Week ending Saturday 26th September
Marathon Relay Fund Raising Day sees sub-2-hour marathon
Young and not so young, past and present members and friends came to the Mullingar Harriers AC grounds last Saturday morning to witness the showcasing of the talents of our current juvenile, senior, and master athletes as they ran varying forms of a marathon relay. An overcast dry morning with a stiff breeze, but the sun emerging as the morning progressed, was ideal for runners and spectators alike. The centrepiece was the relay by the senior men and women who ran concurrently on the track, alternating with individual 400m runs by one athlete at a time. A total of 105 and a half laps of the track, with the men targeting a sub-2 hour time and the women targeting sub-2 hours 36 minutes.
The men team of Jack O’Leary, Michael Murphy, Kris Foster, Dan Morris, Luke Greene, Donagh Carey, Matthew Molloy, Euan Lagan, Vinny Connolly, Kevin Moore, Michael Moran and Cormac Dalton stuck to their schedule, watched closely by the timekeeper and lap counter. Excitement grew as the laps counted down and when the last handover took place it was clear we were going to witness a first sub-2 hour marathon on our track. The clock stopped at 1 hour 57 minutes 19 seconds, a well-executed and evenly paced run by the team, with the men averaging an impressive 66.50 seconds per lap.
With the senior men finished, our full attention turned to the women team who were still running with great pace. Having passed halfway in 1 hour 12 minutes, it was clear that the team of Niamh McEntegart, Catherine McGlew, Orlaith Flanagan, Sinead Whitelaw, Blathnaid Peters, Lydia McDonnell, Lisa O’Brien, Eleanor Kiernan, Tianna O’Leary and Grace Byrne were determined to make their own significant mark with an extremely fast marathon relay. On handing the baton to the last athlete it was clear that the time would be well ahead of the target and so it proved, with the clock stopping at 2 hours 23 minutes 3 seconds, which incidentally is just 40 seconds outside the National women record for the distance. The average time per lap was also very impressive, at 81.50 seconds per lap.
Earlier in the morning, a team of master women and master men completed separate marathon relays in varying combinations. Not to be outdone, our younger juveniles aged 9 to 12, ably tutored by lead coach for the morning, James Carton, completed a two-lap course on the outside tarmac track, running one kilometre each, to marginally surpass the classic marathon distance with their combined efforts.
Throughout the morning there was music to entertain the spectators and motivate the runners, and there was tea, coffee and a range of home baking and confectionary treats available for young and old. It was wonderful to see former members travel from Galway, Dublin and further afield to join in a morning of celebration not only of the current running talent in the club but to witness and view the existing facilities, which have advanced significantly in the past five years, while also hearing of club plans to further enhance and upgrade the clubhouse as well as the track and field event facilities [MO’S].
Help needed for Westmeath Schools Cross Country
The Westmeath Schools Cross Country takes place this Wednesday (23 Sept). The programme commences at 11am for the secondary schools, followed at 12 noon for the primary schools. This is an excellent introduction to running and as in previous years we expect very large numbers, especially in the primary schools races, so we’re appealing to Club members and friends that can spare a few hours from 10am to please help out directing traffic, with parking, course stewards, start and finish line etc. It will get very busy near start time, so we’re advising everyone attending to come early. Once it starts, things move along very quickly and we’ll be finished by 2pm. Please volunteer to help if you can.
Star of the Sea AC Cross Country
This Sunday, we head to Co. Meath for the Star of the Sea AC open cross country meeting, a fixture that has been the Club’s opening cross country fixture for many years. There is a big programme of races, including juvenile races for boys and girls from under 9 years up to under 17 years, plus under 20, senior and master men and women. The race distances for juveniles are shorter than in Leinster cross country, so it’s an ideal fixture for newcomers, especially all those who have been training at the Club recently. There are prizes for the top 6 in the juvenile races, and team medals for teams of three. With the big number of juveniles at training lately we expect to be able to field a lot of teams. All entries are online at My Run Results, so don’t delay submitting your entry.
The first race is at 11am, so an early start is a must and aim to be at the course by 10am to collect your race number and have time for a proper warm up. It will be the first cross country race for several of our newcomers, so all are reminded to bring a packed lunch and a change of clothing, depending on the weather conditions, and parents are advised to bring appropriate clothing and footwear. Also, please wear your Club colours. Club vests can be purchased at training.
Rhode Half Marathon and 10k
Rhode AC staged a marathon, three quarter marathon, half marathon and a 10k early last Saturday morning. Mullingar Harriers was represented in the half marathon by Enda Seery. On a tough course with several rolling hills Enda was always with the lead group. A tough headwind on the canal section took its toll on the early pace but he battled on to the finish, holding off a stiff challenge in the final kilometre, to finish in a time of 1:26:15 and take third place overall of the 85 finishers. He’d been suffering with a head cold in the days leading up to the race, but was still happy to get a half marathon in his legs. In the 10k race with a field of 111 runners, Ann Hall had a tremendous race, battling with three others for podium places in the women’s race, eventually finishing fourth woman overall in 45:24, but first in her master category [MO’S].
Quadrathlon success for Paddy Boyhan
The Northern Ireland and Ulster Combined Events Championships took place at the Mary Peters track in Belfast three weeks ago (Sat 29 August). Paddy Boyhan represented Mullingar Harriers in the master men quadrathlon. Over the four events of shot put, long jump, 100m and 1,500m, athletes gain points for their performance in each event, which is tallied at the end to determine the winner. Paddy threw the shot out to 5.39m, had a good long jump, stopped the clock at 21.27 seconds in the 100m and was happy to get around the gruelling 1,500m in 9:13. When the points were tallied, Paddy emerged victorious in his master category (AO’D).
Athlone Half Marathon and 10k
Athlone AC staged their annual half marathon and 10k last Sunday morning. Conditions were perfect with a dry and bright morning and little breeze as the runners traversed the outskirts of the town and took in part of the Old Rail Trail Greenway, with start and finish on the outdoor track at the TUS Athlone campus. A total of 64 athletes completed the half marathon, including John Glennon who recorded a finishing time of 1:27:47. In the 10k race, Mullingar Harriers had a quartet of runners, all making the podium. Leading home the 158 athletes that took part, Mark Darby won in style, pulling away from club colleague Kevin Moore in the last 1,500m to win in a time of 34:07. Kevin held on to take second in 34:53. Eddie Lynch dominated the race in his master category, crossing the finish line to win in 39:24, while Alwyn Thornton took the honours in her master category finishing in a time of 44:09 [MO’S].
Fit 4 Life returns
A new Fit 4 Life programme commences next Monday evening (28 Sept). Taking place over 10 weeks with trained coaches to support and assist participants, this is an ideal opportunity to get back to regular running. Over the 10 weeks, participants will build their fitness and the coaches will support them as they progress each week, with a timed 5k on the last night run on our all-weather track. Registration is from 6:45pm next Monday evening, with the session starting at 7pm.
Check the Club’s website at www.mullingarharriers.com or its Facebook page and other social media platforms for all the latest news.
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