GER WYLEY SPORTS/NIKE SUMMER SERIES 2009
THE SERIES IN REVIEW
The Ger Wyley Sports/Nike sponsored Summer Series came to an end with the recent running of the Ardmore 5 Mile Road Race. This, the only running series in the country that involves 10 races, began with the 6 mile Marine Climb back in April and concluded last weekend in
ORGANISATION AND RESULTS
Every event has to be organised and under the watchful eye of Gerry Cantwell, our Road Racing co-ordinator, everything ran smoothly. Gerry will be the first to admit that behind every man there’s a good woman and
SPONSORSHIP
Events cannot be run without sponsorship and backing and in Ger Wyley and Nike we have two of the best in the business. We very much appreciate Ger taking time to come out to
SANDIS RETAINS MICHEÁL O HOGÁIN CUP
In 2008 Sandis Bralitis took victory in the Summer Series with 8 points from his club and countryman Raivis Zakis who finished with 9. That victory was hard fought with only one point separating the two athletes at the finish. This year however both men competed in the Paris Marathon which changed their training schedules and meant that they had different priorities over the spring time. Sandis joined the series and ran the minimum 6 races over the summer. But 6 races was enough for Sandis as he took victory in all the 6 races that he ran and finished with the minimum of 6 points to take the series for the fourth year in a row. Sandis took victory from a very promising young athlete in the club, Rory Moloney, who also ran the minimum 6 required races and finished with a points total of 21. Rory had his best race in Dromana where he finished in second place and had third place finishes in Clashmore, Ballymac and
Alan Lyons
Tommy Falconer
Kenneth O Donnell
Yevgenniy Chizhikov
Tom Leahy
Tomás Coleman
Sean Mc Carthy
Mark Cliffe
Anthony Dwyer
Eamonn Flavin
Luke Cunningham
Conor Dunne
Pat Morrissey
Pascal Proctor
Michael Deegan
Tommy Lehihan
P.J. Curran
Vincent Tutty
DIVISIONAL WINNERS
In 2008 we changed the system of giving prizes to age categories and instead went for prizes for the top 10 men and every 10th man after that. This ensured an equal distribution of the prizes and meant that runners were watching the tables at each race to check their progress. In order to figure in the Summer Series you had to have entered the series and the cut off for entry was at the Dromana race. This is the procedure each year and after this it is your best 6 finishes that count with lowest points being best as we see with Sandis Bralitis who finished with 6 points from 6 to take victory. In 20th position this year was another popular winner, Tommy Falconer of Carrick on Suir A.C., who finished with 172 points.Colin Lyons is another who is beset by injury lately but this did not stop him from taking 30th place with 252 points.Clonmel A.C. featured in 40th place with Gary Grant doing the business here with 327 points.
PAULINE TAKES LADIES TITLE
In 2009 we perhaps had one of the best ever competitions in the ladies events. As we told you earlier it got off to a cracker at the Marine Climb where Borrisokane lady Siobhain O Doherty took victory from Tullamore A.C.’s Pauline Lambe. Tullamore is a long way to come for the Summer Series but Pauline showed she meant business and she ran 7 out of the 10 races taking 5 race wins and 2 seconds finishing with 7 points from her best 6. Last year’s winner
Corinna Walsh
Norma Wall
Ann Dunford
Sharon Duggan
Josie Ui Chuirrin
Bernie Prendergast
Hillary Collins
Claire Walsh
Catriona O Brien
DIVISIONAL WINNERS
In the ladies, we presented prizes to the athletes who filled the 10th, 15th 20th etc positions on the final tables.
In 10th place in 2009 was Ann Whelan, sister of our race sponsor Ger Wyley who finished the series with 76 points. 15th spot went to another
SUMMER SERIES CLUB CHAMPIONS
As another successful summer series concluded in
Senior: Phillip Harty
0/35: PJ Guinan
0/40: Michael Dunford
0/45: Martin McCarthy
0/50: Gerry Cantwell
0/55: Joe Gough
Junior:
Senior: Corinna Walsh
0/35: Brigid Coffey
0/40: Ann Dunford
0/45: Josie Uí Chuirrín
0/50: Helene Hayes
0/60: Terry Gough
Well done to all concerned and it’s encouraging that our membership is strong enough to hold such a championship annually, here’s to 2010.
AMBER PETROLEUM FIT4LIFE LEAGUE
ALL DOWN TO THE LAST NIGHT
The
CLAIRE CLAIMS VICTORY ON FINAL NIGHT
I’m not really sure what exactly happened last Tuesday evening as the number of people who finished too fast or before the clock reached zero was amazing. Each week we see that the winner usually comes from around the middle of the pack, someone in the middle of a large group of runners. This week however 32 runners were gone through the tunnel before the winner entered the finishing tunnel. On this occasion the 33rd person was Claire Murray who was just 7 seconds slower than her predicted time. Claire had become somewhat of an expert at this league as she was second in week 5 and also had a third place finish in week 3. Only 5 people were behind Claire on the night and indeed Niamh Budds who finished second also recorded the exact same time as Claire. Niamh also has run a very consistent league where she has finished in fifth spot on three occasions in weeks 2, 5 and 6. That’s great pacing indeed from Niamh. Conor Blackwell was delighted to finish 14 seconds outside his predicted time and this gave Conor a third place finish on the night. Fourth place went to Libby McGinn Murphy who was 29 seconds slower than the time she set herself for the night. Diana Chizhikova was also delighted to finish just 31 seconds slower than her predicted time and took 5th place. Catriona O Brien was next to finish and her time was 1.26 slower than she predicted.
MARY GOES CLOSE
Mary Riordan was the athlete this week to come closest to taking a win on the final night only for victory to be taken from her grasp as she finished just 1 second before the clock struck zero. Last years winner of this league Yevgenniy Chizhikov also came close to a victory on Tuesday evening as he ran 5 seconds faster than his predicted time. John Foley is also very good at these “predict your time” runs as he has proven in this year’s Winter League and he too almost got it spot on once again when he was just 5 seconds out also. Finishing just before John was another very consistent performer in this league and he’s also a leading contender for Athlete of The Year; Michael McCarthy. Michael picked up points on each night of the league including 4th in week 2 and 5th in week 7 and was just 8 seconds out. Grace Downey is getting her pacing almost spot on too as she showed on Tuesday when she was just 13 seconds outside her predicted time. Others to come close were Gráinne Ni Fhoghlu (0.16), Mary Foley (0.17) and Mark Cliffe (0.17).
CHAMPIONS LEAGUE TABLE
Last week we told you that it was getting very tight at the top of the Champions League Table, well, it got tighter still after last Tuesday as some of the most consistent runners in this league including some of the top 5 failed in their bid to land any points which meant that the chasing pack had their chance to stake a claim for victory, if they could get a decent points haul. With just 6 people finishing on the right side of the clock the maximum of 30 points went to Claire Murray with 29 going on this occasion to Niamh Budds and 28 to Conor Blackwell. Eamonn Flavin the leader from week 7 and Norma Wall who had been the leader over the first 6 weeks both finished way too fast and got no points.
We will have a full report on how the Champions League Table finished up next week.
SPONSORS AND PRIZEGIVING NIGHT
The Prize giving night for this league was held on Friday night last August 21st after the race proceedings in Ballinameela were over. A large crowd of prize-winners and league participants were in attendance which was great to see. All enjoyed an excellent night and we would like to thank Joe Duggan for his hospitality. Tony Ryan our Cross Country Co-Ordinator acted as M.C. and Pat Keane from Amber Petroleum Garage was present to hand out the prizes. Indeed we would like to thank Pat and his wife Marion for their attendance on the night. Without sponsors it would be very difficult to hold such events. Finally well done to everyone who took part in the league and we hope to see you all back for the Elite Paintball 1 Lap Challenge starting on September 8 and the Garvey’s Supervalue Dungarvan Autumn League which begins on September 10
WHAT TO DO NOW THAT THE SUMMER LEAGUES ARE OVER
To all those that completed in the various leagues that were held over the summer months, the Minnie’s League, the Green Mile League and the Amber Petroleum League, thanks so much for coming along and participating. We know that you all enjoyed yourselves immensely and are delighted with the progress you have made both with fitness levels and running times. That’s the beauty with running, unlike any other sport or activity, it’s possible to see results in a very short time and it’s so enjoyable seeing as each individual is able to run at their own pace with the club’s strong policy of catering for all abilities. With the conclusion of the summer leagues last week many have been asking what’s next on the programme. The Autumn Leagues will be starting shortly and these leagues like the summer leagues cater for all runners. The first of these leagues is the Elite Paintball One Lap Challenge and starting in the same week is the Garvey’s Supervalue Autumn League.
ELITE PAINTBALL ONE LAP CHALLENGE
This league is ideally suited for beginners who might be a bit intimidated by seeing people running lap after lap of the
GARVEYS SUPERVALUE AUTUMN LEAGUE
The second league, the Garveys Supervalue Dungarvan Autumn League will commence on Thursday 10 September at at the Friary College Dungarvan. It will follow the same format as the One Lap Challenge but it has an earlier starting time of . This is because there is a choice of 1, 2, 3 or 4 laps of the Friary, with each lap being 1.2 miles. Registration will commence at 6.15 at the club van. Once again the
for their continued support and their sponsorship of this league. The entry fee for each night will be the usual €2 per athlete and all are welcome. Please note that you don’t have to be a member of the club to come along, all newcomers are most welcome.
BALLYCOTTON 5 2008
The fourth and final race of the Ballycotton summer series takes place tomorrow night, Thursday August 27 and has an earlier starting time of . All athletes that compete in all four races will have guaranteed entry to the Ballycotton 10 subject to the closing date. The club has 7 athletes in total on target for doing all four races and it is their cumulative time over the four races that determine their position on the league tables and they are as follows:
18 Joe Kelly 1.31.20
55 Richie Kelly 1.40.44
64 Tony O’ Mahony 1.42.21
93 Eamon Flavin 1.48.03
Ladies
13 Josie Ui Chuirrín 1.53.15
15 Brigid Coffey 1.53.29
96 Onra Power 2.10.44
Prizes for the Race
First 10 men (M); First 3 M40; First 3 M45; First 3 M50; First 2 M55; First 2 M60; First M65; First M70; First 2 under 20 (MJ). First 2 AAI club teams (first 3 finishers on team to score)
First 6 women (F); First 2 F35; First 2 F40; First 2 F45; First 2 F50; First F55, First F60, First F65.
First AAI club team (first 3 finishers on team to score)
The St. Finbarr’s AC organised John Buckley Sports Cork Half Marathon will be held again this year in Blarney and will as it has in previous years host the Munster Half Marathon championships as part of the race on the day. It will be held on Sunday 13 September at Athletes may pre-enter for the race at a cost of €20 up to September 5. It’s possible to enter on line at www.stfinbarrsac.com and athletes may also enter on the day but the entry fee increases to €25
TEMPLEDERRY
RACE
The inaugural Templederry 4 Mile Road Race will take place this coming Friday night, August 28th at . The race sees Pat Keane, one of the chief organisers of the Touraneena 5k take on the mantle of organising a similar event in his new home
1st Man €200, 2nd man €100 and 3rd man €50
1st lady €200, 2nd lady €100 and 3rd lady €50
There will also be a Time Bonus of €100 for the first man to break and €100 for the first woman to break 23:00.There will also be prizes for the first male & female finisher from each of the Zodiac star signs. The entry Fee is €10 with entries taken at the Fr Kenyon Centre from onwards. A 2 mile walk gets under way at and a “Guess Your Finish Time Event” will also take place in conjunction with the 2 mile walk. The winner here is whoever finishes closest but not faster than their predicted time. No watches or mobile phones allowed. The entry fee for the walk is €5.Tea & refreshments will be provided for all participants. There will also be a free spot prize draw for an 18 speed mountain bike plus spot prizes galore. For further details – contact Pat Keane at 087 6380649
ALAN EVERETT
RACE
The annual Alan Everett Memorial 5 mile road race was held last Sunday in Woodstown, Co.
BRALITIS BEST IN BALLINAMEELA
Last Friday night’s Ballinameela 5 Mile Road Race provided the participants with a super fast course that produced a winning time of 24.53 which belongs to the in-form Sandis Bralitis, who was a most impressive winner on the night.Sandis ran his usual hard race from the gun and his times of 4.55 (1 mile), 9.49 (2 miles), 14.48 (3 miles), and 19.53 (4 miles) ensured that he was well clear of the field at the finish. Long time supporter of road races in the
CORINNA WINS LADIES RACE
Corinna Walsh continued her splendid form this summer with a clear cut win at a venue which was very close to home ground for her. Corinna finished 17th overall running 6 minutes 19 seconds per mile pace to finish over 1 minute clear in 31 minutes 40 seconds. Mary Molloy from Clonmel was second in a fine time of 32.47 with West Waterford’s Ann Dunford in third place in 35.02.
RACE CATEGORIES
The race categories produce their own interesting battles and the winners were as follows: (all
MEN
0/40 Johnny O Connor (29.33)
0/45 Owen Palmer (30.28)
0/50 Gerry Cantwell (30.22)
0/55 Joe Gough (30.32)
LADIES
0/35 Brigid Coffey (36.02)
0/40 Onra Power (41.03)
0/45 Josie Ui Chuirrin (37.09)
0/50 Bernie Prendergast (38.18)
Junior Emer Scanlon (35.41)
The Wheelchair category winner was Gerry Forde from
WELL SUPPORTED
Yevgenniy Chizhikov (31.16), Sean Dwyer (31.37), Dermot Dwyer (32.04), Kenneth O Donnell (32.07), Tom Leahy (32.31), Tom Moroney (32.42), Jim Fleming (32.45), Liam Kavanagh (33.13), Earl Navin (33.17), Dermot Ryan (33.48), Eamonn Flavin (34.02), Mark Cliffe (34.20), Micheál Callaghan (35.35), P.J. Curran (35.39), Martin Veale (35.59), Shane Flanagan (36.33), John Foley (38.30), Pascal Proctor (38.31), Michael Mc Carthy (39.58), Michael Deegan (40.17), Vincent Tutty (40.18), Paul Mc Grath (40.22), Catriona O Brien (41.25), Linda Bradfield (43.28), Vince Donovan (44.39), and Ann Massey (45.54). Among others, impressive times here were recorded by Sean Dwyer, Tom Moroney, Micheál Callaghan, Martin Veale, Shane Flanagan and Catriona O Brien.
RACE ORGANISATION
The organising committee of this race can be well satisfied with their first venture into staging a road race with over 100 participants in total which is a good entry. The Community Centre was an ideal and impressive venue and the stewarding around the course was top class. Our thanks are extended to the catering ladies after the race and indeed everybody who made our club feel so welcome on the night. As already noted, the flat course is a major plus for this race and runners who record fast times will return to such an event. Thanks to all our own club members who assisted in the organising of this race led by our Road Racing Co-ordinator Gerry Cantwell. The entries were taken by
RUNNING QUOTE
Runners just do it: They run for the finishing line even if someone else has reached it first.
BRAVE DISPLAY BY JAMIE COSTIN AT WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS IN BERLIN.
As the Van the Man said in his song “there be days like this“.West Waterford’s Jamie Costin gave what can only be described as a gutsy performance at last weeks 50k walk at the World championships in Berlin, Despite not making it to the finishing line. Indeed it wasn’t a great day for either of our two 50k walkers as both Jamie and Ballinamore’s Colin Griffin didn’t make the finish line at the Brandenburg gates after a tough day at the office in very warm humid conditions, The men’s 50km walk was the feature event on the morning of the seventh day and what greeted the strong men of the 50k walk was 75 % humidity and scorching sunshine. The pair were among 19 of the 50-strong field that did not finish the event, Griffin had no more to offer after 28k of intense walking while Jamie had taken a more conservative slower pace for the first half and was making his way nicely through the field having come from 29th position to 18th when he started to experience Stomach problems which was to end his participation in the event with the finish line in sight. Unfortunely as many of us know especially those involved in marathon running when you experience these kind of problems in such an event and it becomes impossible to hold down your fluids the body shuts down very quickly and refuses to let you continue, such was the case for Jamie who was bitterly disappointed at not being able to finish the race and most certainly gave it his all in what is the longest event in the world championships events list, But we can be sure the Ring man will drive on from here and will soon after a well deserved rest period take up his next challenge and hopefully we will see him on the start line in Barcelona next July for the European Champions when hopefully the gods will look more favourably on this most dedicated and professional athlete. The winner of the race for the record was Russian Sergey Kirdyapkin who regained the title he won in Helsinki four years ago,The Russian did not finish the race in last year’s Beijing Olympic Games,He had no such problems in Berlin as the 29-year-old clawed back a 36-second deficit to rejoin the leaders at the 35km marker and went on to win comfortably in a time of three hours 38 minutes and 35 seconds. Kirdyapkin, whose time was the fastest in the world this year, was followed home by Trond Nymark in a Norwegian record of 3hr 41min 16sec with Spain’s Jesus Angel Garcia finishing a further 21 seconds behind. From an Irish participation point of view it was one of our walkers who preformed best when Olive Loughnane took a superb silver in the Ladies 20k walk and Corks Derval O’Rourke finished a very close 4th in the Ladies 100 meters Hurdles final, David Gillick reached the final of the 400 meters finishing 6th. The event itself was superbly organised and it was certainly evident that the German’s certainly love their sport. Role on Barcelona 2010.