Tuam Athletic Club News

Our senior runners were in action on Sunday with Dan O’Rourke once again leading the way for Tuam AC in the Hollymount 10K Road Race in a time of 36:47, he was closely followed by Dave Mullins who, in finishing in a time of 37:13 is back to the kind of form he was showing during the summer. Earlier in the day Iarlaith O’Rourke finished second in the Junior race over 3km and Michael McLoughlin secured a brilliant third place in the Fit4Life 10K.

Tuam AC were very well represented in the New York City Marathon on Sunday when husband and wife duo Seamus and Sharon Walsh made their debut over the classic 26.2 miles in the Big Apple and they did their club, town and country proud when they finished very impressively in 3h 38 mins and 4h 40mins respectively. Eileen Molloy of Corofin who is a great friend of everyone in Tuam AC also made her debut in New York and the hundreds of laps of Gardenfield she has completed over the past few months certainly paid off as Eileen finished in an equally impressive 4h 50 mins.

Eileen and Sharon can now quite rightly state that they raced against the legendary Paula Radcliffe and a host of well known Olympic and International runners on Sunday and their efforts were equal to any of the elite athletes. Seamus is already planning his 2nd Marathon but we hope they enjoy the rest of their break before returning to serious training.

Dan O’Rourke and his nephew Iarlaith made the long journey to Ballinamore on Sunday morning to take part in the Connacht Cross Country championships and it was well worth there while as they put in two brilliant performances in atrocious conditions. They were both ankle deep in mud in the good parts of the course and almost knee deep in the softer parts and still managed to fly around as if they were running on an all weather surface.

Dan finished in 2nd place in the Masters category and as the race progressed he was getting stronger on each lap and was only just beaten by Mayo man Anthony Devaney who is a great runner and ran 2h 50 mins in the Marathon.

Congratulations to Tommy Joe Whyte, Brendan Monaghan and Gearoid Healy who completed the gruelling Dublin Marathon. Tommy Joe was the first Tuam runner home in a time of 3:10. He was followed by Gearoid Healy who finished in 3:15, knocking an amazing 15 minutes off his time of 3:30 in the Cork marathon. Third man home was Brendan Monaghan who finished in a time of 3:31. Brendan was disappointed in his time, but when you consider that he ran 20 miles on a sprained ankle it is a remarkable achievement.

Commiserations to Jim Daly who was unable to complete the marathon this time. Beidh lá eile agat, Jim. I'm sure we'll see you in future marathons.

The Galway County Cross Country Championships were held in Tuam on Sun 4th Oct in the magnificent Palace Grounds. This venue has proved to be a real favourite with Cross Country runners and the added bonus of perfect weather conditions made it a very successful day. Both Senior and Juvenile races were run on the day. For more on the juvenile races, please click here.

In the women's Senior race Lorraine Steede was the first Tuam lady home on the day but she was followed closely by Andrea Ridge. Both of them were medal winners as Lorraine took Silver in the novice category with Andrea taking Gold once again in the masters category.

The men’s race had a huge field with runners from all over Ireland turning up and it was won by GCH star Gary Thornton who produced a powerful display of running and literally sprinted around the park 6 times to win by over half a lap. Anybody who witnessed Gary flying up the hill beside The Pres 7 times on Sunday knew they were watching a great athlete and there was a number of other great displays including our very own Dan O’Rourke who finished in 9th place overall and took the Bronze medal in the Masters category, he also secured his place on the County team. Dave Mullins was in 13th place overall and he was followed by Ged Reid, Michael Mcloughlin who finished like a train, James Gleeson and Brian Sweeney. The Tuam team finished in 4th place overall.

Editor's Note: Special mention must go to a great performance by Brendan Monaghan, who competed in the Cross Country the day after completing the Square 2 Square run. Well done!

Tuam AC would like to thank everybody who helped to make the day such a resounding success including the marshals and the volunteers who were in the park early Sunday morning to mark out the course especially John Brinn and Steven Brady.  Tuam Order of Malta who gave great assistance and finally Presentation College who provided changing facilities.

Well, it's something he has talked about for a long time, and one of those long training runs in preparing for the Dublin Marathon gave Brendan Monaghan the perfect opportunity to run from "Square 2 Square" - from Eyre Square in Galway to Tuam Square - a distance of 21 miles!

It was a blustery Saturday morning when Brendan and Jim Daly said goodbye to Padraig O'Connaire's statue and set off to run to Tuam. Both athletes are in training for the Dublin marathon, and decided that their last long run would be to run from Galway to Tuam. They left Eyre Square at 10 AM and ran along the legendary N17 into a headwind most of the way. Despite this, they still managed to make Tuam Square by lunchtime - or 12:45 to be precise. If this form is to be replicated, both will finish comfortably inside the 3:30 mark for the marathon - no pressure, lads!

Congratulations again, and we  wish them all the best in Dublin.

Tuam Athletic Club are delighted to announce that the 2009 Galway County Cross Country Championships will be held in The Palace Grounds on Sunday 4th October at 1pm. This venue has proved very popular with runners in the past and provides the perfect Cross Country venue, it is also a great spectator event and the action starts with Juvenile races from U-10 up to U-18 and they will be followed by the Seniors, Novice, Intermediate and Masters race for Men and Women. For directions to the Palace Grounds, just follow this link.

The Senior side of the club is very busy at the moment with many of our members now in the serious phase of training for the Dublin City Marathon whilst some of our speed merchants are setting a blistering pace at road races around the County. Dan O’Rourke had a great 3rd place finish in the very tough Clifden 10K where he was followed in 4th place by clubmate Dave Mullins. Dave repeated his efforts again on Sunday when he once again finished 4th overall and 1st O/40 at the Castledaly 10K.

Tuam AC had a great evening in Claregalway on Saturday at the annual Clare River Harriers 10k Road Race which also incorporates the Galway County 10k Championship. Tuam AC took a number of prizes including Ann-Marie Miskell who was second lady overall and also won her category. Tommy Joe Whyte was second M45 and a brilliant team performance from the men meant they finished in third place in the race and the County Championships. The team consisted of Dan O'Rourke, Tommy Joe Whyte, Dave Mullins and Ollie Higgins who we are delighted to see making a comeback after a long injury lay off and he ran through the pain barrier on Saturday to secure the medals for Tuam. Other very notable performances were recorded by the evergreen Roger Rushe and Michael McLoughlin who is also making a very welcome return to the racing circuit.

The first ever Galway Momen’s Mini Marathon was held on Sunday and it was a great occasion with almost 400 Women taking part in this event organized by Galway Simon Community and Tuam AC runner Ann Marie Miskell led from start to finish to become the first ever winner of what is sure to become a massive annual event in the years ahead. The race started at Southpark on The Claddagh and proceeded along the Salthill prom before a serious climb up Threadneedle Road and then turning left onto Kingston Rd and down to the end of Salthill and back past the Spinnaker all the way along the prom again to Southpark.

Ann Marie covered this 10K course in a very impressive 40 mins and was over 10 seconds clear of the second placed runner Elaine Walsh of Athenry AC. Ann Marie  deserves this victory as she has put in some massive performances already this year and everybody in the club is delighted for her. Ann Marie was joined by a huge number of runners from Tuam who all performed exceptionally well and have all vowed to return next year.

On Saturday another well known Tuam runner celebrated his second victory in a week when Martin Hynes won his category in the Ballyhaunis 8K road race which was held in sweltering conditions and this was only six days after winning in the Annaghdown 10K in equally hot conditions. It is great to see Martin back running at this level as he was a stalwart of Tuam AC for many years and he definitely hasn’t lost his touch or enthusiasm for the sport.

On Sunday the action moved to Annaghdown for the 3rd Annual running of the Mid-Summer Solstice 10K Road Race and whilst the last two outings of this race have been held in torrential rain this year’s event was held in glorious sunshine. Tuam AC were very well represented once again and very well turned out in the new club singlets. Dave Mullins had a great race as did Gearoid Healy, James Gleeson, Andrea Ridge and Kathleen Hogan and the very hot conditions made the customary post race dip in Lough Corrib very enjoyable.

The final day of the  Western Region track and Field Finals took place in Athlone on Sunday for the U-16 – Senior category. Tuam AC only had one competitor as a number of athletes had other commitments including holiday’s but what we lacked in quantity we more than made up for in quality as Nicola Monaghan swept the boards in the U-19 Hammer, Shot Putt and Discus. It is not easy to win three Gold medals in the one day at this level of the sport and Nicola is once again looking forward to the All Ireland Finals in July.

On Sunday the first round of the Senior National League took place in Cork and Nicola Monaghan who is in her final year as a juvenile athlete was delighted to be picked for the Senior County Team and put in a great performance and secured 8 very valuable points which will hopefully help Galway to qualify for the very competitive National League Final in August..

Good luck to all the Juveniles who will be taking part in the Connaught Championships in Athlone on Saturday.

On Thursday evening the first night of the Galway Senior and Masters Track and Field took place at the NUIG Track in Galway and Dave Mullins put in great performances to claim Bronze medals in both the 800m and 100m Sprint.

Tuam’s only Gold Medal of the night went to Patricia Monaghan in the Masters Women Shot Putt

Tuam AC was very well represented in Dangan for the last leg of the 5K series which was held on an all terrain surface that most people found tough enough to cope with combined with the heat.

Dan O’Rourke had a tremendous run to lead Tuam home and other notable performances came from James Gleeson, Brian Sweeney, Norma O’Rourke and Leonie Gibbons.

Tuam has been well represented in the Top 40 over the years by the likes of The Sawdoctors but last week one of our star runners finished in an incredible 35th position out of over 40,000 runners.

Ann Marie Miskell ran a scorcher of a race in the Women’s Mini Marathon to finish in 35th place overall and whilst thousands take part in this event to raise money for very worthy causes it is also a very serious race which attracts the very best female runners from all over Ireland, Europe and the USA and whilst most people would celebrate with a few drinks and a well deserved rest Ann Marie celebrated by running a very fast 5K race in an absolutely roasting Dangan on Tuesday evening where she finished 2nd female overall in another massive field of 350 runners.

Congratulations to Gearoid Healy for a fantastic performance in the Cork City Marathon on June Bank Holiday Monday. On one of the hottest days of the year, he ran a sub 3:30 time of 3:28! An amazing achievement considering the conditions - many athletes either dropped out during the race, or recorded times which were well outside their marathon bests.

Another Tuesday night in May, another leg of the May 5K Series, and this time the hosts were our near neighbours in Claregalway, whose race is run over a very favourable course, with its long downhill finish. Over 400 runners took part in a race which, once again, managed to stay dry, despite threatening rain.

The 5K series continues with a vengeance and last Tuesday evening an incredible field of 500 runners gathered in Craughwell in glorious sunshine for Round 3. Tuam AC was very well represented with over 20 members taking part and all of them are improving as the series continues.

Last Tuesday was a very memorable night for Tuam AC as a massive crowd of 327 runners took part in the Tuam leg of the 5k series. In a very selfless act of putting the club before their own burning desire to run all of the regular club members volunteered to help out in the organisation of this race and thanks to their sacrifice the event went off flawlessly with excellent feedback from all the other clubs.

The success of Tuesday night left the usual Tuam runners hungry for action but they did not have to wait long as Predator TriAthlon club held a very enjoyable 8k race in the Brothers of Charity , Kilcornan on Sunday morning. This was a great event held on a mixed surface of road and trail through the woods. It was a very well supported race with a number of very good runners taking part so it was with great delight that 2 Tuam runners were in the top 10 as Dan O’Rourke had a great race and new pb to finish in 7th place  and he was closely followed in 8th place by Dave Mullins. Brendan Monaghan also put in a good performance to finish in 24th place overall and the future of Tuam AC is definitely secure as the main event was preceded by a very enjoyable kids fun run over 1k and some of Tuam AC newest members put in outstanding displays of running with Oisin, Diarmuid, Grainne and Maeve O’Rourke all following the great example of their parents Dan and Norma by making light work of the course and they were joined by Jamie Heffernan also making a debut for Tuam AC with distinction.

Finally sincere thanks to all the people of Tuam who once again supported our Annual Flag Day on Friday. All of the money raised will be used to develop juvenile athletics in Tuam and as club membership passes the 100 member mark we are extremely grateful for the  generous support.

Tuam AC had a hectic week with athletes in action all over the country once again but first of all this week we have to mention our juvenile members who represented the club so well at the Galway Co Championships held in Dangan over the weekend.

The older members of the club were all over the country with over 20 Tuam AC runners taking part in the first of this years 5K races in Athenry on Tuesday evening and all posting very impressive times. Dave Mullins and Dan O’Rourke took part in the Annual May Bank Holiday 10K race in Roscommon and Michael McLoughlin ran a fantastic debut Half Marathon in Bantry on Sunday and finished in a very impressive 1h 54m. Seamus and Sharon Walsh both competed in Limerick on Sunday in a Triathlon that consisted of a 500m swim followed by 26K on the bike and to top it all a 5K run.

Finally to round off the week Tuam AC held its first ever 5K Club Championship on Monday evening around the beautiful Kilcloghans lap. This was a handicap event based on the results from last week’s run in Athenry and Tuam running legend Andrea Ridge was the first runner home followed by the ever improving Ann Marie Miskell  who is now returning to the kind of form that made her one of the best runners in the Country and 3rd place went to Patricia Monaghan who finished very comfortably on her home patch. These Ladies were followed by a number of the Male runners who were not too happy with the handicapper until they all realized that they had ran very fast times. This was a great club event and will surely be repeated in the future.

It's all go as we in Tuam AC get ready for the Tuam Leg of the Annual Galway May 5KM series. The race is to be run on the same course as last year.

To get to the start of the run, take the Ballinrobe road (also known as the Ballygaddy Road) from the main N17 in Tuam, and the start is about 1K down this road. Parking will be available near the start

Good luck to everyone - we hope you enjoy it.

As we said on this website recently, "Entries will be strictly first come, first served, so keep an eye on the RunIreland website as we are expecting that the series will sell out very quickly". Indeed this proved to be the case with the series selling out in an amazing 22 hours! If you want to run any of the individual races, some of the clubs will be providing very limited entries on the day.
Good luck to all who managed to enter and we hope you enjoy the series.

Tuam AC were out in force over the weekend with athletes racing in Kilconiern on Saturday and Adare, Co Limerick on Sunday. On Sunday March 1st the Annual 10K race took place in Adare and a massive crowd of almost 400 runners lined up and Tuam AC were well represented with Dave Mullins and Brendan Monaghan completing the weekend double and they were joined by Michael McLoughlin and Andrea Ridge. Dave ran a great race again finishing in 37 mins on what is largely acknowledged as one of the hardest 10K courses in Ireland with absolutely no shortage of hills and once again a good stiff breeze to slow you down as well. Dave was joined by his own ever present fan club who provide great support for all the Tuam runners and his wife Lorraine has provided great assistance at numerous races with her professional camera and video work which not only captures the finish of the races forever but also gives crucial help in confirming very close finishes. Michael McLoughlin was in great form and proved he has fully recovered from his recent injuries by running a great time and the icing on the cake was Andrea Ridge who had a well deserved 1st place category finish in the company of top class athletes from all over Ireland.

Dan O’Rourke led the charge for Tuam AC on Saturday February 28th when he finished in 4th place overall in the first running of the 5 mile race in Kilconiern and he was followed closely in 7th place by Dave Mullins. This race was ran in lovely sunshine but there was a strong headwind to contend with and it was a tough course with a fine selection of hills, so the two Tuam runners did well to finish in 29 mins. Brendan Monaghan ran his first race since Christmas and there were terrific performances from James Gleeson, Caroline Heffernan, and Norma O’Rourke

Thanks to all who participated in the 2009 running of Tuam AC's Spring 8K Road Race. The race was won by Gerry Ryan of Galway City Harriers in a time of 25:02. First woman home was Mayo AC's Catherine Conway in a time of 30:18.