Search Results for 'Brendan Gill'

Athletics

The national half marathon takes place next Sunday, September 2 at Athenry at 1pm. Mayo AC will have 38 athletes in the field competing in all categories as individuals and teams. This represents their largest team ever at a national championships. All Mayo AC team members are asked to be at Race HQ in the Presentation College beside the arch at Athenry by 11.30am to enable team declaration and registration. Members not running are encouraged to go along in support.

The 20th Balla 10k will take place on July 28 at 7pm. It is the third race in Mayo AC C&C Cellular 2012 Road League. This traditional race has an established place on the calendar and has always attracted runners from the top clubs in the west and further afield. The 10k course has a reputation for being tough but fair, and the same runners come back year after year. As well as the ups and downs, there are straight flat stretches and a fast downhill main street finish. The race open to all. Full details are on www.mayoac.com. This year clubs will compete for team prizes. The combined times of the first three men and women club finishers will count. There will be medals and high viz jackets for all finishers. Refreshments will be served in the Community Centre, while showers will be available in Balla GAA club. Entry costs €20 through www.runireland.com or on the day from the Community Centre from 5pm, the race will start at 7pm sharp. For more information contact Brendan on 087 2941227.

The Achill Half Marathon took place in breezy conditions with more than 1,000 finishers. The excitement was tangible and Keel was awash with colour and crowds last Saturday. Congratulations go to Michael Shannon, who set a new course record at 1 hour, 11 minutes, 56 seconds in breezy conditions. The first woman to cross the finish line, and this was not her first win in Achill, was Fionnuala Doherty in 1 hour, 29 minutes, 43 seconds.

Last week’s second leg of the Mayo AC 5K summer series saw Timmy Glavey cross the line in first place in a time of 16.36. Brendan Gill followed him home in second place in a time of 17.02, with Cian Mooney nine seconds further back in third place. The ladies’ section was won by Sarah Syron in a time of 20.10 with Ann-Marie Egan in second place in a time of 20.37 and Laura Langan finishing in third place in a time of 20.45. More than 50 per cent of those who took part finished in under 25 minutes, which was up from 44 per cent in the first leg which took place in Castlebar. The final leg will take place next Tuesday evening in Ballinrobe where there will be a party afterwards to celebrate the success of all the runners who have taken part in the series.

Over 150 take part in Ballyhaunis 5k

Lough Key Forest Park was the setting for another great performance by Mayo AC at Woodie’s DIY AAI Masters Cross Country Championships on Sunday. A mild misty day is usually welcomed by athletes, but many struggled in the tough conditions over hill and hollow.

While Hugh Armstrong was busy winning a silver medal in the All-Ireland youths’ mountain running championships in scenic Glendalough, the senior athletes of Ballina AC were also busy at a variety of races around the country. The evergreen Michael Courell made his annual trip to Kilnaboy, Co Clare for a tough 10 mile road race where he finished the race in 1:17:57. Running under eight minute mile pace all the way is no mean achievement for the course. Both Bernard Barrett and William Heverin made the trip to Dublin for the Great Ireland Run in the Phoenix Park. Both should be very happy with their times of 38:56 and 44:46 respectively. Both will use these times to set lower time targets for the remainder of the season.

People often shake their heads when they hear you are about to run a marathon. Mayo AC's John Byrne is well used to dedicated preparation. He has been their most successful athlete over many years now at a range of distances from 5k upwards. He has completed 24 marathons and a 50k. Over the past year John has moved on to new goals. Given the number of training miles he runs it seemed a natural step-up that he would progress 'beyond the marathon', or that zone defined as ultra distance running. The 100k is the equivalent of running two marathons plus ten miles - 62.5 miles in total. Start out in Ballaghaderreen, run along the N5 to Bohola, take a diversion down to John's homeplace in Straide, then back onto N5 at Ballyvary, through Castlebar and Westport, then on to the R335 until you hit Louisburgh - you will still have 3k to run to complete 100k!

It began with the Carramore 10k in May and will reach its exciting conclusion with the Westport 5k on Sunday December 12 it is the Mayo AC, C&C Cellular league which once again proved an outstanding success this year. This is the 12th year that this popular race series has been held and the fifth time to be supported by the C&C Cellular Group. Over the years many runners have been discovered through the league races with many going on to achieve national success since. While some of the league prizewinners are already known there is still a lot of running to be done in Westport before the prizes are paid out at the post race presentation in Hotel Westport.