JAMIE COSTIN AND ZUZANA MALIKOVA WIN WOODIES A.A.I GAMES 3K WALKS.
KATE VEALE SETS NEW JUNIOR STANDARD.
The Athletics Ireland, National Programme of Indoor Meets, kicked off this weekend, with the Nenagh Indoor Arena playing host to both the Woodie’s DIY Junior Indoor Championships on Saturday and the AAI Games on Sunday. In the Men’s 3k Walk, Jamie Costin of West Waterford AC, who has just returned from an Athletics Ireland, high performance warm weather training camp in Portugal, won comfortably in 11.56.29 showing great speed around the Nenagh track, David Kidd of St.L.O’Toole AC was second in 12.46.93 and James Treanor Shercock AC was third 13.16.39.In the Women’s 3k Walk Olympian Zuzana Malikova, Slovakian International and member of West Waterford AC, took the win with a very impressive 12.53.48,Zuzana like Jamie will have their sights set this summer on the European Track and Field championships in Barcelona in July. One of Ireland’s most exciting, up and coming walkers, Kate Veale who is coached by Jamie Costin, finished second in this her first Senior race walking event, Kate set a new Junior Irish Record of 13.18.20 in the race. The record was formally held by Olive Loughnane’s sister Ann and stood at 13:27.32 from 2004.Kate had won the 3,000m Walk at the Junior Indoor Championships on Saturday at the same venue and to add the record on Sunday made for a very successful weekend for the Ballinroad youngster. James Ledingham was well pleased with his first race of the season clocking 3.32.43 in the 1.000 meters to finish 8th overall. All the above athletes will now be concentrating on the up coming National Senior indoors at the Odyssey Arena Belfast on the weekend of February 6th and 7th next.
22nd ANNUAL KIELY MONUMENTAL COLLIGAN CUP THIS SUNDAY.
The 22nd Annual Kiely Monumental Colligan cup takes place next Sunday January 24th in Colligan wood. Twenty two years ago this week Victor Mullins devised a simple timing system for the Colligan cup which is now used the country over and beyond in athletic events. What makes the handicap timing system which Victor devised so appealing to all levels of runner’s and joggers is the fact that every participant no matter what level of fitness they possess, have exactly the same chance of winning. All it takes is for you to know to the second exactly how long it will take you to cover 5 miles of the Colligan wood circuit. This event is one of the most popular and fun filled races of the clubs year and one that no local runner ever wants to miss. Victor is still very involved with the event each year and not alone has the responsibility of picking the winner but he also kindly donates a special prize to the person who is running the event for the first time and who is nearest their predicted time. The Colligan cup as is now traditional is the first race of the four race Michael Roche Carpets Spring Series, please note you can enter this series when registering for the Colligan cup on Sunday with the entry fee set at 5 Euro. There are three more races to follow in the series the Quantum Life Dungarvan 10 on Sunday January 31st at 1 PM.The Bausch and Lomb Kilmacthomas 5 on Sunday February 21st with a starting time of 11 AM and the final race in the series The Eason’s Dungarvan 10k on Sunday March February 28th at 2 PM.
RACE TIMING SYSTEM.
So for those and there’s not too many at this stage that don’t know how the system works. This is it. The run begins when the clock starts with the time of the slowest predicted runner’s time, say 55 minutes. As the clock counts backwards down to zero every runner begins when his or her predicted time shows up on the clock. The runner with the fastest predicted time will be the last runner to start the race. The winner of the Colligan Cup is the runner who is the first person to cross the finish line after the clock reaches zero-it is that simple. All you have to do is get your prediction right. Remember, no watches allowed or music head phones. So if you would like to become part of local athletics history and have your name inscribed on the now famous Colligan plaque which was erected in the wood some years ago by the race sponsor David Kiely of Kiely Monumental come along next Sunday. The wooden bridge will see a hive of activity for the event. We must also mention and thank Coillte for there permission and help in letting us hold the race, The five-mile adult run will start at 2 pm and it will be preceded by the Juvenile event over a distance of 2 km at 1 pm.We urge all going to Colligan on Sunday to please allow plenty of time as parking will be restricted on the road to one side. Please do not park where your car might obstruct the flow of traffic or interfere with the runners.
This is a great family event with something for everyone. The Colligan cup it self will be awarded to the winner of the senior race, while the Shield will be awarded to the first Lady finisher. Likewise the Juvenile Shield will be presented to the Juvenile winner. The Junior race is organized by the club’s Juvenile section over one lap of the Colligan circuit and it gets under way at 1pm Sharp and this too is a guess your time handicap event. All are welcome to participate.
SPONSOR.
At a time when getting and holding onto sponsorship is difficult for clubs we have been more that fortunate to have had the same supportive and loyal sponsor for all of the past 22 years for this event. Not alone has David Kiely of Kiely Monumental works kindly supported us all of those years but he also has never once missed the event in all that time and that says something about a sponsor. David is always available to lend his support on the day and most importantly is always available to present the winners with their prizes after the event, The club would sincerely like to thank David for those 22 years of unbroken sponsorship. And speaking of unbroken sponsorship the same goes to Ger Wyley of Wyley Sports and Footwear who have donated a pair of Running shoes which are raffled among all participants each year, Like David Kiely our main sponsor, we also thank Ger Wyley for his contribution to the event. Victor Mullins is another Colligan Cup 22 year veteran who has never missed the race. The entry fee to Sunday’s adult race is €8 .The five-mile adult run will start at 2 pm and it will be preceded by the Juvenile event over a distance of 2 km at 1 pm. Please note that this year all prizes will be presented after the race in Colligan Wood.
MICHAEL ROCHE CARPETS SPRING SERIES ENTRIES TAKEN ON SUNDAY.
A reminder to all that the Michael Roche Carpets sponsored Spring Series also kicks off this Sunday at the Colligan cup, Entry fee is 5 Euro. Please note your best three from the four-race programme will count in the overall standings. You can enter this series when entering the Colligan Cup. There are three more races to follow in the series the Quantum Life Dungarvan 10 on Sunday January 31st at 1 PM.The Bausch and Lomb Kilmacthomas 5 on Sunday February 21st with a starting time of 11 AM and the final race in the series The Eason’s Dungarvan 10k on Sunday February 28th at 11 am.
ROLE OF HONOUR.
COLLIGAN CUP WINNERS (1989-2009).
1989 Willie Henry.
1990 Nicky Sheehan.
1991 Richie Moore.
1992 Martin Geoghegan.
1993 Liam Rossiter.
1994 Gerry Cantwell.
1995 John Lyons.
1996 Tom Meehan.
1997 Colin Lyons.
1998 Kathleen O’Connell.
1999 Tom Fitzgerald.
2000 John Whelan.
2001.Ray Dwyer.
2002 Ann Cronin.
2003 Tony Shalloe.
2004 Michael Dwyer.
2005 Mark Langford
2006 Brian Collins
2007 Maurice Boland
2008 Michael Tutty
2009 Ger Wyley
LADIES SHIELD WINNERS (1994-2009).
1994-Monica Power.
1995 Paula Keohan.
1996 Paula Keohan.
1997 Frankie Devlin.
1998 Kathleen O’ Connell.
1999 June Twomey.
2000 Ann Cronin.
2001 Martina Budds.
2002 Ann Cronin.
2003 Kathleen O Connell.
2004 Helene Hayes.
2005 Annette Long.
2006 Josie Uí Chuirrin
2007 Catriona Mulcahy
2008 Diane Behan
2009 Brigid Coffey
JUVENILE SHIELD WINNERS (1993-2009).
1993 Alan Moore.
1994 Darren Harty.
1995 Ronan Dennehy.
1996 Rosemarie Curran.
1997 Dervla O’ Connor.
1998 Rosemarie Curran.
1999 Brian Kelleher.
2000 David Buckley.
2001 Natasha Behan.
2002 Mary Ryan.
2003 Lorraine McCarthy.
2004 Sarah Flavin.
2005 Michelle Norris.
2006 Lughaid 0’Mahony
2007 Rachel French
2008 Aaron Whelan
2009 Bobby Landers
THE VICTOR MULLINS SPECIAL PRIZE.
2009 Michael Moloney
MUNSTER SENIOR CROSS COUNTRY CHAMPIONSHIPS.
WEST WATERFORD LADIES WIN BRONZE FOR THE COUNTY.
West Waterford was the only club in the county to field both a Ladies and Men’s team at last Sundays Munster Senior Cross Country championships in Carraig Na bhFear, Co. Cork. Despite the bitterly cold wintry conditions we have had over the past couple of weeks the days racing was quite enjoyable with good spring like weather on a very well laid out course, After a Juvenile programme which saw the inter county relays take place, which incidentally had no Waterford involvement .indeed we were the only absent country for some unknown reason, Also proceeding the Senior races were the Junior Ladies and Men’s race after these it was next up the Senior Ladies and this race saw victory going to the Quantum Life Dungarvan 10 mile road race bound and Ladies favourite for this years race Siobhan O’Doherty of Borrisokane who was never in any danger when leaving the field sprawling somewhat behind, Carmel Crowley Bandon finished 2nd and Rhona Lynch Eagle AC was 3rd.Corinna Walsh had a top ten finish when she took 8th place leading Waterford county to bronze team medals in the inter county competition with Cork 1st followed by Clare. Our second finisher was Norma Wall in 18th place another very solid performance form Norma who is currently the fastest Lady in our popular winter league long course. Norma finished 31st in this same race last year so her improvement is obvious this year, Norma was followed home by Anne Whelan in 28th place, and Anne is currently leading the Winter league with just 5 nights remaining, our final scorer on the day was Brigid Coffey in 29th place. Brigid is our current Master athlete of the year in the Female Competition, Well done to the Ladies for turning out on the day to represent their club and bring medals home for our county when at this time of the year many shy away from the muck and slob of what some call the real athletics, Cross Country running.
In the Men’s race just like the Ladies there was also a clear cut winner when Rory Chesser Ennis Track took the spoils from Cork’s Brian Mc Mahon who does his running with Clonliffe Harriers in Dublin Liam Reale Limerick was third. West Waterford was lead home by Raivis Zakis who just got inside the top ten in tenth place with Rory Moloney next man home in 37th place, He was followed by Ciaran Lane 49th and our final finisher was Sean Stilwell in 52nd place we were well outside the club team medals here but finished 4th county. Just like our Ladies the Men’s team are to be commended for turning out and keeping the West Waterford club tradition of competing at these championships alive and well.
ALLROUNDER SPORTS WINTER LEAGUE 2010
The All Rounder Sports Winter League got off to a dream start last Wednesday night with a total of 216 runners competing on the night. It was great to be back in action at long last after a forced extended break due to the weather. It was also great to see the same enthusiasm as in 2009 and with things hotting up now that the divisions have been made out it’s guaranteed to be a great second half. We will not be adding in an extra night to make up for the cancelled night so the league will finish as planned on February 17th with the mystery tour taking place on the following Friday night, February 19th. This means that including tonight, there are 5 nights left of the league-January 20th and 27th, February 3rd, 10th and the final night February 17th. This leaves us all plenty of time to take a look at the divisions and set a target in mind. It’s always hard to come back after a break but just one run sees you back in the driving seat. Over the past few years at this stage of the league, the winner was one of 2 or 3 athletes but this year it could be just about anybody-so everybody needs to keep up the effort and the momentum for a few more weeks and I can guarantee that by the end of the league you will all be running times you never ran before. The conditions last week were ideal for running so fingers crossed we will be as lucky over the coming weeks. In previous years at the league we had what’s called the “Colligan Cup” night which is based on the idea that everybody predicts the time they will run and the winner would be the person who runs the closest to their predicted time. However we have decided not to have this for this year’s league. Each athlete’s final score will be determined by their best 12 nights out of the 14 nights. Even if you don’t run all nights you still get a score for that night so as long as you have run at least ten nights of the league you will feature in the division tables and are eligible to win a prize. Some people may be wondering why their name has gone from a division and if this happens it’s because you won’t get all ten nights done. We would like to remind all runners to please go off at their allocated starting time and if you change from the short route to the long or vice-versa, you MUST be issued with a new number. By not doing so distorts the results process which can be time-consuming so we would appreciate your co-operation in this matter. As already mentioned, the Mystery Tour will take place on February 19th and we will bring you more on that over the coming weeks. Basically, a venue is chosen somewhere in West Waterford and only one person is aware of the venue. A bus will pick up all the runners and bring them to the designated venue for a night out where the overall winner and the division winners in both routes will be announced. For now, just add that date to the diary and we will keep you informed of the travel arrangements soon.
ANNE WHELAN STILL AHEAD BY THE SLIGHTEST OF MARGINS
The ten second intervals between the groups of runners last week ensured that the pace was going to be hot as each person wanted to get the lowest finishing position possible. We had our regular long route runners as well as some newcomers and we also had the pleasure of club member David McCarthy on the night. David holds the title of being the first man from Waterford to break 4 minutes for the mile and he thoroughly enjoyed the league. Rory Moloney was the first man home on the night and he was followed home by Corinna Walsh, David McCarthy and Hannah Davidson. As all the newcomers started at 0.00 the actual best improver of all those that were running the league before Christmas was Paul Brunnock, so well done to you Paul. Andrea O’ Neill also performed superbly to finish behind Paul and next up on the best improver’s list was Ray Curran, Pat Morrissey and Liam Byrne. Trevor Walsh also had a fine run and the 40 minute barrier seems more attainable than ever now. Luke Cunningham obviously kept up the training over the break judging by his time of 39.04. Conor Blackwell has been improving steadily and ran well to record 47.21. Cathal O’ Hare was unfortunate to miss out on breaking 52 minutes by 6 seconds but tonight’s run should see him well under that. Should Mark Cliffe also run 6 seconds faster, he will find himself knocking on 42 minutes which is great running. Clare Walsh was relieved to see the clock read sub 48 minutes on the night and Josie Harty was unlucky that she was one second outside of 53 minutes. With just 5 nights remaining everybody must give their all each night and pick up as few points as possible, you don’t know what’s going to happen each week so do your best each night. The current overall leader is Ann Whelan whose lead has been whittled down to a mere 3 points courtesy of a fine run by Micheal O’ Cuirrin who remains in second place for now but this could all very well change after tonight. Perhaps Micheal will be the new leader after tonight or will it be Angeline Drennan who currently holds 3rd spot after the previous holder of third spot, Kevin Hickey, moved a few places down. There is also every good chance that Kevin may be at the top of the table after tonight, time will tell!! Below are the current division leaders after last week. Don’t forget that there is movement between divisions, this means that a good performance may push you up a division or a night where things don’t go as planned may see you move down a division.
Division 1 Anne Whelan (368) and Micheal O Cuirrin (371)
Division 2 Joe Barry (469) and Joanne Dunford (472)
Division 3 David Regan (507) and Patrick Riordan
Division 4 Michelle O’ Connell (551) and Yevgeniy Chizhikov (557)
Division 5 Jp Harney (582) and Norma Wall (584)
Division 6 Tom Condon (621) and James Murray (630)
Division 7 Onra Power (649) and Libby McGinn Murphy (657)
Division 8 David Connors (670) and Michelle Flynn (677)
Division 9 Micheal Callaghan (698) and Liam Byrne (698)
Division 10 Marion Moloney (725) and Michael Murray (726)
Division 11 Karen Ryan (759) and Olive Hanlon (763)
Division 12 Maurice Foley (800) and Sheilanne O’ Donoghue (807)
HOURIGAN HOLDS ONTO HIS LEAD
While the numbers may have been down somewhat in the short route, the same can’t be said about the top drawer performances of the athletes and all gave their best effort on the night. Brian Collins led the field home in 19.11 with Marie Condon the first lady home in 25.25. Emer Scanlon, daughter of previous winner Tom Scanlon, was 3rd over all in 18.05 and Paul Casey’s fine run of 20.25 has put him in prime position to take over the lead of division 4 as he is now only one point in arrears, behind Niamh Budds. Shauna Kelly is now very close to reaching 24 minutes and the 5 seconds intervals between the groups tonight could be the push she needs to just do that. The same push will see Maria Uniacke run under 27 minutes after she clocked 27.05 and Sarah Power also who recorded 23.08. Cora Marshall and Aoife O’ Flaherty will have a quest in common as both ladies are close to breaking 24 minutes and tonight could very well be the night they do. Remember, try not to go off too fast, give yourself a minute or two to get your rhythm, settle into a steady pace and then try to move through the field of runners and the closer you get to home the faster you go, it will be worth it in the end. Also, if going off in a group try and stay with the group you are with, even if they seem to be pulling away from you try and stay with them for as long as you can. If you happen to break away from the group then try and catch the group in front of you or at least try not to let the gap widen too much, you will find that this really helps to bring you along. Caroline O’ Donnell, Mary Whyte, Sarah Hogan and Nicole Cunniffe are all running around 23 minutes so keep an eye out for each other tonight and stick together. Brian Hourigan hangs onto the lead and he has a much bigger lead than the leader in the long route. However a 55 point lead is not enough to allow him rest on his laurels and so Brian will have to pull off another great run tonight to ensure that he will be at the top this time next week. With some divisions only having 2 or 3 points between first and second, the division tables are likely to receive a complete overhaul after tonight, we’ll just have to wait and see.
Division 1 Brian Hourigan (317) and Gary Cantwell (372)
Division 2 Gillian Flynn (453) and Louise Moloney (458)
Division 3 Michael Tutty (495) and Marie Murray (497)
Division 4 Niamh Budds (529) and Paul Casey (530)
Division 5 Richard Harty (583) and Sarah Hogan (584)
Division 6 Brid Ui Chadhla (606) and MaeveAnne Moynihan (606)
Division 7 Mark Mason (632) and Grace Downey (635)
Division 8 Kevin Tutty (717) and Mairead Foley (729)
STARTING TIMES FOR TONIGHT
There will be five second intervals between runners tonight in both the long and the short route. Please ensure that you are at the front door in plenty of time.
LUCKY DIP PRIZES
It was lucky number 13 last week for Andrea Gaffney in the long route and Maria Uniacke in the short route as both girls finished in 13th spot last week. Well done girls. Tonight is the 20th so those that finish in 20th position will be tonight’s winners.
QUANTUM LIFE DUNGARVAN TEN MILE ROAD RACE
The clock is ticking to the club’s premier road race, namely the Quantum Life Dungarvan 10 mile road race which well be held next week on January 31st at 1 pm in conjunction with the race sponsors, Quantum Life. Plans are now well underway for what promises to be a classic race. The closing date for all entries has now passed, entry closed last Monday, January 18th. We will not be accepting any more entries to the race. We have a huge local entry which is very encouraging and for all those for whom this will be their first ten mile, keep up the training as it’s not too long to go now. The numbers will be posted out and you will all receive your number at the beginning of next week along with all the information you need to know regarding the race. It has been a busy week leading up to the closing date and with entries from all 32 counties the number has reached 1,100. When you have finished the race you will receive a substantial goody bag with lots of goodies for you to enjoy after the race and you will also receive a high quality dri-fit Nike running top, which really makes the race entry of 20 Euros extremely good value for money. After the race, refreshments will be provided in the sports centre. On the subject of refreshments, this is one race where the club really relies on the goodwill and the support of our loyal club members. Last week at the league, forms were handed out for people to confirm if they would be willing to make sandwiches for the race or steward or help out in any other way. Thanks so much to all those that returned those forms. However, if you didn’t get a form we will have more forms available at the centre again tonight. This race is the biggest undertaking by the club each year and as a result we rely heavily on your support. We ask that as many of you as possible make yourself available on Sunday January 31st for one of the best and most popular races in the country, thanks.
SENIOR INDOOR CHAMPIONSHIPS IN ODYSSEY ARENA, BELFAST
Many of the club athletes have been training diligently in order to be in contention for the Senior Indoor Championships which will be held over the weekend of February 6th and 7th. Entries need to be sent in by Friday, January 23rd so therefore we need your entry before then. Please contact either Ann Dunford at 086 0619711 or Norma Wall at 087 9385965. With so many club members needing to be entered for a large number of events we ask that all athletes make sure that we have your entry. Please don’t assume that someone else will sort out your entry, a quick text to Ann or Norma is all that is takes. The entry fee increases significantly after the closing date so please give us your entry on time, we appreciate your support in this. We wish all the athletes the very best of luck in their relative events.
MASTERS INDOORS CHAMPIONSHIPS OF IRELAND
Next weekend is a very busy one for the club with its track and field athletes competing in the Masters Indoors Championships of Ireland. The venue for the competition is Nenagh with proceedings getting underway at 11.30 am. The athletes competing are as follows and if their current form is anything to go by we should have a number of All – Ireland medals Deise side next Sunday.
Terri Gough 60m, 200m, 400m and 800m
Joe Gough 200m, 400, and 800m
S. Brazil White 60m and 200m
Harry O Brien 800m and 1500m
Corinna Walsh 800m, 1500m and 3000m
Brigid Coffey 60m, 400m and 1500m
Richie Power 800m, 1500m and long jump
Yevgeniy Chizhikov 800 m
Brendan Moran 60m and 200m
It’s an action packed weekend for Richie Power as he is also competing in the Combined Events to be held also in Nenagh on the day before Saturday 23rd. He will be competing in the Masters Men’s Quadrathlon consisting of the 100m, Long Jump, Shot and 1000m.
MICK MC CARTHY CLAIMS COMERAGH CRYSTAL ATHLETE OF THE YEAR.
The overall Comeragh Crystal Athlete of the Year was announced last week with a well deserving piece of Comeragh Crystal award to Mick McCarthy, Mick lead from the very first month and was never in any danger of being caught by the chasing pack and indeed he had a winning margin of over 20 points when the competition finished in December. Mick reached the impressive score of 109 points. It takes a lot of time and effort to take part in over 100 events in a year so well done to Mick for such commitment and it will be interesting to see who will be aiming for honours this year. Mick is the second person to have amassed a points total of over 100 in this club competition the other was Brigid Coffey in 2008 when she scored an impressive 131 points, a tally which won’t easily be broken that’s for sure. Another interesting fact is that Mick is only the second male winner of this title, with Raivis Zakis being the first winner claiming back to back titles in 2006 and 2007. Will Mick aim to be the second person to retain the title, there’s a strong possibility that could happen, Time will tell but for now it’s back to the starting line for a new year. As well as the overall athlete of the year we also had the competition for senior Men and Senior Women plus the same in the Masters categories and the winners here were Sean Stillwell Senior Men and Clare Walsh in the Senior Ladies Sean amassed a total 57 points and Claire a very good score of 74 points so well done to both of them. In the Masters categories the Men’s winner was Yevgeniy Chizhikov on 65 points and Brigid Coffey as well as being the defending champion and having finished 2nd overall last year she also took the Masters Ladies prize with her 85 points tally. Well done to all for a huge effort put in the past 12 months. Best of luck to all for this year competition. Finally our thanks to our sponsor Comeragh Crystal The Mews, O’Connell St, Dungarvan.for their kind sponsorship and a very special thanks to Brigid Coffey who had the task of looking after the tables and notes for same during the year. The overall crystal prizes will be awarded in due course.
The following are the twelve monthly winners for the year with their winning monthly total and also their overall points for the year.
January Mick McCarthy 12- 109
February Yevgeniy Chizhikov 7 -65
March Corinna Walsh 8 -68
April Clare Walsh 7- 74
April Angeline Drennan 7- 69
May Brigid Coffey 12- 85
June Onra Power 10 -78
July Josie Ui Churrin 10- 70
August Micheal O Currin 6 -48
September Sean Stillwell 7 -57
October Des Feeney 9 -51
November Ann Dunford 6- 62
December Bernie Prendergast 5- 40
RUNNING QUOTE.
Marathons are about tenacity as much as talent.
KIND GENTLEMAN.
Through our notes this week some of our members of the Female variety would like to convey there thanks to the kind youngish gentleman who came to their rescue in their hour of need recently when out on a training run. Having negotiated the highways and byways which were covered with snow and frost the previous two weeks, They were ill prepared for the flood which greeted them last week while heading out towards Two mile bridge, much to their delight having decided that they weren’t going to chance paddling through the unknown water level they duly flagged down an oncoming automobile and pleaded with the youngish gentleman as to their chances of a ferry across the pond .In agreement he finally managed to get them all aboard delivering them safely to the other side of their obstacle. All the named ones finished their run in fine fettle and dry as a bone, thanks to the good deed of a young Galway man.
