Spring in the step for Carraig AC at home and away
NATIONAL RELAYS - ‘AN UNEXPECTED JOURNEY’
More Midlands than Middle-Earth, a fantastic Journey came to a successful conclusion on Saturday 2nd April as the curtain came down on the National Athletics Indoor season with the running of the 4 x 200m Indoor relays in Athlone AIT. A few months back, teams of teens were cobbled together more in the hope of providing a goal for the indoor season for our teenagers than the expectation of success but the journey that followed was truly memorable for all involved. Individual specialists in endurance running, middle distance and a sprinkling of sprinters blended beautifully to become well-drilled teams capable of competing at the highest level through hard work and a lot of fun. A magnificent stadium for competing and viewing also meant nowhere to hide in the chaotic competition of team relays with any mistake cruelly exposed. It was the first time for most of our athletes competing in this arena and understandably anticipation and trepidation were present in equal amounts. Three of our four teams qualifying for the finals another breakthrough for Carraig Na Bhfear AC and a great experience for all.
U17 GIRLS
The team of Lucy Lynch, Leah Dunne, Rebecca Akinkuolie and Emer O’Callaghan qualified for the final from second place in heat 1, their time of 1:51.52 very fast and 4th fastest of the qualifiers. A short turnaround to the final didn’t faze them and they matched their earlier run with a 1:52.02 for a 5th place finish, very much in the mix at this level. An idea of the standard they were competing at later emerged with the news that the winning time of 1:42.12 from Rathoath AC was a national record for an Irish girls Juvenile 4x 200m team (eclipsing the U18 & U19 records also!)
U17 BOYS
Our team of Cathal Whooley, Ruaidhri Boyle, Bobby O’Riordan and Timmy Colbert finished 5th in Heat 1 of 2 and not making the final with a blistering 1:42.89 for the 800M distance an indication of the level of competition on the day. A spread of only 6 seconds covering all team times ran
on the day. Well done to the lads on a great effort and good to see Ruadhri Boyle back in a Carraig singlet and running well as part of our U17 squad.
U18 GIRLS
Our team of Caoimhe Geoghegan, Abbie Akinkuolie, Rebecca Kelleher, Leah Dunne and Ciara Keohane finishing initially in 3rd place in their heat in a time of 1:53.02 but quickly learning that they had been promoted to second place and qualification for the final with the disqualification of DSD AC. With just 40 minutes to prepare for the final a tactical reshuffle of positions and personnel saw the girls improve their time by almost a second in the final to take 6th place, well in the mix throughout the race.
U19 GIRLS
Another heat, another final as Lily O’Riordan, Carol Halpin-Hurley, Abbie Akinkoulie and Caoimhe Geoghegan qualified in third place from their heat. A championship best performance by winners Leevale, much credit must go to Carraig for maintaining their pace from the heats given that it was the fourth race of the day for some athletes and legs were surely heavy at that stage. Well done to all on another great performance.
In summary, an unforgettable indoor campaign for coaches, parents, and athletes and plenty for the coaches to ponder on how best to maximize the potential shown in the upcoming outdoor season.
TEMPLEMORE SPRING THROWS FESTIVAL
A unique event in the athletics calendar, the throws festival is a specialist competition covering the disciplines of hammer, javelin, and discus. Templemore Town Park was the venue in glorious sunshine. Carraig had 2 competitors in the javelin competition, Lily O’ Riordan opting for the heavier 600g javelin for the first time with the winning throw of 30.96m and a PB from her opening effort. Well done Lily!
In the 700G mens’ competition Timmy Colbert threw an impressive 39.69m on his opening throw for 5th place. The competition was a mix of ages with Timmy being the youngest so a valuable learning experience for Timmy ahead of competition at his own age in the coming months. A PB also for Timmy with the new weight javelin.
PARIS IN THE SPRING
The spring marathons kicked off this weekend with Darragh O’Keeffe taking on his first marathon in Paris. Darragh certainly got the full experience, well laid training plans inevitably interrupted by life but adjusting accordingly, finding the wall exactly where it should be at 32kms but climbing over it and dipping under the 3hr 50-minute mark by seconds to achieve a time not to be underestimated for a first marathon. I am sure Darragh will enjoy his recovery and set new goals for the year!
SONIA O’SULLIVAN COBH 10 MILE
There was much debate in recent weeks whether runners who had signed up for this race but succumbed to Covid would be able to complete the hilly 10-mile course. Never a doubt in the mind of Tadgh Crowley who eased himself back to some easy running over the last two weeks. With a sub-60-minute Mallow 10 and a solid block of training in the bank Tadgh cruised to a magnificent 24th place from 633 finishers in a time of 59:47, perfectly paced to go sub 60-mins again. Running for most of the race on his own demanding a lot of focus to maintain pace on the hills but no problem to Tadgh, well done to our club PRO!
THE FURTHER ADVENTURES OF COLM CROWLEY!
Not to be outdone by brother Tadgh, our adventure race specialist Colm completed no fewer than 4 trail runs in the picturesque setting of Glendalough in the latest Quest race. Colm finished 26th of 228 competitors in a time of 4hrs flat!
PARK RUN
A big well done to Rian O’Luasa who was 4th across the line in 20:56 in the Glen River Park run. Rian shaving almost 2 minutes off his time from last week, clearly learning how to master the art of pacing the hilly course. Much credit is due to this young man for getting up early on a Saturday and persevering in what is a great addition to weekly club training sessions.
LOOK AHEAD
East Cork Track & Field Day 1 takes place next Sunday 10th. Hosted in MTU it will provide excellent competitive action for our athletes, exciting times!