Racing Roundup - May 29th, 2023
Track and Field:
Frank ran in the Watford BMC last week. After a swift 54 first lap gunning for a big pb the wheels, spikes and singlet came off and ended up with a 2.01. Good to see the ambition though!
St Finbarrs Track Night - No results online for this but we had a few taike to the track for the St Finbarrs track night a few weeks ago. Tony ran 9.00 for 3k, Fiona ran 10.03. John Spelman ran 4.26 for 1500m and Tim Mahony must have lost a bet or something ran a decent 2.18 for the 800m.
Road Racing:
Youghal 5k - Bit behind in the updates. Youghal was 2 weeks ago. We had a big turnout, conditions were good and it really turned into a race rather than a time trial at the front with a big pack. Tony was first East Cork man home with an agonising 3rd, pipped by rival Mark Walsh. Surely he'll get him next time they race... Nicky was 5th and looked in good form pushing the pace throughout the race and finished in 16.01. Fiona won the ladies race in 17.14. Tim Mahony was next in 17.44. Ollie ran a big PB with 18.07 with Martin lurking just behind in 18.16. Niamh O'Connor had a suberb run for 19.49 and 3rd lady with Eadaoin also sub 20 in 19.59 for 5th. Avril ran another strong race while in 20.46 waving to the crowd on the streets of Youghal throughout. Lorna is continuing her return to form with another good 21.17. Denis ran 24 flat.
John Buckley BHAA 5k - The John Buckley 5k in the Marina is traditionally well attended and usually a fast race and this year proved that again. Paul Hartnett was 2nd overall in 15:04. Tony was next with a big PB of 15:15 (bitter sweet when you see who was 1 second ahead of him....again). John Spelman had the race of his life knocking 82 seconds off his PB (and also overtaking Donal and Stephen in the club rankings) with a splendidly brave 16.02. Matt Horrigan watched on proudly just behind in 16:09. Fiona had another consistent 17.10 for 4th, she is just waiting for the right race for everything to click now for that elusive sub 17! Avril ran a few seconds faster than Youghal in 20:39 with Lorna closing the gap in 21 flat.
Marathons - Frank O'Carroll ran in Copenhagen and beat his Garmin watch preticted time comfortably. Frank ran 2:44.46, well done Frank. Also the Munster Marathon results were finalised (finally) and Christine was gold in the F35 category!
Up Next:
East Cork Senior and Masters T&F is on June 20th in Carraig na Bhfear. Starting at 7pm there are 300m, 1500m and 3000m along with the Mixed relays of 4*300m. See full time table below.
Frank ran in the Watford BMC last week. After a swift 54 first lap gunning for a big pb the wheels, spikes and singlet came off and ended up with a 2.01. Good to see the ambition though!
St Finbarrs Track Night - No results online for this but we had a few taike to the track for the St Finbarrs track night a few weeks ago. Tony ran 9.00 for 3k, Fiona ran 10.03. John Spelman ran 4.26 for 1500m and Tim Mahony must have lost a bet or something ran a decent 2.18 for the 800m.
Road Racing:
Youghal 5k - Bit behind in the updates. Youghal was 2 weeks ago. We had a big turnout, conditions were good and it really turned into a race rather than a time trial at the front with a big pack. Tony was first East Cork man home with an agonising 3rd, pipped by rival Mark Walsh. Surely he'll get him next time they race... Nicky was 5th and looked in good form pushing the pace throughout the race and finished in 16.01. Fiona won the ladies race in 17.14. Tim Mahony was next in 17.44. Ollie ran a big PB with 18.07 with Martin lurking just behind in 18.16. Niamh O'Connor had a suberb run for 19.49 and 3rd lady with Eadaoin also sub 20 in 19.59 for 5th. Avril ran another strong race while in 20.46 waving to the crowd on the streets of Youghal throughout. Lorna is continuing her return to form with another good 21.17. Denis ran 24 flat.
John Buckley BHAA 5k - The John Buckley 5k in the Marina is traditionally well attended and usually a fast race and this year proved that again. Paul Hartnett was 2nd overall in 15:04. Tony was next with a big PB of 15:15 (bitter sweet when you see who was 1 second ahead of him....again). John Spelman had the race of his life knocking 82 seconds off his PB (and also overtaking Donal and Stephen in the club rankings) with a splendidly brave 16.02. Matt Horrigan watched on proudly just behind in 16:09. Fiona had another consistent 17.10 for 4th, she is just waiting for the right race for everything to click now for that elusive sub 17! Avril ran a few seconds faster than Youghal in 20:39 with Lorna closing the gap in 21 flat.
Marathons - Frank O'Carroll ran in Copenhagen and beat his Garmin watch preticted time comfortably. Frank ran 2:44.46, well done Frank. Also the Munster Marathon results were finalised (finally) and Christine was gold in the F35 category!
Up Next:
East Cork Senior and Masters T&F is on June 20th in Carraig na Bhfear. Starting at 7pm there are 300m, 1500m and 3000m along with the Mixed relays of 4*300m. See full time table below.
Racing Roundup - May 11th, 2023
Track:
Frank ran in a highly competitive semi final in the British University track championships and was 7th in 1:58. After qualifying for the semi in 1:53 he will be hoping for a big summer of racing ahead.
Road Racing:
Christine ran a very strong marathon in Limerick over the bank holiday. With a great block of training and a cross county season in her legs she ran a suberb 8 minute PB in 3:21.12 for 11th. Well done Christine. There was also a half marathon and 6 mile race on. Frank O'Caroll ran 90:03 in the half and Martin ran 39.43 in the 6 mile.
The Midleton 5 mile was on as well last week and we had a good turnout from the club. Tony Forristal running his first race officially with East Cork came 2nd overall and was in contention for the win the whole way just getting pipped by Mark Walsh in the closing stages. Kenneth ran a solid 26:57 for 8th with Brian deep in a marathon training block running an excellent 27:18 for 9th. Chris Kelly was back on the roads and still has plenty of speed with 28.41 for 12th. Martin ran 30.42, Chris McGrath who seems to have recovered very well from Manchester marathon ran 33.04 with Conor Tierney just behind 33.14. Avril had another great run for 34:02 with Claire next in 39.25. Denis rounded up our numbers on the night in 42.43.
In other road races Claire ran the fast Bweeng 5k in 24.10 and Avril ran in the BHAA 6 mile in Ringaskiddy in 41.43.
Up Next:
Youghal 5k is on Thursday 11th at 8pm. Also we have been invited to run a 3k v St Finbarrs and Cork Track Club Friday May 19th if anybody wants to get a feel for racing a track race.
Frank ran in a highly competitive semi final in the British University track championships and was 7th in 1:58. After qualifying for the semi in 1:53 he will be hoping for a big summer of racing ahead.
Road Racing:
Christine ran a very strong marathon in Limerick over the bank holiday. With a great block of training and a cross county season in her legs she ran a suberb 8 minute PB in 3:21.12 for 11th. Well done Christine. There was also a half marathon and 6 mile race on. Frank O'Caroll ran 90:03 in the half and Martin ran 39.43 in the 6 mile.
The Midleton 5 mile was on as well last week and we had a good turnout from the club. Tony Forristal running his first race officially with East Cork came 2nd overall and was in contention for the win the whole way just getting pipped by Mark Walsh in the closing stages. Kenneth ran a solid 26:57 for 8th with Brian deep in a marathon training block running an excellent 27:18 for 9th. Chris Kelly was back on the roads and still has plenty of speed with 28.41 for 12th. Martin ran 30.42, Chris McGrath who seems to have recovered very well from Manchester marathon ran 33.04 with Conor Tierney just behind 33.14. Avril had another great run for 34:02 with Claire next in 39.25. Denis rounded up our numbers on the night in 42.43.
In other road races Claire ran the fast Bweeng 5k in 24.10 and Avril ran in the BHAA 6 mile in Ringaskiddy in 41.43.
Up Next:
Youghal 5k is on Thursday 11th at 8pm. Also we have been invited to run a 3k v St Finbarrs and Cork Track Club Friday May 19th if anybody wants to get a feel for racing a track race.
Road Racing and a sprinkle of track - April 29th, 2023
Road Relays:
The National Road Relays were held in Raheny as usual on April 23th. OUr M35 team were looking to defend their title they won for the first time ever last year. We gave a valiant effort but came up just a few seconds short against a strong Brothers Pearse outfit. Stephen improved on his time from last year by 2 seconds to run 4.50 with James running another strong 2 mile leg in 9.42. Donal was in for Kevin and ran well for 4.52. Giving a total time of 19.23 and silver medals in back pockets. Hopefully next year Athletics Ireland invest in slightly larger podiums!
Norah also took a cool video of the race, even including some not to be missed behind the scene footage. It should be viewable below.
Ballintotis 4:
First up was the big local race last week Ballintotis 4 mile. This is the 12th running of the race in Ballintotis but it does stretch back to 1989 when it first started in Castlemaytr. Since it has moved to Ballintotis the overall race race has been won by East Cork men: James (8), Michael (2) and Kevin (1). That streak has been broken now in 2023 and to rub salt in the wounds it was by a Leevale man in a course record! Congrats to Ryan Creech on a fine race.
First home for us was Tim in 4th with 19.41. Fiona was the only person to make the podium with a great run for 2nd in a PB of 22.31. The race was so well supported over half our registered runners raced on the night so you can see places and times below.
The organisers added a team competition this year as well. The top 6 individuals are not included in hte scoring and when the dust settled we won both the mens and womens! Congrats to the mens of James, Nicky, Kenneth and Matt. And the ladies Annelise, Niamh, Eadaoin and Avril. Well done as well to the organising committee for hosting another fabulous race and all those from the club who helped out in many ways.
East Cork Road Championships:
The next big local race was held this week in Ballynoe. James won the race for his 7th East Cork Roads title ahead of Tony Forristal who pushed him all the way to the final hill of death. 2022 champion Nicky had to settle for 3rd on the night. John Spelman put in a strong injection of speed with one lap to go to break free from a large group of chasers to claim 4th and be the firdt scorer on our mens team. Donal was next in 6th with Ollie racing the course for the first time in 22nd. Conor Tierney thought he was Tiger Woods teeing it up in Augusta National on a Sunday as he sported a fetching red singlet instead of the maroon of East Cork. All was forgiven though as he finished strongly to help the team win bronze medals. Denis completed his 40th ever East Cork Roads in 57th place.
The womens race was dominated by Fiona who broke the course record by 19 seconds to win comfortably in 11:03. Eadaoin had a great run to overturn the result from Ballintotis and stay ahead of a fast finishing Niamh. They were 5th and 6th. Avril was not far behind them in 8th and that cemented the team titles for the ladies. Lorna had a great run improving vastly from last year to finish 17th.
Chris McGrath also ran in the Karen Fenton Memorial Run in Waterfall in his first race since Manchester. He was 23rd in 19.59.
Track and Field:
Paul was 5th in the IUAA T&F champs last week in the new blue track at DSD. With a strong field entered Paul lead things out for the first couple of k before fading a little. He rallied nicely to finish 5th overall in 14:52.
Frank is racing in the British Universities this weekend. He qualified from his heat in a swift 1:53.98 today to set him up for a competitive semi final tomorrow morning at 11.25am. This is streamed on "BUCS" Youtube channel.
The National Road Relays were held in Raheny as usual on April 23th. OUr M35 team were looking to defend their title they won for the first time ever last year. We gave a valiant effort but came up just a few seconds short against a strong Brothers Pearse outfit. Stephen improved on his time from last year by 2 seconds to run 4.50 with James running another strong 2 mile leg in 9.42. Donal was in for Kevin and ran well for 4.52. Giving a total time of 19.23 and silver medals in back pockets. Hopefully next year Athletics Ireland invest in slightly larger podiums!
Norah also took a cool video of the race, even including some not to be missed behind the scene footage. It should be viewable below.
Ballintotis 4:
First up was the big local race last week Ballintotis 4 mile. This is the 12th running of the race in Ballintotis but it does stretch back to 1989 when it first started in Castlemaytr. Since it has moved to Ballintotis the overall race race has been won by East Cork men: James (8), Michael (2) and Kevin (1). That streak has been broken now in 2023 and to rub salt in the wounds it was by a Leevale man in a course record! Congrats to Ryan Creech on a fine race.
First home for us was Tim in 4th with 19.41. Fiona was the only person to make the podium with a great run for 2nd in a PB of 22.31. The race was so well supported over half our registered runners raced on the night so you can see places and times below.
The organisers added a team competition this year as well. The top 6 individuals are not included in hte scoring and when the dust settled we won both the mens and womens! Congrats to the mens of James, Nicky, Kenneth and Matt. And the ladies Annelise, Niamh, Eadaoin and Avril. Well done as well to the organising committee for hosting another fabulous race and all those from the club who helped out in many ways.
East Cork Road Championships:
The next big local race was held this week in Ballynoe. James won the race for his 7th East Cork Roads title ahead of Tony Forristal who pushed him all the way to the final hill of death. 2022 champion Nicky had to settle for 3rd on the night. John Spelman put in a strong injection of speed with one lap to go to break free from a large group of chasers to claim 4th and be the firdt scorer on our mens team. Donal was next in 6th with Ollie racing the course for the first time in 22nd. Conor Tierney thought he was Tiger Woods teeing it up in Augusta National on a Sunday as he sported a fetching red singlet instead of the maroon of East Cork. All was forgiven though as he finished strongly to help the team win bronze medals. Denis completed his 40th ever East Cork Roads in 57th place.
The womens race was dominated by Fiona who broke the course record by 19 seconds to win comfortably in 11:03. Eadaoin had a great run to overturn the result from Ballintotis and stay ahead of a fast finishing Niamh. They were 5th and 6th. Avril was not far behind them in 8th and that cemented the team titles for the ladies. Lorna had a great run improving vastly from last year to finish 17th.
Chris McGrath also ran in the Karen Fenton Memorial Run in Waterfall in his first race since Manchester. He was 23rd in 19.59.
Track and Field:
Paul was 5th in the IUAA T&F champs last week in the new blue track at DSD. With a strong field entered Paul lead things out for the first couple of k before fading a little. He rallied nicely to finish 5th overall in 14:52.
Frank is racing in the British Universities this weekend. He qualified from his heat in a swift 1:53.98 today to set him up for a competitive semi final tomorrow morning at 11.25am. This is streamed on "BUCS" Youtube channel.
Road Racing and Mile Trials - April 20th, 2023
Road Racing:
We have had a lot of racing the past few weeks. From 42.2k to 1.6k.
First up the long men. Chris McGrath ran a fine 8 minute PB in Manchester at the weekend to finish in 3:20. Great reward for one of the most consistent trainers that past year. Well done Chris. Michael Furlong hopped on a flight to Boston to take on the infamous Heartbreak Hill. He had a super run and PB's by 11 mins to finish in 2:47. In the lead up Michael ran the Cobh 10 miler as a training run too.
The Kia Series races have been well supported with quality fields the past few years and the Streets of Kilkenny was no exception. Michael had a superb race to finish 3rd overall in 14:23. Tony Forristal having just transferred into the club ran a great 15:36 and smashed his previous PB. Donal had a decent run for 16:15 and Fiona ran a PB and is knocking on the door of a sub 17 with 17.07
The more local 5k recently was the PWC BHAA race. James retained his title (and beat Tonys Kilkenny time) with a great 15:35. Nicky returned from the shadows and ran a great 16:06 to kick start his summer campaign. Stephen in his local course ran a strong 16:55. Fiona was 2nd overall in another great 17:09. Niamh ran well for 20:22 and Avril was first F50 home in 20:26. Rooskagh Coffee have taken on some part time workers it seems as they managed to come 2nd team overall.
Mile Trial:
There were memories and stories of days long gone last week. The club held it's first trial for the road relay teams since 1997. We had a good turn out and the goal was to be in the top 3 master positions. Frank and Paul led the charge finishing the slightly short course in 4:24 and 4:26. Tony had a strong run to be 3rd in 4:45 with Kevin just behind and first master in 4:46. James was next home in 4:48 with Donal completed the master team with a 4:53. Stephen was just behind him with 4:59 out sprinting Diarmaid (former schools 1500m champ no less).
Annalise was first lady home, and also potentially the first lady to ever finish a club mile trial, Conor ran a strong 6:07 with Lorna also running well in 6:17.
Up Next:
Tonight is the 12th running of Ballintotis. Other communications were sent out for this but if you can help out in anyway please do and you can let Nicky know.
Next Thursday the 27th is the East Cork Road Championships in Ballynoe. Anyone who wants to be entered please let Eadaoin know. The women's race is 3k and the men's is 5 miles with team events in both.
We have had a lot of racing the past few weeks. From 42.2k to 1.6k.
First up the long men. Chris McGrath ran a fine 8 minute PB in Manchester at the weekend to finish in 3:20. Great reward for one of the most consistent trainers that past year. Well done Chris. Michael Furlong hopped on a flight to Boston to take on the infamous Heartbreak Hill. He had a super run and PB's by 11 mins to finish in 2:47. In the lead up Michael ran the Cobh 10 miler as a training run too.
The Kia Series races have been well supported with quality fields the past few years and the Streets of Kilkenny was no exception. Michael had a superb race to finish 3rd overall in 14:23. Tony Forristal having just transferred into the club ran a great 15:36 and smashed his previous PB. Donal had a decent run for 16:15 and Fiona ran a PB and is knocking on the door of a sub 17 with 17.07
The more local 5k recently was the PWC BHAA race. James retained his title (and beat Tonys Kilkenny time) with a great 15:35. Nicky returned from the shadows and ran a great 16:06 to kick start his summer campaign. Stephen in his local course ran a strong 16:55. Fiona was 2nd overall in another great 17:09. Niamh ran well for 20:22 and Avril was first F50 home in 20:26. Rooskagh Coffee have taken on some part time workers it seems as they managed to come 2nd team overall.
Mile Trial:
There were memories and stories of days long gone last week. The club held it's first trial for the road relay teams since 1997. We had a good turn out and the goal was to be in the top 3 master positions. Frank and Paul led the charge finishing the slightly short course in 4:24 and 4:26. Tony had a strong run to be 3rd in 4:45 with Kevin just behind and first master in 4:46. James was next home in 4:48 with Donal completed the master team with a 4:53. Stephen was just behind him with 4:59 out sprinting Diarmaid (former schools 1500m champ no less).
Annalise was first lady home, and also potentially the first lady to ever finish a club mile trial, Conor ran a strong 6:07 with Lorna also running well in 6:17.
Up Next:
Tonight is the 12th running of Ballintotis. Other communications were sent out for this but if you can help out in anyway please do and you can let Nicky know.
Next Thursday the 27th is the East Cork Road Championships in Ballynoe. Anyone who wants to be entered please let Eadaoin know. The women's race is 3k and the men's is 5 miles with team events in both.
County Roads, Portlaois and Mallow - March 30th 2023
County Roads:
The County Roads were held in Castlelyons on March 19th last. For the first time in a few years the Senior category was back so added to the competition up front. In total we had 14 athletes running and came home with a bag full of medals.
Overall Fiona had the most success on the day. She won the ladies race overall and thus her F35 category as well. She lead the ladies teams to silver medals in the Senior and Gold in the F35 team. Bravo. James finished 3rd overall in the mens race for bronze senior and also picked up first in the M35 category. He lead the mens team to 3rd place in the Senior and 1st in the M35.
The other individual winners were Matt Horigan who got silver in the M35, Eric Meade bronze in the M50 and his sister the up and coming Avril bossed the F50 category winning the gold medal.
Team winners Men: Senior Bronze and M35 Gold (James, Matt, Donal and Graham), Novice Bronze (Matt, Donal, Graham and John).
Team winners Ladies: Senior Silver (Fiona, Annelise, Niamh and Avril), Novice Bronze (Annelise, Niamh, Avril and Lorna), F35 Gold (Fiona, Niamh, Avril and Lorna).
Road Racing:
In other races Michael spun up to Portlaois for the Streets of Portlaois 5k and was 11th in 14:59.
In the Mallow 10 Stephen ran 61:03 PB just ahead of Michael in 61:26. Michael was using it as a training run before Boston next month and both did Welchtown hills on Saturday. Annelise had a solid run as well with 68:31.
The County Roads were held in Castlelyons on March 19th last. For the first time in a few years the Senior category was back so added to the competition up front. In total we had 14 athletes running and came home with a bag full of medals.
Overall Fiona had the most success on the day. She won the ladies race overall and thus her F35 category as well. She lead the ladies teams to silver medals in the Senior and Gold in the F35 team. Bravo. James finished 3rd overall in the mens race for bronze senior and also picked up first in the M35 category. He lead the mens team to 3rd place in the Senior and 1st in the M35.
The other individual winners were Matt Horigan who got silver in the M35, Eric Meade bronze in the M50 and his sister the up and coming Avril bossed the F50 category winning the gold medal.
Team winners Men: Senior Bronze and M35 Gold (James, Matt, Donal and Graham), Novice Bronze (Matt, Donal, Graham and John).
Team winners Ladies: Senior Silver (Fiona, Annelise, Niamh and Avril), Novice Bronze (Annelise, Niamh, Avril and Lorna), F35 Gold (Fiona, Niamh, Avril and Lorna).
Road Racing:
In other races Michael spun up to Portlaois for the Streets of Portlaois 5k and was 11th in 14:59.
In the Mallow 10 Stephen ran 61:03 PB just ahead of Michael in 61:26. Michael was using it as a training run before Boston next month and both did Welchtown hills on Saturday. Annelise had a solid run as well with 68:31.
Cloyne 4k Race 5 and Overall Series - March 13th 2023
Cloyne 4k:
The popular Cloyne 4k race series for the 2022/2023 season finished up on Sunday. 135 completed the full series with a minimum of 4 out of 5 races. Overall series winners were Aidan Noone (Leevale) and Vicky Spiteri (Midleton AC).
Donal Giltinan was our only overall prizewinner coming 2nd with a total time of 52.14. Congrats to the organising committee in Cloyne for keeping this very enjoyable 4k series going. It is a great asset to the winter racing season. Complete the series you and receive a good technical t-shirt, fast accurate results and a guaranteed PB on the even faster race loop. All this for only €5 per race.
On the day Michael Harty won race 5 with a sizzling 11.34 to take back his course record from young gun Paul. The marker has been reset, we will have to wait and see if it will be challenged again next winter! Next home in a solid time was James in 12.28. Kenneth and Donal also broke the 13 minute mark for 5th and 6th. Michael Furlong got revenge on Stephen from MTU last week finishing 8th in 13.25 with Stephen in 10th in 13.34. Eric Meade was next home in 15.23 just ahead of Martin Hennessy in 15.33.
Eadaoin was 2nd lady overall in a great 15.56 with Avril running a PB for 6th in 16.17. Conor broke the 17 min mark for the first time in 16.59. Lorna also had a seasons best despite only just recovering from illness with 17.32. Zach showed he is now really on the up and coming list with a fantastic 17.40 being paced by Dad Graham in 17.41. Denis and Tom had a battle for Wednesday night bragging rights with Denis using all his experience to come out on top with 18.06 and Tom in 18.28.
Up Next:
County Senior, Novice and Masters is on next Sunday in Castlelyons. It is one race for all and starts at 11am sharp.
The popular Cloyne 4k race series for the 2022/2023 season finished up on Sunday. 135 completed the full series with a minimum of 4 out of 5 races. Overall series winners were Aidan Noone (Leevale) and Vicky Spiteri (Midleton AC).
Donal Giltinan was our only overall prizewinner coming 2nd with a total time of 52.14. Congrats to the organising committee in Cloyne for keeping this very enjoyable 4k series going. It is a great asset to the winter racing season. Complete the series you and receive a good technical t-shirt, fast accurate results and a guaranteed PB on the even faster race loop. All this for only €5 per race.
On the day Michael Harty won race 5 with a sizzling 11.34 to take back his course record from young gun Paul. The marker has been reset, we will have to wait and see if it will be challenged again next winter! Next home in a solid time was James in 12.28. Kenneth and Donal also broke the 13 minute mark for 5th and 6th. Michael Furlong got revenge on Stephen from MTU last week finishing 8th in 13.25 with Stephen in 10th in 13.34. Eric Meade was next home in 15.23 just ahead of Martin Hennessy in 15.33.
Eadaoin was 2nd lady overall in a great 15.56 with Avril running a PB for 6th in 16.17. Conor broke the 17 min mark for the first time in 16.59. Lorna also had a seasons best despite only just recovering from illness with 17.32. Zach showed he is now really on the up and coming list with a fantastic 17.40 being paced by Dad Graham in 17.41. Denis and Tom had a battle for Wednesday night bragging rights with Denis using all his experience to come out on top with 18.06 and Tom in 18.28.
Up Next:
County Senior, Novice and Masters is on next Sunday in Castlelyons. It is one race for all and starts at 11am sharp.
Road Racing Roundup and IUAA XC - March 10th 2023
Road Racing:
Lots of road races the past few weeks. The picks of the bunch were Michael winning Killeagh 4 mile and Tim winning Kinsale 10 mile.
Cross Country:
The IUAA XC was held in UL as well with Paul finishing in a strong 6th overall.
Up Next:
The final race of the popular Cloyne 4k series is on this Sunday (March 12th). Best of luck to all those still in the hunt for overall glory. Also Sunday week is the County Road Senior, Novice and Masters in Castlelyons. Please let Eadaoin know if you are racing.
Lots of road races the past few weeks. The picks of the bunch were Michael winning Killeagh 4 mile and Tim winning Kinsale 10 mile.
Cross Country:
The IUAA XC was held in UL as well with Paul finishing in a strong 6th overall.
Up Next:
The final race of the popular Cloyne 4k series is on this Sunday (March 12th). Best of luck to all those still in the hunt for overall glory. Also Sunday week is the County Road Senior, Novice and Masters in Castlelyons. Please let Eadaoin know if you are racing.
National Masters XC - February 14th 2023
National Masters XC:
The National Masters Cross Country was held in Gowran Demesne at the weekend. In a wonderfully rare result we had the individual winners in both the masters mens and womens races! Fiona took the honours in the 4k womens races and was followed straight away by Tim winning the mens 7k. The mens team also got the bronze team finishing behind Leevale and Rathfarnham.
Fiona took the lead early in the womens race and showed she was the class athlete of the field by pushing the pace out front on her own for the full 4k. There was still pressure being put on her from Fiona Gettings and Edel Gaffney but as they got to the top of the hill by the castle on the final lap Fiona made her final move, showing her track speed, down the hill to the finish and win with a margin of 8 seconds in the end. Eadaoin running her first master race was second scorer on the Cork county team and 42nd overall.
Tim regained his title that he won in 2022 in Castlelyons. Mick Clohisey pushed the pace early on but at about 2k Tim turned the screw and left him and the rest of the field for dead. Tim opened up an insurmountable gap at the 5k mark and held that all the way to the finish winning by 20 seconds. Tim also lead the Cork team to Gold and the East Cork team to bronze. Kevin had a good race coming through well to finish 11th. James ran his fist cross country race in 12 months and was brave in the top 5 for the first few laps. He slid back a little in the end for a 16th place finish to match his result from 2022. Donal was next home in a good positive run for 30th improving on his 47th from last year. Stephen was next home in 72nd and Kenneth, who had shoe problems, finished 78th. Tim and Kevin also scored in the Gold winning Cork M35 team.
So overall a great day for the club with both individual master wins and great support up in Gowran as well.
Cloyne 4k:
The 4th race of the Cloyne series was on Sunday as well. John Spellman was 2nd overall in a time of 13.37. Sean was 5th in 13.48. Ollie was just outside the top 10 in 11th in 14.29 with Martin Hennessy in 22nd in 15:58.
Avril was our first lady home in a great time of 16:23 with her shadow Christine ghosting in behind her in 16.24, they were 5th and 6th. Conor ran a great PB of17.05 so will be looking for his first sub 17 at the final race in the series. Lorna was 11th lady in 17.34.
Performance of the day goes to young Zach Swords who broke 18 minutes for the first time with an excellent 17.51. This got him 3rd Junior Man. Zach is only 10 and has another 9 years at this grade so what out for him in the next few years! Dad Graham kept a close watch in 17.51 with Denis keeping a close eye on Graham in 17.54. Frank Cashman ran a solid 18.25 with Lavinia also on the way back with a 21.38.
The National Masters Cross Country was held in Gowran Demesne at the weekend. In a wonderfully rare result we had the individual winners in both the masters mens and womens races! Fiona took the honours in the 4k womens races and was followed straight away by Tim winning the mens 7k. The mens team also got the bronze team finishing behind Leevale and Rathfarnham.
Fiona took the lead early in the womens race and showed she was the class athlete of the field by pushing the pace out front on her own for the full 4k. There was still pressure being put on her from Fiona Gettings and Edel Gaffney but as they got to the top of the hill by the castle on the final lap Fiona made her final move, showing her track speed, down the hill to the finish and win with a margin of 8 seconds in the end. Eadaoin running her first master race was second scorer on the Cork county team and 42nd overall.
Tim regained his title that he won in 2022 in Castlelyons. Mick Clohisey pushed the pace early on but at about 2k Tim turned the screw and left him and the rest of the field for dead. Tim opened up an insurmountable gap at the 5k mark and held that all the way to the finish winning by 20 seconds. Tim also lead the Cork team to Gold and the East Cork team to bronze. Kevin had a good race coming through well to finish 11th. James ran his fist cross country race in 12 months and was brave in the top 5 for the first few laps. He slid back a little in the end for a 16th place finish to match his result from 2022. Donal was next home in a good positive run for 30th improving on his 47th from last year. Stephen was next home in 72nd and Kenneth, who had shoe problems, finished 78th. Tim and Kevin also scored in the Gold winning Cork M35 team.
So overall a great day for the club with both individual master wins and great support up in Gowran as well.
Cloyne 4k:
The 4th race of the Cloyne series was on Sunday as well. John Spellman was 2nd overall in a time of 13.37. Sean was 5th in 13.48. Ollie was just outside the top 10 in 11th in 14.29 with Martin Hennessy in 22nd in 15:58.
Avril was our first lady home in a great time of 16:23 with her shadow Christine ghosting in behind her in 16.24, they were 5th and 6th. Conor ran a great PB of17.05 so will be looking for his first sub 17 at the final race in the series. Lorna was 11th lady in 17.34.
Performance of the day goes to young Zach Swords who broke 18 minutes for the first time with an excellent 17.51. This got him 3rd Junior Man. Zach is only 10 and has another 9 years at this grade so what out for him in the next few years! Dad Graham kept a close watch in 17.51 with Denis keeping a close eye on Graham in 17.54. Frank Cashman ran a solid 18.25 with Lavinia also on the way back with a 21.38.
European Club Cross County and Dungarvan 10: February 8th, 2023
European Club Cross Country:
The European Club Cross Country was held in Oropesa del Mar, Spain at the weekend. We are the first male Cork senior club to ever qualify for this prestigious event that dates back to 1962. The course was very different to what we are used to however. Instead of cold, wet weather with long grass, hills and cow droppings it was warm, dry manicured course next to a beautiful beach with the sea lapping close by. Despite the scenic views the course itself was actually tricky enough. There were three soft sand sections, lots of winding twists and turns and three jumps to negotiate each lap.
The race started off fast and furious with Paul in the front group leading the charge. Tim, Frank and Kevin were bunched in the middle of the pack for most of the first 2k. After that Tim started his customary meandering up through the field, Frank stayed were he was and Kevin drifted back a little. The speed at the front of the race was relentless. Rodrigue Kwizera, 11th in the 2019 World XC Championships, and Oscar Chelimo, bronze in the 2022 5k at the World T&F Championships, were at the head of the race keep things honest! Paul wisley decided that maybe he should ease off the gas a bit and settled back into the main pack. The race was billed as an 8.7k distance but ended up being 8km exactly. By the end Tim had worked his way up to 42nd place and could have done with another 2k as he was really starting to make up ground as the going got tough. Paul was valiant for the first 5k and then dropped some places in the closing laps for 66th. Frank racing his 2nd cross country race in less than 24 hours (and 1,300kms away) was 72nd with Kevin just behind in 85th.
Overall it was a great novelty for East Cork AC to qualify for this race. With an active membership of approx 30 athletes male and female it is a testament to the dedication of all involved.
Our top four runners for the year of Frank, Paul, Tim and Michael were obviously the key to this success but interestingly we had 9 different scoring members through the Seniors races from East Corks all the way to the Europeans. Paul, Frank, Donal and Eric won gold in the East Corks. Michael, Paul, Tim and Frank won gold at the Counties. Kevin, Donal, Matt and Nicky won silver at the Munsters and of course Tim, Paul, Michael and Frank won silver in Rossapenna at the Nationals. Also Denis, Fergus and Chris also ran on the Senior team during the year
Link to the stream - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JKNpJQOe84A
Senior Mens race starts at 2 hours and 20 minutes.
Dungarvan 10:
The other big race of the weekend was the Dungarvan 10. With Ballycotton long gone now this has turned into the big race post Christmas to target. We had a very successful outing on hte day with lots of PB's helped by the great running conditions and of course the hundreds of training miles in the legs. Donla and Brian had a ding dong battle for top East Cork spot. Donal got a small gap at thte 7 mile mark and held onto it for dear life, the fear of Brian got him to a massive PB of 55:01. Brian was just behind also in a massive PB with 55.12. That got the lads 24th and 27th places. Michael Furlong was next home in 58:30 with Chris Kelly taking it as a training run in 60:14. Our club captain Stephen ensured things went smoothly for everyone and had a birds eye view of proceedings running 61:19. Chris McGrath in the middle of a big block of marathon training showed his strength with a super 67:15. Annelise smashed her PB by well over 2 minutes with 67:35 and Christine and Avril both comfortably broke the 70 minute barrier for the first time with 69:00 and 69:54. Congrats to all on fast running!
Our top three men of Donal, Brian and Michael also got the bronze team
Up Next:
All roads lead to Gowran this weekend for the National Masters XC. We have the defneding champion Tim racing again and will hope to put a good team around him to challange for the team prize too. Also Fiona will have sights on the big prize after her great masters running earlier this season. Also on Sunday is the 4th Cloyne 4k event of the series, starting as usual at 9.30am sharp.
The European Club Cross Country was held in Oropesa del Mar, Spain at the weekend. We are the first male Cork senior club to ever qualify for this prestigious event that dates back to 1962. The course was very different to what we are used to however. Instead of cold, wet weather with long grass, hills and cow droppings it was warm, dry manicured course next to a beautiful beach with the sea lapping close by. Despite the scenic views the course itself was actually tricky enough. There were three soft sand sections, lots of winding twists and turns and three jumps to negotiate each lap.
The race started off fast and furious with Paul in the front group leading the charge. Tim, Frank and Kevin were bunched in the middle of the pack for most of the first 2k. After that Tim started his customary meandering up through the field, Frank stayed were he was and Kevin drifted back a little. The speed at the front of the race was relentless. Rodrigue Kwizera, 11th in the 2019 World XC Championships, and Oscar Chelimo, bronze in the 2022 5k at the World T&F Championships, were at the head of the race keep things honest! Paul wisley decided that maybe he should ease off the gas a bit and settled back into the main pack. The race was billed as an 8.7k distance but ended up being 8km exactly. By the end Tim had worked his way up to 42nd place and could have done with another 2k as he was really starting to make up ground as the going got tough. Paul was valiant for the first 5k and then dropped some places in the closing laps for 66th. Frank racing his 2nd cross country race in less than 24 hours (and 1,300kms away) was 72nd with Kevin just behind in 85th.
Overall it was a great novelty for East Cork AC to qualify for this race. With an active membership of approx 30 athletes male and female it is a testament to the dedication of all involved.
Our top four runners for the year of Frank, Paul, Tim and Michael were obviously the key to this success but interestingly we had 9 different scoring members through the Seniors races from East Corks all the way to the Europeans. Paul, Frank, Donal and Eric won gold in the East Corks. Michael, Paul, Tim and Frank won gold at the Counties. Kevin, Donal, Matt and Nicky won silver at the Munsters and of course Tim, Paul, Michael and Frank won silver in Rossapenna at the Nationals. Also Denis, Fergus and Chris also ran on the Senior team during the year
Link to the stream - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JKNpJQOe84A
Senior Mens race starts at 2 hours and 20 minutes.
Dungarvan 10:
The other big race of the weekend was the Dungarvan 10. With Ballycotton long gone now this has turned into the big race post Christmas to target. We had a very successful outing on hte day with lots of PB's helped by the great running conditions and of course the hundreds of training miles in the legs. Donla and Brian had a ding dong battle for top East Cork spot. Donal got a small gap at thte 7 mile mark and held onto it for dear life, the fear of Brian got him to a massive PB of 55:01. Brian was just behind also in a massive PB with 55.12. That got the lads 24th and 27th places. Michael Furlong was next home in 58:30 with Chris Kelly taking it as a training run in 60:14. Our club captain Stephen ensured things went smoothly for everyone and had a birds eye view of proceedings running 61:19. Chris McGrath in the middle of a big block of marathon training showed his strength with a super 67:15. Annelise smashed her PB by well over 2 minutes with 67:35 and Christine and Avril both comfortably broke the 70 minute barrier for the first time with 69:00 and 69:54. Congrats to all on fast running!
Our top three men of Donal, Brian and Michael also got the bronze team
Up Next:
All roads lead to Gowran this weekend for the National Masters XC. We have the defneding champion Tim racing again and will hope to put a good team around him to challange for the team prize too. Also Fiona will have sights on the big prize after her great masters running earlier this season. Also on Sunday is the 4th Cloyne 4k event of the series, starting as usual at 9.30am sharp.
Munster and National Medals - A compilation by James McCarthy and Denis McCarthy
James and Denis have spent a lot of time and effort compiling results from Munster and National championships from the start of time (well 1986). It is very well put together and shows the success the club has had over the years. Thanks to both for this. It might be a trip down memory lane for some people or a source of inspiration to others!
There are one of two gaps that perhaps you might be able to help with. Mainly these are:
- 1989: National Road Relays 3rd team - Missing 3 members of the team.
- 1991: Intermediate Cross Country 2nd team - Missing one member of the scoring team.
- 1996: Munster Cross Country Junior Men 3rd team - All missing!
- 2000: Munster Cross Country Junior Men 3rd team - 2 missing
One wonders if we will have a junior mens or womens team compete again in the near future..
The file can be downloaded below and is also saved in the Club Records section.
There are one of two gaps that perhaps you might be able to help with. Mainly these are:
- 1989: National Road Relays 3rd team - Missing 3 members of the team.
- 1991: Intermediate Cross Country 2nd team - Missing one member of the scoring team.
- 1996: Munster Cross Country Junior Men 3rd team - All missing!
- 2000: Munster Cross Country Junior Men 3rd team - 2 missing
One wonders if we will have a junior mens or womens team compete again in the near future..
The file can be downloaded below and is also saved in the Club Records section.
| east_cork_medal_winners_1986-2018.docx |
