Racewalker Kate Veale secures her 8th National title

Kate Veale of West Waterford AC secured her 8th National Senior Indoor Title today in the Women's 3000m walk.

Guest Post: Personal Best 20k time for Kate Veale in Spain ...by James Veale

PB FOR KATE VEALE IN SPAIN

After winning her 7th National Senior indoor title the previous week, it was onto Spain for Kate Veale for the National Spanish 20 k race walking championships which were held in the city of Zaragoza on Sunday 25th February 2024.

Conditions were ideal for racing with a full program of juvenile and senior races for what is one of worlds strongest race walking nations. Kate made the trip hoping to to give a big performance but came home with a mixed bag as despite a few days sickness coming into the race which was no help. She clocked a time of 1h 37m 35s for 12th place and a new personal best time by 17 seconds. 

Kate will now go on to race next in the British national 10k championships in two weeks time .

Guest Post: Gold for Kate Veale in National Indoor Championships... by James Veale

123.IE NATIONAL SENIOR INDOORS - GOLD FOR KATE VEALE - 18th Feb 2024

At the 123.ie national senior indoor championships last weekend at the Abbottstown arena in Dublin, Kate Veale made it 7 from 7 on the bounce in the 3,000 metres walk when took her 7th national indoors senior title.

Women 3,000m Walk
1 Kate VEALE   West Waterford A.C. 12:27.82         
2 Aisling LANE Mullingar Harriers A.C. 14:21.57       
3 Ciara WILSON BOWEN Dundrum South Dublin A.C. 14:39.53

Her time of 12m 27.82s was a 13 second PB indoors and now moves her to 2nd in the all-time Irish list behind Gillian O Sullivan with Olive Loughnane now 3rd after being overtaken by Kate. That time also ranks her 4th in the world indoor fastest times of 2024. 

We wish Kate the very best this weekend as she travels to Spain for the national Spanish championship in Zaragoza on Sunday. 

Kate Veale takes double Gold at the Irish National Racewalking Championships - Dec 2022

Top Irish racewalker Kate Veale from Dungarvan took two national titles at the Irish racewalking championships in Dublin last weekend.

Report from West Waterford AC... KATE VEALE TAKES DOUBLE GOLD AT 123.IE NATIONAL RACE WALKING CHAMPIONSHIPS.

Sunday last saw the last of the national athletics championships for 2022 when the 123.ie sponsored national Senior 20k and 35k and 10k junior were held in St Ann’s Park Raheny and hosted by Raheny Shamrocks AC. 

The event was also a World Bronze medal category event which is important for the athletes competing as points gained go on the ranking tables for other major competitions.In the 35 KM this year the 20 KM was also incorporated both starting together, Kate Veale was defending her 35 km (21.75 miles) title and also defending her 20 km (12.43 miles) crown also. 

She walked very evenly all through and came through the 20 km mark in 1.48.06 to take the gold medal and continued on to complete the double when also taking gold in the 35 km in a good time of 3.09.41. 

This time will set Kate up well over the 35k distance heading into a new year and season, The races were open to athletes from other countries also and in Kate's 20 km race she was second to Noelia Vargas Costa Rica who clocked 1.38.33 and in the 35k she was a close second to Marya Vicentainer Brazil who clocked 3.08.28.

Irish racewalker Kate Veale finishes first at Dutch 10km racewalking championships

Top Irish racewalker Kate Veale from Waterford was in action last weekend in the Netherlands and finished first in the 10k at the Dutch racewalking championships in Tilburg.

As can be seen from the results below, international athletes were also allowed to take part.

Kate finished in a time of 48 minutes and 15 seconds on what was a very wet day.

Top Irish racewalker Kate Veale wins 5k race in the Czech Republic

 

Despite the obvious challenges, some of Ireland's top international athletes are still training hard and taking part in select events. Kate Veale from Waterford is one of the top female Irish race walkers and she finished first in a 5k race in the Czech Republic over the weekend.

Kate's winning time was 23m 13s which is about 7:30/mile pace. Remember that this is race walking and not running!

The 5k race was at the 55th annual Olomouc race walking Czech national championships.

1 Kate Veale Ireland 23.13
2 Anett Torma Hungary 25.19

3 Adéla Veselková Sports Athletic Club (SAK) Rumburk 25:19
4 Adéla Pittnerová SK PAVIL 26:24
5 Alžběta Franklová SK 26:32
6 Katka Nedvídková AC Rumburk PB 26:47
7 Stepanka Pohlova Kucerova TJ Sokol Hradec SB 27:02
8 Anna Horáková AC Rumburk 28:23
9 Nina Poštová  28:23 

10 Bibiána Jančová 28:29:00

(Top 10)

Kate who now heads to altitude for a couple of weeks training.

Female US Racewalker qualifies for trials but can't go to Olympics...

I came across this story earlier this week from the New York Times.

Erin Taylor-Talcott is an American racewalker. After posting a time of 4:41:36 in a recent 50k race, her time was actually faster than the United States men’s Olympic trials standard of 4:45. The only catch though is that there is no 50k racewalk for women at the US trials or at the Olympics.

From the New York Times....
"A 20-kilometer (12.4-mile) racewalk became an Olympic sport for women in 1992. There is also a separate 20K race for men. The I.A.A.F. said there was insufficient interest among female competitors to hold an Olympic race at 50 kilometers, calling the event “pretty much nonexistent.” Yet, Taylor-Talcott excels at the longer distance, having won first place in the past two 50K United States championships for women, a race that is contested nationally but not internationally in major meets. Unofficially, she is the 14th-fastest woman ever at 50K, recording her best time on Sept. 11 at a race in Ocean Township, N.J. And she is faster than some elite American men in a sport that requires competitors to keep one foot on the ground at all times and to straighten their leading leg as the body passes over it."

On Wednesday she finally gained provisional entry into the trials and, according to a spokeswoman for USA Track and Field, perhaps became the first woman to do so in a men’s event. Taylor-Talcott can compete in the 50K Olympic trials as a so-called guest upon agreeing not to try to participate in the men’s event at the London Games, the national governing body said."

While Taylor-Talcott will be allowed to take part in the 50k mens race to highlight the issue, she is very unlikely to reach the 2012 Olympic participation standard of 4 hours 9 minutes for men.

It does however raise an interesting dilema....what would happen if say the worlds fastest 50k female racewalker actually achieved the mens qualifying time? Would she be refused entry based on her gender?

The New York Times article can be seen in full HERE

RTE interview with Cork based Racewalker Olive Loughnane

In this short video clip, Jacqui Hurley of RTE interviews Irish international racewalker Olive Loughnane who lives in Coachford in Cork.
Olive Loughnane won the silver medal in the 20km walk in the World Championships in Berlin in 2009 and is currently preparing for the 2011 World Championships in Daegu in South Korea in August.

Video link HERE

If you have any problems viewing it then click on the 'widescreen' option above...(rectangle to the left of the volume control)

Results of the AAI Racewalking Championships...Sun 30th Jan 2011

The AAI National Walking Championships took place in Cork this year for a change. It was held on the Monaghan Road/Centre Park road circuit last Sunday, the 30th of January in what were very cold conditions with the temperature just below freezing.

The winner of the mens 30 km race was Robert Heffernan of Togher AC who also set a new national record of 2 hours 7 minutes and 48 seconds in the process. (6:51/mile pace)

Laura Reynolds (Mohill AC) won the women’s 20k walk in 1:38:08, while Kate Veale (West Waterford AC) won the 7.5k race.

Details;
Men 30k; 1. Robert Heffernan (Togher AC) 2:07:48 (6:51/mile); 2. Colin Griffin (Ballinamore AC) 2:13:59 (7:11/mile) ; 3. Jeff Cassin (Finn Valley AC) 2:21:17 (7:35/mile).

Women 20k; 1. Laura Reynolds (Mohill AC) 1:38:08 (7:54/mile)

7.5k
Kate Veale (West Waterford AC) 35:36 (7:38/mile); Fiona Dennehy (St. Senan’s AC) 44:16; Paul Murphy (Claremorris AC) 44:34

15k
Cian McManamon (Westport AC) 1:14:48

10k
Michael Moran (Claremorris AC) 49:47; Emma Doherty (North Belfast Harriers) 53:32; Robert O’Neill (Togher AC)

5k
Caoimhe Casey 28:36; Dylan Carty 28:41; Simon Gilespie (Balina AC) 29:03; Stephanie Morley (Claremorris AC) 31:22; Laura Bestie 31:43

2.5k
Andrew Bell 15:18; Siobhan Hennessy (Moycarky Coocroo AC) 15:40; Clodagh Morley 15:48; Saoirse Oliver 21:15