Susan Glennon, winner of the Energywise Ireland Banna Run women's 10K for the second year in a row on Sunday, July 31st running with her father, Matthew with 100m to go in the run. Now read her story.
Come Back to Banna, Susan!
The winner of the women’s Energywise Ireland Banna Run 10K was today relaxing in Banna. Enjoying quietly the after-glow of the locally choreographed 12th annual event.
Susan Glennon of Mullingar Harriers AC is a 21 year old primary teacher who has just graduated from St Pat’s and comes from a family deeply-rooted in athletics. She was the first woman over the MyRunResults finish line near the Banna Beach Sea Rescue HQ yesterday, clocking a fast time of 41:40 as she passed the radar.
Susan looked most comfortable in the field of the 237 participants who lined up for the 10K and 5K as the sun came out and the previous day’s rain went into the sandy soil of Ardfert. She sailed smoothly past the Casement Monument just after 9.30am, past the wild and beautiful inlet of Carrahane, past Rathoneen Castle and on by the rath where Roger Casement found shelter in 1916, past the Land League house and through the magical Ardfert Village on to Banna Beach Resort and home to huge applause at the new finish near the Banna Sea Rescue HQ. Then a cup of tea near that HQ, kindly lent by the Sea Rescue for the morning, a chat with fellow competitors and then Susan was presented with the Chris O’Shea Memorial Shield. The shield commemorates a St Brendan’s AC officer and coach who passed away at a young age in 2019 and her sister, Mary was present to present the shield. These moments often make an event.
The amazing point about Susan’s inspiring run yesterday was that she was winning the Chris O’Shea Shield for the second year in a row. She also won the Banna 10K last year when the Shield was first on offer and was therefore the inaugural Chris O’Shea Shield winner.
So what’s the attraction to the Banna Run for the primary school teacher?
“Well, we have a holiday chalet at the Banna Beach resort!” she says and the family has been staying there for many years.
And the Banna Run thing is a family affair too for the Glennons. Incidentally, they are one of the largest families in Ireland. “There are twelve of us!” Susan calmly says. Did you say twelve? “Yes, I have six brothers and I am one of four sisters, and Mum and Dad. That’s twelve!”
The youngest is nine and the oldest is twenty seven. Susan is fourth in the family.
Yesterday Susan’s Dad and coach, Matthew, a founder member of Coralstown Kinnegad AC in Westmeath, ran the 10K with her and they both finished close to each other. Dad was in fact a second behind Susan. A coaching skill. Obviously a good Dad also! But while father and daughter were leaving Ardfert Village on the road home to Banna in that 10K heading west, brother Matthew (there are two Matthews in the family), was fighting it out with Darragh O’Leary of Killarney Valley AC in the out-and-back 5K heading east. And that titanic struggle was decided only on the line as both contoured their potential on the day. Matthew nodded over the MyRunResults ground-saddle and was given the verdict by the technology…both athletes timed at 16:14, delighting the huge crowd that witnessed the event in the last-day-of-July sunshine.
And that’s not the full story. Another brother Andrew, also a member of Mullingar Harriers AC, finished fourth in the 5K in the fast time of 18:32. Awsomesauce!
When Susan crossed the line in the 10K a short time later, the Glennons could quietly celebrate the unique success. A Glennon Banna Run success.
Susan trains six days a week and her ambition is to reduce her times over 5K (pb is 18:30) and the 10K (pb of 39:40). She has been lucky not to have been injured too often and the last time she had an issue was two years ago when shin splints and a stress fracture side-lined her for a while. She didn’t like that! Hindsight that provides insight.
She will start her primary teaching career in St Mary’s Primary School in Mullingar in September. Why teaching? “My mother is a retired teacher and a load of my aunts and uncles were teachers too!” If you hear about St Mary’s athletes doing well in the next few years, then you will know why.
The Glennons love Banna and North Kerry. Part of the hidden Ireland. There’s no need to travel beyond Banna Strand for that heavenly beach experience but a trip to Ballyheigue and Ballybunion is an option if required. “And there are more races in Kerry than in Westmeath!” Susan affirms. She warmed up for this weekend’s Banna Run by taking on the Ballyheigue Half of the Head and the Brandon Bay beach runs recently.
Take a bow Kerry race organisers. Deep and wise are the Kingdom’s race-planners.
What run has she got the most satisfaction from in her life? Without thinking too long, Susan says “The Banna Run!” Why? Sure the start of the Run is only five minutes down the road from their chalet in Banna Beach Resort! No long travel on the day and after the race the whole family can hop into the water in the Blue Flag beach and recover in the Atlantic waves. Perfect!
Susan Glennon has articulated the core raison d’etre of the Banna Run: family, people, the course, the location, the strand, the atmosphere and the after-run cuppa.
When all twelve members of the family go for a run together next Christmas, they may be thinking of a sunny July day near Banna Strand. A day everything rhymed. A day borrowed from family dreams. Frantic days for the organisers of the Banna Run who may be thinking of the family too and saying…
Come back to Banna again Susan and all the Glennons. Go for three-in-a-row! Beidh fáilte romhaibh!
