Fintan Walsh's weekly blog

World Cross Country on Sunday

Bydgoszcz in Poland is the venue on Sunday next for the World Cross
Country Championships for senior and junior men and women, the
championships were also held there in 2010. Now held  every two years
beginning in 2011 the event still draws a huge entry from all over the
world  Since 1981 athletes from Kenya and Ethiopia have dominated the
team competitions in both the senior men's and women's races and they
have also dominated the individual results in the men's senior race,
the last European to win it was the Olympic Marathon Champion from Los
Angeles in 1984 Carlos Lopez from Portugal who won it in 1984 and
1985.  ( Mohammed Mourhit won it for Belgium in 2000 and 2001 but he
was not a native of  Belgium), the women's race in 1998 was of course
won by our own great Sonia O'Sullivan

Irish team

Ireland has a senior women's team entered for Sunday and this is the
team that won the European Cross Country team title this year and it
is led by the European Champion for the past two years Fionnula
Britton who finished 16 th in this event two years ago, her best
placing was 14 th in 2007. Britton will be aiming to better her
placing of  two years ago and should be well capable of achieving this
and may well give the Kenyan and Ethiopian athletes a very good race
of it while the team may also give a good account of themselves as
Mary Cullen has now also been included after her easy victory in the
Nationals a few weeks ago and should strenghten the squad..

 All Ireland Juvenile Indoors

On Saturday and Sunday next in Athlone the All Ireland Juvenile Indoor
Championships for boys and girls under 12 to 19 go ahead and there
will be two very long days of competition with Saturdays events
getting under way at 9.30 am and Sundays at 10 am. There will be an
entry from Waterford clubs., full programme for both days on Athletic
Ireland Website

Munster Masters Road Championships,

On Sunday next  at 1pm in Moyglass, Fethard  County Tipperary the
Munster Masters Road Championships for men and women will be staged.
At this fixture it is expected that there will be a large entry from
the county in various age groups men and women

Schools International

The annual SIAB Schools’ Cross Country International will be taking
place in Dinefwr Park in Wales on Saturday next 23rd March. Athletes
will compete at junior and intermediate level and just one athlete
from Waterford Aisling Quinn Ursuline Convent is on the Irish team in
the intermediate grade

European Masters in Spain.

This week from March 19 th to 24 th the European Masters Indoor
Championships are in San Sebastian in Spain. Four athletes from West
Waterford compete including Joe Gough in 800 and 1500 metres o 60, the
others are Des Feeney 800 metres o 35  Brendan Moran 60 metres o 50
and Michael Tutty Javelin o 50.

St Patrick's Day Parade

Approximately 100 young athletes and officials from Waterford AC
marched in the City Parade on St Patrick's Day all dressed in the
clubs colours and all enjoyed the experience and reception they got
from the crowds along the way.The club now has the biggest number of
athletes registered in the club's long history and has great people
looking after the well being of the athletes. Also marching were a
large group from St Senan's AC in Kilmacow and again all looked very
well in their colours. Their open sports coming up on Easter Monday
April 1 st at 1pm. see their website for all the events

Road Races coming up.

 Sunday March 31 st 5 Miles in Waterford City 11 am in aid of Cancer
Society, registration at Kingfisher Club Tramore
Road.The 3rd annual Wit AC/Waterford AC 5 K run/jog at WIT Sports
Campus on Friday April 5 th at 7pm. Friday April 12 Marine Climb race
1 Ger Wyley Sports Series,. Friday 19 th April Butlerstown 10 km Race
2 in same Series. Full series dates on Wet Waterford AC Website.

Waterford Viking Marathon

Just a little over three months top go for the second Annual Waterford
Viking Marathon on Saturday June 29 th and lots of entries coming in,
see their website for all data.

Courses coming up

Athletics Leader Course. New Ross, Co.Wexford .Saturday 6th April
2013. 10 am - 5 pm. Price is €60.00. Contact: Colin Byrne
colinbyrne@athleticsireland.ie or 087-0632326 for further
details.Location – New Ross Vocational School, New Ross, Co. Wexford.
 Level 1 Coaching Course ,Kilkenny City..Friday 19 th & Saturday 20th
April and Friday 26 th & Saturday 27 th April.
(6 pm - 10 pm Fridays and 9 am - 5 pm Saturdays) Price is €100.00
Applicants must have previously completed an Athletics Leader or
Assistant Coach course.Contact: Colin Byrne
colinbyrne@athleticsireland.ie or 087-0632326 for further
details.Location – The Watershed ( Scanlon Park ), Kilkenny City.

Track at Kilbarry

Laying of the new track at RSC Kilbarry was due to commence this week,
all the underlay is completed long ago. so weather permitting it
should not be long before we see the finished article...