Reminder...Polls for the best races of 2013 closes on the 31st of Jan

Just a reminder that the polls for the best road races in Cork and Munster close at midnight on Friday the 31st of January.

See the right hand side of the Running in Cork site for the various options.

Tipperary...Results of the Clonmel 4 km road race - Wed 29th Jan 2014

A total of 174 runners completed this 4k race in Clonmel, Co.Tipperary.

1    Stewart Moloney    13:16
2    Fintan Rice    13:59
3    John Shanahan    14:03
12    Claire Annan    15:06
35    Grainne O Callaghan    16:33
37    Mary Molloy    16:40

Results can be seen HERE

Report from Clonmel AC...Stewart Moloney clocks 2nd fastest time over 4k Course
The 4th Race of the Clonmel AC New Years Series took place tonight in good running conditions, no rain during the race. Once again there was a brilliant entry of 175 athletes. Last year’s corresponding race attracted 84 athletes. I have no doubt that the Joe Grinsell 100k Challenge is a Challenge that many of the athletes are attempting to achieve and that is brilliant. Looking down through the names of who have competed in the races it is great to see so many new names taking part in this Challenge and the great thing about this Challenge is that it covers the whole year and an athlete can achieve this Challenge at their own pace and if they pick the right races they don’t have to do a 10K, so this Challenge is achievable by all levels of fitness. With 5 races completed and 21kms covered we have 23 athletes who have done all 5 races, 75 more athletes who have done 4 races with 70 more athletes who have competed in 4 Races, this is absolutely fantastic.

Back to tonight’s race and once again the Club would like to thank the Brothers of Charity for the use of their car park, the Civil Defence for doing First Aid and to the many stewards who ensured the whole event was another success. Tonight’s format was Match your target Time which was the Athletes best time in this series and the Computer randomly added up to 10 secs or deducted up to 10 seconds off this time and athletes had to Match that target Time which wasn’t revealed to them. We had three athletes who Matched their Target time and they were Maurice Boland,  Paudie O Connor and Mark Corcoran while Michael J Ryan, Mark Foley, Kate O'Neill, Declan Gavigan, Siobhain Roche, Anne Ryan were 1 second off their target Time. Then we had Fintan Rice and Angela Walsh who were only 2 secs off their Target Time while Pat Ryan, Hannah Gilligan, John Shanahan, Edmund Roche and Mari Murphy Condon who were only 3 secs off their Target Time, well done to all the Prize winners and they can collect their Prizes when Registering at next week’s

The race was very competitive tonight with Stewart Moloney running a brilliant race when winning in 13 mins 16 secs, fantastic running. In the New Year 4k Series this is the 2nd fastest time. In 2005 Pat O Sullivan ran 13 mins 13 secs and i am sure that if Stewart had company over the final 400m he would have set a new record. Fintan Rice was 2nd in 13 mins 59 secs with John Shanahan 3rd in 14 misn 3 secs. In the Ladies race the top 3 were Clare Annan 1st in 15 mins 6 secs, 2nd Grainne O Callaghan 16 mins 33 secs and 3rd Mary Molloy 16 mins 40 secs.

Clonmel Park Hotel Sponsored prizes
Once again we are very grateful to Aine Roche , manageress of the Clonmel park Hotel for sponsoring some of tonight’s Prizes and the Lucky winners of a one day pass to all the Leisure Centre facilities are Fintan Rice, Paudie O Connor, Mark Corcoran, Declan Gavigan, Mark Foley, Mari Murphy Condon, Anne Ryan and Kate O Neill.

The South Tipperary Physiotherapy and Sports Injury Clinic awards...These awards, generously sponsored by the South Tipperary Physiotherapy and Sports Injury Clinic, 19 O Connell Street Clonmel, are for the most Improved Female and Male athlete of the 4k Series. To qualify for these awards athletes must have competed in either of the first 2 races of this Series. After 4 races the top 6 Female athletes who have improved the most are Bridget Heeney has improved by 3 mins 52 secs, Rebecca Cassin by 3 mins 10 secs, Melissa McCarthy by 3 mins 8 secs, Siobhain Dempsey by 2 mins 51 secs, Claire Lyness by 2 mins 43 secs and Jenny Hogan by 2 mins 32 secs, The top 6 Male athletes who have shown he greater improvement we have Sean Lyness leading at the moment as he has improved by 4 mins 45 secs, Michael Phelan by 3 mins 24 secs, Peter Vos by 3 mins 4 secs, Sean Looby by 2 mins 58 secs ,Jason O Dea by 2 mins 44 secs, and Brendan White by 2 mins 25
secs.

With two races to go this table will probably change again. Indeed looking down through the results over the past three races we have 158 athletes who have improved on their first outing, fantastic and well done to all concerned, keep up the training.

Race 5 Format...The 5th race format is Predict your Finishing Time competition. This is where the athlete swill Predict their Finishing Time when registering and then run the race without a Watch or I phone. Once again we would ask everyone to come early and register as we will once again start at 7pm. We would also ask Club members to park in the adjacent car parks and jog down to register.

Waterford...Results of the Dungarvan 10 mile road race - Sun 26th Jan 2014

The big race today was of course the John Treacy Dungarvan 10 mile road race in West Waterford. Almost 1,600 people completed the 10 mile course in what could be described as fairly brutal conditions. I think we got all 4 seasons in the space of 30 minutes with wind, rain, sleet...sometimes almost horizontal, calm and sunshine. I remember looking at people at the side of the road at the two mile mark tying their laces and thinking I was glad I didn't have to do it as I could no longer feel my fingers ;o)

As always, a well organised race by West Waterford AC.

These are the top 3 men and women...
1  FITZPATRICK THOMAS Male TALLAGHT A.C. Male Senior  49:48 
2  HEHIR SEAN Male Rathfarnham WSAF AC Male Senior  49:59 
3  MC CARTHY JAMES Male EAST CORK Male Senior  50:23
34  O' DOHERTY SIOBHAN Female BORRISOKANE A.C. Female Senior  56:53
42  GANIEL GLADYS Female NORTH BELFAST HARRIERS Female O/35  57:27
56  HODGINS JILL Female N/A Female O/35 58:36 

L-R...Jill Hodgins, Siobhan O'Doherty & Gladys Ganiel

The full results can be seen HERE

Photos...(Updated Mon 27th Jan @1pm)
1) Joe Murphy of Eagle AC has a slideshow of photos near the start and early stages HERE
2) Joe has another gallery HERE mostly of finishers under 64 mins.
3) Gearóid Ó Laoi has a gallery HERE 
4) Derek Costello has a gallery HERE

Kerry...Results of the Killarney Lions Club 5k fun run - Mon 13th Jan 2014

The results can be seen HERE

Kerry...Results of the Killarney 5k race - Sat 25th Jan 2014

A total of 127 turned out for the 2nd race of 4 in the Killarney 5k Spring Series organised by Gneeveguilla AC.

1    Anthony Mannix    SnrM    Duhallow AC    16:43
2    John O'Connell    M35    Leevale AC    16:53
3    Conor Kissane    MU19    St. Brendan's College    16:58
10    Marie McCarthy    SnrF    FFMV    18:01
15    Niamh O'Sullivan    SnrF    An Riocht AC    18:42
24    Deirdre Nagle    SnrF    Eagle AC    19:22

The full results can be seen HERE

Event notice...Kenmare 10 km road race & 5k fun run - Sat 8th Feb 2014

The annual Kenmare 10 km road race is coming up on Saturday the 8th of February at 2pm. In addition, there will also be a 5 km fun run for anyone who might find 10 kms a bit too far.

As always, race headquarters is at the local community centre...

Preview...A preview of the 10 km course can be seen HERE

Limerick...Results of the MMRA Ballyhoura Trail Race - Sun 19th Jan 2014

There was a large turn out of 108 runners for the Munster Mountain Running Association Ballyhoura Trail race on Sunday the 19th of January 2014.

1 2594 27.30 Mike Curley Cunningham O/40
2 2530 28.36 Willie Walsh
3 - 29.16 Paul Deane
27 2570 33.51 Ide Kelleher 1st Ladies
31 2610 34.25 Lavia Schwilz 2nd Ladies
47 2521 35.56 Noreen Harvey 3rd Ladies

The full results can be seen HERE

Preview of the Dungarvan 10 mile road race...Sun 26th Jan 2014

The big race next weekend is of course the John Treacy Dungarvan 10 mile road race on Sunday. Hopefully the weather will be a little bit dryer this year ;o)

Full preview of the course here... http://munsterraceroutes.blogspot.ie/2013/03/waterford009.html

Tipperary...Results of Clonmel 4k race - Wed 22nd Jan 2014

A record 190 runners turned out for the 3rd race in the Clonmel 4k series on Wednesday evening the 22nd of January.

1    Stewart Moloney    13:47
2    Michael Ryan    14:01
3    Fintan Rice    14:05
26    Carmel Fitzgibbon    16:07
30    Grainne O Callaghan    16:17
32    Aine Roche    16:21

The full results can be seen HERE

Report from Clonmel AC...
Record entry of 190 sees Stewart Moloney win 4k race

The 3rd race of the Clonmel Athletic Club New year 4k series took place tonight in ideal dry and calm conditions and once again a new record of 190 participants took part, brilliant. In last year’s equivalent event we had 87 athletes competing, fantastic to see so many competing. Many of the athletes made great use of these benign conditions to produce some great performances right down through the field and it was brilliant to see. Once again the Club would like to thank our many stewards and helpers who ensured that the whole event was well organised. Our thanks also to the Civil Defence for their help with First Aid and thanks also to the Brothers of Charity for the use of their car park.

Tonight’s format was Predict your Finishing Time and then athletes had to run the race without a watch or I Phone. Vincent McHugh got his prediction spot on, Vincent predicted 18 mins and he crossed the line in 18 mins, brilliant pacing. Our other winners were Michael Butler, Declan Curley, Derek Nolan, Colm Nolan, Ailbe Ryan, Grainne O Callaghan, Noel Ryan, Paul Bowe, Michael Freaney, Kealey Tideswell, Michael Ryan, Jonathan Cooney, Brian Tyrell, Shane Hickey, Noel Higgins, Marion O Neill, Jurita Wall and Paula Dwan. These Prizes can be collected at next week’s race when you register.

In the race itself Stewart Moloney ran very well when winning in 13 mins 49 secs, 2nd Michael Ryan 1 4mins 1 secs and 3rd Fintan Rice 1 4misn 5 secs. In the Ladies race Carmel Fitzgibbon was 1st in 16 mins 7 secs, 2nd Grainne O Callaghan 16 mins 17 secs and 3rd Aine Roche 16 mins 21 secs.

We are once again grateful to Aine Roche manageress of the Clonmel Park Hotel Leisure Centre for sponsoring 4 Prizes again tonight. We are also very grateful to South Tipperary Sports Clinic and Injury for sponsoring
Prizes for the most improve Female and Male athlete in this year’s series, we will publish a top six in both competitions tomorrow.

Race 4 format will be Match your Target Time. Here we will take an athlete’s best time for this year’s series, the last three races, and the computer will randomly add up to 15 secs or it will randomly deduct up to 15 secs off the athletes best time and that will be you Target time to beat. So for instance Stewart Moloney ran 13 mins 49 secs. His target time will range between 13 mins 34 sec and 14 mins 4 secs. In this event you can wear your watches, so best of luck to everyone. 

Race 6 on the 12th February is our Charity Run, This year we have selected the South Eastern Radiotherapy Trust (SERT). This is a very worthy cause and we are delighted to help in some small way raise much needed funds for this Charity. All monies donated on the night will go to this very worthy cause and we encourage everyone to come along and support. SERT was launched in November 2005, to support the provision of radiotherapy for cancer patients from the South East of Ireland. SERT provides vehicles which are driven by groups of local volunteers from Dungarvan, Kilkenny, Clonmel, Wexford and Waterford. They transport cancer patients who require radiotherapy to the treatment units at the UPMC Cancer Centre, Waterford and to Cork University Hospital, free of charge. For the future SERT continues to fundraise for running costs, insurance, vehicle maintenance and replacement and is extremely grateful to its numerous benefactors, including private individuals, fundraising volunteer groups, industry and trade unions. Working within our communities we can, by providing this transport, make a significant impact towards helping cancer patients receive state of the art radiotherapy and improve their outcome. The principal aim of the Trust is to support the provision of transport for cancer patients from this area.

Limerick...Results of the Caherconlish 10k road race - Sun 12th Jan 2014

Catching up on some results...The results of the Tom Walsh Memorial 10 km road race in Caherconlish on the 12th of January 2014 can be seen HERE

Tipperary...Results of the Newcastle 5 km road race - Sun 19th Jan 2014

A large field of 244 runners turned out for the Newcastle 5 km road race in Co.Tipperary organised by Clonmel AC.

1 David Mansfield    Clonmel A C    Senior Men    16:052
2 Mark Darmody    Clonmel A C    Senior Men    17:01
3 William O'Dwyer    Dundrum A C    Men over 40    17:04
9 Dymphna Ryan    Dundrum A C    Senior Women    18:05
13 Angela McCann    Clonmel A C    Senior Women    19:01
18 Carmel Fitzgibbon    Thurles Crokes A C    Senior Women    19:36

The full results can be seen HERE

Report from Clonmel AC...
David Mansfield wins in Newcastle
The Newcastle 5K Road Race took place in good running conditions today with 244 participating. It was great to see so many families out participating as athletes were treated to some lovely paintings by the children of Newcastle School throughout the route. 

The race started and soon a group of four led the race out of the village and they were Pat O Sullivan (Carrick on Suir), William O Dwyer (Dundrum) and the Clonmel duo of Mark Darmody and the eventual winner, David Mansfield. Then on the uphill stretch to the 2k mark the pace was still strong and as they reached halfway David Mansfield went to the front and took up the pace with William and Mark in close attention. David increase the pace on the downhill stretch and kept the tempo going to record his first victory when crossing the finishing line in 16 mins 52 secs, great running by David who got injured in early November and missed a lot of training. This performance will stand to him as he starts 2014 off with a win. Then we had Mark Darmody going clear inside the final 800m to finish 2nd in 17 mins 1 sec with William O Dwyer 3rd in 17 mins 7secs. For the record Pat O Sullivan (Carrick on Suir) was 4th in 17:28 and he won the over 45 award (great to see him back competing after a lengthy lay off), 5th Jimmy Boland (Clonmel) 17:40, 6th Derek Nolan (Clonmel) 17:48 and he won the over 50 award and 7th Dermot Logue (Coolquill) 17:54. Mike Fitzgibbon (Clonmel) was 1st 0/40 in 20:48.

The Ladies race was also a fast affair with Dymphna Ryan (Dundrum) going into the lead early on and she maintained that strong pace all the way to the line to win in 18 mins 5 secs when 9th overall. Then we had Angela McCann (Clonmel 2nd in 19:01 and 3rd Senior lady was Carmel Fitzgibbon (Thurles Crokes) in 19:36. For the record 4th lady was Mary Molloy (Clonmel) who also won the over 35 award in 20 mins 9 secs, 5th Kealey Tideswell (Clonmel) 21:12 and 6th lady was Orla Fleming (Clonmel) who also won the over 40 award in 21:25. Anna Byrne (Clonmel) won the ladies over 45 award in 22:39.

The Club would like to thank everyone who helped to make this such a brilliant success especially the Gardai and the Civil Defence as well as Nessa O Dwyer and Karen O Dwyer. The School principal, Claire Moloney, thanked everyone who helped especially all the stewards who ensured that the route was well marshaled and to everyone who helped with the entries and the recording of the results as well as the many parents who made all the scones for the Post race Refreshments. She also said a lovely few words about Joe Grinsell, whom she worked with for a number of months. She also thanked the many sponsors for their very generous support.

Tipperary...Newcastle 5k coming up on Sun 19th Jan

From Clonmel AC

Newcastle 5K Road Race

All roads lead to Newcastle this Sunday for the 5K Open Road race starting at 12 noon. Entries will be taken at the Community Hall in the Village. The Race will start outside the GAA Complex and the race will finish outside the School. The prize for the 1st Man and Woman is 100 Euros each. The full list of Prizes is: 1st 3 Men, 1st Man 0/40, 0/45, 0/50, the 1st 3 ladies, 1st 0/35, 0/40 and 0/45. There will also be a prize for the 1st Local man and Women not registered with an Athletic Club. The Entry fee is 10 Euros and this event is promoted by Clonmel Athletic Club and has an Athletic Ireland race Permit. There will be changing facilities at the Community Hall as well as Post Race refreshments. There will be Spot Prizes for down the field finishers. For further enquiries please contact Niall at 086 1660888.

Tipperary...Results of the Clonmel 4 km race - Wed 15th Jan 2014

A record 161 runners took part in the second race in the Clonmel 4k Winter Series.

1    John Shanahan    14    12
2    Michael Ryan    14    19
3    Declan Curley    14    32
10    Claire Annan    15    09
33    Grainne O Callaghan    16    43
47    Fiona Bourke    17    30

The full results can be seen HERE

Race report from Clonmel AC...
The second race of the Clonmel AC 4K New Year Series drew a record entry of 184 athletes beating the previous record of 161 set in 2012. It was an ideal night for running and competition was very keen throughout the race. The race also attracted 68 newcomers, which is phenomenal. The format was once again the Lucky Dip where pre-selected finishing positions are drawn and the athletes that finish in these positions are the Lucky winners. The Club is once again very grateful to the Park Hotel Leisure Centre for 4 prizes of admission to their Leisure Centre and the Club would like to thank Aine Roche, the Leisure Centre manageress for such Sponsorship.

Next Week's race format is Predict your Finishing Time. In this competition when athletes register for the race they must give their predicted Finishing time and then they must run the race without a watch or IPHONE or IPOD. We would ask athletes to come early and register as we will start the race on time at 7pm, like tonight, a few people missed the start again tonight, so please come early and enter.
The Club would again like to thank all the Club members who once again ensured that the whole event was a success and thanks also to the Civil Defence for their help with First Aid. The Club would also like to thank the Brothers of Charity for the use of their facilities.

The Lucky winners tonight were Kenny Curran, Shane Mullaney, Tadgh Vaughan, Daniel Slattery, Mike Fitzgibbon, Mike Curtin, James Lonergan, Sean Looby, Damien Whelan, Shane Hickey, Rachel Leo, Kevin Freaney, Caitriona Ryan and Caroline O Donnell. For the record the 1st 3 men were John Shanahan 14 mins 12 secs, Michael Ryan 14 mins 19 secs and Declan Curley 14 misn 32 secs. The 1st 3 Women were Claire Annan 15 mins 9 secs, 2nd Grainne O Callaghan 16 mins 43 secs and 3rd Fiona Bourke 17 mins 30 secs.

Just a brief look down through the results I can see many athletes have already improved on their performance on the first night, that is brilliant and what away to start 2014, improvement after only the 2nd race, keep it up, that is fantastic. It was great to see so many running tonight and they all running at their own pace and well done to all the newcomers, you have achieve 4k and this is only the 15th of January, we have 4 more of these races over 4k. The aim should be to run as many of them as you can at your own pace and over time you WILL improve. It is never too late to start, if you are interested, just come along and if you can only get 1 lap, so be it, no problem. You have made a start, 2k is better than zero, Again regular training at your own pace and you will improve. For those who would like to train on another night, the Club has two very successful training sessions on Monday Night at our facilities at the Dr. Pat O'Callaghan Sports Complex, Cashel Road Clonmel. From 7 to 8 we have the Ladies Meet and Train where we have 5 groups of different levels of fitness from running to jogging to walking, all at your own pace and all groups are supervised by qualified coaches. Then from 8.15 to 9.30pm we have the Men's training sessions where we also have 5 Groups that covers all levels of fitness. For further details contact Niall at 086 1660888

Kerry...Results of the Killarney Spring 5k (Race 1 of 4) - Sat 18th Jan 2014

This was the first race of four in the Killarney 5k Spring Series organised by Gneeveguilla AC.

1 Donal Coffey M35 Leevale AC 16:13
2 Anthony Mannix SnrM Duhallow AC 16:46
3 Robert Purcell M45 Gneeveguilla AC 16:47
8 Niamh O'Sullivan SnrF An Riocht AC 18:21
13 Annemeria Costelloe SnrF Gneeveguilla AC 18:40
18 Deirdre Nagle SnrF Eagle AC 19:13

The full results can be seen HERE

Killarney 5k Spring Series - Sat 18th & 25th Jan, Sat 1st & 22nd of Feb 2014

The largest athletics club in Kerry, Gneeveguilla AC are holding their annual 5k series of races in Killarney in January and February. The first race starts on Saturday, the 18th of January while the remaining three are on Sat 25th of January, Sat 1st of February and Sat 22nd of February 2014.

Each 5k race is on the same route and has been accurately measured by Jones Counter. The series also has an athletics Ireland permit.

Each race starts at 11am sharp and costs just €5 to enter.

Update...6th Feb...Please note that the race on the 1st of February had to be cancelled due to weather conditions. This race will not be re-scheduled. To qualify for a prize, you must now complete two out of three races.

Prizes...To qualify for a prize, you must complete at least two out of the three races. After the 3rd and final race, there will be refreshments and the series prizes will be given out.

There are a substantial number of prizes which take the form of vouchers for local retail outlets in Killarney.

One prize per person. In the event that someone wins a top 10 prize and a category prize then they will win the prize of greater value.

Directions & Preview...A full preview of the course with directions and maps can be seen HERE

Overall........A stunning location for a race series. Nice fast accurate 5 km course in a park that most towns in Ireland would love to have. It costs just €5 to enter each race and is suitable for runners of all abilities...from serious to joggers. People come from all over the world to visit this location. If it's on your doorstep then make the most of it.

Event notice...Clonakilty Back to Back Marathons - Sat 15th & Sun 16th Feb 2014

2013 was the inaugural year for this event when it attracted 149 runners on the Saturday and 121 on the Sunday. The Clonakilty Back to Back Marathon is back again this year on Saturday the 15th and Sunday the 16th of February 2014.

Each Marathon can be entered separately or you can enter for both events together if you decide to try 52.4 mile over the two days. There is a quality dry fit top and a medal for each of the events.

What's the attraction of a Back to Back Marathon? For many if not most runners, they like the challenge of a particular race. In the vast majority of events, people don't take part in them to win. For most, it's the challenge of trying to run a particular time or a certain distance...i.e a personal goal. For some people who have completed one or more marathons, the challenge will be to run a faster time or a longer distance or to do two back to back.

The course itself takes in a coastal route around Rathbarry, Castlefreke, Longstrand, Ardfield with superb views out over the south coast. A lot depends of course on the weather but when I did the director's back the back and the main back to back last February, the weather was very kind. It's just a lovely part of the country for running....even if there are a few hills ;o)

The event has an AAI race permit, has been measured by Jones Counter and will have chip timing.

This is the art work for the dry fit tops with a different colour for each day...

The race website is... http://www.back2back.ie/ 

Entries close at midnight on Friday the 17th of January

Course...The course that will be used is the same as the one used for the main Clonakilty Marathon last December. The only difference really is the numbers of people. The December event is very busy with a large number of people spread out over the Marathon, Half-Marathon and 10k races. The Back to Back by it's very nature is much more relaxed. It has the atmosphere of a small road race rather than a huge event which sometimes makes a nice change.

A preview of the course with photos and maps can be seen HERE

Tipperary...Results of the Clonmel 4 km road race - Wed 8th Jan 2014

There was a big turn out of 152 runners for the first race on Wednesday evening for the Clonmel 6 km race series.

1    Michael Ryan    14    16
2    Declan Curley    14    35
3    Jimmy Boland    14    45
18    Aine Roche    16    23
19    Grainne O Callaghan    16    25
29    Kealey Tideswell    17    20

Race report from Niall O'Sullivan of Clonmel AC....

Fantastic Start to the Joe Grinsell 100k Challenge.....The Clonmel Athletic Club 2014 4K series got off to a fantastic start last night when 152 athletes participated over this popular route. Prior to the race the Club were delighted to launch the Joe Grinsell 100k Challenge as Joe was a stalwart in our Club and who died so sudden last year. The Club were delighted to welcome Bernie Grinsell, Joe’s sister to the launch and she said the family really appreciated the way the Club was honouring Joe’s memory.

Tonight’s format was a Lucky Dip based on finishing positions drawn prior to the race. The Lucky Winners were Michael Ryan, Shane Mullaney, Nigel O Flaherty, Michael J Ryan, Kealey Tideswell, Michael Ryan, Joe Ryan, Patrick O Gorman, Trish Browne, Brigid Ryan, Tanya Kennedy, Stacey Lonergan, Anne Marie O Flynn and Caitriona Ryan. In tonight’s race our prizes included 4 Special prizes of a Day to use all the facilities as the Park Hotel Leisure Centre and they were presented to the Club by Aine Roche, the manageress of the Leisure Centre and the Club is very grateful to Aine and the Park Hotel for such wonderful prizes.

In the race itself the pace was fast with Michael Ryan of Dundrum winning the race in 14 mins 16 secs with Declan Curley was 2nd in 14 mins 35 secs and Jimmy Boland 3rd in 14 mins 45 secs. Aine Roche was the 1st Lady finisher in 16 mins 23 secs with Grainne O Callaghan 2nd in 16 mins 25 secs and Kealey Tideswell 3rd in 17 mins 20 secs. Just a quick look at the results it was great to see many new faces participating in this year’s series, keep up the good work, now that you have made such a great start, get in these 6 races at your own pace and you will be well on your way to getting and staying fit.

So the Joe Grinsell 100k Challenge is up and running, so remember all you have to do is complete a 100k of the Clonmel A C races that will be promoted throughout the year and you will win for yourself a specially designed Joe Grinsell 100k Challenge training top. There is no specific fee for this Challenge and the Club will monitor everyone’s progress over the races and will issue progress reports as the series unfolds over the next 12 months, so best of luck to everyone

The race format for race 2 will also be a Lucky Dip Format, where a Draw on finishing positions will be held before the races and who ever finishing in those Lucky positions will win a prize.

Clonmel 4 km race series...Every Wed...8th Jan to 12th Feb

Clonmel AC are organising a series of 4 km races every Wednesday evening from the 8th of January to the 19th of February.

Please note that as the race on the 5th of February was cancelled due to weather conditions, this race has been rescheduled for the 19th of February.

Some notes from the organisers....This very popular series gets underway on January 8th, at 7pm and continues every Wednesday night up to and including Wednesday 12th February which is our Charity Run. Entries will be taken at the Brothers of Charity Car park from 6.15pm onwards and all participants must wear a high Viz top. This is an ideal event to get you started for 2014 as the course is relatively flat and with over 100 participants taking part you will have plenty of company on the route. In a recent survey in England 39% of the runners surveyed only took up running when they were between 25 and 34 years of age, never too late.

For further details please contact Niall at 086 1660888

Preview...Directions, preview, maps, etc of the course can be seen HERE

Clonmel AC announce 100 km challenge for 2014

Clonmel Athletic Club have announced details of their 100 km Challenge for 2014. To take part, you must complete 100 kms by taking part in any of the races that the club organises in 2014.

Details below...

Event notice...MMRA Ballyhoura 7 km trail race - Sun 19th Jan 2014

As well as there been plenty of road races locally, the Munster Mountain Running Association have their own series of trail races on various hills and mountains in the province.

Here is some information from them about their next race....

Our next race is in the Ballyhouras on Sun 19th Jan 2014 at  1pm. Registration opens at 11:30am at the mountain bike centre. It is just under 7 kms long for adults and there is a smaller 2 km loop for juniors. We will start the days activities with the Junior run @ 12pm. Parents can jog or walk this with their kids if they are very young.

This is a new course for Adults all on trails and forest roads...see map below...

(1) Junior run @12pm u/16 €5 entry
(2) Senior run @1pm €10
(3) There will be tea and sandwiches and soup in the Greenwood after for all competitors.
(4) Former World Mountain Running Championhip winner John Lenihan will be giving a talk on Mountain Running.
(5) End of season prizes will be handed out on the day so if you completed any of our leagues or championships you are eligible for something. This year everyone who completed the championship will receive a custom made Munster singlet and shorts.
(6) After the Prize giving we have our AGM this is the final event for the day and we hope some of you will stay for it .

Full directions with maps can be seen HERE

Event notice...Mallow 10 mile road race - Sun 23rd March 2014

Now that entries to the Dungarvan '10' and the Ballycotton '10' are closed, the next big ten mile race in Munster after that is the Mallow 10 mile road race on Sunday, the 23rd of March 2014 at 12:30pm.

Sponsored by The Edge Sports Shop and SKINS and organised by Mallow AC, there is a limit of 1200 entries to this race. In 2013, entries were sold out before the race and there were no entries on the day itself. It's likely to be the same again this year so enter asap.

Located in north Cork, Mallow is within easy reach of runners in all of the counties in Munster.

If you are living say closer to Dublin, Mallow isn't the long slow trip that it would have been before. It's now motorway all the way to Mitchelstown and you then turn off for Mallow. The Mallow '10' is a reasonably fast 10 mile course with a wide start so if you are looking a fast time, this is as good as they come....for Ireland anyway! ;o)

Entries.......It costs just €18 to pre-enter this race (Online €19.26) (until the 31st of Jan when the price goes up to €20). Note that entries are coming in fast already so don't wait for the last moment to enter. If you are going to do it then enter online asap. There will be the usual chip timing, a dry fit top and a €5,000 prize fund with prizes in all the usual categories.

From the organisers Mallow AC...
Our race this year is being sponsored by Skins and The Edge Sports...€5,000 Prize Fund...Top 5 Men & Women...Top 3 in all categories from junior upwards...Chip Timing, T-Shirts,

€500 for Course Records...Male, 49:40, Gerry Ryan, Galway City Harriers, 2005 / Female, 56:53, Fiona Roche, Raheny Shamrocks, 2013

Postal Entries - Entry Form 2014 - Will be valid until Jan 30th. Entries are now open and will close once the limit of 1,200  entrants has been reached.

Further Details at http://mallowac.ie/10-mile-race-2014/

Entries open at Precision Timing, to enter click HERE

Course Preview...A preview of the course with maps, directions and photos can be seen HERE

Kerry...Results of the Beaufort 10 km road race - Wed 1st Jan 2014

1 James Doran An Riocht M Senior 33:28
2 Arthur Fitzgearld Farranfore M Senior 34:43
3 Robert Purcell Gneeveguilla M O45 34:44
13 Maria McCarthy Farranfore F Senior 37:46
20 Carol Finn Lee Vale F Senior 39:29
23 Catriona Barry Farranfore F O40 39:36

The full results can be seen HERE

Limerick...Results of the Mooreabbey Milers 1 mile road race - Sun 29th Dec 2013

Waterford...Results of the Baldyman 8 km beach race - Sat 28th Dec 2013

This 8 km race was held on the beach at Tramore, Co.Waterford on Sat 28th Dec 2013.

1    MURPHY    BRIAN      30:54    6:13/M    SM    Carrick
2    JENNINGS    EMMET 31:28 6:20/M    SM    DSD
3    POWER    TREVOR     32:13  6:29/M    SM    CCW
45    SAVAGE    MAEVE     40:17 8:06/M    F   
60    MURRAY    ORNA 41:39 8:23/M    SF   
73    NÍ CHEARBHAILL    DEIRDRE 42:17 8:30/M    F35    Crusaders

The full results can be seen HERE

Photos...
1) Waterford AC have a gallery of photos HERE

Kerry...Results of the Farranfore 5 km road race - Thurs 26th Dec 2013

1    Ed    Murphy    Gneeveguilla    m    16.03
2    Cian    Murphy    Iveragh    M    16.07
3    Arthur    Fitzgerld    FFMV    M    16.26
16    Maria    McCarthy    FFMV    F    17.41
31    Sorcha    Nic Dhomhnaill    Donore Harriers    F    18.25
32    Annamaria    Costelloe    Gneeveguilla    F    18.26

The full results can be seen HERE

Tipperary...Results of the Clonmel 4 mile road race - Thurs 26th Dec 2013

An impressive 411 runners turned out for this years Clonmel 4 mile road race on St.Stephens Day.

1 Eoin Everard    Kilkenny City Harriers    Senior Men    18:59
2 Sean Tobin    Clonmel A C    Senior Men    19:03
3 Sergiu Ciobanu    Clonliffe Harriers A C    Senior Men    19:04
15 Siobhan O'Doherty    Borrisokane A C    Senior Women    21:50
33 Angela McCann    Clonmel A C    Senior Women    23:11
39 Dympna Ryan    Dundrum A C    Senior Women    23:31

Race report from Clonmel AC......The St Stephen’s Day 4 miles road race took place in good dry conditions. There was a fantastic entry with 412 athletes competing over what is regarded as one of the best 4 mile courses in the country. This year’s race attracted a top class entry with 5 International athletes dictating the pace after the initial charge. The leading group was down to four as they approached the 2 mile mark with Sean Tobin (Clonmel), Sergiu Ciobanu (Clonliffe Harriers) along with Eoin Everard and Brian Maher (Kilkenny City Harriers) setting the pace. As the athletes reached Bulmer’s Roundabout Eoin Everard upped the pace with Sean the only one to give chase. These two were still together as they reached 3 miles , then over the final 1K Eoin increased the pace and opened a gap which he held all the way to the line to win in a brilliant time of 18 mins 59 secs, a fantastic performance. Then we had Sean Tobin finishing 2nd withstanding a late late challenge from Sergiu Ciobanu, last year’s winner who was 1 sec adrift. Then we had Brian Maher , a previous winner of this race , finishing 4th mins 7 secs with Brian McMahon (Clonliffe Harriers) 5th has been promoted by the Club since 1988 when 87 athletes took part.

Since then it has grown in stature and in 2008 we change the course to its present route which is basically the old route in reverse and it has received great reviews ever since. Eoin Everard’s brilliant performance of 18 mins 59 secs puts him in 3rd place overall behind Sandis Bralitis (West Waterford) who ran 18 mins 54 secs in 2008 and David McCarthy (West Waterford) who ran 18:58 in 2011.

The Ladies race was also a great race with Siobhain O Doherty (Borrisokane) running very well to win a great race in 21 mins 50 secs, great performance and she set a new course record and is the only woman to get under 22 minutes for this course. Then we had local star, Angela McCann running very well when finishing 2nd with Dympna Ryan (Dundrum) 3rd  in 23:31. Grace McConnell (Ballyroan / Abbeyleix) ran very well when finishing 4th senior lady in 24:30 with Sandra Bowe (Clonmel) 5th in 24:49.

The Club would like to thank South Tipperary Vocational Committee for the use of their fine facilities at the Mall as the Race headquarters. The Club would also like to thank the Gardai, Civil Defence and all the stewards and everyone who helped to make this event such a brilliant success.