Right now, Ann-Marie McGlynn is no different to any of the 22,500 runners who have entered for the Dublin Marathon. Counting down the days to Sunday week, knowing all the hard work is already done, praying no late injuries or illness get in the way.
There is a lot more at stake than most, however, as McGlynn chases a third national marathon title, which goes to the first men’s and women’s Irish finisher. At the age of 45, that task of peaking on race day doesn’t get any easier.
“I still love it,” she says. “It’s scary, don’t get me wrong. But it’s good nerves, because if you weren’t going to be there, that’s hard. It’s a 14-week (training) block, and once you do that, you tick your box and you’re like, right, ‘okay, let’s get now to the line’.
“And when you’re on the line, you’re like, ‘oh, now 26.2 miles’. You have to get through that, then we’re home. So it’s a long process, it’s just about just ticking days off now because you want to stay healthy between now and then.
RM Block
“And the marathon is such a beast, you have to love it. I remember my first one, in Rotterdam, I was cramping, one calf was going, then the other. You need everything to align. But yeah, I’m ready. I’m ready to race.”
Dublin will be McGlynn’s 10th marathon in all, her national title victory last year (in 2:34:05) and in 2023 coming after two near misses, in 2022, and 2019. Those titles also came decades after winning her first national underage title at age 13, and an Irish senior title indoor title over 800m in 2008, after which she took a complete break from running.
The birth of her second son Alfie, in 2012, prompted her return. The Tullamore native now lives in Strabane, Co Tyrone, and her husband, Trevor, is one of her chief supporters and occasional training partner.
Now coached by Emmett Dunleavy, McGlynn, who turns 46 in February, says one of the secrets behind her longevity is to not look beyond her next race. She also credits an often less-equals-more approach and the use of a heart-rate monitor to ensure she doesn’t overtrain.
“I’m the kind of girl that doesn’t see tomorrow. I just live in the moment. People say to me, are you doing the national cross-country? (She won that last year too.) I’m like, ‘I don’t know’. I literally cannot see past the 26th of October.
“Maybe four or five years ago, I trained nearly too hard. I was tired. I didn’t know, could I keep this up? And then I moved to Emmett, and honestly, the first thing I said to him was, I want to be able to do this for a long time, not just the short term.
“It does take a lot planning, but I’m lucky with Emmet, we do talk, and he listens to me. And you’re not over-training, not stepping over the line. And that’s why I’m still here 30-odd years later, albeit with a wee break in the middle. But I’m running better than I ever did.
“And staying on top of my strength and conditioning of course, then just fuelling properly. Just the little things that seem so mundane. But they’re what really keep us in one piece.”
Peaking in her 40s is not usual. Mayo-born Sinead Diver, also a mother of two and now representing Australia, ran 2:21:34 at the 2022 Valencia Marathon, when she was just over two months shy of turning 46.
McGlynn also admits there is an emotional attachment to Dublin which helps bring out her best. When attending UCD, she was coached by Noel Carroll, the co-founder of the Dublin Marathon, who died suddenly after a training run four days before the start of the 1998 event.
“I will be holding back tears probably four or five times in 26 miles. I go past the back of UCD and I chat with Noel Carroll. I’m just an emotional wreck when I cross the line.
“I just look at it as a privilege now, because I’m coming to 46, and I’m still at the top of my game in Irish athletics at home. And I know I never discount anybody and they’ll never discount me regardless of my age.”
She takes inspiration from Fionnuala McCormack, who last month finished ninth the World Championship marathon in Tokyo, two weeks before turning 41. McGlynn has also started a running club in Strabane, they help keep her motivated too.
“But yeah, it is getting harder. Life is busier. The hard days are hard, but they’re not leaving it all out there, lying on the ground, nearly getting sick. I don’t train like that,” she says.
“And maybe that’s why I’m still here. And I’m just glad that I’m still racing, fit and healthy, and everybody around me is healthy.”
