Five Mayo AC participants took part in events on September 9/10. High temperatures added to the challenge for runners.
In the Claregalway 10k on Saturday, Colette Tuohy claimed first place among women, finishing in 41:39, and secured the 10th spot overall. Dee Corcoran wasn't far behind, taking the third position among women with a time of 44:14. Ray Clarke achieved 13th place overall, completing the race in 42:34. A remarkable performance by all three—congratulations!
The local club Clare River Harriers hosted the annual 10k event.
On Sunday, two Mayo AC runners headed to Cork for the Charleville International Half-marathon. Tadgh Hanrahan, in the M40 category, crossed the finish line in 1:21.59, a strong performance just slightly outside his 2022 personal best of 1:20.16 in the same race last year. New member Karol Watson, also in the M40 category, had a commendable run, completing the race in 1:31.02. In the National Half-marathon last month in Tullamore, he ran it in 1:29.37.
Thirteen Mayo AC runners competed in the recent third annual Swinford AC three-quarter marathon, relay and 5k which took place on Saturday, September 2 last, which was ran over a distance of 31.7km or 19.6 miles.
The first Mayo AC runner home was Michael Rocke in a time of 2:09.30 to finish in eighth place over all, the week previously Michael had ran 1:22.51 in the Tullamore half marathon.The next Mayo AC finisher was Damien Finnegan in 2:41.10 and the other club members to come home over the full course were Dee Finnegan, Tom McNicholas, Andy Neary, Justin McDonagh and Yvonne Coyne.
In the 5k race London-based Stephen Monaghan finished fifth in 18:43. Next home was Padraig Cunnane 24th in 22:28, followed by Mags Glavey in a brilliant 23:43, and 7th woman – in great form after her National silver medal winning W70 half-marathon in Tullamore - Colette McTigue 31:52, Loretta Caulfield 32:02, Allison Cunnane 34:01 wrapped up the Mayo AC finishers.
On Sunday morning (September 3 ) Craughwell AC hosted their annual 10 mile and 10k races where three Mayo AC runners competed, with Ray Clarke finishing in a time of 71:19 and third in the M50 category, Dee Corcoran's time of 75:15 was enough for fourth in the F40 category and Stephen Skillington finished in a time of 79:30.
Five additional Mayo AC runners joined the impressive efforts of 42 fellow club members who achieved notable success at the National Half Championships in Tullamore last weekend.
On Sunday, August 27, four of them took on the 37th Annual Warriors Run in Strandhill, County Sligo. This challenging race begins at sea-level in Strandhill and follows a route through the village, along Glen Road, ascending to the summit of Knocknarea (with an elevation of 327 meters ), circling Queen Maeve’s cairn, and descending the other side of the mountain to finish near the Strandhill promenade.
The organizers emphasize that the Warriors Run is a physically demanding event, suitable for those who have trained adequately or possess experience in running such races. Over the years, it has remained a favorite among many Mayo AC runners.
The first finisher among this year's quartet was Kevin Jennings, based in Claremorris, who completed the course in 1:12.12. Following closely was Rhianna Heneghan, also from Claremorris and running under the Team West adventure racing banner, achieving an impressive fifth place among women in 1:15.14.
Subsequently, Padraic McVann finished in 1:16.39, with Angela McVann crossing the finish line in 1:43.40. Angela was well acquainted with the challenging terrain, having participated in the event previously.
A total of 1024 runners completed the race, with Seamus Somers of Sligo AC emerging as the men's champion with a time of 59:18. The first woman to finish was Aoife McCavana, clocking in at 1:10.15.
Meanwhile, on the same Sunday, David Dinsmore put on an impressive performance in the Antrim Coast Half Marathon at Larne, recording a commendable time of 1:34.22 and securing fourth place in the M65 category.
