Eight hardy couples dragged themselves from weekend lie-ins, post-party stupors, family committments, and frost-skating to participate in the first ever Sweethearts relay at Ballybrit at noon on Sunday 7th. A few didn't make it (you know who you are), but Clara Burke and Mick Rice happily showed up to complete the sets of teams in their place.
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Inis "Iron" Meáin is a tough, or tougher if you take in the dunes, 10k(ish) run around the island, which was held on Sunday for the fourth year running. The event is organized in aid of Coláiste Naoimh Eoin, the island's school. One of our newest Athenry AC members, Sinead Foran, took part again this year and wrote a race report for your reading pleasure.
As you read you may find that Sinead was not the only Athenry AC member to take part ...
‘Inis Iron Meain’ 2008
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Report and Pictures from this year's Hollymount Races From Tom Hunt of Mayo AC
The 43rd Annual Hollymount Road Races took place on Sunday. Once again it was excellently organised by Sean Reilly and his team. It was the eighth race of nine in the C&C Cellular Mayo AC Road Race League. The weather was cold with a slight breeze but thankfully the rain held off. The uphill finish along the main street proved a good test at the end of the womens one lap 3k while the men had to go over the top three times in their 10k race.
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After keeping a low profile for the last few weeks, our own Mick Rice did us proud today completing the International Association of Ultrarunners 100K World Cup in Italy. “ULTRAMARATONA DEGLI ETRUSCHI” started this morning in Tuscania and finished 100km later in Tarquinia. The race was valid as both the IAU 100K World Cup and the IAU 100K European Championships. The worlds best ultra marathoners competed today and one of them was from Athenry AC.
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Dublin City Marathon 2008 Race Report by Mark Breen
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Frank and Maeve near the finish in Cobh - Photo Credit Paudie Birmingham
Race Report from this year's Cork to Cobh by Frank Burke
This was Maeve’s longest race this year, you might say her marathon.
Got to Cork Saturday evening and the weather was brutal, lashing rain and a good breeze to boot. Had the usual meal before a big race, pasta washed down with a gallon of water, got back to the B&B for an early night’s kip.
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Mick Rice has already posted Mike Tobin's report hereabouts so I will just add a few personal words on the event itself and its organisers here.
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I was wrangled in to help Mike put some shape on the Galway Primary Schools Cross Country Championships (lunchtime on Tuesday, 30 September 2008).
Four different races, around a 800 to 1000 metre brass course. 3rd and 4th class girls; then 3rd and 4th class boys; then 5th and 6th class girls; finally 5th and 6th class boys.
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Back at the end of last year, during a very enjoyable 30th I was at, the subject of marathon running came up and, having had one or two beverages, I readily agreed to run Berlin with a friend Louisa. I quickly roped in Mr. Burke and we laid our plans for a showdown with Haile Gebrselassie.
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Berlin Marathon 2008 Report by Peter Strange
I’ve never written a race report before but the Berlin Marathon last Sunday is worth a few words.
I’d been looking forward to the run for a long time, not only had I never been to Berlin before but I had heard so much about the course that I couldn’t wait for the run. The problem was that I wanted to run it well.
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Galway Bay 10 - Race Report by Miriam Wall
What can I say? The Galway Bay 10 Miler just blew me away. Conditions were far from ideal for running. Winds that felt like gale force (I’m sure they were not) against me for the first 3 miles and rain that just did not stop. An abundance of surface water to fill my shoes and socks. What more could I ask for? Now I know whey they call it the wild west.
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Galway Bay 10 - Race Report by Miriam Wall
What can I say? The Galway Bay 10 Miler just blew me away. Conditions were far from ideal for running. Winds that felt like gale force (I’m sure they were not) against me for the first 3 miles and rain that just did not stop. An abundance of surface water to fill my shoes and socks. What more could I ask for? Now I know whey they call it the wild west.
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Berlin Marathon 2008 Report by Peter Strange
I’ve never written a race report before but the Berlin Marathon last Sunday is worth a few words.
I’d been looking forward to the run for a long time, not only had I never been to Berlin before but I had heard so much about the course that I couldn’t wait for the run. The problem was that I wanted to run it well.
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Back at the end of last year, during a very enjoyable 30th I was at, the subject of marathon running came up and, having had one or two beverages, I readily agreed to run Berlin with a friend Louisa. I quickly roped in Mr. Burke and we laid our plans for a showdown with Haile Gebrselassie.
read...
Mick Rick has already posted Mike Tobin's report hereabouts so I will just add a few personal words on the event itself and its organisers here.
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I was wrangled in to help Mike put some shape on the Galway Primary Schools Cross Country Championships (lunchtime on Tuesday, 30 September 2008).
Four different races, around a 800 to 1000 metre brass course. 3rd and 4th class girls; then 3rd and 4th class boys; then 5th and 6th class girls; finally 5th and 6th class boys.
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The inaugural Clifden Lifeboat 10K road race was held Sunday 14th September in what turned out to be great running conditions. The race was organised to raise much needed funds for the RNLI and the Clifden lifeboat. The event was held close to the anniversary of a tragic event which shocked this West Galway community in 2004 which was the sinking of the MVF St Oliver. This was a local fishing boat whose sinking claimed the lives of 4 local fishermen, including 18 year old Mikey Mullin who had only been at sea for 6 months.
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Boiling Frogs Slowly
Race Report, Leipzig 100k, 16th Aug, 2008
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The inaugural Boston Scientific 5km Charity Road Race took place in Maree last Wednesday night in ideal, balmy conditions. As the sun set on Galway Bay, over 200 runners and walkers crossed the line and managed to raise €3300 for Galway Cystic Fibrosis. It was apparent that many of the competitors took the race logo to heart and completed the distance making sure to "Make Every Breath Count".
A quarter of the competitors were Boston Scientific employees and they were joined by friends, family and the elites of the Galway running scene.
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Ngong Hill Run
By Tony Daly - Athenry AC and Predator Tri Club Athenry
When I knew I was heading out to Africa, I knew that my triathlon training would not be able to carry on. The thing I did know was that my running would. I’ve been to Africa a few times and always found some fantastic places and trails to run on.
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Although she lives and works in England many Athenry AC members will be familiar with marathon and ultramarathon runner Selina D Silva (aka Shades) from her adventures at the Connemara Marathon, Longford Marathon, Cork Marathon and various other Irish races. Last May our very own Ray O'Connor became the first Irish man to complete the Brathay 10 Marathons in 10 Days Challenge and Shades took part in the same event. Shades has kindly agreed that we can reproduce her blow-by-blow account of her big adventure on www.athenryac.com and we do so below.
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Once upon a dark and dreary day, in the middle of last year as I drove to work, I wished I was out running rather then dragging my sorry arse in the direction of the office. Inspiration hit and a few phone calls later I had arranged to run from Louisburgh to Leenaun in Connemara the following week. I was joined by Ray and Peter that day and I don't think any of us will ever forget the beauty of the Doo Lough Valley and a thirst quenching end-of-run pint in Leenaun. We didn't rush, we stopped to look and take it all in and we ran, walked, talked and laughed.
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Athenry AC member recently took on the challenge of one of the most difficult triathlons in the country which is organised by Limerick Triathlon Club, namely, 'The Hell of the West'. Where have we heard that name before?
Ruth had a fantastic race and tells her story below.
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Pauline Mulqueen was one of at least eight Athenry AC members who participated in the Clare People 10k last weekend. By all accounts it was a great race. Pauline is one of a number of Athenry members who's running has improved dramatically over the first half of this year and she has been good enough to share some of her memories of the race with us below.
Well done Pauline and all the other Athenry AC members who took part on the day.
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I’ve always been very fond of the Bilboa 10k. It’s a race that has a lot going for it. The course is interesting, well stewarded and very quiet from a traffic point of view. In fairness it’s not a particularly fast route as it gets quite hilly towards the end and those hills tend to knock the stuffing out of you just as you might reckon you have a chance of a decent time. Part of the race’s charm for me is the warm welcome you get at registration and the generous homemade refreshments that are provided for all when the running has been done.
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Both Galway County Men’s and Women’s teams have comfortably secured qualification for the National League Finals on July 27th in Tullamore after a highly successful day at Round 2 in Tullamore on Sunday June 15th.
Our Men’s team won an incredible 14 individual events on Sunday blowing the opposition away. With 9 points awarded for a win, and a teams best 15 events counting towards the final score, Galway scored 133 points out of a possible total of 135. The men qualify in 2nd place of 11 teams, just 1 point behind St. Abbans.
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Carramore in South Mayo is well hidden. At least that’s my excuse for not arriving at Race HQ until 20mins before the off. I ‘navigated’ as Mick drove us in increasingly erratic patterns in search of Carramore. One signpost at a lonely crossroads was passed a number of times before I acknowledged that perhaps it hadn’t been turned the wrong way by some mischievous Mayo native. Perhaps we should follow its instructions despite my flawed sense of direction indicating otherwise.
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This is an open invitation to everybody who took part in the National Championship 10k, to write your experience in a race report for publication here. We'd love to hear how you got on and to post the best ones on our website. Even if it's just a few paragraphs, it could be the start of a whole new journalistic career for you!
Calling all members of Athenry AC, we'd especially love to hear your stories.
Send your rantings, scribblings, exultations, ravings and prosaic descriptions to......
Mother Nature talked to me at the weekend!
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The Toughest Foot Race on Earth – The Marathon des Sables
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Cratloe Woods was the venue last Saturday morning for a day out on the trails. Twelve orienteering virgins took a crash course in map reading before heading out to get lost on the wooded hills. Gary Doherty made a fine return to running after a few months forced abstinence and single-handedly dragged his team to first place … at least that was how Gary described it.
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DOUBLE TROUBLE (NO TROUBLE!) IN LONG EATON
I just know that this report deserves more time than I am going
to give it.
Why? Because it was probably the best running experience of my
life (to date). I ran my first marathon 6 months after giving up
smoking 30 cigarettes a day - New York 2000 completed in 5 hours
and 15 minutes. I had found a new life.
Little more than a week ago, and now 39 marathons later, I have
found another new life. Two marathons in two days was exciting
but off-road gives a whole new meaning to excitement.
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