Week ending Saturday 30th January

It looks like the Club will be closed for some time yet

The current level 5 restrictions were supposed to end this coming Sunday but of course the number of Covid infections is still far too high and there’s talk of extending the restrictions by a further four or six weeks, which would mean all of February and possibly into mid-March. If we stay at the current level, the Club will obviously remain closed but as of now we don’t know if there will be any relaxation for sports, though that would be a long shot, so we’ll just have to wait and see how things pan out later this week. While it’s very hard to see any competitions on the horizon in any shape except perhaps some virtual road races or similar, in an update from Athletics Ireland last Friday, we learned that the Athletics Ireland Covid Group continues to work closely with the Sport Ireland Expert Group in regard to providing members with regular updates and information during this difficult time and is coordinating regular, on-going discussions with key stakeholders on a return to competition as soon as possible.

For now, all we can do is try to keep training on our own as best as we can and everyone should keep in touch with their coach for advice and guidance on what training to do. Members are reminded that they can run and exercise within 5k of home on an individual basis but not in groups. They can exercise in pairs being mindful of others and keeping a social distance between others and should avoid congregating in groups when exercising outdoors and are reminded to be mindful of pedestrians at all times.

Something that Club members need to know is that registered Club members are covered by Athletics Ireland insurance when exercising from home, if the session is part of a coordinated programme supplied by the Club. Additionally, all AAI registered members participating on a live virtual Club training session facilitated by their Club coach are also covered under the Athletics Ireland personal accident insurance cover.

Annual General Meeting is going online

This year, due to the current Covid restrictions, the Club’s Annual General Meeting will be held online on Friday evening 19th February at 8pm. The AGM will be held using Microsoft Teams and members should email info@mullingarharriers.com requesting a link to the meeting. Motions and nominations shall be submitted to the same email address by Friday 12th February.

Membership for 2021

Please renew your membership as soon as you can. If you’re not registered, you’re not insured (and can’t train at the Club or take part in Club competition, when they return). The quickest and easiest to pay at the moment is though the Club’s website. Rates are unchanged from 2020.

This time last year

It’s hard to remember but this time last year we knew about Coronavirus but it was all still a bit vague and a long way from Ireland, so it was very much business as usual at the AAI Junior and u/23 Indoor Championships in Athlone IT. Charles Okafor won his heat of the Junior men 200m with ease to advance to the final where he powered around the tight indoor bends to take third place in a new personal best at the time of 22.11 seconds, his first All-Ireland Junior medal, a terrific result, as he is eligible for two more years. Claire Fagan had to move through the gears on the final lap of the u/23 women 1,500m to bring her into third place and the bronze medal, going even better in the later 800m which she took out hard from the gun, leading from start to finish and winning the All-Ireland title. Our final medal came in the Junior men 3,000m race walk where Matthew Glennon was just too good for the opposition and pulled further and further ahead with every lap to win by a big margin in a new personal best at the time of 12:55.20.

Mullingar had a very big squad of over 90 young athletes in action at the Westmeath Juvenile Indoors in the magnificent AIT indoor stadium. This was the first time many of the younger 8, 9 and 10 years old boys and girls in particular had the opportunity to compete there and they really made the most of it and thoroughly enjoyed themselves at what is one of the most eagerly awaited fixtures for our youngest athletes in particular. Even though every event was competitive, the atmosphere was still relatively relaxed compared to a Leinster indoors and our youngest athletes in particular made the most of the chance to compete in the state-of-the-art facility, giving them a taste of what’s to come in a few years when they can compete at a Leinster indoors. Sadly of course the event had to be cancelled this year.

Check the Club’s website at www.mullingarharriers.com or its Facebook page for all the latest news.

PRO