The weather blessed the first Carnmore Hurling Club 6KM Turkey Trot in Carnmore this afternoon. Ninety started and finished this 6KM event in very cold but dry and bright conditions. A good number of the finishers were local but were augmented by a number of club runners from around the county's athletic clubs.
Entries were taken at the Carnmore Community Centre, which was very well manned (and woman'ed!) by locals and a warm welcome was extended to all. That warm welcome was badly needed as it was freezing outside!
News came through during the morning that Westport had been cancelled, which must have been a grave disappointment to a busload of local runners who had made the trip up. We were lucky enough as the overnight freeze was not nearly as bad around Carnmore, though the fog in towards the city was quite thick up to after mid-day.
After a longer-than-usual warm-up, just to get circulation back into my extremities, with Diarmuid Quill from the neighbouring club, Andrew Talbot of the local athletic and hurling club and more-recently new AAI County Board chairman (a lot of hats to wear at any one time) briskly got the race off on time.
We then ran the gauntlet of nearly a full KM on the main Galway-Monivea road and it quickly became clear why the organisers wanted to keep off that road as much as possible. It was really busy and a rat run for all cars that passed us during those four+ minutes.
One we got off that road, the field spread out very quickly, with the local young fellas (from the local GAA club?) who went off frantically being quickly reeled in, with not less than a handful having to grind to a complete halt before 3KM. The impetuosity of youth, eh?
The KM markers came and went quite quickly, thankfully, with the course taking in roads I'd never been on before in my nearly 20 years living in the county. There were a number of up-and-down lanes taken in, not unlike its more venerable sister race up in Hollymount.
Got to half way with my left hamstring starting to make itself acquainted to me again. I had to start goose-stepping to shake it off a bit. I had, at that stage, passed the last of the people I was likely to i.e. those wearing the red and white of Carnmore J.
Got to four KM and was still nursing my hamstring carefully. Skinned my last two people going up the hill after that marker – all of which I noted on the side of the road, for once.
And then onto 5KM and coming back to the end of the outward loop, and the wind-up to the finish at Carnmore NS! I wasn't sure who was behind me and didn't dare look. It is one bad habit I have never indulged, no matter the provocation over the years. I was passed by someone moving very quickly at 5.5KM though, so fast it startled me. It was a young fella on a bike who passed on my inside, which annoyed me a bit. There were two fellas ahead of me on the road and my teammate, Philip Magnier, much further ahead. I had a small chance of getting up to the two unknowns but Philip was already too far ahead – on the back of a good marathon campaign up to Dublin – to even think of getting up to him.
It was ‘head down’ time to get to the finish, without being passed, hopefully. That hope was extinguished as I was passed by a young chap with about 150 metres to go, who looked like he was finishing a triathlon/marathon, with full gel-pack on.
I might have given chase if I had been going well but thought better of potentially popping my troublesome hamstring totally if I suddenly put on the afterburners. And all to get home under 26-something minutes – not worth the effort. I didn't get past either of the two lads I'd been sizing up at the 5KM marker either, not that this was very likely when putting in a leisurely 4:22 last KM.
After a few moments on my own after the finish line, and digesting my 26:38 fully, I was able to re-join the human race and get the news of other finishers.
And then onwards back to the HQ at the Community Centre – taking in an enforced 2KM warm-down in the process – for a few cups of very-badly-needed warm tea and a plethora of biscuits, sandies, brack and cake. But more importantly some warmth!
Andrew Talbot and his crew produced a result within 30 minutes, which gave us all time to debrief more fully. In the meanwhile, another team-mate was able to show off his newish Galaxy smartphone, impressing me with its functionality. I may even look into one after Christmas, myself, if I can figure out the best package to choose and to get the best possible model.
All done and dusted by half two! Carnmore is the last race before The Fields in a few weeks’ time. I was a bit disappointed that the organisers didn't get a bigger crowd the first day out, considering that most locals would not have raced in over a month. Perhaps next year when the good news of this race spreads?
Overall, Carnmore is a worthy addition to the local running calendar, which now totals over 45 permitted events in Galway in the year of 2010. Fair play to the organisers and those involved.
The full result is listed below and attached as PDF, TXT and XLS files.
CARNMORE HURLING CLUB - 6K TURKEY TROT 12/12/10
POSITION NUMBER TIME FIRST NAME SURNAME CLUB GENDER R/W
1 38 19.52 Matt Bidwell GCH M R
2 46 20.54 Ian Egan GCH M R
3 42 22.06 Barry Phelan Craughwell AC M R
4 51 22.35 Danny Carr GCH M R
5 34 23.44 Damian Foy Carnmore M R
6 60 23.46 Brian Kenny Carnmore M R
7 56 23.59 Patrick Forde AthenryAC M R
8 32 24.02 Noel Fox Carnmore M R
9 33 24.08 Cathal Hynes Carnmore M R
10 62 24.19 Killian Dooley Clybaun M R
11 41 24.20 Patrick Brennan Stradbally East M R
12 47 24.25 Kevin O'Dea CRH M R
13 48 24.37 John Flaherty CRH M R
14 25 24.39 Kevin Killilea Carnmore M R
15 39 24.41 Adrian Fitzmaurice Athenry AC M R
16 58 24.44 Liam Nolan Craughwell AC M R
17 23 24.50 TJ Hynes Carnmore M R
18 57 24.54 Diarmuid Quill Craughwell AC M R
19 49 25.40 Patrick Murphy CRH M R
20 24 25.51 Oisin Keane Carnmore M R
21 54 26.00 Philip Magnier Athenry AC M R
22 7 26.26 Barry Hanley Carnmore M R
23 1 26.34 Ciaran Fahy Carnmore M R
24 26 26.35 Enda Holian Carnmore M R
25 37 26.39 James Lundon Athenry AC M R
26 9 26.55 Darren Fahy Carnmore M R
27 36 26.56 Joe Garrett Carnmore M R
28 50 27.08 Joe Scanlan GCH M R
29 2 27.21 Shane Hynes Carnmore M R
30 20 27.23 Martin Talbot Carnmore M R
31 53 27.24 Michael O'Sullivan Ballybane M R
32 55 27.26 John Sheehan CRH M R
33 63 27.30 Derek Cooney Carnmore M R
34 4 27.39 George Hanley Carnmore M R
35 45 28.02 Gerry Rohan CRH M R
36 13 28.34 Niall Concannon Carnmore M R
37 44 28.44 Justin Fahy Ardrahan M R
38 14 29.03 Greg Conneely Carnmore M R
39 43 29.04 Jacinta Fahy Ardrahan F R
40 69 29.16 Gary Raftery Headford Road M R
41 30 29.47 Ronan Walsh Carnmore M R
42 70 29.59 Adrian Craddock Headford Road M R
43 52 30.42 Geraldine Glynn Carnmore F R
44 3 30.42 Geraldine Nally Carnmore F R
45 158 31.20 Ronan Keane Carnmore M W
46 21 31.30 Anthony Davoren Carnmore M R
47 31 31.38 Monica Lydon GCH F R
48 66 31.40 Declan Walsh Carnmore M R
49 65 31.41 Gerry Giles Carnmore M R
50 67 31.43 Brendan Dunleavy Claregalway M R
51 27 32.04 Shona Holian Carnmore F R
52 12 32.38 Richard Donovan Carnmore M R
53 68 32.46 Cathy Dunleavy Claregalway F R
54 22 33.23 Adrian Moran Carnmore M R
55 35 33.24 Joe Flaherty Carnmore M R
56 5 33.26 Aaron Fox Carnmore M R
57 28 34.35 Caroline Grealish Carnmore F R
58 29 34.36 Cara Gleeson Carnmore F R
59 64 35.19 Hilda Dooley Roscam F R
60 6 35.38 Kegan Fox Carnmore M R
61 18 36.00 Dorothy Kenny Carnmore F R
62 19 37.05 Sinead Kenny Carnmore F R
63 40 37.24 Kenneth O'Hara Monivea M R
64 59 38.49 Brian McKeon Carnmore M R
65 163 38.51 Vanessa Molloy Carnmore F W
66 166 39.30 Sean Nugent Carnmore M W
67 154 39.50 David Collins Carnmore M W
68 17 41.43 Tracy Hynes Carnmore F R
69 164 42.23 Laura Tyrell Carnmore F W
70 61 42.44 Padraig Farragher CRH M R
71 157 42.57 Ciaran Keane Carnmore M W
72 151 43.00 Aoibhinn Fox Carnmore F W
73 160 49.38 Josie Heffernan Carnmore F W
74 175 49.41 Joan Kilgannon Carnmore F W
75 161 49.43 Michelle Heffernan Carnmore F W
76 162 50.20 Niamh Heffernan Carnmore F W
77 159 51.04 Pat Heffernan Carnmore M W
78 152 51.07 Marie Fahy Carnmore F W
79 169 51.34 Mary Hanley Carnmore F W
80 172 51.35 Brid Kirwan Carnmore F W
81 173 51.37 Michael Kirwan Carnmore M W
82 150 56.26 Sheila Fox Carnmore F W
83 156 56.29 Muriel Keane Carnmore F W
84 170 57.39 Patrick Fox Carnmore M W
85 171 57.42 Joe Coen Carnmore M W
86 174 59.04 Tony Kilgannon Carnmore M W
87 168 59.07 Malachy Hanley Carnmore M W
88 167 60.41 Noel Grealish Carnmore M W
89 176 60.44 Paul Kilgannon Carnmore M W
90 178 62.53 Lourda Butler Carnmore F W
++
CARNMORE HURLING CLUB - 6K TURKEY TROT 12/12/10
POSITION TIME FORENAME SURNAME CLUB
MEN'S INDIVIDUAL RESULT:
1 19.52 Matt Bidwell GCH
2 20.54 Ian Egan GCH
3 22.06 Barry Phelan Craughwell AC
4 22.35 Danny Carr GCH
5 23.44 Damian Foy Carnmore
6 23.46 Brian Kenny Carnmore
LADIES INDIVIDUAL RESULT:
1 29.04 Jacinta Fahy Ardrahan
2 30.42 Geraldine Glynn Carnmore
3 30.42 Geraldine Nally Carnmore
4 31.38 Monica Lydon GCH
5 32.04 Shona Holian Carnmore
6 32.46 Cathy Dunleavy Claregalway