National Masters T&F to Mountain Running Trials and all the road races inbetween
National Masters - Frank Hayes Wins National Bronze Medal:
*UPDATED August 20th*
Our first championship medal since the East Corks in June was won by non other than Frank Hayes on Sunday up in Tullamore. Frank was 3rd in the M50 5000m. Frank ran 17.32 in a race won by Ian O'Leary in 17.21, with Dominic Horan in 2nd in 17.26.
A stalwart of the club , this is Franks 5th individual championship medal of the year. He is the reigning County Master champion over 3000m, he was 2nd in the county masters 1500m, 2nd in the Munster masters 3000m and 2nd in the East Cork Seniors over 1500m and now has added this bronze National medal over 5000m to add his ever growing collection. This is on top of the enormous unseen work he does with the St Catherine juveniles all year round. Congratulations Frank from all at East Cork AC.
Tim Crowley also ran on Sunday. Tim was 6th M35 in 4.33 and was within touching distance of an individual medal being in 2nd with 250m to go. This experience of running Nationals is invaluable and for a guy who was out injured for 14 months this time last year it shows the dedication and work that has been put in to get back to this level. Congrats Tim. Tim also ran the Cork City sports Open 3k in a 9.46 last Wednesday night.
Road Races:
Kevin O'Leary once again showed where his true strength lies. Kevin won the East Cork Harbour Half Marathon last weekend in a course record 73.36. Now if any of you have ever run that route you will know how impressive that is. Hills. hills and more hills!! Kevin is building up for the Berlin marathon in September and with Eluid Kipchoge not racing Berlin, as he's concentrating on his Sub 2 project, few would back against Kev on current form!
Also racing the Harbour Half were Kenneth Kelleher who is a former winner of this race. Kenneth was 3rd overal in 79.14. Pat O'Connor was 43rd in 80.19 and Jens was 49th in 81.35. Lavinia ran the 10k in 54.30. Well done all.
The Musgrave 5k was on last Tuesday night and Michelle Ahern had a great run with 20.17, Niamh O'Connor also had an excellent 20.55 and Annalese ran another suberb PB of 21.28! Caitriona was just behind in 21.31.
Mountain Running:
Normally this website is reserved for Track, Road and Cross Country races but occasionally an allowance is made for an amusing story or exceptional performance. In this case it is the latter, congrats to Tim on winning the Irish Mountain Running Trial race for the World Championships held in Wicklow on Saturday. Tim held off Ian Conroy and Eoin Flynn to win the race and has now qualified for the Irish team that will be heading to Patagonia, Argentina in November for the World Mountain Running Championships.
Tim has represented Ireland once before at this level running in an International race up Snowdon in Wales in 2014. Welchtown hills could be spicy this winter!
*UPDATED August 20th*
Our first championship medal since the East Corks in June was won by non other than Frank Hayes on Sunday up in Tullamore. Frank was 3rd in the M50 5000m. Frank ran 17.32 in a race won by Ian O'Leary in 17.21, with Dominic Horan in 2nd in 17.26.
A stalwart of the club , this is Franks 5th individual championship medal of the year. He is the reigning County Master champion over 3000m, he was 2nd in the county masters 1500m, 2nd in the Munster masters 3000m and 2nd in the East Cork Seniors over 1500m and now has added this bronze National medal over 5000m to add his ever growing collection. This is on top of the enormous unseen work he does with the St Catherine juveniles all year round. Congratulations Frank from all at East Cork AC.
Tim Crowley also ran on Sunday. Tim was 6th M35 in 4.33 and was within touching distance of an individual medal being in 2nd with 250m to go. This experience of running Nationals is invaluable and for a guy who was out injured for 14 months this time last year it shows the dedication and work that has been put in to get back to this level. Congrats Tim. Tim also ran the Cork City sports Open 3k in a 9.46 last Wednesday night.
Road Races:
Kevin O'Leary once again showed where his true strength lies. Kevin won the East Cork Harbour Half Marathon last weekend in a course record 73.36. Now if any of you have ever run that route you will know how impressive that is. Hills. hills and more hills!! Kevin is building up for the Berlin marathon in September and with Eluid Kipchoge not racing Berlin, as he's concentrating on his Sub 2 project, few would back against Kev on current form!
Also racing the Harbour Half were Kenneth Kelleher who is a former winner of this race. Kenneth was 3rd overal in 79.14. Pat O'Connor was 43rd in 80.19 and Jens was 49th in 81.35. Lavinia ran the 10k in 54.30. Well done all.
The Musgrave 5k was on last Tuesday night and Michelle Ahern had a great run with 20.17, Niamh O'Connor also had an excellent 20.55 and Annalese ran another suberb PB of 21.28! Caitriona was just behind in 21.31.
Mountain Running:
Normally this website is reserved for Track, Road and Cross Country races but occasionally an allowance is made for an amusing story or exceptional performance. In this case it is the latter, congrats to Tim on winning the Irish Mountain Running Trial race for the World Championships held in Wicklow on Saturday. Tim held off Ian Conroy and Eoin Flynn to win the race and has now qualified for the Irish team that will be heading to Patagonia, Argentina in November for the World Mountain Running Championships.
Tim has represented Ireland once before at this level running in an International race up Snowdon in Wales in 2014. Welchtown hills could be spicy this winter!
Weekly Round Up - August 1st - 8th
Tim Crowley just back from holidays made the trip to Dublin to shake some cobwebs off at the Dublin Graded League 3k. Tim was 6th in 10.02.
On the roads we had a crew that went in the search of PB's in Clogheen in Tipperary. In a race won by Kevin Maunsell, Kevin O'Brien finished runner up in 15.56. Lorna was our first lady home in 21.19. Annalese hired "Tamzin Muldowney - Personal Pacemeker" to guide her around to a big PB of 22.47. The first time she has broken 23. All the summer training has been paying off. Caitriona was also in this group but made a break with a mile to go and finished in an impressive SB of 22.31.
In Conna the next night we had Niamh O'Connor and Denis running. Niamh ran 21.33 for 7th lady and Denis ran 22.21. Also running last Friday night were Brian Harty and Kevin O'Leary at the Kinsale 5 Mile. According to unconfirmed reports they held hands crossing the line in 28.42.
All the way in Denmark Frank O'Carroll ran 36.53 in the Copenhagen Harbour 10k.
Upcoming Events:
- Cork City Sports - August 14th. We might have one or two athletes competing in this. Also we have many hands helping out on the night. I am not sure if this is to help ensure that the showcase T&F event in Cork that is live on national TV is run as smoothly as possible and that all the athletes are well looked after or if they just want free entry!
- National Masters T&F - August 18th - Tullamore
On the roads we had a crew that went in the search of PB's in Clogheen in Tipperary. In a race won by Kevin Maunsell, Kevin O'Brien finished runner up in 15.56. Lorna was our first lady home in 21.19. Annalese hired "Tamzin Muldowney - Personal Pacemeker" to guide her around to a big PB of 22.47. The first time she has broken 23. All the summer training has been paying off. Caitriona was also in this group but made a break with a mile to go and finished in an impressive SB of 22.31.
In Conna the next night we had Niamh O'Connor and Denis running. Niamh ran 21.33 for 7th lady and Denis ran 22.21. Also running last Friday night were Brian Harty and Kevin O'Leary at the Kinsale 5 Mile. According to unconfirmed reports they held hands crossing the line in 28.42.
All the way in Denmark Frank O'Carroll ran 36.53 in the Copenhagen Harbour 10k.
Upcoming Events:
- Cork City Sports - August 14th. We might have one or two athletes competing in this. Also we have many hands helping out on the night. I am not sure if this is to help ensure that the showcase T&F event in Cork that is live on national TV is run as smoothly as possible and that all the athletes are well looked after or if they just want free entry!
- National Masters T&F - August 18th - Tullamore
National Senior and Road Round Up - August 1st
National Senior T&F:
Congrats to Kevin and Fiona on competing in the National Championships at the weekend in Santry. Both raced in the bue ribbon 1500m event. Fiona ran a PB in 4.50 and Kevin ran 4.06. Unfortunately neither time was quick enough to make the final the next day.
Road Races
While most of the club are on a well deserved break for a few weeks we did have had a scattering of road race performances this last week. Tim won in Garryvoe in a commanding 15.22, with Brian Harty in 4th and Fiona 2nd in the womens. Tim Crowley raced a mile in Kerry and ran 5.07 for 4th. Denis was our sole representative in Fermoy 4 mile and was 27th overall in 27.57. And last but not least Shane was 6th in the Liam Miller 5k memorial run.
BBQ
Reminder to reply to Lorna if you are going and if you are bringing anyone so she can confirm the numbers. All are welcome (since you have to pay for yourself anyway). If you did not get the email please let Liam, Kevin or Lorna know and they will add you to the distribution list.
Cross Country - Winter 2019:
That moment you have all been waiting for!!! Cross Country fixtures are notoriously late in being finalised with venues and dates but a general rule of thumb is to see when they were on last year and you won't be too far wrong. This has been Denis's approach for the last 40 years and he never misses a race!
So I have set out the Provisional Dates for you to get an idea of how things will shape up, starting from East Cork XC in September to National Novice in December.
Also if you are thinking of transferring to (or from) East Cork then you need to have your fully signed transfer form completed and sent to the county board by August 24th. You will then be able to compete in every race from October 1st.
Congrats to Kevin and Fiona on competing in the National Championships at the weekend in Santry. Both raced in the bue ribbon 1500m event. Fiona ran a PB in 4.50 and Kevin ran 4.06. Unfortunately neither time was quick enough to make the final the next day.
Road Races
While most of the club are on a well deserved break for a few weeks we did have had a scattering of road race performances this last week. Tim won in Garryvoe in a commanding 15.22, with Brian Harty in 4th and Fiona 2nd in the womens. Tim Crowley raced a mile in Kerry and ran 5.07 for 4th. Denis was our sole representative in Fermoy 4 mile and was 27th overall in 27.57. And last but not least Shane was 6th in the Liam Miller 5k memorial run.
BBQ
Reminder to reply to Lorna if you are going and if you are bringing anyone so she can confirm the numbers. All are welcome (since you have to pay for yourself anyway). If you did not get the email please let Liam, Kevin or Lorna know and they will add you to the distribution list.
Cross Country - Winter 2019:
That moment you have all been waiting for!!! Cross Country fixtures are notoriously late in being finalised with venues and dates but a general rule of thumb is to see when they were on last year and you won't be too far wrong. This has been Denis's approach for the last 40 years and he never misses a race!
So I have set out the Provisional Dates for you to get an idea of how things will shape up, starting from East Cork XC in September to National Novice in December.
Also if you are thinking of transferring to (or from) East Cork then you need to have your fully signed transfer form completed and sent to the county board by August 24th. You will then be able to compete in every race from October 1st.
National League Final - Tullamore July 20th
Congrats to the East Cork Divisions National League teams who did the division proud at the weekend. The women's team won bronze medals tying with Kerry County on 87 points. Waterford County won the overall with Finn Valley in 2nd. Both these teams will be promoted to Premier next year.
Fiona was our sole competitor for the women and she ran a suburb PB of 10.13 in the 3000m. Her other 3000m times this year have been 10.36, 10.47 and 10.48 so this was a huge breakthrough at the National level. She was 2nd in her race and collected 7 points.
The mens team scrapped through the qualifiers and with more of less the same team stepped it up another level in the final to finish 4th overall with 81 points. Wexford (117) and Waterford (111) finished 1, 2 to get promoted with Ennis Track just missing out by 3 points to finish 3rd (108). We had the two Kevins competing again. Kevin O'Leary running his 4th 5000m in a week ran another impressive 15.39 on tired legs to finish 2nd for 7 points. Kevin O'Brien ran the 1500m and 800m again and was 4th in the former in 4.07 and 5th in the 800m in 2.03 (although he nearly missed the race trying on the limited edition East Cork Division tshirts for the right size). With a few athletes not available for different reasons in both the mens and womens sections East Cork could very well be a force to be reckoned with next year if the work put in the last two years is built on again.
A great amount of work was put in behind the scenes by Joan Hough, Willie Walsh, Liam O'Brien and Ger Foley. Their great drive and enthusiasm is really appreciated by all the athletes.
Summer BBQ:
The club summer BBQ will be on in the Thatch Killeagh on Saturday August 17th at 7pm. It is €20 per person and all are welcome. More details will be provide by the clubs Social Coordinator by email.
Fiona was our sole competitor for the women and she ran a suburb PB of 10.13 in the 3000m. Her other 3000m times this year have been 10.36, 10.47 and 10.48 so this was a huge breakthrough at the National level. She was 2nd in her race and collected 7 points.
The mens team scrapped through the qualifiers and with more of less the same team stepped it up another level in the final to finish 4th overall with 81 points. Wexford (117) and Waterford (111) finished 1, 2 to get promoted with Ennis Track just missing out by 3 points to finish 3rd (108). We had the two Kevins competing again. Kevin O'Leary running his 4th 5000m in a week ran another impressive 15.39 on tired legs to finish 2nd for 7 points. Kevin O'Brien ran the 1500m and 800m again and was 4th in the former in 4.07 and 5th in the 800m in 2.03 (although he nearly missed the race trying on the limited edition East Cork Division tshirts for the right size). With a few athletes not available for different reasons in both the mens and womens sections East Cork could very well be a force to be reckoned with next year if the work put in the last two years is built on again.
A great amount of work was put in behind the scenes by Joan Hough, Willie Walsh, Liam O'Brien and Ger Foley. Their great drive and enthusiasm is really appreciated by all the athletes.
Summer BBQ:
The club summer BBQ will be on in the Thatch Killeagh on Saturday August 17th at 7pm. It is €20 per person and all are welcome. More details will be provide by the clubs Social Coordinator by email.
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 |
2018 - Season Bests
A few pale in comparison to the Club records largely set in the late 1980's/early 1990 but there was Tim's 2.21 marathon record in October to claim for the current generation.
Upcoming Events 2018/2019:2019:
July: - Robbie Steele Corkbeg 4 Mile - July 4th, 8pm; Whitegate - Youghal 5k - July 11th: Youghal - John Buckley Graded League Rd 4 - July 15th; CIT - National Senior T&F - July 27th/28th; Santry And Beyond: - Munster Senior XC - November 10th; Cork - Munster Masters XC - November 17th; Kerry |
Member Profile:
Every few weeks we will have a feature on one of our members. The twelfth installment is an interview with Kenneth Kelleher:
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