A warm welcome awaits in Swinford for all who make the trip for the fourth race in the 2008 Mayo AC Road Race series. Swinford AC host the Swinford 8km Road Race on Sunday, August 3 at 5pm and it promises to be a thoroughly enjoyable evening. Swinford AC are one of the most progressive, ambitious and successful juvenile athletics clubs in the west and undoubtedly this race will be run with the same level of enthusiasm and efficiency as all their club activities to date.
There will be more points to be won in the Mayo AC League - after the third race at Balla on Saturday last John Byrne and Anthony Devaney are joint first with 70 points with clubmate TJ McHugh third on 64. The women's league is also dominated by Mayo AC - Mary Gleeson well ahead on 74 points with Noreen McManamon second on 64 and Cathy Connolly third with 58. The tables are still heavily influenced by the fact that some athletes have not run in all three races so far. There will also be a children’s one-mile race at 4pm, so bring along the kids. Entry fee for the children’s race is €5 and a free t-shirt is provided for all finishers. Registration on the day is at Kelly's Gateway Hotel in the centre of the town. Entry for 8km race is €10. Race t-shirt will be on sale for €5. This is a fast, flat, accurately measured course and will give you a great chance of a PB at this distance. There are prizes for the first three men/women, first three men over 40 and 0ver 50, and first three women over 35 and over 45, and also for the first men/women U19. For further information contact Michael Oliver at 086 8196511 or Peter Hynes at 0879014211. The event is generously sponsored by O'Connell's Pharmacy and there is a prize fund of €1,000.
Balla 10k a huge sucess
The Balla 10k is one of those races you either love or hate. The “ups and downs” are in the same places year after year. Over the railway line at 2k under it at 8k The “changeable” summer weather is always a major factor. This year it was bright and sunny, but quite humid and energy sapping. Some runners adapted to this better than others, so there were the usual tortured and triumphant tales afterwards. Balla has established itself as one of the landmark races in the west and it has a great fundraising tradition. It was the third race in the 2008 Mayo AC race series. This year over 420 runners and walkers took part and there was a carnival atmosphere about the town.
Robbie Matthews (Dunshaughlin AC ) led a group of five over the railway bridge after the 2k mark. He steadily shook off the opposition and came home a clear winner in 32.53, 30 seconds ahead of Robert Malseed (Mayo AC ). Anthony Devaney (Mayo AC ) ran a PB of 16.25 when he came second to Gerry Ryan (GCH ) in the Boston Scientific 5km on the previous Wednesday evening. He was in brilliant form again in Balla, finishing third in 33.50, ahead of clubmates (and rivals ) TJ McHugh, 34.00 in fourth, and John Byrne, 34.09 in fifth. The o40 category was a very closely fought battle - Michael O'Connell (Sligo AC ) sixth overall in 34.33, Martin Corcoran (Craughwell AC ) seventh - 34.43, and David Corcoran (Civil Service ) eighth in 35.28. Mary Gleeson (Mayo AC ) turned the tables on Regina Casey (GCH ) in winning the women's race in determined style in 38.32 and is now a clear leader in the Race League series. Catherine Conway (Mayo AC ) put her recent injury worries behind her with a great run to finish third in 39.34.
