Fintan Walsh's weekly blog

Munster Cross Country in Limerick


The first Munster Cross Country Championships of the season are on
Sunday next October 27 th and these are on Limerick racecourse
starting time11.30 am, please note this time. Races for boys and girls
under 12,14,16,18, Novice and Under 23 Men and women. There will be
many athletes from Waterford competing in both the individual and team
sections including in the  Novice and under 23 men's and women's
races. Then on Monday next many from Waterford and all over the South
East will compete in the Dublin City Marathon which begins at 9 am.
Next County Cross Country fixture is on Sunday November 3 rd in St
Augustine's College Abbeyside at 12 noon.. Its the  ( B ) Juvenile
boys and girls under 9.11,13,15.(Prizes for first 6 home but no team
prizes here.Athletes who have not been placed in the first three or on
a winning team in the ( A )championships are eligible for these events
or who have not run in the A event.

Mc Carthy's good run

Three members of the Irish 2010 U23 gold medal winning European cross
country team filled the top three positions in the senior men’s race
at the Gerry Farnan Annual Cross Country event in Dublin's Phoenix
Park on Sunday last which attracted a top class entry. An exciting
battle developed between Michael Mulhare Portlaoise AC and David
McCarthy West Waterford AC over the five lap contest. Both athletes
looked superb as they negotiated the sun drenched course in the
Phoenix Park. It was Mulhare who had the superior strength as he
pulled away from McCarthy to take the victory in a time of 24:30.
McCarthy hung on bravely for second place in a  time of 20:51 with the
fast finishing John Coughlan( SB AC third in 24:53

 USA News

The Providence College men's cross country team turned in a 12 th
place finish at the Wisconsin Adidas Invitational on Saturday last.
First home for Providence was Shane Quinn Ferrybank AC with a ninth
place finish out of a field of 280 competitors. .Providence finished
12th out of 36 teams, with 382 points.

Big Events for Waterford

The good news is that the All Ireland Juvenile Uneven Age Cross
Country Championships and Novice men and women have been allocated to
Waterford at WIT Sports Campus outside the City for Sunday December
15th. Waterford AC were successful in securing the event thanks to the
efforts of Tom O'Brien and Cait Caulfield back in the summer .This
will bring a massive entry to the area of thousands as well as many
supporters from the 32 counties. Prior to this of course will be the
Waterford Athletic Club Annual Half Marathon on Sunday December 1 st
at 11 am.Don't miss out on entering this race online at ONLINE or in
person at ALFIE HALE SPORTS, 40-42 Arundel Square Waterford. Entries
close on November 12th or before if it reaches a limit of 2000.There
is a new course this year for the event, the race will start and
finish at WIT Sports Campus.

Preparations

Athletics Ireland is committed to delivering top athlete performance
at the SPAR European Cross Country Championships which will be held in
Belgrade, Serbia on 8 th of December. National Endurance Coach, Chris
Jones who is leading athlete and team preparations for the
championships commented: “We have invested in preparations for these
championships. I have just returned from a very productive high
altitude training camp in Font Romeu, in the French Pyrenees with our
Senior Squad. Our Junior athletes have been involved in squad
development sessions allowing for their fitness and preparations to be
tracked.

National Awards Ceremony

The National Athletics Awards in association with Woodie’s DIY and
Tipperary Crystal will take place on Wednesday 20th of November in the
Crowne Plaza Hotel in Santry. This year Athletics Ireland is
introducing a new format of an Awards Luncheon.Awards presented on the
day will include the Track & Field Athlete of the Year, Endurance
Athlete of the Year, Club of the Year and the Lifetime Achievement
Award amongst a number of other awards. A full list of awards and
nominees will be released shortly on the website.