Writes JJ Hurley
Jeremy O’Donovan recently powered home in the Dublin City Marathon in an impressive time of 2.34.34, and along with his team mates from St. Finbarr’s AC, Mike Corbett and Alan Lehane, look set to take the gold medal in their team category.
Well-known in soccer and GAA circles, O’Donovan, who had been at the centre of much of Kinsale’s success in both codes in recent years, had swapped his football boots for running shoes, after calling time on his football career.
Always recognised for a capacity to motor up and down the pitch, O’Donovan eased himself into the running scene with an impressive 3.11.47 in his debut marathon.
Linking up with two of his work colleagues in Eli Lily, Jim Cunningham and Andrew Sheehan, the trio have formed a rigorous partnership, with early morning training programmes that have certainly produced positive results.
Have broken the all-important three-hour mark for the marathon, Jeremy produced a superb performance in the Berlin Marathon earlier this year, recording an outstanding time of 2.39.31.
Describing himself as naturally competitive, a trait he puts down to his many years on the field of play, he believes his current success has its origins on the soccer and GAA fields, where winning is a by-product of hard work and commitment
Indeed, his six day training programmes, in which he clocks up an average of 85 miles, are designed to test his endurance, with results uploaded to Garmin and Strava, a process he finds encourages his drive, as other runners can use those results as staging posts for their training.
Of course, preparing for the record-breaking efforts have meant Jeremy making a number of sacrifices, and he’s exceptionally grateful to his wife, Catherine for her support, who had the additional responsibility of minding their young son, Harry.
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