As Operation Transformation fever seizes the nation, a west Clare community has taken fitness into their own hands by opening a floodlit cross-country track for runners and walkers on a local farm.

Run by the newly formed West Clare Sports and Fitness Club, the 1km looped track in Clonreddan, Cooraclare, was officially launched on 29 December, with initiatives including a couch-to-5km training group to encourage people to exercise in a fun and safe environment.

The club is the brain child of Dermot Galvin, a secondary school teacher from Moyasta, Kilrush, whose own success at cross-country saw him win a sports scholarship to the States in the late 1990s. However, a hip injury five years ago highlighted the damage he was doing to his body by running on the road, but he struggled to find a suitable alternative.

“I felt I would be better to get off the road and go running on grass,” he explains. “But there were so few places to train. We were forced out on the road all the time and it was never good for the joints.”

It was while discussing this dilemma with his brother-in-law, Joe Garry, that the idea for the purpose-run track was hatched. A primary school teacher who is well known in Clare football, Joe inherited a farm from his late uncle nine years ago, where he keeps a small suckler herd and five “spoilt” donkeys. However, both men could see there was a natural opportunity to develop a cross-country track on his land.

“There’s 57 acres here and most of it is good ground, so you’re only talking about the margins of the farm, so it wasn’t an issue for me,” explains Joe. “If anything, it has added greatly to it because of all the extra drainage and extra fencing.”

The pair initially developed a 2.2km track on the outskirts of the farm for use by a few local athletes, but two years ago they received a €22,000 grant from the Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport towards a 1,000 metre loop with 33 flood lights for community use, under the auspices of the West Clare Sports and Fitness Club.

However, this grant only covered about 50% of the total costs, with the club taking a loan to fund works including drainage and fencing, as well as renovating an old hen house into a dry changing facility.

While the track was supported by the four main athletics clubs in the area from the start, one of Dermot and Joe’s main aims was to make it welcoming to walkers who found the roads too dangerous, as well as people who wanted to take up running for the first time.

Three such recruits are Yvonne Lillis, Anne Gallagher and Caroline Morrissey, who have now joined the couch-to-5k group.

“It’s safe and you know it’s 1km, so you can do as many laps as you want and you know exactly what you’re doing,” says Yvonne.

“Everyone’s been dying for it,” explains Anne. “It’s a thing that families can do together too. No need to get a babysitter, you can just put the kids off running.”

“And,” adds Caroline, “it’s a way of meeting people.”

Another group using the track is called Heavy But Honest, it’s a gang of former footballers who meet to train three times a week.

“When Joe decided to do this, I thought it was a great idea,” says member Martin Morrissey. “I had a knee replacement a few years ago, so this suits me a lot better.”

“You have a few hills as well,” adds dairy farmer John O’Connell wryly. “I used to run in our own local football field and it’s a flat surface, but this is where the pain is.”

(Indeed, the group have already christened one of the slopes Cardiac Hill.)

Club membership, covering insurance, track access and loan repayments, is €80 per member for a year or €50 for six months, with further developments planned, including improvements to the track to withstand all weather conditions and facilities including on-site showers and toilets.

In the future, they also hope the track will be used to host cross-country and other sports events, but in Cooraclare, community comes first.

“I think that in time it will cover its costs and that’s the main thing going forward,” concludes Dermot.

“We’re hoping that this project will outlive us.”

Opening times: Mon, Wed and Fri from 6-9pm and Sat and Sun from 9am-1pm | For further information, find them on Facebook or call 087-7940-772.