Boys U19
National Uneven Age Cross Country Championships
The Woodies National Uneven Age Cross Country Championships took place on December 15th in conjunction with the Novice Championships at Waterford Institute of Technology. Waterford AC have to be commended for the excellent facilities, event organisation and the warm welcome provided. The competition to qualify for this national event is very hard to achieve and all athletes who competed should be very proud. Bandon AC had 18 athletes who qualified across the various juvenile ages.
The first race of the day was Girls U11, Jane Buckley, Clare Flynn, Lilly Munday, Nicola Tuthill, Orla O’Sullivan and Amy O’Donoghue. There were 150 competitors in this race and the girls ran really well to take silver club title. After winning 3rd club in Munster on November 10th in Castlelyons, to win the 2nd place national club title is a remarkable result. Jane also earned herself two gold medals by helping Munster and Cork win the Provincial and County titles.
Keelan Crowley was our next club athlete in action competing on the Cork team in Boys U11. There were 158 athletes in Keelan’s race and he ran a very strong race and was a crucial scorer on the Cork team, helping them win bronze.
Girls U17
Grainne Mulcahy competing on the Cork Girls U13 team ran very well and just missed out on the scoring Cork team.
The Girls U15 of Laura Nicholson, Aoibh Cassidy, Niamh Munday, Caoimhe Ni Suilleabhain, Alice Symington and Moira Barrett were our next team in action. All girls ran really well in a very competitive race. Laura, competing out of age, scored on the Cork and Munster teams, helping them win gold and silver.
In Girls U17 the team of Fiona Everard, Sinead Caulfield, Lulu Keane and Bethany Haigue had a 4000m course to cover with two loops of the challenging hill to complete, which was a real test of stamina for all. Fiona, competing out of age, earned herself an individual medal by finishing in 9th place. She was the 2nd Munster athlete home and helped Munster win bronze. Fiona, Bethany and Lulu also scored on the Cork team helping the county win bronze. Fiona is in action next on January 4th when she competes on the Irish team in Celtic Games Cross Country in Antrim.
Ronan Duggan was our only club athlete competing in Novice championship today running on the Cork team. He had a great race working his way up through the field throughout the race. He finished in 34th place out of a competitive field of 222. He was the 5th Cork athlete home and he helped the County team win silver.
Callum Ronan Ruairi
Road race roundup
119 athletes ran in the 2nd Valley Rovers Camogie 7k road race on 17.11.13. There was a good turnout of Bandon AC members with many winning prizes, including Paddy Murphy in 3rd place. This was his 1st road race since competing in the Courtmacsherry 36-mile Ultra-Marathon on 27.7.13 in just under 6 and a half hours.
Full list of results can be found on the Valley Rovers GAA website.
Under the bright floodlit CIT grounds was the venue for the annual CIT Cross Country Race.
Only 8 women lined up for the 3000m, alongside 33 men who had to cover the 1000m loop 5 times.
Mark O’Sullivan finished in 3rd place in a time of 17.09, Kevin Wilmot in 6th in 17.59. Tom Sheehan paced son Ronan around to finish in 21.31 and 22.03. A great night was had by all with proceeds to Make-A-Wish Foundation and CIT AC.
Full list of results can be found on Running in Cork blog.
There was a good turn out of Bandon AC members in the Clonakilty Waterfront Half Marathon and 10K on Saturday 7th of December in somewhat ideal running conditions, with the rain stopping just before the start. Pride of place goes to Shane O’Rourke who finished 4th place in the Half Marathon in 1hr 23.35. John Donegan, Dolores Gibbons, Andrea Kelleher and Mari Burke also competed well on the day. A total of 385 runners competed in this race.
Girls U9
In the 10k there was a very large turnout with 913 runners. First Bandon athlete home was Paddy Murphy who ran a great race to finish 4th in 37.03, closely followed by David Craig of Bandon AC 5th in 37.26. The following also ran well on the day – Killian Burke, Pauline Callan, Michelle Lynch, Michael McKeon, Margaret Coughlan, Liz Kelly, Mags Looney and Maria Burke.
The Shanagarry Christmas 5K was held on the 21/12/13. This race attracted 94 runners. Paddy Murphy was the sole Bandon AC member in action and finished in 5th place in a time of 17:57.
The Newmarket 5K was held on the 23/12/13 and the sleet just cleared before the start, making for cool race conditions. Three Bandon AC members made the journey for this 5K:- David Craig 17:59, Tom Sheehan 18:14, and Killian Burke 20:19.
The annual Belgooly 4-Mile Road Race on St.Stephen’s Day attracted a large crowd as usual and just over €3,700 was raised for the Bowel Cancer Treatment Fund at C.U.H. There was a large number of athletes from Bandon AC across all categories both male and female. 1st for Bandon was Fergus Wall, then Paddy Murphy, Tom Laffan, Tom Sheehan, John O’Sullivan, Killian Burke, Pat O’Sullivan, Marie Burke, Clare Murphy, Mary O’Connell, Geraldine Corcoran and Siobhan O’Flynn.
Keelan Boys U11
On Saturday 28.12.13 a total of 288 runners turned out for the inaugural Togher Christmas 5K Road Race in sunny but cold conditions. Just two Bandon AC athletes attended. Thomas Sheehan finished in a time of 18:21 and Siobhan O’Flynn in 25:30.