West Waterford Athletic ClubWest Waterford Athletic Club

Notes July 05-09


 
MINNIES FIT4LIFE SUMMER LEAGUE: FINAL ROUND UP AND LEAGUE WINNERS

In 2009 the Minnie’s Fit4Life League was held over 8 weeks commencing on 28th April and finishing up on the 16th June.  This was the sixth year of this most popular league and by far the best.  We would always judge the success of a league by the numbers of newcomers, people who try running for the first time, those who maybe come along with a friend and come back week after week because they see the benefits and feel better as a result.  Well then this league achieved all this and more and with the excellent weather conditions and with the use of the fantastic grounds of the Friary College it made this league one of the most enjoyable ever.  The enthusiasm with which everyone went about their run was a reward for all the organisers and it was brilliant to see some of the newcomers taking part in the recent 5 mile races.  This is exactly what this league was all about and with the 4 different courses on offer it gave people a chance to start off with the 1 lap and progress as they wished up to the 4 laps and then on to the 5 mile races.  It just goes to show that when you commit to something, start off easy and get some encouragement, well, the sky’s the limit after that.  Remember that many of the club members who will travel all over the world to run marathons this year started out in leagues just like this one and progressed from there.  For any beginners who are wondering what they should do to increase their mileage each week we would encourage these people to talk to any club or committee member, look up the website www.westwaterfordathletics.org or call to Albert Mc Grath, Mary Street for advice.  Norma is also writing a special section in the notes each week for beginners so there is plenty of support out there.  Don’t hesitate to ask. 

 
PASCAL IS THE ONE LAP CHAMPION
 

Now that the league is over we are happy to report that over the course of the 8 weeks a total of 262 people took part in the various distances on offer in this league with an average of well over 100 runners each night.  In the one lap league 70 people took part of which 11 were men and 59 were women.  Many were beginners taking part in the league for the first time; all went on to record some excellent times as week after week they kept improving.  From the outset Pascal Proctor set his sights on taking the Minnie’s Fit4Life one-lap league title for 2009.  He set about his task with grim determination and got his just reward going on to record four first place and 2 second places to give him a final point’s total of 8.  He had stiff competition in the shape of Michael Mc Carthy and Andrea Gaffney but when Andrea went on holidays Pascal and Michael were left to fight it out.  When the best six nights were counted up Michael had a final points total of 12 and a personal best time of 8.34, 4 behind Pascal whose best time was 8.25. 

Division 2

Ita Mason took the second division title with 65 points recording her fastest time in week 7 when she ran 10.52.  Ita took the title from Pearl Veale who ran 7 out of 8 nights and recorded her fastest time when in week 7 and 8 she recorded the exact same time of 10.56! 

Division 3

The Division 3 title went all the way to the Brickey Valley when Ann Lyons scored 126 points from her best 6 nights.  Ann recorded her best time in week 6 when she ran 12.51.  In the end Ann had 9 points to spare from Breda Veale who ran 6 out of 8 nights and clocked her fastest time of 13 minutes exactly in week 7.

 
SHANE IS KING OF THE 2 LAPS

An amazing 91 different people ran the 2 lap distance over the 8 weeks of this league.  Once again the women were dominant with 27 men and 64 women taking part.  From the outset it was clear that Shane Power was also on a mission to take this 2 Lap title and in doing so Shane went on to record some excellent times with the best of 13.29 coming in week 7.  He finished with the minimum 6 points from his best 6 nights over the 2.4 mile distance.  The nearest challenger to Shane was Liam Kavanagh who finished the league with a point’s total of 19 and his fastest time of 15.42 which came also in week 7.

Division 2

Courtesy of her 8th place finish on the final night Margaret Power took control of division 2 and with a points total of 66 she finished 9 points ahead of her nearest challenger Declan Hayes.  Margaret and Declan both recorded their fastest times of 19.38 and 19.48 respectively on the last night.

Division 3

Diana Chizhikova came to the fore if division 3 where she ran each and every night and from her best 6 nights she had a points total of 121.  Aisling Hourigan finished runner up here just 11 points behind.  Diana ran her fastest time of 22.18 in week 5 and for Aisling it was 22.09 on the final night.

Division 4

In division 4 the Kilrossanty lady Martina Walsh had a real battle on her hands going into the final night where she had the exact same points as Rita Cronolly.  However Martina pulled out all the stops on the night to finish in 22nd place just 1 ahead of Rita and clinched her division.  It could not have been any closer as Martina finished with 171 points and Rita had 172. 

Division 5

Here Sharon Nugent decided to give her sisters Paula and Denise a run for their money and showed she has what it takes also when, with a point’s total of 192 she had 12 points to spare over her nearest threat which came in the form of Alison O Brien.  Sharon ran 7 out of 8 nights and fittingly had her fastest time on the final night of 24.17 while Alison ran 6 nights and had a best of 23.07. 

 YEVGENNIY CHIZHIKOV IN COMMAND OF 3 LAPS
 

In the 3 lap league the men dominated the numbers taking part, where out of a total of 46, 30 were male and 16 were female.  Many regulars ran this distance using the 3.6 mile route for speed work and a chance to get some miles in for 5 mile races over the summer.

Out of the 8 nights of this league Yevgenniy Chizhikov ran 7 and recorded his fastest time in week 5 of 22.22.  Other runners may have taken part in the 3 lap distance but Yevgenniy was consistent and out of his 6 best nights he had 2 first place finishes and 4 second places and so finished with a 10 points total.  In second place in division 1 was George Tutty who gave this league a great effort, ran every night and was rewarded on the final night with a p.b. of 27.28 and finished on 26 points

Division 2

Division 2 of the 3 lap league was extremely close with just 2 points separating the eventual winner John Murray from Pearse Moloney.  John ran every night also and with a point’s total of 64 from his best 6 nights he recorded a P.B. of 29.59 on the final night when he broke 30 minutes for the first time.  In doing so he finished in 11th place just 1 place ahead of Pearse Moloney and clinched the division 2 title.  Pearse finishing with 66 points had his fastest time in week 7 when he also broke 30 minutes for the first time clocking 29.44.

Division 3

Onra Power ran 7 out of the 8 nights in the 3 lap league and with a point’s total of 86 Onra had 7 points to spare over her nearest rival Nikki Mc Kenna.  Onra recorded her best time in week 7 of 30.31 while Nikki who competed every night of the league had a best time of 31.25 also in week 7.

 
4 LAP TITLE TAKEN BY SEAN STILWELL IN SOME STYLE
 

The men were to the fore again over the 4.8 miles as out of the 55 who took part, 43 were male and 12 were female.  Once again many of the regular runners used this distance as a way of getting some extra miles in the legs in preparation for upcoming marathons in the autumn with warm up and cool down laps adding to the distance.It was clear from the outset that Sean Stilwell targeted the Minnie’s league as an event that he could dominate over the summer months and this is exactly what Sean did.  In the process he ran every night, was first home every night and recorded the fastest time for the 4 laps this year.  You certainly can’t argue with that and with the minimum 6 points from his 6 best nights there was always going to be only one winner of this distance.  The next question was who could finish closest to Sean and takes that runner up spot in division 1?  Well in the end it came down to Kevin Kenneally and Des Feeney with both clocking some really good times and finishing just behind Sean night after night.  In the end when points were tallied the runner up spot went to Kevin Kenneally who finished with a personal best time of 27.51 which he set on the final night and 14 points in total (6 ahead of Des) while Sean clocked an excellent 26.42 for the 4.8 miles of the Friary College grounds. 

Division 2

In this division there was a real battle also with Kenneth O Donnell and Corinna Walsh finishing with in seconds of each other the first few nights but Ken who ran each and every night upped the pace and went on to break that elusive 30 minute barrier on the last 2 nights.  This was enough to clinch the division 2 title with 38 points 10 ahead of Corinna who will also be delighted with her 31.07 which she ran in week 5

Division 3

What a talented family of runners the Dwyer’s are and every time one turns up at an event now you just know they will be every bit as good as the rest.  Here it was Sean Dwyer who came to the fore in division 3 and with a p.b. for the league of 32.42 Sean just had 1 point to spare from Kilgobnet man Tom Moroney who made his return to running in this league and went on to clock his fastest time of 32.46 on the final night.  Sean finished the league with 79 points from 6 nights while Tom had 80.

Division 4

It’s hard to beat the Ring men when it comes to competition and none more so than that man Pat Morrissey who just loves a challenge. Well he showed his mettle to take the division 4 title with a fastest time recorded on the very last night of 36.23 from Ann Dunford who clocked 35.28 in week 3.

Division 5

There was little between the athletes in division 5 but once again the man from Tallow: J.J. Henley went on to claim the division with a total of 165 points from his 6 nights in the 4 lap league from Micheál O Chuirrin who finished on 185.  J.J. ran his fastest time in week 3 of 37.55 while Micheál will be very happy that not only did he break the 40 minute barrier in week 7 but he almost broke 39 minutes on the last night running 39.02.

 PRIZEGIVING

The prize giving took place in Minnie’s Bar Abbeyside on Wednesday 24th June and once again we had a great turn out of prize-winners which made the evening a great success.  Tony Ryan our chairman began by welcoming everyone to the proceedings and went on to thank all the runners who took part in the league and congratulated them on their efforts and commitments.  The prizes were then presented to the top 2 in division 1 of each distance and to the top finisher in each subsequent division.  A draw was also held on the night for 2 vouchers for non prize-winners: one male and one female, with the vouchers going to Bernadette Murphy who competed in the 1 lap and to Micheál O Chuirrin who took part in the 4 lap league.

 SPONSORS
 

We would like to take this opportunity to thank the O Brien family for their continued support and commitment to athletics in West Waterford and most especially Charmaine who presented the prizes on the night.  The food provided by the staff of Minnie’s was once again of the highest order and was really appreciated by everyone on the night so thanks once again to Paddy and all his staff.

 THANK YOUS
 

The final thanks of course go to our most generous hosts at the St Augustine’s grounds for allowing us to hold our events on their premises during the year.  We are indebted to Brother Lennon who always makes sure that athletics is looked after at the venue.  Thanks also to our league organisers: Tony Ryan our Cross Country Co-ordinator who ensures that everything runs smoothly, Shirley Flynn who gives up her time to take names at the finish line and also Liam Crowe who does likewise taking the times for all the runners.To our outdoor staff as they are called, namely Michael Tutty who set out the course each night, Conor and Jamie who also made themselves available and Ann Dunford for her work with the weekly notes for the event.To anyone else who gave a hand over the course of the league thank you once again. So a final congratulations to everyone who took part over the 8 weeks and we hope you enjoyed it as much as we did.

 AMBER PETROLEUM FIT4LIFE LEAGUE.

 GREAT TURN OUT FOR ROUND ONE.

The first round of the very popular Amber Petroleum Fit4Life league took place at the Friary College grounds last Tuesday evening June 30th.  Despite the inclement weather a great crowd was in attendance and it was wonderful to see some old and indeed some new faces.  A very big welcome to all who those who took up running at our last league and who have committed to running this league also.  It was great to see you all and we hope that you enjoy this league as much as the last.  The aims of the Fit4Life leagues are to encourage and promote running to newcomers and regulars and to show people that it is possible to incorporate exercise and running into your daily or weekly routine whichever you decide, it’s up to you.I know we say all our leagues are suitable to newcomers well this one really is the best for anyone new to running as speed means nothing here.  It’s all about accuracy and the person running one lap has the same chance of winning as the person running 4 laps.  Here it’s all about trying to get your timing right.  The clock works backwards from 45 minutes to 0 so you decide what time you want to begin your run and take off at a time you feel comfortable with.  The person who crosses the finishing line as the clock reaches zero is deemed to be the winner.  There will be prizes awarded to the top 3 each night and if any of these prize-winners are lucky enough to win on another occasion they will just get the one prize with the next finisher on the night taking over as a prize-winner.  In this way there will definitely be 24 different prize winners over the course of the 8 weeks, which gives everyone a chance.  There will also be a Champions League type table in operation where an overall Amber Petroleum League Champion will be decided as points are awarded to the winners each night.  30 points will go to the first person after the clock reaches zero, with 29 going to the second etc.  The person unlucky enough to finish just before the clock reaches zero will get 20 points for their efforts, 19 to the second last person etc. With the time element involved there are no watches allowed.  You are welcome to take part in any or all nights of the league.  All we ask is that you come along to the club van at the Friary College grounds around 6.45 any Tuesday night for the next 7 nights and register.  It’s just €2 a night to participate and everyone is welcome.  You decide your distance and take it from there.  You can also run a different distance each night in this league.  So if you want to start off with the 1 lap, which is 1.2 miles and then decide you are ready for the 2 laps, which is double the distance at 2.4 miles, it’s your decision.  So, see you next Tuesday.

IT’S NOW THE NORM FOR NORMA.

In this league in 2008 Norma Wall showed that she knew a thing or two about pacing and getting the timing right taking victory in 2 out of the 8 weeks.  Well last Tuesday evening she started where she left off last year with another victory when just as she entered the finishing tunnel, the clock struck zero and she was deemed the winner of the first round of the Amber Petroleum League for 2009.  The runners had been congregating in the last field of the Friary and with around 800 metres to go everyone was watching the runners around them to see who they might follow.  Yevgenniy Chizhikov, last years winner was attracting some attention while Liam Kavanagh was always a good bet but he was back a bit, Corinna Walsh was always close to the time but she wasn’t there on the night.  Onra Power and Dixie were also attracting attention and quite a few followers but in the end Norma was the one to take the honours and gain 30 points to go to the top of the Amber Petroleum Champions League table.  29 points went to Ann Dunford who finished on exactly the same time with 28 points awarded to Micheál O Chuirrin who was just one second out.  Richard Griffin will also count himself unlucky as he was just 2 seconds slower than his predicted time while Diana Chizhikova was just 7 seconds outside her predicted time but they have the consolation of securing 27 and 26 points respectively for the Champions League Table. 

TOO FAST

In week 1 the person most unlucky was Martina Walsh who, fresh from her division win in the Minnie’s League almost got it spot on but just 3 seconds separated Martina from victory as she was just too fast by that small margin.  Looking back over last year results Martina was also very close on the first night so perhaps she’s one to watch for next week!  Martina gained 20 points for the Champions League table as a consolation.  Just ahead of Martina was Mark Cliffe who ran every night of the last league and his fitness is really improving as he showed recently with his run in the Dromana 5 mile road race.  On this occasion he was just 8 seconds too quick but still takes 19 points for his efforts while Jim Fleming was just 12 seconds too fast and takes 18 points.  Thomás Gough usually runs this league each year and for his first night in the Friary he almost made it a winning one as he was also very close, just 13 seconds too quick as was Pascal Proctor another prize-winner from the Minnie’s League.  So if you got it right last week, congratulations because with the wet ground that was an achievement in itself.  If you were a little too slow perhaps go off a little earlier this week and you might get it right.  But it’s all a bit of fun and you are getting fitter as a result so enjoy the banter and best of luck to everyone next week and remember its never too late to join in.

SPONSORS

We would like to welcome and thank our new sponsors for this league Pat Keane, Marion Joy and family who took over the running of the Amber Garage on the Youghal Road recently.  Both Pat and Marion are regulars at our leagues and we are delighted that that they saw fit to come on board with us as a sponsor for this event.  Both were present at the first round and while Marion did the running Pat provided water at the finish line for the athletes, which was much appreciated.  As always we encourage all our members to support our sponsors where possible and take this opportunity to thank the Keane family once more.

 RUNNING QUOTE

 Tears streamed down my face as I crossed the finish line. I was a new person, a runner.

 DAVID MC CARTHY NAMED ON IRISH TEAM FOR EUROPEANS.

 David Mc Carthy was last weekend named on the 14 strong Irish squad for the European under 23 championships in Lithuania on July 16th-19th next. The talented West Waterford athlete and now scholarship student at Providence College is regarded as a potential medalist at these championships as he holds one of the fastest 1.500 meter times recorded this year at under 23 level, However it will be the longer 5.000 meter event that David will compete in at these championships as Ennis Track’s Rory Chesser takes on the 1.500. Coming off an in creditably super season in America where David has been in top class form, He ran 3:41.37 to win the US Collegiate East Regional meeting in May. David wend on to displayed terrific form at the Mt. SAC Relays in April when he destroyed a class field to win the 5000m in 13:42.11.Speaking to David during the week as he enjoys a short spell at home he says the European U23 Championships has been the main focus for him all year and his attitude and focus towards this event is evident , Another Waterford athlete with a huge possibility of taking some silver wear is Kelly Proper who like David will be targeting the podium in her discipline , The Long Jump, Proper set a new Irish Record of 6.59m to qualify for the final at the Senior European Indoor Championships in Turin in March and if she can perform somewhere near her full potential she will certainly be there or there a bout’s come the finals.

ONRA POWER IS COMERAGH CRYSTAL ATHLETE OF THE MONTH FOR JUNE.

The Comeragh Crystal Athlete of the Month for the month of June is Onra Power.  Onra, who was also athlete of the month for the month of June in 2008, scored a total of 11 points.Onra got the month off to a winning start when she was in the winners enclosure in both Rathgormack and Kilmacow, where she picked up category prizes in both races.  She took part in 3 nights of the Minnie’s League in the Friary and again collected a prize when she was a division winner in the 3 lap.  She also took part in 4 races of the Nike Ger Wyley Summer Series, Tourneena, Clashmore, Ras na Rinne and Clashmore.  Her other two points were for race 2 of the Ballycotton  Summer Series which took place in Shanagarry, and  for the first night of the Amber League Predict Your  Time League, indeed Onra is a former winner of the Predict Your Time League.  Overall a very successful month for Onra.
A welcome addition to the Athlete of the Year competition this year is the inclusion of a Senior Male and Female Athlete, so overall 5 titles are up for grabs; overall Athlete of the Year, Senior Male and Female and Master Male and Female. At this stage it looks like there can be only one winner of the overall title with Mick McCarthy on a total of 65 points already,  closer battles are likely to take place in the other categories with only a few points separating the leaders. A full update will be given next month. Events that will earn members points this month are 2 races of the Ger Wyley Summer Series, GSK 5 mile on this Friday night and on Friday, July 31 it’s the Dooceys Ballymac 5 mile.  There are 4 nights of the Amber Garage Predict Your Time League on every Tuesday night of July and also on Thursday  nights beginning on  16 July, the Green Mile League takes place in the Friary at 7.30

WIN FOR SANDIS IN KILLARNEY 5K.

We still await the full results from last Saturdays Killarney 5k.but we do know that Sandis Bralitis took the title there for 2009 with a winning  time of 15.17,so congratulations to him and to Inese Melne who recorded a time of 21.32 for the event.

LEDINGHAM SHINES AT CORK CITY SPORTS.

The 58th Cork City Sports was held at the famous Mardyke Track in Cork last Saturday afternoon. From a club point of view we had two athletes competing on the day with Jamie Costin taking on the much shorter distance for him of 3k a long way short of his specialist event the 50k and James Ledingham was in the A grade 800 race.In the Race walking event Robert Heffernan (Togher AC) fresh from his win the previous Sunday at the Grand Prix event in the Phoenix Park was one of the pre race favorites and he was also trying to break his Irish 3k record. Many punters who were at the sports said the walk event was the highlight of the meet with a ding dong battle which went down to the wire between Mexican Edgar Sanchez and Heffernan. With 400 to go and Edgar holding a good lead over the Cork man. Heffernan found his rhythm and started to close on the leader. All through the final 200 the gap closed, slowly but surely. With 100m remaining a win by Heffernan still looked impossible, but he just did not give up, and he continued to close, aided by a vocal Irish crowd. As they crossed the line the photo finish was required which showed that the Mexican had just held on – by 0.08.Heffernan’s time of 11:14.09 smashed his own Irish record of 11:27.06 set back in 2000.Indeed the third walker home Colin Griffin was also inside the old mark when finishing 3rd in 11.19.70, And what a performance from Jamie Costin who crossed the line in a time of 11.36.31 just outside that old standard also. In the 800 Meters event James Ledingham was in great from when finishing 2nd from the field of 10 runners with a very fast time of  1.55.07 with Paul Robinson taking the victory in 1.53.43.Well done to both Jamie and James on keeping the club color’s to the fore in such a prestigious event.

 DAVID MC CARTHY RECORDS 3.000 METERS P.B.IN BELGIUM.

On Saturday evening last West Waterford’s David McCarthy was once again in fine form when taking a brilliant 2nd place at the  Memorial Leon Buyle in Oordegem Belgium over 3.000 Meters. David’s best time for this distance up to Saturday was 8.02  he lowered that time at the meet to 7.56 after finishing a very close second to South African Elroy Gelant. Gelant finished a mere three tenths of a second in front of Mc Carthy in ideal conditions for good times. David said after the race that he felt really in good fettle after a very good speed session the previous Tuesday evening at the R.S.C. and that his form was spot on for a good race which is exactly what he produced, David’s splits showed that he ran some 8 seconds faster for the second half of the race than for the first half and he can now really look forward to giving a good account of himself at the upcoming Europeans reported on elsewhere in these notes.

 1 Gelant Elroy RSA 7:56.44
2 McCarthy David IRL 7:56.71
3 Nageeye Abdi NED 7:57.07
4 Van Steen Maarten DCLA 7:58.00

DAVID GILLICK SMASHES 400 M RECORD IN MADRID.

David Gillick (Dundrum South Dublin AC) produced a truly magnificent display of one lap running when he destroyed the field in Madrid last Saturday night, His win was never in any doubt, but his time of 44.77 sliced a significant amount off his Irish record of 45.12. Breaking the 45 second barrier is a significant milestone in Gillick’s career. This performance also moves the Dublin man to fourth in the World Rankings and number one European. This all augers well for the World Championships in Berlin in August.

CHAMPION KIELY BALLYNEALE 5K.

The club had a good turn out of  13 runners taking part in last Friday evening’s Mr Binman sponsored Ballyneale 5k race where 206 runners went to post, The race was number 2 in the Outfield Sports/Asics three counties challenge series. The race honours the Ballyneale-born Olympian, Tom Kiely, who won the gold medal for the Decathlon at the 1904 Olympics in St. Louis. Tony Fogarty (Thurles Crokes) won the race in a time of 15.29 .A very close second was Dwayne Farrell (Tinryland AC) 15.34 while David Ryan in a time of 15.49 took third.P.J Guinan gave yet another very good account of himself and was our first runner home in 15th place with a time of 16.57.Joe Gough took the over 55 prize finishing 23rd in 17.31 .Corinna Walsh was second Lady behind Madeline Loughnane Thurles Crokes, Corinna finished 33rd with a good time of 18 minutes flat, this is averaging 5.47 per mile which is very good running indeed. Others to perform well on the night were John Leahy Jim Fleming, Brigid Coffey who took second over 35,Terri Gough who won the over 55 prize and Marie O’Gorman to mention a few. Race number 3 will take place on Friday July 17th The Morris Oil 10k in Piltown. At 7.30 PM.

 West Waterford AC finishers

15 P.J.Guinan 16.57

23 Joe Gough 17.31

28 John Leahy 17.52

33 Corinna Walsh 18.00

38 Alan Lyons 18.23

54 Jim Fleming 18.55

66 Tom Leahy 19.16

81 Tom Moroney 19.41

140 Brigid Coffey 22.50

164 Michael Mc Carthy 24.09

173 Marie O’Gorman 25.05

175 Onra Power 25.39

194 Terri Gough 29.39

GER WYLEY SPORTS/NIKE SUMMER SERIES RACE 8

GSK 5.

This coming Friday, July 10th  sees the staging of the very popular 10th annual GSK 5 mile road race. The race itself which is open to all runners, fun runners and walkers begins at 8 pm with the walk starting at the slightly earlier time of 7.30 pm. This race always attracts a huge entry as a result of the fast flat course and the super organisation of the GSK crew that brings runners back year after year. Any athlete out there that’s looking to record a great time for 5 miles should make it their business to be at the starting line at 8 pm for this race.  A new feature of the race this year is the “chip timing” which was also used in some of the other summer series races. GSK are continuing to donate all proceeds from the race to a local charity and the lucky benefactors this year is the RNLI, a very worthy cause and we ask as many local runners and walkers to come along and take part in the race and to support the local branch of the RNLI. Entry fee for all participants is €10. GSK are renowned for providing a huge array of top prizes each year and this year is no exception. Prizes will be awarded to the first 5 men, 1st 3 men 0/40, 1st 3 men 0/45, 1st man 0/50, 1st man 0/55 and the 1st man 0/60.  In the ladies section the prizes are equally as good with prizes being awarded to the 1st 5 ladies, and the first lady over 35, 40, 45, 50 and 55. There are also prizes for the first male and female junior athlete and the first wheelchair athlete. As well as these, a cash bonus is also on offer for breaking the course record. An additional €100 will be awarded to the male or female athlete to break the current records held for this course. The current male record is held by West Waterford’s Sandis Bralitis which he set last year with a time of 24.34. The previous record was set in 2001 by William Harty with a time of 24.45 and should conditions be ideal on the night perhaps Sandis will have a go at breaking his own record. The ladies record is held by Sinead Cummins of St. Josephs who ran a super 29.20 in 2004 which has yet to be equalled or broken and the current high standard in female athletics at the moment may see the course broken this year. A quality T-shirt will be presented to all participants with numerous spot prizes to be raffled among all non prize winners for both walkers and runners, This race is one not to be missed and is now well established as one of the best 5 mile road races anywhere in the country and provides a course well capable of supplying you with that personal best time over the distance.. The organising committee at Glaxosmithkline are expecting a very large field and they remind us that all are invited to come along after the race to the presentation of prizes at Dungarvan Soccer Club pavilion (by kind permission) for teas and sandwiches. Please note also that parking is limited and if you have to bring your car parking will be provided at the industrial estate at the back of the Crystal centre with access from the roundabout at the Fire station. Your co-operation with this matter would be much appreciated.

Race:    GSK 5 miles

Venue: Dungarvan Crystal Centre

Entry Fee:         €10

NATIONAL LEAGUE TRACK AND FIELD RESULTS

Joe Conway got our Track and Field campaign off to a great start in Santry Stadium last Sunday when he pulled off a great performance to win the 3,000 metres walk with a personal best time of 14.26 and secured the much coveted maximum 9 points for the club, he also participated in the long jump and was delighted to finish 7th with a distance of 4.57. Sandis Bralitis also recorded a season’s best in the 1,500 metres by clocking 4.01 and claiming second place. Sandis led the race from the gun and it looked as if he was going to record another victory but unfortunately with 20 metres to go, a last surge from the chasing pack meant that Sandis had to settle for second place but the consolation prize was the season’s best. This victory was overshadowed by his super display in the steeplechase which saw him win ever so convincingly in 9.57. Raivis Zakis added another victory and a personal best in the 5,000 metres when he won with his fastest time to date for the event in 14.53, well inside his previous best of 15.01. The standard on the day was of the highest quality and each additional point gained for the club was crucial and as the day progressed in the wet and windy conditions the athletes gained more and more. Liam Houlihan faced stiff opposition in the pole vault which saw him win silver with a height of 3.80metres and in the 110 metres hurdles he finished 4th in a time of 16.91 and he finished the day with finishing 3rd in the high jump, jumping 1.75 metres. Having recorded a fantastic second place in the Cork City Sports the previous day in the 800 metres, James went on to record another second placing in the 800 metres with 1.56 and he also finished 6th in the 400 metres in a time of 50.08. When an athlete was needed to participate in the 400 metres hurdles, Rory Moloney duly obliged and finished a very credible 7th in 69.25 and won some very valuable points for the club in the process. Rory recorded the same finishing place in the triple jump, clearing 8.52 metres. Our 4x 100 metres relay team of Brendan Moran, Liam and Thomas Houlihan and Rory Moloney also finished in 7th spot as did Michael Morrissey in the hammer event with a throw of 42.30       and Kenneth Power finished likewise in the discus event with 26.50.Kenneth also finished third in the javelin (40.26) and Michael was also third in the shot (11.79) Brendan Moran continued with a 7th placing both in the 100 metres event and the 200 metres, providing valuable experience for the upcoming masters event. The day finished with a total score of 82 points for West Waterford which was a huge improvement on the 63 points recorded at round one. At the time of going to press, the overall results were not at hand as the event was held in two separate venues so a more comprehensive report of our overall placings after the two days will be in next week’s notes. Well done to all the athletes that travelled and competed on the day and for taking part in the various events.

MASTERS TRACK AND FIELD ENTRIES

The Munster Masters Track and Field event will be held in Castleisland on Sunday July 26th.  The club has always had a significant representation at this event and have had the fortunate position of providing athletes for all the events on the programme and we hope to do the same this year. The day gets underway at 11 am with a full programme of events in both track and field. Athletes are limited to four events plus the relay so please bear this in mind when selecting your events.

The following are the events on offer:

Men:    100 metres

            200 metres

            400 metres

            800 metres

            1,500 metres

            3,000 metres

            High Jump

            Long Jump

            Shot

            Discus

            Javelin

            28/56 lbs WF

 

Women:           100 metres

                        200 metres

                        800 metres

                        1,500 metres

                        3,000 metres

                        High Jump

                        Long Jump

                        Shot

                        Discus

                        Javelin

                        Hammer

The entries need to be in by this Friday, July 10th so if interested please contact Ann Dunford at 086 0619711. Travel arrangements for the day will be in next week’s notes.

GER WYLEY SPORTS/NIKE SUMMER SERIES

The entry to the series has now closed and we now have the highest entry ever for the summer series. Any athlete that runs any 6 of the ten races will automatically receive a €25 Nike voucher redeemable at Ger Wyley sports and there are quite a few that are in line for doing all ten races for which they will receive a €75 voucher. With only three races remaining a large entry is expected for these races as some athletes must run all three to run the minimum of 6 races. A list of all those that have entered the series will be on display at the next few races, please check that your entry is listed and if not please contact Ann Dunford or Norma Wall.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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