RIP Jerry Kiernan

ultrapercy wrote: »

Shocked and saddened to hear of the loss of this legend so soon after the passing of Pat Hooper. He was held in high regard by runners of all standards that he coached largely for free I believe. A huge loss to the sport RIP.

djemba djemba wrote: »

Where to begin…

22/8/17. The first day I approached Jerry in UCD to join his training group. Everything changed from there.
I am grateful for every minute of those days to his passing.

I don’t know what it was about him but he had this aura that attracted people to him. He didn’t care what type of runner you were, how fast you could run, he just liked people who ran. He loved athletics and just wanted to see the sport he loved get the respect and credit it and its athletes deserved.

During a session he would stand in his corner when we would do laps and laps or whatever the session was and as you came around you would wait for the ‘Very good Darren’ and you would be half way around before you came down of the high.

I remember so many Tuesdays coming away from UCD absolutely buzzing after a session. Once Jerry gave me an unconditional compliment, I couldn’t wait to get back to my car to send a message to a friend of mine telling him what Jerry said to me. Unconditional compliments were rare, most of his compliments to me had a suffix such as ‘for a GAA player.’ Through his methods, advice and experiences he brought a former GAA player to a 2:43 marathon and proud to call myself an athlete.

I am no class of runner, but after every race Jerry would expect the first call. I remember a 5 mile race back in Wexford. I rang Jerry leaving the car park. I was close to Bray by the time the phonecall ended. It was only a 30 minute race.
Also another time after Mallow 10. I rang Jerry and he asked me to compare it to Dungarvan 10. I was hyming and hawing and couldn’t really tell him. So the phonecall ended. 15 minutes later the phone rings back and its Jerry again he had rang one of his international athletes to get there opinion and then he could give me a full debrief.

This is just his coaching I could fill another post about his own career. Most of the time you would need to drag the information out of him but he stories were worth it. He would always keep us guessing about the session we would do but at 6:25, he would call us in and give us the news of the session and share a story and some great advice. His last words would always be make sure you have enough left to do another one or two at the end. Even with the lockdown his instructions would be you should be able to do another 5 minutes at the end.

I often asked him about his TV work. The amount of research he did was amazing, he would go through every athlete who qualified for whatever championship he was working on.

Coincidently, we would cross paths in our work life too. His reputation as teacher was impeccable and years on former students, always spoke highly of him and them of him. In this respect he was also a role model to me.

I will miss him more than I can ever put into words. He was a coach, a role model, a confidant and in a short period of time a father figure to me. I told him things, that people who have known me years will never know.
I am rambling now, through tears I am writing this and every time I think I am finished I write a bit more. Over the years I have spoken to people about Jerry and they can sense my passion when I talk about him but they ask me why, what is it about him? I can never answer, it was whatever he had you just felt better in his company.

We have lost one of the very best today. Someone who taught me to be true to myself, never be afraid to speak my mind and always make time to run. I intend to run later on tonight, whether I am motivated to or not but as every kilometre ticks by I will hear him say ‘Very Good, Darren.’

Rest In Peace Boss. You have impacted me in a way you will never know. Festina Lente.