‘I’m in total disbelief’ - storming finish secures Irish marathon title for Judith Storm

Trouble can come at you from all directions in the marathon, particularly on a blustery day, which also means nothing ever is decided for certain until the finish line.Judith Storm provided ample reminder of that, the only real hint of which was already in her name, after she whipped up a brilliant sprint finish to cross the line as the top Irish woman in the Irish Life Dublin Marathon.Storm eventually got past long-time Irish women’s leader Sorcha Nic Dhómhnaill inside the last 400m, just before the Pepper Canister Church, then raced 12 seconds clear to reach the finish line on Mount Street Upper in 2:35:46.That also earned Storm the national marathon title which goes to the first Irish finishers in Dublin, her first podium finish in any event. At age 39, Storm only took up competitive running after the pandemic, and the mother of four – including seven-year-old triplets – was visibly thrilled with her effort.READ MORE“I’m in total disbelief, it’s all a bit of a blur, but I just managed to sprint at the end to catch her,” said Storm, a Scottish native who moved to Northern Ireland 16 years ago, and now runs with City of Derry Spartans AC.“I remember at mile 23, 24, I just started thinking, ‘well, this is my time, if I’m moving, I need to move now’. The wind in parts, even at the end there, was brutal. So I just about closed the gap somehow.”With perhaps a wink and smile from the marathon running gods, the properly stormy winds of the previous 48 hours had certainly eased by the 8.45am starting time, with bright sunshine also holding up throughout the race.Still, there was no running away from that strong wind in parts, which was at the backs of the runners heading towards the infamous “wall” around the 21-mile mark, before it turned into their faces again for the closing miles.Judith Storm celebrates at the finish line after claiming the Irish national marathon title. Photograph: Clodagh Kilcoyn Despite her relative lack of marathon running experience, Storm has little fear of the distance. After running 2:47:07 on her Dublin debut last year, she lowered her best to 2:39:09 in Belfast, then won the Belfast Half Marathon last month in 1:14:14, another hint of her potential.A medical doctor by profession, Storm also uses her running as a way of balancing her busy lifestyle, with clear potential to run significantly faster in better conditions.“I was a medical doctor in hospitals, right up until I had the triplets, and we now have an aesthetic business in Belfast, and I have my own online skin care business as well. So it’s busy, three different businesses, and kids and running, that’s my life.“But I never did any exercise growing up. I bought a bike, during Covid, just to get out of the house. Then when we moved to Derry from Belfast, four years ago, I took up running, met my coach Emmett McGinty, who’s guided me through the whole thing, just built it up over the course of three to four years.“It just shows you, if something’s important to you, you’ll make it happen. I have four children, my eldest daughter is eight, the triplets seven. Running obviously comes secondary to the kids, but I make it work, and it’s something that I give back to me. So any mums out there, if I can do it, you can too. I’m not talented in any way, I’m just determined, and stubborn.”She also credits her husband Chris, a Derry native, and the support of her club: “I just love my City of Derry Spartans family, they really are the most supportive people I’ve ever met.”For Nic Dhómhnaill, running for her club West Limerick, the Irish women’s title looked certain to be heading her way, with the 41-year-old over 90 seconds clear of Storm at the halfway mark.“I did think I had it, I felt good, but the wind was horrific,” said Nic Dhómhnaill, also coached by Feidhlim Kelly in Dublin. “So time is obviously out the window. I was still feeling good with 10km to go, but she just passed me at the wrong time, my legs just turned to jelly.Irish national champion Judith Storm (centre) with second-placed Sorcha Nic Dhómhnaill (right of photo) and third place Meghan Ryan (left) following the Dublin City Marathon. Photograph: Sam Barnes/Sportsfile “I might feel happier in a few days time, but I felt like that was my race to lose, and I lost it.”Indeed at the front of the race, Enock Kipkemboi from Kenya also looked to be cruising towards the outright victory and the $15,000 top prize, before he suddenly keeled over when passing the RDS, with just under two miles left to run.That left Ethiopia’s Abay Alemu Lesa and Sweden’s Ebba Chala locked in battle for outright victory, which was also decided on the last turn at the Pepper Canister Church, with the 22-year-old Lesa winning in 2:10:28, eight seconds ahead of the Ethiopian-born Chala.Kipkemboi did recover to finish fourth, in 2:12:17, before immediately falling to the ground again, a clear indication the wind had taken a heavy toll on him.“It was a very hard race, but I didn’t really see what happened behind,” said Lesa. “But I pushed to the last and I was happy with my performance, and very happy to win.”After Sahlesilassie Nigussie, also from Ethiopia, rounded out the men’s podium, running 2:11:25 in third, a trio of Ethiopian women took the top podium places. Zenebu Fikadu narrowly missed out on the women’s course record with her time of 2:24:26, highly impressive given the testing conditions. Tenebeb Nega Aynalem was runner-up in 2:25:50, and Sechele Dalasa Adunga third in 2:27:22.Despite the windy conditions, 19,190 of the 22,500 entries started the race, the highest number of starters in the history of the Dublin event, which has been running since 1980.Men – OverallAbay Alemu Lesa (Ethiopia) – 2:10:28Ebba Chala (Sweden) – 2:10:36Sahlesilassie Nigussie (Ethiopia) – 2:11:25Women – OverallZenebu Fikdau Jebesa (Ethiopia) – 2:24:26Tenebeb Nega Aynalem (Ethiopia) – 2:25:50Sechele Dalasa Adunga (Ethiopia) – 2:27:22Irish National Marathon Championships – MenHugh Armstrong (Ballina AC) – 2:14:51Killian Mooney (Dundrum South Dublin AC) – 2:15:44Stephen McAuley (Letterkenny AC) – 2:16:37Irish National Marathon Championships – WomenJudith Storm (City of Derry Spartans AC) – 2:35:46Sorcha Nic Dhomhnaill (West Limerick AC) – 2:35:58Meghan Ryan (Dundrum South Dublin AC) – 2:40:47Wheelchair Race Patrick Monahan (Ireland) - 1:46:03