For most people, celebrating your 60th birthday is done by an extravagant party or an exotic holiday abroad, but all Gus Bowen wanted to do was run a marathon with his children writes Tara Maher.
The idea for the marathon, a testament to the Bowen family's dedication, came together in 2015. An avid marathon runner, Gus has run nine marathons, three in London, two in Cork and Dublin, and one in New York. He always dreamed of running one with his children, Aoife, Katie, Julie, and Rory.
Sitting around the table after one of his marathons, Gus recalled how he reminded his kids of a "signed document" they had signed when they were small, reading, "I promise to do a full marathon with my Dad when he is 60 years old".
"This "joke" went on for years, and they were forever looking for this "signed document," I nearly convinced myself that I had one," he joked, "as the years rolled on and it got a bit closer, I asked them more seriously if they would consider doing it with me. Of course, they had plenty of questions, but about 18 months ago, they all agreed they would do it".
The Bowen family's commitment to sports and staying active is truly inspiring. Each member, from Gus to his children, has a deep-rooted passion for various sports, making it a prominent aspect of their lives. Gus has a keen interest in marathons and soccer while also partaking in mountaineering. Aoife, Katie, Rory, and Julie each have their own unique sports they are passionate about.
Aoife, who now lives in Cambridge, England, played Gaelic Football with Carrigaline GAA before moving and now enjoys running, yoga, and going to the gym. Katie also played Gaelic football with Carrigaline GAA and soccer with Carrigaline United and has grown a love for running during her marathon training. Yoga and meditation are essential parts of her everyday life. Rory played soccer until he was 16 and now takes part in Jiu-jitsu twice to thrice weekly. Julie is a soccer fanatic and is part of Cork City's u19 squad.
Just like their Dad, the Bowen family shares a love for hiking and hill walking. Their shared experiences of climbing Carrantoohill, Brandon, and The Galtees, and Aoife's solo adventure of climbing the Atlas Mountains in Morocco, connect them as a family.
The Barcelona Marathon was given the honours due to its close proximity to Gus's birthday and because it is a vibrant and culturally rich city. Family members could travel out to support them on the day.
The marathon was booked nearly a year in advance, and training started in September last year. "Training for a marathon is fairly well defined and structured, depending on the time you want to do it. For our level, which is to finish, there was a need to run 3 to 4 times per week, initially totaling 30/40kms per week. As we got closer, the main requirement was to keep increasing the long runs on the weekends until you were in a position to run 34/36 km in one go. This is done by gradually increasing the mileage every week, and you need to be doing 4 or 5 long runs over 30kms before the marathon, and tapering (reducing the mileage) as the marathon date gets closer." Gus told The Carrigdhoun.
Gus, Katie, Julie, and Rory often ran together during the long runs; sometimes, two would head off together, and plenty of individual training was done on top of it all. They followed a strict training schedule, which included specific types of runs, such as hill work, interval training, and tempo runs. Each of them also had their own additional training routines, such as yoga for Katie and Jiu-jitsu for Rory.
"Julie's training was always difficult, as she had a soccer commitment with City. I had spoken to Danny Murphy months in advance, and there was no problem with missing sessions due to marathon training. Still, Julie's commitment to soccer was far stronger than her commitment to marathon training. Ultimately, something had to give, and the marathon was put to one side for now. In Barcelona, we both promised to do one together in the future," Gus revealed.
Aoife, who lives in England, trained alone. While she was home for Christmas, she ran 25km on Christmas Eve, 16km on St Stephens Day, and 28km the following Saturday.
"Running and conversing with your eldest daughter, just the two of you, for two and a half hours is one of the most wonderful things ever," Gus reminisced.
"None of the kids had run a marathon before. The longest any of them had done was about 8km. A lot of discipline is required to train for a marathon, even to finish. Mainly to get four runs done every week for at least 16 weeks, to be mindful of alcohol, and to eat reasonably healthy. As you increase the mileage and do these long runs, the "carbo-loading" is extremely important, along with the protein intake to rejuvenate the muscles. Hydration is constant, with 3 to 4 pints of water required daily."
The Bowens flew into Barcelona on Thursday, March 7th, with the marathon set for Sunday, March 10th. On Friday, they checked out the start and finish line and did a little sightseeing along the route.
Family members flew in from Mallorca, Germany, and Ireland to act as cheerleaders on marathon day, including Gus' niece, Megan, who works as a physiotherapist in the Rafa Nadal academy in Mallorca, who was always happy to them during their preparation.
Katie had been struggling with shin splits in the lead-up to the day and was advised not to take part, but as the determined and hardworking individual she is, she was having none of it. She decided to push through the pain and run the marathon, which would test her physical and mental strength.
The day before the marathon was spent at the Marathon Expo, a bustling hub of activity and anticipation. 'We spent about four hours here, where they have all the up-to-date training equipment, runners, gear, recovery advice, nutrition advice, protein, carbo bars, fabulous videos of the course, Garmin watches, all the merchandise relating to marathon running; freebies, t-shirts, running socks, etc.' The Expo was a chance for the family to immerse themselves in the marathon culture and gather last-minute tips and inspiration.
The morning of the marathon started early, with alarm clocks going off at 6:30 a.m. A warm shower, a nutritious breakfast, and keeping their hydration levels topped up were essential to getting their bodies ready for the mammoth task ahead.
"It was 16 degrees and sunny when the race started. We had sun and clouds the entire time, and the temperatures didn't change a lot, maybe by 1 or 2 degrees. The conditions were ideal. We aimed to finish the race and try to avoid suffering too much; hence, do not push to the limits. Do not push hard for the best time because it will be a personal best for the children to finish the marathon. Try to enjoy it as it was the 1st marathon for them all. I was in no hurry either. Twenty thousand other people doing the marathon alongside you is a massive help, many encouraging each other when the going gets tough. Along with half a million supporters on the sidelines, screaming and roaring, and approximately 20 samba/rock n roll bands along the course, the atmosphere and the buzz help you with every kilometer. The long, lonely runs while training on your own can be a lot harder but beautiful in a different way."
Gus recalled how running the marathon with three of his four children was "absolutely magical."
"The plan was that we would run the first four kilometers together. Katie and Rory would push on after that, and Aoife and I planned to stay together until approx 20kms, when she would push on if she felt good enough. She was the most consistent and disciplined of the four of us with her training, and she had to do most of the training on her own."
But sometimes, things don't always go as planned. The four started together. Katie and Rory pushed on, but they separated much earlier than expected. Katie was strong and pushed on further, and Aoife and Gus passed Rory at some point but never saw him with the crowds.
Katie finished first with an incredible time of 4.04, followed by Aoife with 4.28, Gus with 4.43, and Rory with 5.05.
"Katie and Aoife had finished and were waiting in line for me. Rory was still out on the course. He had lost his "racing chip," so we could not track him but arrived shortly afterward, and when he crossed the line, and we had all finished and were safe and uninjured, there was utter relief and joy that I had never experienced before. The children were so happy and excited. Sore bodies but happy hearts."
Time was not crucial to Gus, but he learned after that Katie had a secret goal. She set out to beat her Dad's time from his first marathon, which he completed in 4.20…
Over the moon was an understatement, and the Bowen family celebrated with their cheerleaders in The Bullman, an Irish pub in the center of Barcelona run and owned by a Corkman, Steve McGilton.
It was a 60th birthday celebration Gus will never forget. With no immediate plans of running another marathon on the horizon, he and Julie have mentioned the New York Marathon sometime in the future. Stay tuned.
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