Club Notes Week Ending 24th Nov. 2019

National Senior & Juvenile Even Ages Cross Country C'Ships

The first National Cross Country Championships of the season took place on Sunday 24th November in The Sports Center Abbotstown, Dublin. The course was soft, following some very heavy rain during the week. Underfoot was challenging throughout the 1500m lap and was a test of athletes strength and endurance. 

Shauna McCarthy competed in the U16 4000m and was part of the Munster team. With close to 140 athletes fighting for positions the pace out of the tunnels was very fast with each girl trying to get ahead before the course began to narrow in. Shauna had a good start and was well inside the top half of the group. After the first short lap the line extended as most began to find the course very tasking. Shauna persevered and kept gaining positions throughout. She finished in 34th place overall and 7th for Munster. Well done. 

Mary Daly was part of the Senior Women's county team. The other team members were Grace Lynch (Iveragh), Niamh Clifford (Star Of The Laune) & Niamh O'Sullivan (An Riocht). Competing with the best athletes in the country, the likes of Finnula Britton & Michelle Finn, over 8K distance was going to be a challenge. Mary paced herself very well over the five laps and did very well to finish in 42nd place. The second scorer for Kerry who finished 6th county team.

Results_Senior_Women

166 athletes lined up for the final race of the day. This was the Senior Men's 10K, 7 lap race. By now the course was well trodden, so no avoiding the by now heavy and sticky mud. Two athletes from Kerry lined up with the top Irish athletes fighting for positions to gain qualification for the European XC in December. Our own George McCarthy & Conor O'Mahony (An Riocht AC). Again the pace from start was fast, As each lap passed the athletes were spread throughout the 1500m  lap, each battling for team positions. George finished in 130th place, and Conor had a great race, finishing 34th. Results_Senior_Men

Well done to Shauna, Mary & George for representing club, county & province admirably.

Next Sunday, 1st Dec., we have Munster Intermediate & Juvenile "B's" in Turnpike Co. Tipperary. Closing date for entries is Wednesday 27th Nov.

Club Training:

Maria's Strength, Endurance & Flexibility Exercise Classes from 7pm at the Sports Hall in Farranfore. Class is designed for all abilities from secondary school upwards. €5 per class.

Thursday Nights from 6:30pm for Seniors and juveniles competing in Munster & National Cross Country. Grass Session on GAA Field Farranfore €2

Athletic's Fixtures

Sun 1st Dec.: Munster Juv "B" & IntermediateXC, Turnpike Tipperary

Sun 1st Dec: An Riocht 5K, Castleisland

Sun 15th Dec.: National Juv. Uneven Age & Novice XC, Dunboyne

Thur. 26th Dec.: Farranfore St. Stephens 2K & 5K, Farranfore

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

Club Notes Week Ending 17th Nov.. 2019

Munster Masters & Juvenile Club Relays Cross Country C'Ships

Beaufort was the venue for the Munster Masters & Juvenile Inter Club Relays Cross Country Championships on Sunday 17th November , hosted by Star Of The Laune A.C., A big thanks to the Dennehy family for giving the use of their lands for this event. Conditions were ideal with the course very good underfoot which gave rise to some very fast running. Thankfully the rain held off and made the day very enjoyable for competitors and athletes. It was unfortunate the club was unable to field any juvenile teams due to other commitments and illness. 

However, in the Masters races we had a very strong turnout in the Women's 4K race. 

Mary Daly ran very well throughout as she was part of the lead group from the start. Working hard and when the pace increased into the final lap, Mary pulled away with lead runner from Leevale AC. Mary held on but had to settle for second place in the end. A great finish and she also took individual silver in her age category. She also led the county O35 team to silver. 

Emer Bevan, competing at Munster level for the fist time was 6th in her age category and part of the County O45 team to win bronze. 

Next home was Helen English, also first Munster race, was part of the O35 county Team. Not far behind was Siobhan Riordan & Grainne Tierney. Our club finished in fourth place. Well done to all for representing club and county.

In the Master Men's 7K race we had George McCarthy & Brendan Lynch. George following on from his Munster Senior race last weekend went out with the lead group at a fast pace. George continued battling and with a sprint finish was 8th overall and second in his age category. Brendan Lynch equally ran very well and was placed well up in his new age category at 6th place. The county was one man short to have a county team in the O35 category.

Next Sunday 23rd Nov. is the National Senior & Even Ages XC in Dublin. Best of luck to those competing.

Further afield, Dermot Dineen was in Mayo and took part in the Hollymount 10k. A race now in its 54th year. Dermot finished 14th overall in a time of 37:54

Club Training:

Maria's Strength, Endurance & Flexibility Exercise Classes from 7pm at the Sports Hall in Farranfore. Class is designed for all abilities from secondary school upwards. €5 per class.

Thursday Nights from 6:30pm for Seniors and juveniles competing in Munster & National Cross Country. Grass Session on GAA Field Farranfore €2

Athletic's Fixtures

Sun 24th Nov.: National Juv. Even Age & Sen. / Jun. XC, Abbotstown

Sun 1st Dec.: Munster Juv "B" & IntermediateXC, Turnpike Tipperary

Sun 1st Dec: An Riocht 5K, Castleisland

Sun 15th Dec.: National Juv. Uneven Age & Novice XC, Dunboyne

Thur. 26th Dec.: Farranfore St. Stephens 2K & 5K, Farranfore

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

Club Notes Week Ending 10th Nov. 2019

Munster Senior & Juvenile UnEven Ages Cross Country C'Ships

Conna Co.Cork was the venue for the Munster Senior & Juvenile Uneven Ages Cross Country Championships on Sunday 10th November, hosted by St.Catherines A.C., Conditions were ideal  for the events, dry and very little wind. The course was  in very good condition which made for some very fast running. We had three juvenile athletes in action. 

First up were the Vicker brothers, Isaac & Ryan in the U11 1500m race. A one lap race with well over one hundred athletes competing from clubs all over Munster. Isaac got a great start and was within the top twenty entering a narrow stretch of the course after 300m of running. Isaac fought hard over the course and made up positions when they entered the climb after 1000m's. The last 200m's was flat and down to the finish line where he held on to finish sixth place overall. Ryan, competing out of age, did extremely well and finished in the top half of the group. To cap it off, Kerry team finished third overall. 

Next up we had Shauna McCarthy competing in the U17 4000m race. Approx. fifty athletes lined up for the 2 lap race, with some very notable international athletes in the mix. From the gun the pace was set with a strong group of 12 to 14 athletes bunched together. In the middle was Shauna and Kerry Eager from Star Of The Laune. This group remained bunched up for the first lap. But at the start of the second lap the pace increased dramatically. As the group spread out Shauna was placed seventh and over the course of the last kilometer she passed out three runners to finish in fourth place overall. Isaac & Shauna will now go forward to represent Munster in the National Championships on December 15th in Dunboyne. 

George McCarthy competed in the final race of the day, the Senior Men's 10K, 5 lap race. George ran well to finish in 30th place.

Next Sunday 17th Nov. is the Munster Masters & Juvenile Inter Club Relays XC in Beaufort, Kerry. Registration closes on Wednesday so please contact club secretary, Mary, 085-1909509 before then.

Club Training:

Juvenile on Tuesdays from 6-7pm has now ended.
Maria's Strength, Endurance & Flexibility Exercise Classes from 7pm at the Sports Hall in Farranfore. Class is designed for all abilities from secondary school upwards. €5 per class.

Thursday Nights from 6:30pm for Seniors and juveniles competing in Munster & National Cross Country. Grass Session on GAA Field Farranfore €2

Athletic's Fixtures

Sat 16th Nov.: British & Irish Masters Cross Country International, England

Sun 17th Nov.: Munster Masters & Juv. Inter-Club Relays XC, Beaufort Kerry

Sun 24th Nov.: National Juv. Even Age & Sen. / Jun. XC, Abbotstown
Sun 1st Dec.: Munster Juv "B" & IntermediateXC, Turnpike Tipperary

Sun 1st Dec: An Riocht 5K, Castleisland

Sun 15th Dec.: National Juv. Uneven Age & Novice XC, Dunboyne

Thur. 26th Dec.: Farranfore St. Stephens 2K & 5K, Farranfore

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

Club Notes Week Ending 3rd Nov. 2019

County Masters & Juvenile B Cross Country C'Ships

On Sunday November 3rd we had the final County Cross Country competition of the season, which was the Juvenile  "B" and Masters. Held in Killarney Demense where the ground was in particular good condition considering all the rain we experienced over the last week. Thankfully the rain held off for the few hours of racing which made it enjoyable for competitors and spectators. Thanks to St. Brendan's AC for setting out the course. 

First race of the morning was the Masters Women 4K. We had five athletes competing in a range of age categories and ultimately the club team position. 

Mary Daly had an outstanding performance, taking the lead from the start and holding this place to finish with plenty to spare. Mary took the O40 title with Emer Bevan in 5th overall and winning her O45 category. 

Helen English won the O35 category with Siobhan Riordan 2nd O35. Catherine Riordan equally ran well to take 3rd in the O40 category. To top it all off they secured 2nd place in the club teams category. 

It was then time for the Master's Men 7K race with 8 laps to cover. 

George McCarthy was first over the line for the club in 3rd place and taking 2nd in his O45 category followed by Dermot Dinnen taking third place in O40. Brendan Lynch was two places behind and finishing 4th in his category. 

Thanks to brothers Denis & Tim Riordan for coming out to run with the club with very little training. Both did very well to complete the distance and with their efforts secured first position for the team. Well done all.

It was now time for our Juveniles. In the U10 Boys 1200m we had Thomas Lynch. Thomas ran very well and was in medal contention until he lost his footing and lost some places. However he got to his feet and battled on to finish in seventh place overall. A great race by Thomas. 

In the U12 Girls 2000m Aoife O'Sullivan was back again competing for the club. Aoife, her first season competing, has ran in every XC and we are very proud well done. 

In the Boys U12 we had three competing. Kevin O'Shea & Ross Lally finished 12th & 13th respectively with Jack Teahan in 21st. They were 5th club team. 

In the U14 Girls 2000m we had two runners. Laura Bradley ran well to take 4th place & Sadhbh Teahan in 6th. Both deservedly winning individual medals. 

The club is proud of the commitment and determination of our juveniles over the season.Winning medals is not important, its your strength, both mentally and physically, to compete in the sport of athletics. Skills that you will have for life. 

Next Sunday 10th Nov. is the Munster Senior/Junior & Juvenile UnEven Ages XC in Conna Co. Cork. Registration closes on Wednesday so please contact club secretary, Mary, 085-1909509 before then.

Club Training:

• Juvenile on Tuesdays from 6-7pm has now ended and will return early 2020.  
• Maria's Strength, Endurance & Flexibility Exercise Classes from 7pm at the Sports Hall in Farranfore. Class is designed for all abilities from secondary school upwards. €5 per class.
• Thursday Nights from 6:30pm for Seniors and juveniles competing in Munster & National Cross Country. Grass Session on GAA Field Farranfore €2

Athletic's Fixtures

Sun 10th Nov.: Munster Juv Uneven Age, U/20 & Senior XC, Conna Cork

Sat 16th Nov.: British & Irish Masters Cross Country International, England

Sun 17th Nov.: Munster Masters & Juv. Inter-Club Relays XC, Beaufort Kerry

Sun 24th Nov.: National Juv. Even Age & Sen. / Jun. XC, Abbotstown
Sun 1st Dec.: Munster Juv "B" & IntermediateXC, Turnpike Tipperary

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