Some of the best early-season road races are almost upon us now. Most important of all next weekend will see the Failte Ireland Connemara Marathon races take place amidst the stunningly beautiful Maamturk Mountains of north Galway.
Failte Ireland Connemara Races Next Weekend
Always oversubscribed but never to be underestimated, the Connemara Marathon, Half-Marathon and Ultra-Marathon are the highlight of the annual round of road races for many runners both from Ireland and further afield. This yearās event promises to be the biggest and best programme of road racing yet organised by race director Ray OāConnor and his dedicated team of lieutenants. Literally thousands of athletes will visit the West of Ireland next weekend to sample the generous mix of hospitality and sportsmanship that has become ātraditionalā at the Connemarathon.
Many Athenry AC members will themselves take to the roads in Connemara and we hope to have representatives carrying the Maroon and White colours of the club in all three races on the programme. Good Luck to all the Athenry runners on the day.
Michael Egan Memorial Road Races Set for Quilty Next Sunday
For those who donāt fancy the longer races in Connemara, Kilmurry Ibrickane/North Clare Athletic Club are holding their four-mile open road race and four-mile fun walk at Quilty, Co. Clare on Sunday 1st April 2007. The walk starts at 01:00pm and the road race starts at 01:30pm. This is always a great day out and a superbly well organised athletic promotion. The prize fun amounts to an unbelievable Euro 3,000 on the day with numerous category prizes for vetās and teams. Athenry AC runners have raced here on many occasions before and have always enjoyed the race immensely.
TJ Beatty Carries Loughrea AC Flag in The UK
Loughrea runner TJ Beatty continued his warm up for the forthcoming European Veteranās Athletics Championships which are being held in Regensburg, Germany from the 17th to 20th May next. TJ completed the Reading Half-Marathon yesterday in a highly impressive 1:32:28 on a warm day and on a course with āā¦many nasty little hills in it.ā TJ seems to have been happy with the performance and the race will no doubt stand him in good stead for the European Championship races in Germany. Itās understood that a crack team of Galway vetās are targeting these European Championships and we of course wish them, and the rest of the Irish contingent, the very best of Athenry luck on their mission.
āAthenryā Isaac 25th at World Cross Country Championships in Kenya
Isaac Kiprop who ran at the very first www.HighFive.ie Twilight Track and Field Meeting in Galway last year is now the proud owner of a World Cross Country Team bronze team medal to add to his East African Championship individual gold, and of course his win in Galway ?
Aside from Isaac, there was another superb performance in Mombassa, Kenya where these Championships were held, and that was delivered by Irelandās own Fionnuala Britton who finished in a fantastic fourteenth place amongst a field comprised of the very best in the world. Fionnuala was Irelandās sole representative at the Championships and she represented her country with perhaps the best run of her career to date. Congratulations Fionnuala.