Hanrahan suffers a setback - May 13, 1999

For those who hadn't noticed Matt Hanrahan still ain't around... he in fact is working and playing in Cork, Ireland. Here's his latest report on life up north:

In what can only be described as a lack of talent, newboy Matthew Hanrahan suffered his first setback of the summer season whilst representing the Leevale athletic club in the first local meeting of the year at the Cork Institute of Technology track in Ireland.

After finding out that the club colours are indeed gold and black (hoops, not sash, unfortunately), making him feel very much at home, Matt was devastated to realise that he will have to compete in his Buffalo Tom t-shirt as no singlets could be found. It reminded him very much of home.

Round 1 of the County League competition was to hold a Discus, Javelin, and Pole Vault, all of which held no interest for the rapidly thinning young man from the obscure province of Mentone, Australia. While warming up for the Javelin, he dazzled the crowd with a series of throws which incorporated hitting his back a lot and occasionally flying them out well beyond 34 metres. All boded well.

Then tragedy struck, an unknown member of the Leevale A C came up and said those words which most hurt an athlete in his prime "We're one short for the 4*400. His first response, of course was "stiff", but he later re-assessed having been in similar predicaments many times back in Mentone's heyday.

There was no turning back. Running anchor for the Leeevale B team, he saw his 3rd leg team-mate going neck and neck with the team coming 2nd last. He knew his time had come. It took a full half-length of the straight before matt realised that this other team had no 4th runner. "That's it, I've got them", he thought to himself.

Only 150 metres behind the 2nd last team, he decided to wow the crowd with an awesome display of lone back-straight running. Many in the crowd clocked him at an awesome 57.8. But Matt, an old hand at this sort of thing, was a bit more realistic. "Mid 58's , he told the assembled media throng. His only complaint to the assembled media after the race was that, due to his team being 150metres behind the second -last team, he had to run the last 30metres of the race in lane 4 as officials were half way through carrying the pole vault mats across the track. "I think it realistically took 15 seconds off my time"

By this time, the javelin had finished, the temperature had picked up to 8 or 9 degrees, and the rain was down to a steady hum. "It hurts, mummy," a little girl cried, as she waited for her brother to collect his bags.

On a slippery track at the javelin, he nailed his second throw, after hitting his back on the first. The Javelin sailed, and sailed, over the 30 metre line, over the 31 metre line, even over the 32 metre line. 32.34 was the official call - good enough for 3rd or 4th place. He was back, and he knew it.

At the end of the night, he was asked about his athletic future - Realistically? "This is feken ridiculous" he commented. "Tomorrow night, I'm going to the pub instead of the gym."

And he will.

A full transcipt of this night will be available in the upcoming autobiography - "15 seconds from glory - the biography of a 400 runner".