Search Results for 'Colette Tuohy'

With just days to go, the first big club race of the year could surpass all previous attendance records.

A record 257 people finished the now annual Manualla FC four mile race held on St Stephen’s Day in the Mayo village. The popular event was organised by the soccer club with Tracy Durkan leading the organising committee. Mayo AC’s John Byrne was the winner in a time of 21.30 with Castlebar’s Peter Tuohy coming in behind him in a time of 23.27, and Anto Devaney of Mayo AC in third place with a time of 23.43. Fourth sport went to his clubmate Henry Hughes, with Ian Egan of Tuam AC finishing in fifth and Mayo AC’s Sean Murphy in sixth place. The women’s race was claimed by Colette Tuohy of Mayo AC in a time of 24.44, with her clubmates Paula Prendergast and Sarah Syron finishing behind her in second and third place respectively. Ennis track member Siobhan Lennon finished in four, with Angela O’Connor from Mayo AC in fifth spot and Michelle Needham of Westport AC in sixth.

Mayo AC's masters athletes competed on the Irish team in the 26th Annual British and Irish Masters International Cross Country at Bute Park, Cardiff, last Saturday.

Athletics

John Byrne of Mayo AC underlined his winning form with another brilliant victory in the Athlone Flatline Half Marathon on Saturday. Byrne led 939 finishers home in 71:39, 14 seconds quicker than his national half marathon time last month, and over a minute clear of the field led by Peter Mooney of the Marathon Club of Ireland.

September in the rain marked the second running of the Charlestown 10k on Saturday evening. The recent good weather turned colder, wetter, and breezier, but the rain held off during the race and conditions were good for running. Christina Duffy and her team, assisted by John Roddy, put on another enjoyable and impressively organised event. They provided an excellent well marked and marshalled course all the way from the starting line at Lowpark to refreshment tables in the CBD sports complex, for which the race acted as a fund raiser. John Byrne, John Mannion, and Paul Conlon led David Tiernan out of town, as the field headed for Cloonaweema. Jonathon Deane, Thomas Kelly, Brendan Gill, and Anto Devaney kept them in view until they crossed over to the old Dublin road at halfway near Gowel. By then Byrne had a few metres on Mannion, with Tiernan and Conlon together over a minute behind. Ann Lennon had John Nolan for company as she had in Balla 10k and Claremorris four mile the previous week. John Byrne stretched his lead gradually from 6k and crossed the line in 32.32, a new course record, to record his first league race win since 2011. “I thought I’d never see that time again”, he said afterwards. This marks a brilliant return to form for Byrne, who has been at the forefront of Mayo athletics for over 15 years. Mannion finished second in 34.10 with Tiernan third in 34:51, a new PB and beating his 2012 winning time by over a minute. Ann Lennon 37:47 – a brilliant performance by the National W45 half marathon champion, and Colette Tuohy in 39:20 finished first and second in the women’s category. Standards were high, with more than double the number finishing in under 40 minutes compared to 2012. There were a number of PBs joyfully celebrated at the finish line. The road League continues in east Mayo in less than three weeks with the Ballyhaunis 8k on September 28, followed a week later by the final race, Breaffy 10k on October 6.

The postponed Breaffy 10k road race originally scheduled for Sunday, August 25 has a new date. The Breaffy 10k is now set for Sunday October 6 at 1.30pm. This will now be the final race in the Mayo AC Road League and the relatively flat course should see some good times from finishers. The postponement was due to the involvement of the local GAA Club, for which the race is a fundraiser, with players competing in both the minor and senior teams in the All Ireland football semi-finals on August 25 in Dublin. The organisers apologise for the change of date. They hope that the new date will attract even more competitors as it is the only local permitted race on that weekend.

Freddy Keron Sittuk from Kenya won the 21st Balla 10k in a time of 31:25, and in the process beat Sean Hehir's 2102 course record by seven seconds. The Balla 10k was the first race of the 2013 C&C Cellular Mayo AC Road League, and the spectators saw a brilliant demonstration of smooth front running by Dublin based Sittuk who trains with Raheny Shamrock AC. It was also his second victory in Mayo this month - he won the Achill Half Marathon. In the early stages he had Sligo native Alan Maguire and Max Ware (on holiday from UK) for company, but as the race progressed and a welcome cooling shower eased, he pulled clear to win decisively and enjoy the festive mood at the yellow arch finish line in Balla village. The women's race was less clear cut as Mayo AC masters trio Ann Lennon, Mary Gleeson, and Colette Tuohy traded places at the front. Ann Lennon has been in great form recently - the evidence was clear in her 5k series finish times when she got down to 18:40 at Ballyhaunis and showed how valuable this 'speedwork' preparation is for endurance racing. She pulled ahead in the final kilometres to win in her best 10k time for a few years 37:49, more than 30 seconds ahead of Mary Gleeson, who was more than a minute down on her 2012 time. Colette Tuohy looked strong and comfortable in third place and was well pleased with her finish time.