For the last few years our visit to Connemara, for what has become known as ‘The Fun Run’, has been a great opportunity to mark the start of a new running year and to connect with the great outdoors. Last Saturday thirty-five Athenry club members and a number of friends made the short bus trip out to Connemara to run sections of the Connemara marathon and half-marathon course. We were blessed with beautiful weather on the day and, as usual on such occasions; Connemara was like heaven, except that there were more sheep.

Having conquered the hill out of Leenane and the ‘Hell of the West’ at our own selected pace we retired to the Boat Inn for food and chat. When some of us return in April for the Connemarathon races we’ll be moving a little quicker, but I doubt if we’ll be having a more enjoyable day.

A West of Ireland Marathon series event was happening on the same route on the same day and the two groups of runners merged into one happy gang for the ‘afters’. A more sociable group of runners would be impossible to find.

Long may the fun continue!

FOGRA

Some very nice club t-shirts are available in Valerie's Barber shop in Athery at an an amazingly low price....