Take a look at this chap descending Croagh Patrick. Resplendent in the colours of the star-spangled banner. Normally, his attire would give nothing away. Maybe he was getting tired of being mistaken as French! But, engage him in conversation and his yankee accent will instantly dispell any notions of European origins.
The point being, he has a story to tell. As do hundreds of runners up and down the length of the island. But do we ever stop to listen?
When, hopefully, the memories of this virus pandemic fade and the racing calendar gets back to normal, it could be a good thing to talk and pay more attention to details around us. Maybe a positive legacy of this traumatic time may be that we take less for granted.
Newry AC are privileged to have Paul Le Blanc competing for them in the M55-60 category. He can be regularly seen at training and races providing verbal motivation, and backing this up with some very spritely performances. He is an all-rounder; Northern Ireland age gold medals on the track, a NI International in Cross Country and he has also competed in gruelling adventure and mountain races. Add to this, he is a keen cyclist and competes in cyclocross.
At training, he is determined to cut the recovery as short as possible, indeed it would seem that his intention is to do away with it altogether! If you forget the breaks between the reps, the session is over quicker – right?
Hailing from Minot in North Dakota, the first part of Paul Le Blanc’s career took place long before there was a Mrs. Leblanc. More about that illustrious chapter later.
He and his wife have provided Newry AC with one of their youngest members (an enthusiastic son) and hopefully very soon to be followed by his little sister. Then it only remains for Paul to persuade their mother to sign up as well!
Regarding signing up, Paul has proved to be a one man recruiting machine, helping transform the club into a force to be reckoned with in the mountain running scene. Helped along of course by the success of top mountain lady, Esther Dickson. The pair can often be spotted training in the mountains and in Gosford Forest Park.
Back in the annals of history, perhaps when Lincoln was president, Paul competed for NDSU in the collegiate system. He was the NCAA DII Cross County All American champion. At some point, mysteriously, he also managed to sneak across the Atlantic and become Irish NACA National 3,000mSC champion, and finish second in Cross Country. There is also archive newspaper evidence proving that he beat a famous Kenyan in a race. When you see his PBs, it is not hard to believe!
His favourite training was on forest trails and he remembers his favourite session to be 6x1mile (no doubt with very little recovery).
Paul ran 14:22.24 for 5,000m and 29:50 for 10,000m! Sandwiched in between, he achieved a 23:59 clocking for 5 miles. He managed 8:20 for 3,000m, 47:36 for 15K and 50:13 for 10 miles. When he tackled the marathon, he won in 2:26.17, his half-marathon PB is 1:09.57. To top it all off, this endurance man also showed remarkable speed, clocking 1:56.3 for 800m and 3:53.4 for 1,500m. Incredible range.
It certainly can be worth having a chat and delving into the history of someone we see week in, week out, at races and even at our own club. Or even at the moment, why not contact someone by phone or email? They may have an amazing story of their own.
About the Author
Lee Maginnis is a keen sportsman who lives in Northern Ireland. He likes the outdoors and is interested in wildlife.
