Triathlons. If you need advice on any of these events, nutrition, heart rate training, injury prevention on big mileage and want to make the most of your talent then ask Jo.
Adventure Races...
Mentor.....Rónán O'Shea
Bio.....Rónán has run a wide variety of races from 5k to Marathons. As well as races on the road, one of his main interests is in Adventure Races which involve the multiple sports of hill running, cycling and kayaking. As well as the Monster MAC in Millstreet, Co.Cork, he has taken part in adventure races in Dingle, Killarney and Wicklow.
Mentoring......If you are looking to try something different and want some advice on multi-sport adventure races and how your running training fits in, send Rónán a mail.