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East Cork AC - 2017/2018 Results

Weekly Round up - August 16th

8/16/2018

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Celtic International:

Congrats to Frank O'Brien (Midleton AC) on being selected and competing for Ireland in Scotland in the Senior Boys 2k steeplechase. In a very high standard field Frank placed 4th and is still eligible next year. It is great to see local athletes racing at international level, especially when you can see the hard work that goes in week in week out over the winter and summer to get to this level.


Road Racing Scene:

As we have no athletes in the Diamond leagues track and field is effectively finished up for the year (the exception is Sean will be competing in the world masters in Spain in September and the national Masters is also on this weekend). Cross country is still a few weeks away so the roads are where everyone is chasing times at the end of the summer or trying to find out where their fitness is at leading into the winter sessions ahead.

Kevin O'Leary has continues his impressive form with two wins in two weeks, winning the Marine Bar 6 mile in 34.53 and moving up in the podium in the East Cork Harbour 10k from 3rd in 2016 to win in a healthy 33.49, blowing away the rest of the field in the process.

Conna and Castleyons:

Denis, Phil and John went to Conna to support the St Catherines annual 5k on August 3rd. Denis ran a tidy 20.37, Phil 22.04 and John 25.52. I'll leave it up to you to figure out who is chasing the times and who is gauging fitness!

Denis and John then popped down to nearby Castlelyons a few days later and ran the 4 mile. Denis somehow managed to run a faster pace here then the 5k in Conna, perhaps the expectation of local hero got to him.

The rarely ran 8km distance was the order of the day in Mitchelstown Friday the 10th and John was our sole runner, he completed the route in 46.36. This was won by Clonmels Kevin Mauncell in 23.57.

Musgrave 5km:

Michelle and Niamh tackled the Marina 5k route last night in the Musgrave 5k. Michelle improved her season best by 31 seconds to 22.33 and Niamh also knocked off 40 seconds from her last 5k race in Coolagown in April to finish in 21.27. There must of been something in the water in Ennistymon last weekend!

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National T&F, Ballinacuarra 4 Mile and Cloyne 5k

8/1/2018

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National Track and Field - July 28th/July29th:

National Track and Field and two local road races in the last week. Sean made the trip to Morton Stadium in Santry on Saturday to take part in the National T&F championships. He was 11th in the 10,000m in a stacked field in 31.26. Frank also took part in the Junior Mens 3000m and was 4th in 9.15.

Ballinacurra 4 Mile and Cloyne 5k:

Ballinacurra 4 mile was on last Thursday in very wet conditions. The course for the race is part of many of the clubs local training routes. Kevin O'Leary was 3rd in 20.53, Denis 41st in 27.02 and John Walshe finished in 33.09. The race was won by Paul Moloney from Mallow AC in a new course record of 19.59.

Cloyne 5k was on last night and again we had a very good showing from the club, hopefully a sign that people are starting to get ready for cross country again. Kevin O'Leary as so often this summer was our first athlete home. He was 4th in 16.07. Brian Harty made a welcome return to racing with a top 15 in 17.45. Conor Tierney just missed out in breaking the 6 min miling with 18.43 and Denis just missed a sub 20 in 20.10. Michelle and Eibhlin had a close battle with Michelle winning out in 23.04 and Eibhlin in 23.38. John Walshe beat the 8 min miling barrier for the second time this year with a 24.37. Well done all. The race was won by Alan O'Shea from Bantry AC in 15.11.
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Weekly Roundup July 17th - July 25th

7/26/2018

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Cork City Sports and Graded Leagues Rd 4:

As we get into late July the track starts to get a bit more serious with Nationals just around the corner. First up last week was the 67th Cork City Sports International Meet in CIT. Sean ran in the Open mens 3000m and finished 4th in a high quality mens field in 8.42. This was won by Damien Landers in 8.31, with the top 12 all finishing sub 9 minutes. Frank ran in the Junior Mens 1500m and was also 4th in a new PB of 4.07 with a trade mark storming finish.

Staying at the track last Friday night was the 4th and final night of the John Buckley sponsored Graded Leagues. Sean and Frank were both racing again. Sean winning the 3000m in 8.45 from Rossa Hurley of Donore Harriers and Frank coming 2nd in the 800m in 2.03. Michelle and Eibhlin also ran the 3000m and both were in the top 5 women. Michelle ran 12.55 and Eibhlin ran 13.58 (over 2 minutes faster than the East Cork Roads 3k back in April - well done Eibhlin).

Carrigtwohill 5k and Ballymac 5 Miles:

We had three athletes running in in the Carrigtwohill 5k last Wednesday night. Kevin O'Leary had a big battle with rival Michael Morgan and Brian Kearney and finished 4th in 16.04, impressive going with the number of races and mileage he is clocking up at the moment. John Walshe was his consistent self too finishing in 25.07. While Lorna was our sole ladies representative running her first road race since May ran 20.58.

Kevin also continued his destruction of the Waterford Road Race Series winning the Ballymac 5 Miler in 26.29. This sets him up nicely to take out the overall summer series with 3 races to go.

National T&F - July 28th/29th

We have one entry in the National Track and Field this year. Sean is running the the 10,000m at 3pm on Saturday in Morton Stadium. It is a straight final. Best of luck to Sean from all at the club, he has been our leading runner all year with very impressive times and results so hopefully he continues his fine form on Saturday and runs a PB. I think his PB is from 10 years ago so it is about time that is broken.

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Youghal 5k and National Juvenile T&F

7/16/2018

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Youghal 5k:

We had seven racing in Youghal on Thursday night. Kevin had another great run with a sub 16 for 3rd. Conor Tierney continues his comeback and was breathing down Erics neck. Denis ran a solid 20.16 and nearing that sub 20 again! Phil, Lawerence and John rounded off the East Cork showing.

National Juveniles in Tullamore:

The dedicated winter training has also paid dividends for some of the non East Cork contingent of our training squad. We would like to congratulate Midleton AC's Paul Hartnett and Frank O'Brien for both winning National titles in Tullamore at the weekend. Paul won the U-17 Boys 3000m in an impressive 9.03. Frank followed up his Junior 3rd with a win in the U-18 Boys 3000m S/C in 10.07.

Both are a model of consistently and winning the Nationals is richly deserved due to a patient build up for the last 10 months since August. Liam has been overseeing there training throughout this time and credit goes to him for getting both to peak at exactly the right time. Congrats to all involved.

​Full results below:
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National League Round 2 and RAS na Roinne - JUly 8th

7/9/2018

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Sean and Kevin continued their winning streaks. Sean won the 5000m in Athlone in round 2 of the National Leage for the East Cork Divisional side. Sean set a blistering pace solo, finishing in 15:00.92. Also competing for the East Cork Divional side was Frank O'Brien who was 2nd in the 3k S/C and 4th in the 800 in 1:58. New member Michael McSweeney was 4th in the Discus with 27.10 mters and was 5th in the 56lb weight with 4.40 meters.

Again these are great races for anyone trying to improve a road PB or even to try another event. So if you have any interest please contact Liam. He might even tailor make a programme for you...

Kevin raced a 5.5 mile in Dungarvan and seems to be getting comfortable leading form the front as he comfortable eased away form the field to be the only man home sub 32 mins.

​Full results below:
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5K's and 4 MIles - July 7th

7/6/2018

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All 5000m and 4 miles the last week over four different races. Kevin O'Leary has hit a hot steak and won two races in three days the VMware 5k and Mount Uniake 5k. Also winning, and taking his tally to 12 wins this year, was Sean in the Corkbeg 4 mile in a time to match the weather. A scorching 19.30 and Course Record!

The club had a great turn out for the Robbie Steele Memorial with 9 athletes towing the line in what is one of the club organised races. And no doubt there were plenty of hands helping out behind the scene as usual making sure everything runs smoothly as usual and adds to the race experience. Congrats to all for racing and helping.

Reminder there is training still ongoing in the usual places Tuesday, Thursday at 6pm and Saturday morning at 10am. So if you are even just going for a jog there will always be a few around.

​Full results below:

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Weekly Round Up - June 25th

6/27/2018

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National League Rd 1 and John Buckley Graded League Rd 3:

A mixture of track and roads the last week. Sean won the 5000m in the National League in Templemore on Sunday in 15.17 gaining 9 points for the East Cork Divisional team. Congrats to the Ladies East Cork Divisional Team for winning the first round with 122 points from Kerry County with 116. If anyone is interested in competing for the divisional team in the National League Round 2 in Athlone on July 8th, please contact Liam and let him know.

Staying with the track we had three racing on Monday night in the Graded Leagues in CIT. Lorna brought her track experience to the fore to get 3rd place in a competitive race in 5.33. Michelle raced nicely to crack the 6 min barrier in 5.55 and finish 5th and Eibhlin raced her first ever 1500m and ran a great 6.23 for 7th. It is great to see the training groups most consistent members racing it up on the track and with plenty of more track races to go this year watch for the PB's to tumble.

Road Warriors:


Back on the roads Kevin was back across the border in the Dromana 5 mile where he beat rival/training partner Ravis Zakis to get 2nd in a swift 26.37. Our two traditionalists Denis and John raced the Donoughmre 7 mile race on Friday night. Denis despite a tempo run the previous night still managed a top 40 finish in 49.12 with John just missing out on the hour mark with 60.05.
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Weekly Round Up - June 18th

6/18/2018

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A busy enough weekend of racing from Merck Millipore BHAA in Carrigtwohill last Wednesday night to the Lee Fields on Sunday we had 9 members competing. Top results were Kevin O'Leary in 3rd, Brian Harty 7th at Coolagown and John Hennessy claiming 6th in Merck Millipore 5k.

Niamh O'Connor made a welcome return to the racing scene after a spell injured on the sidelines. Great to see her back and will really strengthen up our ladies teams for the rest of the summer.

John Walshe was a man on a mission racing 3 times in 4 days.


Upcoming Races:
- Daniel Kingston 5k: June 21st Macroom 8pm
- John Buckley Graded Leagues: June 25th (1500m)
- Robbie Steele Memorial 4 mile: July 5th 8pm
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Munster Track and Field - Castleisland June 10th

6/11/2018

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The Golden streak continues. Congrats to Sean who won the Munster Track and Field 5000m title, continuing his rich vein of form, in 15.13. Well done Sean especially as it was a close race the whole way but Sean used his winning instinct to kick home strong ahead of Michael Carmody and Dave Mansfield.

Also medaling were the ever consistent Frank and Denis who won bronze in the M45 and M55 categories respectively. Well done to all, keeping the club flag flying in championship races is the reason the club was set up in 1985.

Also running over the weekend was John Walshe who raced in Ballincollig and Meelin and Kevin O'Leary who showed no fear in racing within 5 days of his brilliant run in the half to finish 2nd in Clashmore 5k in a solid 16.17. ​
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Munster Track and Field 2018 Preview

6/11/2018

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Best of luck to Sean McGrath, Denis McCarthy and Frank Hayes flying the club colours in Kerry this weekend for the Munster Senior and Masters track and field championships.

Sean will be going in as Cork champion and we have had considerable success in the race in recent years:
- 2017 James was 2nd,
- 2016 Sean himself was 3rd
- 2015 James 2nd
- 2014 James won and Tim 3rd
- 2013 James won and Sean 2nd

On top of that our own Donnocha O'Mahoney holds the meet record with a blistering 14.10 from 1994. ​
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Cork City Marathon, Half and Relay - June 3rd

6/5/2018

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All roads lead to Cork City center this weekend (except the ones that were closed!). We had members competing in the full marathon, the half marathon and the relay.

Fiona had top individual result bettering her position from last year to finish an amazing 2nd, behind Irish International athlete Claire McCarthy, in a new PB of 83:27. Kevin O'Leary also PB'd and finished 5th again this year in a swift 73.23, even more impressive as he only began his warm up 19 minutes before the start.

James Mc and Paul Cleary both tackled the full marathon. James in his first marathon (never even trying a half before) completed in a commendable 2:52. No doubt a great learning experience and plenty more to come. Paul our experience campaigner ran a great 3.14 and probably in the middle of a jam packed weekend of multiple difference activities.

Our ladies relay team of Annalise, Michelle, Eadaoin and Lorna were 5th female team in an excellent 3.25  even though there were some funny changeovers noted!
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Weekly Round Up - May 23rd

5/23/2018

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Plenty more silverware being won in the last few weeks on the track and roads. Sean and Denis were our sole representatives in the County Track Championships. Sean won the 5k and Denis was 3rd in the M50 category. 

Kevin O'Leary and Fiona both won the new Ballymacoda 4 mile race last Friday night. No PB's but both getting very comfortable front running and leading from gun to tape. John Walshe also ran and was 86th overall.

We had a big club turnout at the John Buckley 5k in the Marina on Tuesday night. There were highly competitive fields for both the men women. This didn't deter Sean who claimed victory with a blistering last mile to splinter the leading group and finsh sub 15 for the first time in 8 years. John Hennessy had a super run in 16.35 and others ran were Phil McGrath, Philip O'Neill, Lorna Santry, Michelle Ahern and John Walshe.

New Member Profile:
Long time club member Dave O'Dwyer is in the spotlight this week, please see his member profile below.
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Weekly Roundup - May14th

5/14/2018

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There seems to have been more of a focus on training the last couple of weeks since the fast start to the summer season.  Frank O'Carroll was our only representative in the Munster Half Marathon championships in Limerick. He was on pacing duties and was within 11 seconds of his pacing balloon advertised.  Sean ran in a competitive 3k in the Leevale Open Sports and looked to have extended his winning streak to 8 but for a fast finishing David Fox from the hosting club to pip him on the line. Kevin O'Leary was back over the border again taking out 2nd in the Ardmore 5 mile. John Walshe made the trip to Clonmel for the Annervilla 10k which was won in an impressive 31.01 by William Mansaull. There was good showings also in the South Munster Schools by some of the training squad too, it's great to see some fast times and winning performances. 

Saturday Morning Training:
We have moved from Welchtown hills now too to the Cricket pitch for the Saturday morning training. This is a 10am warm up start and generally will involve intervals from 200m - 1000m depending on your racing goals.
Below is a shot of the grass track we use, with Denis in a  commanding lead  during the 400's session.
All are welcome to join us.
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Mid 5 Mile-Sean extends winning streak to 7!!

5/4/2018

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Sean was at it again last night, winning the Midleton 5 mile trophy in an excellent 25.24. This brings his current winning streak to 7 wins in a row. 5 of which have been championship races, includes a Nationals indoors, Munster road, county roads and two East Corks. In fact the only race Sean hasn't won in 2018 is the National Masters cross country where he got a bronze medal. Sean also defended his Midleton 5 mile title last night after also winning the 2017 race. James was 2nd in 25.40. Sean and James have won 5 of the last 6 editions of this race and both look very likely to extend that again next year. Kevin O'Leary also featured in the top 10 with an excellent 7th place in 26.54. Kevin has been injured since Ballintotis so great to see him back. 

Fiona was our top lady finisher finishing in 3rd with a PB of 29.53 and was aiming to win this race for a 3rd year in a row but for two very strong performances from Lizzie Lee and Sinead O'Connor from Leevale. We had 13 in total running in the race 8 men and 5 ladies which accounts for about 50% of our active club membership so to be taking 3 out of 6 of the podium positions is a testament to the dedication and hard work put in by all the athletes. The consistent winter training from last September is certainly paying off.
Full results below:
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East Cork Road Championships - Apr 26th

5/4/2018

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Congrats to Sean and Fiona for winning the East Cork Road Championships last week in Ballynoe. Sean ran a very strong 26.18 on the very testing course to reverse last years result and take the title from James. Fiona stood on the top step of the podium at the East Cork Roads for the first time with a strong front running performance 50 seconds ahead of 2nd and only woman to break 12 minutes.
Well done to all who participated in the local championships.

​Sean then completed the local double in the 1500m on Day 2 of the East Cork T&F in Youghal.
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Ballintotis 4 Mile - April 19th 2018

4/25/2018

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The Ballintotis 4 mile was held last night in a stunning evening of weather and racing. Michael and Fiona made it an East Cork double by winning the mens and womens titles. Michael running a course record 19.15 and taking a big scalp in beating the Ballycotton 10 multiple time champion Sergio Ciobanu and 8 time in a row Ballintotis winner James McCarthy. Fiona was the first East Cork woman to ever win the race despite being denied the glory of breaking the finishing linetape. She ran a storming 23.42.

We had 10 runners in total with James 3rd in 20.08, Kevin O'Brien 6th in 20.31 (PB), Kevin O'Leary  of 20.52 (PB) in 11th,  Conor Tierney 43rd in 24.34, Eadaoin O'Neill 4th lady home in 26.41, Denis McCarthy 104th in 26.41 also, Phil McGrath 27.40 and John Walshe 365th in 32.26.

The race ran like clockwork. Parking was a breeze, there was plenty of volunteers helping people out, results were up quick, food was plentiful, prize giving was well done with the stage and it was complete on time which is excellent for people travelling a distance home and it was good to see all the prize winners staying to accept their prize. Everyone involved in the organising of the race should be proud, your efforts are much appreciated.
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April 14th/15th RoundUp - All about Kevin

4/16/2018

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Plenty of races to choose from this weekend, most stayed local and went for the fast circuit in Youghal town center for the Emer Casey 5km. This wasn't enough for Kevin O'Leary though and he proceeded to run in a 4 mile Butlerstown Friday night and the BHAA Gas Works 5 mile on Saturday completing a unique hat trick.

Emer Casey 5k: Kevin took out 2nd position overall behind Andrew Sheehan of Leevale in a  SB of 16.10. Eric Meade followed home in 18.13, Denis was agonizingly close to a Sub 20 getting 20.00 flat, a few more strides incorporated into training should sort that out. Eadaoin was out one and only lady and she secured a top 10 spot in 20.26 despite feeling very unwell at the finish. Phil McGrath was back in action for the first time since Galway and ran a very promising 20.48. The ever reliable John Walshe  finished in 24.39.

Butlerstown 4 Mile: Kevin duplicated his 2nd position form the night before here again , finishing in 21.15. Victory was snatched from him though due to the appearance of the National 5k track champion Conor Dooney who romped home in 19.11 (maybe something to be said for that track stuff :) ). 

BHAA Gas Works 5 mile:  On at the unusual time of 6.30pm on Saturday evening the Gas Works 5 mile was still well attended. Kevin acquitted himself very well here on his third race in as many days in a swift 26.45 on what must surely be tired legs to say the least.  This got him home in 9th place and first "Harty Tax Consultants" man home.
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April 7th/8th Weekend RoundUp

4/16/2018

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​It was a very busy weekend of racing. All the signs are there that the summer season has begun. Plenty of road races to choose from and wet and cold Track and Field.

The East Cork Track and Field was the championship race of the weekend. Numbers were low in the Senior races but the juveniles more than made up for that. We had four athletes competing Kevin O'Brien, Frank Hayes and Denis McCarthy finished 1st, 2nd and 4th respectively in the  5000m. Kevin backed up in the 800m later and was 4th overall. Eadaoin O'Neill raced her first track race since 2013 and was involved in a tactical battle in the first lap, where she made the first move from the bunch with 500m to go, finishing 5th overall and 1st Senior woman home. 

James, Kevin O'L and Fiona were all out racing again but not all doing the classic distance  this week for a change. Paul Cleary also raced. Kevin was 3rd in Ballinroad 5km near Dungarvan on Friday night setting himself up for another Waterford Summer series attack this year. James got back to winning ways taking out the BHAA UCC 10km on Sunday morning in bad weather, it was good to see Paul back too finishing in the top 20. Fiona ran her 3rd 10 miler of the year in a last minute decision and took out another podium position, finishing 2nd woman and 19th overall.
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Munster Raod Championships - April 2nd 2018

4/9/2018

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​The Munster Road Championships were held in Castlelyons yesterday in damp and dreary conditions. The women were up first with Fiona Santry and Eadaoin O Neill representing the club over the 4 mile route. Fiona took individual bronze, closing on Michelle Kenny all the way to the line. She was also part of the winning Cork team in the senior event. Feeling a little under the weather, Eadaoin fought her way around the course crossing the line in a respectable 19th place (14th in novice). Sean McGrath continued his rich vein of form to take the senior title for the second consecutive time. Sean looked unusually comfortable as he crossed the line ahead of Master’s rival Niall Shanahan. After losing contact with the leaders at the halfway stage, James McCarthy held off the challenge of Kenny Rogers to take the bronze. With a step down in distance Kevin O Leary dug deep in the final stages to hold off the fast finishing Mark Walsh finishing in 12th. Frank Hayes rounded out the scoring team in 24th with the club finishing 2nd to Leevale.  Competing in the Masters event within the same race, Eric Meade finished 27th (4th over 50) and Denis McCarthy came home in 49th (4th over 55)
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Dungarvan 10 Mile and Cloyne 4k Series Finale - March 25th 2018

3/27/2018

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Our 10 Milers from Dungarvan were at it again in Mallow this weekend. With James and Fiona gracing the podium once again. Fiona despite having to stop and tie her lace came through in 62.47 in 2nd position. James had a solid run for 3rd overall in 53.04. Perhaps he wasn't expecting this as there was no sign of his East Cork top for the presentation, in certain eyes however this would indicate he has his priorities right! Kevin backed up his break through run in Dungarvan with another sub 55min clocking (54.56), well surpassing his pre race expectations. 

More locally the series finale of the very popular Cloyne 4k wrapped up on a nice bright sunny morning, quite the opposite of the conditions that led to its postponement the prior week. Frank O'Brien of Midleton AC won the race and series. Frank has been a regular at the East Cork training on Thursday and Saturday throughout the winter and is looking in good form. Conor had another good run for 4th in 14.32 knocking 7 seconds from his prior run so is going in the right direction. Eric just behind him in 6th dipped under the 15 min mark yet again in a consistent 14.53, 1 second faster than last race! Denis ran a tidy 16.23 for 15th overall and John Walshe ran an even 20.00 for 60th.
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County Road Championships - Castlelyons March 19th 2018:

3/22/2018

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We had 7 athletes taking part in the County Road championships help in Castlelyons on Monday. Sean continued his Midas touch to win another Gold medal in the M35 category and won the overall race too in 20:35. The ever consistent Denis was our other individual medal winner on the day, taking home silver in the M55 category, he will also be pleased having a quicker time that all his current training partners. Conor ran a steady 11th as his build to the summer season starts (he was probably under extra from his club profile, below, being released last week). John Walshe rounded off the mens section with a 7th position in the M65's.

Eadaoin led home out Novice woman in 9th position followed by Michelle and Eibhlin in 41st and 51st. Unfortunately we were one member short for the team.  


Athlete                           Time     Position 
Eadaoin O'Neill             26.43          9th
Michelle Ahern             31.24           41st
Eibhlin Cleary                32.38          51st
Sean McGrath                20.35          1st
Conor Tierney               23.36          11th
Denis McCarthy            26.09          2nd
John Walshe                   33.09           7th
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Sean McGrath - Masters Indoors Champion:

3/22/2018

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Congratulations to Sean who ran a suberb 8:37 in the National Master Indoors at the weekend (March 10th) to take out the gold medal and another All Ireland title!

Sean has gone from strength to strength since coming back from injury at the start of the year and is obviously in great shape for the summer season coming up around the corner.
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National Intermediate and Masters XC, Clairnbridge Galway Feb 11th 2018

2/13/2018

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National Intermediate XC Champions - Sunday Feb 11th 2018:
Congrats to the Intermediate Mens team on winning Gold in the National XC in Clairnbridge, Galway at the weekend.
This is the first National XC title the club has won so well done to all involved. For such a small club the support was exceptional, with many travelling the 3+ hours on very bad roads to get there. 

Report:

There was an air of cautious optimism as our Intermediate men’s team made their way to Clarinbridge yesterday. Underfoot conditions were sticky to say the least and a biting wind contributed to what was a slog of a race in every sense of the word. A course for mud larks. Athletics Ireland’s race preview had two Dublin teams Donore and DSD as the ones to beat with no mention of East Cork as contenders. The club has a rich history in the event with James McCarthy winning individual honours in 2007 and the club taking 2nd in the team event three times previous in 1991, 2004 and most recently in Cow Park, Meath in 2014. 


Eoin Taggart of Clonliffe led out the 80 strong field with Michael Harty tucking in behind. Both athletes having enjoyed a recent stint of Kenyan altitude training. Kevin O Brien settled into a group of three hovering just outsides the top 10 with Brian Harty setting down a marker with a strong start just outside the top 20. Next came Shane Harrington in brand new shorts, Frank Hayes, Kevin O Leary, Diarmuid Collins and Nick  Donoghue packing well through the first lap all inside the top 35. The decisive move was made on the second lap with Harty opening a sizeable gap at the top of the field. A move which would eventually see him win by a considerable margin of 40 seconds from Kevin Moore. Seven weeks training on the hard dusty Kenyan highlands the perfect preparation for the sticky ankle deep lowlands of Clarinbridge. 


Back to the team event and with no sign of the Dublin teams, Celbridge and An Riocht were identified as the main competition. Team calculations throughout the race were hindered by scoring members of Celbridge and Riocht not wearing conforming club singlets. After 5km the East Cork were ahead of Celbridge by only 2 points. An Riocht were further adrift with eventual bronze medallists North Sligo AC hovering in contention. 


Consistent throughout, Kevin shrugged off the challenge of a Riocht athlete in the penultimate straight to take 11th.  Heading into the last lap with a slim margin a strong finish was required from the remaining two scorers on the team. Having paced himself well from the off, Nick finished with a flurry to take 20th , passing four in the last few hundred metres. An outstanding performance after a lengthy sideline through injury. With a point to prove or a bee in his bonnet, whichever way you look at it Brian Harty was a man on a mission. An excellent performance saw him take a well deserved 23rd place and seal the win for the club, mission accomplished. In a highly unorthodox moment, coach and athlete embraced in jubilation at the finish, another first for the club. Although both are now claiming they slipped and fell into each others arms, quite plausible given the underfoot conditions. Trading places with his teammates over the last lap, Kevin O Leary held on to take 29th, an admirable performance after a personal best outing in Dungarvan the week before. Another solid run from Frank saw him take 31st with Shane only a few seconds behind in a decent 33rdplace.  A late call up to the squad, Diarmaid finished well in 42nd. The club took the honours with 55 points ahead of Celbridge AC’s 64 with North Sligo pipping An Riocht by a point to take 3rd. This is the first national cross country team win for the club. Cork finished 2nd in the county standings to Kildare.
 
The first athlete up for the club was Phil McGrath, donning spikes for the first time in 20 years. Phil set the tone for the rest of the club with a valiant effort over the 4km course to take individual bronze and county team gold in the M65 category, just missing out on silver by the smallest of margins. In the women’s Intermediate event, Eadaoin O Neill clawed her way around the 5km circuit to finish in a very respectable 27th. Untested in these conditions, Lorna Santry found the going tough but stuck it out to finish a commendable 40th. In the M35-M55 7km race the club had 4 competitors. Sean McGrath toed the line with just over two weeks of running in the past two months.  Testament to his never say die attitude and refusal to perform consistent with his current fitness, he broke away from the chasing group in the dying stages of the race to take individual bronze and county team gold. Arguably the performance of the day. Pat O Connor managed a decent 29th in the M40 with club stalwarts Eric Meade and Denis McCarthy finishing 24th and 25th in the M50 and M50 categories respectively. ​
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Preview - National Intermediate and Masters Cross Country – Sunday February 11th Clairnbridge Co Galway

2/12/2018

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Preview - National Intermediate and Masters Cross Country – Sunday February 11th Clairnbridge Co Galway

This weekend sees the National Intermediate and Masters Cross Country take place in Clairnbridge, Galway. We have good numbers travelling up to compete with many athletes also representing Cork.
First up will be our Master men. With last years winner Michael opting for the Intermediates this year all eyes will be on Sean to see if he can make it back to back East Cork winners in the M35 category. Denis, Eric and Phil are all representing Cork and will be ably assisted by Pat.
In the intermediate womens race we have Eadaoin and Lorna both selected for the Cork team. Last year Fiona placed 5th and was a scoring member of the Gold medal winning Cork team so they will be aspiring to that.
 
We have a full team in the Intermediate Mens race. Michael knowing what it is like to lead and win National cross country races will be a strong contender this time too, esp after his recent stint of altitude training in Kenya. With Michael we have members of the 2014 Silver intermediate team, Kevin, Kenneth and Diarmaid and the 2017 Bronze Masters M35 team, Kenneth and Shane. Along with Brian Harty, Kevin O’Leary, Frank Hayes and Nick O’Donoghue, donning the vest for his first race for the club since 2016, we will be well represented and hopefully will pack well to be in contention.
 
Masters Men 7k: Start time – 2pm:
  • Sean McGrath M35
  • Pat O’Mahony M35
  • Denis McCarthy M50
  • Eric Meade M50
  • Phil McGrath M65
 
Intermediate Women 5k: Start time 2.40pm
  • Eadaoin O’Neill
  • Lorna Santry
 
Intermediate Men 8km: Start Time 3.10pm
  • Frank Hayes
  • Brian Harty
  • Michael Harty
  • Shane Harrington
  • Kevin O’Brien
  • Kevin O’Leary
  • Nicky O’Donoghue
  • Diarmaid Collins
  • Kenneth Kelleher
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Dungarvan 10 Mile - Sunday Feb 4th, 2018

2/6/2018

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Dungarvan 10 Miler:
Well done to James, Kevin, Frank , Fiona and new member Philip O'Neill running in Dungarvan on Sunday, February 4th, with Kevin and Fiona setting fine PB's on what was a perfect day for racing.
James finished an excellent 5th in a high standard mens field with Kevin Mansaull from Clonmel winning in 49.27. Fiona did one better and was 4th lady home.
James, Kevin and Frank were 5th in the mens team competition.
James - 52.17
Kevin - 54.35
Frank - 59.12
Fiona - 60.51
​Philip - 67.17

Full results

- https://www.myrunresults.com/events/john_treacy_dungarvan_10_mile/2449/results​
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