Notes June 27-10

GER WYLEY SPORTS/NIKE SUMMER SERIES RACE 7

DUNGARVAN LEADER DROMANA 5

OUTSTANDING DISPLAY BY PHILIP HARTY AT DUNGARVAN LEADER DROMANA 5

The village of Cappoquin was certainly the place to be last Friday evening where the 18th annual Dungarvan Leader Dromana 5 mile road race took place. A record entry of 208 was recorded for the race which was no surprise really given the generous sponsorship provided by the Nagle Family of the Dungarvan Leader which makes this race one of the best races on the racing calendar and one which attracts runners from all over the country. It was a fantastically organised race courtesy of Trevor Mason and his crew who spent endless hours in the days leading up to the race ensuring that all was in place for a super race and a super race is exactly what we had with fantastic weather, superb organisation and a great atmosphere both in Villierstown where the race began and in the town of Cappoquin where the race finished. The glorious sunshine on the night attracted many a spectator. It was the second time this year that we ran through the famous Dromana Bridge, having already done so at the John Treacy 10 mile last month and it was also the second time that Philip Harty crossed the Dromana Bridge in absolute command of a race as a superb display saw him take a clear victory last Friday night and which saw him lift the highly coveted Michael C. Nagle Memorial Cup for the first time and all at West Waterford were delighted to see this talented and dedicated athlete reap the rewards of his training of late and judging on his fantastic performance last Friday night we are sure to see plenty more before the end of the summer. The absence of Sandis Bralitis who has dominated all the races in the series so far meant that the race was open to be claimed by any number of athletes. As in the John Treacy race it was presumed that Philip would finish in the top three or four but given that he has recently been selected to represent Ireland in Brussels at hill-running and his recent win at the John Treacy 10 mile, Philip himself decided that if he did it once he can certainly do it again and so when the starter gun heralded the beginning of the race at 8 o’ clock Philip positioned himself nicely at the top of the field with Brian Murphy of Carrick, Raivis Zakis and Danny Smith of Ballynonty, all athletes with the capabilities to win the race but it seems none with an appetite to win like Philip. The first mile saw the group clock 5.05 which meant that they were all intent to push each other right to the line. The second mile was slightly slower at 5.11 and it was at this stage that Philip looked to be the stronger of the lot and having accurately judged the situation decided that this was the time to pull away slightly and test the mettle of those in the group. After opening up a slight lead no-one else was willing to match the intensity set by Philip and so he maintained the tempo and upon reaching the third mile the clock on the lead van read 15.20 which meant that Philip had recorded 5.04 for the third mile. This was where Philip had sealed victory really as the gap had opened and the other athletes were doing their best to rein in Philip but to no avail. Just as he had done in the 10 mile, after testing to see who would make the break and finding no response Philip once again upped the speed to clock 5 minutes even for the fourth mile. It really was a one man show from here onwards with the remaining athletes battling for the minor placings. All those that gathered in the square and along the GAA pitch for the race could see Philip literally powering his way towards the finishing line with no-one else in sight and it was to great applause and cheer that Philip crossed the line a most worthy and deserving winner on the night to win by a huge margin of 36 seconds and given that he was in the company of some of the county’s and indeed the country’s best athletes it makes Philip’s victory all the more remarkable and it certainly will be a victory that Philip will savour for many a day yet. All at West Waterford were delighted to see Philip be awarded with the Michael C. Nagle Memorial Trophy and this win firmly establishes Philip as one of the best runners in the club and the county and it’s an accolade well deserved by him. Meanwhile, the battle for second and third was also over with Brian Murphy who was well clear at this stage to claim second place ahead of Raivis Zakis who was last year’s previous winner and who finished third on this occasion. It was a case of déjà vu for Danny Smith as he finished 4th this year as well as last year but the consolation prize was that he was 23 seconds faster this year so well done Danny. The substantial sponsorship provided by the Nagle family meant that prizes were awarded for the top 10 men which ensured a great battle for these positions. Dzintars Klava who has been running really well lately will be delighted to have run close to 27 minutes which saw him finish in 5th place overall and Frank Quinlan of Waterford AC was another athlete who was more than  happy with his performance. He finished in 6th spot as he did last year but improved his time from 28.12 to 27.42. Rory Moloney filled the 7th spot in 28.15 and he had to work very hard for this as on his heels was his club mate Kevin Kenneally who finished 4 seconds behind. Tadhg Cronin was in 9th place and it was Grange Fermoy athlete Gary O’ Sullivan who filled the 10th spot. West Waterford AC won the top two team prizes and Carrick won the third team prize. The standard is certainly rising at this prestigious race with 19 finishing inside 30 minutes as opposed to just 15 last year. Damien Murphy claimed his second junior prize in a week as he was also the first junior at the Cunnigar race and he looks set to dominate this category for the foreseeable future. As with last year, there were athletes from clubs all over Cork and Waterford and beyond and all were highly impressed with the smooth running of the race and the prizes on offer as well as the refreshments after the race. Our own club provided almost half the runners with 100 West Waterford AC athletes among the 208 entries. The prizes on the night were awarded to the first ten men to finish and also to the first three teams with four athletes on each team. The most generous array of prizes was on offer, all provided by the Nagle family and all athletes were most impressed with the remarkable prizes that were available. Along with the usual prizes, a pair of runners was presented to the top two male and female athletes of the race, again sponsored by the Nagle family.
 
GER WYLEY SPORTS/NIKE SUMMER SERIES 2010

RESULTS OF DROMANA 5 MILE ROAD RACE

Men’s Results

1 Philip Harty  West Waterford AC 25.30
2 Brian Murphy Carrick AC  26.06
3 Raivis Zakis  West Waterford AC 26.40
4 Danny Smith Ballynonty  27.06
5 Dzintars Klava West Waterford AC 27.09
6 Frank Quinlan  Waterford AC  27.42
7 Rory Moloney West Waterford AC 28.15
8 Kevin Kenneally West Waterford AC 28.19
9 Tadhg Cronin    28.45
10 Gary O’ Sullivan  Grange Fermoy 29.11

Junior
Damian Murphy 29.43

Team Results
1st Team West Waterford
 Martin McCarthy, Johnny O’ Connor, Trevor Mason and Martin Hayes

2nd Team West Waterford
Liam Budds, Andrew Leary, Joe Gough and John Leahy

3rd Team Carrick AC
David Waters, Tommy Falconer, Martin Murphy and Patrick Roche

PAULINE LAMBE SMASHES COURSE RECORD AT “DROMANA 5”

The course record for the Dungarvan Leader Dromana 5 was set way back in 1997 by Mary Sheehan of Grange-Fermoy and in all the years since no-one had managed to get near this time for the 5 mile distance. At the Clashmore race, Pauline recorded 29.42 which proved she was running better than ever and at the recent Cunnigar race she was only 6 seconds outside of the record which she equalled last year. It was highly anticipated that the record would be broken; in fact it was almost taken for granted so the only question really was how much it would be broken by?  From the gun, Pauline made her intentions known and immediately set herself well apart from the other female athletes in her bid to set a new record. While wary of the first mile with the incline as we all were she was well on target at this stage and so it was just a case of settling into a pace and maintaining her rhythm. A talented athlete as Pauline would have done her homework prior to the race and would have known what split times were required to record this time. She was in good company with the likes of Trevor Mason, Johnny O’ Connor and Martin McCarthy and so concentrated and focused on the mile splits to reach her target. Pauline is no stranger to taking control in a race but when breaking a course record is your goal is still requires the utmost of effort which is exactly what Pauline gave mile after mile. As each mile passed in a faster time than the previous mile, it was the motivation and encouragement she needed to maintain the intense pace she was running at and she crossed the line ever so convincingly and in style to claim victory at the Dromana 5. This was Pauline’s first time running this course and which makes her success all the sweeter and she has now written herself once again into the club’s history books as she knocked a whopping 20 seconds off the course record. Pauline is now the current record holder for the Dromana race, Waterford – Tramore, Clashmore and Butlerstown and she is the joint holder of the course record for the Cunnigar and it looks highly likely that she will add one or two more to her credit before the end of the series. Martina O’ Dwyer of Carrick AC also ran superbly and had impressive split times as well. It was after crossing the Dromana Bridge that Martina upped the pace significantly and was well established in second place and was in no danger of being caught and she was delighted to finish in 30.29. Norma Wall of the host club was in third spot with 31.26. Cait Caulfield of Waterford AC was in fourth place, one place better than last year with a much improved time of 32.36 and Corinna Walsh was in 5th place with 33.06. Waterford AC ladies were the team winners on the night so well done to all.

Ladies Results

1 Pauline Lambe  Waterford AC  29.20 (Course Record)
2 Martina Dwyer  Carrick AC  30.29
3 Norma Wall  West Waterford AC 31.26
4 Cait Caulfield Waterford AC  32.36
5 Corinna Walsh West Waterford AC 33.06

Junior
Kate Nolan  Waterford AC  39.59

Team Waterford AC
Joan Mahony, Diane Behan, Liz Nolan and Gabrielle Blaire

SINCERE THANKS TO ALL

West Waterford AC would like to sincerely thank Colm and Linda Nagle and family and all the staff at the Dungarvan Leader for their most generous sponsorship yet again of the Dromama 5 and for their continuous and ongoing support of the club and local athletics through our weekly articles in the Dungarvan Leader newspaper. It was a pleasure to have the Nagle family at the race and they provided much needed welcome support and encouragement for all the runners as they made their way up the hill in the square. A special word of thanks goes to Kim Nagle who was also present on the night to present the prizes to the athletes along with her parents. Kim was celebrating her birthday having turned 14 that day so happy birthday to you Kim. We hear that Colm was quite busy baking the cake that was presented to Kim on the night! A most extensive range of prizes was on offer from the Nagle family again this year with many athletes going home well pleased with their rewards. Thanks also to the Villierstown community hall committee for providing the use of the hall for registrations. The club also wish to thank all those who participated in this year’s race, all the people who came out to support the race and the athletes, to all the stewards on the route and to Megan, Breeda, Bernie and Liam on the administration side of things. Thanks also to Hallahan coaches who ferried the athletes from Cappoquin to Villierstown. Thanks so much to all the Masons who were very busy all week in preparation for the race under race organisors Trevor and Mark Mason and Kenneth O’ Donnell. Thanks to Ita and Eileen for their help with the refreshments and to Fintan and Alice Murray of Murray’s takeaway and to Ger Mason for his ongoing support. The Flynn family, Nora, Danny and staff are also to be thanked as we were all well looked after at the Central Bar and thanks for providing the use of the showers. Finally, thanks to Albert and Michael in the van, Jamie on the camera, Conor and Jamie with the signs and bollards and to Ann for sorting out the prizes, many hands make light work! It was a huge success and we can all look forward to another great Dromana 5 in 2011.

GER WYLEY SPORTS/NIKE SUMMER SERIES RACE 8

The next race of the summer series will be the GSK 5 on Friday July 9th at 8pm. This race always attracts a formidable entry due to the superb organisation by Dermot Dwyer and his crew and the fast flat course that guarantees good times for us all.  All the walkers will start at 7.30 pm and the runners will start at 8 pm. Changing facilities will be available at the Dungarvan Crystal Sports Centre with registration beginning at 6.30 pm. Registration will take place this year in the soccer club as opposed to the crystal centre. There will be prizes for winners in all the usual categories, prizes for the first GSK male and female runners and spot prizes as well. The presentation of prizes and refreshments will be held in Dungarvan Soccer club. More information will be provided in next week’s notes.

GER WYLEY SPORTS/NIKE SUMMER SERIES VOUCHERS

Entry to the above series closed at the Dromana race last Friday. All those that run any 6 out of the ten races will qualify for a €25 voucher and those that run all ten will receive a €75 voucher. In order to qualify for the vouchers, you must have entered the series which is separate to the races. There are quite a few that are in line to do all ten and with only three races remaining it looks like we will have the highest number ever to have done all ten so keep up the good work. 

AMBER PETROLEUM RUNNING FIT4LIFE RUNNING LEAGUE

The first round of the Amber Petroleum Running League was held in the grounds of the Friary College by kind permission last night. It was the first night of this popular league which saw a huge turnout especially from newcomers. This league is sponsored by Pat Keane of Amber Petroleum on the Youghal Road who has endeavoured to support local businesses and local clubs since he started in business and the club would like to thank him for his support and generosity. There was a large turnout last night which was expected given that the league is designed absolutely with the beginner in mind and the winner each night is the person who most accurately predicts the time it will take him/her to run the distance. As it’s suited for beginners, we advise you to bring along a friend or two and to do one lap. Start off as slow as you like and walk a little and jog a little, everybody does this so please don’t think that you will be on your own. We all have to start off somewhere. There will be plenty of us at the club van willing to answer any questions you may have. The clock starts at 45 minutes and when each person sees the time they think it will take them to run the league, that’s when they start running. The clock continues in reverse and when the clock reaches 0.00, the next person to cross the line is the winner. It’s great fun and obviously watches are not allowed and the clock will not be in view once the last person starts running. It’s this element that makes the league so entertaining and popular so don’t miss it, come along next Tuesday night to the Friary College at 7 p.m. and start the summer the fit and healthy way. You’ll be glad you did.
A full report of the first night will be in next week’s notes.

ROUND TWO OF NATIONAL LEAGUES

West Waterford ladies team will begin the second round of the National Track and Field Leagues as one of the top teams in division one. Round two of these leagues will be held on Sunday July 18th and the draw has now been made with the Club travelling to Athlone to compete. We have been drawn against Galway County, Tullamore AC, City of Derry AC, Menapians AC and Limerick County. With only a few weeks to go it’s imperative to keep up the training and commitment and hopefully we will do as well for round 2 as we did in round 1.

MUNSTER MASTER TRACK AND FIELD CHAMPIONSHIPS

The University of Limerick is the venue for this year’s Munster Master’s Track and Field Championships which will be held on August 2nd. West Waterford AC has always been well represented at this event down through the years and it’s hoped to continue the tradition again this year. With only a few weeks to go before we send the entries we ask that you consider the events that you will participate in and to please let us know over the coming weeks. You may contact Ann Dunford at 086 0619711 or Norma Wall at 087 9385965.

AAI SENIOR TRACK AND FIELD CHAMPIONSHIPS

The entries have now been sent in for the above championships which will be held in Morton Stadium, Santry, on July 10 and 11. Anyone who has yet to be entered should contact us immediately as the deadline for late entries is fast approaching. Ann Dunford (086 0619711) or Norma Wall (087 9385965) are to be contacted if you intend competing.

WEST WATERFORD ATHLETES EXCEL AT ALL IRELAND TRACK AND FIELD CHAMPIONSHIPS

On Sunday last in Tullamore the Woodies DIY All Ireland Junior and Under 23 Track and Field championships were held and West Waterford athletes were to the fore when the medals were being presented. It was an excellent day for our young athletes with personal bests recorded by many. As is now tradition the Houlihan family were in action in the Junior Pole Vault with Lisa leading this family trait with a new personal best vault of 2.85 to claim silver. Shortly after her competition in the pole vault Lisa took an excellent bronze in the 100 metre hurdles, again in a new best time of 15.45.When the personal best vaults were being attained in Tullamore last Sunday Leanne Herlihy was also in line and she vaulted 2.45 meters to take a deserving bronze on the day. In the men’s competition Thomas Houlihan was in terrific form and he brought home gold with a vault of 4.40 while brother Laurence vaulted 3.60 to claim the silver ahead of twin brother Martin who also cleared 3.60 but was just outside the medals in 4th place on a count back. Zoe Scanlon continued her great progression in the Discus and shot. Zoe took a silver medal and a new personal best throw of 11.04 in the shot. This was her first time to break 11 metres in the Discus as she threw 35.67 for the runner up spot also. Claire Collis was unlucky to just finish up outside the medals in the high jump when finishing 4th with a jump of 1.55. Eadaoin Ashe brought home a bronze medal to the Ashe Household in the under 23 Discus with a throw of 29.20. Michelle Kenneally was 7th in the hammer with a new personal best throw of 40.10. This was Michelle’s first time to break the 40 mark and the experience at this level of competition will stand to her hugely for the future. Declan Power ran in the 1.500 metres and here Declan finished 8th from 12 in a very strong field in what was one of the track races of the day. He recorded a time of 4.41.28. Rory Moloney also competed on the day but was outside the medals on this occasion. All in all it was a great day of competition for our young athletes as they progress towards the senior ranks in the sport. A Special mention goes to the parents etc who brought the athletes to Tullamore on the day and many thanks to Mary Ashe who looked after the team at the venue.

CLUB CHAMPIONSHIP

With seven races now complete after the Dungarvan Leader Dromana 5 last Friday evening in the 2010 club championship event, we see just two changes in the leader board from that of our last update. Martin Hayes is now the new leader in the over 45 category taking over from Martin Mc Carthy and Helene Hayes moves into the lead in the Ladies over 55 section. With just four more races to go in this competition it’s hard to see any of the mentioned category leader’s losing out from here on.

This updated list of leaders in various categories.
 
Male 
Senior Bralitis, Sandis
Over 40 O'Connor, Johnny
Over 45 Hayes, Martin
Over 50 Lyons, Colin
Over 55 Deegan, Michael 
Over 60 no member
Junior no member
 
Female 
Senior Wall, Norma
Over 35Wall, Triona
Over 40 Dunford, Ann
Over 45 Whelan, Ann
Over 50 Prendergast, Bernie
Over 55 Hayes, Helen
Over 60 Gough, Terri
Junior No Member

JOE GOUGH WINS GRADED MEET.

Joe Gough was in action on the track last Wednesday when taking part in the Dublin Graded meet in Irishtown.  In very windy conditions Joe clocked an impressive 4.41.53 in take 1st place in a field of 13 starters.

JAMES LEDINGHAM RECORDS NEW P.B.OVER 800

James Ledingham has been busy both in the air and on the ground. Last Monday evening he competed in an 800 race in Birmingham and was rewarded with a win in a new personal best time of 1.52.21 and then on Thursday he flew to Belgium to run a 1.000 track race and here again he mixed it well in a strong field finishing 2nd in a time of 2.29.James continues his season tomorrow night Thursday when running over 800 metres at a meet in Dublin.

HARRY O BRIEN WINS 800 IN CORK

Harry O Brien was back in action after a couple of weeks off through injury when he ran in a graded 800 in CIT last Friday evening. Harry won the B race in a time of 2.13.09. On next Monday these meets continue at CIT and Harry will be taking part in the mile event on the night.

  THE CHAMPION KIELY BALLYNEALE 5                                               

The village of Ballyneale, just outside Carrick-on-Suir, will be the venue on Friday next , July 2nd, for this year's 'Champion Kiely' 5km road race. The race, which is the second of four races in the Outfield Sports Three Counties Challenge gets underway at 7:30pm.The very fast, flat course offers a great opportunity for a personal best time. The entry fee is 10 euro and chip timing will be used. There will be prizes in all the usual categories as well as spot prizes. Registration and parking facilities will be available at Ballyneale GAA Grounds from 6pm. With 191 runners taking part in the first race of this series, the Deadman's 5, there is expected to be a very big field for Friday's race. The 'Champion Kiely' honours the great Olympian, Tom Kiely, who was born at Curraghdobbin, Ballyneale in 1869.It was in the 'All-Round' event, the equivalent of the modern-day Decathlon, that Tom excelled. Tom resisted offers from the American and British teams and paid his own fare to the 1904 Olympics in St. Louis, Missouri to represent his native country. In those days all ten events in the competition were held on the same day. Conditions on July 4th, 1904 were atrocious but Tom accumulated over 6000 points to become Olympic Champion. A beautiful memorial to Tom was erected in 1978, opposite Ballyneale Church. Fittingly Friday’s race will pass close by this memorial on the weekend of the 106th anniversary of Tom Kiely's great victory.

 SHANAGARRY 5 MILE ROAD RACE

A huge field of 502 completed last Thursday’s race number 2 in the Ballycotton summer series the Shanagarry 5 miler. The winner on the night came from the local stable when James Mc Carthy East Cork AC held off Martin Mc Carthy of St Finbarrs to claim first place. James clocked 25.28 and Martin 25.34, third was another East Cork athlete Sean Mc Grath 26.08.The Ladies winner was Rhona Lynch of Eagle AC in 30.35 from Youghal’s Niamh Walsh 31.06, Michelle Nolan of Midleton AC claimed third place in 32.08. West Waterford’s first finisher on the night was Padraig Healy in a very good time of 31.11 with Brigid Coffey leading the Ladies home in 38.18 so well done to all

Padraig Healy  31.11
Kieran Russell 33.25
Paul Brunnock 34.40
Brigid Coffey  38.18
Ted O’Leary  38.42
Eamon Flavin  39.14
John Fennell  39.29
Onra Power  41.55
Mary Harney  49.08

YOUGHAL 4 MILE ROAD RACE ON JULY 18TH.

A new race on the road running scene will be held in Youghal on Sunday July 18th at 2pm.The race headquarters will be at Farrell’s Summerfield Bar and there will be an entry fee of 10 euro. All proceeds from the race will go towards Marymount Hospice in Cork. All the usual categories will be catered for and plenty of spots for down the field finishers also. Martin Drake is the race organiser and he can be contacted on 086-2129367.

  
RUNNING QUOTE

Set your goals high because what a person accomplishes is in proportion to what they attempt.