Eileen helps break World record

A MAGNIFICENT sporting feat was achieved by Lucan Harriers athlete Eileen O’Brien on 26 February at the Athletics Ireland Track and Field Live event in the National Sports Campus in Abbotstown, reports Ken Doyle.

Having anchored the team which broke the W70 4×800 metres world record on February 12, Eileen went on to run the third leg in the W70 4×800 metres squad to break another world record just two weeks later.

For clarification, the prefix W70 stands for women over the age of seventy.

Which means Eileen has become a double world record holder at the tender age of 74.

Post-race, The Echo caught up with Eileen to get her reaction to these extraordinary performances.

“It’s just a privileged position to be in, to be able to run at all. I’m normally a marathon runner but I’ve been doing a bit of extra training with Lucan Harriers’ sprinters on Monday nights and it’s really paid off!” She told us.

“Also, to have the honour of wearing the green vest and representing my country has been a great feeling.”

Eileen with her son Mark and grand daughter Roisin

The team of Mags Glavey (also of Lucan Harriers), Carmel Ní Dhohmnhaill, Eileen and Brigid McCabe brought the baton round in a remarkable time of 6:29.93.

An emotional Eileen told us, “I had a good feeling about this run because it was on my dear, late husband Liam’s birthday.

“I’m sure he helped me round.”

Asked what keeps her going, Eileen says, “I just really enjoy it.

“I go out and have fun.

“Plus I’ve made so many great friends in Lucan Harriers and among the girls in the ‘Masters’ age groups.

“Mags Glavey and Carol Kearney are two great friends I’ve made through Athletics but I’d like to think I’m friends with all of my teammates.”

Eileen’s athletic journey began at the age of forty-two.

“I’d always been interested in doing the Dublin City Marathon and my mother-in-law who was also my best friend Nora O’Brien sadly died in 1993.

“I said I’d do the marathon for her and before I knew it, I’d caught the bug and joined the club.”

Eileen has run more marathons than she can count, with an excellent best time of 3:29.

She always runs the Dublin event and she has completed the best part of the ‘Big Seven’ marathons of the world.

“I’ve done Chicago, New York, Berlin and London which leaves Boston, Tokyo and Sydney still to do.

“And you’d better believe I will do them too!”

Come October, Eileen will turn 75 and will be running in the W75 category, a prospect she looks forward to with great relish.

“Age is just a number, I’ll keep running for as long as I can.

“My father, John Quinn used to tell me to ‘keep doing what you’re doing’ and he lived to be 100, so there’s plenty of running in me yet!”