Jim McNamara

Jim McNamara was born in London and was a young child when his parents moved to Broombridge Road, Cabra in Dublin. His father’s family were natives of Limerick. Jim McNamara joined Donore Harriers in January 1963 and made his mark, first as a senior athlete then as a master and finally as a coach. On the track he won eight national titles; 3 miles (1964-65, 1967), 6 miles (1965-66), 10 miles (1965-66) and 3,000 m steeplechase (1964).

He also won the Irish marathon title three times (1964-66) and was nine times on the winning Donore Harriers team in the national cross-country championships. The pinnacle of his senior career came in 1976 when he qualified for the Olympic Games when finishing second to Danny McDaid in 2-14.57 at Limerick.

Known to his many friends in athletics as “Jim Mac,” McNamara represented Ireland at the Budapest European Games in 1966, where Jim Hogan, a Limerick man running for Britain, won the marathon ahead of him. McNamara also represented Ireland in four World Cross-Country Championships. At masters level, he came into his own, winning 11 gold, 5 silver and 4 bronze medals at European and World Masters Championships at the 1500m, 5000m and 10,000m distances as well as one 10,000m cross-country medal. In 1984 he ran a world age-45 record of 14:47.8 for 5000 metres. In 2013 McNamara was awarded the IAAF Jubilee Gold Medal medal for his services to the sport he loved so much.

Personal Best: Marathon – 2-14:44 (1974).