Reminder...Cloyne 5k road race - Wed 7th July 2013

Just a reminder that the Cloyne 5 km road race is coming up on Wednesday, the 7th of August at 7:30pm.

Race flyer in this earlier post.

A full preview of the course with maps, directions, photos and description can be seen HERE

Dave Brady passes the 300 Marathon mark...

Dave Brady who is a member of Raheny Shamrocks AC in Dublin recently completed his 300th Marathon. Having started in 1986, it took him 21 years to do the first 100 and just 6 years to do the next 200.

To mark the achievement, Dave was presented with a special plaque at a recent East of Ireland Marathon in Howth, Co.Dublin by race directors Frank McDermott and Ger Copeland.

Dave also has the current Irish record of having completed 47 Marathons in one year.

Photo credit...Hannah Levy Photography

Lizzie Lee from Cork wins National Half-Marathon...Mon 5th Aug 2013

Fiona Roche, Lizzie Lee & Gladys Ganiel

The National Half Marathon was held on Monday, the 5th of August in conjunction with the Rock 'n' Roll Dublin Half-Marathon. In the womens race, Lizzie Lee from Cork took the title in a time of 1h 14m 48s, about three minutes faster than her previous best time. In a post race interview, Lizzie said...“Winning the Woodie’s DIY National Title was a big target for me and this is my first national road gold medal“.

Gladys Ganiel of North Belfast Harriers finished second in a new personal best time of 1h 15m 09s.

In the mens race, Mark Christie of Mullingar Harriers was the winner in a time of 1:06.09, his first race over the half-marathon distance. Mark, who is coached by Jerry Kiernan said in a post race interview...."I missed out on an Olympic A qualifying standard for London by eight seconds and I felt a bit disillusioned after that. I only ran periodically for several months and it was only in recent months when I joined Jerry Kiernan’s training group that I got my enthusiasm back for training and racing. I know that I need to increase my training mileage if I am to continue to race at this distance and beyond. I became a full –time athlete when I was training for the London Olympics, but I am back now in full-time employment and happy with the way things are going for me. I was nice to win the Rock n Roll event and winning the Woodie’s DIY National Championship was an extra bonus for me.”

Top 10 men and women...
1    Mark Christie M 25    1:06:09
2    Sean Gearoid Hehir M 25    1:06:41
3    Gary O'Hanlon M 35    1:07:33
4    Eoin Flynn M 30    1:07:49
5    Robbie Matthews M 30    1:08:07
6    Michael McDiarmada M 25    1:08:22
7    Philip Harty M 30    1:08:24
8    Simon Ryan M 25    1:09:28
9    Brian Murphy M 30    1:10:35
10    Tudor Mircea M 18    1:10:43
Top 3 teams...Clonliffe Harriers AC, Rathfarmham AC, Raheny Shamrock AC
40    Lizzie Lee F 30 1:14:48
43    Gladys Ganiel    F 35    1:15:09
59    Fiona Roche    F 30    1:16:42
60    Claire McCarthy    F 35    1:17:01
80    Kate Cronin    F 25    1:18:43
100    Niamh Devlin    F 25    1:20:01
110    Elish Kelly    F 30    1:20:20
120    Fiona Stack    F 25    1:21:19
129    Angela McCann    F 40    1:21:49
142    Ann Lennon    F 45    1:22:29
Top 3 teams...Leevale AC, Raheny Shamrock AC, Mayo AC

Individual results can be seen on the Irish Independent website.  The full results of the Half-Marathon championships should be available from Athletics Ireland soon.

Photos...
1) JimmyMacsPics has a gallery HERE

Did you go to this event? Thoughts? Comments?

Results of the Kilmurry GAA 5k fun run & walk...Thurs 1st Aug 2013

About 170 people took part in this 5k fun run/walk organised by Kilmurry GAA club.

1 George Waugh 17.04
2 Paul Penney 18.57
3 Ivan Casey 19.19
13 Mary Sweeney 21.08
18 Catriona Delaney 22.06
31 Mairead McElroy 23.41

The full results can be seen HERE

Young Cork athletes win titles at the 2013 Celtic Games in Wales...

At the 2013 Celtic Games in Wales on Saturday the 3rd of August 2013, a number of athletes from Cork won their respective competitions. They were part of a large Irish team that took part in the event.

High Jump...U18...David Cussen from Old Abbey AC in Cork was the clear winner with a jump of 2.10 metres matching his personal best.

Long Jump...U18...Sam Healy of Leevale AC finished first with a jump of 6.81 metres.

800m...U18...Louise Shanahan of Leevale AC finished first in 2m 13.34s.

100m hurdles...U16...Jack Murphy of Leevale AC finished second in a time of 13.77 seconds.

Team events...U18 Women 4x100m Relay...The Irish team finished first in a time of 47.99 seconds...Sarah-Kate LACEY Shannen DAWKINS Annie STAFFORD Niamh MCNICHOLL

The full results can be seen HERE

Results of the Macroom Castle 5k Park Run...Sat 3rd Aug 2013

A total of 58 people took part in this 5k run. The results can be seen HERE

Should the Rock 'n' Roll Half-Marathon in Dublin be the National Championships???

The Rock 'n' Roll Dublin Half-Marathon is coming up on Bank Holiday Monday, the 5th of August. This is a new event in Ireland and differs from the usual Half-Marathon in that it has live music every mile and at the finish line.

The Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon Series is organised by an American commercial company which organises events in 26 North American cities and in various European cities each year.

This year, Athletics Ireland have decided to make the Rock 'n' Roll Half-Marathon the National Half-Marathon Championships. Up until the 1st of July, the entry fee for members of Athletic Clubs was €25 while non-members had to pay €49 up until the 29th of July. Anyone wishing to enter now can do so at the Expo for €55.

Background to the National Half-Marathon.....This has been organised with varying degrees of success over the last 15 years...

As you can see over the last decade, the events that are near population centres tend to be the ones that have attracted the largest crowds which is probably no great suprise.

In 2011 and 2012, the entry fee for the National Half-Marathon was €20 and both started at 1pm. This allowed plenty of time for people to travel to the event.


Rock 'n' Roll Dublin Half-Marathon.....It's likely that this event is sure to attract a very large field, almost certainly well up in the thousands. According to Athletics Ireland, there have been approximately 6,000 entries of which 700 were club runners. Considering it's international branding, there should be a large number of overseas visitors as well which is probably no bad thing as it brings tourists into the country. No doubt for many, this type of Half-Marathon with music at every mile will be major reason for entering.

Considering that the race starts at 8:30am then it will most likely mean that most people taking part from around the country will have to stay in Dublin overnight. Add in the traveling expenses and it soon becomes a very expensive Half-Marathon.

It would be fair to say that some club runners do not agree with the decision of Athletics Ireland to use the Rock 'n' Roll Half-Marathon as the National Championships.

Opinion.....This was sent to me by e-mail by a visitor to the site from the West of Ireland...

In my opinion the National half should be a stand-alone event. Surely it is not impossible for Athletics Ireland to organise a half marathon themselves---with the help of the many clubs and individuals who are well able to organise decent races and keep ALL the profits here for the promotion of the sport at both elite and grassroots level.

I am not at all happy with this as I feel that Athletics Ireland has sold out to a commercial group. I have no problem with some group organising a race and charging high entry fees---people have the choice to take part if they wish. But this is a step too far!!

I have a number of issues with the decision:
1) The winners of a national champion event should get their moment of glory by being first across the line.
2) All the profits should be ploughed back into the sport.
3) Why wasn't an Irish club asked to take on the event?
4) It is claimed that the event lost money in the past. The answer to that is to market it better---a field of 700 with no prize money (just medals)---profit could be €10,000.
5) Originally the entry fee started at €46 (rising to €55) with a derisory €2 discount for AI members. This has now been changed to €25 for AI members.

If it stays this way then the three National Championship road-racing events (10k, Half-Marathon and Marathon) will all be held in Dublin and be part of bigger races.

Last year, I had a post on the blog about how hardly any club athletes from Cork and most of Munster took part in the 2012 Half-Marathon Championships in Athenry in Galway. The main reasons for this were probably....1) Too far to travel..i.e. time and expense..... 2) Plenty of other Half-Marathons locally to choose from..... 3) The National Half is mainly of interest to elite athletes...for everyone else, it's just a local race.

With the Rock 'n' Roll race now becoming the National Half-Marathon, will it mainly attract club athletes in or near the capital in years to come?...a bit like the Great Ireland Run in the Phoenix Park.

Some questions...
1) Do you think the National Half-Marathon should stay in Dublin or move around the country like it did in the past?
2) Do you agree with the person from the West of Ireland that a commercial Half-Marathon should not be the National Half-Marathon Championships?
3) If you are from Cork or Munster, are you going to this event and why?

Comments? Click on the link below...

Results of the Corrin Hill 5 km trail run...Wed 31st July 2013

The first race of three in the South Munster Trail League was held on Wednesday, the 31st of July with a 5 km run in Corrin Hill woods near Fermoy. A total of 62 runners took part.

1    17:13.    Nick Simomin
2    18:10.    Frank Hayes
3    18:25.    Tom Blackburn
19    23.18.    Karen Kenny
20    23.32.    Aisling Murphy
21    23.42.    Mary McEvoy

The full results can be seen HERE

Sarah Lavin...Silver medalist at the recent European Athletics Junior Championships

At the Irish Senior Track and Field Championships in Dublin last weekend, Sarah Lavin of Emerald AC in Limerick won the Gold in the womens 100m hurdles in a winning time of 13.61 seconds.

Just one week earlier on the 20th of July, 19 year old Sarah won the Silver medal in the final of the European Athletics Junior Championships in Rieti, Italy. Sarah's time of 13.34 seconds was a new Irish Junior record for the event and she is currently the third fastest on the all time list for Irish women.

The gap between second and third in the final was just two one-hundredths of a second...

The race in full......(Actual race starts at 4:00)


Post race interview...


Medal ceremony...

So how does Sarah Lavins time of 13.34 seconds compare to Derval O'Rourkes times?

In 2000 when Derval was aged 19, her best time was 13.61 seconds. In 2003 aged 22, Derval broke the 13 second barrier when she ran 12.96 seconds. Derval's best time of 12.65 seconds was in 2010 when she was 29 years old.

They are of course two completely different athletes and there is no guarantee that Sarah can reach Derval's world class times but the potential is certainly there. It will be interesting to see how she progresses towards the 13 second barrier over the next few years.

Results of the Conna 5 km road race...Thurs 1st Aug 2013

The inaugural Conna 5 km road race which was organised by local club St.Catherines AC was held on Thursday evening, the 1st of August. Despite the poor conditions, the race attracted a large field of 192 runners which is an excellent number for a first outing.

The mens race was won by James McCarthy of East Cork AC in a time of 15:37 on what is a hilly course.  The first woman home was Aisling Moran of Leevale AC.

1    15:37    MCCARTHY, James    East Cork AC    M    05:01.5
2    15:45    MCGRATH, Sean    East Cork AC    M    05:04.1
3    17:26    HAYES, Frank    East Cork AC    M40    05:36.6
23    19:34    MORAN, Aisling    Leevale AC    F    06:17.7
43    20:38    BUCKLEY, Sheila    Midleton AC    F    06:38.3
49    20:56    O'KEEFFE, Maeve    St. Catherines AC    F    06:44.1

The full results can be seen HERE

Highlights of the 2013 Irish Senior Track & Field Championships...

The Irish Senior Track and Field Championships were held in Dublin last weekend, the 27th and 28th of July 2013.

The highlights can be seen on the RTE Player service HERE until the 20th of August.

Menu of events shown in the highlights...
1:30 to 6:40...Mens 800m final. With Mark English going in the mens 400m final, Paul Robinson took the title in a time of 1:48.92

6:40 to 8:20...Womens 100m Hurdles. 19 year old Sarah Lavin from Emerald AC in Limerick was in a class of her own when she won the title in a time of 13.61 seconds.

8:20 to 10:40...Mens 400m Hurdles. Thomas Barr takes the title in a time of 49.78 seconds, just ahead of Jason Harvey in 50.13. This was a PB for Jason by 0.14 seconds and he is currently the third fastest Irish man ever over the distance behind Thomas Barr in second.

12:45 to 15:30...Mens 400m...Brian Murphy retained his title in a time of 47.14 seconds. In a closely contested fine, he surged ahead of Mark English in the closing stages who finished in a time of 47.27, a slight improvement on his previous best of 47.56.


15:40 to 18:20...Womens 400m...Jennifer Carey was the clear winner in a time of 53.46 seconds. In second place, Sinead Denny ran 54.04 improving on her previous best of 54.09 and Shauna Cannon finished third in 54.24, improving on her previous best of 54.91.

21:15 to 23:10...Round-Up...In the womens javelin, Anita Fitzgibbon set a new Irish record of 54.92 metres.....Tori Pena won the womens pole vault in 4m 40cms...Mens triple jump...womens hammer...mens 200m -  Steven Colvert wins in 21.13 seconds...Kelly Proper takes Gold in the long jump, 200m and 4 x 100m relay.

23:10 to 25:00...Womens 100m...In awful conditions, Kelly Proper took her 4th Gold of the national championships when she won the 100m race in a time of 11.78 seconds.

25:00 to 26:40...Mens 100m...David Hynes won the Gold in a time of 10.64 seconds, just two hundredths of a second ahead of Steven Colvert who was closing fast and finished in 10.66

28:20 to 30:30...Womens 1500m...In heavy rain, Laura Crowe of An Ríocht AC in Kerry ran practically on her own to win her first national title in a time of

30:30 to 33:30...Mens 1500m...Eoin Everard out kicked David McCarthy in the final 100m to take the title in a time of 3:44.58.

Other events not shown...
In the mens 5,000m, Mark Christy of Mullingar Harriers won in a time of 14:07.18. Michael Mulhare of Portlaoise AC was second with 14:31.37 while James McCarthy of East Cork AC was third in 14:34.52.

In the mens 10,000m walk, Brendan Boyce of Letterkenny AC took the Gold in a time of 42:40.19, a new PB by 14 seconds. In second place, 19 year old Luke Hickey from Leevale AC in Cork finished in 43:34.61, well inside his previous best of 44:18. His time moves him from 26th to 11th fastest on the all time list for Irish performances. Both Brendan and Luke are coached by Robert Heffernan in Cork.

Results for all of the events can be seen HERE

Images courtesy of Athletics Ireland

UK Study finds that most adults son't exercise enough...

In a study done by the University of Bristol on the exercise patterns for more than a million people in England, it was found that most adults don't exercise enough. The UK government recommends people take moderate exercise at least 12 times in every four-week period and 80% of adults failed to achieve this.

The key findings were...
1) 8% of adults who were physically able to walk had not walked for even five minutes continuously during a four-week period
2) 46% had not walked for leisure for more than 30 minutes continuously.
3) 88% had not been swimming
4) 90% had not used a gym
5) 20% of people over the age of 16 had done only minimal amounts of physical activity.
6) Better-off and better-educated adults were most likely to exercise, while the poorer and least educated were most likely to be inactive.

The NHS in the UK recommends people exercise at moderate intensity for at least two and a half hours every week. This can include cycling, running, jogging, fast walking and hiking. Experts also recommend muscle-strengthening activities on two or more days a week to work major muscle groups (legs, hips, back, abdomen, chest, shoulders and arms).

The World Health Organisation estimates physical inactivity causes 1.9 million deaths a year worldwide. This includes 10% to 16% of breast cancer, colon cases and diabetes cases and about 22% of coronary heart disease cases.

Source...University of Bristol

Irish Athletics team announced for World Championships in Moscow...

A few days ago, Athletics Ireland announced the Irish team for the IAAF World Track and Field Championships in Moscow, Russia from the 10th to 18th of August.

The 11 athletes are...
Robert Heffernan-50km Walk (Togher AC)
Brian Gregan- 400m (Clonliffe Harriers) Coach:John Shields
Mark English - 800m (UCD AC) Coach: Teresa McDaid
Paul Robinson- 800m (St Cocas AC) coach: Robert Denmead
Brendan Boyce- 50km Walk (Letterkenny AC) Coach: Robert Heffernan
Paul Pollock- Marathon (Annadale Striders) Coach: Andy Hobdell
Jennifer Carey- 400m (Dundrum South Dublin) Coach: Travis Anderson
Rose-Anne Galligan - 800m (Newbridge) Coach:David Farrow
Tori Pena    - Pole Vault (Finn Valley) Coach: Greg Hull
Laura Reynolds- 20km Walk (Mohill and District) Coach: Colin Griffin
Maria McCambridge- Marathon (Dundrum South Dublin AC) Coach: Dick Hooper

Out of the eleven, the one person who is a serious contender for a podium place is Rob Heffernan from Cork in the 50 km walk. After finishing 4th in the London Olympics last August, he is certainly in with a chance although he'll be up against some of the best in the world, especially the Russians who will obviously enjoy a lot of home support.

Rob will be in action in the 50k at 5:30am Irish time on Wednesday, the 14th of August.

Cork runner looking for help with Garmin 405 watch

Someone sent me this request for info. Maybe someone with one can offer some advice about how to fix it or where to send it?

A few days ago, I was running in the rain and my 405 watch kept stopping and starting and beeping. Now the time will stop when I turn off the GPS and turn back on again after I turn the GPS back on. Does any one know how I can fix this? I tried to turn it off and on a few times but to no avail.

Results of the Cork BHAA Novartis 5 km road race...Wed 31st July 2013

The annual Cork BHAA Novartis 5 km road race was held in Ringaskiddy on Wednesday, the 31st of July 2013. The mens race was won by Mark Hanrahan (#90) in a time of 14:52 while the womens race was won by Laura Crowe (#512) in a new course record time of 16:35. Only last Sunday, Laura won the Gold medal in the 1500m at the National Senior Track & Field Championships in Dublin.

1 MARK HANRAHAN M1 14:52 JOHN BUCKLEY SPORTS
2 JAMES GRUFFERTY M2 15:52 GLANMIRE MEDICAL CENTRE
3 JOHN MEADE M3 15:53 JOYCE WOLFE PHYSIOTHERPY
13 Laura Crowe F1 16:35 NOVARTIS F-A-2
22 EMMA MURPHY F2 17:48 CORK SHOPS
41 CARMEL CROWLEY 0/45J F3 18:31 STOCKHEALTH LTD

The full results can be seen HERE

Photos...
1) Doug Minihane has a large gallery HERE