2024 September Update
Championship Races:
County T&F:
Due to the lack of availablility of tracks in Cork this summer, the county senior and masters T&F was held on the first day of September this year. We had 5 athletes running. In the 800m James was 3rd overall in 2.08 with John 5th in 2.11. Stephen was just behind John in 2.12 but was 1st M35. Ollie was 2nd M45 in 2.17. John raced again in the 1500m and finished 2nd with Denis grabbing a gold in the M60 in 7.21.
East Cork XC:
More traditionally the cross county season kicks off in September and two weeks after the county T&F we had 13 race in the East Corks in Ballynoe. First up in the ladies race, Tamzin gave it a good rattle and finished 2nd leading the ladies team to a silver medal. In a close team tussle with Midleton AC Christine ran well to finish 4th, Siobhan was 9th one ahead of teammate Avril and Eibhlin just behind them in 12th. On the masters side Christine was 2nd in F35 with Siobhan 2nd in F45 and Avril 3rd F45. The three also were 2nd F35 team. Well done all!
The mens race was a pleasing clean sweep. With Tony and Frank showing a gulf in class to the rest of the field battling it out for the full 6000m before Franko finally pulled clear with a strong sprint finish in the home straight and take the title. Tony despite doing all the front running settled for 2nd (for the 2nd year in a row). Stephen O'Brien broke clear from the chasing pack early on and had a comfortable run for 3rd (1st M35). With John completing the team in 4th. Ollie Smiddy was 8th (and 1st M45), with rookies Aaron and Karl finishing commendably in 12th and 13th. Denis finished in 22nd.
The mens M35 team were credited as silver team but only had 3 athletes counting so this one can be left as a footnote in the record books!
Other Races:
The Womens Mini Marathon which is a 5k (don't get Dave Dwyer started!) was on last week and as usual the turnout is massive for the event. We had Tamzin running who was pacing her sister and finished 226th in 26.46 with Siobhan finishing 260th in 27.32.
Tony's 8.53 in the Cork City Sports was omitted last month as well. He was 8th in the Open race (The Cork City Sports organisation committee if they see this should look at the link for the 2024 results, it seems to be a bit like Tim O'Donoghue this summer and gone missing)
Also a big welcome to Olwyn Reidy who has transferred to the club and will officially be a member on October 1st (just in time to boost the ladies team for the county seniors XC).
Next Up:
The county senior cross county is next Sunday in Ballynoe hosted by St Catherines. There is no timetable up but the juveniles start at 12pm so womens race should start approx 2pm and mens at 2.45pm. Please get your entry to Eadaoin before the deadline on Tuesday October 1st.
County T&F:
Due to the lack of availablility of tracks in Cork this summer, the county senior and masters T&F was held on the first day of September this year. We had 5 athletes running. In the 800m James was 3rd overall in 2.08 with John 5th in 2.11. Stephen was just behind John in 2.12 but was 1st M35. Ollie was 2nd M45 in 2.17. John raced again in the 1500m and finished 2nd with Denis grabbing a gold in the M60 in 7.21.
East Cork XC:
More traditionally the cross county season kicks off in September and two weeks after the county T&F we had 13 race in the East Corks in Ballynoe. First up in the ladies race, Tamzin gave it a good rattle and finished 2nd leading the ladies team to a silver medal. In a close team tussle with Midleton AC Christine ran well to finish 4th, Siobhan was 9th one ahead of teammate Avril and Eibhlin just behind them in 12th. On the masters side Christine was 2nd in F35 with Siobhan 2nd in F45 and Avril 3rd F45. The three also were 2nd F35 team. Well done all!
The mens race was a pleasing clean sweep. With Tony and Frank showing a gulf in class to the rest of the field battling it out for the full 6000m before Franko finally pulled clear with a strong sprint finish in the home straight and take the title. Tony despite doing all the front running settled for 2nd (for the 2nd year in a row). Stephen O'Brien broke clear from the chasing pack early on and had a comfortable run for 3rd (1st M35). With John completing the team in 4th. Ollie Smiddy was 8th (and 1st M45), with rookies Aaron and Karl finishing commendably in 12th and 13th. Denis finished in 22nd.
The mens M35 team were credited as silver team but only had 3 athletes counting so this one can be left as a footnote in the record books!
Other Races:
The Womens Mini Marathon which is a 5k (don't get Dave Dwyer started!) was on last week and as usual the turnout is massive for the event. We had Tamzin running who was pacing her sister and finished 226th in 26.46 with Siobhan finishing 260th in 27.32.
Tony's 8.53 in the Cork City Sports was omitted last month as well. He was 8th in the Open race (The Cork City Sports organisation committee if they see this should look at the link for the 2024 results, it seems to be a bit like Tim O'Donoghue this summer and gone missing)
Also a big welcome to Olwyn Reidy who has transferred to the club and will officially be a member on October 1st (just in time to boost the ladies team for the county seniors XC).
Next Up:
The county senior cross county is next Sunday in Ballynoe hosted by St Catherines. There is no timetable up but the juveniles start at 12pm so womens race should start approx 2pm and mens at 2.45pm. Please get your entry to Eadaoin before the deadline on Tuesday October 1st.
2024 July and August Update
Championship Races National Masters and East Cork T&F:
National Masters:
We had two competing at the National Masters T&F this year. Donal and Stephen made the trip to Tullamore to compete in the 1500m. Both were in the M40 category and Donal bagged a national medal for his troubles, made all the sweeter no doubt as he also secured the bragging rights with Stephen just behind in 4th. Donal ran 4.29 and Stephen ran 4.31. Both very strong runs at the end of a long summer season.
East Cork T&F:
The East Corks were split in two this year with the main events held in Carrignavar on their 300m grass track and the 5000m races held separately in MTU a few weeks later. In the Tour De France there is a most combative rider award and this most certainly would have went to John Spelman. He competed in 5 different events ranging from 100m to 5000m and took two Golds and two silvers away for his troubles too! Perhaps the decathlon is where he will specialise in the future! Not too far off him was another prolific racer, Tony ran three events and took home a gold, a silver and a bronze. Ollie proved he is the top M45 around taking gold in the 800m and 3000m and also competing in the 5k on the track.
Other golds were in the masters 800m Eibhlin Cleary (F35) and James Mc (M35). In the masters 3000m Nicky took M35 gold. Frank won a tactical 5000m over Tony up in MTU with a blistering last lap to reclaim his title from 2022, winning in 15.30. Tony as mentioned was 2nd in 15.35 and James (2023 winner) was 3rd in 16.19. Denis raced in the 3k and 5k and Michael Furlong was 8th in the 5k. Well done to everyone who took part and helped organise.
National League and Cork City Sports:
Well done to John, Frank and Paul who all admirably represented East Cork AC competing with the "East Cork Athletics Division" in the National League over the summer. Paul and Frank scored high points for the team in the Finals, both coming 2nd. Frank ran 3.59 in the 1500m behind Sean Tobin and Paul ran a strong 5k in 15.15. Special mention again to John and Frank who both doubled up in the preliminary round.
Cork City Sports - Nicky and John both ran in the Cork City Sports in the Open 3k. Thanks as well for all club members who helped out on the night and all the prep work for weeks and months prior with the many jobs that were needed to make the event such a success.
Other Races July - Top 5's:
Well done to Tony for winning two road races in July, Corkbeg 4 mile (20.29) and Churchtown South 4 mile (20.52). And hard luck to James for coming second in both! Tamzin was 2nd in Corkbeg in 24.47 and 3rd in Churchtown South in 24.38. Nicky was 5th in Churchtown in 21.22. Tony also came 5th in Fermoy 4 mile in 20.43. There were 17 others racing in July. Details below.
Bravo too for our Race Directors Eibhlin in Corkbeg and Conor in Churchtown South for putting on two wonderful races to keep the flame lit in East Cork.
Other Races August - Top 5's:
We had three winners on the roads in August. First up was Tony again winning the Conna 5k in 15.48. Frank ran on the Stryker 4 Mile passing his Grandparents house on route to taking down the win in his trademark style with a big kick for home in 20.23. And finally Michael Harty made a return to the racing after a block of training to win the Amazon 5k in a a swift 15.11.
James was 2nd in Rathcormac and 5th in Conna. Tamzin was 3rd in Conna and Paul Hartnett was 4th in a competitive Cork City 10k in 31.17.
National Masters:
We had two competing at the National Masters T&F this year. Donal and Stephen made the trip to Tullamore to compete in the 1500m. Both were in the M40 category and Donal bagged a national medal for his troubles, made all the sweeter no doubt as he also secured the bragging rights with Stephen just behind in 4th. Donal ran 4.29 and Stephen ran 4.31. Both very strong runs at the end of a long summer season.
East Cork T&F:
The East Corks were split in two this year with the main events held in Carrignavar on their 300m grass track and the 5000m races held separately in MTU a few weeks later. In the Tour De France there is a most combative rider award and this most certainly would have went to John Spelman. He competed in 5 different events ranging from 100m to 5000m and took two Golds and two silvers away for his troubles too! Perhaps the decathlon is where he will specialise in the future! Not too far off him was another prolific racer, Tony ran three events and took home a gold, a silver and a bronze. Ollie proved he is the top M45 around taking gold in the 800m and 3000m and also competing in the 5k on the track.
Other golds were in the masters 800m Eibhlin Cleary (F35) and James Mc (M35). In the masters 3000m Nicky took M35 gold. Frank won a tactical 5000m over Tony up in MTU with a blistering last lap to reclaim his title from 2022, winning in 15.30. Tony as mentioned was 2nd in 15.35 and James (2023 winner) was 3rd in 16.19. Denis raced in the 3k and 5k and Michael Furlong was 8th in the 5k. Well done to everyone who took part and helped organise.
National League and Cork City Sports:
Well done to John, Frank and Paul who all admirably represented East Cork AC competing with the "East Cork Athletics Division" in the National League over the summer. Paul and Frank scored high points for the team in the Finals, both coming 2nd. Frank ran 3.59 in the 1500m behind Sean Tobin and Paul ran a strong 5k in 15.15. Special mention again to John and Frank who both doubled up in the preliminary round.
Cork City Sports - Nicky and John both ran in the Cork City Sports in the Open 3k. Thanks as well for all club members who helped out on the night and all the prep work for weeks and months prior with the many jobs that were needed to make the event such a success.
Other Races July - Top 5's:
Well done to Tony for winning two road races in July, Corkbeg 4 mile (20.29) and Churchtown South 4 mile (20.52). And hard luck to James for coming second in both! Tamzin was 2nd in Corkbeg in 24.47 and 3rd in Churchtown South in 24.38. Nicky was 5th in Churchtown in 21.22. Tony also came 5th in Fermoy 4 mile in 20.43. There were 17 others racing in July. Details below.
Bravo too for our Race Directors Eibhlin in Corkbeg and Conor in Churchtown South for putting on two wonderful races to keep the flame lit in East Cork.
Other Races August - Top 5's:
We had three winners on the roads in August. First up was Tony again winning the Conna 5k in 15.48. Frank ran on the Stryker 4 Mile passing his Grandparents house on route to taking down the win in his trademark style with a big kick for home in 20.23. And finally Michael Harty made a return to the racing after a block of training to win the Amazon 5k in a a swift 15.11.
James was 2nd in Rathcormac and 5th in Conna. Tamzin was 3rd in Conna and Paul Hartnett was 4th in a competitive Cork City 10k in 31.17.
CORKBEG 4 MILE 2024 - Results July 4th, 2024
2024 June Update - July 4th, 2024
Championship Races National Senior T&F:
We had four competing at the National T&F this year up in Morton Stadium. With Olympic qualification on the line all was to play for. First up we had Paul and John in the 1500m heats. It was top four to qualify automatically and both gave it a good go but were just outside this target. In a tactical race with a burn up at the end Paul was 6th in 4.02 and John 13th in 4.17.
Next up was nearly man Frank. He has been 3rd in his 800m heat the past 3 years (with top 2 to auto Q) and despite giving it a right crack and taking the pace on right from the gun we was just pipped in the home straight and finished in 3rd again in a swift 1.53. Tony took on the longer 5000m and ran a solid 15.36 for 4th in the C race. Well done all. The National Seniors is the ultimate test for us as club runners and fair play for keeping the East Cork flag flying up in Dublin.
Other Races - Top 10's:
Catch up race for Paul who ran in the Dublin Graded League in Morton Stadium earlier in the summer and was 3rd in 3.58. Donal and Stephen travelled to DSD's new track to run in ht e5th round of the Dublin Graded League and acquitted themselves well in the 3000 B race, Donal was 4th in 9.32 and Stephen ran 9.44 for 9th. was Frank was 4th in the Watford Grand Prix 800m in 1.54, Nicky continued his comeback in the Coolagown 10k with a 4th in 33.43. Tamzin had a smashing run in the Musgrave 5k with a 5th place finish in 18.27. Frank also ran in the Bracknell BMC 800m in Birmingham during the month and was 5th in 1.53. Donal went across the county bounds and was 6th in the Killarney 10k in 35.26. Well done to everyone else too for the other races in June
Coast to Coast Relay:
The Coast to Coast Relay was another slightly alternative race that we participated in over the weekend of June 23rd-June 25th. But we had a bumper turnout with 20 club members racing, pacing or driving.
The race started in Bray Head in Wicklow at 12am Saturday morning and we finished it on Monday morning at 6.46am at Bray head signal tower on Valentia Island Kerry, a monster 570km with approx 13,000m of elevation gain and loss. The route was devised 20 years ago as a means to link up all the national trails "ways" through the country. These include Wicklow Way, South Leinster Way, East Munster Way, Avondhu Way, Duhallow Way and the Kerry Way.
There were 4 relay teams and 13 ,ad individuals at the start line. Stephen O'Brien took responsibility to start us off on the right foot and apart from a little bit of trouble at Bray Head Cross he didn't put a foot wrong (until later that night when he fell and bashed his ribs up somewhat) as he navigated the large network of trails and roads to pass to Donal shortly before the Wicklow Way and the relative safety of the yellow men! Donal, Stephen, Matt and John continued through the night running, driving, pacing and creating mildly humorous What App videos until they reached The Dying Cow Pub (halfway point of leg 8 on hte Wicklow Way) where they passed the tracker to Elaine, Avril, Siobhan and Tamzin. The girls took on the next 70km or so with one or two wrong turns quickly corrected by the diligent crew before finishing at the picturesque Graiguenamanagh and passing to Eibhlin and Ger who did a team effort to run around Brandon Hill and pass to Tim, Ollie and Kenneth at Inistoige. The lads put in a solid shift and had no issues apart from Tim driving away from Ollie with the keys of the second car with him! All was resolved quickly with the use of the mandatory mobile phone and as the night was drawing in they passed on to Tony, Kevin and Diarmaid. Tony didn't get the memo that it was to be an enjoyable run at a leisurely pace and took off like he was in the 5000m A race at the National Seniors and blitzed his first section with some difficult navigation in the mist at night up on the Commeragh hills south of Clonmel. The lads continued though the night before finding Diarmaid asleep under a tree in a sleeping bag at Glenseskin Woods near Kilworth.
The motley crew of Donal. Matt and John were back again Sunday morning with Chris McGrath in for Stephen for this section. Albeit a little tired, a few cramps and a bit sore they soldered on throughout the morning till mid afternoon before Eadaoin, Lorna and a hungover Annelise took up the mantle for the difficult Duhallow Way to Shrone Lake. Tony, Ollie and Stephen waited patiently admiring the view on the other side of the Derrynasaggart Mountains for the tracker to reach them. Stephen now out of action due to injury took pictures and offered words of support to Ollie and Tony who covered a lot of distance as the evening turned to night and pushed through the Black Valley and far into the extremely remote Bridia Valley to hand over to Tim, Paul C and Kevin. After some wild overgrown trail, open mountain and blustery misty conditions dawn finally broke as Paul arrived in Cahersiveen to no hype whatsoever. Tim did a few stretches and felt quite at home on the 10 mile road section to Portmagee. After crossing the bridge from the mainland the final 2km up to the signal tower beckoned. All keen for glory Tim, Paul, Stephen, Kevin, Lorna and baby Robyn trekked the final part together and dutifully touched the tower as per the race instructions to complete the epic trip across Ireland. Stephen E was there to greet the team (2 days earlier than he had anticipated) and gave a warm welcome and some encouraging words.
In the end it took 54 hours 46 minutes and 30 seconds to be the first relay finishers of the inaugural Coast to Coast race. Well done to all who helped out on with logistics, planning and organising. Also a big thanks to the Race Directors for putting the event on and to the 13 brave individuals who set out to complete it all on their own. In the end 6 finished the full course with sore feet but a lot of personal achievement.
Next Up:
Corkbeg 4 Mile Race - July 4th with a 8pm start time. If you are not racing please come along and Race Director Eibhlin will find a job for you to help with.
We had four competing at the National T&F this year up in Morton Stadium. With Olympic qualification on the line all was to play for. First up we had Paul and John in the 1500m heats. It was top four to qualify automatically and both gave it a good go but were just outside this target. In a tactical race with a burn up at the end Paul was 6th in 4.02 and John 13th in 4.17.
Next up was nearly man Frank. He has been 3rd in his 800m heat the past 3 years (with top 2 to auto Q) and despite giving it a right crack and taking the pace on right from the gun we was just pipped in the home straight and finished in 3rd again in a swift 1.53. Tony took on the longer 5000m and ran a solid 15.36 for 4th in the C race. Well done all. The National Seniors is the ultimate test for us as club runners and fair play for keeping the East Cork flag flying up in Dublin.
Other Races - Top 10's:
Catch up race for Paul who ran in the Dublin Graded League in Morton Stadium earlier in the summer and was 3rd in 3.58. Donal and Stephen travelled to DSD's new track to run in ht e5th round of the Dublin Graded League and acquitted themselves well in the 3000 B race, Donal was 4th in 9.32 and Stephen ran 9.44 for 9th. was Frank was 4th in the Watford Grand Prix 800m in 1.54, Nicky continued his comeback in the Coolagown 10k with a 4th in 33.43. Tamzin had a smashing run in the Musgrave 5k with a 5th place finish in 18.27. Frank also ran in the Bracknell BMC 800m in Birmingham during the month and was 5th in 1.53. Donal went across the county bounds and was 6th in the Killarney 10k in 35.26. Well done to everyone else too for the other races in June
Coast to Coast Relay:
The Coast to Coast Relay was another slightly alternative race that we participated in over the weekend of June 23rd-June 25th. But we had a bumper turnout with 20 club members racing, pacing or driving.
The race started in Bray Head in Wicklow at 12am Saturday morning and we finished it on Monday morning at 6.46am at Bray head signal tower on Valentia Island Kerry, a monster 570km with approx 13,000m of elevation gain and loss. The route was devised 20 years ago as a means to link up all the national trails "ways" through the country. These include Wicklow Way, South Leinster Way, East Munster Way, Avondhu Way, Duhallow Way and the Kerry Way.
There were 4 relay teams and 13 ,ad individuals at the start line. Stephen O'Brien took responsibility to start us off on the right foot and apart from a little bit of trouble at Bray Head Cross he didn't put a foot wrong (until later that night when he fell and bashed his ribs up somewhat) as he navigated the large network of trails and roads to pass to Donal shortly before the Wicklow Way and the relative safety of the yellow men! Donal, Stephen, Matt and John continued through the night running, driving, pacing and creating mildly humorous What App videos until they reached The Dying Cow Pub (halfway point of leg 8 on hte Wicklow Way) where they passed the tracker to Elaine, Avril, Siobhan and Tamzin. The girls took on the next 70km or so with one or two wrong turns quickly corrected by the diligent crew before finishing at the picturesque Graiguenamanagh and passing to Eibhlin and Ger who did a team effort to run around Brandon Hill and pass to Tim, Ollie and Kenneth at Inistoige. The lads put in a solid shift and had no issues apart from Tim driving away from Ollie with the keys of the second car with him! All was resolved quickly with the use of the mandatory mobile phone and as the night was drawing in they passed on to Tony, Kevin and Diarmaid. Tony didn't get the memo that it was to be an enjoyable run at a leisurely pace and took off like he was in the 5000m A race at the National Seniors and blitzed his first section with some difficult navigation in the mist at night up on the Commeragh hills south of Clonmel. The lads continued though the night before finding Diarmaid asleep under a tree in a sleeping bag at Glenseskin Woods near Kilworth.
The motley crew of Donal. Matt and John were back again Sunday morning with Chris McGrath in for Stephen for this section. Albeit a little tired, a few cramps and a bit sore they soldered on throughout the morning till mid afternoon before Eadaoin, Lorna and a hungover Annelise took up the mantle for the difficult Duhallow Way to Shrone Lake. Tony, Ollie and Stephen waited patiently admiring the view on the other side of the Derrynasaggart Mountains for the tracker to reach them. Stephen now out of action due to injury took pictures and offered words of support to Ollie and Tony who covered a lot of distance as the evening turned to night and pushed through the Black Valley and far into the extremely remote Bridia Valley to hand over to Tim, Paul C and Kevin. After some wild overgrown trail, open mountain and blustery misty conditions dawn finally broke as Paul arrived in Cahersiveen to no hype whatsoever. Tim did a few stretches and felt quite at home on the 10 mile road section to Portmagee. After crossing the bridge from the mainland the final 2km up to the signal tower beckoned. All keen for glory Tim, Paul, Stephen, Kevin, Lorna and baby Robyn trekked the final part together and dutifully touched the tower as per the race instructions to complete the epic trip across Ireland. Stephen E was there to greet the team (2 days earlier than he had anticipated) and gave a warm welcome and some encouraging words.
In the end it took 54 hours 46 minutes and 30 seconds to be the first relay finishers of the inaugural Coast to Coast race. Well done to all who helped out on with logistics, planning and organising. Also a big thanks to the Race Directors for putting the event on and to the 13 brave individuals who set out to complete it all on their own. In the end 6 finished the full course with sore feet but a lot of personal achievement.
Next Up:
Corkbeg 4 Mile Race - July 4th with a 8pm start time. If you are not racing please come along and Race Director Eibhlin will find a job for you to help with.
2024 May Update - June 4th, 2024
Championship Races Munster Senior and Masters T&F:
On the championship trail we had a solid Munster Senior and Masters T&F in Templemore in May. Paul won silver in the senior (and U23) 1500m in 3.57. John also won siler in the 3000m S/C (Sen and U23) in 11.18. Frank took the bronze in the 400m in 51.90 seconds. In the Masters races Donal was 2nd overall in the race and first M40 in 9.43, Stephen took 2nd M40 in a time of 10.10. Well done all
Frank was also racing in the University National T&F in the UK in May and reached the semi final after winning his heat in 1.56 in the 800m. He improved to 1.52 in the semi final but just missed out in the final by 1 position after having a storming finish.
Other Road Races - Top 10's:
There were plenty of other road races on, the biggest result of the month was Michael winning the Midleton 5 in 25.30, Tony was 2nd in 25.54 and Nicky also getting in the top 10 with a good comeback race in 26.47. Tamzin was 5th in the ladies in 31.50 with Annelise also cracking the top 10 in 33.14. James had a trip to the beach for himself over the border to Ardmore and was 6th in the Ardmore 5 Mile in 26.49.
All the other results are below as well. Congrats to any PB's and and personal duels won.
Wicklow Way Relay:
Well done to everyone who participated and helped out to retain our Wicklow Way crown. On the 21st anniversary, it was another monumental effort to get 8 people fit to the start line and all acquitted themselves admirably.
Graham had the selectors worried earlier on in the year but put all doubts aside in Ballynoe and backed up that performance with a cracker of a leg 1, breaking the 60 min barrier in 59.37 and importantly also handing it over to Tony in 1st place with a slender 12 second lead, a lead we did not relinquish. Tony an experienced mountain runner with some impressive wins in the past year or two was our trump card for 2024 and he did not disappoint running an extemely strong 62.23. Unfortunatly Tony's Strava did not upload after the race.
Annelise was on leg 3 with a point to prove and she certainly did running a great 40.14 and passing to Donal at Oldbridge with a 42 second lead on fierce rivals Rathfarnham AC. Donal, a little uncertain what to do at the front of a race, put his head down and powered up the steep hills at the start of his leg and decended well throught he tricky single track forest section to run 40.44 and pass to Kevin in Glendalough with the specter of "Matt 2023" hovering over him. After a bit of a wardrobe malfunction Kevin got to work on leg 5 and ran a solid 57.21 (and importantly banished the pesky specter once and for all).
In Glenmalure Kevin tagged Nicky, whose baton changeover was inspired from Irelands recent success at the World Relay championships, still in first place but only 1.10 up on Rathfarnham. Nicky's 5 star preparation turned into a 5 star performance with a gutsy run in 57.03 to increase our lead out to 5 minutes and pass over to Tim in Ironbridge for leg 7. Tim produced an improved performance on last year and opened up a another 12 minutes on 2nd with a 74.09 for the 20km route (with 600m of climbing). TT Racers had slipped into 2nd at this point after Rathfarnham took a wrong turn on this long leg and ran an extra 1km or so.
Tamzin was well warmed up after leap frogging through the legs for the day and knew what was ahead of her. Annelise had filled her in on the finer points of leg 8 on the trip up in the car too. Tamzin showed her good form again and ran a very impressive 43.01 for the hilly 10k route. She crossed the line in Shilleagh village at 2.14pm giving us an overall time of 7.14.
Thanks to everyone else who helped out behind the scenes and on the day, Lavinia, Zack, Ava, Lorna, Eadaoin, Fiona, Kenneth and Matt. And while not strictly a pure athletics event it is one of the great team events each year that brings the club together with a common purpose to to round it off with a win is a bonus.
All Ireland Schools:
Special mention to Mathew Mahony was ran a really well run race in the Junior Boys 1500m in Tullamore as well to come second in a PB of 4.16. Mathew was not afraid to take the race to the field and let loose with 500m to go and showed great strength and composure to hold onto second with a fast charging pack in the home straight bearing down on him.
On the championship trail we had a solid Munster Senior and Masters T&F in Templemore in May. Paul won silver in the senior (and U23) 1500m in 3.57. John also won siler in the 3000m S/C (Sen and U23) in 11.18. Frank took the bronze in the 400m in 51.90 seconds. In the Masters races Donal was 2nd overall in the race and first M40 in 9.43, Stephen took 2nd M40 in a time of 10.10. Well done all
Frank was also racing in the University National T&F in the UK in May and reached the semi final after winning his heat in 1.56 in the 800m. He improved to 1.52 in the semi final but just missed out in the final by 1 position after having a storming finish.
Other Road Races - Top 10's:
There were plenty of other road races on, the biggest result of the month was Michael winning the Midleton 5 in 25.30, Tony was 2nd in 25.54 and Nicky also getting in the top 10 with a good comeback race in 26.47. Tamzin was 5th in the ladies in 31.50 with Annelise also cracking the top 10 in 33.14. James had a trip to the beach for himself over the border to Ardmore and was 6th in the Ardmore 5 Mile in 26.49.
All the other results are below as well. Congrats to any PB's and and personal duels won.
Wicklow Way Relay:
Well done to everyone who participated and helped out to retain our Wicklow Way crown. On the 21st anniversary, it was another monumental effort to get 8 people fit to the start line and all acquitted themselves admirably.
Graham had the selectors worried earlier on in the year but put all doubts aside in Ballynoe and backed up that performance with a cracker of a leg 1, breaking the 60 min barrier in 59.37 and importantly also handing it over to Tony in 1st place with a slender 12 second lead, a lead we did not relinquish. Tony an experienced mountain runner with some impressive wins in the past year or two was our trump card for 2024 and he did not disappoint running an extemely strong 62.23. Unfortunatly Tony's Strava did not upload after the race.
Annelise was on leg 3 with a point to prove and she certainly did running a great 40.14 and passing to Donal at Oldbridge with a 42 second lead on fierce rivals Rathfarnham AC. Donal, a little uncertain what to do at the front of a race, put his head down and powered up the steep hills at the start of his leg and decended well throught he tricky single track forest section to run 40.44 and pass to Kevin in Glendalough with the specter of "Matt 2023" hovering over him. After a bit of a wardrobe malfunction Kevin got to work on leg 5 and ran a solid 57.21 (and importantly banished the pesky specter once and for all).
In Glenmalure Kevin tagged Nicky, whose baton changeover was inspired from Irelands recent success at the World Relay championships, still in first place but only 1.10 up on Rathfarnham. Nicky's 5 star preparation turned into a 5 star performance with a gutsy run in 57.03 to increase our lead out to 5 minutes and pass over to Tim in Ironbridge for leg 7. Tim produced an improved performance on last year and opened up a another 12 minutes on 2nd with a 74.09 for the 20km route (with 600m of climbing). TT Racers had slipped into 2nd at this point after Rathfarnham took a wrong turn on this long leg and ran an extra 1km or so.
Tamzin was well warmed up after leap frogging through the legs for the day and knew what was ahead of her. Annelise had filled her in on the finer points of leg 8 on the trip up in the car too. Tamzin showed her good form again and ran a very impressive 43.01 for the hilly 10k route. She crossed the line in Shilleagh village at 2.14pm giving us an overall time of 7.14.
Thanks to everyone else who helped out behind the scenes and on the day, Lavinia, Zack, Ava, Lorna, Eadaoin, Fiona, Kenneth and Matt. And while not strictly a pure athletics event it is one of the great team events each year that brings the club together with a common purpose to to round it off with a win is a bonus.
All Ireland Schools:
Special mention to Mathew Mahony was ran a really well run race in the Junior Boys 1500m in Tullamore as well to come second in a PB of 4.16. Mathew was not afraid to take the race to the field and let loose with 500m to go and showed great strength and composure to hold onto second with a fast charging pack in the home straight bearing down on him.
March and April 2024 Update - May 2nd, 2024
Championship Races County Roads:
Firstly well done to all who competed in the County and East Cork Roads the past number of weeks. We have had some great success individually and teamwise.
First up was the special Ballintotis 4 mile held on April 18th on a lovely balmy spring evening. For the first time the County Road championships were held in conjunction with Ballintotis and it added an extra element of spice with medals up for grabs. Paul blazed a trail for the first few miles leaving all but Sean Doyle in his wake but unfortunately for Paul, Sean pulled away becoming the 5th ever winner of the race putting his name on the trophy with esteemed company. Paul ended up 2nd in a great time of 19.26 so took the silver senior and gold novice medals home. Next home was Tim in 5th and 2nd M35 in 19.36. Kenneth who will always be competitive in any age category was 2nd M45 in 21.40 as he returns from injury. Donal was 3rd M40 and just dipped under the 22 minutes. Tamzin had a great run for 6th lady overall and earned her first medal for East Cork with 2nd Novice in 25.08. Avril like a fine wine keeps on showing she is one of the best F50's in the county with 2nd in F50 category in 27.12.
We also had a bumper team haul (the home advantage might have helped) with team wins in Senior Men (Paul, Tim, Tony and James), Senior and Novice Women (Tamzin, Niamh, Avril and Sarah), Novice Men (Paul, Nicky, Donal and Graham), and M35+ Men (Tim, James, Nicky and Kenneth)
Others who ran but did not medal were Michael in 22.51, Stephen 23.00, Ollie 23.58, Martin 24.45, Denis 32.02 and Claire 31.48. This group has two options for next year 1) Either train harder or 2) Hope they move into a new age category.
Championship Races East Cork Roads:
Also on were the East Cork roads in their usual spot in Ballynoe, the place with "the hill". Tony turned the tables on James from last year and took the win in 26.34 with James in a comfortable 2nd in 27.46. Graham was a very uncomfortable 3rd battling all the way with youngster Timmy Hawkings and Donal with only 2 seconds separating the three of them at the finish line. With the top three not included for the team results Donal, Michael, Ollie and Denis combined to take 3rd team and the bronze medals. Well done all.
In a dominant performance Tamzin blitzed the womens field to take the gold in the Senior womens race in a great time of 11.51. Niamh had a gutsy run to finish 6th in 12.44 with Christine in 9th in 12.54 and Avril 12th in 12.59. With Tamzin excluded they were the scoring three for the gold winning team. Backing them up was Sarah in 19th in 13.33 and Eibhlin in 17.23. Well done all.
Other Road Races:
There were plenty of other road races on some notable results were Tim winning the Cobh 10 miler in 51.37. John Spelman was 2nd in Cloyne 4k Race 5 and wrapped up the overall series win, importantly winning the trophy back from Leevale hands. Niamh O'Connor was 3rd lady in the same race. Christine Kelly and Chris McGrath took to the roads of Rotterdam for a hit at a fast flat big European marathon. Christine stormed home in an amazing 3:19, this great time was richly deserved after getting through a 'savage' training block. Chris McGrath ran a solid 3:34 but will be looking forward already to his 25th marathon later in the year to get back down to his PB level. Frank ran a decent 15.12 in the Podium 5k race in the UK, showing the high standard of races there this was good enough for 177th! A full list of all others racing is below, if anyone was missed please let me know.
Track and Field:
John Spelman was our sole representative in the IUAA T&F Championships running the 3000m S/C in 11.05. He was also on the UCC 4X400m team that reached the final.
Firstly well done to all who competed in the County and East Cork Roads the past number of weeks. We have had some great success individually and teamwise.
First up was the special Ballintotis 4 mile held on April 18th on a lovely balmy spring evening. For the first time the County Road championships were held in conjunction with Ballintotis and it added an extra element of spice with medals up for grabs. Paul blazed a trail for the first few miles leaving all but Sean Doyle in his wake but unfortunately for Paul, Sean pulled away becoming the 5th ever winner of the race putting his name on the trophy with esteemed company. Paul ended up 2nd in a great time of 19.26 so took the silver senior and gold novice medals home. Next home was Tim in 5th and 2nd M35 in 19.36. Kenneth who will always be competitive in any age category was 2nd M45 in 21.40 as he returns from injury. Donal was 3rd M40 and just dipped under the 22 minutes. Tamzin had a great run for 6th lady overall and earned her first medal for East Cork with 2nd Novice in 25.08. Avril like a fine wine keeps on showing she is one of the best F50's in the county with 2nd in F50 category in 27.12.
We also had a bumper team haul (the home advantage might have helped) with team wins in Senior Men (Paul, Tim, Tony and James), Senior and Novice Women (Tamzin, Niamh, Avril and Sarah), Novice Men (Paul, Nicky, Donal and Graham), and M35+ Men (Tim, James, Nicky and Kenneth)
Others who ran but did not medal were Michael in 22.51, Stephen 23.00, Ollie 23.58, Martin 24.45, Denis 32.02 and Claire 31.48. This group has two options for next year 1) Either train harder or 2) Hope they move into a new age category.
Championship Races East Cork Roads:
Also on were the East Cork roads in their usual spot in Ballynoe, the place with "the hill". Tony turned the tables on James from last year and took the win in 26.34 with James in a comfortable 2nd in 27.46. Graham was a very uncomfortable 3rd battling all the way with youngster Timmy Hawkings and Donal with only 2 seconds separating the three of them at the finish line. With the top three not included for the team results Donal, Michael, Ollie and Denis combined to take 3rd team and the bronze medals. Well done all.
In a dominant performance Tamzin blitzed the womens field to take the gold in the Senior womens race in a great time of 11.51. Niamh had a gutsy run to finish 6th in 12.44 with Christine in 9th in 12.54 and Avril 12th in 12.59. With Tamzin excluded they were the scoring three for the gold winning team. Backing them up was Sarah in 19th in 13.33 and Eibhlin in 17.23. Well done all.
Other Road Races:
There were plenty of other road races on some notable results were Tim winning the Cobh 10 miler in 51.37. John Spelman was 2nd in Cloyne 4k Race 5 and wrapped up the overall series win, importantly winning the trophy back from Leevale hands. Niamh O'Connor was 3rd lady in the same race. Christine Kelly and Chris McGrath took to the roads of Rotterdam for a hit at a fast flat big European marathon. Christine stormed home in an amazing 3:19, this great time was richly deserved after getting through a 'savage' training block. Chris McGrath ran a solid 3:34 but will be looking forward already to his 25th marathon later in the year to get back down to his PB level. Frank ran a decent 15.12 in the Podium 5k race in the UK, showing the high standard of races there this was good enough for 177th! A full list of all others racing is below, if anyone was missed please let me know.
Track and Field:
John Spelman was our sole representative in the IUAA T&F Championships running the 3000m S/C in 11.05. He was also on the UCC 4X400m team that reached the final.
2024 February Update - March 15th, 2024
Cross Country:
A little late in reporting but none the less a huge congratulations goes out to National Cross Country winners Tim and Paul in the Masters and the Intermediate races in Dundalk in February. For such a small club to win both these races on the same day is monumental achievement. Tim in fact has now won the masters XC the past 3 years in a row and is showing even as the hair goes greyer he is still as prolific as ever over the mud. Paul added to his National Novice title to bag the intermediate title so we will all be keen to see the Senior title too in the years to come!
Tim took the masters race by storm and in similar fashion to how he disposed of Mick Clohessy in Gowran last year he did the same in Dundalk. He took the lead after about 1k from the Dublin masters winner Colm Rooney and never looked back opening up a sizable gap all the way to the finish line in 24.50.
Paul took control in the intermediate race too from early on but did have a sizable chasing pack hot on his heels the first few laps, Paul made a strong push at the 5k mark to open a solid gap of about 15 seconds that he help all the way to the end cross the tape in 29:03. Paul also led our Intermediate team to a brilliant silver medal in the team results. Paul was ably back up by a great run from Tony Forristal, who came through the field like a train in the final lap to finish 6th, John Spelman who is have a real breakthrough season close behind in 14th and Stephen O'Brien who upset the form book to bag 4th on the team in 25th overall. Donal was next in 30th. Well done all another national team medal to add to the lists! Paul is our 4th ever winner of this race and it is the 4th time we have teams in the podium. Details below in the pictures.
Munster Road Championships:
Well done to all who travelled to the Munster Roads in Dundrum. Eadaoin had the best run of the day overall to finish 21st in 27:00. Stephen forgot he was in a race until the final 100m where he decided to put the after burners on and pip the unfortunate Donal by 1 second for 22nd place in 22.08, Donal was 23rd in 22.09 both won county Gold medal in the Novice and Masters M40 teams. Ciaran McNamee was next home in 28th and 22.32 after a blistering opening mile! Michael Furlong completed the team with 35th in 22.46.
Intervasrsities:
Indoor: Paul, Ciaran and John all competed in the National Intervarsity indoors the day before the Intermediates. Pual was 4th int he 3k in 8.35, John 6th in this 400m heat in 58 seconds and Ciaran was 21st in the 3k in 10.00.
Cross Country: Paul, Ciaran and John also travelled to Queens in Belfast for the Intervarsity XC. Paul was 9th, John had a fine run for 45th and Ciaran was 71st. Well done all.
Other Road Races:
Tim followed up his Master victory with another win the Kinsale 10 milers. In very tough conditions Tim cruised to a 52.05. John Spelman won the 4th Cloyne race in another good time of 12.51 and puts himself in pole position to win the overall series. Tony ran the Stook 10 mile in Killkenny with an infamous hill and reportedly the fastest mile (all severely downhill) in all of Ireland, he was 2nd in the race in 54.39 and had a split for mile 9 of 4.34!
Other Podiums were Donal gaining revenge on Stephen in his local Killeagh 4 mile coming 3rd and newest member of the club bagged 3rd as well in the ladies section. She needs no introduction, welcome Tamzin to East Cork. Hopefully it will be the first of many podiums!
Well done for all the other races done in the past few weeks. All should be captured below
2024 January Update - February 9th, 2024
A quite enough January on the racing front. Although this weekend we will see our Intermediate team in action in Dundalk on Sunday. Best of luck to them and also Tim, who is looking to retain his title in the Masters race.
Indoors:
Paul Hartnett competed in the National U23 indoors in January in the 1500m. He finished 6th in a time of 3.59.
Cross Country:
Frank ran in the Bucs XC intervarsity and finished in 33rd place in 35.50. This time he hopefully enjoyed a warm down instead of dashing across Europe to another race the next day.
Road Races:
Michael Furlong kicked off the year finishing 12th in the Beaufort 10k in 36.09. Siobhan, Niamh and Avril all ran in the IFF BHAA 5k and all broke 21 minutes, with Siobhan pipping Niamh by 2 seconds to take club bragging rights. Donal travelled to Dublin for the high quality Raheny 5 mile and ran a PB of 27.15. The third Cloyne 5k race was also on. John Spelman recorded his second victory of the series to keep his hopes of overall series winner very much alive. On a very windy Sunday morning John ran 13.05 for the win. Michael Furlong is also still in the hunt after winning the first race of the series, he was 4th in 13.51. Ollie Smiddy had a good run chasing down Rebecca McEvoy running 15.09, Martin Hennessy had a strong run to break 16 mins in 15.55. Denis was 49th overall in 19.04 and Eibhlin is continuing her journey back with another solid 22.04.
Indoors:
Paul Hartnett competed in the National U23 indoors in January in the 1500m. He finished 6th in a time of 3.59.
Cross Country:
Frank ran in the Bucs XC intervarsity and finished in 33rd place in 35.50. This time he hopefully enjoyed a warm down instead of dashing across Europe to another race the next day.
Road Races:
Michael Furlong kicked off the year finishing 12th in the Beaufort 10k in 36.09. Siobhan, Niamh and Avril all ran in the IFF BHAA 5k and all broke 21 minutes, with Siobhan pipping Niamh by 2 seconds to take club bragging rights. Donal travelled to Dublin for the high quality Raheny 5 mile and ran a PB of 27.15. The third Cloyne 5k race was also on. John Spelman recorded his second victory of the series to keep his hopes of overall series winner very much alive. On a very windy Sunday morning John ran 13.05 for the win. Michael Furlong is also still in the hunt after winning the first race of the series, he was 4th in 13.51. Ollie Smiddy had a good run chasing down Rebecca McEvoy running 15.09, Martin Hennessy had a strong run to break 16 mins in 15.55. Denis was 49th overall in 19.04 and Eibhlin is continuing her journey back with another solid 22.04.
Christmas Bumper Edition Catch Up - January 2nd 2024
Firstly well done to everybody who ran in 2023 for the club, especially those who won medals, got PB's and filled up teams when you were needed.
There have been 52 individual results since the last update so I will just give the highlights in the report and hopefully every result is captured in the detailed list below. If not please let me know.
Championship Medals:
The best place to start is as always the medal table. Tony followed up his County Intermediate title with the Munster title in Riverstick on November 26th. He also led the Cork county team to gold.
The other individual medal winners in the past 6 weeks were Eadaoin and Siobhan in the County Masters in Glanmire. Eadaoin won the bronze F35 medal with Siobhan running very nicely for the bronze in a competitive F50 category. The team were 2nd then in the F35 team event with Niamh O'Connor and Christine Kelly scoring on the team too. Well done all.
Club Records (Super Shoe):
2 records, one man! Big congrats to Paul Harrnett on two very big results in the past few weeks. Firstly he knocked 1 second off Michael Hartys super shoe club record by 1 second when he came 3rd in the Newmarket Classic in 14.19. To prove it was not just a lucky run Paul reckoned he better back it up so on St Stephens Day he headed to Clonmel and became the first person in the clubs history to ever run under 19 minutes for a 4 mile race. Timmy and Liam have both ran 19.02 in different decades (even millenniums!). Paul was again 3rd in the race behind Sean Tobin and Peter Lynch and clocked 18.51. Congrats Paul it is well deserved.
National Senior XC:
While we did not scale the heights of 2022, we did have a competitive team competing at the national senior XC in Gowran this year. The team packed well in the 40's but just a bit too far back to be in contention for medals. Well done to Michael, Timmy, Paul, Tony and Frank for racing on the day.
Cloyne Commons 4k:
Well done to all who have raced in the series so far. We have had great turn outs to support this great local race. And on top of that we have had the overall winners in both races so far. Michael Furlong won the first race in 13.19 and John Spelman the second in a great PB and sub 13 performance for the first time in 12.57.
Other Events:
The Captains Christmas Run was held at Youghal Parkrun this year. We had a good turnout and some handy performances as well to justify the coffee and cake afterwards. Also on was the annual training trip to Inch beach in Kerry. It was also well attended and good to see some youth on the dunes again to build for the next generation.
Club membership is now due for the year. Can you please arrange this with Liam or Nicky. It is €40.
There have been 52 individual results since the last update so I will just give the highlights in the report and hopefully every result is captured in the detailed list below. If not please let me know.
Championship Medals:
The best place to start is as always the medal table. Tony followed up his County Intermediate title with the Munster title in Riverstick on November 26th. He also led the Cork county team to gold.
The other individual medal winners in the past 6 weeks were Eadaoin and Siobhan in the County Masters in Glanmire. Eadaoin won the bronze F35 medal with Siobhan running very nicely for the bronze in a competitive F50 category. The team were 2nd then in the F35 team event with Niamh O'Connor and Christine Kelly scoring on the team too. Well done all.
Club Records (Super Shoe):
2 records, one man! Big congrats to Paul Harrnett on two very big results in the past few weeks. Firstly he knocked 1 second off Michael Hartys super shoe club record by 1 second when he came 3rd in the Newmarket Classic in 14.19. To prove it was not just a lucky run Paul reckoned he better back it up so on St Stephens Day he headed to Clonmel and became the first person in the clubs history to ever run under 19 minutes for a 4 mile race. Timmy and Liam have both ran 19.02 in different decades (even millenniums!). Paul was again 3rd in the race behind Sean Tobin and Peter Lynch and clocked 18.51. Congrats Paul it is well deserved.
National Senior XC:
While we did not scale the heights of 2022, we did have a competitive team competing at the national senior XC in Gowran this year. The team packed well in the 40's but just a bit too far back to be in contention for medals. Well done to Michael, Timmy, Paul, Tony and Frank for racing on the day.
Cloyne Commons 4k:
Well done to all who have raced in the series so far. We have had great turn outs to support this great local race. And on top of that we have had the overall winners in both races so far. Michael Furlong won the first race in 13.19 and John Spelman the second in a great PB and sub 13 performance for the first time in 12.57.
Other Events:
The Captains Christmas Run was held at Youghal Parkrun this year. We had a good turnout and some handy performances as well to justify the coffee and cake afterwards. Also on was the annual training trip to Inch beach in Kerry. It was also well attended and good to see some youth on the dunes again to build for the next generation.
Club membership is now due for the year. Can you please arrange this with Liam or Nicky. It is €40.
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 |
