In response to lots of demand for a core/ conditioning and strength class, the 2012 spring club class will start on Monday 6th February.

We are lucky to have booked Tom French, an approved trainer with Athletics Ireland, and owner of French Vanoli Fitness in Oranmore, who is already doing some strength work with our junior club:
http://www.frenchvanoli.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=blogcatego...

The cost is €70 for 10 weeks
Location: Fitness Centre, Raheen Business Park, Athenry
Mondays 6:30pm - 7:30pm (10 weeks - Feb. 6th to April 9th).

T'was Christmas morning at 7:45am and all through the house not a creature was stirring, except for a runner. I crept down the stairs, and nearly twisted my ankle when I missed the last step – not a good start! I bypassed the Christmas tree, and the presents, and headed for the kitchen to make a festive bowl of porridge. I hadn't been up so early on Christmas day for years!

We are all talented people in Athenry AC; it's just that some of us have skill sets in different areas other than speed in miles per hour. To honour some of the shenanigans in the club this year (other than the obviously enviable skill of being able to run very fast in a straight line), there were some fun awards presented at the club Christmas party on Saturday night...

1. The 'It Takes me a While to Warm Up' award to Frank Burke for his 3:23 marathon at Ironman UK (post 180km bike ride and 3.8km swim).

See http://www.paulhession.co/blogs/new-beginnings.html or below

Fair play to MTB for running both Dublin (4:20) and New York (4:08) a few weeks back.

She's not quite in the rocking chair yet!

Athenry are hosting the County Uneven Age Cross Country on Sunday 23 October starting at 1pm. This event is been held at Moonbaun situated on the left just after Athenry Soccer Club. To get to the event travel straight out over the railway lines and continue straight on past raheen pitch and tennis club on your right. Athenry Soccer Club is situated about half a mile on the left hand side. Stewards will direct you for parking.

Unfortunately due to the Vocational School gym been unavailable Little Athletics will be cancelled until Monday 7 November.

The 5k championships welcomed a larger than usual number of competitors to Newcastle on Sunday 18th. Thirty seven souls delayed their Sunday lunch to run the loop, a number of them for the first time and glad we were to see them.

In the early hours of Friday 2nd September, Paul Hession took to the track for his 4th successive World Athletics Championships in South Korea. Running in Heat 3, Paul came home in a creditable 4th place, against some stiff competition in a time of 21.02.

The first three from each heat qualified along with the three fastest from the non-automatic qualifiers.  Due to some very fast heats, Paul did not make the three fastest losers.

Athletics training for all ages is back next Monday September 5. Little athletics children born 2004 and 2005 will be on a Monday night in Vocational school gym from 7 to 8 oclock. There is a 2euro charge per child. All other ages born 2003 and older will be training on Monday and Wednesday nights moonbaun pitch on the left after the soccer club from 6.45 to 7.45. If there are any parents willing to lend a hand and get involved please make contact with a coach at any of the sessions. See you all then.

Paul Hession is in action at the World Athletics Championships this week.

Another success story from the Community Games has reached us here at Athenry AC Central.

Since the late and much-lamented Killimor 4M Road Race (organised by Mary and Thomas Porter) there was been no road race of that distance in the Galway calendar.

This oversight is being rectified this weekend with the first running of South Galway AC's Kilcolgan Castle 4M - see Upcoming Event information elsewhere on this web site for full details.

What I don't recalling seeing before for a local race is a full course run-through on YouTube:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5rBuj6kZ-Dk

Over the next 2 weekends the Community Games National Finals will be held in AIT, Athlone, over 2,500 children from all corners of the country will participate over the weekends, they will be supported by over 600 volunteers and organisers, as well as family members and friends Athenry Area will have 8 athletes taking part, all have qualified for the National Finals by winning Gold at the Galway County Finals, the athletes taking part are as follows:

Grace Cahill Athenry AC Long Jump U14
Conor Gillen Craughwell AC Marathon U16
Lorna Hannon Athenry AC Marathon U16

Our very own Jane-Ann Healy stormed to victory in Ireland's first Kilomarathon (26.2km) last Sunday in Moone Village Co. Kildare. All her had work of recent weeks have obviously paid off with some spectacular racing performances, not least this very impressive win.