All runners and athletes benefit from a good winter training regime but there is a limit to just how much winter we can take. The third round of the 5k series took place last Tuesday evening in Loughrea and the conditions were appalling, it lashed rain before, during and after the race and Loughrea AC deserve a lot of credit for putting on a first class event in very difficult conditions. Tuam AC were very well represented again with Enda Mannion leading the way in 17.24 and the next Tuam runner home was Ger Hartnett who finished in 19.23 which is great running on a tough course that includes a killer hill from 3 – 4km. Elaine Walsh was the first Tuam lady home and we are all hoping for better weather in Craughwell.

Tuam AC were also very well represented at the Ballindine 4 mile guess your own time race on Saturday evening and our own Tommy Joe Whyte was the overall winner when he ran 24.30 exactly as he predicted he would. Other highlights were Steven Brady who ran much quicker than predicted and Mark Rabbitte and Una Browne also ran very well. It was great to see Dave Mullins back in race action and there was a lot of very nervous runners around when he made his way to the start and we are sure he has a great summer ahead of him.

On Sunday our juveniles took part in The Avaya Co Galway Track and Field championships and it was a great day for Tuam AC and we were delighted to see some of our newer members taking part in their first serious competition. Edel Joyce was a real star and has great potential and did very well in the 80m sprint, shot putt and javelin. Michael Murphy also made his debut for Tuam AC and won a Co medal in his very first competition. Damien Finneran also had a great day and is a vital member of our team and our three veterans Abdul Wahab, Darragh Finneran and Rory Monaghan were in great form. They made a clean sweep of the shot putt once again with Abdul taking Gold and Darragh Silver. Darragh then won the javelin with Abdul collecting silver and Rory won the discus competition. Darragh also collected a medal in the long jump and set a new pb by jumping an incredible 5m 49cm and the day finished off with Abdul taking silver in a thrilling 400m race where he lead most of the way until the lactic acid took it’s toll in the last 100m and he was pipped at the post. Well done to all of our juveniles who are a real credit to the club.

The 5k roadshow continued in Claregalway last Tuesday and as usual Clare River Harriers put on a first class event for the 600+ competitors. The race was won by Peter O’Sullivan of Loughrea AC who ran very well from start to finish and had opened a commanding lead at 1km, he kept his foot to the floor all the way and finished in 16.02. Billy King of Killaloonty finished in 2nd place for GCH and Enda Mannion of Tuam AC took 3rd in 16.59. It is great to see Enda competing at the very highest level in the green of Tuam AC and he deserves his success and he is really looking forward to the rest of the series. Once again Tuam had a huge number of athletes taking part and the first Tuam lady home was Elaine Fleming who had a great battle with her good friend and club mate Maura Meenaghan all the way to the finish. Elaine finished in 22.59 and Maura was just 5 seconds behind her. Other highlights for Tuam included Eoin O’Conghaile who is closing in on a new pb for 5k and Fidelma Roche who absolutely smashed her pb and is sure to go even faster by the time of the series finale in Tuam in 3 weeks. There is also a fantastic race taking place in Ballindine on Saturday evening at 7pm. This 4 mile race is a unique event where competitors have to guess their own time and absolutely anybody can win the very generous prize on offer regardless of how fast or slow they compete the course. The race is organized by David Huane and his crew of dedicated volunteers in Ballindine and all proceeds go to Western Alzheimers . It is a top class event on a lovely course and gives everybody a chance of victory and they also have spot prizes on offer and delicious post race refreshments. Please support this worthy cause on Saturday. Entries are recommended online at www.runireland.com and late entries will also be taken from 5pm on Saturday. Finally good luck to all of our juvenile athletes taking part in the Galway County Track and Field Championships on Sunday.

Tuam AC have plenty to celebrate after a very busy week on the road running scene. The action started in Athenry last Tuesday at the first round of the 5k series and a record crowd of almost 700 runners completed the first leg in good weather conditions. The first Tuam runner home was Enda Mannion who finished in 6th place overall with a very impressive 17.06 he was followed by almost 30 clubmates from Tuam AC who all ran extremely well and some of the highlights included Ann Marie Miskell who was the 5th lady home. Stephen Brady who is really coming back into form and proves that serious training really does pay off. Jarlath Monaghan, Mark Rabbitte and Peter Tierney who all finished under 22 mins. Sean O’Morain had another very impressive run in a Tuam vest as did Roger Rushe who was warmly welcomed by numerous runners from all over County Galway. Roger was also delighted that two of his daughters Audrey and Caroline took part in the race and they have definitely inherited his running genes as they both ran very well. We also had a record turnout of ladies representing Tuam AC including Maura Meenaghan, Elaine Fleming, Hilary Moloney, Katherine Antweiler and Ursula Brady who were just some of the Tuam ladies in action. Round two is in Claregalway and the 6th and final leg of the series will once again be in Tuam on Tuesday 4th June at 8pm. Over the Bank Holiday weekend we had runners in action in Waterford, Limerick, Boyle and closer to home in Killererin. Andrea Ridge and Paddy Gilmore took part in the annual Waterford to Tramore 7.5 mile road race. This is a massive event that has taken place evry year for the last 44 years. Andrea won her category and Paddy Gilmore also ran extremely well even though the entire race was ran into a very strong headwind. Andrea was delighted with her victory as this race attracts runners from all over Ireland and overseas. The Great Limerick run took place on Sunday and Gearoid Healy represented Tuam in the Half Marathon and finished in 23rd place overall from almost 2000 runners. Gearoid finished in 84 mins and was very happy with his performance. Dave Mullins made a very welcome return to competitive racing when he took part in the Boyle Charity Duathlon in Lough Key forest park which consisted of a 5k run, 20k bike and 2.5k run. Dave finished in 1h 19 mins which is great going and he proved he is just as good on a bike as he is at running. Finally on Bank Holiday Monday the first ever running of the Killererin Ladies Football club 5k and 10k race took place and Tuam AC were once again very well represented. Ian Egan won the 10k race in style in 36 mins and he was followed by Dan O’Rourke in 2nd place. The first lady home was Siobhan Healy who made it a great weekend for the Healy family and Ann Marie Miskell was the 2nd lady home. There was a number of other Tuam AC members taking part and they all had a very enjoyable day in Killererin and are looking forward to next years race already.

Tuam AC are always delighted to welcome new members and with over 120 members registered in 2013 the future looks very bright. Our Wednesday evening juvenile sessions are very popular and they are a great group of very talented young athletes. Our adult section is also thriving and we would like to congratulate Sean O’Morain who ran his first race as a Tuam AC member last weekend when he took part in the Wexford Half Marathon. It was his first race over 13.1 miles and he ran a great race and is now looking forward to the 5k series and a very busy summer of road races. We are also delighted to see a number of our runners returning from injury lay offs and wish all the best to our members who are competing in the Limerick and Belfast Marathons over the Bank Holiday weekend.

The Galway Local Sports Partnership took place in Ardrahan last Saturday morning in almost perfect weather conditions and almost 300 people took part in a very enjoyable and well organized race. Tuam AC were represented by Ian Egan and Dan O’Rourke who have been running together for over 30 years at this stage which is hard to believe but nobody was surprised when they both finished in top ten positions once again. Ian finished in 5th place overall in 36 mins and he was followed just a minute later by Dan who finished in 8th place. They were also 2nd and 3rd in their category and their performance really is top class middle distance running. The 5k series is also due to start next week in Athenry and all runners should note that the first race of the series is taking place in Athenry town and not in Newcastle as in previous years. The race starts at 7.45pm and number collection takes place in Athenry boys school. Full details can be found at www.5km.ie Good luck to all involved especially the 30 members of Tuam AC who are taking part in this years series.

Everybody in Tuam AC was very sad to see the terrible explosions at the finish of the Boston Marathon on Monday and we know that many runners travel from Ireland each year to take part in the oldest marathon in the world and our thoughts and prayers are with everybody at this time. On a happier note Tuam AC had a double celebration with Ian Egan making history by running the toughest marathon in the world at the North Pole where he ran 26.2 miles in -28C and had to make sure he was wearing the correct gear to avoid frostbite and hypothermia and also needed armed guards to keep a lookout for Polar bears. It was a magnificent feat to complete this race as it is hard to describe just how difficult the conditions are to run in and we are also delighted to report that the race was won by his good friend Gary Thornton of GCH and both of them are former winners of the Tuam 8k race. Ian returned from the North Pole late last week and still had enough energy to run the New Inn 5k race on Sunday where he finished 5th overall in 18 mins and won his category. Tuam AC were also celebrating Enda Mannions big win on Saturday when he finished first at the Cope 8k race in Galway. It is great to see Enda back in top form and he is really looking forward to the 5k series.

——– Original Message ——– <jameslundon@yahoo.co.uk> <JamesLundon@yahoo.co.uk>, mcurley <mcurley@galwaycoco.ie>, mark.davis2@gmail.com <mark.davis2@gmail.com>, Gabriel Gardiner <gabriel@langancouriers.com>, iain@athenryac.com <iain@athenryac.com>, brendan@tuamac.com <brendan@tuamac.com>, b.beirne@ymail.com <b.beirne@ymail.com>, southgalwayac@gmail.com <southgalwayac@gmail.com> > Hi Folks, > > Can you update the info on your website regarding the Galway LSP 10k > run in Ardrahan as people are having difficulty entering via > runireland website.We are receiving alot of calls on this issue. > > The correct link to enter online is > http://www.activeglobal.com/gl/running/ardrahan-ireland/galway-sports-partnership-10k-2013 > Yours in sport Josephine Gardiner Sent from my iPad

The May 5k series has sold out and if you didn’t get in or need to do a bit of speedwork before the first race in Athenry there is a great 5k race taking place in New Inn, Ballinasloe on Sun 14th April at 1pm. On the following Sat 20th April the Galway Sports Partnership 10k race takes place in Labane, Ardrahan and online entry is only €15 with €20 on the day entries. So get in quick and save a fiver.

Tommy Joe Whyte had a great run at the Quilty 4 Mile road race in Co Clare on Sunday where he finished in a very impressive 24 mins. Tommy Joe took 2nd place in his category in what was a very competitive race.

Tuam AC members have taken part in some of the worlds great races down through the years including the London, New York, Paris and Dublin Marathons and this week a new destination will be added to the Tuam list when Ian Egan takes part in possibly the Worlds toughest race, The North Pole Marathon. Ian flew to Norway late last week on the first leg of his journey and has now transferred by helicopter to base camp at the magnetic North Pole where the thermometer is reading -14C. Ian won the first Tuam 8k race back in 2005 and is still going as well as ever and we are also delighted to report that another well known Galway runner Gary Thornton is also taking part in the race and Gary also won the Tuam 8k and set a course record in the process. We wish both of these runners all the best and we will have full results and hopefully first hand details from Ian next week. Closer to home Tommy Joe Whyte had a great run at the Quilty 4 Mile road race in Co Clare on Sunday where he finished in a very impressive 24 mins and took 2nd place in his category in a very competitive race. The 5k series has sold out and if you didn’t get in or need to do a bit of speedwork before the first race in Athenry there is a great 5k race taking place in New Inn, Ballinasloe on Sun 14th April at 1pm and on the following Sat 20th April the Galway Sports Partnership 10k race takes place in Labane, Ardrahan and online entry is only €15 with €20 on the day entries. So get in quick and save a fiver.

——– Original Message ——– Reply-To: brendan@tuamac.com Organization: Tuam AC This promises to be a great event with online entry EUR15. Plenty of prizes and post race refreshments. Event Details: *FREE T-shirt Offer * FREE technical T-shirt for first 200 online registrations. *Directions * Turn off N17 at Ardrahan Primary School 53.141262,-8.8064 Lat/Long *Event Details * The second Annual Galway Sports Partnership 10k run/walk/jog event taking place in Labane, Ardrahan on April 20th at 11am.The key aim of the Galway Sports Partnership is to increase participation in sport and recreation in the whole county and we invite all the club runners, Meet & train/Fit4life groups and walkers around the country to participate in this 10k event on April 20th in Ardrahan. Category prizes include: Senior Men/Women 1st / 2nd /3rd 1st Over 40/50/60 Men & Women 1st Local Man & Woman 1st Junior U-19 Spot prizes for Fit4life participants Approved by AAI. Refreshments at finish Attached is the map of the course The is route map is http://www.mapmyrun.com/routes/view/69429872 The 10km route is a one loop flat course starting at Labane Church and passing the townlands of Ballymaquiff, Ballyglass West,Chessy, Cahermore, Lydican and returning to Ballymaquiff and finishing at Loughnane & Quinn Memorial Hall *Route * http://www.mapmyrun.com/routes/view/69429872

Juvenile training resumes tonight (Wed) at 7pm in the Mercy Gym.

The 2013 5k series sold out in a record time of 35 mins last Thursday evening and it is hard to believe that 800 people could sign up so quickly for this incredibly popular series. The final race will be in Tuam once again on Tues 4th June at 8pm and it will be a night to remember.

The road race calendar is bursting at the seams with at least one race every weekend in Co Galway it is hard to fit them all in, but Tuam AC always seem to have willing participants and on Easter Saturday Thomas Mannion ran a great race in the Colemanstown 10k and just an hour later Derek Naughton was representing the club at the Kilmovee 10k. Derek also had a good race despite a heavy week of training and he took Sunday off so that he could travel to Sligo on Monday where he took part in the Carney 10k and finished in 41 mins. A great weekend of racing from the two Tuam athletes and there will be plenty more races coming up shortly including the 2013 5k series which sold out in a record time of 35 mins last Thursday evening and it is hard to believe that 800 people could sign up so quickly for this incredibly popular series. The final race will be in Tuam once again on Tues 4th June at 8pm and it will be a night to remember. Juvenile training resumes tonight (Wed) at 7pm in the Mercy Gym.

The 4th Annual running of the Craughwell AC 10 Mile Road Race took place recently and just like the Tuam AC 8K this is a race not to miss as Craughwell put on a great event which is very good value for money and a really enjoyable day out with a fantastic spread of tea, coffee, sandwiches and cakes at the finish line. Tuam AC had a great day and had very strong men and women teams in attendance. The first Tuam runner home on Sunday was marathon specialist Gearoid Healy who finished in 61 mins and he was followed less than a minute later by the ever improving Tom Connelly.

The next three Tuam runners all finished on 67 mins and the first of the trio was Noel Igoe who was making a spectacular debut in a Tuam vest. Noel was delighted with his race and is sure to feature regularly on the Tuam team in the future after such a fine start. Ger Hartnett ran a great race after his recent sub 40 min 10k in Adare and he finished very strongly on Sunday. Brendan Monaghan also had a very good race taking almost two minutes off his previous 10 mile time at last years race and he is not getting any younger. Stephen Brady continued his preparation for his up-coming Ironman by running a very strong 73 mins and he was followed just a few minutes later by Mark Rabbitte who is in great form at the moment and really looking forward to the upcoming 5k series.

The first Tuam lady home was Maura Meenaghan who finished in 83 mins and knocked an incredible 9 mins off last years time and she was followed by her sister Assumpta and they were both racing just a week after running the 22 miles from Galway to Tuam. Andrea Ridge ran as well as ever and it was great to see Paddy Gilmore back in top form and flying around the 10 mile course. Kathleen Hogan completed the Tuam contingent.

Another big weekend for Tuam AC started in Athlone on Saturday when Abdul Wahab Momoh and Darragh Finneran represented the club at The All Ireland Juvenile athletics championships. They both took part in the Under 17 boys Shot Putt and put in massive performances in a field that included three previous All Ireland Champions and the All Ireland record holder. At the end of the competition Abdul finished in 6th place overall and Darragh finished in 8th place. A great result for the two Tuam lads and they are now looking forward to the outdoor season. Our juvenile athletes are enjoying a well deserved break from training and a few Easter eggs this week and training resumes on Wed 3rd April in the Mercy Gym at 7pm. On Sunday the 4th Annual running of the Craughwell AC 10 Mile Road Race took place and just like the Tuam AC 8k this is a race not to miss as Craughwell put on a great event which is very good value for money and a really enjoyable day out with a fantastic spread of tea, coffee, sandwiches and cakes at the finish line. Tuam AC had a great day and had very strong men and women teams in attendance. The first Tuam runner home on Sunday was marathon specialist Gearoid Healy who finished in 61 mins and he was followed less than a minute later by the ever improving Tom Connelly. The next three Tuam runners all finished on 67 mins and the first of the trio was Noel Igoe who was making a spectacular debut in a Tuam vest. Noel was delighted with his race and is sure to feature regularly on the Tuam team in the future after such a fine start. Ger Hartnett also ran a great race after his recent sub 40 min 10k in Adare and he finished very strongly on Sunday, Brendan Monaghan also had a very good race taking almost two minutes off his previous 10 mile time at last years race and he is not getting any younger. Stephen Brady continued his preparation for his up-coming Ironman by running a very strong 73 mins and he was followed just a few minutes later by Mark Rabbitte who is in great form at the moment and really looking forward to the upcoming 5k series which will be massive this year and online entries are opening soon but be warned they will literally sell out in minutes this year due to phenomenal demand. The first Tuam lady home was Maura Meenaghan who finished in 83 mins and knocked an incredible 9 mins off last years time and she was followed by her sister Assumpta and they were both racing just a week after running the 22 miles from Galway to Tuam. Andrea Ridge ran as well as ever and it was great to see Paddy Gilmore back in top form and flying around the 10 mile course. Kathleen Hogan completed the Tuam contingent and as we go to press the final results including the team placings have not been declared and we will update in next weeks column. There are a number of races on over the Easter weekend including the Colemanstown 10k on Saturday entries via www.runireland.com

St Patricks weekend was a great weekend for the running community in Tuam and we would like to congratulate everybody who took part in the Day for Sniffer run in aid of Galway Hospice on Saturday. Well done to Carmel Cunniffe and her friends for organizing the event and running the 22 plus miles from Renmore to The Square in Tuam. On St Patrick’s Day the 40th Annual Tubbercurry 10km road race took place and Tuam AC were very well represented with Dan O’Rourke, Tommy Joe Whyte and Derek Naughton all taking part. Anybody who has ever ran in Tubbercurry knows that it is one tough course and the strong wind on Sunday didn’t help either but the Tuam lads didn’t pay any notice to the course or the wind and Dan finished in 38 mins followed by Tommy Joe just a minute later and Derek finished in 42 mins. Great running all round. The final piece of very good news for Tuam arrived on Sunday evening when Tom Connelly finished in 2nd place overall at the Abbey 10k road race. Tom has been in great form lately and just keeps getting better. He is now looking forward to the Craughwell 10mile race next Sunday as are many of his club mates and a slight rise in temperature would be no harm. Good luck to our juvenile athletes Hayley Hession, Abdul Wahab Momoh and Darragh Finneran who will be in All Ireland action next weekend.

*The 3^rd successive running of the Colemanstown 10k is scheduled for Holy Saturday 30^th March 2013.Similar to last year the race is open to all male &**female runners, joggers and walkers.*** ** *Map & area location is available on **www.runireland.com* ** *Online registration is available through Run Ireland. The cost of registration is EUR15 for early entries before 15th March, and EUR20 for all entries after that date. Closing date for on-line entries is Thursday 28^th March at 12 noon. Registration will also be accepted on the morning of the run between 10.00am and 11.30am at the Colemanstown Utd Clubhouse.* *The course is a flat & fast and is an ideal course for a PB. The run is scheduled for the weekend prior to the Connemarathon and is therefore ideal preparation for anyone planning the big Connemara run!!* * *A fantastic cash prize fund kindly sponsored yet again by Frank & Bernie Burke, Colemanstown for the first 3 Men and Women, also prizes for category winners O/40, O/50 and O/60 Male & Female.* * *The playing pitch & training grounds will be available for warm up & warm down* * *A token gift will be given to all participants.* * *Hot Showers and segregated changing facilities available on site* * *Light homemade refreshments will be provided after the run at the club grounds.* *A 1k fun run for children commences at 11am with a medal & some goodies for all who complete the course. All participants in this category will have to be assembled at the club house no later than 10.30am.There is a EUR2 fee for the children’s race. * *Funds raised in the event will be used towards the development of the grounds at Colemanstown United F.C. *** *For further information please contact Martina Donnellan, 087 9000525, Kenny Duane, 087 6192638 or Eleanor Walsh 086 8529325* *In a time when there is so much emphasis on fitness and good health we hope all running, jogging and walking enthusiasts can join us on the day.*

Tuam AC have a great history of sending top quality teams to races and competitions down through the years but the competition to actually make it onto the Tuam AC team these days is getting serious which is a great indication of a strong and vibrant club. This became very clear over the weekend when Enda Mannion finished a magnificent 2nd in the Preda 5k run held at Ballybrit racecourse where he finished in 17 mins and on Sunday Ian Egan finished an equally magnificent 3rd place in the Kilconiern 5 mile road race and Ian is now really looking forward to his next big challenge which is a Half Marathon in The Hague, Holland and if Sunday’s performance is anything to go by he will run a great time in Holland. Ian was followed in Kilconiern by clubmates Tom Connelly who finished in 5th place and is really delighted with his form so far in 2013 and Tommy Joe Whyte finished 9th overall and it was no surprise that they both won their categories in the race. Other notable performances in Kilconiern were Jarlath Monaghan who set another pb when he finished in 36:15 and Mark Rabbitte ran a great race to finish shortly after him in 36:56 and whilst most runners would be absolutely delighted to finish a 5 mile race in under 37 mins Mark was not entirely happy with his performance which is a real sign of a runner who is going places and a great addition to the club. Finally Good luck to all of our juveniles who are heading to the Connacht Indoor Athletics championships on Sunday at the newly opened state of the art facility in Athlone IT.

The Kilconiern 5 mile road race takes place this Sunday. It is a great race organized by Patrick Forde and his crew in Kilconiern. Entries are available via Run Ireland or on the day at Kilconiern hurling pitch. The race starts at 12 Noon.