***** TXT result added taken from the update posted on CraughwellAC.com *****

The third annual Kilconieron 5M road race (for the AWARE charity)



took place on Sunday last in brilliant early spring sunshine



around the now familiar 5M loop, starting and finishing close to



the Kilconieron Hurling Club grounds, halfways between Athenry



and Loughrea.

Another stunning crowd turned up, with only a minority wearing



club colours of any sort I noted.  The running boom knows no



bounds in Galway in 2011.

I got my warm-up in early, refereeing a juvenile hurling game



that morning in Athenry and getting a late call-up from the



organisers to bring a piece of hardware necessary for the race.



I was glad of any excuse to turn up and run.

My road warm-up consisted of getting to the start line as quickly



as I could from the car park.  Nothing new there either!

Niall Callanan quickly got the race underway.  A flotilla of



people slid past me down to the first mile marker, including



people I knew would come as quickly back to me, which duly turned



out to be mostly the case, including at least one athlete who



really should have known better, who will remain anonymous for



her (not Bernie Kelly) own sake :*).

It is never good when one is passed by three women in a group



from one's own club and that was duly the case around the one



mile mark!  I persevered.

A fourth female member of Athenry AC attached themselves to me as



we came up the drive to old Dunsandle Castle/House - what a sight



that must have been when the big people lived there over 150



years ago as the house is still very impressive even in ruins!

Deirdre Quinn proceeded to talk the leg of the chair for the next



three miles :-).  I couldn't believe that someone could talk so



much in the middle of a serious-enough 5 miler.  She certainly



wasn't feeling much of a "burn".  Saying that, she almost lost me



on three occasions after we turned back out onto the main road



before the four mile mark.  That doesn't say much for my current



state of fitness, or is it more a commentary on how well she is



going?

I dug in and concentrated on the job at hand: taking those two



nasty hills in the last two miles without falling to the



wayside any further.

We started reeling in all the people who has zoomed past me in



the first mile, as I fully expected we would.  Always better to



start slowly and finish well than vice versa, old timers told



me more than once.  The older I get the better that advice



gets!  It only took me nearly 10 years of running to realise its



full import though.

Deirdre was still, amazingly talking, up a storm as we had one



mile left to go.  I was marvelling at her ability to continue



putting in 7:15 miles too, especially as she ran cross-county for



Athenry the previous day up in Dublin.

Time to push on, which I did.  I had no idea where Deirdre was



except to hope that she was chasing me down.  I must have passed



about 6 or 7 people over the last 1780 yards, which I completed



in 6:44 to get home in 36:15-ish.  A disappointing time - had



hopes to do better than last year's 35:54 - but I had to nurse my



left hamstring almost all the way around, which continues to give



me trouble and which acted up very early :(.  Deirdre came home



seconds later...

Two of my post holders (umpires) were running with me, one ahead



doing a PB for the 5M in the low 32s, while one was behind but



doing an equally good time for his age, just a tad over 40.



Diarmuid Quill and Martin Keane, take a bow - see image with this



report.

I was amazed to see Jane-Ann Healy skate in a few minutes later,



in very good shape.  Recent motherhood hasn't take much out of



her either, it would seem :).

We adjourned up to the Lodge for some refreshments and the



results were duly announced - race not general election, though



Ciaran Cannon was probably the biggest local winner of all last



weekend - with Aoife Callan winning the women's race in



35:03!!!!!  Deirdre Quinn was third in a 36:21 (her own time)!

Onwards to Kinvara/Ballycotton/Beagh!