Colin Griffin has his sights firmly set on the London Olympics next year as he targets qualification over 50km at a European Grand Prix event in Dudince in Slovakia in March. The time of 3.59.00 is something Colin achieved with relative ease every year since his first attempt at the distance in 2007 where he posted a PB of 3.51.32, but this year injury and disqualification prevented him from posting a 50km performance leaving him chasing qualification in early 2012.
An abdominal injury forced him to stop at the 35km mark at the European Cup while he was disqualified along with one third of the whole field at the 30km mark at the World Championships and on both occasions he was comfortably inside the qualification standard. But the biggest heartbreak came in late September at a 50km race in Germany when he was disqualified at the 48km mark while on course for a time 5 minutes inside the Olympic standard.
“It has been a very difficult year to say the least and little did I think this time last year that I would be in this situation after so many things happening that prevented me posting a qualifying time. But I have to accept where I am and I think I’ve learned every lesson that could possibly be learned in one season. I know what I have to do in March and it will be important that I post an impressive performance to not only ensure qualification but also selection as there are four of us chasing 3 places”
With Robert Heffernan already qualified along with Brendan Boyce who dipped inside the standard in September and with Jamie Costin also chasing the qualification time; there may be a case where 4 athletes will be competing for 3 places, which demonstrates the huge strength of the event in Ireland.
With the disqualification an issue at the World Championships and the race in September, but ironically not a problem in his other races, Colin has made some changes to his support team in an effort to ensure that his technique does not let him down in Olympic year. He has ended his coaching relationship with top Italian coach Sandro Damilano, as he felt he was not able to get enough of his time and attention due to his commitments with other athletes. Colin has sourced the help of Cork biomechanical expert and physical therapist Liam O’Reilly who will help him with key sessions by providing technical feedback and support. Liam also works with Robert Heffernan which means that Colin will train with Robert more often which should no doubt help each other.
“At the end of this season I had to make some changes and I felt I had gone as far as I can go with my Italian coach and he had become contracted to coach the Chinese squad, which took up most of his time which I was getting less of in the past 2 years. It has been a great learning experience and I believe it will benefit me in the years ahead, but what I need is more hands-on support on a consistent basis and I believe I have made the best use of what’s available locally in Ireland with Liam. Having someone with me to supervise key sessions and provide verbal queues for changing technique is the priority. What I perceive I’m doing may not always be what I am actually doing, so regular supervision and feedback is vital.”
Colin also coaches fellow Leitrim athlete Laura Reynolds, who currently has the B qualifying time for the 20km walk for London and the possibility of 2 Leitrim athletes competing in the London Olympics is becoming a realistic possibility. Laura, who was recently voted Leitrim Sports Star of the Year will be targeting the A standard of 1.33.30 in March and her coach is very optimistic of her chances.
“Laura posted a performance of 1.35.27 early this year and may well have had a good crack at the A standard during the summer if it was not for an injury that kept her out of training for several weeks and deprived her of a chance to compete at the European Under 23 Championships where she had an outside shot at a medal. Staying healthy and injury-free will be key this winter in order to bridge that 2 minutes she needs to get the A standard and so far she has managed that”.
Colin has had some achievements outside his competitive sport career, as he played a key role in the development of a new Altitude House facility at the University of Limerick. Colin came up with the idea in 2009 and submitted a proposal and business plan to the University of Limerick who were quick to invest in the facility. The house which is sealed off inside is filled with reduced-oxygen air to simulate the high altitudes of many altitude training resorts. With this vast experience and success of training at altitude and sleeping in an altitude tent, Colin saw the opportunity for the University of Limerick, where he is based, to enhance its sporting infrastructure and provide a unique facility the first and only of its kind in the UK and Ireland and one of very few across the world. He has also become involved in the setting up of a new company The Altitude Centre Ireland whose parent company in the UK, which Colin has been a long-time client of, built the Altitude House in Limerick.
“It was very exciting to see an idea and vision, become a physical reality. It was not easy to seek investment in this facility in the current economic climate, but we had to think outside the box and promote the huge benefits this facility would provide to Irish sport as well as attracting overseas athletes and squads. “
Another idea of Colin’s that has also become a reality is the new Canal Bank Path along the Shannon-Erne Waterway in Ballinamore. Having trained on paths such as this in other towns and cities, Colin felt there should be something like this in Ballinamore and submitted the idea for this path to Leitrim County Council earlier in the year. Work commenced on the path in the autumn with the first phase of the project finished and expected to be open to the public soon.
As he prepares for 2012 in a journey that he hopes will take him to the start line in London on August 11th, Colin will set off on a 2 week warm weather training camp in Portugal in January before opening his season at the Irish Indoor Championships in February. Colin will compete in the National 30km Championships in Claremorris on February 19th before a final 3 week period at altitude in preparation for his 50km race at the end of March.
This article also appeared in this weeks Leitrim Observer
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