Training is back Mondays and Wednesday nights at 7 oclock for all children aged 9 and older.  We will be training at Moonbaun pitch on the left after Athenry soccer club.    Training for the younger children will resume shortly will keep you updated.  Any questions contact Martin on  087 9840741 or Sinead 087 6330527.

Congrats to Maurice Clarke (1:20:57) and Adrian Fitzmaurice (1:28:45) on their good half performances in Longford on Sunday.

The half marathon results are to be located here:

http://www.longfordmarathon.com/2010Results/Half-Marathon-results-male.htm

Ray O'Connor (3:44:00) also jogged around the full!

The full marathon results are to be located here:

From Peter Lyons this morning...

Every year thousands of children from all over Ireland travel to the Community Games National Finals. Previously they have been held in Mosney Co. Meath but 2009 saw a change of venue and Athlone Institute of Technology was selected as the new home.

In total, 13 Athenry area athletes made the short trip up the M6 to Athlone; their results and progress are as follows:

* Girls U8 80M - Sinead Lyons (Athenry A.C.)

A new fit4life term will start on Monday 6th September at 9:30AM from St Colman's National School in Corofin. 

There will also be a session at 9:30AM on Wednesday 8th September from the same place.

This course should be perfect for athletes wishing to get themselves fit in time for Christmas, although ALL fitness goals will be accomodated.

Price: 20 Euro

Contact: Maria Hehir (085) 1085872.

Just five months into her new life as a runner, Martina Passman reports on progress so far and how she has been inspired by her coach, Maria Hehir. Congratulations Martina on your wonderful achievements in athletics from all of your clubmates.
 
Martina Reports:
 

Athenry runners met with considerable success over the weekend at the Claregalway 10km, which doubles as the Galway 10km Championships over that distance. In the individual competitions both male and female Athenry AC runners made the frame. A back to form Brian O'Connor came home strongly in third place in the men's race (34:51), just eleven seconds ahead of club captain Brian Bruton(35:02) in 5th. Brian O'Connor's individual bronze is a fine reward for a period of dilligent training recently.

News has reached Athenry AC HQ that one of our newer fit4life members has pulled on the green and white singlet of Ireland and represented his country in some style.  Eoin Madden was in action at the weekend in the European Transplant and Dialysis games held in Dublin.  Eoin is the recepient of a kidney transplant and he powered through the 5000m in a new PB of 26.44.  After the race Eoin is reported to have stated that he was "..over the moon", and we couldn't agree more.

Photos by Iain Shaw - There are loads more in our Photo Gallery - Thanks Iain !

It was another absolutely beautiful evening in Galway city last Saturday as thousands of runners and walkers gathered for one of the road-racing highlights of the year. For many the process is familiar but no less enjoyable from one year to the next. Almost everything about this race is just right - it almost seems like fine weather is guaranteed after the experience of the last few years. It's not often that we runners get to take over the city streets and enjoy ourselves at full speed down the middle of the road.

After missing out on the last two major finals by the smallest of margins, Paul Hession has secured a place at the European final in Barcelona this Thursday evening.

A little down on his season's best, Paul finished 4th in this evening's semi-final outside the automatic qualifying spots, but his semi final time of 20.67 was enough to make the final.

It's just reward for hard work over the last few years, and runnng from lane 2 in the final, he has an outside chance of a medal if he can reproduce the form he showed earlier this season.

Athenry AC members will met in the purple lounge of the Raheen Woods hotel from 6pm to watch Paul's final at 6:25pm and David Gillick's 400m final later on at 8:30 pm.

Go on Paul!

*** Paul Safely Through First Round ***

Round 1 Result

Our very own Paul Hession begins his quest for European glory today in the heats of the 200m in Barcelona.

Of course we all wish Paul the very best of luck. Paul goes in the fourth heat of the 200m at 11:54am Spanish time which is 10:54 Irish time. The semi-final's of the 200m are on tonight at 18:55 (Irish time) and the final of Paul's event is on tomorrow the 30th of July at 18:25 (Irish time).

Congratulations to Darragh McShane of Athenry AC who finished 1st in the first “Jog in the Bog” Super 8 race winning in a time of 4hr and 2 min. A great 10k run to start in a range of terrain from road, trail and bog gave Darragh a good lead into the first cycle of 17.5km to Abbeyknockmoy. This was followed by the first of two hill runs starting with a 2km run in Knockroe. From there it was a 23km cycle into a stiff headwind to Castlehacket for another 3.75km hill run.

http://www.independent.ie/sport/other-sports/hession-hoping-experience-can-make-all-the-difference-2271835.html

"Everything has gone to plan, training, races, preparation and I'm confident that I can perform. You never know what everyone else is going to do but I'm confident I can go out and do something. I'm looking forward to it."

http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/sport/2010/0724/1224275391171.html

From http://www.independent.ie/sport/other-sports/athletics-cragg-and-fagan-r...

"ATHLETICS IRELAND have issued their firmest 'no show, no selection' directive ahead of this weekend's Woodies DIY National T&F Championships.

Athletes have received several warnings that, unless they take part in 'nationals', they will not be picked for the upcoming European Championships.

...

Paul Hession equaled his season's best performance over 200m in Lausanne last night in a high class international field ahead of this weekend's AAI National Track and Field Championships in Santry. This was another top-class performance from Paul as he continues his build-up to the European Championships in Barcelona. Although such shining performances are perhaps what we've come to expect from Paul over the last number of years we shouldn't loose sight of the exceptional standard he is meeting in these races. This is sprinting of the very highest quality.