Eight hardy couples dragged themselves from weekend lie-ins, post-party stupors, family committments, and frost-skating to participate in the first ever Sweethearts relay at Ballybrit at noon on Sunday 7th. We had a couple of withdrawals but Clara Burke and Mick Rice happily showed up to complete the sets of teams in their place.

The race was a two-mile relay comprising a mile run by both the man and woman on each team. We used handicaps but, unlike our club championships, the race was run in "real time"; that is, teams began at staggered times depending on handicaps and the first over the line was the winner.

Nice to see relatively new runners Pearse and Ann Hunter springboard from their stringent Summer and Autumn training to come home first, followed closely by the slightly less stringent Iain Shaw and recent marathoner Maria Hehir. Please see the attached Excel sheet for other placings, and times as measured against handicaps.

Prizes included useful goodies for couples such as Blow-up Husband; Nagging Wife doll; Homer Simpson mug and t-shirt; Elvis bottle opener and singer; Inflatable Ego; Measure Your Alcohol Tester.

Have a look at other photos at http://www.athenryac.com/image-galleries/sweethearts-2x1-mile-relay.