Michelle Wins In Little Island

The big race over the past week was in Little Island on Sunday where the FMC ‘4’ Miler kick started the very busy BHAA calendar. Not surprisingly there was a very large entry which featured many of our members who were representing various BHAA teams.



Unquestionably Michelle Nolan was the headline maker recording one of the most significant race wins of her career when coming home as top lady in a time of 24:56. It left Michelle 23 seconds clear of runner up Gillian Cotter with Edel O’Connell back in third. - Certainly a great early season performance from Michelle who was making her first competitive outing since her splendid run in the Dublin Marathon in late October.

Speaking afterwards on C103 Michelle said that her next race will be in Dungarvan on Sunday next and whilst admitting that her training schedule was more geared towards the Ballycotton 10 and Mallow equivalent, she was nevertheless looking forward to taking part .As regards, another marathon? – time will tell but there is no doubt that another assault on the gruelling distance could not be ruled out.

Other excellent performances by Midleton ladies were recorded by amongst others Ann Geary who finished fifth, Sally Drennan who topped the Over 45’s honours list and Denise Hickey who was on the podium as 3rd lady Over 35.

As for our men Adam Duchnicz’s achievement in knocking almost 90 seconds off his personal best time ranks as the day’s outstanding performance. Adam is in great form at present and has already set his sights on the Amsterdam Marathon in April.

(Full results of Sunday’s race will be available later in the week). Don’t forget to keep the club PRO up to date with personal best times etc.



Looking further ahead it is also important to register with the BHAA ahead of the next fixtures. Although you can register on race day, you will be not qualify for prizes on that day, so register in advance! Next on the BHAA fixture list is the Cross Country Race on Sunday February 13th in Beaumount over a distance of 5K. It will be followed by the ESB 5K which is now in association with Fota Island Hotel and will take place on the grounds of Fota. The rescheduled date is Sunday March 13th. It will be followed on the immediate Sunday by the Janssen 4 Miler which will be run over the same course as last Sunday’s race in Little Island.



Action Galore

There is lots of action on the horizon over the next few months with many big races coming up in the lead up to Ballycotton in early March. The busy schedule ahead is reflected by the large numbers attending training on both Mondays and Wednesdays with many of our new members this season amongst those who are also involved in longer runs at the weekends. The initial ‘beginner’s group’ from 2 seasons ago and the subsequent new group which joined our club last October have become hugely involved, and many are now regularly taking part in races. Great credit is due to coachVincent Connolly for his work with this section of the club.



Membership


At this stage of the season it’s important to remind everybody regarding annual membership. Our registrar Danny McCarthy has close on 100 members resigned for 2011. Danny will be forwarding all details to the Athletics Association of Ireland at the end of this week. Therefore we appeal to those who have yet to pay their fees to do so at training on either Monday or Wednesday this week.
If you are not registered you are not insured to train or run with the club.



Dungarvan ‘10’



It’s going to be a big day in Dungarvan on Sunday next where the John Buckley Sports Munster ‘10’ Mile Series is due to get underway three weeks later than anticipated. The original opener in Mallow has now been re-fixed for Sunday March 27th (three weeks after Ballycotton)



Of course, next Sunday’s West Waterford AC promoted Dungarvan race is by pre entry only, with the closing date now having passed. A very big Midleton AC contingent will travel across the county bounds and we wish them all well, especially those who are undertaking a 10 miler for the first time.



The Dungarvan course is a relatively flat route and although there a few climbs along the way, they don’t go on for long. The atmosphere is always good, the welcome is warm and there is plenty of after race refreshments. Remember it’s a 1pm start on Sunday.

Former world cross country champion and Olympic silver medallist, John Treacy has initiated a new club challenge which adds a new dimension to the this year’s race.





Other Attractions

Elsewhere away from the BHAA and the Munster 10 Mile Series, there also some other interesting dates on the agenda. After this week’s penultimate race in the East Cork 3K Series, the concluding fixture of 7 will be held on Tuesday February 15th. The Mealagh Valley 10 Miler in Bantry is listed for the previous Sunday (13th) with Eagle AC hosting their flag ship ‘5’ Mile Race on Sunday February 20th. More immediately the Goal Mile which was listed for Christmas Day will now take place at CIT on Saturday next.



Marathons

The word marathon keeps cropping up in various conversations as many of our members have ear marked 2011 as a year in which they hope to cover at least one of the famous races over 26.2 miles. Going a step further is Denis Kelleher who continued his preparations for the Ultra Marathon by running a very sound 97 minutes in the recent Waterford AC Half Marathon unfortunately held in dreadful weather conditions.





Club Meeting



Back to internal matters and confirmation that a meeting will be held on Thursday February 24th at O’Meara’s Lounge Ballinacurra. The purpose of the meeting is to elect officers/committee/sub committees for the next 12 months. There will also be a provisional plan laid out for the Joe Hourigan Memorial ‘5’ which takes place in early May. All members are urged to be in attendance.



A second note for the club diary is also imminent as we plan to have special evening for sale of club clothing. This will take place during training in early February. Details will be confirmed later this week





Until next time … “keep on running”.