Clonmel Senior Athletic Club Notes 2nd October
Michael Carey – County Novice Cross Country Champion
The Turnpike was the venue today for the County Novice Cross Country Championships which were held in glorious sunshine. In the Women’s 4k race Yvonne O Connor ran very well when finishing 8th in 17 mins 35 secs. Marian Flaherty also ran very well when finishing 14th in 18 mins 21 secs and got a rousing cheer from her loyal supporters as she crossed the finishing line. Nicola O Mahoney also competed but had to withdraw midway through the race due to an injury. It was a pity we hadn’t more athletes competing as we would have figured among the medals.
Then it was the turn of the Men over 6k, 3 laps. Here Michael Carey went to the front right from the start and was sharing the pace with John Treacy of Thurles Crokes, William Stephens of Coolquill AC and Aaron O Donnell of Carrick on Suir AC with the chasing pack hot on their heels. Gradually this group of four athletes began to pull away from the rest of the field. Then midway through the 2nd lap, Michael along with John Treacy went clear and opened a nice lead on the chasing duo of William Stephens and Aaron O Donnell. These two were still together going out on the last lap with Michael dictating the pace and John in close attention. Then with 500m to go Michael increased the pace and soon opened a lead on John, a lead he extended all the way to the line to come home a worthy and convincing Champion in 20 mins 28 secs. This was a brilliant performance by Michael who has endured many months of injury over the past few years, great to see him able to put a few months training together without an injury. Then we had Nigel O Flaherty running very well when finishing 13th in 21 mins 59 secs and great to see him competing in Cross Country as he prepares for the Dublin City Marathon at the end of the month. Then we had Joey Feery also running a great race when finishing 18th in 22 mins 42 secs on his first outing for the Club over the Country. Then we had Anthony Bowen also running a great race when finishing 21st in 22 mins 57 secs and this quartet combined very well to win the Silver medals. We also had good performances from Brian Looram 29th in 24 mins 23 secs, great to see Brian back running well again, James O Brien 41st in 25 mins 42 secs and Donal Casey 43rd in 26 mins 43 secs. On our scoring quartet it was a first County Novice Cross Country medal for all four athletes Michael Carey, Nigel O Flaherty, Joey Feery and Anthony Bowen, the future looks bright. Michael Carey becomes the 5th club member to win this title since Athletics Ireland was form in 2000 and he joins a quality list of athletes like Tom Walsh (2000), Mark Ryan (2001), Niall McCormack (2008) and William Maunsell (2012).
Great performances and plenty of PB’s in Cork to Cobh
The very popular Cork to Cobh 15 mile road race took place last Sunday, 3rd October and some of our club members used it as part of their Dublin City Marathon training as it was a great way to judge their pace for the big event at the end of the month. Looking down through the results it seems that they are all on track to do well in the Dublin City Marathon.
Eddy O Donoghue ran a great race when finishing 58th in 99 mins 48 secs. This was a brilliant run by Eddy who improved greatly on his PB of 102 mins 48 secs set last year. Siobhan McHugh also ran very well when finishing 132nd in 109 mins 6 secs and in the process was 2nd woman over 45. John Laste ran very well when finishing 175th in 112 mins 23 secs and he was another athlete setting a new PB when improving greatly on last year’s performance of 117 mins 10 secs. Anthony Power also ran very well when finishing 191st in 114 mins 15 secs and likewise smashing his PB set last year when running 118 mins 23 secs, some improvement.
John Perry and Pat Coffey also put in good performances when finishing 254th (116 mins 53 secs) and 255th (116 mins 53 secs) respectively. Pat set a new PB when showing a good improvement on last year’s run of 118 mins 12 secs. Sheila Perry also ran very well when finishing 3rd woman over 45 in 284th place in 118 mins 26 secs. Michael Ryan led home a group of club members when finishing 430th in 128 mins 34 secs. Hot on his heels were Caroline O Donoghue 432nd in 128 mins 36 secs, Keith Robinson 433rd in 128 mins 44 secs and Brian Tyrell 434th in 128 mins 52 secs. For Caroline this was a new PB and a massive improvement on last year’s performance when she ran 133 mins 20 secs while Brian also set a new PB and also showed a hugh improvement on last year’s run of 132 mins 50 secs, brilliant running. Pat Walsh ran well when finishing 465th in 130 mins 40 secs. Mellissa McCarthy also ran well on her debut over this course when finishing 493rd in 132 mins 22 secs. Ian Patterson also ran well when finishing 594th in 144 mins 19 secs. Mari Murphy Condon ran very well when finishing 690th in 161 mins 36 secs and in the process set a new PB for this distance when improving on last year’s run of 162 mins 57 secs. Jacqui Walsh also ran very well on her debut over this course and distance when finishing 709th in 169 mins 50 secs. The early Saturday Morning runs are proving very beneficial as can be seen from the above mentioned performances, roll on DCM.
County Masters Cross Country Championships
Thurles Crokes complex is the venue on Sunday next for the County Master Cross Country Championships with the Women’s 6k race getting underway at 12.45pm followed by the Men’s 7K race. Hopefully we can get a number of teams in both the Women’s and Men’s races. There are medals for the 1st 3 for both Women and Men over 35, over 40, over 45, over 50, over 55, over 60, over 65 and over 70. There are also team awards for Women in the over 35 and over 45 categories while in the Men it is over 35 and over 50.
Kevin Maunsell wins Dungarvan Race
The popular West Waterford Open Cross Country event took place today in Dungarvan. The Men’s race over 8k, 4 laps, saw Kevin Maunsell set the pace with Andrew Connick Ferrybank, Sean McGrath East Cork, Barry Keane Waterford AC and Tim O’Connor An Riocht A C. This group stayed together for the first half of the race and then on the 3rd lap Kevin increased the pace and soon opened up a lead which he increased all the way to the line to win in 24 mins 18 secs. This was Kevin’s first Cross Country outing of the year and augurs well for the coming season. Then we had William Maunsell also having his first Cross Country outing and he too ran well when finishing 8th in 26 misn 20 secs. Kevin won this race in 20-14 and last year it was won by his brother William, so they are keeping it among the family.
Great running at the Galway races
The Galway Marathon, Half Marathon and 10K took place over the weekend. Niall O Ceallaigh ran very well in his first marathon for quite some time when finishing 8th in 3 hours 16 mins 31 secs, all that training in Tickincor Woods paid dividends. Then in the half marathon Kealey Tideswell also ran very well when finishing 7th Women in 96 mins 9 secs when finishing 73rd overall. Keith Fraher also ran well when finishing 593rd in 124 mins 56 secs, great to see Keith back running well again after a lengthy lay off due to injury. Siobhan O Dwyer competed in the 10k and ran well when finishing in 75 mins 35 secs
Sean Tobin wins the Notre Dame Invitational 5 mile Cross Country race
The American Universities Cross Country season got underway last weekend with the Joe Piane 5 Mile Notre Dame Invitational Cross Country competition, the highest ranked event of the weekend of action. The Ole Miss Men’s team ranked 20th in the Universities made a major break though when winning this event and in the process set a marker for the coming Cross Country season. Sean Tobin underlined his potential when making his winning move on the final lap to win in 23 mins 32 secs, 3 seconds ahead of 2nd place, brilliant performance by Sean. Ole Miss head coach, Ryan Vanhoy, heaped great praise on Sean’s performance when he said that “Sean had the best cross country race of his career leading the way for us and he looked fantastic”
Orlaith Moynihan and Laura Tobin great performances
The Paul Short Invitational 6k Cross Country event took place this weekend and it was a great opportunity for two Clonmel A C club mates to meet up and have a chat. Competing for Iona College was Orlaith Moynihan while Laura Tobin was representing St Leo’s. Both athletes ran very well on their first outing of the season with Orlaith finishing 185th in 22 mins 2 secs and Laura hot on her heels when finishing 218th in 22 mins 22 secs. Just to put the race pace into perspective Siofra O Clerigh Buttner of DSD was 6th in 20 mins 17secs, very competitive in a entry of 405 finishers.
Clonmel Senior Athletic Club Notes 9th October
Eileen Hynes and Myles McHugh – County Champions
The County Masters Cross Country Championships took place in Thurles last Sunday in ideal conditions. In the Ladies race our two athletes ran very well with Marian Flaherty finishing 8th and Eileen Hynes winning the women’s over 55 award in great style.
In the Men’s race we had 7 athletes competing. Here Nigel O Flaherty ran very well when winning the Men’s over 40 Silver medal. Then we had Ciaran Fahey also running very well when winning the Men’s over 50 Silver medal. Niall O Ceallaigh also ran very well when winning the Men’s over 45 Bronze medal. We also saw good performances from James O Brien 27th, John Laste 30th and Donal Casey 34th. Then we had the one and only Myles McHugh coming home to a rousing cheer to win the Men’s over 70 award and brilliant to see him still enjoying the sport. Indeed along with his two younger team mates Ciaran Fahey and John Laste they won the Men’s over 50 Gold medals.
County Intermediate Cross Country
The Women’s 5k and Men’s 8K Intermediate Cross Country Championships takes place this Sunday in Moyglass, with the Women’s 5k going off at around 1.15pm followed immediately by the Men’s 8K. We made a great start to the Cross country season a few weeks ago with teams in both the Novice Women’s and Men’s races, so hopefully we can continue that trend in these Championships.
Clonmel AC 4k Pre Christmas race Series
This year’s series of races gets underway on Wednesday 26th October at 7pm and continue for the 5 Wednesday nights in November. Once again we will be looking for people to help with taking entries and stewarding on each of the six nights, so text Niall at 086 1660888 and let him know what night you can do. Also any member on any of the teams in the South Tipp Physio 500K Team Challenge will be allocated 4k for any night they help out with taking entries or stewarding but he has to be informed well in advance, no use in just turning up, let us know well in advance. Registrations will take place in the Brothers of Charity carpark each night and we are indeed very grateful to the Brothers of Charity for the use of their carpark. This series of races caters for all levels of fitness and an ideal opportunity to come along and run the two laps at your own pace. We have two rules that have to be strictly adhered to: Rule One – No High Viz, No Run, a bright yellow top is not a High Viz. Rule Two: Obey the stewards at all times, they are there for your safety as well as everyone else and they give of their time voluntarily. This 4k series is part of the Club’s very successful 500K team Challenge which is sponsored by South Tipp Physios and for many teams it is a must for all their members to come out and compete in order to achieve that 500K Team Challenge. The current leaders of this team Challenge are Legs and Co and the question is can they be knocked off the number one spot by the end of the series, time will tell.
Clonmel Senior Athletic Club Notes 16th October
Good performances at County Intermediate Cross Country
The County Intermediate Cross Country Championships took place in Moyglass last Sunday. The Club had no representation in the Ladies race which was a great pity. In the Men’s race Joey Feery ran well when finishing 13th. We also had good performances from Niall O Ceallaigh 30th, James O Brien 32nd and Donal Casey 38th. The team were 6th.
Clonmel Athletic Club Notes – 28th October
Sean Tobin 2nd in the SEC Cross Country
The South East Conference Cross Country Championships took place in Arkansas on October 28th. Sean Tobin ran a brilliant race when finishing 2nd in this Major Championship race. He was always well positioned and came through to finish 2nd in the 8k race in 23 mins 34 secs, nine seconds off the winner and 15 seconds ahead of the Bronze medallist, his fellow team mate, MJ Erb. This was a fantastic performance by Sean who improved by 15 places on last year’s run and by 6 places on his 2014 performance. He led the Ole Miss team to 2nd place. Sean commented after the race “We came into the meet with high expectations which unfortunately we just fell short of,” Tobin said. “However, the group had some solid results which is great because you see the hard work pay off. We have three weeks until NCAAs so I am excited to get back to Oxford and put in some great work with this great team.” The Men will now shift their attention to the NCAA South Region Championships on November 11 in Tallahassee, Florida. The Rebels will look to qualify for the NCAA Championships with top-two finishes at the Regional Championships.
In the MAAC 6K Women’s Cross Country Championships in Florida, Orlaith Moynihan ran very well when finishing 19th in 22 mins 29 secs and helped Iona College to win the team event impressively.
The Southern State Conference Cross Country Championships took place recently and here LauraTobin running for St Leo’s ran a brilliant race when finishing 5th in 21 mins 27 secs and played her part in helping her team win the title.
Great Club performances in the Dublin City Marathon
The Dublin City marathon took place in ideal conditions last Sunday with a record entry. The Club was very well represented with the 2nd largest Club entry in the country, well done to all our members who competed. David Ryan once again ran a brilliant race when finishing in 2 hours 40 mins 48 secs. Nigel O Flaherty once again produced a brilliant performance when finishing in 2 hours 46 mins 14 secs and set a new PB when improving on his 2014 performance of 2 hours 52 mins 37 secs. Then we had Dermot Logue making his Club debut in these Championships and running the proverbial blinder when finishing in 2 hours 46 mins 53 secs. Then we had Jimmy Boland running a brilliant race on his marathon debut when finishing in 2 hours 54 mins 14 secs and hot on his heels was Gary Grant in 2 hours 54 mins 37 secs. This is a PB by Gary improving on his 2 hours 59 mins 52 secs set in the 2014 event. Then we had Brian Long also running very well when finishing in 2 hours 56 mins 1 sec. It is great to see 6 Club members breaking 3 hours for this Classic distance. Indeed our Master over 35 team of David Ryan, Nigel O Flaherty and Dermot Logue were 4th in the Inter Club event, brilliant performances all round.
We also had good performances from the following Club members and their previous bests are in brackets along with the year, members like Shane Greene 3hours and 44 secs, Colm Ryan, Club Marathon debut, 3 hours and 47 secs, Conor Fleming 3 hours 2 mins 18 secs (3:07:27 in 2013), Eddy O Donoghue 3 hours 5 mins 46 secs( 3:07 :09 in 2015), Brian Carroll 3 hours 6 mins 17 secs, Sean McCarthy, Club Marathon debut, 3 hours 6 mins 42 secs, Bernard Durand 3 hours 7 mins 11 secs( 3:10:54 in 2015), Eoin McGrath 3 hours 9 mins 54 secs, Tom Bourke 3 hours 14 mins 7 secs(3:17:21 in 2015), Billy Moloney , Club Marathon Debut, 3 hours 14 mins 36 secs, Ciaran Fahey 3 hours 14 mins 57 secs, Richard O Gorman 3 hours 15 mins 29 secs, (3:18:25 in 2015), Noel Gillman 3 hours 16 mins 32 secs (3:28:37 in 2015), James Denn 3 hours 17 mins 8 secs, Kevin Ryan 3 hours 21 mins 19 secs, Siobhan McHugh 3 hours 22 mins 7 secs (3:23:31 in 2015), Aine Roche 3 hours 27 mins 24 secs, Pat O Connor 3 hours 28 mins 59 secs (3:36:39 in 2015), Peter Kiely 3 hours 31 mins 22 secs, Edel Roche 3 hours 36 mins 8 secs, Noel Ryan 3 hours 36 mins 13 secs, John Perry , Club Debut Marathon, 3 hours 38 mins 41 secs, Mark Corcoran 3 hours 39 mins 47 secs, Sheila Perry 3 hours 40 mins 55 secs, Anna Byrne 3 hours 42 mins 15 secs, Rachel Crowley, Club Marathon debut, 3 hours 44 mins 42 secs, Kenny Brett 3 hours 45 mins 2 secs, Tom Quinn 3 hours 48 mins 26 secs, Dan O Keeffe 3 hours 50 mins 15 secs, Michael Doocey 3 hours 53 mins 21 secs, Sean O Dea 3 hours 53 mins 37 secs, Pat Walsh 3 hours 53 mins 28 secs, Caroline O Donoghue 3 hours 55 mins 3 secs (3:58:46 in 2015), Cyril Fogarty 3 hours 56 mins 3 secs, Michael Ryan, Club Marathon debut, 3 hours 56 mins 24 secs, Pat Coffey 3 hours 57 mins 35 secs, Miriam O Gorman 3 hours 58 mins 2 secs, Alan Roche, Club Marathon debut, 3 hours 59 mins 13 secs, Keith Robinson, Club Marathon debut, 4 hours and 47 secs, Noel O Neill, Club Marathon debut, 4 hours 2 mins 57 secs, Anthony Power 4 hours 4 mins 43 secs, Anne Maher 4 hours 6 mins 23 secs, Grzegorz Kecik 4 hours 8 mins 6 secs, Nicola Maunsell 4 hours 9 mins 55 secs, Gary White 4 hours 11 mins 28 secs, Niall McCarthy 4 hours 12 mins 8 secs, Grainne O Malley, Club Marathon debut, 4 hours 13 mins 37 secs, John Laste 4 hours 14 mins 43 secs, Mellissa McCarthy 4 hours 16 mins 57 secs, Brian Moore, Club Marathon debut, 4 hours 21 mins 18 secs, Andrew Mullins, Club Marathon debut, 4 hours 2 1mins 28 secs, Jason Mullins, Club Marathon debut 4 hours 21 mins 31 secs, Deirdre Fahey 4 hours 21mins 52 secs (4:33:12 in 2015), Sinead Kennedy, Club Marathon debut, 4 hours 25 mins 30 secs, Aine Butler, Club Marathon debut, 4 hours 33 mins 53 secs, Brian Tyrell 4 hours 36 mins 48 secs, Lizzie Ryan 4 hours 37 mins 16 secs, Niall Brannigan, Club Marathon debut, 4 hours 59 mins 34 secs, Claire Kinsella 5 hours 1 min 38 secs, Ian Patterson, Club Marathon debut, 5 hours 3 mins 47secs, Amanda Williams 5 hours 5 mins 12 secs, Catherine Ryan 5 hours 5 mins 37 secs (5:15:47 in 2015) and Mari Murphy Condon 5 hours 31 mins 3 secs.
William Maunsell wins 4K in 12 mins 49 secs
Clonmel AC very popular Pre Christmas 4K road race series got off to a brilliant start tonight with 171 athletes competing on what was an ideal night for running no breeze and warm conditions. Conditions were ideal and we saw some brilliant performances especially William Maunsell who ran the 4k in 12 mins 49 secs, brilliant effort. Tonight’s format was Lucky dip, based on a draw of finishing positions before the race commenced and the lucky winners were: William Maunsell 12 mins 49 secs, Tom Bourke 16 mins 22 secs, Michael Freaney 17 mins 29 secs, Andrew McHale 18 mins 12 secs, Eileen Hynes 19 mins 17 secs, Pat Tobin 20 mins 26 secs, Andy Moloney 21 mins 31 secs, Noel O Neill 22 mins 44 secs, Trish Prendergast 23 mins 32 secs, Mari Murphy Condon 24 mins 34 secs, Sabrina Guida 25 mins 13 secs and Carol Dowling 29 mins 35 secs.
Just a note on Safety for the remaining races in the series – No Head phones are allowed and we will be enforcing that rule going forward, it is there for your safety as well as everyone else. Also everyone has to wear a HIGH VIZ, not a bright Yellow top. So again NO REFLECTIVE HIGH VIZ – NO RUN