Paul Hession was back into Athenry last Saturday evening after his successful campaign at the Olympics in Beijing a few weeks earlier. His official homecoming started at his home out in Park and, on a fine clear but cold evening, proceeded into the Square in the centre of Athenry, where he was met...

UPDATED 14 September 2008. Loughrea Athletic Club 40th Celebrations Chi Running workshop 27th of September from 10 am - 4 pm with Catherina McKiernan in Lough Rea Hotel & Spa, Limited Numbers €120 including lunch, Contact Barry @ 0861777736 (After 5pm ) for more information. Seminar Agenda "Success...

The town of Athenry will welcome home one of it's greatest sporting heroes home this Saturday evening and everyone is welcome. Assemble in the Square at 08:00pm Athenry AC is hosting a celebration of Paul Hession's Olympic achievements next Saturday the 6th of September in the Square at 08:00pm. We...

The Sixth Annual Galway Bay 10 will take place on Saturday the 4th October at 2pm. Over 1,000 people took part last year and raised over €250,000 for Cancer Care West. Further details of this years event will be announced soon along with confirmation of our sponsors without whom this event could not...

Top class athletics action moves to Switzerland tonight and Athletissima 2008 in Lausanne. Fresh from a strong race in Gateshead at the weekend Paul will take his place tonight in his specialist event the 200m alongside such sprinting luminaries as Usain Bolt, Wallace Spearmon and Shaun Crawford...

It's either a feast or a famine! Many club runners that are preparing for the Dublin City Marathon in October like to run a half-marathon at this time of year. Unfortunately there is a relative shortage of such races, and particularly of good quality events. This weekend two fine races take place on...

Words and Photo's From Tom Hunt Mayo AC There was a good field of over 100 for the Ballyhaunis 8k, the 5th Race in 2008 Mayo AC Open Road Race League. Weather conditions were pleasant for once on Saturday evening for this race, excellently organised once again by the local team led Jimmy Donnelly...

Jane-Ann Healy gives us her personal account of the Longford Half Marathon below, which took place last weekend. Congratulations on a great run Jane Ann. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Summary...

Olive Loughnane's monumental performance in last week's Olympic Women's 20KM Walk has somewhat flown under the radar when compared to the medal-winning performances of our boxers this past weekend. Her 7th place finish (our best result in the track and field arena - Rob Heffernan was 8th in the...

Better Late Than Never! Sometimes a milestone in the club's development just passes by without any proper acknowlegement. One such milestone was passed last weekend when an Athenry AC women's team claimed their first team title in the County Galway 10k Championships. Ann Carter led the Athenry women...

Many runners in the West were dissapointed that the Louisburgh to Westport half-marathon didn't take place in August as usual this year - but fear not! The race is back on the calendar with a changed date and support from the Mayo Mountain Rescue Team (http://www.mayomrt.com/). Full details of the...

Paul Hession narrowly failed to make the final of the Olympic Games 200m. While he said he had mixed motions in a post-race interview, when the dust settles he will surely realise that he has stepped up to another level, and is now part of the World sprinting elite. Well done Paul - onwards and...

At the Huntsman yesterday, I was telling anybody who would listen [including anybody listening to Galway Bay FM!] that 9 men would be in the 200m final. We watched the second semi to see in Pauls time of 20:38 would be quicker than the 5th place runner in that semi. As it turn out it wasn't. But...

Full results from the Claregalway 10KM are attached herein! A record attendance of over 200 lined up. Just think of the crowd there would have been except for the utterly deplorable weather that afternoon, and more importantly, during the race itself. A goodly number of PBs were recorded nonetheless...

Another Update! He's through! Paul won his second round heat in some style posting 20.32. We'll be back to the Huntsman to roar him on! Dan's bar and Ray Glynn's bar in Athenry will the place to be from 2pm! Paul has a good draw and the easier[!] of the semis . [Not that it will be easy at all!] 19...

Just one week after claiming first place in his age category over 8km in the Streets of Galway, Mick Rice claimed second place in a prestigious 100km event in Germany this morning. See http://www.100kmleipzig.de/en/index.html for more details. Time was 7:50:56 Seb Locteau was the bagman, and bearer...

The fella can't lift his leg at The Streets without some snapper taking a picture of him. T'was the Irish Times three years ago and now it's the Galway Independent this time. In fact that Irish Times image finished up in their book of that particular year, 2004 or, perhaps, 2005. Yes, I'm jealous...

The Claregalway 10km Road Race takes place next Saturday evening at 6.00pm from the Claregalway Leisure Centre and will incorporate the Co.Galway 10km Championship. The race is sponsorred by Royal Rock and will raise much needed funds for the Galway Hospice, with Euro 5.00 of each entry fee going to...

Some footage of The 2008 Streets of Galway 8km Streets of Galway 2008 from Alan Burke on Vimeo. More Photos here http://www.flickr.com/photos/7434281@N08/sets/72157606715432341/

On September the 28th next Loughrea AC will celebrate their 40th anniversary by hosting their annual road race which will once more be over the classic distance of 5 miles. Not content with hosting one of the best races West of the Shannon the Loughrea club will also organise a seminar entitled...

The amazing story of how Athenry AC and Predator Tri Club member Seb Locteau saved the day for the Irish Olympic Swim Team in Beijing. Seb is the editor of Irish Running website www.runIreland.com You'd have to take your hat off to the man...! We'll let Seb tell the story in his own words, "On...

A great interview with the great man by Ian O'Riordan of the Irish Times http://www.irishtimes.com/sports/other/2008/0807/1217628560587.html

Athenry runners were very much in evidence at this weekend's Future Streets of Galway road race. A record entry of 64 runners for any single event from our club was an indication of the high esteem in which this fine race is held by Athenry AC runners and indeed all runners in the West of Ireland...

When the photograph at the top of this article was being taken before the Streets of Galway in Eyre Square back in 2001 we were able to get almost our full contingent into the picture although, from what I remember, one or two were busy ogling the fitness instructors who were doing a disco-dance...

Galway athletes Philip Magnier (Athenry AC) and Martin McEvilly (GCH) flew the Irish flag at the recent 16th European Veterans Athletic Championships in Ljubljana, Slovenia from July 23 - August 3, 2008. Philip took part in the 10,000m and the 5,000m events in the M55 division on the 24th July and...