Week ending Saturday 7th April
Club athletes gearing up for the outdoor season
The clocks have changed to summer time and the Easter eggs are eaten, so this week we welcome our younger 8 and 9 year old members back to training at the Club. With the excitement of the indoor season and the Schools cross country behind us, now it’s time to focus on the upcoming outdoor season, so we hope to see large turnouts over the coming weeks at training. With only a few weeks to the start of the schools competitions, now is the time to put the work in at training to ensure success. Watch out for open sports scheduled in the coming weeks, including Cushinstown AC in Meath in three weeks time. Open sports are ideal for newcomers and the Club’s younger athletes in particular to get a taste of competition in a relaxed friendly environment away from the heat of Championship competition, but can also be good preparation for the older juveniles ahead of the Schools T&F. For others looking for some higher quality competition, there’s the first of the Dublin Graded Meetings in Santry in late April to consider. Keep an eye on the notice board in the Clubhouse or the fixture list on the Club website for details.
Successful Inaugural Lough Boora Half Marathon
In cool fresh but running-friendly conditions, the inaugural Lough Boora Half Marathon hosted by Ferbane AC in Offaly last Sunday was a big success. This was a popular 10k and 5k event in previous years but the current trend among runners is for longer distances, so the organisers switched to a half marathon this year but included a 5k fun run. The half marathon attracted strong local support but also many runners from surrounding Counties and further afield with 317 taking part. The half marathon was won by David Murray (Tullamore Harriers) in 1:15:04 and first lady was Pauline Curley (Tullamore Harriers) in 1:23:18. Representing Mullingar was Enda Seery finishing in an excellent 1:35:05, Garrett O’Brien finishing in 1:52:17 and PJ Ballesty.
Tommy Archbold in Wicklow Half
In stark contrast to the Mullingar Half Marathon, there was nothing remotely flat about the Wicklow Half Marathon last week (Sunday 25th March) that started and finished in the courtyard of the historic Wicklow Gaol. The course has a mix of town, harbour, countryside and coast and is described as one of the most scenic races in Ireland, probably explaining why it attracted an entry of over 650, among them Tommy Archbold, the Club’s sole representative in the event. At least the weather was nice, cool dry and sunny, but even though the course was changed a few years ago to make it flatter, according to Tommy the hills were the worst he ever ran and he was more than happy to have survived the ordeal. That said, Tommy still recorded a very respectable 1:54:50, which placed him third in his master category, so it was well worth the pain and effort in the end!
Hyundai “Pat Finnerty Memorial” 5k
This year there will be no road league in May but instead there will be a single race on a new fast slightly downhill straight course based out of Clonkill GAA. The first man and first woman will receive the Pat Finnerty Memorial Trophies at the presentation ceremony after the race in the Clonkill GAA Clubhouse, where of course there will be lots of refreshments for the thirsty and hungry runners. The race is on Wednesday 2nd May, which is only a month away. Entries are now open at www.myrunresults.com for €12 online or €15 on the night. We’ll also have a 1,500m race for boys and girls aged 15 and younger before the main 5k race.
For the latest results, news and details of all upcoming fixtures check the Club’s website www.mullingarharriers.com. You can also follow what is happening at the Club on our Facebook page.
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