MINNIES BAR FIT4LIFE SUMMER LEAGUE.
PEAK PERFORMANCES AS FINAL STAGE LOOMS
There’s nothing like a bit of motivation to keep us going and to push ourselves to the limit. Now that the final stage of the league is now looming we see that all participants are running beyond all expectations and there seems to be no limit to this improvement. Before round seven even got underway last Tuesday night in the Friary, the one and only topic of conversation among the runners was the time they wanted to run that night but more importantly the time they wanted to run before the league concludes. To help us reach that all important goal, everyone was determined and focused and all came up trumps at the finishing tunnel. There were many that ran faster than they thought possible and now will have to readjust their goals for the next night, aiming even higher again. For some, they thought that they had reached their peak and were happy to just maintain that time but with fitness levels at an all time high, the runners are just getting better and better. We sincerely hope that at this stage you all have incorporated a healthy exercise regime into your week and that you achieved what the league set out to achieve-people that are fit for life. With plenty more leagues coming up on our busy athletic calendar, we hope that the fitness and stamina you acquired during this league will remain with you and give you something to build on for these leagues. It’s still not too late to join, the more the merrier at any stage of our leagues, come along and join all others that have decided to get fit4life. The league is held in the Friary every Tuesday night at 7p.m. Registration begins from 6.45 onwards and water is provided at the finish. By the time this gets to print, there will be just one night remaining and we wish all participants the very best of luck. The division tables are finally taking shape with each person’s best six nights determining their position on the division tables.
DETERMINED DECLAN DOES THE DEAL
Declan Hayes personified determination for round seven of the Minnie’s League. His consistency and focus has certainly paid dividends for him. For the past few weeks Declan’s aim had been to break ten minutes for the one lap league. This he duly did and even had plenty to spare in his bid to break ten minutes. Round six saw Declan record 9.39 for the lap but for round seven he produced a top drawer performance and in the process clocked 8.52, a whopping 47 seconds faster than the previous week. This super effort is all the more admirable as at the final stages of the league, it’s usually a second or two that we try to knock off so well done to Declan on his super effort. Breaking nine minutes should be all the easier from now on. Sandra Ellard and Helen O’ Brien are so close to nine and a half minutes for the lap, it should be well within their capabilities. Diana Chizhikov and Angela Bradatan weren’t too far behind them, just over the ten minute mark. Siobhan McCormack and Claire Cotter were next to finish, both well under eleven minutes. Aisling Hourigan and Tara Roche had each other for company and will be pleased with their times.
McCARTHY ON THE MOVE
The two lap league witnessed some brilliant performances for round seven, most notably from Caroline McCarthy, Michelle Flynn and Tommy Lenihan. Tommy was on the verge of breaking 24 minutes last week, clocking 24.02 but a fantastic effort from him brought him close to 23 minutes, finishing with 23.16 to be exact. This was a very credible effort indeed and well deserved by Tommy. By the end of the league he should surely be sub 23 for the two laps. Michelle Flynn is another that will be delighted with her performance to date. She dipped under 22 minutes for round six but surpassed all expectations for round seven when she duly recorded 20.50. This was super running indeed and no doubt there’s more to come. The performance of Caroline McCarthy is most worthy of a mention as she was the one to show the most improvement for round seven. Caroline brought her time down from 29.49 to 27.55. This was a combination of determination and pure effort and was a sign of the talent that she does possess. There were many more that improved considerably in the two laps and will improve even more as time goes on.
MOLONEY MAKES HIS MARK
Rory Moloney led the field of three lappers home for round seven and from the gun looked set to deliver a super performance. From the very first lap, Rory left us under no illusions as to what his plan was. Within the first 400 metres, he had opened up a considerable gap which was only to widen as the race developed. Rory is certainly on top form at the moment with his training going very well right now. Rory recorded 19.50 for the three laps and was well clear of Philip Harty who was in second place. Philip also had a great run finishing with a time of 23.10. Tomas Coleman and Tom Byrne had their usual battle with Tomas edging ahead at the last part of the course. Only ten seconds separated Colm O’ Brien and Ray Burke with Mark Cahill another ten seconds in arrears. Mark really had to but the boot down on the home stretch to thwart the efforts of Michael Roche who eventually finished a mere second behind him with Joe Barry not far behind. Carol Whelan will be pleased to have run under 29 minutes as will Linda, Onra and Andrea for having fun sub 34. Well done to all the three lappers.
MICHEAL GIVES IT HIS ALL
There was no shortage of determination among the four lappers with many notable performances on the night. Micheal Callaghan was one of these who happened to pull out all the stops and finished a minute quicker than the previous week. Round six saw Micheal record 39.17, with 39 minutes being his target heading into round seven. However, a super effort from Micheal meant that he not only reached this but went one step better to end up with a fantastic time of 37.59. It was certainly fast and furious leading into the finishing tunnel with many runners finishing very close to each other. Alan and Colin Lyons recoded 31.25 and 31.26 respectively. Tom Moroney and Dermot Dwyer both managed to run under 34 minutes. Only two seconds separated Ann Whelan, Paddy Power and Earl Navin. JJ Henley and Mick Verling also ran together, clocking 40.29 a piece. Libby McGinn Murphy has made the transition to the four laps with great ease and was well under 40 minutes for her efforts, well under ten minutes per lap.
SPONSORS
We club would like to thank the O’ Brien family of Minnie’s Bar, Abbeyside, for their generous sponsorship and support of this Fit4Life running league. It has been great to have them on board once again this year and their help and assistance is greatly appreciated by all at the club. Many thanks.
GER WYLEY SPORTS/NIKE SUMMER SERIES.
MOONEYS PUB RAS NA RINNE.
FERDIA O’ HAODHA – FIRST LOCAL WINNER IN FIFTEEN YEARS
The 16th annual Ras na Rinne race got underway last Friday night under ideal running conditions. With the absence of our big guns and previous winners Raivis Zakis and Sandis Bralitis, the top positions were up for grabs by any number of athletes on the night. This was race number five in the Ger Wyley/Nike summer series and attracted a record entry. A total of 170 athletes took part which was well up on the total of 134 for 2007. Race sponsor Tom Gough got the race underway without any delay and all 170 athletes began the descent to the Cunnigar beach. Upon reaching the beach there were three main contenders for the top spot with Ferdia O Haodha, Phillip Harty and Sean Stilwell breaking away from the rest of the pack. The three readily settled into the pace and all three looked strong and comfortable as they made their way along the beach. It was on the return back that Ferdia opened the gap on the other two and he was to maintain this gap to the finishing line. In doing so he became the first local winner of this race since Kieran Maher claimed the honours in 1994 and prior to that it was Gerry Cantwell in 1993. This was a great achievement by Ferdia and all at Ring were delighted that title was once again back on home turf. Ferdia completed the distance in a time of 31.49 and was a most deserving winner on the night. Phillip Harty also fought tooth and nail to hang on to second position. There was twenty seconds between Philip and Ferdia and Phillip will no doubt be delighted both with his finishing time and his overall position in the race. Phillip was only nine seconds outside of 32 minutes. The never say die attitude of St. Joseph’s athlete Peter Duggan and a former winner of this race won for him the third spot overall which was his same position from last year. Peter had to work really hard to make it up to the leading pack and when he did so he clung bravely to this position. Peter finished on a time of 32.30, a mere three seconds ahead of Sean Stilwell who had to be content with fourth place. Sean also had to pull out all the stops on the climb to the finish as he had company in the form of Frank Hayes of East Cork A.C. Both of these fine athletes finished with the exact same time of 32.33 with Sean just edging ahead at the line. Both Peter Duggan and Sean Stilwell recorded the same finishing positions as last year. Next up was Waterford’s Larry Kennedy who was in 6th place overall and the first male over 45 in the race. Adrian Lenihan filled the seventh position with PJ Guinan only one second behind him taking eighth place. The next two places were filled by Larry Lacey of St. Jospeh’s A.C. and Peter Kavanagh of Midleton A.C. These were the top ten overall positions in the race with the first local prize awarded to last year’s winner Padraig O Harta. The first junior prize went to West Waterford AC’s Declan Power who had the race of his life to finish in 12th position overall with a time of 35.18. This was a super achievement by Declan and judging by this performance there will be many more throughout the summer from Declan. The contenders for the ladies race was always going to be between Corinna Walsh of West Waterford A.C. and Kilmore’s Jackie Carthy. It was in 2007 that Sinead Crotty set a time that hadn’t been recorded in many a year, clocking 36.10 for the course and this was the aim for both Corinna and Jackie for last Friday. There was a leading pack of four women heading out onto the beach consisting of Corinna Walsh, Jackie Carthy, Cait Caulfield and Diane Behan. However, a tactical move by Corinna Walsh saw her edging ahead and as the race progressed this gap opened up more and more and the talented athlete was in no danger of letting go of the title. It was a most decisive win by Corinna and she was a most deserving winner of the race, finishing 27th place overall in a time of 36.51. Having taken second place last year in a time of 36.52, Jackie Carthy was also in second place again this year. Jackie gave it her all as Corinna forged ahead but was unable to match the pace set by Corinna and so settled for second spot recording 37.38 for her efforts. Diane Behan was next to cross the line on a time of 38.52 and was the first female over 35. Diane’s training is going really well at the moment and the tough tearrain that is the Cunnigar would have suited Diane. Diane had to put in an extra effort to resist the attempts of the fourth placed lady Cait Caulfield from St. Senan’s A.C. with only twelve seconds between them at the end. Our first female junior was claimed by Minnie’s league participant Tara Roche in a time of 56.08.
THANKS
Overall it was a very successful race, thanks in no small way to the race organisers and their teams. Our sincere thanks must go to our road race co-ordinator Gerry Cantwell and his team who took the entries, recorded the times, manned the finishing tunnel and ensured the smooth running of the race. Thanks to our stewards on the night for a job very well done, it was much appreciated. To our race sponsors Tom and Ann Gough of Mooney’s Pub for their generous sponsorship once again this year, it was great to be associated with them again. All our athletes were well looked after with the post race refreshments in Mooney’s Pub. Thanks to Paudie Breathnach of Spar who sponsored the food for the sandwiches yet again this year, all athletes went home well fed and contented. Ann Dunford had her usual array of prizes on offer for the athletes as usual, thanks Ann. Thanks must also go to the O’ Droma family of An Rinn who were on hand to present the O’ Droma family shield to the winner on the night.
The following are the individual and category winners for the Ras na Rinne race 2008.
Senior Men:
Ferdia O Haodha, Phillip Harty and Peter Duggan
O/40: Andrew Leary
O/45: Larry Kennedy
O/50: Larry Lacey
O/55: Joe Gough
O/60: Pat Connaughton
1st Junior: Declan Power
Senior Women:
Corinna Walsh, Jackie Carthy and Triona Wall
O/35: Diane Behan
O/40 Ann Whelan
0/45: Eilish Ni Aodha
O/50: Ann Fitzgerald
O/55: Beth Fitzpatrick
Ist Junior: Tara Roche
The teams were chosen from the handicap system that’s in use in many of our races. The computer randomly chooses the finishing positions before the race and the people that finish in these pre-determined positions are on the team. The winning team consisted of Cait Caulfield, PJ Dwyer, Emmet Curran, Ned Ramsell and Mairead O’ Connor.
The second winning team was Alan Lyons, Hugh Walsh, Dermot Moran, Gemma Dewberry and Derek Kilbride.
The third team was Gary Collins, Tom Falconer, Denis Kelleher, Paula Nugent and John Barry.
GER WYLEY SPORTS / NIKE SUMMER SERIES.
7th ANNUAL DEISE BAR CLASHMORE 5 THIS FRIDAY EVENING..
Race number 6 in the 2008 Ger Wyley Sports/Nike summer series will be held on this Friday evening June 20th at 8 PM.The race this years see’s a brand new sponsor in The Deise Bar Clashmore, The race course will remain unchanged and changing and showers will be available by kind permission at the Clashmore G.A.A.club grounds, (by kind permission) The presentation of prizes will take place in the Deise Bar after the race.
PRIZE CATEGORIES IN CLASHMORE.
Thanks to our sponsors, The Deise Bar a very attractive array of prizes will be on offer for this year’s race.1st 5 Senior Men, 1st Masters over 40,45,50,55,and 1st Junior Male. And the ladies prizes are 1st 3 Senior, plus Masters over 35,40,45,50 and 1st junior lady. Team prizes will also be awarded to the first Men’s club team outside the individual winners and the same for the ladies with three to score. There will be plenty of spots for down the field finishers.
SERIES ENTRY TOPS 150.
Time is quickly running out for runners who have not entered the series to date. The Ger Wyley/Nike summer series of road races for 2008 reached the half way mark at Ras Na Rinne on last Friday, Road race co-ordinator Gerry Cantwell has asked me to remind athletes that the Dromana 5 on Friday June 27th next is the final registration night for this years series, So far numbers are well up on any previous year’s and a record entry has now been reached we thank our sponsors Ger Wyley/Nike for their continued support, and our various race sponsors and organisers and our road racing sub committee for their continued hard work. The overall prize fund is now in excess of 10.000 Euro for this series which is unmatched by any series of its kind in the country. Remember its 6 races to count for the overall series and the added bonus this year of a voucher to the value of 75 Euro for all participants who complete the entire ten-race summer programme.
16th ANNUAL DUNGARVAN LEADER DROMANA 5 FRIDAY JUNE 27TH
The Annual Dromana 5 road race takes place Friday week the 27th June at 8 p.m.starting in Villiarstown and finishing in Cappoquin, the club are delighted that again this year the Dungarvan Leader, will be our race sponsor and we are very thankful to Colum, Linda, and all at Dungarvan Leader for their ongoing support. Please note this is the last opportunity to enter this years Ger Wyley Sports /Nike summer series as entries close at this race.
There will be a large array of prizes on offer for the race with the 1st 10 men, 1st 3 men’s teams of 4, 1st 5 ladies and 1st ladies team of 4,A 100 Euro bonus will be awarded to the first Man to break the course record of 23.49 and another 100 Euro will be awarded to the first Lady to break the Ladies record of 29.08.The usual spot prizes will also be given out at the presentation to the winners which this year will again be held at the central bar Cappoquin by kind permission of Danny and Nora Flynn, Our race director in the West Trevor Mason will have everything in place for what will be another great night’s sport and fun.
JOHN TRACEY’S FINEST MOMENT REMEMBERED.
“RUN IN THE FOOTSTEPS OF A CHAMPION”
Thanks to the generosity of our sponsor The Dungarvan Leader a special commerative T-shirt will be awarded to the first 200 entries at next weeks Dromana 5 mile road race. It’s this year 30 years since Villiarstown favourite son John Treacy won the first of his two world cross country titles in Bellahouston Park Glasgow and to remember that occasion The Dungarvan leader are presenting the first 200 entrants at Friday nights race with a commerative T Shirt which will be a collectors item in the years ahead. Remember it’s the first 200 to enter get the T-Shirts. Our thanks to Colum, Linda and all at the Leader office for this kind gesture.
FINAL OPPORTUNITY TO ENTER SERIES.
The Dromana 5 race is the final opportunity to enter this years Ger Wyley Sports/Nike summer Series as all entries close at this race. Its 6 races to count in this years series and of course through the added sponsorship of our kind sponsor all those who complete all ten races this year will receive a voucher to the value of 75 Euro a great prize for all indeed.
4th ANNUAL WATCH THE SUN RISE CHALLENGE IN AID OF NIALL MELLON TOWNSHIP TRUST ON THIS SUNDAY MORNING.
Our West Waterford Athletic Club’s Annual Sunrise challenge takes place this year on next Sunday morning June 22nd departing at 4 AM. Yes that’s 4 AM in the morning folks; a large turn out is expected again this year for the 4th Annual watch the sunrise challenge event with all proceeds going to a very worthy cause. West Waterford athletic club are delighted to be involved with this year’s chosen charity the Niall Mellon Township Trust. Local volunteers Berti Hallahan, Christopher Dee and Peter Cuna will be part of 1.300 builders who will take on the challenge of building 300 houses for the less well off in the town of Khayelitsha which is Situated on the outskirts of Cape Town in South Africa, The three Men are sending out an invitation to all to join them and West Waterford Athletic Club by take up our own challenge to watch the sunrise over the Déise with all proceeds going to the Niall Mellon Trust fund, Entry is 20 Euro which includes a post race breakfast. We will meet at Euro spar car park Abbeyside at 4 AM and travel by car to the mountain base before walking the mile or so to the top of Cruchán Mountain. Where will watch the sun rise over the famed Déise, Pat and Ann Dunford’s traditional breakfast run takes place from the base of Crúchan to the breakfast in Minnie’s at the usual handy pace to round off the morning in style.
SHANAGARRY THURSDAY 26th .
Our second trip to Ballycotton this summer will take place on Thursday 26th June for race two in the Ballycotton running promotions Nike summer series when the Shannagarry 5 takes place at 8 P.M.The following are the prize details for the race.
PRIZES: First 10 men (M); First 3 M40; First 3 M45; First 3 M50; First 2 M55; First M60; First M65; First M70; First 2 under 20 (MJ).
First 2 teams (3 to score, excluding prize-winners).
First 6 women (F); First 2 F35; First 2 F40; First 2 F45; First F50; First F55.
First team (3 to score, excluding prize-winners).
RUNNING QUOTE.
I’ve always taken the philosophy that you have to dream a little in this sport. If you stay in your comfort zone, you’re not going to do anything special.
DAVID MC CARTHY NAMED ON EUROPEAN CUP TEAM.
Athletics Ireland have announced their European cup team to compete in Tallin, Estonia on 21st –22nd June, There was great news for West Waterford’s David McCarthy who has been selected to compete in the 1.500 meters in what will be his first Senior International outing. David secured his place at the tender age of 19 after his terrific performance recently at the Irish Milers race in Tullamore when he was beaten into second place by just 200’s of a second by Irish Olympian James Nolan, All at the club wishes David ever success in Estonia on this his first of many a Senior international outing.
PAT DUNFORD COMERAGH CRYSTAL ATHLETE OF THE MONTH FOR MAY.
Not to be outgunned by his better half Pat Dunford is our Comeragh Crystal athlete of the month for May. Pat’s wife Ann was our winner the previous month April, so they now have a nice piece of Comeragh Crystal each for both sides of the Mantle piece. Pat tally of points was nine for the month, The overall athlete of the year competition has taken a big twist this last month as Brigid Coffey make a bold bit toward taking the title for 2008,Brigid has accumulated a massive 21 points for May and is now after 5 five months leading with a huge 52 points tally, Raivis Zakis who is going for his third title in a row is second on 44 points, That’s a decisive eight point gap, Ann Dunford also a former winner of this competition is third on 35 points. Never before has any former winner surpassed the 100 points total come years end but Brigid Coffey is more that on her way to achieving this milestone.
January February March April May 0verall
Coffey, Brigid 9 6 4 12 21 52
Zakis, Raivis 6 5 9 8 16 44
Dunford, Ann 9 4 6 6 10 35
Gough, Joe 8 6 7 4 6 31
Stilwell, Sean 7 4 5 6 8 30
Brunnock, Paul 7 5 4 6 6 28
Dunford, Pat 7 4 4 4 9 28
Walsh Corinna 5 5 6 5 4 25
Uì Chuirrìn, Josie 5 5 4 5 6 25
Cantwell, Gerry 7 5 6 4 2 24
Kavanagh, Liam 7 5 3 6 4 25
Wall, Norma 6 4 5 6 3 24
Wall, Triona 5 4 6 6 3 24
Dwyer, Anthony 6 5 3 5 5 24
Whelan, Anne 4 5 5 4 5 23
