Ep 8 Back-to-back Wicklow Round record holder Paul O'Callaghan
· Trail Running Ireland Podcast
Eoin Flynn talks to Paul O'Callaghan about the first back-to-back Wicklow Round: 200 km and 52 summits in under 48 hours, unsupported. Simon Kelly brings the news from IMRA's first weekend back racing, and Jason Kehoe, standing in for René, explains how to deal with injuries and release trigger points at home.
Simon confirms Paul's successful double Wicklow Round and runs through IMRA's return to racing. Zak Hanna won on Lugnaquilla by more than eight minutes, and Jason Kehoe held on to win the Carrauntoohil race by five seconds. Simon also lists rescheduled races, including the Knockmealdown half and the Maurice Mullins races in September. Eoin highlights Sabrina Verjee becoming the first woman to complete all 214 Wainwrights in a continuous round, in 6 days, 17 hours and 51 minutes, helped by record holder Paul Tierney.
Jason explains his approach as a neuromuscular therapist: release the muscle causing the pain, then find out why it happened, often by analysing running technique. He describes how trigger points refer pain elsewhere, for example from the quads into the knee, and shares his "six to two" self-release protocol with a golf or hockey ball. Press to six out of ten, hold until the pain fades to two, repeat, then move the joint. If a niggle doesn't ease after five to ten minutes of very easy jogging, stop and work on it at home, and see a therapist if it doesn't settle within two or three days.