SANDIS AND CORINNA CROWNED CHAMPIONS
The premium event on the West Waterford Athletic Club’s calendar came to a very competitive and interesting conclusion last week with the running of the final race, the An Tobar 5 in Ardmore. This 10 race series, which began last April, saw some interesting battles along the way and also record fields participating. In fact this series is the only one in the country to offer a 10 race programme. This year we saw old friends and new participating and enjoying the diverse array of courses on offer, going from the fast and furious Touraneena 5k, to the sands of the Cunnigar, to the woods of Dromana and Ballymacarbry and everywhere else in between.
There is great credit due to our road-racing co-ordinator Gerry Cantwell and his team of officials for all the races. To our timekeepers, stewards, people to take entries, make out results and our outdoor staff who look after the signs and keep the lead car on the road and look after the P.A. system, we would like to express our sincere gratitude and thanks for all your help. Without these people our races would not go ahead. We would like to give a special mention to Liam Crowe, Breda Cantwell and Bernie Wade who were constant fixtures at each race doing a multitude of jobs. We are indebted to them for giving of their time and help so willingly and they contributed wholeheartedly to the overall success of each and every race and of course to the success of the series itself. To all those that offered their help along the way, your contribution was fantastic. Thanks also to the Gardai for their help and co-operation at all ten races.
OUR SPONSORS
Events cannot be successful without proper funding and backing. In West Waterford A.C. we are extremely fortunate to have some of the best in the business. In Ger Wyley Sports Dungarvan and Nike we have two of the most established brand names around. We are extremely grateful to Ger for once again presenting the Summer Series prizes at the An Tobar 5 and for his kind words to the club. Incidentally Ger by competing Friday night you also completed your 6th race and earned yourself a €25 euro Nike voucher! Ger also remarked on the 14th running of the series and how quickly the time had flown by and of the friendships and camaraderie formed as a result. In thanking everyone present for their participation in the series Ger also congratulated all the prizewinners and divisional winners. Thanks again Ger for a job well done and for your help with the series on the night.
Present at all of our 10 races we also have our individual race sponsors who support our races by sponsoring and presenting the prizes. For this we are extremely grateful. To all of the clubs who allowed us to use their facilities over the summer, a big thank you and to all of the establishments that we have visited and who provided tired and weary runners with a much needed cup of tea. We hope to see you all again next year. As you can imagine the keeping track of everyone’s finishing position in each of the ten races and the overall series was quite a task indeed. This was entrusted to the ever reliable Ann Dunford who was meticulous in her work throughout the series. We really and truly appreciate the many hours that Ann spent looking after the results and we would like to compliment her on a job well done. Thanks Ann.
SANDIS RETAINS MICHEÁL O HOGÁIN CUP
Since joining our club in 2005 Sandis Bralitis has represented West Waterford A.C. at numerous events all over Ireland. In retaining the Micheál O Hogáin cup in 2008 he has managed to achieve 3 wins in a row. This year however, Sandis has been beset by injuries and perhaps this was his most hard fought victory to date. He won with a total of 8 points from his fellow club and countryman Raivis Zakis who finished with a total of 9 points. Raivis started and finished the series well recording wins at the Marine, Butlerstown, Ballymacarbry and Ardmore. In between however, Sandis had victories at Waterford to Tramore, Clashmore, Dromana and G.S.K. So where did Sandis take the series? Well it’s your best 6 finishes out of 10 that count and while Sandis had 4 wins and 2 seconds, Raivis also had 4 wins but crucially 1 second and 13rd place which left him just one point behind. What a great battle for the series and hopefully next year will be just as exciting.
In 3rd place was a very popular athlete from St. Joseph’s club in Kilkenny a 2-time winner of the series who finished with a total of 30 points. Peter Duggan is a frequent visitor to our club and indeed participated in all 10 of Ger Wyley Sports/Nike summer series races. In 4th position is another very talented athlete, Larry Kennedy from Waterford A.C. who also completed all 10 races and finished on 39 points. P.J. Guinan, West Waterford A.C., who had some fantastic results in races this year, filled 5th position. He will be well pleased with his season’s running so far and to finish with 59 points. A Clonmel athlete Valera Turkan followed P.J. in 6th place and he finished with 62 points. The St. Joseph’s club also provided the 7th place finisher with Larry Lacey who finished with 71 points and again completed all 10 races. Valera Turkan’s club man Vasily Numerzhitskig filled the 8th position with 76 points. Just behind in 9th place was a very promising young West Waterford athlete Alan Lyons who will be very pleased with his progress this year. Alan took part in all 10 races and finished with 112 points. The final athlete to make it into the magic top 10 overall athletes in the series was Waterford A.C. man Billy McGuire who also has had a very good series and completed the 10 races. There was very little in the difference between some people and is shows what a keenly contested series it was and will no doubt be contested with as much vigour and enthusiasm in 2009.
The top ten men overall in the series:
1. Sandis Bralitis 8
2. Raivis Zakis 9
3. Peter Duggan 30
4. Larry Kennedy 39
5. PJ Guinan 59
6. Valera Turcan 62
7. Larry Lacey 71
8. Vasily Neumerzhitskig 76
9. Alan Lyons 112
10. Billy McGuire 114
DIVISIONAL WINNERS
This year instead of going for the usual age categories for divisional winners in the series it was decided to make just one table for men and one for women. The winners of the men’s divisions would come from the athletes who finished in 20th, 30th and 40th position and so on depending on the amount of entries. It is important to note that in order to figure on the tables you must first have entered the series. The series was open to entries up until the Dromana race which has always been the cut off point for the series. Each athlete’s final score comprised of their best six races. After the race in Ardmore, each athlete’s best six races throughout the series was calculated and then the prizes were awarded to those who finished in 20th, 30th and 40th position etc.
And so on to the winners: West Waterford A.C. had a clean sweep here with the following taking prizes:
Conor Murray: West Waterford A.C. 20
Yevgeniy Chizhikov: West Waterford A.C. 30
Cathal Dwane: West Waterford A.C. 40
Dermot Ryan: West Waterford A.C. 50
Pat Connaughton: West Waterford A.C. 60
Maurice Foley: West Waterford A.C. 70
Congratulations to all and well done.
CORINNA CROWNED CHAMP
There’s no arguing with an athlete who finishes with 6 points out of a possible 6 and that is what West Waterford’s Corinna Walsh achieved this year in the summer series. From the beginning of the series Corinna really put in some effort and it was clear to see at the first race that she was looking to achieve the overall top spot in the series and this is what she duly did. The Modeligo lady has had her fair share of injuries over the last 2 years but has finally put all this heartache behind her which saw her achieve the best points possible in the series, the only individual to do so in the series. Over the course of the Series Corinna took first place finishes in Butlerstown, Rás Na Rinne, Clashmore, Dromana, G.S.K. and Ballymacarbry. This was a wonderful achievement and she will also be well pleased with her P.B. in G.S.K. where she went under 30 minutes for 5 miles for the first time. In second place and giving Corinna a great battle was our friend from Kilmore, Co. Wexford, Jackie Carty. Jackie has won this title on 4 previous occasions and was only 4 points off top spot with 10 points. Jackie also took two wins this year in the Marine Climb and Touraneena. I’m sure Jackie will be back next year to do battle again. West Waterford’s Diane Behan filled 3rd spot with 22 points. Diane’s best finish was in Clashmore where she ran a great race to finish second. The St. Senan’s club also figured in the ladies tables where Cáit Caulfield finished in 4th position with 31 points. Cáit ran some very good races over the summer and will be delighted to finish in the top 5 overall ladies. In 5th position was an athlete who everyone was delighted to see coming good in 2008. West Waterford’s Eilis Ni Aodha has also had her fair share of injuries but this year all went well and Eilis was back and not only that, she also completed all 10 races and finished with a best 6 score of 32 points.
Top five overall women in the Ger Wyley/Nike summer series:
1. Corinna Walsh West Waterford A.C. 6
2. Jackie Carty Kilmore A.C. 10
3. Diane Behan West Waterford A.C. 22
4. Cait Caulfield St. Senan’s 31
5. Eilis Ni Aodha West Waterford A.C. 32
DIVISIONAL WINNERS
In the Ladies, we presented prizes to the athlete’s who filled the 10th, 15th, 20th position on the table. The following athletes were rewarded for their participation in 6 races:
Brea Cooke Waterford A.C. 10
Karen Ryan West Waterford 15
Maura Seaward Unattached 20
Marie O Gorman West Waterford 25
Mary Harney West Waterford 30
Amanda Mansfield West Waterford 35
Once again we would like to congratulate all our prizewinners and thank everyone for their participation in the 2008 Ger Wyley Sports/Nike Summer Series. Without runners there would be no races so thanks to all athletes for supporting our races. This year it was decided to reward not only the runners who ran 6 races with a €25 euro Nike voucher but to up this to a €75 voucher if you could run all 10 races. This proved to be a great success as athletes dedicated themselves to the task. Indeed I know P.J. Guinan was most disappointed to miss Ardmore as he had 9 races completed as was Tom Halley from Clonmel. In fact I know one lady who was attending a wedding only to leave the reception to go to Ballymacarbry for a 5 mile road race! Now there’s dedication, well done Ann. For the record, seven ladies completed all 10 races and 19 men. A total of 76 men and 38 women featured in the series.
WEST WATERFORD A.C. CLUB CHAMPIONSHIP
For the second year running, West Waterford has held a club championship as part of the summer series. This was confined to members of the club only. For each of the ten races in the summer series we kept a record of your finishing position. If you finished in 20th place then you got 20 points, if you finished in 45th place then you got 45 points. In order to feature in the club championship it was necessary to complete 7 out of the 10 races, it didn’t matter which seven. If you did more than seven, it was your best seven races that counted towards your overall score. It was also divided in to age categories for both men and women.
The following are the results of the club championship, the prizes for which were awarded at An Tobar Bar, Ardmore, following the prize-giving for the Ardmore race.
MEN
Senior: Raivis Zakis
O/35: P.J. Guinan
O/40: Martin Hayes
O/45: Davy Wade
O/50: Colin Lyons
O/55: Ray Murray
O/60: Michael Hennessy
Junior: Declan Power
WOMEN
Senior: Corinna Walsh
O/35: Diane Behan
O/40: Ann Whelan
O/45: Eilis Ni Aodha
O/50: Ann Moroney
O/55: Terri Gough
TQS RUNNING LEAGUE
KEITH NAILS ROUND 8
The eighth and final round of the “predict your time” T.Q.S. League took place on Tuesday night last. Again the weather during the day was not conducive to running but thankfully the evening cleared and all present enjoyed the pleasant conditions for the run. The athletes must have all learned from last week, as on this occasion there were only 5 runners in before the clock hit zero. Indeed there was a lot of very cagey running from athletes entering the final lap. “I think we’re too fast” seemed to be the consensus of opinion but on this occasion everyone seemed to get it almost spot on as less than 2 minutes separated all but 3 of the 40 athletes taking part on the night. They say practice makes perfect!
Into the winners enclosure for the 8th and final round comes an athlete who has marvellous talent as a runner and who is at the moment training for the upcoming Dublin triathlon. Keith Radley timed his run to perfection and entered the finishing tunnel as the clock struck zero. Well done Keith and best of luck in Dublin. What can we say about the athlete who followed Keith home in second place? Our club chairman Tony Ryan is one of the people long associated with athletics in Dungarvan and will have been delighted with his second place just 8 seconds behind Keith. Tony is well known to all newcomers, as he is the first to greet them at the club van. For this league Tony got out the runners and took part himself. Nice to see you are as competitive as ever, you were bound to get it right eventually Tony! Following Tony home was Jenny Noctor who also had her best place finish for this league and was just 9 seconds out.
Just behind Jenny and only 12 seconds out was Josie Harty who really enjoys taking part in the Friary Leagues. Once again we would like to acknowledge the co-operation from the Friary College in allowing us to use their facilities for which we are extremely grateful. Josie was followed home by Tom Scanlon, who was a second place finisher on week 4, on 13 seconds and by the winner of week 4 Angeline Drennan on 14 seconds.
On the wrong side of the clock in this round was Dungarvan man Micheál Callaghan who was only 6 seconds off the mark but who will have been delighted with his progress in this league and this was evident in his good run in Ardmore last Friday night. Just before Micheál were Ann Dunford on 10 seconds and also Tomás Coleman on 31 seconds. Tomás was also very fresh from his fantastic run in Ardmore where he clipped around in 31.29 and in the process took quite a few scalps. The marathon training is going well Tomás.
So what did all this mean to the T.Q.S. Champions League Tables? Well tactically last week’s leaders Yev on 127 points and Corinna on 122 points got it spot on as they finished in 9th and 10th position and earned for themselves 21 and 22 points respectively. Last week we wondered could anyone break the magic point’s barrier of 141 points set last year by Onra Power. Well the answer is a resounding yes and we have a new target of 148 points to aim for next year. Indeed Yev was not alone in breaking the record as Corinna also claimed 144 points to finish in second place overall just 4 points behind Yev.
Our third place prize-winner was Colm O Brien who scored consistently on 7 out of the 8 nights of this league. This was Colm’s first year running in our leagues and finishing with a score of 128 points he can be well placed as he finished well above some more seasoned competitors. This indeed is the beauty of this league as with the “Colligan Cup” style of the league it’s not about how fast you are, it’s about consistency and timing.
In joint 4th place we had 2 athletes who could not be separated and finished on a total of 110 points. John Foley and Norma Wall were also regularly in the points with John receiving points on each of the 8 nights of the league and Norma was a two time winner. John was one to watch as he was known to be there or thereabouts each week. Norma was a long time leader of this league only to be overtaken last week. Still Norma will be delighted to have got it spot on 2 weeks in a row and happy with her overall joint 4th place.
Those unlucky to miss out on this occasion but who also scored highly were young Brickey athlete Aisling Hourigan who again scored on 7 out of the 8 nights and finished with a point’s total of 105. In joint 7th position with 103 points we had Tomás Coleman and Alexander Novakovsky. In 8th was Brigid Coffey, an athlete who is pushing hard for the Athlete of the Year title. Brigid finished on a total of 102 points and was followed in 10th place by Declan Hayes who also reached the 100 points mark, which is excellent scoring and should encourage Declan in his running.
Well done to everyone who took in the T.Q. S. league and we hope to see you all back in the Friary again for the next leagues which are the Fit4Life Elite Paintball One Lap League on Tuesday 9 September and the Fit4Life Garvey’s Supervalue Autumn League which will commence on Thursday 11 September. Don’t worry we will remind you of these leagues in the upcoming weeks.
SPONSORS
Once again we would like to acknowledge the fantastic support that West Waterford Athletic Club receives from our sponsors. With their commitment we once again had a successful league, which was most enjoyable and even made the bad summer weather a little more tolerable.
So a very grateful thanks to T.Q.S. Systems and Tom and Maura Quilty for their generosity. Tom, Maura and West Waterford Athletic Club would also like to acknowledge Tipperary Water for their supply of water to the runners at the finish line.
PRIZE-GIVING
The prize-giving for the TQS League was held in Tommy Power’s Bar in the square last Friday night and a great night was had by all. Maura Quilty was on hand with a fabulous array of prizes on offer for all the winners of the league. Maura put in much time and effort into acquiring these fabulous prizes and they were very much appreciated by all. Our thanks to the staff at Tommy Powers who provided the refreshments on the night and ensured that we were all well looked after. Many thanks.
BLARNEY HALF MARATHON
The Blarney Half Marathon will take place in Blarney on Sunday September 14. With so many giving the National Half Marathon a skip due to the All-Ireland final, this is your chance to run in a half marathon before the end of September. This is not the easiest of course but nonetheless will provide a great training run for all those training for a marathon. The race itself begins at 11 a.m. at the Blarney GAA grounds. Forms for this race will be available from Ger Wyley sports shop from today on or alternatively the form can be downloaded from St. Finbarr’s website. The pre-entry fee is €20 and the closing date for this is Saturday, September 6. It is possible to enter up to 10.30 on the day but the fee increases to €25.
NEW FOUR MILE RACE IN COLLIGAN
Just a quick reminder to you all to start rounding up your team for the new 4 mile race in Colligan. As mentioned last week, this race is held in conjunction with the community of Kilgobinet, Colligan and Kilbrien and will form part of their field day which will be held in the club grounds. This race is open to all runners but has an extra feature of GAA Teams. We are asking that all the local GAA teams in the surrounding area send at least one team of three to take part. Word has it that Pat Dunford has his team in order already as does Alan Kinsella. Alan has been a regular of the Winter League over the past few years but Triona Wall is training for the Budapest marathon so we should see some interesting performances on the day. I was speaking to Vince lately but he wasn’t revealing the Modeligo outfit just yet, we’ll just have to wait and see!! This will all add to the fun of the day and the proceeds go to the KCK Community Group. Individuals are most welcome to take part as well: all are welcome, the more the merrier.
BALLYCOTTON 5-FINAL RACE IN SERIES
The last of the Ballycotton summer series races takes place in Ballycotton tomorrow night with a 7.30 p.m. start. The previous races in the series were Ballyandreen, Shanagarry and Churchtown South. West Waterford has been well represented at all previous three and no doubt tomorrow night will be no exception. The overall leader at the moment is West Waterford’s in form Raivis Zakis who will be looking for four wins from four. As a result of his previous three wins he is at the top of the division tables. He has a combined time of 1.18.25 for the last three races and in second place is East Cork’s Sean McGrath with a combined time of 1.19.40. This lead should see Raivis comfortably take the honours for overall winner of the Ballycotton summer series. An Riocht’s Tim O’ Connor is currently filling third place on 1.22.06. Another club athlete who is well up on the division tables is Ballycotton regular Joe Kelly. Joe is in 11th position at the moment on a time of 1.30.28. A concerted effort by Joe tomorrow night could very well see him move to tenth position. Jim Fleming is in 35th position with 1.39.44 which is great running indeed and in 56th spot is Tony O’ Mahony. There is very little separating Michael Hennessy and Ray Curran, with them holding 89th and 91st place respectively and right behind them is another club-mate, John Fennell in 94th spot. In the ladies Brigid Coffey is in the enviable position of having made it to the top ten, she currently holds 10th place in a time of 1.55.21. Best of luck to all those travelling tomorrow night and please note the 7.30 p.m. start.
WELL DONE JAMIE
Last Friday morning at 7.30 a.m. Chinese time, club member Jamie Costin flew the flag for West Waterford and Ireland when he competed in the gruelling 50km walk at the Beijing Olympics. To compete at such a high level is a dream come true and is a just reward for the dedication and commitment Jamie has shown throughout his career. His achievement is all the more remarkable given that he was seriously injured prior to competing in the last Olympics in Athens. Since achieving the “A” standard for the Olympics last year Jamie has dedicated his time preparing as diligently as possible so as to be in peak condition for the big day. And so last Friday morning Jamie undertook the formidable task of the 50km walk. It was always going to be tough given the distance itself and many onlookers remarked that it was one of the toughest races ever witnessed with each spectator desperately seeking shelter from the soaring heat. The temperature at the beginning of the race was 20 degrees and by the end of the race it had soared to 35 degrees with 95% humidity. This made conditions all the more enduring for the competitors. In true Jamie Costin style, he battled bravely from start to finish which is testament of his will and strength of character. He certainly gave the event every last ounce of energy that he possessed particularly in the last 12 km which were incredibly tough. He completed the 50km in a super time of 4.14.16 which is a tremendous achievement and one which his club, family, friends and country are extremely proud of. Well done Jamie, you were great and an inspiration to us all. We hope you enjoy some much deserved rest. The race itself was won by an Italian, Alex Schwazer in a time of 3.37.09 who set a new Olympic record for the distance.
RAIVIS ZAKIS-TITANIC BATTLE AT LONGFORD HALF MARATHON
Raivis Zakis was in action yet again this weekend when he competed in the Longford Half Marathon. This race always attracts many top names from the running circuit and such is Raivis’ form at the moment that he finished second in a time of 1.11.10, a mere seven seconds behind the Kenyan athlete who won in a time of 1.11.03. It was a very worthwhile trip for Raivis and like many times before he has proven that he is one of the most successful road runners in the country. Well done on your fine achievement and we have no doubt that there is much more to come.
