WEST WATERFORD HOST SUPERB MUNSTER ROAD RACING CHAMPIONSHIPS.
Regarded by many traveling athletes as one of the best Munster road racing championships in recent times our club hosted the event at the Brickey GAA club grounds using the Brickey Valley 4 mile course last Sunday with the six Munster provinces best road runners travelling to take part. Organising the event on behalf of the Waterford county athletic board we must thank all who came along to run, support and help at the event. Our thanks to Brickey GAA club for the kind permission to use their club grounds and pavilion and to Gerry Tobin who looked after us well at the venue. To the Garda and especially Garda Aidan McCarthy who gave invaluable help for the two races. To all our stewards and all those who helped with traffic management especially Conor and Jamie thanks to Gerry who measured the course.
To the ladies who provided the cuppa for all after the race. To the committee members of the Juvenile club for their help. A big thanks to our photographer for his excellent snaps John Troy. Thanks to the official’s from Munster athletes who made the trip down to us also. The overall winners on the day in both races came from Dundrum AC Tipperary with both impressive victories for Dympna Ryan taking the ladies and club mate Kevin Moore winning the men’s event.In the ladies Onra Power brought home a great silver in the over 50 individual category and in the over 60’s Bernie Prendergast took gold. Liz Nyhan was in super from when taking bronze Individual in the over 45 category and she lead our ladies over 45 club team to bronze along with some great running by the other scoring team member’s Karen Ryan, Onra Power and Bernie Prendergast, the same four ladies took bronze for the country also. The Ladies over 35 were 4th in the club team, Natalie Sheehan,Grainne Enright,Debra Doherty,and Geraldine Lacey along with some great back up from Sinead Ui Fhaolain, Cait Verling,Sharon Higgins,Nuala Hogan,Niamh O’Donovan and Linda Foley in the senior race, In the county teams Waterford again took bronze and our scoring members on this team were Natalie Sheehan, Grainne Enright and Debra Doherty. We were just outside the medals in the Novice Ladies team when finishing 4th however Liz Nyhan did pick up a gold county medal here as she counted the 4th scorer on the Waterford county team. In the ladies seniors Waterford took bronze and here again Liz Nyhan was a scoring member of the team.
In the men’s competition Pat Hennessey had a great day running his very first Munster road championship Pat took individual silver in the novice and was just outside the medals finishing 4th in the senior men’s event. Pat led the club to silver team in the novice along with Anthony Flynn, Mark Flavin and Shane Mc Govern,the same four were on the Waterford county team who won team silver. The club took silver in the senior men’s race with Pat Hennessey, Raivis Zakis, Anthony Flynn and Marc Flavin scoring and Pat, Raivis and Anthony were on the Waterford country team who took silver.Joe Gough once again proved to be way too strong for his over 65 competitors when taking gold in that age category and in the over 40 Raivis Zakis was our first man home in an excellent 3rd place to take bronze individual in a very competitive field. Raivis lead the over 35 team to silver medals along with Mark Flavin, Alan Kinsella and Colm Ryan. The other West Waterfrod club runners to run really well included Cian O’Riordan Alan Gibson John Joe Hayes, David Towey,Yev Chizhikov,Liam Fitzgerald, Gerard Reilly,Conor Murray, James Whelan,Tom Hogan,Martin Tobin,Eoghan Moloney,Padraig Healy, Gary Cantwell .All in all a great day for all the club athletes who came along to wear the club colours many thanks to each and every one of you especially those who were running this kind of championship race for the first time. We hope there will be plenty more to come.As we go to press were working off provisional results here so there just might be some changes to record.
IRISH LIFE HEALTH NATIONAL SENIOR INDOORS.
KATE VEALE RETAINS INDOOR TITLE.
The Irish Life Health national senior indoors championships were held over two days last Saturday and Sunday at the national sports arena in Abbotstown Dublin. The clubs had 4 participants over the weekend Kate Veale 3.000 meters walk Lisa Houlihan NA Yuri Kanash Pole Vault and Micheál Power 3.000 meters. Kate Veale was going for her 4th consecutive national senior gold medal over the 3.000 meters walk distance and was the defending champion from 2017,18 and 19 with some really good talent coming through in this discipline at the moment she had to work hard throughout the race however she retained her title in a time of 14.47.05. It was a great day also for Yuri Kanash. Yuri cleared a season’s best 4.65 meters to claim a brilliant silver among stiff opposition and on Sunday in the ladies Pole Vault Lisa Houhihan was unlucky to finish 4th and just outside the medals but she was happy with a new personal best 3.35 vault. Micheal Power was in action over 3.000 meters and qualified through the heats on Saturday, however Micheál didn’t compete in the final on Sunday because of a slight niggle which ruled him out, a very disappointed Micheál made the right call here and will be back in action very soon. Well done to all 4 athkletes.
RUN 5KM BY MAY.
Back by popular demand! Over the last few years over 300 people have completed our 0 to 5km programmes. For 2020 we are offering a spring programme where you can come along and learn to run 5km and be ready to take on the Ballinroad 5km run at the end of it. This run is a fundraiser for Ballinroad Soccer Club so you will be supporting your local community as well as improving your physical and mental health. If you have never run before or want to get back into running then this is the group for you. We don’t expect you to be fit just healthy enough to start exercising. Over the 6 weeks you will progress from walking to running at your pace and your level. All our coaches are fully qualified and insured by Athletics Ireland and have years of experience.To book your place contact Claire Kennedy on 087 911 6997.
CLUB TRAINING BACK IN MARCH.
The summer series of races is just around the corner and structured club training will resume on 24th March in preparation for these races. The club target races for Spring / early Summer are our own Summer Series of races.Training is open to all club members and if you are not yet a club member you can come along and try a session before joining the club. For the summer we meet at the Friary for a warm up at 6.30pm. Cost per session is €3. As always please respect the Friary grounds and park in a designated space, enter by the roundabout and use the exit past the school entrance. We would like to continue the positive relationship we have built up over the years with St Augustine’s so full co-operation will be very much appreciated. It will be dark by the time we are finished so a HiVis will be necessary for the first few weeks.We have 3 training groups on a Tuesday night. For experienced athletes the main club training group will be catering for those training from 5km to marathons. Our run to improve group is a group of intermediate runners looking to improve times over the shorter distances. For the spring we also have a 0 to 5km group for complete beginners. On a Monday night our ladies social running groups meet to run up to 5km and the emphasis in this group is on fitness not performance.For further information contact Irene Clark on 086 8242348
NEXT LEAGUE IS THE POPULAR MARK MASON FINANCIAL SERVICES COLLIGAN LEAGUE.
The club’s next big local event is the 5 week Mark Mason’s Financial Services Colligan running league for beginners and regular runners and all are welcome once they are over 16 years of age. Our thanks to Mark and the Mason family for their kind sponsorship of the league once again this year. We would especially encourage newcomers to come along and join in this league in Colligan wood. For the complete beginner there is the option of doing two laps of the wood , beginning at the wooden bridge and finishing at the wooden bridge. This is 4km in distance or 2.5 miles so it might suit all those that ran the short route over the winter league plus this route is more or less completely on the flat. Another option is to take part in the 5-mile circuit; this is 3 and a half laps of the same flat circuit of the wood mentioned above. The final option and the main event is the 5 mile hill route which is one lap of the wood for starters and then up the first hill and down the hill and then across the road for the second hill and finishing in by the wood at the bridge. The entry fee for all runners is €2 each night. The overall winner of the league will receive the Veale family perpetual shield. The league will start on Wednesday March 25th and continue for five Wednesday evenings April 1st, 8th, 15th and 22nd .Mass start each evening at 6.30 pm.
CLUB MEMBERSHIP.
The club membership is now due and can be paid at any of our club events. You can now pay your club membership online or you can also download our club membership form off our web site www.westwaterfordathletics.org and send it into us or we will also be available at all club events to accept your membership at a cost of 25 Euros. Please note that membership with the club is for the calendar year and will cease on December 31st and it’s not 12 months from the date that you join.
RUNNING QUOTE.
“It’s not so much that I began to run, but that I continued”
