Guest Post: Go Faster Stripes ...by Pat Walsh

 * Go faster stripes *

I bought my first car in the mid 80’s, a Fiat 127. Total wreck and relic of a car. The road speed limits were aspirational as it wouldn’t reach them unless it was all downhill.

At the time you could buy some adornments in the Car Accessory Shop. Stripes that you attached down each side of the car to brighten it up. It wouldn’t make the car go any quicker but it looked as if might.

Which brings me to the deluge of ads in the mail and on social media selling me everything that would make me faster, feel better, be rewarded with fantastic performances if only I would buy the product.

Dry fit this, compression that, shoes with propulsive sensation, an all purpose multivitamin etc etc… Jaysus does the jargon and the pushing ever end these days.

Are they the modern version of the go-faster stripes.

Oh Pat, you are getting ancient and cranky when you start talking about the old days.The modern club runner now is flying and always pushing new boundaries with nutrition, strength and high performance gear. The old lads in their GAA shorts, cotton t-shirts and rubber dollies hadn’t a clue.

1993 The winner of the Ballycotton 10 was a fraction over 48 minutes. The top 8 were under 50 minutes. 200 runners beat the 60 minutes and there was 1084 finishers.

2024 The winner of the Dungarvan 10 was a fraction under 52 minutes (he would have been 28th in Ballycotton with this time). 70 runners beat the 60 minutes and there was 2835 finishers.

Last year only 2 men in the whole country ran under 50 minutes for a 10 mile. 

And this is with all the best gear and nutritional information. We are running slower but at least we look so much better.

The sales, profits and share prices for all the sports companies and health food supplements have gone through astronomical growth in the last 30 years. 

The only person that can help any runner to improve is the person they see in the mirror and no amount of snake-oil trickery to help you part with your money is of any use. 

Run more, run harder if you want to speed up. Enjoy your running, but remember you cannot buy success. If you are running you are winning. 

Buy a pair of ordinary plain shorts and stick a few go-faster stripes on them. Now that is something to think about for the weekend. I may not get too many likes for this one but it is truthful and I’m not selling anything to you.

Hope everyone is safe and well after the storm. Have a good weekend 

#PWR