JUST last month, Athenry Athletic Club’s Peadar Nugent achieved a remarkable feat when he completed his 30th consecutive Dublin City Marathon on the prestigious event’s 30th anniversary.

What made Nugent’s accomplishment all the more impressive was that earlier this year, the 66-year-old West Clare native had surgery on his right hip and was laid up for several months.

Yet, at no stage did Nugent consider not tackling the 26-mile gruelling road race on the October Bank Holiday Weekend.

“It is a big milestone for me,” begins the mild-mannered, quiet-spoken runner. “That said, if it wasn’t for the fact that I had done all previous 29 marathons, I may not even have done it this year because for the past number of years, I have had a problem with injuries.

“I have had a problem with my right hip; nothing got to do with running. I also have a severed tendon in my left shoulder. I had surgery on my hip on the 26th of May this year and I was non-weight bearing for six weeks after that. I was also discouraged from doing any serious running by the surgeon. I am now having surgery on my shoulder later this month, so all in all, I have to be careful.

“I decided, though, I would walk and jog this year’s marathon, so not to break my link with it. I am very tunnelled 'visioned' and even the morning when I started it, at no stage did I contemplate the possibility of not finishing,” says Nugent.

Nugent’s route to marathon running is – like so many – a familiar one. He began his athletics career in sprinting and jumping, but with his speed for those events failing him in his mid 30s, he looked to extend the distance. For him, it was not about competing for medals, but simply staying active in a pursuit that he loves.

“That is not to say I wasn’t successful. In fact, one year I was a member of a Meath cross-country team and I came fifth in the cross country masters,” outlines Nugent, who lived in the Royal County while he worked for 35 years in the Courts Service in Dublin. He is a life member of Dunboyne Athletic Club.

“My first ever marathon was in 1980, and I was aged 37 at the time. There was a colleague of mine, Maurice McMorrow, a Ballinasloe native, and he was a few years older than me. He had done a bit of running in his youth, but had left it and taken up golf. However, he said to me that he wouldn’t mind getting back running, so he did, and he hasn’t stopped running since. He even quit his membership of Clontarf Golf Club.

“So, the first marathon we ran together was in 1980. We had a good level of fitness, and we did it with relatively little training. We were doing just 40 miles a week for the previous eight weeks. We would be training at an average of seven minutes a mile. Our longest run beforehand was 15 miles. We set ourselves the target of running the marathon in eight-minute miles, which would have given us three and a half hours. Unbelievably, we finished it in 3 hours and 31 minutes. The bug had caught us then and the following year we wanted to see if we could improve. And we did continue to improve.”

Indeed, over the years, the Derrydonnell resident’s times varied between 3 hours and 10 minutes and 3 hours and 20 minutes, although in 1992, at the age of 49, he ran his first sub three-hour marathon in a time of 2 hours and 58 minutes.

The following Summer, to mark his 50 birthday, Nugent – who once ran the Dublin City Marathon and the New York Marathon in the same week – took part in the national veteran athletics championships. He won the over 50 long jump while also taking silver medals in the national 200metre and 400metre sprints. “And I haven’t competed in jumping and sprinting since,” he says.

In many respects, though, it has been marathon running that has given him the greatest fulfilment and he has had some great days. In 1994, he was among those honoured for completing the first 15 Dublin City Marathons. In the year 2000, to mark the 21st anniversary of the event, those who had completed all 21 marathons were given free entry for life. “So that is the only kick-back I have got from my running from a financial point of view,” he laughs.

“This year it was the 30th marathon and I never for one minute contemplated not doing it … even when I had the hip surgery. I have no excess weight and I have a good standard of fitness, generally. Despite being on crutches for six weeks until the middle of June, I put word out in the club that I was doing the marathon, not withstanding my medical condition, and I intended walking it and if anyone was interested in walking it, I would be delighted if they accompany me, if they were prepared to go along at my pace.

“So, there was one member of the club, Maire Treasa Beatty. She contacted James Lundon (Athenry AC) and she told James she would be delighted to do it with me. And she did, and she was absolutely marvellous.”

Between walking and jogging it, Nugent’s 30th Dublin City Marathon went very much to plan, with the pair coming in just under 5 hours and 20 minutes. Nugent says it was a superb weekend, which began with another special presentation at registration in the RDS the day before.

“The 29 of us assembled at the Adidas stand and we were each presented with a sweat shirt that was prescribed ‘I have run all 30 Dublin Marathons’. We were also given a piece of Dublin Crystal, a commemorative piece, and we were each given a separate number – the No. 30 – to wear on our back. Our own individual race number we wore on the front. So, everyone who saw us on the day would know that we were part of the group of 29.

“On the morning of the race we got special treatment. We were brought into the elite runners’ area and as a group we were put up at the start line instead of being way down in the middle of the throng. So, that was a great benefit. There was an absolutely marvellous atmosphere there that day, a fabulous morning. We assembled at 8:30am for the race at 9 o’clock and you couldn’t have hoped for a warmer or drier morning than we had. It was great to be there with the elite runners, and from my point of view I can say, yes, I saw them at the start and that was it because they disappeared out of sight very quickly after that.”

Still, the determined father of two and grandfather of three – who was not the last to finish of the 29 veterans – saw it through and, now, he can start planning No. 31. “Next year is another year. I am having my shoulder surgery soon and I will have my arm in a sling for three months after that. So, that will curtail my activities.

“I have other interests as well. I enjoy set dancing, social dancing, and I wouldn’t want my running to interfere too much with my social life. I am not ruling it out though. One should never say never.” Certainly not Peadar Nugent – a man who is very much young at heart.

A retired court registrar, Derrydonnell resident Peadar has been working part-time in the library at NUI Galway for the past four years. He has two children, Siobhan (Drumcondra) and Cathal, who is a GP in Athenry, and three grandchildren, Donal, Joe and Aoife.