To celebrate my 52nd birthday (Sunday 7th March) and a happy, healthy life so far I decided to fit in a couple of events this weekend.

Firstly a dance on Friday night to get warmed up for the weekend. Nothing like a few hours ballroom dancing to get the leg muscles working.

Gary Thorton has finished second behind Mark Keneally of Clonliffe Harriers at the AAI Inter Club Cross Country Championships in the Phoenix Park today. The is a brilliant run by Gary who was 14 seconds adrift of Keneally and 15 seconds clear in the end of 3rd placed Gary Murray of St. Malachy's. This is Keneally's first senior gold and those who watched the European Cross-Country in Dublin back in December will remember him as the outstanding Irish competitor that day. Congrats Gary from all at GCH!

Report and full results at: http://www.athleticsireland.ie/content/?p=12213
Our photo shows Gary winning the recent Athenry 10k in a blistering time, and is courtesy of John O'Connor and Athenry A.C.

Willie Morris and Tommy Madden are two of Galway’s finest ever athletes and their achievements in Irish cross-country championship running are legendary. The occasion of Willie’s 90th birthday on December 6th last, prompted their running colleagues in GCH and Athenry to mark the occasion in some way.

Willie and Tommy first ran together as team-mates over 50 years ago, part of the famed Derrydonnell AC that dominated Irish Cross-Country running from the 1950s through the early 1960s. From the late 60s, after the demise of Derrydonnell A.C. they both graced the red and white of GCH and the two men remain close friends to this day. The occasion of the Athenry 10k was a perfect place and time to honour the men, as both have close associations with the area –

Update: The series is now sold out.

Enter at: http://www.runireland.com/forms/galway-5km-series-2010.

Six Galway Athletics Clubs will once again come together to organise a series of low-key, no-frills 5km roads races around the county on six consecutive Tuesday evenings from the 27th of April 2010 through to the 1st of June 2010. The Athenry, Clare River Harriers, Craughwell, Galway City Harriers Loughrea and Tuam clubs have organised a similar series of races for the last four years and the initiative has proven very popular. As usual the races will take place on Tuesday evenings at locations around the county and will culminate in the final race evening in Galway City on Tuesday the 1st June. The now traditional social evening and distribution of series t-shirts and spot prizes will follow the final race.

As in previous years these evenings are specifically designed with the beginner in mind and are perfect for the many members of the Fit4Life groups that have become established all around the county. Runners of all standards are welcome to take part.

The race dates venues and start times will be as follows:

The National Masters and Intermediate Cross Country Championships were held today in Lough Key Forest Park, Boyle, Co Roscommon. First reports say that it was very cold but a well organised event on a good course.

Martin McEvilly won gold in the V6 Category. Jean O'Connor was 16th overall in Intermediate women with Castlegar A.C.'s Kathryn Casserly 5th overall. The Galway women just lost out on the Bronze Team Medal by 3 points.

Results of last weekend's Connacht Indoor Championships are attached...

GCH's Gerry Carty was one of the organisers of the Cloonacool GAA 5k Road Race and a number of club members made the trip to Sligo to support the race yesterday. About 120 took part in all and the race results are attached. It was won by T.J. McHugh of Mayo AC. There are also a few pictures of the GCH gang in http://www.galwaycityharriers.com/albums/misc-photos-2010.

GCH were competing far and wide this Valentines weekend. At the Cloonacool 5k, which had been rescheduled from the big freeze, Don Deacy followed up on his form at the weekly track sessions by running a PB of 21.12. Mary McHugh was 3rd lady in 22.06 and Nicola Deacy was not far off the medals in 22.29 with Eve Daly close behind.

Three GCH Fit4Life runners made the trip to Barcelona for the Half-Marathon. Sharon O'Brien, Sinead NiNeachtain and Charlene Hynes reported that they were "bodies in bits but absolutely delighted!" with their runs in the Spanish City.

Meanwhile, further south, in the Gran Tarajal 'International CC' 4 mile race, Ian Egan won silverware for GCH in coming 2nd vet.

GCH member David Toohey's son Fergal Toohey and his band AMASIS are through to the last 5 acts in the annual Meteor Music Awards. They are up for the Most Promising New Act category and have made the last 5 from an initial 150 acts. These 5 are now being voted on by the public to find the winner before next weeks big Meteor Awards event in the RDS. The public voting closes tomorrow (Monday 15th) night. Voting is by text or online at http://meteormusicawards.meteor.ie/competitions/, where their song is also linked.

Check out http://www.amasisproductions.ie/. Hot Press say "they're going to be massive". Meanwhile, David was part of a large contingent of GCH athletes running in the Maree 8k earlier today (see weekend report).

Sean Breathnach, GCH athlete and coach, added to his impressive tally of National honours on Sunday last by finishing 3rd in the Shot Putt competition at the National Indoors at the Odyssey Arena in Belfast with a Putt of 15.28. Kieran Kelly of Fr. Murphy A.C., 18.85, and Jamie Stevenson of Essex Beagles A.C. (England), 16.98, finished 1st and 2nd respectively.

On February 8th, UK Athletics made an anti-doping announcement on their website: http://www.uka.org.uk/media/news/february-2010/08-02-10-anti-doping/.

Congrats also to the rest of the GCH team who competed in Belfast - Igor Muntean in the High Jump and the 800m trio of Joe O'Donnell, Eddie Costello and Brendan Glynn who continue to improve their times with every outing.