Notes December 13-09

 

 

Tonight sees us reach the half-way stage of the league because after tonight we will take a break for Christmas and we will resume again in the New Year on Wednesday night, January 6th 2010. It’s hard to believe that we are at this stage already and by now the league is run smoothly every week with great performances from all participants. It’s encouraging to see so many people return week after week and to all those that took up running for the first time this year, congratulations to you especially. Well done on keeping up the good work and well done on your times. All runners in the league, whether they are running the course in an hour, 50 minutes or 40 minutes, they each have their own goal and target in mind. It’s funny but true that you may give weeks chasing a certain time and just when you are on the verge of thinking that you may never achieve it-that’s when you do and from then on you break that time with ease. Many of the runners that were over the hour in the beginning are now well under the hour and like wise for those that may have been chasing 30 minutes or 25 minutes in the short route-it seems to come much easier. However, as many of you will have heard and said on numerous occasions-“It never gets easier”- actually it does get easier but in the process you yourself get fitter and stronger and as a result you push yourself  more so that’s the reason for that. If you are a bit sceptical, just run the distance yourself in the same time you did on the first week and see the difference. The short intervals in the starting times are really bringing out the best in all the runners in both routes and means that a great second half to the league is in store for us all in 2010. From the first week back in 2010 all eyes will be on those that are at the top of the table and also on those that will be creeping up nicely as always happens each year. Now that you are used to dedicating your Wednesday evenings to running, why not keep it up over the Christmas period. There is only a two week break but every bit of training helps especially if you’re thinking of doing the Quantum Life Dungarvan 10 mile road race at the end of January. With the final night of 2009 on tonight we would like to remind all runners to obey the stewards and also not to run on the middle of the road or outside of the tape that the stewards have put up for our own safety. We appreciate your co-operation in this matter and we wish everyone the very best tonight as so many of you will pull out all the stops to get your best time ever for 2009. Just do it!

 

NEW HEIGHTS REACHED IN LONG ROUTE

 

It was predicted that it would be fast and furious on the long route and that’s exactly how it fared out for week 7 of the league. With there being 20 second intervals between the groups it meant that there was motivation from both sides-everyone did their best to catch all those gone off ahead of them while at the same time all were trying to get to the finishing line before anybody passed them out and it’s this same motivation that resulted in super fast times being recorded. Many have already reached the target they had set themselves by the end of the league in February so it’s back to the drawing board for many of you as you will have to re-assess your goals. John Power who was on his second night of the league was the first to pass the post on the night in a time of 46.52. JP Harney ran a blinder to say the least to be the second man home. There was very few if any that would have caught up to JP as he was a almost four minutes faster on week 7 than he was on week 6 and so truly deserved to be one of the first home. Week 6 saw JP record 50.51 and so would have been driven to run faster than 50 minutes last week but such was his determination that he quite literally smashed his old time and before the end of the league will most definitely be running under 45 minutes for the distance-watch this space. Grainne Ni Fhoghlu has been making great strides also in the long run. she initially started the league doing the short route but has made the transition to the long route with ease and due to the fact that she ran three and a half minutes faster for week 7 than the previous week she finished in 3rd place overall last week. She finished in 12th place the previous week and so third place last week was a massive and most deserved improvement. Paddy Power who is no stranger to the winter league also improved on his finishing position from the previous week, moving from 34th place to 4th place as a result of going from 48.44 to 45.55. A good night tonight with weather conditions in our favour will see Paddy dip under 45 minutes. Helene Hayes was 5th home with a great time  of 53.16 and it’s a safe bet to say that she will be looking to break 50 minutes before the league concludes but such is Helene’s form of late she could even do that tonight. Richard Griffin finished just outside of the top 5 in 6th position but will be more than consoled with the fact that he moved from 31st finisher the previous week to 6th and his times have gone from 48.23 to 45.47 in the space of one week, great running indeed. Karla Twomey’s name has been appearing at the top of the list quite regularly of late and her time is coming down significantly each week. James O’ Donnell has broken the 40 minute barrier, something which so many people are aiming towards and he did so in style-clocking 39.59 from 41.47 the previous week. Noleen Kiely Dalton is well and truly under 50 minutes with her time of 49.05 as is Noelle Conway with 59.56 and Mary Riordan with 58.09. Noel Drohan looks set to break 40 minutes having recorded 40.27. Martin Houlihan is the current leader of the division tables with a small lead over Liam Budds who had moved into second place as a result of some great runs over the past few weeks. Very little separates Liam from  Liam Power who is still holding onto 3rd spot  but he will need to once again pull out all the stops as a mere point is all that’s between Liam Power and Brendan Donnelly. Only a few points behind them are Gillian King who will have to watch Adrian Fitzgerald who is next on the tables. By now there is a grand total of 231 signed up to the long run and so it could be any of those that will be first past the post tonight and it could very well be you so give it your best shot tonight for the final league run of 2009. 

 

 

 

FAST AND FURIOUS AT FINISHING TUNNEL FOR SHORT ROUTE

 

It was fairly competitive to say the least for round seven of the short route. A total of 106 runners took part and each and every one of them were as determined as could be to get to the finishing line as fast as they could. The same 20 second intervals applied to the short route runners and it certainly played in their favour as so many personal best times were recorded. First home on the night was Andy Meehan in a time of 17.13 with Patrick Morrissey filling the second spot in 18.56. Tom Gilligan had a fine run on the night to clock 26.31 and took the honours of filling the third spot with Gary Cantwell, nephew of our road-racing co-ordinator Gerry Cantwell taking fourth spot. Gary is edging closer and closer to reaching the course record set by Sean Stilwell at the winter league last year. Harry O’ Brien who only recently signed up for the short route as part of his training for the upcoming track season in the New Year filled the fifth spot with his time of 13.21 and he along with Gary Cantwell may well equal  Sean’s record. Gary Alcorn almost broke 23 minutes with his time of 23.06 and so will join the sub 23 minute group after tonight. He will have company in the form of Kevin Tutty who also clocked the same time. Our time-keepers were kept on their toes last week as the starting times meant that almost all the runners were finishing within the space of a minute or so. Marie Murray and Emma Walsh crossed the line at exactly the same time of 21.25. It was all systems go when the clock read 20.38 as there were three athletes crossing the line at this time, namely Mary Longan, Rosemarie Walsh Power and Brid Ui Chadhla. Caroline O’ Donnell and Sharon Flynn pushed each other to reach their best of 24.04 and 24.05 respectively. It was the very same for Declan Hayes and Richard Harty who pushed on when it mattered most to record 19.03 and 19.04.  There’s nothing like a crowd to bring you on as all these runners experienced. A further battle ensued not long afterwards between two Ring ladies, Sinead de Faoite and Josie Ui Chuirrin with both of them finishing with 21.47 with Sinead just getting to the line ahead of Josie. Mark Mason will be happy to have dipped under 27 minutes and just nine seconds faster tonight will see Aine Lombard break 22 minutes. Both Johnny Tobin and Treasa Milmoe were well under 20 minutes and as previously stated when you break a certain time limit it comes so much easier from then on so both should be in their comfort zone tonight to reach the same time. Lorna Dee Carter is making nice improvements weekly and will easily reach her target time of 21 tonight as will Julie Horsom who will be looking to beat 23 minutes and so will Claire Murray. As we approach the half-way stage the current leader is still Ray Power but his lead is reducing as Gary Cantwell is closing the gap with each passing week. Aisling Gleeson is in third spot and just five points behind is Pearl Veale who has a 6 point advantage over Dean Wall. Corinna Walsh is next in the pecking order and close behind is last year’s winner of the long route, Bernard Walsh. Clive Kiely is still featuring in the overall top ten and has done so for a number of weeks and but closing the gap behind Clive are Kelly Cantwell and John Power.

 

STARTING TIMES FOR TONIGHT

 

Tonight we are reverting back to 5 minute intervals between the groups. The runners in the short route will be divided into three groups with the first group going off at 0.00, the second group at 5.00 and the third group at 10.00. The runners in the long route will also be split into three groups with starting times of 2.30, 7.30 and 12.30.  Please arrive in time to check your starting time and make sure that you are at the front door in plenty of time for your run. With tonight being the last night before the two week break, everyone will be out for a PB (personal best) for 2009!

 

LUCKY DIP WINNERS

 

The two runners to finish in 9th place last week and to qualify for the lucky dip were Kaye Murray in the short route and Anita Dee in the long route. Well done to you both. Just let us know when you are registering tonight and we will give you your prize. The runners to finish in 16th position tonight will get to try their hand at the lucky dip. 

 

CHARITY NIGHT TONIGHT IN AID OF ST. VINCENT DE PAUL.

 

As is traditional with West Waterford AC, the last night of the league before Christmas is our charity night. This means that all money taken in tonight will be donated to this year’s designated charity which is St. Vincent de Paul. All donations are greatly appreciated towards this worthy cause and so in these challenging times we ask that people give generously. 

 

 

Momentum is beginning to build for the Quantum Life Dungarvan 10 mile road race with entries now pouring in at a steady rate on a daily basis. We now have entries from all four provinces and we would like to remind all those intending to take part that the closing date for entries will be Monday, January 18th. You may enter for this race at the sports centre on Wednesday night before the league or else you may download a form from our website at www.westwaterfordathletics.org. It’s also possible to enter online via Active Europe on the same website. Please note that we will be strictly adhering to the closing date of January 18 and entries will not be accepted after this date, no exceptions. 

 

 

All roads lead to the Marine this Sunday for the second annual Old Parish Turkey Trot. The race this year is to raise funds for the Alzheimer’s Society and so we would ask that as many as possible support this worthy cause. The race starts at the Marine Bar at 11 am and registration will take place at the Marine Bar from 10 am onwards. Prizes will be awarded to the first three men and women and to the first runner in each of the vet’s categories.

 

 

 

The annual St. Stephen’s Day charity run hosted by Dungarvan GAA club will take place on St. Stephen’s Day at 11 am. This race has gone from strength to strength in recent years and last year had a record entry. There is no set fee for this race but all participants are asked to make a donation with all proceeds going to Crumlin Children’s Hospital so please add this to your diary. 

 

 

With the Cross-Country season almost coming to an end it’s time to turn our attention to the upcoming Munster Masters, Junior and Senior Indoor championships. Entries need to be in with Munster AAI by the end of this week so we ask that all those intending to compete to contact Ann Dunford at 086 0619711 or Norma Wall at 087 9385965 as soon as possible. The event will take place on Sunday January 3rd at the Nenagh Indoor Arena and will commence at 10.30 am. The first event to take place will be the walk which will be followed by the hurdles while at the same time the Long Jump and Shot for Master Men will take place. The remaining events are as follows: 

High Jump at 12.30 followed by the Pole Vault

Triple Jump at 1.30 pm

Weight for distance 3 pm

Track events:

60 metres for Juniors, Seniors and Masters at 11 am 

3,000 metres at 11.45 am

60 metres finals at 12 noon

400 metres at 12.45 pm

800 metres at 1.45 pm

200 metres at 2.45 pm

1,500 metres at 4.00 pm

Relays at 5.00 pm

Master athletes are limited to four events and on the day athletes are either a junior or a senior or a master with no swapping from one category to another. 

 

 

Congratulations to club members Martina Ryan and Pat Morrissey on the birth of their baby boy last week. Health and happiness to all. 

 

 

The club extends its sympathy to the family and friends of Tony McCarthy of Ballymacarbry who passed away recently. Tony was very much involved in the organisation of the Ballymac 5 mile road race down through the years. May he rest in peace. 

 

 

It has been a busy few weeks for club member Phillip Harty and Ciaran Lane as both made the long trip to Dublin to represent the club at the Donore Harriers 5K. Both lads were using this race as a pre-test leading up to the Waterford AC Half Marathon and it certainly paid dividends with both running well in the 5K and performing admirably at the Half Marathon with Phillip finishing second and Ciaran 28th from a field of 932 runners. Well done lads. 

 

WEST WATERFORD ATHLETIC CLUB’S A.G.M. 

 

The senior club held its 16th A.G.M. in Minnie’s bar last Thursday night with a very small and disappointing turn out in attendance. The meeting was opened by the chairman, Tony Ryan, who spoke of the busy year which the club had in 2009. He thanked all the committee members for all their hard work during the year and also the sponsors of all the various events and races for their continued support of the club,

He thanked St. Augustine’s College for the use of their fine facilities throughout the past year with a special word of thanks for all the work and help by Br. Patrick Lennon. Tony went on to thank the Dungarvan Leader and Observer for the support given to the club through out the year. Norma Wall the club secretary gave a lengthy and detailed account of the clubs main activities and successes throughout 2009 and the fifteen page report is now available on the club web site for all to read,www.westwaterfordathletics.org Our Treasurer Liam Crowe gave us his accounts for the past twelve months and we are glad to report that the club is in a very health financial state going forward into 2010.All in all it was indeed a most fruitful year for the club, winning national, international and provincial titles as well as having the honour of having club member Jamie Costin compete in the World championships in Berlin and of course the ongoing development of young David McCarthy as he progresses through his American Athletic scholarship in Providence . 

The new committee for 2010 was elected and they are as follows:

Honorary President: Paddy Joe Curran

Chairman: Tony Ryan

Vice-Chairman: Albert McGrath

Treasurer: Liam Crowe

Secretary: Norma Wall

Ass. Secretary: Triona Wall

P.R.O.: James Veale

Road Racing Co-ordinator: Gerry Cantwell

Cross Country Co-ordinator Ann Dunford

Membership Officer :Pascal Proctor

Trevor Mason, Conor Norris, Tom Leahy

 

 

When the runner’s high does set in, usually around three or four miles, my body flows into a smooth rhythm and my mind is no longer conscious of how far or how long I’ve run or how much farther to go.

 

 

 

The club had a good representation in Waterford last Saturday for the Waterford AC organised half marathon. Pride of place on the day has to go to Philip Harty who proved to all that he is truly back to his best with a superb performance which saw him finish 2nd overall in the field of 932 finishers, Phillip’s time of  70.17 was not a million miles from his personal best for the distance either. All involved in the club are truly delighted to see such a talented athlete making such a dramatic come back when many thought his race was run. Congrats fellow keep up the good work. There were good performance also from Shane Power 77.27 and Kieran Lane 79.08. Well done also to Alan Hickey who recorded a personal best time of the distance of  81.32.The race was won by Moldovian athlete running with Clonliffe Harries Sergiu Ciobanu in a time of 67.11.Sergiu is the current Irish national marathon champion which he won in Dublin last October. Lebata Debeca,an Ethiopian athlete running with Limerick who is also the Munster Novice cross country champion was 3rd in 71.23.The Ladies race was won by Tullamore international athlete Pauline Curley with a time of 1.18.24 finishing in 25th place overall, second Lady to cross the line was Siobhan O’Doherty Borrisokane in 1.20.54 with Clonmel’s Angela McCann third in 1.21.40.

 

WEST WATERFORD AC FINISHERS AT WATERFORD AC HALF MARATHON

 

2 Phillip Harty   1.10.17

19 Shane Power           1.17.27

28 Ciaran Lane             1.19.08

35 Alan Hickey            1.21.32

62 PJ Guinan                1.25.57

68 Martin Hayes           1.26.05

81 Michael Dwyer        1.27.34

82 John Flynn               1.27.34

100 Phyllis Flynn          1.28.26

132 Davy Wade           1.30.32

135 Tom O’ Brien        1.30.58

141 Tomas Coleman    1.31.29

174 Luke Cunningham 1.33.45

180 Richard Kelly        1.33.58

187 Pat Frisby 1.34.15

233 Michael Wade       1.36.41

311 Ted O’ Leary        1.41.28

326 Fergal Connolly     1.41.59

352 Bernie Prendergast 1.42.50

382 Josie Ui Chuirrin    1.44.28

453 Marie Dwyer         1.46.59

592 Kieran Eaton         1.52.40

630 MichaelMcCarthy 1.54.22

726 Orla O’ Mahoney   1.59.23

876 Terry Gough          2.13.41

 

 

 

For the first time ever, the European Cross Country Championships were held in Ireand and Santry Demesne played host to 23 European Nations with hundreds of athletes descending on the grounds in the hope of a European medal. It was a 6 race programme with proceedings getting under way at 10 am. It was an early start for many avid athletic fans from all parts of the country looking to support the Irish athletes in their bid for European glory. The first race of the day was the Junior Women’s race and the large crowd in attendance was treated to a great first race with Karolina Grovdal winning Norway’s first European cross country medal after a great display of front running. It was a tough last lap for her as Gulshat Fazlatdinova from Russia closed strongly in the closing stages but had to settle for second. The best of the Irish was Ciara Mageean in ninth and after the race all she could say was “I should have run faster”. She can indeed be proud of this performance. The Irish team was ninth behind winners Russia who won by four points from Great Britain.The junior men was another brilliant race with Jeroen D’Hoedt from Belgium proving to be the fastest in the last half lap as he overcame the strong challenge of Great Britain’s Nick Goolab in second and James Wilkinson in third, with Norstad Sondre Moen from Norway a close fourth. The Irish were out of luck with Ryan Creech the first to finish in 41st position and he was clearly disappointed with his performance. Great Britain won the team contest with Ireland 11th.Race three on the six race programme saw another brilliant race up front with Sultan Haydar from Turkey setting a very strong pace from the start in the ladies U/23 race. She was overtaken on the last lap by Irena Sergeyeva from Russia but fought back very strongly on the run to the line to regain the lead and win impressively. The best of the Irish was Roseanne Galligan in 15th and she said afterwards that she was very happy with that performance. She wanted to improve on her 21st placing from last year and she was well inside that. Breffni Twohig was another to run a brilliant race to finish two places behind Roseanne, with the Irish team in third at halfway. However they could not hold it and finished a gallant fifth. Great Britain won the team contest by three points from Russia.The fierce competitive action continued in the U23 men’s race where France filled the top two places – Noureddine Smail winning from Hasan Chadi, with Atelaw Bekele from Belgium a close third. Michael Mulhare ran a great race to lead the Irish home in 18th position. He was delighted with his run and figured he may have gone out too fast as he suffered on the last lap. However, he is happy that the experience gained will stand to him.  France won the team contest with Ireland fifth.For so long in the Senior Women’s race it looked like Ireland would win team medals. Mary Cullen and Fionnula Britton were well placed in the early stages, but Cullen found the going tough and she had to fight hard to stay in the top ten. Britton was back to her best and she ran a stormer to eventually finish 11th, with Cullen one place further back. Deirdre Byrne was running a brilliant race alongside them but couldn’t keep up with the pace on the last lap. It was heartbreak for the Irish team to finish fourth behind Portugal after being in second place for so much of the race. Hayley Yelling from GB&NI put in a tremendous effort to lead all the way for a brilliant win. The final race of the day, the senior men’s race, was once again a thrilling affair, and the performance of Mark Kenneally really had the large crowd in full voice. Mark Kenneally got out fast “you have to because there is no passing at this level” he said afterwards. He really got stuck in and had the race of his life. He was delighted with the run, coming as it did after a somewhat disappointing run in the inter counties. The big effort was hard and he described the last two laps as torture. “But when you’re running in front of a huge crowd like that you just have to keep going” he said. Up front it was a two man race with Alemayehu Bezebah from Spain out pacing Mo Farah from GB & NI, with eight times winner Sergiy Lebid third. Mark Kenneally was always in the top ten and his strong finish saw him finish a superb eight. The Irish team was sixth behind Spain. From a West Waterford perspective it was a proud and significant day for the club as two of our best athletes, Raivis Zakis and Sandis Bralitis were part of the line up for the Men’s Senior Race. This was a remarkable achievement for the two talented athletes who got the call to represent their native country of Latvia last week. Both athletes who have much experience at national level certainly raised the bar last Sunday when competing among the very best that Europe has to offer. Both athletes ran extremely well and the experience gained will stand to them in their future ventures. It was great to see such a local turn out on the day to support the two lads. Speaking to both of them after the race, they said the going was tough but they knew it would be and so they stuck to their pre-race tactics and were delighted to compete and finish in this their first European Cross Country Championship. It’s onwards and upwards for these two athletes. Cross country running was the big winner here today and it was great to see so many people enjoying the experience, and their vocal support was much appreciated by the athletes. The final race of the day, the senior men’s race, was once again a thrilling affair, and the performance of Mark Kenneally really had the large crowd in full voice. Mark Kenneally got out fast “you have to because there is no passing at this level” he said afterwards. He really got stuck in and had the race of his life. He was delighted with the run, coming as it did after a somewhat disappointing run in the inter counties. The big effort was hard and he described the last two laps as torture. “But when you’re running in front of a huge crowd like that you just have to keep going” he said. In the last twelve months things have come around very well for him and he described his coach Mark Carroll as a great guy to work with. Up front it was a two man race with Alemayehu Bezebah from Spain out pacing Mo Farah from GB & NI, with eight times winner Sergiy Lebid third. Mark Kenneally was always in the top ten and his strong finish saw him finish a superb eight. The Irish team was sixth behind Spain.