Report By Michael Tobin (Craughwell AC & competition secretary for this race)

This report originally appeared on The Galway AAI Site at http://www.galwayathletics.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=170&Itemid=1

Athenry juvenile athletic club has started back training. The schedule for the rest of the year is as follows.

The 6 to 9 year olds fun and athletics programme is on in the Presentation College Gym 7.15 pm Thursdays (starting 2nd October). There will be a charge of €10 membership for new members and of €2 per night.
For further information contact Kathleen 087 4107854 or Michelle 087 2072933

Cross Country training will continue in the Newcastle pitch (near church) on Tuesday and Thursday evenings at 7.00pm and Sunday morning at 11.00 am.

Athenry were well represented at the community games athletics county finals which were held in Ballindereen over the bank holiday weekend.
We had participants in near all events with over sixty children from Athenry competing who all be very proud of there performances.

A belated brief summary of the Connacht Juvenile indoor championships, I do not have times or distances for each individual performance at the moment.

A total of 42 athletes from Athenry Athletic club recently competed in the Connacht Indoor finals in Nenagh. We also had a number a athletes who were unable to compete due to illness and injury, Katlyn and Thomas Duane, Kevin Madden and Aoife Tuohy would all have been medal contenders.

Update: Irish Record Holder, and future Olympian, Paul Hession will present the medals to all juvenile athletes after the race!

Good luck to all the girls competing in All Ireland Juvenile Cross Country this Sunday in Dungarvan. The under-11 team is Niamh Keane, Eimear Keane, Roisin Holland, Rachel O' Brien, Derbhal Higgins, and Grace Cahill.

The under-13 team is Marie Tuhoy, Hayleigh Sommers, Dearbhal Fox, Lorna Hannon, Orlaith McGrath and Tara Murphy.

Serena Hansbery, Yvone Keary and Lecicia Collins will alse be competing.

Best of luck to all!

Photo Credit: Theo Solberg

Athenry under-age runners will be strongly represented in the Galway teams that are bound for Hazelwood Co.Sligo this Saturday for the Connaught Cross Country Championships. We send our best wishes to all the young Galway athletes who will be running for their county.

Run well. Run strong.

The Galway Cross Country Championships on Sunday was one of those rare occasions when the clubs under-age and adult athletes compete on the one stage. The performances of our juveniles early in the day left our seniors in no doubt that they had a tough act to follow. Indeed, Athenry AC’s juveniles had one of their most successful outings in quite some time, picking up 2 team golds, 3 team silvers and 4 individual medals at the Galway juvenile cross country championships for u11’s to u19’s.

Congratulations to all Athenry AC members who performed at the Connacht National Schools cross country in Ballina. This event is one of the most competitive fixtures in the calendar for our young athletes and is one of the few opportunities these young athletes get to shine to their school colours.

Athenry AC athletes had a successful outing at Day 1 of the Galway Juvenile Cross Country Championships for U10's to U18's. Pride of place goes to Shane Conway who captured the u16 Boys title. Also claiming gold medals on the day were the u16 girls team of Sorcha Murphy, Yvonne Keary, Niamh Grady, Helen Geraghty, Chloe Callanan and Deirdre Coffey.