Tuam Athletic Club

Tuam AC Notes 20 May 2013

brendan — Mon, 20 May 2013 22:00:45 +0000

All runners and athletes benefit from a good winter training regime but there is a limit to just how much winter we can take. The third round of the 5k series took place last Tuesday evening in Loughrea and the conditions were appalling, it lashed rain before, during and after the race and Loughrea AC deserve a lot of credit for putting on a first class event in very difficult conditions. Tuam AC were very well represented again with Enda Mannion leading the way in 17.24 and the next Tuam runner home was Ger Hartnett who finished in 19.23 which is great running on a tough course that includes a killer hill from 3 – 4km. Elaine Walsh was the first Tuam lady home and we are all hoping for better weather in Craughwell.

Tuam AC were also very well represented at the Ballindine 4 mile guess your own time race on Saturday evening and our own Tommy Joe Whyte was the overall winner when he ran 24.30 exactly as he predicted he would. Other highlights were Steven Brady who ran much quicker than predicted and Mark Rabbitte and Una Browne also ran very well. It was great to see Dave Mullins back in race action and there was a lot of very nervous runners around when he made his way to the start and we are sure he has a great summer ahead of him.

On Sunday our juveniles took part in The Avaya Co Galway Track and Field championships and it was a great day for Tuam AC and we were delighted to see some of our newer members taking part in their first serious competition. Edel Joyce was a real star and has great potential and did very well in the 80m sprint, shot putt and javelin. Michael Murphy also made his debut for Tuam AC and won a Co medal in his very first competition. Damien Finneran also had a great day and is a vital member of our team and our three veterans Abdul Wahab, Darragh Finneran and Rory Monaghan were in great form. They made a clean sweep of the shot putt once again with Abdul taking Gold and Darragh Silver. Darragh then won the javelin with Abdul collecting silver and Rory won the discus competition. Darragh also collected a medal in the long jump and set a new pb by jumping an incredible 5m 49cm and the day finished off with Abdul taking silver in a thrilling 400m race where he lead most of the way until the lactic acid took it’s toll in the last 100m and he was pipped at the post. Well done to all of our juveniles who are a real credit to the club.

Tuam AC Notes 13 May 2013

brendan — Mon, 13 May 2013 19:07:09 +0000

The 5k roadshow continued in Claregalway last Tuesday and as usual Clare River Harriers put on a first class event for the 600+ competitors. The race was won by Peter O’Sullivan of Loughrea AC who ran very well from start to finish and had opened a commanding lead at 1km, he kept his foot to the floor all the way and finished in 16.02. Billy King of Killaloonty finished in 2nd place for GCH and Enda Mannion of Tuam AC took 3rd in 16.59. It is great to see Enda competing at the very highest level in the green of Tuam AC and he deserves his success and he is really looking forward to the rest of the series. Once again Tuam had a huge number of athletes taking part and the first Tuam lady home was Elaine Fleming who had a great battle with her good friend and club mate Maura Meenaghan all the way to the finish. Elaine finished in 22.59 and Maura was just 5 seconds behind her. Other highlights for Tuam included Eoin O’Conghaile who is closing in on a new pb for 5k and Fidelma Roche who absolutely smashed her pb and is sure to go even faster by the time of the series finale in Tuam in 3 weeks. There is also a fantastic race taking place in Ballindine on Saturday evening at 7pm. This 4 mile race is a unique event where competitors have to guess their own time and absolutely anybody can win the very generous prize on offer regardless of how fast or slow they compete the course. The race is organized by David Huane and his crew of dedicated volunteers in Ballindine and all proceeds go to Western Alzheimers . It is a top class event on a lovely course and gives everybody a chance of victory and they also have spot prizes on offer and delicious post race refreshments. Please support this worthy cause on Saturday. Entries are recommended online at www.runireland.com and late entries will also be taken from 5pm on Saturday. Finally good luck to all of our juvenile athletes taking part in the Galway County Track and Field Championships on Sunday.

Tuam AC Notes 6 May 2013

brendan — Mon, 06 May 2013 22:20:50 +0000

Tuam AC have plenty to celebrate after a very busy week on the road running scene. The action started in Athenry last Tuesday at the first round of the 5k series and a record crowd of almost 700 runners completed the first leg in good weather conditions. The first Tuam runner home was Enda Mannion who finished in 6th place overall with a very impressive 17.06 he was followed by almost 30 clubmates from Tuam AC who all ran extremely well and some of the highlights included Ann Marie Miskell who was the 5th lady home. Stephen Brady who is really coming back into form and proves that serious training really does pay off. Jarlath Monaghan, Mark Rabbitte and Peter Tierney who all finished under 22 mins. Sean O’Morain had another very impressive run in a Tuam vest as did Roger Rushe who was warmly welcomed by numerous runners from all over County Galway. Roger was also delighted that two of his daughters Audrey and Caroline took part in the race and they have definitely inherited his running genes as they both ran very well. We also had a record turnout of ladies representing Tuam AC including Maura Meenaghan, Elaine Fleming, Hilary Moloney, Katherine Antweiler and Ursula Brady who were just some of the Tuam ladies in action. Round two is in Claregalway and the 6th and final leg of the series will once again be in Tuam on Tuesday 4th June at 8pm. Over the Bank Holiday weekend we had runners in action in Waterford, Limerick, Boyle and closer to home in Killererin. Andrea Ridge and Paddy Gilmore took part in the annual Waterford to Tramore 7.5 mile road race. This is a massive event that has taken place evry year for the last 44 years. Andrea won her category and Paddy Gilmore also ran extremely well even though the entire race was ran into a very strong headwind. Andrea was delighted with her victory as this race attracts runners from all over Ireland and overseas. The Great Limerick run took place on Sunday and Gearoid Healy represented Tuam in the Half Marathon and finished in 23rd place overall from almost 2000 runners. Gearoid finished in 84 mins and was very happy with his performance. Dave Mullins made a very welcome return to competitive racing when he took part in the Boyle Charity Duathlon in Lough Key forest park which consisted of a 5k run, 20k bike and 2.5k run. Dave finished in 1h 19 mins which is great going and he proved he is just as good on a bike as he is at running. Finally on Bank Holiday Monday the first ever running of the Killererin Ladies Football club 5k and 10k race took place and Tuam AC were once again very well represented. Ian Egan won the 10k race in style in 36 mins and he was followed by Dan O’Rourke in 2nd place. The first lady home was Siobhan Healy who made it a great weekend for the Healy family and Ann Marie Miskell was the 2nd lady home. There was a number of other Tuam AC members taking part and they all had a very enjoyable day in Killererin and are looking forward to next years race already.

Tuam AC Notes 29 Apr 2013

brendan — Mon, 29 Apr 2013 22:36:00 +0000

Tuam AC are always delighted to welcome new members and with over 120 members registered in 2013 the future looks very bright. Our Wednesday evening juvenile sessions are very popular and they are a great group of very talented young athletes. Our adult section is also thriving and we would like to congratulate Sean O’Morain who ran his first race as a Tuam AC member last weekend when he took part in the Wexford Half Marathon. It was his first race over 13.1 miles and he ran a great race and is now looking forward to the 5k series and a very busy summer of road races. We are also delighted to see a number of our runners returning from injury lay offs and wish all the best to our members who are competing in the Limerick and Belfast Marathons over the Bank Holiday weekend.

Tuam AC Notes 22 Apr 2013

brendan — Mon, 22 Apr 2013 21:46:22 +0000

The Galway Local Sports Partnership took place in Ardrahan last Saturday morning in almost perfect weather conditions and almost 300 people took part in a very enjoyable and well organized race. Tuam AC were represented by Ian Egan and Dan O’Rourke who have been running together for over 30 years at this stage which is hard to believe but nobody was surprised when they both finished in top ten positions once again. Ian finished in 5th place overall in 36 mins and he was followed just a minute later by Dan who finished in 8th place. They were also 2nd and 3rd in their category and their performance really is top class middle distance running. The 5k series is also due to start next week in Athenry and all runners should note that the first race of the series is taking place in Athenry town and not in Newcastle as in previous years. The race starts at 7.45pm and number collection takes place in Athenry boys school. Full details can be found at www.5km.ie Good luck to all involved especially the 30 members of Tuam AC who are taking part in this years series.

Boston, the North Pole and Galway

brendan — Wed, 17 Apr 2013 08:40:17 +0000

Everybody in Tuam AC was very sad to see the terrible explosions at the finish of the Boston Marathon on Monday and we know that many runners travel from Ireland each year to take part in the oldest marathon in the world. Our thoughts and prayers are with everybody at this time.

On a happier note Tuam AC had a double celebration with Ian Egan making history by running the toughest marathon in the world at the North Pole where he ran 26.2 miles in -28C and had to make sure he was wearing the correct gear to avoid frostbite and hypothermia and also needed armed guards to keep a lookout for Polar bears. It was a magnificent feat to complete this race as it is hard to describe just how difficult the conditions are to run in. We are also delighted to report that the race was won by his good friend Gary Thornton of GCH and both of them are former winners of the Tuam 8k race. Ian returned from the North Pole late last week and still had enough energy to run the New Inn 5k race on Sunday where he finished 5th overall in 18 mins and won his category.

Tuam AC were also celebrating Enda Mannions big win on Saturday when he finished first at the Cope 8k race in Galway. It is great to see Enda back in top form and he is really looking forward to the 5k series.

Galway LSP 10k run in Ardrahan

brendan — Mon, 15 Apr 2013 21:38:47 +0000

An update regarding the Galway LSP 10k run in Ardrahan. People are having difficulty entering via the runireland website.

The correct link to enter online is http://www.activeglobal.com/gl/running/ardrahan-ireland/galway-sports-partnership-10k-2013.

Upcoming races in New Inn and Labane

brendan — Thu, 11 Apr 2013 10:42:57 +0000

The May 5k series has sold out and if you didn’t get in or need to do a bit of speedwork before the first race in Athenry there is a great 5k race taking place in New Inn, Ballinasloe on Sun 14th April at 1pm. On the following Sat 20th April the Galway Sports Partnership 10k race takes place in Labane, Ardrahan and online entry is only €15 with €20 on the day entries. So get in quick and save a fiver.

Category podium for Tommy Joe in Quilty

brendan — Thu, 11 Apr 2013 10:41:21 +0000

Tommy Joe Whyte had a great run at the Quilty 4 Mile road race in Co Clare on Sunday where he finished in a very impressive 24 mins. Tommy Joe took 2nd place in his category in what was a … Continue reading →

Ian on top of the world!

brendan — Mon, 08 Apr 2013 21:59:25 +0000

Tuam AC members have taken part in some of the worlds great races down through the years including the London, New York, Paris and Dublin Marathons and this week a new destination will be added to the Tuam list when Ian Egan takes part in possibly the Worlds toughest race, The North Pole Marathon. Ian flew to Norway late last week on the first leg of his journey and has now transferred by helicopter to base camp at the magnetic North Pole where the thermometer is reading -14C. Ian won the first Tuam 8k race back in 2005 and is still going as well as ever and we are also delighted to report that another well known Galway runner Gary Thornton is also taking part in the race. Gary also won the Tuam 8k and set a course record in the process. We wish both of these runners all the best and we will have full results and hopefully first hand details from Ian next week.