37th ANNUAL KIELY MONUMENTAL COLLIGAN CUP
TWO IN A ROW FOR MELANIE KELLY AT COLLIGAN CUP .
It turned out to be one of the wettest days in the 37 year history of the event last Sunday for the 102 brave souls who made their way to Colligan woods to participate in the famed 37th annual Kiely Monumental sponsored event. As usual our Juvenile’s had the first race of the day when the Mc Grath newsagents colligan shield of juveniles was held and we congratulate the winner here Sheelagh Mai Curran West Waterford AC, a full report on this great event can be seen in this week juvenile club notes.So after the juvenile race finished it was onto the adults event which is now in its 37th year and sponsored by the same sponsor for all of these years Kiely Monumental Unbelievable unbroken sponsorship by the Kiely Family who have been loyal to our club and this event in particular for all of these years.This race of course in unique as its where all participants have exactly the same chance of winning as the next runner regardless how fast or how slow they complete the course in.The countdown clock was started at 60 minutes by Victor Mullins and Tom Leahy club chairman our timing scrutinisers at the stroke of 12 noon. It was then up to the runners themselves to start when they wanted with the aim being to be the first person to finish when the clock hits 0. At the end of the 3 and a half laps covering a total distance of 5 miles the runners were well and truly grouped together with a huge group heading down the wood for the final time on the last lap. As it always is the case when the field of runners got closer and closer to the finishing line it was anyone’s guess as to who would be deemed the winner for the 37th time, and after the clock struck 00 it was the name of Melanie Kelly which emerged from our timing officials as our winner for 2026. It was really a unique occasion as Melanie now alone won the event but she also won it in 2025 , so after 37 years of Colligan cup running she is the only runner to ever have won the event twice in a row , a unique happening , what was the chances of this happening ever or even ever again happening. A huge congratulation’s to Melaine who came here working in her role as a doctor taking up residency in the beautiful Kinsalebeg area of the county and is a member of West Waterford AC for a few years now. Melanie became only the 6th Lady to win the Colligan cup and the only person do it back to back is a native of Crystal Palace in the U.K. In 2nd place was Melanies running partner also a member of our club Martina Beechinor and guess what she also finished runner up in last year’s race. But the same as last year Melanie was 3 seconds after her predicted time to win and Martina finishing with her was just 4 seconds off taking the trophy and the 3rd finisher Robert Hellinga was also recorded as 4 seconds of winning .Michael Dunford filled the 4th placing just 10 seconds off and Raivis Zakis was next 25 seconds off his predicted time. We usually commiserate also with those so close to winning but end up on the wrong side of the clock or two fast on the day David Mc Nally just 10 seconds Cathy Kirby only 13 seconds off and Garry Hallinan 16 seconds and Tom Hogan 17 seconds, next year lads next year.. Very well done to all our winners and well done to all who braved the elements to come along and keep this great event alive and ticking. So here’s to another successful event and to our popular winner in Melanie we say congratulations, Here’s to the 38th year next year PG.
FIRST FIVE MALE :
1 Robert Hellinga
2 Michael Dunford
3 Raivis Zakis
4 Rian Reddy
5 Eoin Walsh
1ST FIVE WOMEN.
1 Melanie Kelly
2 Martina Beechinor
3 Robert Hellinga
4 Brigid Coffey
5 Orla Bannon
6 Céire Barry
THE VICTOR MULLINS CUP GOES TO .
Victor Mullins was the creator of this style of time handicap race as it was he who came up with the handicap timing system which has been used now for the past 37 years in this event. Each year Victor presents the Victor Mullins Cup and a prize to the first person on the right side of the clock that has never ran the Colligan Cup before. This year’s winner was Robert Helinga who joined us for the race in Colligan last Sunday so very well done to Robert who is a native of the Netherlands and over here in Ardmore on work placement at the Cliff House Hotel in Ardmore. Our thanks go to Victor for his help and sponsorship of this element of the race and for his on-going involvement with this race each year.
MANY THANKS TO ALL WHO HELPED.
Our thanks to all who helped in any way to make last Sunday’s 37th Annual Kiely Monumental Colligan cup. Firstly a huge thank you to our loyal sponsors of 37 years David, Darragh and Margaret Kiely of Kiely Monumental works. Many thanks to David who once again was available despite the weather and nursing a heavy cold to present the winners with the famed Colligan cup and shield on the day .Our thanks also to Victor Mullins for all his practical help on the day and he also was on hand to present his cup the Victor Mullins trophy winner to this year’s winner Robert.To the numerous people who looked after the entries and results especially on such a difficult day for doing so Ray, Ann, Declan, Breda,Tom and thanks to Victor for looking after the timing and picking of the race winner.Thanks to Ann Dunford also for looking after the prizes for the race and her efforts with securing the use of Colligan wood for the event. Thanks to John, Jamie, Liam, Jim on finish line and who helped with the stewarding on the course and putting out the signage. Many thanks to Coillte for the use of Colligan, without their help we couldn’t have staged the event at all.
Here’s to next year and the 38th year of the event in 2027.
34th ANNUAL JOHN TREACY DUNGARVAN 10 MILE ROAD RACE
Were on full steam ahead now for the upcoming race of the year, the 34th annual John Treacy Dungarvan 10. With registration completely full with over 3.750 places filled we are now nicely assembling a really top class field of elite athletes which will make for the biggest and best race to date. The race is on Sunday February 1st at the starting time of 11.00 a.m. All finishers of The John Treacy Dungarvan 10 will receive the now famous West Waterford AC goody bag, plus a Nike dry fit running top will be awarded to all runners as they cross the finishing line. The top ladies and men’s finishers will be awarded their prizes at the finish line all other prizes will be sent out by post following the race. This year’s race once again will see substantial cash prizes for the top runners and bonus cash to the first athlete to break either course record. Substantial cash prizes will follow down throughout the categories. The club committee have been working hard to ensure that the day will go off without a hitch and our hope now is the man above will do his bit by giving us a good day weather wise for the race of the year.
YOUR HELP IS NEEDED FOR JOHN TREACY DUNGARVAN 10.
It’s that time of year again when we take on the mammoth task of organising the John Treacy Dungarvan 10 mile. We have been fortunate in the past to have had help from club members and also from many outside of the club circle who come along each year to give a few hours of their time. This year we are in need of that same help again, with a large field assembled this year we will be trying to make sure these visitors to our town leave with a good experience of what Dungarvan has to offer and we hope such will be the impression we will make on them that they will want to come back again to visit the town for maybe a longer stay. We will need stewards on the course so if you have a few hours on Sunday February 1st please contact stewarding coordinator Karen Ryan on 086-8245683.Support your local athletics club-Many hands make light work!!!!
FORDES DAYBREAK WINTER LEAGUE LONG COURSE.
TINA AND JESSICA LEAD THE WAY FOR THE LADIES.
It was back to brass tacks last Wednesday after our traditional Christmas break and we set off with a bang for 2026 on a very good night weather wise as we had the unusual first night back guess your time handicap run where each runner had to predict their finishing time. We had a brilliant turnout of 242 on the long course and a great number of 149 on the short course. On the short course the night belonged to Tina Crotty who was the first to past the finish post after the clock struck 00, Tina was just 3 seconds off her predicted time and deemed the winner on the night., Tina was delighted with the victory and was quoted at the finish line saying “ I have never won anything in my life” as she revelled in taking the scalps of the 149 other short course runners on the night. How about those who just missed out on the victory Conor Longan and Michelle Guiry both 4 seconds off and Tina’s daughter Leah Crotty was only 6 seconds off the bragging rights in the Crotty household. We must also mention the few who were just outside the time but too fast in other words finished ahead of the 00 on the clock, Jackie Mannix 2 seconds to fast, Pat O’Muigheasa just 3 out and Kristine Hayes and Kate Morris both 4 seconds too fast. Turning to the long course it was another Female who was the show the way to the Male counterparts running the league, congratulations to SETU Student Nurse Jessica Mulcahy who crossed the finish line right on the clock reaching 00. Tom Mansfield was so close when just a snippet 1 second behind Jessica and Alex Lai was 2 seconds off a famous win while husband and wife pairing of Robert and Natalie Shaw Hamilton were 3 and 4 seconds respectively off the mark. Those who were just a fraction to fast included Tim King just 1 second, O how he wished he wasn’t such a gentle man leaving the young Lady take that step back at the finish line. Like wish Eoin Kelly another 1 seconds off winning. Denis Ryan and Ellen Mc Closkey both missed out by 2 seconds and the boys from the Gaeltacht Darren O’ Droma and Shay Young also 2 seconds off. All said and done a deserving victory for Jessica and bragging rights at the league guess your time run for 2026. This week we will be back to our normal handicap times and we will be starting both distances out on the road which is where the clocks will operate from due to the hall having a variety show on.
LONG COURSE TABLES HOTTING UP.
The overall leaders took a little change at the top of the table last week also with the guess your time run and the following are the top contenders for overall victory with 3 weeks remaining. The divisional placing’s are unbelievably tight also with nothing between many of the top contenders in nearly all the 14 divisions, even with only 3 weeks to go its till way too early to be talking about possible winners.
Division 1
1 304 Dermot O Donovan 1650
2 117 Eoin Kelly 1630
3 102 David Donnelly 1597
4 207 Paul Mc Grath 1587
5 195 Jack Mc Carthy 1580
6 259 Ciaran Curran 1524
7 4 Ceire Barry 1479
8 200 Sinead Moore 1470
9 88 Darren O Droma 1454
10 276 Brigid Coffey 1425
Division 2
1 James Ryan 1326 2 Luke Power 1325 3 Ciaran Ryan 1323
Division 3
1 Laura Keating 1240 2 Áine Dunford 1237 3 Joe O Rourke 1232
Division 4
1 Yevgeniy Chizhikov 1169 2 David Walsh 1169 3 Katie Barry 1168
Division 5
1 David Mc Nally 1125 2 Ronan Lavan 1125 3 Tomas Horgan 1120
Division 6
1 Mark Ferncombe 1070 2 Emily Murphy 1068 3 Freida Mc Grath 1067 4 Eoin O’Brien 1067
Division 7
1 Fionan O Cinneide 1030 2 14 Ellen Ryan 1028 3 127 Philip Walsh 1027
Division 8
1 Caitriona Barry 977 2 Sophie Tobin 975 3 Éanna De Faoite 975
Division 9
1 Diarmuid Moloney 923 2 192 Brian Murphy 919 3 724 Noel Drohan 917
Division 10
1 Michael Murray 872 Ger Durkan 871 3 Avril Behan 859
Division 11
1 Niall Barry 834 2 343 Kate Keogh 834 3 150 Julie Harty 834
Division 12
1 Jerry Power 800 2 Kevin Forde 799 3 Mark Hayes 796
Division 13
1 Sean Stilwell 764 2 Paschal Proctor 759 3 Tony Ferncombe 752
Division 14
1 Paul Lacey 691 2 Thomas Kavanagh 687 3 Stacey Quirke 686
SHORT COURSE LEAGUE TABLES TAKING SHAPE NOW.
The top 10 is as follows.
1 James Fennell 1003
2 Adam Kelly 978
3 Jack Donnelly 916
4 Cyril Flavin 912
5 Conor Longan 896
6 Trevor O Donnell 893
7 Martina Beechinor 889
8 Helen Carey 871
9 Micheál Power 870
10 Áine Máire NÍ Acdha 866
Divison 2 1
1 Iomhar Noone 781 2 Aaron O’Connor 775 3 Amy Walsh 775
Divison 3
1 Priscilla Reilly 717 2 Tadhg Kelly 715 3 Paul Veale 705
Divison 4
1 Helen Cummins 648 2 Deirdre Whelan Devine 648 3 Orla Costin 644
Divison 5
1 Sean O Neill 610 2 Tracie Drummy 607 3 Jane Gleeson 595
Divison 6
1 Sharon Curran 553 2 Melissa Cleary 551 3 Aisling Fennell 550
Divison 7
1 Edel Mc Namara 508 2 Lisa Maher 505 3 Kate Morris 505
Division 8
1 Brid Power 467 2 Rachel Prendergast 465 3 Keeley Hallahan 464
Division 9
1 Laura Terry 391 2 Declan Mooney 387 3 Mary Walsh 383
EVAN FITZGERALD WINS FERRYCARRIG 5.
The annual Ferrycarrig 5 in Wexford was held recently and the race saw an impressive win for club member Evan Fitzgerald in a superb time of 25.04 The ladies victory went to Fiona Keogh Kilmore AC in 30.10 .
SYMPATHY.
West Waterford athletic club extend sincere sympathy to the family and friends of Mairéad McGrath New Chapel Street, Dungarvan, and Ann Carroll Shandon Lodge,Shandon Dungarvan who passed to their eternal reward last week, may they rest in peace.
