St Patrick’s weekend on the roads and trails!
The Annual Cork County Senior, Novice and Masters 4-Mile Road Championships took place in Castlelyons on Sunday, March 20th, excellently hosted by St Nicholas AC. With a large entry, there was a sense of anticipation and a return to as high a standard a road race as we have seen for a number of years. Ultimately, two hundred and thirty-two athletes from nineteen clubs finished the combined men’s and women’s race with no fewer than thirteen men’s teams and eleven women’s teams scoring in the senior competition.
Great championship racing with athletes well familiar with their category rivals and giving their all in search of individual and team medals which were hard won on the day. Carraig na bhFear AC have a focus on the East Cork Road Race as an upcoming target so had just one representative on the day with Richard Hawkins competing in the M55 Masters category. Just twelve seconds separating 2nd to 4th positions but Richard managed to secure the silver medal with a PB run of 25:14.
IMRA
The ‘Whiskey in the Jar’ series of races kicked off in Millstreet on Sunday with the annual Claragh mountain run, the 7k race with an elevation gain of 362m, a stern but rewarding test. Willie Walsh kick-started his season’s racing the hard way, no holding back in finishing first M45 and 7th overall in an excellent time of 37:20.
Just four minutes behind was Bobby O’Riordan in 41:51 finishing as first Junior and 21st overall with dad, David O’Riordan on familiar home territory finishing in 28th place in a time of 44:22. Great running also by Rachael O’Callaghan who is loving her first season in the mountains and trails, finishing in a time of 1:02:27. Well done all!
SPRING MARATHONS
Caroline O’Donovan battled through a knee injury and a blazing sun (no sympathy here whatsoever!) to finish the Barcelona Marathon in 4hrs 55mins and notch up another marathon medal under the 5-hour mark. When in Rome… Aisling Byrne, also battling a hip injury from the 30km mark to finish in an excellent time of 3hrs 50mins. Congratulations to both athletes on a heroic effort.
LOOK AHEAD
UCC will be the venue next Sunday 26th for our eagerly awaited track meet versus Cork City AC for our youngest age group, many taking to the track for the first time. It will be epic! Best of luck to our members who will compete in the Mallow 10-mile race, also on Sunday.