MUNSTER MASTERS TRACK AND FIELD CHAMPIONSHIPS.
MEDALS GALORE FOR MASTER ATHLETES IN CASTLEISLAND
At 7.45 a.m. on Sunday morning last when most of our club members were turning over for their second sleep, our group of Master Athletes were leaving the Park Hotel to set out on the long trip to Castleisland for our annual journey to compete in the Munster Masters Track and Field Championships. West Waterford A.C. has taken the title as Best Club at these Championships over the past 4 years. We were determined to put our best foot forward again this year and a strong group of athletes were entered trying to cover as many age groups as possible and with a good mix of Male and Female athletes.To date the final results for 2009 have not yet been announced but once again West Waterford will be in the shake up as medals were won by numerous athletes over the course of the day. First into action on the day was Terri Gough in the hammer competition where Terri once again took gold in her age category. Jacinta Sheil was also in action in the hammer and she took a silver medal here. The first event of the day on the track was the 4 x 100 metres relay where we were represented by our team of Sandra Brazil White, Ann Dunford, Bridget Coffey and Corinna Walsh. Gold medals were secured here also. In the 1,500 metres for the men’s event we had Harry O Brien, Thomas Coleman, Gary Mc Cormack and Richie Power. Harry O Brien had an excellent run here when he took silver in the 0/45 category. Harry later added a gold medal in the 800 metres where he had a great battle with Larry Kennedy of Waterford A.C. Harry had to pull out all the stops here but he finished strong and just held out. Gary McCormack was delighted to take the bronze medal in the 1,500 metres, just ahead of club mates Tomás and Richie.In the sprint events our sprint specialists Sandra Brazil White and Brendan Moran were delighted when they both took silver in the 100 metres and gold in the 200 metres. Not to be outdone we also had gold medals from Jacinta Sheil, Brigid Coffey and Helene Hayes in the 100 metres while Terri Gough took silver. Helene Hayes made it a sprint double as she also took gold in the 200 metres and Terri Gough changed the medal colour from silver in the 100 to gold in the 200. Joe Gough showed us how to do it when he took gold in his age group for the 400 and 800 metres distance. Also in the 800 metres Gary McCormack medalled when he finished 2nd in his age group. In the ladies 800 metres Corinna Walsh finished 2nd in the 0/35 age group while Ann Dunford took gold in the 0/40.In the 3,000 metres, Corinna Walsh had a runaway victory finishing 200 metres ahead of her nearest rival in a very fast time in windy conditions. Just behind Corinna was Brigid Coffey who took bronze over the distance. In the ladies shot Helene Hayes and Jacinta Sheil took silver and Helene also took silver in the discus. The most popular event for our group was the Javelin and once again Michael Tutty threw over 30 metres to defend his title and take the gold medal. This was an excellent throw for Michael who has not been in training for this event and still threw just short of a p.b. A bronze medal went to Thomás Coleman in his first time trying out the Javelin while in the ladies Javelin Terri Gough and Jacinta Sheil both took gold while Ann Dunford took bronze.So an excellent day of competition which was well organised by the host club An Riocht finished up around 3pm allowing us to stop off to watch Waterford’s victory in the hurling. Thank you to everyone who turned up on the day to represent their club as without athletes we could not field a team. Congratulations to you all on your participation and your medals won. Thanks to Tom Flynn our bus driver who got us there safely and home in good time. A special word of thanks goes to our Master’s Track and Field co-ordinators, Ann Dunford and Michael Tutty who looked after the entries, transport and results on the day, another job well done.
AMBER PETROLEUM FIT4LIFE LEAGUE
FOUR NIGHTS DOWN BUT FOUR MORE STILL TO GO
The Friary College was the place to be once again last Tuesday evening as we reached the half way stage of the Amber Petroleum Fit4Life running league. This is the league where we invite participants to estimate how long it will take them to complete 1, 2, 3 or 4 laps around the grounds of the Friary playing fields. When the clock counts down to the your estimated time you begin your run and the idea is to try to cross the finish line as the clock counts down to zero. If you can achieve this feat you will win for yourself a prize and also receive 30 points for the Champions League Table where the most consistent runners will also be prize-winners after the 8 weeks of the league. There are 4 nights completed to date and the remaining 4 nights will be on July 28th, August 4th, 11th and 18th. You are more than welcome to come along and join in the fun on any or all of the remaining 4 Tuesday nights of the league. Don’t worry if your have not run with us before as we encourage newcomers to come to all our events and try out running. You will soon see the benefits and it’s a great way to kick start a new fitness routine over the summer months. The time is 6.45 and the place to be is the Friary College for the next 4 Tuesdays. See you there.
ANN MAKES IT 3 OUT OF 4 VICTORIES FOR THE LADIES
To date in this league 3 out of the 4 winners have been female. Does this mean that the ladies are better at predicting their time than their male counterparts? Eamonn Flavin is the sole male so far to get the timing right as Norma Wall took the honours in week 1, Eamonn in week 2, Ita Mason in week 3 while in week 4 the plaudits go to another female, this time it was Ann Lyons, wife of Colin and like Ita last week another prize-winner in the recent Minnie’s League. Ann is no stranger to the running scene as Colin has been a long serving member of West Waterford A.C. and has represented the club at numerous events and competitions. Indeed Colin was running with Ann up until the last bend but Ann must take full credit for this victory as she left Colin to complete the lap on her own and as she stepped across the finish line just as Liam’s clock struck zero and she was duly declared the winner. Congratulations to Ann and well done on her victory.Of the 69 athletes who took part 42 were too fast and 27 were on the right side of the clock. The number too fast was quite surprising considering the ground was rather soft due to a heavy downpour just 30 minutes before the league began. The runners made light of the conditions as fitness levels are improving, so are the times recorded by the runners. 60 runners crossed the line over a 2 minute period which once again saw 2 tunnels in operation to accommodate the numbers of runners finishing together. Ann Lyons crossed the line exactly at zero as did Caroline Lenihan who took second position on the night. For their efforts they are rewarded with 30 and 29 points respectively for the Champions League Table. Just after the girls crossed the line they were followed by a large group of male athletes who were running together and it was really close to see which one would fill the 3rd position. Trevor Walsh just crossed the line ahead of Pat Earley who took 3rd and 4th places as 5th position on the night went to another running mate, George Tutty. Just 2 seconds separated the top 5 as John Foley (3 seconds), Earl Navin (3 seconds), Brigid Coffey (4 seconds) and Michael Deegan (4 seconds) were also very close to their predicted time as were Paddy Power (5 seconds), Micheál Callaghan (5 seconds) and Molly Byrne (5 seconds). Brigid and Molly who were very close last week almost got it spot on this week.
JUST ON THE WRONG SIDE.
Once again this week the majority of the runners were home before the clock struck zero. The most unlucky one this week was Stradbally G.A.A. stalwart Tomás Gough. Tomás really enjoys this league and his fitness levels only take a very short time to surface. He was unlucky at just 1 second faster than his predicted time as was Angeline Drennan but they will receive 20 and 19 points for the Champions League Table as compensation. Hugh O Connor was only 2 seconds faster than his predicted time followed by League leader Norma Wall who was also really close again this week at just 3 seconds out. Just ahead of Norma was another former winner Eamonn Flavin (4 seconds) and Michael McCarthy (4 seconds). James Veale and Niamh Budds can also count themselves unlucky as only 5 seconds separated them from victory.
CHAMPIONS LEAGUE TABLE
The target for runners taking part in the league this year is the 148 points set by Yevgenniy Chizhikov in 2008. Well, the leader this year Norma Wall at the half way stage has already accumulated a total of 88 points as she took 17 points again this week. Eamonn Flavin is next on the table with 76 points as he took 16 points this week. Paddy Power is one of the most consistent runners in this league and Paddy fills the 3rd position courtesy of the 21 points he gathered. Paddy has 74 points while the runner filling the 4th spot, Michael McCarthy is just 2 points behind with 72. Former winner of this league in 2007 Onra Power has now moved into 5th spot as she proves once again she has the know how when it comes to predicting her running times.Well done to everyone who took part this week and congratulations to the prize-winners. Thanks once again to our hard working finishing line team and of course our sponsors Pat and Marion Keane of Amber Garage on the Youghal Road Dungarvan.
GREEN MILE LEAGUE
RICHIE POWER TAKES VICTORY ON SECOND NIGHT OF LEAGUE
Former Scottish 0/45 800mts Indoors Champion, Richie Power, got his prediction time exactly right to take the honours in our Green Mile League at St Augustine’s College last Thursday evening. In second place was Tomás Murphy who was 9 seconds slower than his predicted time while last weeks winner Michael McCarthy was third, just 17 seconds outside his target time. In fourth place was our Middleton visitor Joan Hough who was out by 24 seconds. Joan is really enjoying these leagues in the Friary and is using them as speed work for an upcoming Cross Country Race in Finland where she will be participating.
TOO FAST
The unlucky people who were just on the wrong side of the clock that were just too fast this week were Micheál Callaghan who was 10 seconds faster than predicted and Angeline Drennan who is always very close in these Colligan Cup style leagues. On this occasion Angeline, who was 11 seconds too fast was preceded by Trevor Walsh, who is also proving to be fairly accurate when it comes to predicting his time as he proved with his third placing in the Amber Petroleum league on Tuesday evening. On this occasion Trevor was 16 seconds faster for the mile than he predicted. Just before Trevor was Claire Walsh who on this occasion was 37 seconds before her target time.The League will continue this Thursday evening 30th July with the final night on August 7th. The start time is 7pm at the Friary College. Why not come along and give it a go. Thanks to Liam Crowe and Michael Tutty for organising last weeks run.
RACE 9 OF GER WYLEY SPORTS/NIKE SUMMER SERIES
BALLYMACARBRY 5 MILE ROAD RACE THIS FRIDAY
All roads lead to scenic Ballymacarbry this Friday evening, August 31st for the 9th race in the Ger Wyley Sports/Nike Summer Series. This race has always proved very popular down through the years and a large crowd is expected on the night. Starting at 7.30 p.m., the entries will be taken in the local community centre and the prize giving and refreshments will be provided after the race in Doocey’s Oriel Bar. The entry fee is the usual €8 and the prizes are as follows.
MEN:
1ST 3 Senior
1st Junior
1st 0/40, 0/45, 0/50, 0/55, 0/60 and the 1st local
LADIES:
1ST 3 Senior
1st Junior
1st 0/35, 0/40, 0/45, 0/50, 0/55 and the 1st local
One significant feature of the 2009 summer series is the number of records that have been broken throughout and going on the current form of some of our athletes we may see another record being broken. Although absent for the last two races, Pauline Lambe is sure to make an appearance and should she make it to the starting line it looks likely that Sinead Crotty’s time of 29.50 which she set in 2007 will be broken. The men’s record looks safe enough for another year. Way back in 1996, William Harty covered the 5 mile route in a super time of 25 minutes even and it will take an athlete in absolute top form and ideal running conditions for anyone to break this but never say never and we may even see 2 records broken on the night, we can only wait and see. Our sincere thanks go to race sponsor Tony Doocey of Doocey’s Oriel Bar who have generously sponsored the race once again this year, many thanks.The organising committee in Ballymacarbry have informed us that all preparations are well underway for the 14th annual Ballymacarbry race. With only two races left in the series, there are a number of athletes on target for the €75 voucher which is awarded to those that run all ten races of the series and there are a few more that need to run the next two races in order to run the minimum of 6 races required to receive a €25 voucher. So this added incentive along with it being a top class race will guarantee a big entry on the night, see you all out in Ballymac.
CHURCHTOWN SOUTH 5 MILE ROAD RACE
The 3rd race of the Ballycotton summer series took place last Thursday night in Churchtown South. Once again the numbers were in excess of 450, a by-product of the running boom in the country at the moment. We had a number of club representatives on the night, some using it to fine tune their marathon training and others running the race for the first time. First home on the night was Berlin bound Gerry Cantwell who was on target for breaking the magical 30 minutes but the last mile proved to be very tough and so he had to settle for 30.26. He was closely followed home by Ballycotton regular Joe Kelly who is in 18th position overall on the league tables after the three races. Thomas Coleman’s training for Berlin is going very well as is evident by his great run on the night when he clocked 31.43. Eamon Flavin did well to break 35 minutes and Mark Cliffe broke 36 minutes. The Flanagan brothers, Robert and Shane performed very well for their first time at this race, clocking 37.54 and 38.00 respectively. Our female athletes ran very well also with just a second separating Josie Ui Chuirrin and Bridget Coffey.
CHURCHTOWN SOUH RESULTS
Gerry Cantwell 30.26
Joe Kelly 31.04
Thomas Coleman 31.43
Richie Kelly 33.29
Tony O’ Mahony 34.09
Eamon Flavin 34.56
Mark Cliffe 35.58
Josie Ui Churrin 37.10
Bridget Coffey 37.11
Robert Flanagan 37.54
Shane Flanagan 38.00
Onra Power 42.54
John Fennell 46.59
Seven athletes have completed all three races so far and the following are their positions and accumulative times:
MEN
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 Chuirrin 1.53.15
15 Bridget Coffey 1.53.29
46 Onra Power 2.10.44
MASTERS TRACK AND FIELD NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS
The above event will be held in Tullamore on Sunday August 16th beginning at 11am. The deadline for entries is Monday, August 3rd so if anyone is interested in competing please contact Ann Dunford as soon as possible. Each athlete can compete in a maximum of 5 events and the programme is as follows:
LADIES: MEN:
100metres 100 metres
200 metres 200 metres
400 metres 400 metres
800 metres 800 metres
1500 metres 1500 metres
3000 metres 5000 metres
3K Walk 5K walk
High Jump High Jump
Long Jump Long Jump
Javelin Javelin
Shot Shot
Discus Discus
Hammer Hammer
Weight for Distance
CLOGHEEN FESTIVAL 5K ROAD RACE/WALK
As part of the Clogheen festival, a 5K road race/walk will be held tomorrow night, Thursday July 30th at 8 pm. The entry fee is €10 and is it’s termed a nice fast course. Prizes will be awarded to the first 5 men and the first 3 juniors, 1st 2 0/40, 1st 2 0/45, 1st 2 0/50, 1st 0/55 and 1st 0/60, 1st wheelchair and 1st local, 1st 3 senior ladies, 1st 2 0/35 and 1st 0/40. Spot prizes will be awarded to both runners and walkers.
RUNNING QUOTE.
Running has never failed to give me great results, and that’s why I keep coming back for more.
TEMPLEDERRY 4 MILE ROAD RACE.
The inaugural Templederry 4 Mile Road Race will take place on Friday 28th August next at 8pm.The race see’s Pat Keane that dynamo in the world of Racquetball and one of the chief organisers of the Touraneena 5k each year take on the mantle of organising a similar event in his new home village of Templederry Co.Tipperary.Pat reliable informs us that Templederry is roughly 90 mins from Dungarvan. Its 20 mins outside of Thurles.Like all events organised by the hand of Pat Keane this promises to be another top notch night and will be well worth a visit, the prize categories are generous with 1st Man – €200 2nd Man – €100 3rd Man – €50 1st Woman – €200 2nd Woman – €100 3rd Woman – €50.There will also be a Time Bonus of €100 – First man to break 19:30 and €100 – First woman to break 23:00.There will also be prizes for 1st male & female finisher from each sign of the Zodiac” Entry Fee is €10 with entries taken at Fr Kenyon Centre from 7pm.A 2 Mile Walk gets under way at 7pm 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. Entry Fee for the walk is €5.Tea & Refreshments for all Participants. Free Spot Prize Draw for 18 Speed Mountain Bike plus Spot Prizes Galore. Further details – Contact Pat Keane 087 6380649
