Week ending Saturday 7th December

Four of Mullingar’s finest to compete at European Cross Country

This Sunday morning we’ll be watching the coverage of the European Cross Country Championships in the Bela Vista Park, Lisbon with particular added interest because Mullingar will have four athletes competing on Irish teams, the highest number from the Club ever to compete at a major Championship in a single day. Competing in the u/20 men 6,000m will be Jamie Battle, in the u/23 women 6,000m will be Claire Fagan, and in the u/23 men 8,000m will be Cormac Dalton and Jack O’Leary. Jack has had an excellent cross country season with Iona College and he returned home last week from the USA to acclimatize in advance of the trip to Lisbon. There is another man on the u/23 team with a connection to Westmeath though, Peter Lynch (Kilkenny City Harriers). Peter’s grandfather, Sean Lynch, comes from Castlepollard but now lives in Kilkenny and has been involved with athletics in Kilkenny for many years. Jamie and Jack ran in the European Cross Country in The Netherlands last year and Claire ran in the u/23 T&F in Sweden last summer, so they will draw on that valuable experience, but for Cormac this will be his first time to compete at this level in a Major Championship but being part of a large Irish team of over thirty men and women will surround him with huge experience to draw on for support and encouragement and inspiration. Everyone at the Club wishes Jamie, Claire, Cormac and Jack the very best of luck in the Lisbon.

Clonakilty Waterfront Marathon

Now in its tenth year running, the Clonakilty Waterfront Marathon last Saturday morning attracted record numbers and sold out many weeks before the event. The weather conditions were very challenging with high winds and showery outbreaks of rain. Andrew Nevin opted to run the half marathon where he had a fine run to finish in 1:17:57, third of the huge field of over 900 runners, joggers and walkers, while Gerard Flynn ran the marathon and was satisfied with his time of 3:45:17 in tough conditions, finishing well up in the big entry of 430.

Indoor Season on the horizon

The AIT Baseline Indoor T&F Meeting next Wednesday evening is an ideal opportunity for our senior and older juvenile T&F athletes to chart how their training is progressing for the coming indoor season. This is a low-key time-trial event, rather than a formal competition, and athletes will have the opportunity to test themselves in a range of events and non-standard track distances. Electronic timing will be used. Entry is on-line through the Athletics Ireland website and athletes must be at least 16 years of age to compete.

Dressing for the cold

Now that December is here, we can expect the weather to turn even colder at training, so it’s a good time to remind all athletes that they should wear appropriate running gear for the cold weather. Warm clothing is essential and that includes going to and from training and competition. A pair of lightweight gloves, a woolen hat and a few layers of warm clothing is all it takes. Having a warm sweat shirt, fleece or jacket for after training is especially important. Parents of younger juveniles should insist that they wear the proper clothing. Also, lightweight running tights or leggings are recommended and will give much needed protection against the cold. Athletes not properly dressed for the cold weather will not perform to their best.

Road safety/reflective clothing

Everyone running from the Clubhouse on the roads must take road safety seriously and wear reflective clothing. If you do not wear reflective clothing, how can you expect drivers to see you? It is very simple, if you are not wearing a reflective bib, you should not be running on the road at night. There are spare bibs available in the Clubhouse to borrow if you forget to bring your own.

For the latest results, news and details of all upcoming fixtures check the Club’s website at www.mullingarharriers.com.

PRO