By Joe Conway
Little-known before he embarked on an American scholarship ten years ago, Mullingar's Tom McGrath has modestly yet methodically emerged as one of Ireland's premier distance runners. He was "entirely self-coached" until 1998 when Joe Doonan started advising him. The partnership has paid off.
McGrath ran 2:17:59 for fifth place at the recent Amsterdam Marathon and ran slightly faster, 2:17:49, for 30th place at the 1998 London Marathon.
At age 32, McGrath has stepped forward as one of a select group of collegiate returnees to survive the much-maligned American system and succeed at the national level in Ireland. His work career has not suffered in the process.
Armed with an MBA, he works 40-plus hours a week with Merrill Lynch Financial Services in Dublin.
His victory at the 1997 BLE National Half-marathon in Killenaule (66:18) consolidated his emergence as one of the country's best marathon prospects.
Fellow Irish international Pauric McKinney was second in 66:59. "It was nice to get a title after being second three times (at this year's national 10,000m, cross country and the half-marathon in 1995)," said McGrath of his first national senior crown.
This year has brought McGrath stability on and off the track. Before he went stateside in 1987, McGrath spent many a lunch hour training at Trinity. He still does. "I generally take an extended lunch two to three times a week and train from Trinity. Most of my sessions are done at lunchtime in Ringsend Park with Tony O'Halloran. I do a lot of my training by myself, the rest at lunchtime with the Trinity group, and usually with Tony. And some weekends I hook up with the Dundrum athletes in Marley Park, usually Gerry McGrath and sometimes Peter Matthews." he said.
During the 1996-97 cross country season, his fourth place at Ras na hEirinn in Dunleer and his second place at the BLE National Senior Cross country Championships amplified his emergence. His selection for this year's World Cross Country is just reward for his endeavours and ample redress for petty politics which most observers agree cost him a place at the World Cross Country in 1996. "It is nice to get selected after last year's mess," he said. His showing at the World Championships was disappointing not breaking the top 100 left him languishing in the wake of the other Irish entrant Seamus Power.
McGrath's emergence from a scholarship stint at a lesser school is testimony to the Mullingar athlete's talents and toughness because Louisiana's McNeese State University has not traditionally been the first-choice destination of Ireland's top-flight prospects. There are a few exceptions. The late Fanahan McSweeney, a 1972 Irish Olympian, is the McNeese's most renowned Irish recruit.In 1987, McGrath arrived in America with a best of 14:48 for 5000 metres - nothing spectacular but impressive considering he had taken up the sport only a year earlier, running no more than 40 miles a week. While at McNeese he never earned all-American honors. In fact, he never made it to nationals, but he did win five Southland Conference titles including a cross country title as a second-year student in 1988.
Following graduation with an accounting degree in 1991, he returned to his Civil Service job in Ireland until the fall of 1992 before an accounting job lured him back to Lake Charles, Louisiana.
After dominating the road circuit in Louisiana and obtaining his MBA (in 1995), he returned to Ireland and has since found a permanent position with Merrill Lynch where he works as a regulatory accountant.
His best for 10,000m on the track is 29:55 (1996), his best 10K road time is 29:30 (Dunshauglin, 1992) and his 1500m best dates back to 1990 when he ran 3:52. McGrath has run 14:02 for 5000m, a mark he posted while representing Ireland at the Cork City Sports in 1996. Perhaps most impressive is a half marathon time of 64:59 which he posted in Austin, Texas, in 1995.
It may be at the marathon distance where he has the most potential. Those who lament the demise of Irish representation at major championship marathons might not be misguided in finding hope that Tom McGrath can join forces with the likes of Noel Berkeley to reverse the slide.