Running Matters One:2:One with Gerry Duffy

by Martin Lyons

This week I’m interviewing a local man who needs little introduction.

Gerry Duffy started running in his late 20s after realising he needed to get fitter and lose weight, for his overall physical and mental health. He loved the feeling running gave him and it’s fair to say that over the years, he has given plenty back.

His achievements, including 32 marathons in 32 days and 10 Ironman events in 10 days, are part of what makes Gerry’s story the more impressive and underline his drive and determination.

One gets the feeling there are more chapters in the Gerry Duffy story, and in many ways we are only half way through.

Name: Gerry Duffy

Date of birth: February 28, 1968

When did you start running and what motivated you take it up?

In school I played all sports, but then in my twenties I exercised less and less.

This led me to putting on quite a lot of weight, so at 27 I decided to go back to exercise and did so in the form of running.

My initial reason was to help me lose weight, but I realised immediately I loved it, and especially early morning running.

I began to run beside the canal around Mullingar and loved that early morning view of seeing nature awaken.

I always felt better after it too, which was a great incentive to keep it going.

What is your favourite and least favourite type of training and your favourite race distance?

My favourite session is one I normally do on a Saturday or Sunday morning, where you run comfortably hard.

Depending on where I’m at training and race wise, it will usually be somewhere between five and nine miles of comfortably hard running.

Even if I wasn’t training for anything, I try to do that most of the year round, because it always keeps me connected to a good level of fitness.

It’s always a great barometer of where I’m at fitness-wise too.

I don’t have a least favourite as such. The hardest though? Short speed repeats!

However, I always feel great after them, which makes them worthwhile and I think a lot of people could vow for the same experience!

My favourite race distance would be a 39.3 mile ultramarathon.

What running achievements are you most proud of and why?

I am very proud of the 32 marathons in 32 days, which I did with fellow Mullingar man Ken Whitelaw in 2010, and the DECA Iron distance Triathlon a year later (10 Iron distance triathlons in 10 days).

Our final marathon in the 32-marathon challenge was in Mullingar, which gave us a great incentive on all of the 32 days. On that last day we were blessed to use Mullingar Town Park as our headquarters and to take in the Belvedere House estate as part of the route. This was close to home for both Ken and me, so it was extra special.

More than 200 people joined us that day by running either a half or a full marathon.

After those I turned to ultramarathons. I especially love the Connemara Ultra (39.3 miles) and have completed it four times.

I also completed the Connemara 100-mile road race in 2014 and have great memories of that. It involved running 100 miles in one sitting. The day started in Clifden at 6am and navigated in a figure of eight around Connemara before finishing with three laps of the town of Clifden.

As you can imagine, the environment and scenery were spectacular. We also had good weather on the day, which was a bonus.

I finished just after midnight. A long day, but something I have great memories of ever since.

List your current PBs for the following distances:

Half marathon: 79mins 41sec

Full marathon: 2hrs 50mins 49sec

39.3 miles: 4hrs 52mins 29sec

100km: 9hrs 19mins 41secs

100 miles: 18hrs 24mins 59sec

How have the Covid-19 restrictions affected your training or racing plans?

It’s been a big change, where, like so many, we have become like hamsters running around a wheel trying to come up with innovative routes within the 5k limit.

Last June I decided I would do a marathon on my own on the same weekend as the Dublin marathon (October bank holiday weekend). I didn’t do it to run another marathon – I did it because I knew I would commit to the training, which was more important at that time.

It made me do the long runs and speed sessions that I might not otherwise have done and I did manage to run it around where I live. Perhaps I’ll call it the hamster marathon, as it had to be done within the 5k limit so I found myself running back and forth a lot!

I’m pretty sure I’ll do something similar this year. It means I don’t lose a year of doing nothing meaningful. Perhaps Covid has shown me how we can find new ways to do old things.

What advice or training tips would you give to anyone who is now looking to take up running?

When I reflect on how I started, I’d suggest easing into it.

We might want to run a lot because we might get the bug and try do five days a week early on, but perhaps decide that a few times a week represents success in the early days.

Doing too much too early can lead to injuries or shin splints, because the body has to get used to this new activity.

An early injury might move you further away from running, which is not what you’re trying to do. Respect the fact that it’s new to your body and ease in slowly over time.

What are your lifetime goals and/or PBs?

The PBs aren’t top of the agenda these days, but ideally I want to continue to run marathons and ultras, but am happy to get them done without focusing on time too much. In the future, I’d also love to do the London marathon. It’s been on my bucket list now for quite a while!

What is your favourite post-race meal?

Definitely a tasty sit down or takeaway meal from the brilliant Silver Oak Indian restaurant in Mullingar. A great reward for the day itself and many months of effort!