A DRIMOLEAGUE farmer who is enjoying considerable success on the local, regional and national running circuit is urging his peers to get moving too.

Michael Dullea won an individual silver and was the second Cork man home to help the rebel side to win gold on Sunday at the Munster Masters Cross County in Tramore. He has won the Beara Autumn 5-Mile Series for the past two years, and is preparing to compete at the County Masters and All Ireland Masters early next year.

But the pedigree Angus and Hereford breeder insists if he, a self-confessed ‘Joe Soap’ can do it, anyone can. Acknowledging the labour-intense nature of farming, he says that ‘there’ll always be a million reasons not to get out and exercise.’  He knows, because he has made all of them, but the benefits of putting on the runners and high-viz and heading out the driveway are vast, both physically and mentally.

Michael Dullea at home at Deelish.
(Photo: Daragh Mc Sweeney/Provision)

Michael (49) came to athletics almost accidentally; when his wife Sinéad was pregnant with their first child he bought himself a bike.

‘This would have been 18 years ago when there wouldn’t have been that many people cycling but I loved it. I joined the West Cork Tri Club, except there was only one challenge to overcome. I could barely swim the length of a pool,’ he admitted. ‘But I got myself a wetsuit and went to Lough Hyne with some friends and kept practicing and within six weeks I had completed my fist event, swimming from Sherkin to Baltimore. I was the last person out of the water but it was a big confidence boost!’

Michael later switched to duathlons, gradually focussing exclusively on running.

‘It was the strongest of my three disciplines,’ said the former tiler. He had plenty of success in road races and cross country throughout 2014/15 until he was stopped in his tracks by an injury.

‘I was lifting a newborn calf, who tried to jump from my arms and whatever happened I tweaked something in my back. I continued to run for a few months but I was in serious bother with it.’

He ran his last race for a while in May 2015 and finished in third place, despite later being diagnosed with damaged discs in the bottom of his back. After treatment, he returned running but the same injury kept flaring up and he ‘was in and out of running’ for a while, devoting more time to showing his pedigree cattle. ‘It’s a funny thing that if you get out of running, or anything at all, it’s hard to get back into it and I kept putting it off,’ he said.

It was a photograph that he saw of himself of himself where he noticed his physical change, albeit only slightly, that he was triggered to get back moving in 2022.

‘I saw a photo of myself and it was what I needed. It was back on with the runners the next day!’

Not one to do things by halves, not long afterwards, he completed a fundraising run for Pieta from Top of the Rock in Drimoleague to Gougane Barra church,  running the Pilgrim’s route.

‘It was 39km of challenging terrain. It took me three hours and thirty seven minutes and was the most difficult thing I’ve done, but it was a terrific achievement,’ said Michael who competed in local races for the rest of that year before stopping up again. This time, it was the memory of his later father-in-law who got him back to on the road.

‘My father-in-law Sean O’Neill was my closest friend and a huge supporter of my running. He went to all my races and when I’d see him on the route it would really get me up a gear, and he had been urging me to go back running. Sadly he passed away in 2024 and in some sort of subconscious reaction I went back almost straight away and haven’t stopped,’ said Michael.

It was like starting from scratch all over again, but now he’d typically run a 5km in 16.3 minutes, and a 10km in 34.5. He follows a programme, alternating between easier runs and more challenging outings. For the easier ones, it’s a matter of heading out his drive and he uses the airstrip in Bantry for more technical runs. He’s a member of Skibbereen AC and is proud to race for the club, which he says does great work and training with juveniles in the area. He is also a member of BodyActive in Skibbereen who he says do ‘great work with strength and conditioning.’

‘I get out when I can, depending on what’s happening on the farm and darkness doesn’t ever stop me from running. I’ve a good headtorch. If the weather is awful I’ll head to the gym in the Maritime Hotel in Bantry and use the treadmill, but in general I think that West Cork is screaming out for a track and better athletics facilities.’

Michael likes having the focus of competing but he insists events are friendly occasions where runners of all shapes, sizes, age and speed capabilities are welcome.

‘In any given race you’ll find people ranging in age from 18 to 75, with everyone running within their own capabilities. The most important thing is turning up, competing, and getting over the finish line. That feeling is second to none, whether that’s first or last. I’d really encourage other farmers to go along as a spectator to see it and realise that everyone is just doing it for themselves.’

‘It’s also crucial to commit to giving running, or any exercise at least four months. You won’t see any benefits before that and gradually you’ll find that your body will want to do it, and it won’t be case of having to do it.’

A tiler by trade, Michael has been farming full-time for the past 14 years.

The Drimoleague man recently won the Beara 5-mile road race.

‘No job is perfect, but farming can perhaps bring more challenging days than other occupations. There’s variables with costs of inputs and outputs, weather and the fact that it can be isolating. We’d have had a lot more neighbours farming before, local creameries have closed which means less social interactions. You don’t even have to go to the mart now if you don’t want to, you can see the sales online.’

But exercise, he says, is a great mood booster, and there’s a social element to it as well.

‘I find when I get home from a run everything feels brighter and things feel clearer.’

But he stresses he doesn’t want to sound like he’s preaching: ‘We put a lot of emphasis on when we retire and our pensions but this is about investing in our own health. It’s a personal choice, and it’s something you have to do for yourself, but it’s something that you won’t regret,’ said Michael, who added that he’s sure Sean is still his biggest supporter.