Search Results for 'Mary Gleeson'

Athletics

It’s that time of year again, the evenings are drawing in and the autumn leaves are beginning to fall. It is also time for the annual Terry Fox run and walk which takes place in Ballina on this coming Sunday, October 10 starting at 3pm.

Ballina AC runner Scott Walkin completed the Berlin marathon last weekend in a personal best time of three hours three minutes and three seconds. It marks the culmination of many months’ preparation that paid off on the day. Scott is an integral member of the collective training sessions on Belleek track that have contributed in no small way to the improvement in running times for many club members. These training sessions continue every Thursday starting at 7pm, even in the dark winter months when the track lights come into operation. With Scott having achieved the qualifying time for the world famous Boston marathon with this run, there could be a sizeable contingent from the club travelling to Boston next April.

At the recent Louisburgh to Westport half marathon Mayo ACs top seed John Byrne won the event in 74:25. Byrne was followed by team mate Robert Malseed finishing in 76:35. The next Mayo AC athletes home in excellent times were Brendan Gill and David Conway. The first woman home with an outstanding run was Mayo AC’s Sarah Syron. Syron who was troubled with injury during the summer months put in a fantastic performance against very tough competition to come home in 1:41:09.

The Mayo AC ladies team have been rewarded for their good performances this year by being selected to take part in the 24th European road race inter club championships in Torres Vedras, Portugal. The event, which will take place on Sunday October 17 over a 15km course, will have top athletic clubs from all over the continent taking part. The Mayo AC team which will compete in the event will be finalised over the coming weeks.

It has just been announced that the Mayo AC Ladies team has been nominated by AAI to represent Ireland in the European Women’s Road Race Inter Clubs Championship in Torre Vedras, Portugal, on Sunday October 17 next. Mayo AC have established themselves as one of the leading ladies’ club teams nationally in recent years, with many successes including winning team gold at the 2009 National Half Marathon at both senior and masters’ level. This will be the third time that Mayo AC will be taking part in this major event, having travelled to Italy in 2002 and to Moscow in 2003.

It is all systems go for the Balla 10k which takes place this Saturday 24 at 7pm.

The ninth DecareDental/Claremorris five mile run and walk which took place recently was again a great success attracting competitors from all over the west of Ireland. The event, which was in aid of Mayo Cancer Support, was held in dry but windy conditions ensuring that personal best times for the five mile distance were hard to achieve. Pre-race favourite John Byrne finished strongly to take the men’s title in a time of 26.50, just six seconds ahead of team mate Robert Malseed, while TJ McHugh continued his recent good form coming home in third in 27.26. Roger Barrett finishing fourth in 27.34 was first of a number of Ballina AC runners who performed well on the evening.

The recent Carramore 10k was race number one in the 2010 C & C Cellular Mayo AC League and it may be a long way to the final race in December but last year’s winners Gerry Ryan (Craughwell AC) and Catherine Conway Mayo AC) put down a strong marker for the season to come by taking the maximum 25 league points on offer. Ryan is closely followed by three times league winner John Byrne (Mayo AC) and the ever improving TJ McHugh in third place. In the women’s event twice winner and last year’s runner up Mary Gleeson lies in second place with 2003 winner Angela O’Connor in third. The focus will now turn to league race number two, the Decare Claremorris five mile on Saturday evening June 26 at 6pm.

More than 3,000 people took part in the recent West of Ireland Women’s Mini Marathon.