Yesterday's 5 mile road race in Kilconieron was won by Gerry Ryan in a time of 25:22. 2nd place Mark Davis shows it's possible to run fast enough to have time to write a race report (but where does he get his energy?). It includes the full results:
http://www.craughwellac.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=59...

Francis Kennedy has published a nice collection of photographs from the race: http://www.kennedyart.net/unicorn/10_kilconieron/10_kilconieron.htm

The following road-race was yet another casualty of the recent bad weather over Christmas/New Year. Gerry Carty advises that it has been re-scheduled as follows and gives another opportunity for fine-tuning your winter training program.

The following road-race was yet another casualty of the bad weather over Christmas/new year. Gerry Carty advises that it has been re-scheduled as follows.

For those of you taking part in this year's Fields of Athenry 10K road-race on St. Stephen's day (26th December), GCH will organise a bus to and from the event if there are sufficient numbers interested.

The provisional plan is that the bus will leave Galway at 9.30am (approximately) from Westside Library and return from Athenry at around 3pm. This will give all participants ample time to warm-up for the race and then just as importantly, time for post-race analysis over a relaxing cup of tea (or perhaps a hot port for the day that's in it!) with fellow runners and club members.

The results of the inaugural Clarinbridge 10k in aid of the IHPCT Lourdes Fund 2010 are attached. The IHPCT travel to Lourdes every year with children with special needs and over 2900 Euro was raised by this morning's event. Congratulations and thanks to the local organisers for putting on a very enjoyable 10k race. Mike Dillon, Bosco Forde and their large team of volunteers, with assistance from GCH's own Bernie Kelly, ensured a very smooth event that was thoroughly enjoyed by all the participants.

GCH paparazzi have been out in force again recently. See who you can recognise in the following two newly created online albums:

Lucozade Sport/AAI Series of athletics-related talks with Rosemary Ryan

Hollymount 10K 2009

Marathon fever may be beginning to die down now and road-races are thin on the ground at this time of year as the cross-country seasons kicks into gear. However, for those of us who still like to get out on the tarmac, here's some information about an interesting new race on the local scene. This promises to be a good day out and will raise funds for a great cause at the same time. It's also a good opportunity to get some race practice in at the very manageable distance of 10K which should suit all-comers and is conveniently sandwiched between the Hollymount 10K on Sunday 8th November and the famous fields of Athenry event over the same distance on St. Stephen's Day. We hope to have a good club turnout on the day to support this worthwhile event - what better incentive to get out in the fresh air during the bleak month of November?

I hit the stop button on my watch and looked up, it was like the scene from the opening sequence of Michael Jacksons Thriller video. Grey faces, sunken in eyes and a shuffling gait. How did I get here?….

....DUBLIN MARATHON 2009...(cue Thriller music!)

I think the hysteria started last year. There were some great performances in the Dublin City Marathon 2008 by GCH and indeed a lot of the other Galway clubs, with some inspirational times by a number of Galway girls. I had completed London Marathon almost 10 years ago in a time of 3:46 and had no desire to do another.

Most of the time I don't like writing about my own running experiences - it's much easier to comment on other people's running and racing after all. However, now that the dust has settled on the Dublin marathon, I'm prepared to make one great exception here. I half-committed that if all went reasonably well and I didn't blow-up spectactularly (or at all) on my second day out at the marathon distance in Dublin, I would share some of my thoughts, those being the thoughts of a mid-pack, but hopefully very enthusiastic (ahem!), marathon-runner.

I had the great, great pleasure of watching Dublin 2008 as a spectator road-side and with so many local and west of Ireland athletes out that day and running so well, this served as a great incentive to be part of the action out on the roads myself when October 2009 rolled around.