Week ending Saturday 5th October

Big numbers in Belvedere for successful Westmeath Schools Cross Country

In between two very wet days, we were very lucky to catch a good weather window last Wednesday for the Westmeath Schools Cross Country in Belvedere. The event took place in overcast but warm and mostly dry conditions and the odd light shower wasn’t enough to spoil the event for the very big number of young girls and boys that had come from schools right across Westmeath. The grounds in Belvedere looked beautiful and underfoot conditions were good for running. The hard work put in by volunteers from the Club in setting up the course meant that everything was ready on the day. Numbers taking part were up on last year thanks to the good forecast that turned out to be quite accurate and meant that very big numbers attended across all ages, particularly in the primary schools races and it was great to see such enthusiasm in the competitors from the youngest first class pupil to the eldest sixth year student, cheered on by a big crowd of teachers and parents. The event continues to be very popular and we hope that schools and parents will continue to support this excellent event in future years. We are indebted to the many volunteers, members and friends of Mullingar Harriers, who turned up to help officiate and make the day a success.

Thanks to Gerard Gavin who put in a great shift running as the “rabbit” in the primary schools races, giving all the young competitors a clear person to chase so no one got confused or lost on the course. Sincere thanks also to the Westmeath Civil Defence who were on hand in good numbers to look after any first aid needs with their customary cool calm professionalism. The management and staff at Belvedere House and Gardens were also of great help in organising the day at a venue that is ideal for hosting such an event and the grounds came in for particular praise from the many parents that attended to watch. Thanks too to the local Gardaí who attended and ensured traffic entered and exited Belvedere safely. Finally, our thanks to the teachers and schools for competing in great numbers to ensure that the event continues to be one of the most eagerly awaited sporting events on the calendar for those of school going age in Westmeath.

The Primary school top 20 individual finishers and team scores and the Secondary schools top 10 individual finishers are available on the Club’s website www.mullingarharriers.com. Congratulations to all who took part and as usual, the standard of competition was extremely high and medals were hard won for all the competitors. Team medals will be distributed to the schools this week.

Athletics Westmeath Cross Country

Anyone that competed in the schools cross country in Belvedere and has been bitten by the running bug might like to race again by competing in the Athletics Westmeath Cross Country Championship at the same Belvedere venue. Day one is this Sunday and is for ages u/8, 10, 12, 14 and 16 years starting at 11am. Day two the following Sunday is for ages u/9, 11, 13, 15, 17, 19 (and 18) and adults (novice, senior and master). Everyone can run on both days if they wish, in their right age one day and moving up an age on the other day. The event is open to everyone in Westmeath and you don’t have to be a member of any Club to take part, so why not come along and give it a try?

Recent Road Races

Terrible overnight rain gave way to a fresh start last Sunday morning and by lunchtime conditions were perfect for the Rathfarnham 5k. With an extremely high level of organisation and a good course with few hills the race has a strong reputation for fast times. Among the more than 800 finishers was Michelle Bohan, finishing well up in 19:20, to place in the top twenty senior women, an excellent result.

The Fast Lane Half Marathon in Clondalkin, Dublin early last Sunday morning was a new race on the fixture list. The course took in long stretches of the tow path along the Grand Canal and some quiet local roads giving it more of a rural feel on the edge of the city, and being relatively flat, it was billed as a race for runners with an allergy to hills! Enda Seery used the race as part of his preparations for the Frankfurt Marathon at the end of October and was very satisfied with his finish time of 1:36, which will give him good reassurance that his training is going well.

Road Safety

The evenings are starting to close in and it is dark well before 8pm, so all Club members are reminded that they must wear reflective clothing when running on the road in the evenings. That includes all who use our Club grounds and who run from the Clubhouse on training nights.

For the latest results, news and details of all upcoming fixtures check the Club’s website at www.mullingarharriers.com. You can also follow what is happening at the Club on our Facebook page.

PRO