Monday, October 22, 2018

Club Notes Week Ending 21st Oct. 2018

Munster Novice & Juvenile Even ages Cross Country Championships.  
Beaufort was the setting for the Munster Novice & Juvenile Even ages Cross Country Championships. Held on Sunday 21st Oct which started with a wet morning and cleared to glorious sunshine as the races commenced. There was a great turnout for all Munster athletic clubs and some very exciting races to keep the spectators well entertained. 
The first race was the U10 Girls 1000m. Jessie Lynch ran very well from the gun and finished in third place overall and was part of the County Team bronze medal winners
Isaac Vickers equally ran very well to be placed seventh to win individual medal and was part of the County Team bronze medal winners. His brother Ryan, out of age, had a great run.
In the U12 Girls 2000m Mairead Walsh & Rhian McCarthy were competing and part of county team. They both did exceptionally with Rhian finishing in 48th place & Mairead in 50th place. 
Tyrnan Lynch did yet again another strong run to finish in 27th place. 
Eabha McCarthy was in the U14 3000m where she was seventh overall. 
Shauna McCarthy & Natasha Myers represented our club in the U16 4000m. Shauna who is no stranger to the Munster XC with many championship medals under her belt had a great race. Running out of age she was part of the lead group from the start. At the half way point she was placed in sixth overall and comfortable. In the final lap she pushed up to 4th place and had to put in a sprint finish to hold onto her position. A great performance and she now represents Munster at the Nationals next month. Natasha, who is coming back after a long spell out of running did well to complete a long distance at munster level. Shauna was also part of the county team to bronze. 
Cian Spillane competed in the U16 boys. This was a very competitive and fast race from the start. Cian also running out of age found the pace tough and finished in good 27th place. 

The Novice Women's 4000m was the highlight of the day. Marie McKenna & Mary Daly were competing. Mary Daly was with the lead group from the start. After the first 1000m lap Mary took the lead and over the next two laps she opened up a gap of over forty meters from the second placed runner. Mary was never going to be caught and finished in a well deserved first place taking the Munster Novice title. Marie Mckenna also did very well finishing in 15th place where both were part of the county team to win bronze. 
George McCarthy was our only Novice Men's 6000m club representative which was the final race of the day. There was a good representative from Kerry clubs, eleven in total. The start was very fast with the top athletes fighting to keep with the lead group. George paced himself very well and over the course of the race he continued to fight his way through the field. George finished in fourteenth place overall and was fourth home for the county picking up county silver medal. Well done to Eddie O'Connor of Listowel AC who was third overall. Again, a HUGE thank-you to the very dedicated volunteer coaches spending their fourth Sunday in a row at XC championships.
See Provisional results here.

Next XC fixture is Munster Juvenile Uneven Age & Senior Cross Country Championships, Sunday 11th November in the Turnpike, Two Mile Borris, Co. Tipperary. Those interested in competing must contact club secretary for registration before Sunday 4th Nov. Details on Munster Athletics Website.

Autumn Open Cross Country  
Caitriona Barry was in Dublin competing in the Autumn Open Cross Country fixture, which incorporates the qualification for the British & Irish Masters championship. Caitriona finished in fifth place for her age category. Just one spot off qualification. Still, a great performance at a high standard of competition.

Club Training:
Juvenile Training: Tuesdays & Thursdays @ 6pm in Farranfore GAA grounds. Open to all registered juveniles aged 8yrs (Born 2010) and upwards. This will be in preparation for the Cross Country Championships  €2 per session.
Secondary School /  Senior training on every Thursday at 6:30pm in GAA grounds Farranfore. This is endurance training for cross country preparation. €2 club member, €4 non club member  
Maria's Strength, Endurance & Flexibility Exercise Classes commences on Tuesday's @ 7pm at the Sports Hall in Farranfore. €5 per class
New Members also welcome.

Athletic's Fixtures
Sun 28th Oct: National Marathon, Dublin
Sun 11th Nov.: Munster Juvenile Uneven Age & Senior XC, Turnpike, Co.Tipperary
Sat 17th Nov.: British & Irish Masters XC, Swansea
Sun 18th Nov.: Munster Masters & Juv. Inter-Club XC, Clarecastle, Co.Clare
Sun 25th Nov:  National Senior, Junior  & Juv. Evens XC, Abbotstown, Dublin
Sun 2nd Dec: Munster Juvenile "B" & Intermediate & U/20 XC, Riverstick Cork.
Sat 8th Dec: AAI Walks Championship, St. Anne's Park, Raheny, Dublin
Sat 15th Dec: National Juvenile Uneven Age & Novice XC, Navan Racecourse

Please contact club secretary, Mary, 085-1909509 to register for competitions in advance
See Kerry & Munster Athletics website for full fixture lists & timetable for events.