Week ending Saturday 18th July
Mullingar Harriers to be fully reopened next week
The Club Committee decided last week that conditions are right to allow the youngest members aged 8, 9 and 10 years of age (born 2013, 2012 and 2011) to return to training at the Club next Tuesday evening, 21st July. This will mark the final step of the Club’s re-opening and will see all Club members back training at the Club again. This youngest group has been out of action for nearly four months and it will be great to welcome them back again next week.
The phased return of members to training at the Club has gone very well so far, thanks to everyone adhering to the Athletics Ireland guidelines, including pre-booking training sessions, recording attendance at sessions, changes to training times of the various groups to stagger their arrival and departure to avoid congestion in the car park and around the grounds, hygiene, and cough and sneeze etiquette.
Current paid up members will receive an e-mail with a link to the booking system, which must be completed for each session. Don’t just turn up at the Club to train without pre-booking the session, because if you do you will be turned away.
Final request to confirm contact details
The parents of our 8, 9 and 10 year olds will receive an e-mail with a link to the pre-booking system. We will be using the e-mail we have on record, so if it has changed, please update this with the Club by sending an e-mail to info@mullingarharriers.com, using “contact” as the subject, with phone number, e-mail address and home address (with Eircode, if known). Contact tracing is a key element of the protocols around reopening sports clubs, so we need to make sure we have everyone’s correct details.
Leinster T&F entries
Entries for the Leinster juvenile under 17, 18 and 19 T&F and for the Leinster junior, senior and masters T&F are now open and will close on Friday week, 24th July. Due to Covid-19 restrictions on numbers in the stadium at any time, juveniles are limited to two events but with competition for juniors, seniors and masters spread over two days, they may enter five individual events (subject to a maximum of three per day). Juveniles wishing to enter under 17, 18, 19 or junior shall let Greg know what events they wish to be entered in. Juniors, seniors and masters submit their own entries but if anyone experiences difficulties with the entry system, they should contact Greg.
What were we doing this time last year?
Our underage athletes winning eleven All-Ireland medals on the track, our master athletes winning All-Ireland team medals and five individual medals on the road, and Claire Fagan competing in the European u/23 T&F made this time last year extremely memorable for Mullingar Harriers.
On a tough hilly course in the Phoenix Park in extremely warm and humid conditions, leading the Mullingar group home in last year’s Irish Runner 10 Mile, which incorporated the AAI National 10 Mile Championship, was Eddie Newman (58:52) third in his master category, followed by Gerard Brady (65:44), Joan Flynn (68:02) third in her master category, Stephen Naughton (69:33), Eileen Kenny (76:25) first in her master category, Michael O’Sullivan (77:17), Geraldine Walsh, first in her master category and Des Walsh, third in his master category. Team success came for Eddie, Stephen and Michael as they combined to finish third Club in their master category. These were great performances from our master athletes when it counts, in a National Championship.
At the conclusion of last year’s domestic season for many of the Club’s underage athletes, at days 2 and 3 of the All-Ireland Juvenile u/14 to u/19 T&F finals in a sun-soaked Tullamore, All-Ireland titles were won by Aisling Lane (2,000m race walk u/15), Andrew Glennon (2,000m race walk u/15), Matthew Glennon (3,000m race walk u/17), Oisin Lane (5,000m race walk u/18) and double titles by Charles Okafor (100m and 200m u/17). There was medal success too for Jennifer Fidgeon (3,000m race walk u/18, silver), Philip McCartan (1,500m u/14, silver), Diarmuid Fagan (1,500m u/15, silver), Aimee Wallace (1,500m u/14, bronze) and Eoin Quinn (1,500m u/18, bronze). By any standards, this was a terrific championship for Mullingar with so many All-Ireland medals won.
Delighted to toe the start line of last year’s 10,000m at the European u/23 T&F in Gävle, Sweden, Claire Fagan made her first appearance at a major championship. As expected at this level, the standard of competition was very high and it was a very tough race, run at a fast pace from the start, and while Claire would like to have run closer to her best, it was not to be, but she gave it her best effort and stuck to her task to finish well.
PRO
