GER WYLEY SPORTS/NIKE SUMMER SERIES.
2008 SUMMER SERIES GETS OFF TO A FLYING START
The 16th annual Marine Climb got off to a flying start last Friday night as 233 hardy individuals conquered the tough and enduring hills of this race. This race heralds the beginning of the now very popular West Waterford Summer Series, which is in its 14th year. Being race one of the ten race series and the tough hills being a major feature of this race, a large crowd was expected but all expectations were surpassed with a record entry of 223. (Previous largest field was 188) This record entry is proof of the popularity of this race and of the series itself and if last Friday night is anything to go by, a very busy and action packed summer is in store for us all. The host club, West Waterford had 102 entries out of the 223 and there were athletes from other clubs such as St. Josephs, Enniscorthy, Slaney Olympic, Youghal A.C., Clonmel A.C., Carrick-on Suir A.C., Metro St, Bridget’s, Kilmore A.C., St. Senans, United Striders, East Cork, Menappians, Eagle A.C., Coolquill A.C., Dundrum A.C., Tralee A.C. and St. Catherine’s. There were many athletes that are well familiar with the West Waterford countryside as they are regulars on the scene and it was great to see them all again for the 2008 series but this year we also had many new faces and we would like to welcome them all to the series and we hope it will be as enjoyable for you as it has been for so many down through the years. We can guarantee that by the end of August you will know every by-road and back road and approach road surrounding Dungarvan! From the entry of 233 athletes, there were 155 men and 68 women, a huge increase in female participation in the last few years and if you can get to the top of the Marine the remainder of the series will be a doddle!
RAIVIS RULES THE ROOST.
Now back to business and there were some athletes that meant business for the 2008 Marine Climb with a real cliff-hanger of a race. Having won this race the past two years, but recently out of the sport through injury Sandis Bralitis was back in action running his first race in many months, As is his trait, Sandis broke from the field from the gun leading the race out and at Ring Cross had some 150 meters over his nearest rival club mate Raivis Zakis, shortly after passing this point and with the hills beckoning Ravis who seems to have an endless supply of determination, stamina and ambition was back on level terms with his fellow country man Sandis and not delaying for a chat Raivis pulled away opening a substantial gap by the time he reached the water station manned by the Fennell and Crotty families. This tactical move by Raivis bore fruition as he was to maintain this lead right to the finishing line and an ecstatic Raivis crossed the line in a superb time of 32.24, a 22 second lead over Sandis Bralitis who recorded 32.46. This win for Raivis is testament to his commitment and dedication to his training and his club and all at West Waterford were delighted for him to have beaten the man who on so many other occasions he had played second best to, All that said we know of the abilities of Sandis and this we hope will spur him back to full fitness and a complete recovery from his injuries Incidentally Raivis winning time of 32.24 was the fastest time recorded for this race since William Harty recorded a faster time of 32.07 in 2001. Another to reap the rewards of his training and to experience utter delight with their performance was a team-mate of Raivis, Declan McGrath. Declan had to put in a substantial effort up those hills as hot on his heels was Sean Stilwell and former winner of this race Peter Duggan. Declan finished third overall in the race with a time of 35.05. Having achieved this on one of the toughest courses of the series Declan has well and truly established himself as an athlete of great calibre and will no doubt be looking forward to the rest of the series. Sean Stilwell was happy with his fourth position as was three times former winner of this race Peter Duggan St.Josephs Kilkenny who finished in fifth position.
Organiser of the upcoming Stride by the Tide race in Youghal Noel Curtin had a back-to-back win, as he was first O/40 in 2007 and again in 2008. His time of 37.19 credited him with 7th place overall and he’ll be glad to know that he was faster this year by 6 seconds. Larry Kennedy also pulled off another double, winning the O/45 category again this year in a time of 37.35, which is on a par with his time from last year. Victory in the O/50 category went to St. Joseph’s Larry Lacey who was a very credible 10th overall in a time of 37.16. World Indoor Silver medallist Joe Gough was the victor of the O/55 category. Having recently moved in to this category, Joe is sure to dominate here over the series. Ardmore’s Michael Hennessy claimed the top spot in the O/60 category in a time of 48.25 and we witnessed a top drawer performance by our first male junior on the night Colm Nolan, Clonmel AC, son of the legendry Derek Nolan, who proved that he is in great shape for the series when he completed the tough course in a fantastic time of 39.01.
CARTHY WELL CLEAR IN LADIES RACE
The ladies race was won by Jackie Carthy of Kilmore A.C. Having come 3rd last year in a time of 40.39, Jackie was determined to improve on this which she duly did, winning in style with a minute to spare over second placed Corinna Walsh. Jackie is no stranger to this course and ran a very tactical race indeed, upping the pace and effort when called for and was a most deserving winner on the night. Her finishing time of 39.18, almost a minute and a half faster than last year can only mean that she is at her fittest and best and will no doubt be a serious contender throughout the duration of the series. Indeed she will be vying to win her sixth Ger Wyley/Nike summer series title having won this prestigious event in 1998-2003-2004-2005-2006,However the Lady who finished second to her on Friday night will also have her ambitions set of taking this years overall series award, Finishing second to Jackie at the Marine Corinna Walsh with a time of 40.16 has shown a huge improvement this past couple of weeks, One things for certain there will be some mighty battles ahead this summer. Diane Behan was third lady home on the night, closely followed by Waterford’s Mary Burke in a time of 41.45. Category winners on the night were Cait Caulfield of St. Senans who was first O/35 in a time of 42.39, Ann Dunford O/40 in 42.39, Eilish Ní hAodha O/45 in 42.29, Anne Fitzgerald O/50 in 44.39 and Hillary Collins O/50 in 52.01.
Well done to all those that tackled the Marine Climb for the first time, it does get easier so it’s plain sailing ahead for you all. The Colligan hills certainly stood to us all going up that final hill and if you don’t think Colligan made a difference just try and do it without doing Colligan and see how you get on!! There were many great performances on the night judging by the smiling faces and the up-beat banter that was part of the post race analysis in the Marine Bar. Alan Lyons is certainly following in Uncle Colin’s footsteps and will be well pleased with his time of 38.12. Karen Ryan continued with her usual spate of pb’s and clocked 46.38, Triona Wall also had a p.b., knocking three minutes off her previous best for the race and Vince Donovan who clocked 50.09.Albert has his usual entourage of runners some running the Marine for the first time, all gracefully covered the 6 miles with ease, Well Done to all participants and we hope to see you all on this Friday night for the Butlerstown 10 k which is the second race of the series.
TEAM PRIZES
A special feature of the Marine Climb that distinguishes it from other races is the team prizes. It’s five people per team and the finishing positions are determined before the race. So for the winning team it was decided that the people in 17th, 28th, 56th, 82nd and 140th would be the winners of the first team and the same format was used for deciding the second and the third team. This year the athletes on the winning team were PJ Guinan, Martin Hayes, Garret Byrne, Tomas Coleman and Sean Dwyer. The members of the second team were Liam Budds, Gary McCormack, John Tierney, Alan Kavanagh and Ruth Colbert. Third prize went to Anthony Dwyer, Gary Collins, Tony Mahony, Grace Leonard and Margaret Power. Well done to you all.
RACE ORGANISATION
The Marine Climb went off without a hitch and it’s all thanks to our hardworking committee who left no stone unturned in the preparation for the race. Our sincere thanks goes to Breda Cantwell, Jacinta Sheil, Helene and Megan Hayes and Liam Crowe and Jim Fleming for taking the entries on the night and looking after the finishing tunnel. Our stewards ensured the safety of all athletes and they are to be commended on an excellent job as usual. To Tony, Michael, Conor and Jamie on the van and the signs and no race is complete without our future chairman and secretary, Jason and Shannon Dunford who are always present and willing to do what’s asked of them. We had the use of the Brothers hall yet again this year and this was very much appreciated by all at the club. Special word of mention to our Garda Outrider Declan Walsh, as usual Declan did a terrific job with traffic control on the night, We thank you for supporting our club and local athletics.
RACE SPONSORS
The Marine Climb was sponsored again this year by Christy O’ Neill and family of the Marine Bar. It was great to be associated with him once again and Christy did the honours by starting the race down at the lookout. He was also present after the race and ensured that all the runners and organisers were well fed and entertained and thanks to Christy a great night was had by one and all. It’s great to have such committed and supportive sponsors such as Christy who play such a huge part in the overall success of the races. Thanks again.
TAKE UP THE CHALLENGE.
CAN YOU DO 10 FROM 10?.
This year’s series is based on a ranking system in difference to the divisional system of the past number of years.
Any runner that completes six out of the ten races will once again qualify for the Nike voucher redeemable at Ger Wyleys to the value of €25.
A new feature of the 2008 system is that anybody who runs all of the ten races will receive a Nike voucher to the value of €75.
GER WYLEY SPORTS/NIKE SUMMER SERIES RACE NUMBER 2.
BUTLERSTOWN 10K NEW DATE ANNOUNCED.
All roads lead to Butlerstown this Friday night for race two of the Ger Wyley/Nike 2008 summer series. This is another very popular race within the series and organised by well-known Pat Hennessy. Pat has been working very hard behind the scenes in the lead up to this race and his committee are looking forward to a big turnout on the night. The route has changed slightly due to the road works in the area and instead of the usual two-lap course it’s going to be three laps. Registration for this race will begin at 6 p.m. and the entries will be taken in the local GAA centre across the road from the Holy Cross Bar which is the venue for the prize-giving and the post-race refreshments. As this race is a fund raiser for Alzheimer’s, we would appreciate it if as many of our club members as possible would make the short trip down and support the race. Race starting time is 7.30 PM See you there.
SUMMER SERIES CLUB CHAMPIONSHIP.
An exciting added edition to the Ger Wyley Sports/Nike Summer series last year for the first time was our club championship competition, This competition was confined to fully paid up club members as will be the case for this years event, The competition which saw some very good tussles for club supremacy last year will use the ten-race summer programme of races in the Ger Wyley Sports/Nike series to determine who are the clubs best athletes in the club in the usual race categories. An athlete’s best eight races count from the ten-race summer programme; The following are the championship categories.
Women Senior-over 35,40,45,50,55,60,junior
Men Senior-over 40,45,50,55,60.junior
The winner of each of these categories come the final race in Ardmore on August 15th next will be deemed to be the club champion for a period of one year and each one will be presented with a prize come the final race in Ardmore.
THE CLUB ROAD RACING CHAMPIONS IN 2007 WERE.
MEN; WOMEN;
Senior Sandis Bralitis Senior Sinead Crotty
O/35 Joe Kelly O/35 Brigid Coffey
O/40 Martin Hayes 0/40 Onra Power
O/45 Billy Maguire O/45 Josie Uí Chuirrin
O/50 Colin Lyons O/50 n/a
O/55 Liam Sandford O/60 Terri Gough
LEADERS AFTER RACE ONE.
MEN; WOMEN
Senior Men Raivis Zakis
0/35 P.J Guinan Senior Corinna Walsh
0/40 Michael Dunford 0/35 Diane Behan
0/45 Tom O’Brien 0/40 Ann Dunford
0/50 Gerry Cantwell 0/45 Eilish Ní hAodha
0/55 Joe Gough 0/50 Ann Moroney
0/60 Michael Hennessey 0/55 Terri Gough
Junior Rory Moloney
MAKE IT A NEW BEGINNING AT THE MINNIES FIT4LIFE RUNNING LEAGUE FOR BEGINNERS NEXT TUESDAY AT ST.AUGUSTINES COLLEGE.
The Minnie’s bar Fit4life summer league at St.Augustines college (by kind permission) gets under way on this coming Tuesday the 29th April at 7 pm. This league is part of the Athletics Ireland Fit4life effective and is especially designed to cater for all levels from first timers to regular runners with distances to suit all levels. Come along and run walk or jog in the footsteps of legends around the famed Friary school circuit where the countries best have gone before you. The league will begin with a mass start each league night. The following are the nine dates for the league, Tuesday April 29th, Tuesday May 6th,Tuesday May 13th,Tuesday May 20th, Tuesday May 27th,Tuesday June 3rd, Tuesday June 10th Tuesday June 17th and the final night is Tuesday June 24th,We will have tables and divisions for all distances so as to keep an ongoing interest in the league for all, please note your best six nights count and there will be movement between divisions. Everybody over 16 years of age is welcome to participate; beginners who will be made most welcome and supported by all, and of course our regular league runners are also welcome. Why not come along and enjoy the months of May and June running with West Waterford athletic club. Entry fee each evening will be 2 Euro and as we said divisions will be in operation in the league, Participants are requested to park at the rear of the college to facilitate other activities at the venue. Our thanks to the O’Brien family of Minnie’s Bar for their kind sponsorship again this year. And remember the Fit4life West Waterford motto “bring a friend if you have one”.
THROWS SQUAD SESSIONS AND COACHING SESSIONS.
Ailish O’Brien has been in contact with the club about some very exciting throws sessions coming up for athletes and coaches. If any members or coaches are interested in same please give Ailish a call on either of these numbers.085/7268849 or 051/562593 or Ailish.OBrien@Itcarlow.ie
April 26th and 27th.(same weekend as congress)
26th Sat (10-6) Sun (9-1): Hammer session with the national throws squad.
26th Sat: shot with the national squad with UK coach Dennis Roscoe and John Farrelly (10-4)
27th Sun: shot workshop for coaches (and any throwers who wish to come) with Dennis Roscoe (11-3) €10.
THROWS TRAINING WITH BR.PATRICK.
Br.Patrick has kindly agreed to take any athlete from the club who might be interested in throwing the Javelin. Hammer, Discus or Shot to come along to St.Augustines College on this coming Tuesday April 29 at 8 PM where he will be available to give his expertise on these disciplines. This is an ideal opportunity especially for our Masters who will be competing in Cork in these events in the Munster championships on Monday May 5th next.
24th ANNUAL PRIMARY SCHOOLS SPORTS.
Round one of the primary schools sports gets under way tomorrow evening Thursday 24th April at 6.15 pm. Any Senior club athletes or officials who are available to give a hand on the night it would be appreciated by the Juvenile club. Stewards and Officials are requested to be at the Friary at 6.00 pm. (Many hands!!)
WATERFORD TRACK AND FIELD COUNTY CHAMPIONSHIPS.
ROUND ONE THIS FRIDAY EVENING.
Round one of the county championships will be held on this coming Friday evening April 25th with events for Juvenile-Junior and Senior club athletes. Proceedings get under way at 5.30 and all traveling athletes are requested to allow plenty of time, as its expected around the R.S.C.will be busy traffic wise. The following events are down for decision on day one for Junior and Senior.400 Hurdles, Pole Vault, Long Jump, High Jump, Triple Jump, Shot, Discus, Javelin, 100 meters, 400 meters, 1.500 meters, 3.000 meters S/Chase, Round two will be held on Sunday May 11th starting at 11 AM.
ON UNIVERSITY DUTY.
Two West Waterford athletes participated at the Irish University Track and Field championships in Santry Stadium last Saturday. Liam Houlihan took silver in the Pole Vault representing UL and Siobhan Brackett finished 4th also in the Pole Vault representing W.I.T.
RUNNING QUOTE.
Those who say that I will lose and am finished will have to run over my body to beat me.
PAT FRISBY OFF TO LOCHABER MARATHON.
Best wishes this week go to club member Pat Frisby who heads off to Scotland to take part in the Lochaber Marathon in Fort William. Pat will be competing in his 2nd Marathon as he has a best time of 3.48 to his credit from Cork in 2007.
3rd ANNUAL WEST WATERFORD AC SPORTS.
Now in its third year the Senior clubs fun sports evening will take place again this year by kind permission of St.Augustines College, Abbeyside on Friday May 09th at 6.30 PM.This fun sports meeting is open to everybody over 16 years of age, the sports aims to cater for beginners and regulars, Juniors, Seniors and masters. Men And Women. With an array of events which has something to suit all the aim is to take part in all events for which you receive points based on your finishing placings but there is no pressure on anybody to take part in an event that they are not comfortable with. The events are 100 meters, 400meters, 1 mile, shot put and long jump. More anon.
CASTLEMARTYR 4.
The Castlemartyr 4 miler was held last Thursday evening and the club had two athletes taking part. Raivis Zakis on this occasion came out second best to local East Cork man Sean McGrath, both served up a real ding dong battle before the Ballyandreen man broke away with meters to go to claim a deserving victory in a time of 20.06 with Raivis second in 20.11.The clubs only other competitor on the night was Brigid Coffey who finished the course in a time of 30.15.well done to both.
STRIDE BY THE TIDE.
The Quality Hotel sponsored B.H.A.A.organised “Stride By The Tide” takes place on Thursday next April 29th at 8 PM.Organiser in chief Noel Curtin is a great supporter of all West Waterford events so in return we urge as many of our members as possible to make the trip to Redbarn for this unique event which is now in its 3rd year.
SYMPATHY.
West Waterford Athletic Club extends sincere sympathy to the families of Mrs Elsie Curran.Strandside North Abbeyside.and Mr Tom Joe Casey. Old Road, Kilmacthomas who passed to their eternal reward’s last weekend. May they rest in peace.
