300 runners pound the roads for hospice
THE village of Oylegate was buzzing recently as around 300 runners, joggers and walkers from all over the South East arrived to take part in the annual Oylegate 10k and Half Marathon. A major fundraiser for Wexford Hospice Homecare, the event has grown in stature each year and is now a firm favourite on the running calendar.
There was a great atmosphere at the starting line as both hardened veterans and first-time runners mixed and swapped advice before the big moment finally came and the race rolled out. The half marathon course consisted of two laps of the 10k course, setting off just up the road from the GAA club, heading up the Bog road, onto the Bush Lane, back onto the main Oylegate/Enniscorthy road and into the village, turning left at the Slaney Inn and back down past the school with the finish line at the hurling club.
While there were some tired legs crossing the line, there were plenty of smiling faces as participants celebrated their finish with family and friends. First past the post in the 10k was Niall Sheil with a time of 35:10, followed by John McGrath (35:55) and Edwin Keville (36:10). The winner of the Half Marathon was Tom Nolan with a wonderful time of 1:14:10, followed by Shane Scully (1:16:44) and David Kehoe (1:19:39). First female past the post in the 10k was Jackie Carty (43:04) while Helen Doyle was the first lady home in the Half Marathon (1:36:46).
Once again, the organisers were blown away by the support the event received this year and they wished to thank everyone who helped with registration, stewards, pacers, those who made food and stood at water stops, the red cross, the committee and anyone who helped in any way, They also wished to thank every single person who took part, saying that ‘without you we wouldn’t raise the much needed funds for Hospice Homecare’. A special word of thanks was also reserved for the events sponsors, along with Billy Reck who put a lot of hard work into the organisation of the event.