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“It was a wonderful day, one of the most successful we have ever had,” said a delighted club chairman, Michael McGrath as Mayo AC swept the boards at the AAI National Half Marathon Championships at Ballybofey on Sunday. The event was hosted by Finn Valley AC and attracted a field of over 200 of the top club athletes from all over the country. The 13.1 mile one lap course went out along one side of the river Finn, across the bridge at 7 miles and back to town via the main road. Conditions were excellent — misty but not wet. Mayo AC had 23 runners of whom 14 won medals. The club had five teams and all participants competed as individuals in age categories from senior to over 70. Four of the five teams won — two gold and two silver — and six individuals collected medals.

On a sunny Sunday afternoon some 100 runners lined up for the 20th annual Fr Peter O'Brien Ballina 10k. It was also the sixth race in the Mayo AC 2009 C&C Cellular Road League. Winners of the previous five races made up the top three finishers. Gerry Ryan (GCH) who holds the course record, had an easy win in a fast 30.59 to record his third league race victory. Robert Malseed, winner at Carramore was second, and Robbie Matthews who won at Balla and Swinford was third.

Mayo AC had five runners in the masters categories at the Gerry Farnan cross country race . In the women's three mile event Breege McHale finished in fourth place in the o40 category and Ann Murray was seventh in the o45 section. In the five miles race, Dublin based Seamus Gaughan returned from recent fitness problems to finish seventh in a very competitive o55 category. Robert Malseed was second o35, as was Tom Hunt in the o60. Computer problems meant there was no results on the day, but it was confirmed that Breege McHale, Robert Malseed, and Tom Hunt qualified for the Irish team to go to the B&I Masters cross country in Birmingham, thus maintaining Mayo AC's excellent representation in this event in the past few years. Seventeen-year-old Daniel Murray (Ballina AC) ran impressively in the Junior section over five miles and his 27.10 time put him in the top 12 juniors and top three u18s in the race.

The ninth and final race of the Vodafone C&C Cellular Mayo Road Race League takes place in Westport on Sunday December 27. It looks like being an exciting finale to another successful race series. Ninety eight men and 112 women athletes have won points in the eight races so far. The 2009 Race League has proved an excellent testing ground for the Fit4Life members who started their programme back in February. They have been training weekly at the five group sessions organised by clubs in conjunction with Mayo Sports Partnership. The Westport 5k will include a Fit4Life team challenge among the five groups.