2013

Latest News

22nd of December, 2013

Merry Christmas to all our members and a happy new year, we hope you all have an enjoyable and relaxing time. Thank you to everyone that helped to make this such a successful year for our club, looking forward to seeing you all back in the new year.

15th of December, 2013

National Juvenile uneven age XC Championships

We rounded off our cross country season on a high today at the National Juvenile uneven age championships which were held on a challenging course in Waterford I.T sports campus. We had 12 athletes in action today and they all did their best on the hilly course, well done to them all. Special congratulations to Nessa, Blathnaid, Maeve and Ruairi who all won medals on Cork teams.

12th of December, 2013

The time for our childrens Christmas party tomorrow night is 7.30pm to 9.30pm, and it takes place in the hall in Whitechurch. Also, best of luck to everyone competing in the National XC in Waterford on Sunday.

08th of December, 2013

Our club Christmas dinner took place last night in the Vienna Woods Hotel in Glanmire and it was great to see so many of our newer members in attendance. We were delighted to have Robbie and Marian Heffernan join us on the night, a small number of pictures from last night can be viewed on our photos page.

This will be the final week of training for our Juvenile athletes, we will then take a well earned rest for the Christmas period. Our Juvenile Christmas party will take place in Whitechurch from 7pm until 9pm so we hope to see you all there. The final competition of the season is the National Juvenile uneven age XC which takes place in Waterford on Sunday next and our club will be well represented by 17 athletes, we wish them all the best of luck.

01st of December, 2013

Munster Juvenile 'B' XC Championships

A large number of our athletes made the trip to scenic Beaufort near Killarney today to compete in the final round of the Munster Juvenile XC championships for 2013. The weather conditions were ideal for running and also for the spectators. There were some excellent performances by our athletes today leading to many individual medals and also 3 sets of team medals, congratulations to everyone that took part today. Some pictures from today can be viewed on our photos page, the results from today can be viewed here. Parents will be glad to know that there is no cross country fixture next weekend, the final event of the season is the National uneven age XC championships which take place in Waterford on December 15th. Training has now finished for all our younger athletes up to U12, training will continue until December 12th for athletes from U13 upwards and any athletes qualified for the National championships in Waterford.

24th of November, 2013

East Cork XC Championships

The final round of the East Cork XC Championships for 2013 took place today in Carraig na bhFear. Once again the event was well attended by all the East Cork athletics clubs and the weather conditions were perfect for the athletes and their supporters. It was a very successful day for our club with all our teams winning medals, including our senior men's and ladies teams. Our club also won the overall prize for best boys club over the two days of competition, well done to everyone that took part. Some pictures from today can be viewed on our photos page. The next event on the calendar is the Munster 'B' XC championships that are being held in Killarney next Sunday.

17th of November, 2013

National Junior & Juvenile Evenage XC Championships

The first round of the National XC Championships took place today in Santry, County Dublin. We were well represented in the juvenile races and also in both of the junior races. Congratulations to all the athletes that took part today, and thank you to the parents for bringing them up to Dublin. Some pictures from today can be viewed on our photos page. The final round of the East Cork XC championships takes place next Sunday in Carraig na bhFear, we expect all our athletes to take part. We will be setting up the course on Saturday morning at 11am and all help would be gratefully appreciated.

10th of November, 2013

Munster Juvenile uneven age XC Championships

The second round of the Munster cross country championships took place today in Castlelyons. We had a large number of athletes participating in todays races and despite the poor weather, our athletes were again out to prove their worth and did their best.

Conditions were challenging. It was a tough, fair and well laid-out course. There were good facilities provided on site, which proved a hit with parents and spectators, who wished to warm their hands around a cuppa! Well done to all who competed (and completed!) today's gruelling runs.

As always, we are thankful to the parents/coaches etc,, and all who came out in support of our brilliant athletes today.

Best of luck to those athletes who qualified to run in next weekend's National Cross Country Championships in Santry, Co. Dublin. Go n'eiri an bothar libh!

The results from today can be viewed here. Some pictures from today can be viewed on our photos page.

03rd of November, 2013

County Junior & Senior XC Championships

On today Sunday, November 3rd, it was a red letter day for the Cork Athletic Board with the official opening of its new Cross Country Course in Riverstick, an excellent facility to have and I'm sure over the years the 32 acre site in South East Cork will host many a thrilling spectacle in Cross Country running. Today too was a special day for Carraig na bhFear club with teams in both the Junior Ladies 4000 meter race the Men's Junior 6000 meter. Maeve Ahern who led the Carraig charge in the Junior race showed signs of her previous best when clinching the bronze medal in a sprint finish with Niamh Moore from UCC just holding out on the line. The race was won by Rachel O'Shea. The Carraig team of Maeve Ahern, Laura Gowan, Ellen O'Flynn and Chloe O'Flynn captured the team County Junior Silver medals. Likewise in the Men's Junior race Jamie Buckley again ran a tremendous race taking up the lead with 2000 meters to go with Conor Walters of Leevale on his shoulder with the Leevale athlete just edging Jamie out over the last 200 meters so it was silver for Jamie. The Carraig team consisted of Jamie Buckley, Sean O'Sullivan, Luke Myers, Aaron O'Leary, Ruairi Myers, David O'Flynn and like the ladies it was also team silver for the Junior Men's Team. All in all a great day for Carraig with two individual medals and 10 team medals. The team results were as follows, Junior Ladies: 1st West Cork 18, 2nd Carraig na bhFear 35, 3rd Togher 36. Junior Men: 1st Leevale 17, 2nd Carraig na bhFear 34, 3rd Blarney 49.

Next weekend we will have the second round of the Munster XC Championships, with the intermediates and juvenile uneven ages taking place in Castlelyons. The first race starts at 11.30am sharp, we will be meeting at 10.15am to walk the course.

27th of October, 2013

Munster Juvenile even age XC Championships

The first round of the Munster Juvenile XC Championships took place today in Limerick. We were well represented on the day by a small band of athletes. The weather conditions today made it very tough for all the athletes taking part with torrential rain and very strong winds present for most of the races. Well done to all the athletes that took part. Some pictures from today can be viewed on our photos page. The results from today are now available on the Munster Athletics website here. The next event on the calendar is the County Junior & Senior XC in Riverstick next Sunday, followed a week later by the Munster uneven age XC championships in Castlelyons, good luck to all the athletes taking part in these events. Training takes place as normal this week on Tuesday and Thursday nights.

20th of October, 2013

County Novice 'B' & Juvenile 'B' XC Championships

A great days racing was had in Conna today where St.Catherines AC hosted the County Novice 'B' and Juvenile 'B' Cross country championships. The weather conditions made it very tough especially for those competing in the earlier races. Once again all our athletes did themselves and their families proud with some great performances, well done to you all. Some pictures from today can be viewed on our photos page. The results from today can be found here. The first round of the Munster XC Championships takes place in Limerick racecourse next weekend, all athletes should check with their coaches to see if they have been entered.

15th of October, 2013

County Juvenile XC Championships

The uneven age County Juvenile XC championships took place in Carraigadrohid last Sunday and our club were well represented in most of the races. Congratulations to all the athletes that took part, you all did great over a challenging but fair course. Some photos from Sunday can be viewed on our photos page. The results from Sunday can be found here. The next event will be the County novice 'B' & juvenile 'B' XC championships which will take place in Conna this coming Sunday. Training for all athletes from U12 up( that are not competing on Sunday) will take place in the woods outside Watergrasshill on Sunday morning at 11am sharp.

09th of October, 2013

Our fixtures page has now been updated with the final list of this years XC events, the main changes to note are the switching around of dates for the East Cork uneven ages and the Munster Juvenile 'B' competitions. The venues for the National championships have also been added to the list, however the venue for the Munster 'B' XC is still not decided.

A reminder to all athletes to check with their coaches to see if they are entered into this weekends XC championships in Carrigadrohid.

06th of October, 2013

County Novice & Juvenile even age XC Championships

A great days action was had today in Carraignavar with the running of the first installment of the County cross country championships. Although the weather was not as nice as expected the conditions were still very good for the athletes. There were very large numbers in most of the races from the novice ladies right up to the U18 boys and girls. Congratulations to everyone that took part today and a big thank you to all the people who helped taking the course apart after the last race. Some pictures from today can be viewed on our photos page, the results from today are now available on the Cork AAI website here. The second round of the county championships will take place next weekend in Carraigadrohid, with the first juvenile race starting at 1pm.

04th of October, 2013

Best of luck to all athletes competing in Sundays XC championships, particulary those athletes that will be competing in their first ever races. The weather forecast for the weekend is good so an enjoyable day out is guaranteed!!

27th of September, 2013

County XC Championships

We will be hosting the County Novice & Juvenile Even Age XC championships next weekend, Sunday 6th of October. We will be laying out the course from 11am on the Saturday 5th if anyone is available and would like to give a helping hand setting the course up. I have attached a map above showing the location of the course as we have not used this field for a few years, it is 2 miles from Carraignavar village.

22nd of September, 2013

East Cork XC Championships

The first round of the East Cork Cross Country Championships took place today in Youghal. First into action were the Juvenile athletes competing in the even ages this weekend, they were followed by the Junior, Novice & masters men and women. There was a great turnout in all the races with particularly large numbers competing in the younger age groups. Congratulations to all our athletes that competed today, especially those who were running in their first ever cross country races. Some pictures from today can be viewed on our photos page, the next event is the County Novice, U23 & Juvenile evenage Championships which we will be hosting on the 6th of October.

05th of September 2013,

A new road race on the calender that might be of interest to our adult runners is the Coolagown 5k, organised by st.Nicholas A.C. It takes place next Thursday 12th of September at 7pm in Coolagown.

The fixtures page has now been updated with the venues of the forthcoming Munster XC championships now known, a couple of the dates may change and the venues for the National championships are not available yet.

27th of August, 2013

Our fixtures page has now been updated with all this years cross country events, there are still no venues announced for the Munster and National XC championships but the dates are listed.

10th of August, 2013

The All Ireland combined events took place today in perfect weather conditions at the Tullamore Harriers stadium. Carraig na bhFear AC were represented by Avril Braham in the girls u15 event. Avril put in some excellent performances over the 5 events and came home with a superb bronze medal, well done Avril.

02nd of August, 2013

There are a number of open sports taking place over the next two weekends, the annual Rising Sun AC open sports takes pace on Monday 05th of August at 1pm in the CIT track and you can find the details here. Liscarroll AC open sports take place the following weekend on Sunday 08th of August at 1pm in Liscarroll GAA grounds. Liscarroll AC open sports are one of the biggest and most popular open sports in Munster and is always an enjoyable day out, the details can be found here.

An early reminder to all athletes that training will resume on Tuesday 20th of August at 7.45pm, looking forward to seeing you all there! New members are always welcome, just turn up at training or contact us in advance if you would prefer.

23rd of July, 2013

National Juvenile T&F Championships

Last weekend saw the final round of the National Juvenile T&F championships for 2013. We had 3 athletes in on Sunday and they performed outstanding in their events, well done to them all.

14th of July, 2013

Congratulations to all our athletes that took part in the Kilworth 5 mile road race last Friday night, particulary Jamie Buckley in winning the junior mens race and Willie Walsh in coming 6th overall. The results from Fridays race can be found here. Next up for our senior athletes is the annual Donoughmore 7 mile road race which takes place next Friday night, see flyer below. A club facebook page has also been set up by some of our senior runners in order to organise some training sessions on the roads, see the link here.

11th of July, 2013

Just a reminder to all our senior athletes that the 'Fit Magazine' 10k run is taking place on Sunday week (July 21st). Anyone that has not entered yet can do so online at http://www.fitmagazine.ie/ , remember to use the discount code CorkClubs when filling in your entry.

07th of July, 2013

National T&F Championships

The first round of the national U12-U19 T&F championships took place this weekend in Tullamore Harriers stadium and our club was well represented over both days. Well done to all of the athletes that took part, most of them can now enjoy a well deserved summer break while a couple will be in action again in the final round of the championships in 2 weeks time. The provisional results from the weekends action can be viewed here.

27th of June,2013

Grange Fermoy open sports

Just a quick reminder that the annual Grange Fermoy AC open sports will take place tomorrow night at 6.30pm in Fermoy. These sports are always a very enjoyable night for all the family, hope to see you all there.

21st of June, 2013

Riverstick Kinsale Open Sports

A great nights action took place in Riverstick last night at the annual Riverstick Kinsale AC open sports. Our club was well represented on the night and it was a very enjoyable and well organised open sports. Some pictures from last night can be viewed on our photos page. Grange Fermoy AC have rescheduled their open sports for next Friday night, we would encourage all our athletes to take part in these sports - the program can be viewed here.

16th of June, 2013

Munster U14-U19 T&F Championships

A small band of Carraig na bhFear athletes traveled to Templemore this weekend for the Munster U14-U19 T&F championships. The weather was fairly poor for the weekend particularly on Saturday with strong winds and heavy rain throughout most of the day making life difficult for all the athletes and their supporters. However all our athletes performed very well, setting new PB's and winning some medals and most importantly qualifying for the National championships. Well done to them all. The provisional results from the weekends action can now be viewed here.

Wednesday will be the final night of training for all our younger athletes(from U13 down), we will travel to Riverstick Kinsale open sports on Thursday night instead of the regular training session. We would encourage all our athletes to take part in these sports, the program can be viewed here.

10th of June, 2013

Munster Juvenile U9-U13 T&F Championships

A great weekends athletics took place in Ennis this past weekend. Our club was represented by a small band of athletes, all of them performed very well and can be very proud of themselves. The standard was extremely high as always at Munster level and our athletes gave it their all, the results are available here. A small selection of pictures from the weekend can be viewed on our photos page. Next weekend the Munster U14-U19 Championships will take place over Saturday and Sunday in Templemore. The order of events for this weekend can be viewed here.

31st of May, 2013

Best of luck to all our athletes competing this weekend in the All Ireland Schools T&F championships and also those taking part in the Cork city marathon & relay events. The results from last weekends county championships are now available here.

27th of May, 2013

County 'B' T&F and relay Championships

The final round of the county T&F championships took place at the CIT yesterday. We had a good number of athletes in action between the individual events and the relays. All athletes did their best and there were plenty medals won : - ) Next up for some of our athletes will be the Munster U9-U13 T&F championships which take place in Ennis over the weekend of 08/09th of June. There are also a number of open sports taking place over the summer which we encourage our athletes to take part in, details of these sports can be found here. For our senior athletes there are plenty of road races to choose from, including a new race on the calender this coming Friday night(see flyer below).

19th of May, 2013

A large number of our athletes traveled to Ballinspittle today for the annual Courceys AC open sports. As always it proved to be a very enjoyable day out for all the family. The competition was great and everyone performed to their best ability, it was also the first bit of sunshine we have had all year!! Some pictures from today can be viewed on our photos page. Congratulations to all our athletes that were in action in the Munster schools championships at the CIT yesterday. Next weekend sees the final round of the County juvenile T&F championships taking place in the CIT, all athletes have been informed of their events for the 'B' and relay competitions. The order of events for next Sunday can be viewed here.

13th of May, 2013

The results from day 2 of the county Juvenile T&F championships are now available here.

12th of May, 2013

County Juvenile T&F Championships

The second round of the County Juvenile T&F championships took place at the CIT track today. Once again we had a very large turnout and it proved to be another successful day. Well done to all the athletes that took part and thank you to all the parents for bringing the children along! Some pictures from today are now on our photos page. Congratulations also to our senior runners that took part in the Bandon half marathon and 10k events which were held on Saturday. The next event on the calender is Courceys open sports which takes place in Ballinspittle next Sunday.

09th of May, 2013

The results from the first days events in the County championships are now available here. The second round of the County championships takes place next Sunday and all athletes should be there in plenty time to warm up for their events. On Sunday week Courceys open sports takes place in Ballinspittle, this is always an enjoyable day out for both our athletes and their families. The details for Courceys sports can be found here.

06th of May, 2013

County Juvenile T&F Championships

A large number of our athletes took part in the first day of the county Juvenile T&F championships which were held in the CIT athletics track. It was a very enjoyable and successful day for our club. Congratulations to all the athletes that took part yesterday, some pictures from the days action can be viewed on our photos page. The second round of these championships takes place next Sunday, hope to see you all there.

26th of April, 2013

East Cork Road Championships

Last night our men's team took part in the East Cork Road Championships which were held in Ballynoe. It was a very enjoyable race over a tough hilly 5 mile circuit, the weather was perfect for a road race and the organisers were very happy with a record entry in the men's race. Our team all ran very well and were rewarded with 3rd place in the team event, some pictures from last night can be viewed on our photos page.

17th of April, 2013

There are a number of competitions taking place over the next 2 weekends. This Sunday the Leevale Juvenile open sports will be held at the CIT track, programme here. The following weekend (Sunday April 28th) the Munster Junior Championships and Juvenile combined events Championships will be on at the CIT track, the order of events can be found here. Also on April 28th is Riverstick Kinsale open sports, all the details for these sports can be found here.

14th of April, 2013

East Cork T&F Championships

The final round of the East Cork T&F Championships took place today in Midleton. Once again there was a huge turnout from all the clubs which made for a very competitive day out. It was great to see such a large entry from our own club, well done to all the athletes that took part. Pictures from today can be viewed on our photos page.

07th of April, 2013

East Cork T&F Championships

The first round of the East Cork T&F Championships took place today in a very cold and windy Tower park in Youghal. There was a very large turnout from all the East Cork Clubs so the competition was very tough in most of the events. Congratulations to all our athletes that took part today. Some pictures from today can be viewed on our photos page. The second round of these Championships takes place next Sunday at the same time in Midleton, we hope to see ye all there again.

05th of April, 2013

East Cork Awards Night

The annual East Cork athletics board awards took place in Youghal last night, it was a great night and a very proud one for our club. The awards are to recognise the All Ireland medal winning athletes from the East Cork clubs from the previous years competitions and last night we were very proud to have 10 of our juvenile athletes be presented with awards. Below is a list of our athletes and their achievements in 2012 and some photos from the night can be viewed on our photos page:

Ben Atkinson – BU11 XC

After winning a National silver medal with his 4x100m relay team in June, Ben turned his attention to his favorite event – Cross Country running. He started his season by winning the U10 gold medal at the East Cork XC Championships. Ben then went on to run a superb tactical race in the County Championships, powering away from his rivals with 200m to go to take the gold medal. At the Munster XC in Killarney Ben came home in a magnificent 3^rd place in the boys U10 race, leading the Cork team to the gold medals. Ben then ran up an age in the Munster uneven age XC finishing in 20^th place but most importantly claiming a place on the Cork team for the National Championships. Ben went on to be the 6^th scorer for the Cork team at the National XC helping them win the bronze medals.

Victor Ugwah, Ben Atkinson, Donal Sheehan, Felix Murphy & Ciaran Hurley - Boy’s U10 4 x 100M Relay Team

These five young athletes started the year off by taking the silver medals in the U10 4 x 100m relay at the Munster Juvenile indoors finishing inside the previous Championship best time. They followed this success up with the bronze medals at the County Championships. After the Counties they put in plenty hard work and relay practice and were rewarded with the silver medals in the Munster relays. They continued to train hard and their good form stayed with them as they won the silver medals at the National Championships, just being caught on the line by the fast finishing Waterford AC team.

Seamus Ahern – BU12 XC

Seamus started off his XC season with a very good run in the County boys U12 race in Castlelyons coming home in 3^rd place. In the Munster XC Championships in Killarney Seamus ran a great race to come home an excellent 12^th position in the boys U12 race, he was the 2^nd scorer on the Cork team that won the silver medals and he also made the Munster team for the National XC. At the National XC Championships Seamus was the all important 6^th man for the Munster team securing the team gold medal for his province.

Maebh Daly – Girls U13 Javelin

Maebh had her introduction to the Javelin event at the East Cork Championships in Midleton where she took the silver medal at U14 level. She then went to the Counties full of confidence and came away with the Gold medal in the Girls U13 competition after a personal best throw of 19.99m. Things didn’t go to plan for Maebh at the Munster championships where she came in 4^th with a throw of 18.88m to claim the last qualifying spot for the National Championships. She really put in the practice after the Munster T&F and was rewarded with 3 new personal best throws in the National Championships, the best of which was 26.96m won her the National silver medal.

Maeve Ahern – Girls U17 XC

Maeve had a great track season winning medals at County and Munster level over 800 & 1500m for both her club, and also her school where she represented Munster in the Tailtean games. Maeve struggled to find her form at the start of the XC season and only started to recapture her best form running up an age at U17 in the Munster Championships where she finished in 19^th place, making the Cork team for the National XC Championships. At the National XC Championships Maeve ran her best race of the season finishing as the 6^th scorer on the Cork team helping them to win the bronze medals. Maeve continued this good form into the schools XC competitions.

Sean O’ Sullivan – Boys U18 XC

Sean had another great XC season last winter after only taking up running the previous year. He started the season with a 4^th place finish in the Boys U18 County Championships and then 7^th place at U19 level in the Counties. Sean also helped his club team to win the County Junior silver medals. In the Munster U18 Championships Sean came 21^st to secure his place on the Cork team for the National Championships. Then running up an age at the Munster U19 XC Sean came a super 11^th place, making the Munster team for the U19 National XC. At the U18 National XC Sean was the 5^th scorer for the silver medal winning Cork team. Sean had another great run in the U19 race helping his Cork team to the All Ireland gold medals.

Jamie Buckley – Boys U18 XC

Like Sean, Jamie only took up running in 2011 and has really done incredibly well so far. Jamie started his XC season with a 3^rd place finish in the Boys U18 race at the County XC then running up an age at U19 he came 5^th place. Jamie then led his club team to the County Junior silver medals. At the Munster U18 XC in Killarney Jamie came a superb 9^th and was the 3^rd scorer on the Cork gold winning team. Running up an age in the U19 Munster XC Jamie improved further coming home in 7^th place. At the National U18 XC Jamie had a great run and came away with 2 medals, he was the 6^th scorer for the bronze medal winning Munster team and the 3^rd scorer for the silver medal winning Cork team. Jamie finished off his season with an excellent run in the U19 race at the National XC helping his Cork team to win the Gold medals.

27th of March, 2013

East Cork Track & Field Championships

A reminder to all athletes and parents that the East Cork T&F Championships will be taking place on April 07th/14th and all athletes are expected to take part in these Championships. Training will take place as normal next week.

15th of March, 2013

There are two races in Cork this weekend that will be of interest to our athletes and both of them take place on Monday. The Mallow 10 mile road race takes place at 12.30 and is pre entry only. The other race is a 5k fun run in Bartlemy in aid of the local National school and it starts outside the school at 2.30pm, the entry fee for this race is 5 Euro.

13th of March, 2013

Sponsorship

Carraig na bhFear AC would like to thank Tom Howard and New Ireland Insurance for their very kind donation to our club. All Easter draw cards should be returned next week.

10th of March, 2013

Munster Indoor Multi Events & Relay Championships

Yesterday,our athletes completed in this hotly contested championships.

In what was a long day for our multi-eventers, it turned out to show great outcomes with

fantastic performances from all. We had two relay teams in action. Our younger relay teams stepped

up to the mark and gave their best in their thrilling races. 2013 is shaping up to be another very successful year

again for the club! Yesterday's outing proved to be very beneficial in terms of experience

for all, with some brilliant new PBs (some athletes even succeeding at more than one PB!) and

outstanding courage in jumping, running, throwing - further and faster than ever before!

Congratulations to all on a job well done. Keep up the hard work and determination.

Thanks especially to all those who supported us (especially the hoarse parents!) yesterday

and we look forward to a great year's events ahead. Some pictures from yesterday are now up on our photos page, the results can be viewed here.

24th of February 2013,

Munster Indoor T&F Championships

Our club was well represented in Nenagh over the weekend in the Munster Juvenile U14-U19 Indoor T&F Championships. This was a first taste of competition for some of our athletes and they really did themselves proud. Some pictures from the weekends action can be viewed on our photos page. The next event for our Juveniles will be the Munster indoor combined events and relays on 09th of March. For our senior athletes the Ballycotton 10 takes place next Sunday.

13th of February, 2013

AGM

Thank you to everyone that came to our club AGM on Monday night, it was great to see so many people showing such an interest in their club. The list of club officers has now been updated, we look forward to having another successful year.

The next event taking place for our Juvenile athletes is the Munster U14-U19 indoor Championships, which will be held in Nenagh on 23rd/24th of February.

10th of February, 2013

· Group meets every Tuesday and Thursday evenings in Carraig na bhFear College training pitch at 7:45 to 9:00pm or Gym for indoor training.

· Group meets every Wednesday at the CIT track from 8:00 to 9:00pm.

· Male and Female members, any age and fitness level.

· Expert coaching included to suit your needs at each session.

· Fees: €35 for 12 months (Jan- Dec 2013). Immediate membership of Athletics Ireland. Safety Vests/Fitness/Running Diaries available.

Javelin Workshop

A very successfull Javelin workshop was held in Carraig na bhFear today, we were delighted to have Irish National Javelin Coach Louis Wildenboer with us to put all our aspiring Javelin throwers through their paces. Despite the weather it was a really enjoyable day and was of great benefit to both athletes and coaches. Some pictures from the workshop can be viewed on our photos page.

25th of January, 2013

A number of our athletes were action for their schools in the South Munster Schools XC Championships today at the CIT. They all ran really well in very tough underfoot conditions and torrential rain. Most of them have qualified to compete in the upcoming Munster Schools XC which will again take place at the CIT.

20th of January, 2013

The timetable for the first weekend of the Munster Juvenile indoor T&F championships is now available here. All athletes should let their coaches know if they are not available to compete this weekend.

Our club AGM will take place in the Community hall in Carraig na bhFear on Monday night 11th of Feb at 8pm. We would encourage all the parents of our Juvenile athletes and our senior athletes to attend.

16th of January, 2013

Art O'Neill Challange

Last Friday night one of our athletes(Willie Walsh) took part in what must be one of the most challenging races in the country, 'The Art O'Neill Challenge'. Below is Willie's report on the event, also he has offered to do it again next year with anyone in the club that is up for the challange!!

The Art O’Neill challenge is a 55 km race from Dublin castle to the Glenmalure Valley in the heart of the Wicklow mountains. It is held every year for the last decade on the anniversary of the escape from English custody of three men from Dublin castle on January 6^th 1592. Art O’Neill, his brother Henry, and Red Hugh O'Donnell made good their escape in the early hours of the morning in an attempt to reach their safe haven in the distant Glenmalure Valley. Two of the men made good their escape but Art O’Neill died of exposure within 10km of refuge.

When I first heard of the challenge 2 years ago I was intrigued by the concept of a race run in the dark with no marked course. It took me two years to find the time and confidence to sign up. What helped my decision was when I mentioned it to two workmates Steve and Grattan, who I train and race with regularly, they jumped at the idea with their usual enthusiasm.

Having already a good standard of fitness we decided on a four month training program of 60 to 80mile weeks. Most of the runs were at a slower pace than normal with 60% of the mileage loaded on the end of each week with two back to back long runs. The longest of which was 30 miles on Saturday followed by 18 miles the next morning. Running with a backpack and getting out on the mountains for runs was also called for. We travelled to Wicklow to carry out two recces, to have a look at the ground and most importantly plot the route on a GPS.

On race day we boarded the 1830hrs train from Cork to Dublin. Lunch boxes jammed with carb rich pasta which we force fed ourselves on the journey. A short LUAS ride and a very gentle stroll (energy conservation) got us to Dublin castle at 2200hrs , one hour before registration closed. Once registered, a gear check to make sure that all necessary safety equipment was in each participants backpack was conducted. We settled down on the floor of the waiting room to hydrate and shovel down the last remaining pasta.

As the 0200 hrs start time approached the volume of chatter of excited conversations decreased and competitors went into well practiced routines of stretching , gear checking and a disturbing amount of flatulence. At 0155hrs all were called to the courtyard outside the waiting room where the obligatory Euro pop was blasting from a mobile Red Bull disco wagon. With a 5….4….3….2…..1 we were off. No start line gun or racers with fingers on stop watches hunched over straining on their toes, as everyone jogs off at their own predetermined pace. This was no 5 km sprint down the centre park road for sure.

The race was split by checkpoints into three separate stages. The first checkpoint was at 30km and this stage saw us running through Dublin city streets cheered on by slightly confused looking Friday night revellers. The cityscape soon gave way to suburbs and before we knew it we were turning on our head torches and starting to climb the foothills of the Wicklow mountains. The first meters of the nearly 2000 that had to be ascended. A Dublin Barber named Frank joined our group of three Amigos. As we gained a little height he told us to look behind us and we were graced with the sight of the whole of the Dublin streetscape laid out in lights beneath us. Inspiring stuff, so on wards we ploughed every now and then looking back to see the endless stream of head torches glinting like some erratic Christmas tree lights snaking over the roads behind us. We were doing well.

Checkpoint one, the end of the tarmac section, was reached in 2 hours and 35 minutes. A quick change of footwear (fell runners left in a drop bag and transported to this point by the organisers),water and a cereal bar in mouth saw us out of transition in 4 mins. The mountains lay ahead. Not that we could see them. A new moon and heavy mist meant that navigation would be all the more challenging. On nearing the top of the first hill I found that my hamstrings were beginning to cramp. DISASTER! Not enough water onboard. An energy gel, salt tablet and 750mils of water coupled with some encouragement from my friends and within 15 minutes my legs improved. Checkpoint two was reached in just under 2 hours. Water bottles filled and we launched into the third leg after 2 mins in transition. A lot less lights behind us now . We were doing really well.

On the final leg mist turned into rain and low cloud cover brought visibility down to less than 20meters on high ground. As we approached Art’s cross ( the place where Art’s race finished in 1592 ) two torches came towards us out of the soup. “ Hi guys! Do ye know where ye are?” was the greeting. Ivan from Galway and John from West Cork were lost, so our three became five and we pressed on through the driving, freezing rain. Soon we crested the final climb and began the 6 km decent into the Glenmalure Valley just as dawn was breaking. As one by one we turned off our head torches we all agreed not to race each other to the finish. Chatting and encouraging each other over the last few km we crossed the river Ford that marked the finish line 5 abreast. After the customary finish line picture we swiped our electronic timing tags to realise we were in joint 3rd place overall. Elated and proud we got on a shuttle bus to the Glenmalure Lodge for a well deserved warm shower. A great atmosphere in the bar for nine o’clock in the morning, scoffing full Irish breakfasts in front of a roaring open fire. Life is good chatting with new friends and planning new adventures.

13th of January, 2013

Munster Junior XC

Jamie Buckley represented his club and his County today at the Munster Junior XC Championships which were held at Limerick racecourse. Jamie ran very well and was unlucky to finish just outside the individual medals in 13th place. However Jamie scored on the Cork team and helped them to take 3rd place in the team event, well done Jamie. The next event is the Munster Juvenile Indoor championships which will take place in Nenagh on 09/10th of February for U9-U13, and on 23rd\24th of Feb for U14-U19.

09th of January, 2013

We will return to training at the CIT track from next Wednesday, 16th of Jan. This session is for all age groups. All our training times are now up on our Training page.

01st of January, 2013

Happy new year to all our members and their families. Training will resume for all athletes next Tuesday night in the Sacred Heart College in Carraig na bhFear, training time for all athletes born in 2004 or younger will be from 7pm to 8pm on Tuesday evenings. Athletes born in 2003 upwards will train from 7.45pm to 9pm on Tuesday night. We will add more training sessions but for next week those are the times. Hope to see you all there, we are always looking for new members so anyone who is interested in trying athletics should come along and give it a go, just turn up on the night or contact us in advance.