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Friday, July 2, 2010

Tipperary...Preview of the Champion Kiely 5k Ballyneale - Fri 2 July 2010

The second race of the Outfield Sports Three Counties Challenge is the the Champion Kiely Ballyneale 5k at 7:30pm.

Ballyneale is a little west of Carrick-on-Suir, just off the R696, which is between the N24, N76.
Organized by Carrick-on-Suir AC.

A word from
Mark Connolly at the organizers :-
The village of Ballyneale, just outside Carrick-on-Suir, will be the venue on Friday next , July 2nd, for this year's 'Champion Kiely' 5km road race. The race, which is the second of four races in the Outfield Sports Three Counties Challenge, gets underway at 7:30pm. The very fast, flat course offers a great opportunity for a personal best time. The entry fee is €10 and chip timing will be used. There will be prizes in all the usual categories as well as spot prizes. Registration and parking facilities will be available at Ballyneale GAA Grounds from 6pm.
With 191 runners taking part in the first race of this series, the Deadman's 5, there is expeced to be a very big field for Friday's race.

The 'Champion Kiely' honours the great Olympian, Tom Kiely, who was born at Curraghdobbin, Ballyneale in 1869. It was in the 'All-Round' event, the equivalent of the modernday Decathlon, that Tom excelled. Tom resisted offers from the American and British teams and paid his own fare to the 1904 Olympics in St. Louis, Missouri to represent his native country.
In those days all ten events in the competition were held on the same day. Conditions on July 4th, 1904 were atrocious but Tom accumulated over 6000 points to become Olympic Champion. A beautiful memorial to Tom was erected in 1978, opposite Ballyneale Church. Fittingly,Friday's race will pass close by this memorial on the weekend of the 106th anniversary of Tom Kiely's great victory.

Contact: Mark Connolly (086) 160 8165 + Johnny Brunnock (086) 848 3210
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