Results of the Munster Masters Cross Country Championships...Sun 29th Nov 2015

The Munster Masters Cross Country Championships were held this year in Cappawhite, Co.Tipperary in what can only be described as pretty awful conditions. With all the rain, the course really got churned up and it was a sea of mud in places.

In the womens O35 team category, Mallow AC took Gold with Midleton AC taking Silver in the O45 team event. The Cork teams won both categories.

Women O35 Team Club Team Points
Place Club Positions
1 Mallow A.C. 8, 20, 21, 24  ...73
2 Ennis Track A.C. 2, 17, 32, 40  ...91
3 Mooreabbey Milers A.C. 10, 26, 50, 52  ...138
4 West Limerick A.C. 37, 49, 51, 53  ...190

Women O35 Team County Team Points
Place County Positions
1 Cork 5, 7, 8, 11 ...31
2 Tipperary 9, 18, 26, 27 ...80
3 Clare 2, 17, 32, 37 ...88

Women O45 Team Club Team Points
Place Club Positions
1 An Riocht A.C. 3, 6, 23 ...32
2 Midleton A.C. 13, 22, 39 ...74
3 Ennis Track A.C. 15, 38, 47 ...100

Women O45 Team County Team Points
Place County Positions
1 Cork 4, 12, 13, 14 ...43
2 Kerry 3, 6, 23, 25 ...57
3 Tipperary 35, 46, 59, 62 ...202

In the mens O35 team event, East Cork AC and Leevale AC renewed their old rivalry with the smaller club coming out on top this time. In the O50 team event, Youghal AC took Silver with Midleton AC taking Bronze. The Cork teams won the O35 inter-county event while they finished 3rd in the O50 section.

Men O35 Team Club Team Points
Place Club Positions
1 East Cork A.C. 1, 10, 16, 26 53
2 Leevale A.C. 6, 12, 19, 43 80
3 Waterford A.C. 4, 9, 31, 40 84
4 West Waterford A.C. 2, 25, 29, 47 103
5 An Riocht A.C. 13, 17, 42, 46 118
6 Mallow A.C. 8, 27, 36, 50 121
7 Mooreabbey Milers A.C. 3, 20, 28, 89 140
8 Dundrum A.C. 24, 30, 39, 58 151
9 Coolquill A.C. 34, 35, 44, 49 162
10 Eagle A.C. 7, 18, 59, 82 166
11 Ennis Track A.C. 32, 48, 51, 61 192
12 West Limerick A.C. 38, 81, 83, 120 322

Men O35 Team County Team Points
Place County Positions
1 Cork 1, 7, 8, 10, 14, 18 58
2 Waterford 2, 4, 9, 25, 29, 31 100
3 Tipperary 3, 5, 20, 22, 24, 28 102
4 Limerick 21, 37, 38, 53, 54, 81 284
5 Clare 15, 32, 48, 51, 61, 108 315

Men O50 Team Club Team Points
Place Club Positions
1 Ennis Track A.C. 63, 78, 98 239
2 Youghal A.C. 56, 93, 99 248
3 Midleton A.C. 71, 100, 119 290
4 Eagle A.C. 105, 117, 127 349

Men O50 Team County Team Points
Place County Positions
1 Tipperary 11, 41, 73, 76 201
2 Clare 60, 63, 67, 75 265
3 Cork 56, 71, 79, 92 298

There were plenty of category medals won by athletes from Cork. 

The full results can be seen on the Munster Athletics website. 

Photos... 
1) Mooreabbey Milers have a number of galleries... 23 here ...  26 here ... 17 here ... 9 here
2) West Waterford AC has a large gallery of photos HERE 

Nice & Dry in the Horse Box :o)

Other News Items...Sun 29th Nov 2015

Some other running news items in the media in the last week...

1) Sonia O'Sullivan recommends relaxing during training... Irish Times

2) Russian Athletics body accepts IAAF ban... Athletics Weekly  

3) IAAF President Seb Coe ends his commercial links to NIKE... Athletics Weekly

4) Opinion piece on the benefits of Cross Country... Guardian

5) IAAF declare that Paula Radcliffe is clear of any doping offences... BBC Sport

6) Russian marathon runner disqualified after winning race in Japan... Guardian  

7) Irish team set for Euro Cross Country... European Athletics

8) Despite retiring from competition, Haile Gebrselaisse still trains twice a day... WorldRunning  

9) Article on top Irish athletics coach John Shields... The42.ie

Results & Photos of the Glenville 4 mile ...Sun 29th Nov 2015

A total of 206 runners turned out for this years 4 mile race in Glenville on Sunday the 29th of November. This was down on the 254 of 2014 but understandable considering the wet and windy conditions. It was unfortunately just one of those weekends.

1. James McCarthy (East Cork AC)...20:32
2. Colin Merritt (Carrignavar AC)... 20:43
3. Liam Tracey (Watergrasshill AC)...22:40
1. Joan Ennis (Grange Fermoy AC)...26:00
2. Julie Kenneally ...27:06
3. Kealey Tideswell (Clonmel AC)... 27:14

The full results can be seen HERE

Photos...
1) Mick Dooley of Eagle AC has a gallery of photos HERE

Photos...(Facebook account required to view)
1) Gerard O'Sullivan has three galleries... #1    #2    #3

RNLI Reindeer Run in Fota on Sunday 29th Nov Cancelled

Just a quick note to say that the RNLI Reindeer Run in Fota House and Gardens  has been cancelled due to the weather forecast.

Update...This will now take place on Sunday the 24th of January 2016.

From the organisers...Reindeer Run Cancelled.

We are sorry to inform you that we have taken the decision to cancel tomorrow’s RNLI Reindeer Run in Fota House and Gardens. We have made this decision based on Met Eireann’s Status Orange Wind Warning, which is forecasting winds of up to 130km/h during the hours of 6am – 3pm tomorrow.

The Reindeer Run is a family friendly event with participants of all ages due to take part. With this in mind and with the threat of high winds and falling trees, the organisers felt it would not be safe to proceed with the event. While we are disappointed to make this decision we have done it with the interests of the safety of all our participants paramount in our minds. It is hoped that in communicating this decision tonight that we can reach all the participants in time before they travel to the event tomorrow.

We hope to reschedule the event, and will be in touch with you shortly with further details. We would like to take this opportunity to thank you for your support of the RNLI Reindeer Run.

Best regards,
The Reindeer Run Team.

Results & Photos of the Donal Ahern Memorial 5k Charity Run, Blarney...Sat 28th Nov 2015

The Donal Ahern Memorial 5k charity run was held on the grounds of Blarney Castle on Sat 28th Nov 2015 on what was a pretty miserable day. As can be seen from the photos in the galleries, at times it was ok but there were no shortage of heavy showers.

1    John Meade    0:16:27
2    Denis Coughlan    0:16:45
3    James Liddane    0:16:59
13    Katie Murphy    0:19:16
15    Maureen Hanley    0:19:25
19    Rachel McGrath    0:19:40

The full results can be seen on Google Docs HERE

If you have trouble with Google Docs then there is another copy HERE 

Photos...
1) Graham Nudds has a gallery HERE
2) There is a gallery from Mick Dooley of Eagle AC up on the Running in Cork Face page.

Photos...(Facebook account required to view)
1) Joe Murphy of Eagle AC has a gallery HERE

Results of the Tramore Valley Park 5k parkrun...Sat 28th Nov 2015

121 hardy souls turned out for the 5k parkrun in Tramore Valley Park in Cork City on Saturday the 28th of November in what were pretty dreadful conditions. Considering there was a 5k charity run in Blarney later in the morning, it's perhaps suprising that the numbers were as high as they were. Maybe it marks a floor for the numbers for this event? Time will tell.

1    Bryan CROWLEY    17:40    VM40-44    M    1 Watergrasshill AC
2    Brian O TUAMA    18:00    SM25-29    M    2
3    Don HAYES    19:41    SM30-34    M    3
32    Brid NORMOYLE    22:58    VW40-44    F    1
39    Edel KELLEHER    23:22    VW45-49    F    2
42    Maude KELLEHER    23:48    SW25-29 F    3 Watergrasshill AC 

The full results can be seen HERE

New 5k parkrun to start in Limerick on Sat 12th Dec 2015

It was recently announced that a new 5k parkrun will be starting in Limerick on Saturday the 12th of December 2015. As you can see from the map below, this will be the ninth parkrun to start up in Munster.

The Limerick parkrun will take place every Saturday morning at 9:30am at the University of Limerick Rowing Club on the grounds of UL. More info on the event website.

I wonder if there are any more in the pipeline? There are talks of one in Glengarrif in West Cork. An obvious place for one might be in Waterford City? As can be seen from the map above, there is an obvious gap stretching from North Kerry across to Waterford.

Irish Woman finishes 3rd in Antarctic Marathon...

The annual Antarctic Marathon was held last weekend with over 50 runners from 19 countries taking part in the event. With the temperature down around minus 20 deg C, those taking part were wrapped up in balaclavas, goggles, mittens and various layers of thermal clothing. The course comprised two laps around the Union Glacier exploration camp. There were several rehydration stops on route with hot drinks, snacks as well as comfort stations.

In the womens marathon event, Irish woman Eleanor Dorran finished 3rd in a time of 5h 46m.

Pos    Name    Nationality    Time
1    Silvana    Camelio    CHL    04:40:01
2    Nahila     Hernandez    CUB/MEX    04:49:31
3    Eleanor     Dorran    IRL    05:46:31

The other two Irish participants were Paul Grealish in the full and Joan Grealish in the half.

The full results can be seen HERE



There is another video clip on the RTE Sports website HERE

Nutrition workshop at Moorepark near Fermoy...Wed 9th Dec 2015

For anyone interested, there is a free sports nutrition workshop at the Teagasc facility at Moorepark, Fermoy on Wednesday the 9th of December 2015. This is just off the M8 motorway so access is very easy as the slip road is just a few hundred metres away. 

Schedule for the evening: Presentations & Discussions with presenters and a panel of sports personalities
Biology of Fitness covering a discussion on obesity, fitness and diets
Dr. Niall Moyna, School of Health and Human Performance from DCU
Introducing nutritional concepts to Children and Adolescents
Dr. Sharon Madigan, DBSM Health Centre of Excellence
‘What does all of this have to do with Teagasc?’
Dr. Paul Cotter, Teagasc Food Research Centre, Moorepark

Facilitated discussion with presenters and panel of sport people including:
Tomás O’Shea – Gaelic Football // Mike Ross – Rugby // Joanne Fearon – Athletics // Mark Collins - Gaelic Football // Davy Russell – Jockey // Ashling Hutchings – Gaelic Football & Rugby // Tomás Clancy – Gaelic Football & Hurling

View stands highlighting Teagasc and UCC expertise in the area of Food for Health and meet the scientists who do the work. For further information please contact niamh.obrien@teagasc.ie or Niamh O’Brien at 025 42313

To register, go to this link... https://www.eventbrite.ie/e/healthy-living-through-nutrition-and-sport-teagasc-moorepark-fermoy-co-cork-tickets-19577471745

Contact details for these prize winners wanted...

At the 2015 Cork City 10 Miler last September, the following runners won prizes that they have not collected so far.

Jackie Cavanagh 2nd F O50
John P Foley 3rd M O50
Billy Walsh 2nd MO50

If anyone knows them, can they please ask them to contact me and I'll put them in contact with the race director Paul Gallagher.

Runner from West Limerick wins National Lottery

One of the stories doing the rounds over the last week was how Seamus Cawley, a runner from Rathkeale in Co.Limerick had a bit of good fortune recently with a win in the National Lottery. It turns out that Seamus was part of a ten person syndicate working at the Kerry Group Cheese Strings production line in Charleville, Co Cork and they each get €388,375.60.

Seamus who is a member of West Limerick AC is a regular at many of the road races in Limerick & Cork and has clocked up about 50 marathons to date. He has run all 36 Dublin City Marathons and ran the last of the old Cork marathons in 1986 in a time of 2:35:46.

In an interview with the Irish Mirror, Seamus said he intends spending some of his winnings on his daughter's college fees, and going to Los Angeles to run the marathon there.

More info on the Irish Mirror website

Irish teams announced for the European Cross Country Championships

Following on from the National Inter-Club Cross Country Championships in Dublin yesterday, the Irish teams for the European Cross Country Championships in France were announced today.

Men's senior team: Mick Clohisey  [Raheny Shamrock AC], John Coghlan [Metro St Brigids AC], Paul Pollock [Annadale Striders AC], Ryan Creech [Leevale AC], Joe Sweeney [Dundrum South Dublin AC], Sergiu Ciobanu [Clonliffe Harriers AC]

Women's senior team: Fionnuala McCormack [Kilcoole AC], Lizzie Lee [Leevale AC], Caroline Crowley [Crusaders AC], Kerry O'Flaherty [Newcastle & District AC], Ciara Durkan [Skerries AC], Michelle Finn [Leevale AC]

Men's junior team: Kevin Mulcaire [Ennis track AC], Peter Lynch [Kilkenny City Harriers AC], Jack O’Leary [Mullingar Harriers AC], Cathal Doyle, James Edgar [City of Lisburn AC], Pierre Murchan [Celtic AC],

Women's junior team: Hope Saunders [Clonliffe Harriers AC], Aoibhe Richardson [Kilkenny City Harriers AC], Isabel Carron [Skerries AC], Deirdre Healy [Ratoath AC], Nadia Power [Templeogue AC], Sophie Murphy [Dundrum South Dublin AC]

The U23 teams will be announced at a later date.

Behind every member of the Irish team is of course a coach. A number of them have the same coach...
Donie Walsh...3, Jerry Kiernan 2, Joe Cooper 2 & Noel Richardson 2.

Leevale AC win National Inter-club Cross Country Championships...

The Athletics Ireland Inter-Clubs Cross Country Championships were held in Santry, Dublin on Sunday the 22nd of November. While a lot of cross country races have small fields and a lack of teams, this one was almost the complete opposite with most of the best Irish runners taking part.

In the womens race,  Leevale AC from Cork were very much to the fore with Lizzie Lee finishing in second place overall and leading the team to first place. This is I believe the first time that the Leevale AC womens team have won this particular title.

L-R...Nollaig O'Neill 31st (winner of the 2015 Cork City Marathon), Niamh Roe 43rd, Lizzie Lee 2nd (probably on her way to the Olympics in Rio with a qualifying marathon time, Michelle Finn 6th (also with a Olympic qualifying time but in the 3000m steeplechase, Sinéad O Connor 21st & Claire McCarthy 22nd (finished 2nd in the National marathon in 2013)

InterClub Cross Country Championships
Results Senior Women
Position Name Club Name Club Team
1 Fionnuala McCormack Kilcoole A.C. (B)
2 Lizzie Lee Leevale A.C. (A)
3 Caroline Crowley Crusaders A.C.
4 Kerry O'Flaherty Newcastle & District A.C. (B)
5 Ciara Durkan Skerries A.C.
6 Michelle Finn Leevale A.C. (A)
7 Laura  Crowe An Riocht A.C. (B)
8 Shona Heaslip  (U23) An Riocht A.C. (B)
9 Sara Treacy Dunboyne A.C. (B)

Place Club Positions
1 Leevale A.C. (A) 2, 6, 21, 22 ... 51 pts
2 An Riocht A.C. (B) 7, 8, 39, 54 ... 108 pts
3 Dundrum South Dublin A.C. (A) 14, 17, 28, 53... 112 pts
4 Raheny Shamrock A.C. (A) 15, 34, 38, 59 ... 146 pts
5 North Down A.C. (B) 29, 33, 44, 67 ... 173 pts
6 Liffey Valley A.C. (A) 24, 35, 57, 69 ... 185 pts
7 Dublin City Harriers A.C. (A) ...30, 46, 52, 62 ... 190 pts
8 Tullamore Harriers A.C. (B) ...25, 48, 61, 65 ... 199 pts
9 Kilcoole A.C. (B) ... 1, 77, 78, 80 ... 236 pts

Another team that put in a fine performance was An Ríocht AC from Castleisland in Kerry. While they are a much smaller club compared to some of the others, they still finished in second place with 108 pts.

While much of the attention will focus perhaps on some of the more well known names, one name to watch for the future is that of Shona Heaslip from Kerry.

Shona only started running in the last few years having been more involved in Irish dancing when she was a teenager. She only turned 21 years old last September and in this race, she finished just behind Laura Crowe and ahead of some of the other well known Irish names. She is certainly on an upward curve at the moment and could be a serious contender for some championship medals in the next few years.

In the mens event, Clonliffe Harriers just edged out Leevale AC to take the first spot. East Cork AC finished 6th.

Club Team Points Place Club Positions Points
1 Clonliffe Harriers (1) (A) 7, 8, 14, 18 ... 47
2 Leevale A.C. (A) 4, 13, 15, 16 ...  48
3 Raheny Shamrock A.C. (A) 1, 6, 19, 25 ... 51
4 Dundrum South Dublin A.C. (A) 5, 17, 35, 38 ... 95
5 Donore Harriers (1) (A) 23, 27, 28, 34... 112
6 East Cork A.C. (A) 11, 12, 29, 64... 116

The four scoring members of the Leevale AC team were...
31:55 4 Ryan Creech Leevale A.C. (A)
32:26 13 Ciarán Ó Lionáird Leevale A.C. (A)
32:38 15 Colm Sheahan Leevale A.C. (A)
32:39 16 Bryan Keane Leevale A.C. (A)

Links to the full results can be found on the Athletics Ireland website HERE.

Photos...
1) Seamus McDaid has a gallery HERE
2) David Bradshaw has two galleries... Mens Race ... Womens Race
3) As always, Kieran Carlin of Finn Valley AC has some great photos HERE
4) West Waterford AC have a gallery HERE 

Results of the Cloyne Commons 4k race...Sun 22nd Nov 2015

A total of 243 runners took part in this 4km race in Cloyne on Sun 22nd Nov 2015.

1 13:27    SHEEHAN, Nigel    Youghal AC    M    05:24.6
2 14:00    HARTY, Brian    Midleton AC    M    05:37.8
3 14:13    CROWLEY, Bryan    Watergrasshill AC    M40    05:43.1
27 16:22    LEAHY, Eileen    Midleton AC    F    06:35.0
39 17:04    O'DONNELL, Claire    unatt/Cork    F    06:51.9
52 17:55    FOUHY, Aoife    Midleton AC    F    07:12.4 

The full results can be seen HERE

Results of the Cork Airport 5k run...Sun 22nd Nov 2015

There was a big turn out for this 5k run in Cork Airport organised by the Irish Independent newspaper.

1    Michael BRUTON         15:54
2    Ian TIVY         16:34
3    David MCEVOY         17:32
29    Katie HICKSON    20:04
35    Marian HEFFERNAN         20:18
42    Brigita LUKSTE    20:36

The full results can be seen HERE

Results of the Tramore Valley Park 5k parkrun...Sat 21st Nov 2015

After the cancellation and flooding of last week, this weeks 5k parkrun in Tramore Valley Park in Cork City attracted 164 runners. That's the lowest to date and perhaps a sign that the numbers are beginning to level off into a longer term pattern.

1    Shane SIMCOX    16:54    M    1
2    Conor DOLAN    17:03    M    2
3    Bryan CROWLEY    17:27    M    3    Watergrasshill AC
18    Louise KEANE    21:02    F    1
19    Elaine GUINANE    21:04    F    2    Eagle A.C.
26    Marie O NEILL    21:36    F    3 

The full results can be seen HERE

Other News Items...Fri 20th Nov 2015

Some other news items from various media sources...

1) Irish athlete Mary Cullen...her struggle with injury & competing against dopers...Irish Independent

2) An ex-sprinter from the Soviet Union who didn't go down the path of doping... Associated Press

3) Interview with Renee Anne Shirley who blew the whistle on the complete lack of doping tests in Jamaica...Sports Scientists

4) Sonia O'Sullivan gives her views on the status of drugs testing around the world... Irish Times

Jack Dowling...the forgotten Irish racewalker

Born in 1929 in Tramore, Co.Waterford, Jack Dowling had a tough childhood having been placed in an orphanage at the age of 5 and later in an industrial school. As an adult, he moved to Sheffield in England in the 1950's to work in the coal mines. While there, he took up running at a local athletics club and then made the switch to race walking, a sport in which he flourished.

He became famous in France for his success in the Paris – Roubaix race walking challenge and walked in the Race of the Century , a 1,000 mile event in New York in 1988. He is also one of very few ‘centurions’ , race walkers who have completed more than 100 miles in a competition in under 24 hours.

He also made history back in 1982 when he race walked the length of Ireland from Malin to Mizen. After starting on the 18th of March at Malin Head, he finished in darkness at Mizen Head in West Cork on the morning of the 24th of March. He had race walked under supervision the 644km (400.2 miles) in five days, 22 hours and 30 minutes. That's an incredible 60-70 miles per day.

Here are a few of his records:
* 1,000 miles    * 1000 kilometres    * 1500 kilometres    * 3 day track record
* 6 day track record * 100 miles in less than 24hrs (completed over 70 times)
* Won 1st ever British Veteran 10 k Championship road walk
* Roubaix 28hr race. 1st person to complete 10, 15 and 20 times
* 5 x Rouen 24hr race, at which the best distance was 207 kilometres
* Entries in the Guinness Book of Records

He has also completed the John 'o' Groats to Lands End and is the only person ever to race walk end to end on both Islands.

There is a 40 minute podcast on the RTE Radio website HERE

Runners complete 17 mile half-marathon after course mistake

At the Bangkok Half-Marathon last weekend, runners got more than they bargained for when a mistake by a race official added 4 miles to the 13.1 mile course.

Organised by the Jogging Association of Thailand, this 17 mile 'ultra' half-marathon "admitted that a technical error happened during the half-marathon event".They said that race officials responsible for pointing runners in the right direction inadvertently directed them to make a U-turn at the wrong place.

The Athletic Association of Thailand, which oversees athletic events in the country said...“It added more than 3km [1.8 miles] to each lap, therefore more than 6km were added to the whole half-marathon. We have rebuked the association but we could not do anything else.”
 
The event’s Facebook page was filled with comments afterwards from runners who described the error as “ridiculous”, a “massive miscalculation” and “incredibly dangerous” for runners who had trained to run just 13 miles.

Others joked...“Hey, they increased the price this year, so you get more kilometres for your money.”

O'Sullivan wins 800m race in Victoria, Australia

It sounds like a headline from 20 years ago but this time around, it's Sonia O'Sullivan's daughter Sophie who is on a winning streak. At some recent Schools Championships in Victoria, Sophie has been winning a number of races in the U15 category.

VICTORIAN ALL SCHOOLS CHAMPIONSHIPS 2015
Sophie O’Sullivan   
High Jump      1.50m  4th
800m        2:15.36     GOLD
1500m      4:41.60     GOLD


Back in October, Sophie who runs for Ballymore-Cobh AC when she is in Ireland posted these results...
Sophie O’Sullivan  U14
High J         1.52m           1st
800m            2:17.48        1st
1500m         4:59.46        1st
400m            62.29            2nd

The video clip shows Sophie winning the Girls U15 800m race in 2m 15s. She is in purple and leads from early on.

Athletics track in Letterkenny under water...Nov 2015

Earlier this year in July, there were a number of high profile races on the athletics track in Letterkenny, Co.Donegal including a steeplechase race where three Irish women qualified for the Olympic Games...Kerry O'Flaherty, Michelle Finn & Sara Treacy.

Fast forward to November and the track is now under water. The photo below shows the Danny McDaid Track at the Aura Leisure Centre in Letterkenny and what it used to look like...(notice the yellow arrow on the left)...

This is the view from where the yellow arrow is after all the recent rain...

Whether its just need some cleaning or if there is more longer term damage remains to be seen. If the water gets under the track surface then they could be in right trouble.

Letterkenny AC are based there.

Results & photos of the British & Irish Masters Cross Country...Sun 15th Nov 2015

One of the big cross country races last weekend was the annual British & Irish Masters Cross Country Championship which was held in Dublin this year. In among the large contingent of Irish athletes, there was a few from Cork with some wearing an Irish singlet for the first time.

Medals for Carmel Parnell & Carmel Crowley. Photo:Gearóid Ó Laoi

British & Irish Masters Race 1...Women/M65,70,75 XC
In the first race, it was a case of the two Carmels. Carmel Crowley of Bandon AC won an individual Bronze in the W45 category and a team Gold. In the W60 section, Carmel Parnell of Leevale AC took an individual Gold and a team Silver. This was I believe the 10th year that Carmel has won her category in this competition, an amazing achievement and a new record for the British & Irish Masters XC event.

These are some of the other athletes from Cork & Munster......
9. Adele Walsh of St.Senans AC W40....wins a Team Silver medal
18. Rosaleen MacKeown of Leevale AC...W40
1. Jackie Carthy from Wexford...W45 ...Individual Gold and team Gold
4. Niamh O'Sullivan of An Ríocht AC in Kerry...W50... team Bronze
10. Mary Sweeney of St.Finbarr's AC W55
12. Joan Hough of Midleton AC W55
9. Mary Jennings of Waterford AC...W60 ...team Silver
12. Carmel MacDomhaill of West Limerick AC... W60

In the Mens M65 category, Pat O'Shea of Iveragh AC in Kerry won a team Gold. Richard Piotrowski of Eagle AC helped his native England to a team Silver.

The full individual results for W35-W70 & M65-M75 can be seen HERE

In terms of teams, these are the results...

Women 35
Place        1    2    3    Total
1    Ireland    1    2    4    7
2    England    5    6    7    18
3    Scotland    3    12    16    31
4    Northern Ireland    9    10    13    32
5    Wales    14    15    17    46
                   
Women 40
Place        1    2    3    Total
1    England    1    2    3    6
2    Ireland    4    6    9    19
3    Scotland    7    8    10    25
4    Northern Ireland    5    11    13    29
5    Wales    12    16    17    45
                   
Women 45
Place        1    2    3    Total
1    Ireland    1    2    3    6
2    Northern Ireland    5    7    10    22
3    England    4    6    13    23
4    Wales    11    12    17    40
5    Scotland    8    16    18    42
                   
Women 50
Place        1    2    3    Total
1    England    1    3    7    11
2    Scotland    2    9    11    22
3    Ireland    4    6    13    23
4    Northern Ireland    5    10    16    31
5    Wales    14    15    18    47
                   
Women 55
Place        1    2    3    Total
1    England    1    2    3    6
2    Wales    4    5    14    23
3    Scotland    6    9    11    26
4    Ireland    7    10    12    29
                   
Women 60
Place        1    2    3    Total
1    England    2    3    4    9
2    Ireland    1    6    9    16
3    Scotland    5    8    13    26
4    Wales    7    10    15    32
                   
Women 65
Place        1    2    3    Total
1    Ireland    3    6    7    16
2    England    1    2    14    17
3    Wales    5    9    10    24
4    Scotland    4    12    13    29
                   
Women 70
Place        1    2    3    Total
1    England    1    5    8    14
2    Ireland    4    9    10    23
3    Wales    7    11    13    31

Men 65
Place        1    2    3    Total
1    Ireland    1    2    8    11
2    England    5    6    9    20
3    Scotland    7    11    14    32
4    Northern Ireland    4    13    15    32
5    Wales    3    16    17    36
                  
Men 70
Place        1    2    3    Total
1    England    1    3    4    8
2    Scotland    5    6    9    20
3    Northern Ireland    2    10    14    26
4    Ireland    11    12    15    38
5    Wales    7    16    18    41
                  
Men 75
Place        1    2    3    Total
1    England    1    3    4    8
2    Scotland    2    6    8    16
3    Ireland    5    7    9    21
4    Wales    11    12    16    39

**************
British & Irish Masters XC Race 2...M50,55,60
In the second race, Eamonn McEvoy of St.Finbarr's AC was in the M60 category

The full individual results for M50-M60 can be seen HERE

In terms of teams, these are the results...

MEN 50
Place        1    2    3    4    Total
1    England    3    4    5    6    18
2    Ireland    1    7    8    9    25
3    Wales    2    15    17    23    57
4    Northern Ireland    18    19    20    22    79
5    Scotland    14    21    24    26    85
                      
Men 55
Place        1    2    3        Total
1    Ireland    1    6    9    x    16
2    Scotland    2    5    15    x    22
3    England    4    11    13    x    28
4    Wales    3    14    17    x    34
5    Northern Ireland    7    10    18    x    35
                      
Men 60
Place        1    2    3        Total
1    Ireland    1    2    3    x    6
2    England    4    5    6    x    15
3    Scotland    7    8    11    x    26
4    Northern Ireland    10    16    18    x    44
5    Wales    13    15    17    x    45

**************

British & Irish Masters XC Race 3...M35,40,45

In the third race of the day, Michael Harty of East Cork AC continued his current fine form to win the M35 title and help the Irish team secure M35 Gold.

Stuart Maloney of Mooreabbey Milers in Tipperary and Tim Twoomey of Leevale AC also won team Gold medals in the M35 category.

In the M45 category, Frank Hayes of East Cork AC won a team Silver.

The full individual results for M35-M45 can be seen HERE

In terms of teams, these are the results...

Men 35
Place        1    2    3    4    Total
1    Ireland    1    4    5    6    16
2    England    2    3    8    16    29
3    Scotland    7    13    15    17    52
4    Northern Ireland    12    14    18    19    63
5    Wales    10    21    25    27    83
                       
Men 40
Place        1    2    3    4    Total
1    Ireland    2    3    4    9    18
2    England    1    6    8    12    27
3    Scotland    7    14    18    19    58
4    Wales    5    16    17    25    63
5    Northern Ireland    15    21    23    26    85
                       
Men 45
Place        1    2    3    4    Total
1    England    1    4    8    9    22
2    Northern Ireland    2    5    10    15    32
3    Ireland    3    6    11    14    34
4    Scotland    7    20    21    23    71
5    Wales    17    22    26    28    93

Photos........(Updated Wed 3pm)
1) Paddy Parrott has a gallery HERE
2) Ray Thornberry has a large set HERE
3) PJR Photography has a large gallery HERE
4) Ballyroan, Abbeyleix & District have a gallery HERE
5) DE Photo Ireland have a gallery HERE

Michael Harty of East Cork AC wins an individual Gold in the M35 category and a team Gold for Ireland

Results & Photos of the Cork BHAA 5k race in Little Island...Sun 15th Nov 2015

204 runners turned out for this Cork BHAA 5k race in Little Island on Sunday the 15th of November. The morning was pretty dreary although it was more of a case of it actually looking worse than it actually was. The numbers were down a bit of what might be expected so maybe the weather turned off a few people? On the other hand, the numbers were up on the 186 at the start of the month when they had a 5k at the Marina.

1  Nigel Sheehan M1 00:16:53 Nash Brothers Electrical
2 Darragh Canavan M2 00:17:04 Cleancork.ie
3 Finbarr O'Dwyer 0/40A M3 00:17:06 IPS M-A-3
22 Lorna Davey-Fitzgerald 0/35H F1 00:19:22 HSE F-A-1
29 Joan Ennis 0/50K F2 00:19:46 Avondhu MF
35 Clodagh McMorrow 00:19:54 Temp Reg

The full results can be seen HERE

Photos...
1) Kieran Minihane has a gallery of photos HERE

The next Cork BHAA gig is the Turkey Trot on the 13th of December. It's usually €10 and all the funds go to charity.

 

Visually Impaired Runner Sinead Kane from Cork completes Volcano Marathon in South America

Sinead Kane who is from Youghal in Co.Cork today completed the Volcano Marathon in Chile in South America. This is one of the most grueling marathons on the continent with a start altitude of 4,475 metres (14,682 feet). That's no too far off the height of Mt.Blanc, the highest mountain in Western Europe so the thin air is a major factor. With the clear skies and dry conditions, it makes for a really hard challenge.

Sinead's time was just over 8 hours. To put that in perspective, the first man finished in 4h 42m.

Sinead's guide on this occasion was John O'Regan who is an Irish International Ultra-Runner.

Back in July of this year, Sinead completed the Belfast 12 hour race for her longest ultra to date.

What's next??

Elvery Sports take over Mahers Sports in Cork City

There are three main stores in Cork City that cater for runners...John Buckley Sports, Edge Sports and Mahers Sports.

It was announced today that Elvery Sports are now taking over the Mahers Sports shop on Olivier Plunkett Street.

In a statement on Facebook, Mahers Sports said the following..."After 40 event filled years of trading in Cork it is with enormous pride that Mahers Sports announce we will become part of Elverys-Intersport. Eleverys will be taking over the business plus sales and store staff, so our much appreciated customers will still be able to enjoy the relationship you may have forged with our staff over the years.

Business will continue as normal in store, with Elverys also honouring all Mahers Sports gift vouchers and credit notes.

We wish to sincerely thank all of our customers and sales staff, as they have contributed the most of the success of Mahers. By way of appreciation we would like to invite our customers to avail of 25% off for the month of November in store and online. We hope you will warmly welcome Elverys to Oliver Plunkett St. and will support them in an exciting future for further developing Cork city centre retail."

There is a short article about it in the Irish Examiner HERE

Notice...RNLI Reindeer Run...Skibbereen 22nd Nov & Fota 29th Nov 2015

This one might be of interest to anyone with young families or want to take part in a fun event while helping out the RNLI. There is a 5km Reindeer Run in Liss Ard Estate near Skibbereen on Sunday the 22nd of November and another one on the grounds of Fota House on Sunday the 29th of November.

Update...The rescheduled Reindeer Run in Fota will take place on Sunday the 24th of January 2016.

Entries......

Sun 22nd Nov...5k @11am / 10k @12 noon...Liss Ard Estate, Skibbereen...Click HERE

Sun 29th Nov ...5k @11am / 10k @12 noon...Fota Estate...Click HERE

From the RNLI......World champion Derval O’Rourke launches two RNLI Reindeer Runs in Cork 

The RNLI, the charity that saves lives at sea, has joined forces with World champion and European sprint hurdle medalist Derval O’Rourke to launch two RNLI Reindeer Runs in County Cork.

RNLI crew members Stephen Hurley from Union Hall RNLI, Liam Harty from Helvick Head RNLI, Martin Morris from Youghal RNLI and Shane Hurley from Union Hall RNLI (front) pictured with World champion Derval O’Rourke at the launch of the RNLI Reindeer Runs which will take place in Fota House and Gardens and Liss Ard Estate.

The three time Olympian athlete and author joined volunteer lifeboat crew from Cork to kick-start the festivities for the upcoming reindeer runs which will take place later this month. The events will be held at Liss Ard Estate in Skibbereen on Sunday 22 November and Fota House and Gardens outside Cobh on Sunday 29 November.

Due to the popularity of the reindeer run at Fota House which is now in its fourth year, the charity has introduced an extra venue at Liss Ard Estate. The stunning 200-acre site in West Cork is located close to the RNLI’s newest lifeboat station at Union Hall which was established on a trial basis in September last year.

Derval was joined by Union Hall RNLI crew members and Castlehaven GAA brothers Shane and Stephen Hurley, Helvick Head RNLI crew member Liam Harty and Youghal RNLI crew member Martin Morris.

Born and raised in County Cork where the RNLI has eight lifeboat stations, RNLI supporter Derval, is familiar with the charity’s lifesaving work: ‘Living in Cork, I am all too aware of the search and rescue work the RNLI carries out around the coast and of the commitment of its lifeboat crews who dedicate themselves to regular training and to responding to their pagers at any time of the day or night.

‘Having experienced the festive spirit at an RNLI reindeer run for the first time last year, I am delighted to see that the event is going from strength to strength and that the RNLI has introduced an additional venue for West Cork. These events are a great way for us to build in some exercise into what can be a hectic season while showing our support for our lifeboat crews as they continue to save lives at sea.’

Looking forward to the first reindeer run at Liss Ard Estate which begins at 10.30am, Stephen Hurley from Union Hall RNLI said: ‘We have had a busy first year in Union Hall and have been overwhelmed by the goodwill shown by the people of West Cork and much further afield.

‘Last year, RNLI lifeboats in Cork launched 163 times, bringing 218 people to safety. While the figures show that our lifeboat crews are busy all year round, some of our most challenging call outs will occur over the winter months. However, having the support of people who so generously fundraise and sign up to take part in events such as the reindeer run, means that we can avail of first class training and equipment and be ready to answer the call and help someone in need when our pagers go off.’ 

The second reindeer run in Cork takes place on Sunday, 29 November at Fota House and Gardens, starting at 10.30am.
 
All abilities and ages are catered for with participants choosing from a 5km or 10km walk/run or a shorter Santa Saunter.  Registration is now open online at rnli.org/reindeer and costs €20 for the 5K and €22 for the 10K. Children’s tickets are €10 and a family ticket (two adults and two children) is €55. All participants in the 5K and 10K will receive an RNLI Reindeer Run t-shirt, a pair of antlers and a car sticker.

Key facts about the RNLI.....The RNLI charity saves lives at sea. Its volunteers provide a 24-hour search and rescue service around the Ireland and the UK. The RNLI operates over 230 lifeboat stations with 44 in Ireland. The RNLI is independent of the Coast Guard and government and depends on voluntary donations and legacies to maintain its rescue service. Since the RNLI was founded in 1824 its lifeboat crews and lifeguards have saved over 137,000 lives. The RNLI is a charity registered in England, Scotland and the Republic of Ireland.

Charity number CHY 2678 in the Republic of Ireland and registered in England and Wales (209603) and Scotland (SCO37736)

Additional Info...This is the approx route for the event in Fota.

 While the route isn't the exact same of the Rebel Run4Fun 5k which was held there last August, much of it is the same. You can see some photos of that route HERE which should give you a good idea of what it's like.

For more info on Liss Ard Estate, go to http://www.lissardestate.com/

Have a look at the 'Directions' tab and also at the photos of the garden in the 'Gallery'.

Results & Photos of the Run in the Dark 5k & 10k in Cork...Wed 11th Nov 2015

The annual Run in the Dark charity 5k & 10k was held in Cork City on Wednesday the 11th of November and attracted a huge field of over 2100 runners and walkers.

5km
1 Geoffrey CASEY    00:18:16    Male
2 Sean MURPHY     00:16:31    Male
3 Michael MURPHY    00:19:03    Male
4 John MORRIN    00:19:52    Male
5 John RAMSAY    00:19:38    Male
1 Aoife MCCARTHY    00:19:20    Female
2 Ann GEARY    00:20:36    Female
3 Clodagh MCMORROW    00:21:16    Female
4 Marie CONDON    00:22:06    Female
5 Louise LONG    00:22:11    Female 

The 5km results can be seen HERE

10km
1 Daniel FIELDHOUSE    00:37:20    Male
2 Tim CROWLEY    00:37:36    Male
3 Jerry WALSH    00:37:47    Male
4 David HANLON    00:38:40    Male
5 Micheal MCGRATH    00:38:52    Male
1 Mary KELLEHER    00:41:31    Female
2 Ali O'CONNOR    00:42:03    Female
3 Suzanne HURLEY    00:39:37    Female
4 Elizabeth ROSS    00:40:34    Female
5 Dolores DUFFY    00:43:03    Female 

The 10km results can be seen HERE

Photos...
1) Kieran Minihane has a gallery of photos HERE
2) The organisers have a gallery of photos HERE
 

The Russian Doping scandal & Rob Heffernan...

As many of you will have seen and heard, the running and athletics media news sources have been full of details of the doping scandal in athletics. A report from WADA...the World Anti-Doping Agency...found that the Russian state was behind an elaborate doping system in the country. Add to this the fact that the French police are investigating Lamine Diack, the former head of the IAAF...the governing body for international athletics.... then the whole sport comes under the spotlight.

There was a good radio programme on BBC Radio about the scandal (1h 18m)... HERE
It's obvious from listening to it that there is a lot more to come out yet with some countries like Kenya and Jamaica coming under suspicion.

The current IAAF president Seb Coe doesn't come out of this looking too good either as he was the Vice-President for the last seven years.



How it relates to Rob Heffernan.......At the Olympics in London in August of 2012, Sergei Kirdyapkin won the Gold medal in the 50km walk. Rob Heffernan finished 4th in the same event.

Kirdyapkin was subsequently found to have been doping so the Russian Anti-Doping Agency RUSADA announced back in January of 2015 that he would be banned for three years and two months from 15.10.2012, with the cancellation of the results of the July 20, 2009 - September 20, 2009, June 29, 2010 - August 29, 2010 December 17, 2011 - June 11, 2012.

Needless to say, the Russians were cherry picking the ban dates so that he could keep his medals which is a farce. In March of 2015, the IAAF said they were not accepting this and they have filed an appeal with the Court of Arbitration (CAS) in Lausanne, Switzerland. If that appeal is upheld then the Russian should be stripped of his Gold and Rob Heffernan will be upgraded to Bronze.

Back to the WADA report. This is what it said about Kirdyapkin and the IAAF....

Sample 11 was taken on 10 August 2012 during the Olympic Games, one day before the 50 km walk event won by Mr. Kirdyapkin. The period between April to May 2012 was considered to be abnormal (samples nine and ten) as the athlete’s haemoglobin concentration increased by almost 30 g/L in less than one month. Sample nine showed slightly elevated reticulocytes, which is suggestive of stimulated erythropoiesis (but low haemoglobin value), while sample ten showed a high and abnormal haemoglobin level (161 g/L). In addition, samples nine and ten were taken in the lead up to a major competition in Saransk.
It was also considered possible by one of the ABP expert panel members that the athlete withdrew his blood in January and/or April 2012 and then re-infused it in May 2012. This hypothesis was raised by two of the ABP expert panel members, one of whom proposed that the increase in haemoglobin values from early 2012 (126-132 to 16 g/L) was suggestive of the use of autologous blood collection and reinfusion in preparation for the Olympic Games. However, despite clear and problematic abnormalities in Mr.Kirdyapkin’s ABP in the period leading up to the London 2012 Olympic Games, he was nevertheless allowed to compete. Although the ABP expert panel provided its opinion in October and November 2012, the results of the abnormal samples mentioned above would have been known to the IAAF prior to the Olympic Games.

As you can see, the WADA report says Kirdyapkin shouldn't have even been competing due to his blood values let alone win a medal.

International Olympic Committee (IOC) president Thomas Bach said on Wednesday his organisation would continue to apply a zero-tolerance policy to doping, and that Olympic medals would be withdrawn from any Russian athlete named in the Wada report who is found guilty of doping.

It's hard to see how Rob Heffernan won't get an Olympic Bronze now.

Earlier today, Rob's agent released the following statement...

Expect this to drag on for a while yet.