The St Patrick’s Day 5K DASH organised by Kilkenny City Harriers and Kilkenny Fit4Life Club proved to be an enjoyable and very successful event with just over 250 taking to the road and a further 100 plus juveniles on the track. Mayor Malcolm Noonan started the run which commenced at The Watershed and followed a course along the Bennettsbridge Road, a circle of The Castle Park and back to The Watershed.
After the run prizes were presented to the winners by Irene Henebry of the Fit4Life club. In making the presentation she thanked all who had participated…the walkers, joggers and runners, the various sponsors, the Kilkenny Bridge Centre and the Watershed for parking facilities, the face painters, the media and the road marshals and officials from Kilkenny City Harriers and The Fit4life Club.
Prizes for the 5K were won by juniors Eoghan O’Connor, Kilkenny City Harriers, Rose Kennedy, Gowran and John Nolan, Kilkenny City Harriers, who completed the run in 22 minutes 34 seconds, 23 minutes 39 seconds and 23 minutes 59 seconds respectively.
First home for the ladies was Martina O’Dwyer, Carrick Road Runners in 20.32. She was followed in by Frances Mullally, St Joseph’s, (22.07 ) and Caoilte Malone, Kilkenny Fit4life Club in 22.44. Paul Cody, Kilkenny City Harriers, was the overall winner in 18.12. Second and third places went to Pat Kavanagh (18.31 ) and Jimmy Barcoe (18.46 ), both from the Gowran club.
Top spot for Gowran veterans
The red singlet of the Gowran club was very much to the fore in the men’s over 35 Cross-country championships held in Bramblestown, Gowran, on Sunday. Top spot went to Mick Kelly, Gowran, who having held off an early challenge from Sean Caulfield, St Senan’s, went on to win the gold.
Larry Lacey, St Joseph’s, made a strong bid for the bronze but ended in fifth place having been overhauled by an ever young David Farrell and Simon O’Dwyer, both Gowran. Gowran with three teams in the field had the A team finishing first, the B team third and the C team fourth. Good running from the Joseph’s team of Lar Lacey (5th ), Michael Power (7th ) and Rocky Mernagh (9th ) earned them the silver medals. In the ladies over 30, Thomastown ladies Margaret Power and Breda O’Shea were first and second. In a competitive junior ladies championship Gowran girl, Mary Ellen Doyle was a superb winner. The race, which started out at a very pedestrian pace, soon gathered pace. Doyle was chased by Aoife O’Connor, Thomastown and Orla McPhillips, Kilkenny City Harriers but Mary Ellen was equal to the challenge and went on to win comfortably. O’Connor took the silver. Orla Mc Phillips in third place led her close packing team of Sarah Nolan 4th, Meggan O’Keeffe 5th and Niamh Tuohy 6th to first team medals. Gowran who had Johanna Morrissey 7th, Kay Drea 8th and Eleanor Kennedy 9th were second team. It was a clean sweep for the Gowran club in the junior men’s race. The McCormack brothers Shaun and Brian were early to the front with Shaun getting the upper hand on his younger brother and pushing on to take the gold. Brian was second and with club-mates Shane Noonan third and Seppi Lysaght fourth Gowran had an easy team victory with just ten points.
Fixtures
March 25: Kilkenny fit4life Timing Session 6.30pm.
March 27/28: National Juvenile Indoors, Nenagh.
April 5 : St Senan’s Open track and field, 1pm Kilmacow.
