The third and final day of the Connacht Senior Cross Country League was held Sunday last on a really testing and muddy course in Lough Key Forest park in Boyle.
For the second week running, Kathryn Casserly of Castlegar Ac took the honours in the third and final leg of the Ladies Connacht Senior league. Casserly led from gun to tape and produced a top class display of cross country running , and her front running performance shows she is steadily getting back to her best form . GCH athlete Niamh Hennelly was second senior home , moving through the field with ease as the conditions took their toll on others, with Grainne Ni Uallachain also GCH third. This second place was enough to give Hennelly the Connacht Senior Ladies title after the three leg event, as she topped the points table giving her a well deserved first provincial title.
Dermot Mcdermott of Sligo AC was a clear winner of the Men’s race over 8km in very soft underfoot conditions . Peter O Sullivan of Craughwell AC was second home, and this ensured he took the Connacht Senior Mens League title for the year . Brian O Connor of GCH ran well in seventh , which was enough to give him the Masters silver medal in the League.
At Juvenile level GCH again took home a large haul of medals, both team and individual. Emma Moore of GCH took bronze in the U13 Girls event, as the GCH U 13 Girls team took the gold – with the team including Moore, Shauna Brennan , Kara Mccleane, Eimear Rowe, Ciara Dunne, Joanna Healy and Sinead Duggan . GCH girls U17s Aoife Sheehy, Aoife King , and Laura Nally also won gold as part of the Galway squad at county level. Aaron Brennan of GCH won the U15 Boys Connacht title with a great display of front running.
The U17 Boys event saw a very talented squad of four GCH athletes toe the line . It was Eanna Folan of the city club who stormed into an early lead that he would never lose , to win the Connacht title . New GCH signing Gary Martyn ran well to be second club man home, with Mark Powell and Ronan Dirrane 3rd and 4th scorers. The team duly took home the gold after the results were tallied and will now focus on the Nationals in December.
Fit for Life 5km
Athenry AC held their 6th annual 5km Fit for Life race on Saturday last 7th November in the town .
Derek Naughton of Milltown AC took victory in a time of 18.27., ahead of Patrick Fleming of Tuam and Shane Begley. Noelle Gannon of Tuam AC was first lady home in 22.11.
Masters International
This Saturday in Santry sees several of Galway’s top masters athletes run for Ireland in the Home International Cross Country races in Santry in Dublin. Tuam ACs Roger Rushe runs on the O75 squad, with GCH Martin Mcevilly going in the O65 category. Michael O Connor GCH and Peter O Sullivan of Craughwell run on a very strong Irish O40 team . Kathryn Casserly of Castlegar runs in the Open 6km race and Gerry Ryan is a reserve on the O50 men’s team. The event pits Ireland versus Northern Ireland, England Scotland and Wales across the 35-50, 50-64 and 65 plus categories.
Hollymount hits 50
The 50th Anniversary event of the famous Hollymount Road races in the Mayo village will be celebrated on Sunday November 15th next. Through the years this race has been one of the most competitive and highest quality in the country. Previous winners include the likes of Irish internationals Noel Berkeley, John Woods and top Galway runners Gerry Ryan and Gary Thornton, as well as famous lady winners Christine Kennedy, Patricia Griffin and Kathryn Casserly
The 50th Anniversary Organising Committee extend a hearty welcome to all, and especially to athletics clubs from near and far, to come and compete in the events and/or attend the celebrations of the unique occasion. Entries for the three races are open on www.runireland.com and available on the day from 10.30am, with a free technical T-shirt for first 100 entries.
The Timetable for November 15 sees events starting at 12 noon with the Youths 3k,
12.20pm: Start women’s 6k and 1.00pm- Start men’s 10k