Don't Forget Your Shovel
We need your help on Tuesday night cleaning the road, installing signs and leaflet dropping.
Please bring brushes and shovels if you have to hand.
All members are encouraged to help out.
Meeting at Market Green at 7pm.
Look forward to seeing you all there.
Mt Hillary 5 Mile
Well done to club member Nelius Aherne who once again won 1st O/60 in the Mt Hillary 5 Mile Sunday morning.
Railway Run 25K
Sheila Buckley 4th Lady overall.
(Thanks to Máre Walsh for the pics)
Best of luck to all running this weekend. We have Christopher McCarthy doing the Madrid Marathon and several others doing the Railway Run. Don't forget to advertise our own race and remember we need lots of sandwiches etc. on Thursday evening.
Ballynoe: From The Back Of The Field
(Report from Mike Dorney)
The start line for the men’s race is
about half a mile out from the village so you are nicely warmed up after
jogging out to it. Now, some days you arrive at the start line feeling
pretty good and some days you arrive feeling a little out of your
league. (The important part is that you arrive at the start line.)
At Ballynoe, I felt both. Even the run back into the village
has its ups and downs before beginning the four triangular laps. Two
sides are gently downhill and then a sharp left to begin the climb back up to
the village for the first of four times. It’s a very tough but
strangely enjoyable course. As always, the Midleton AC supporters
and the ladies who had completed their race were out in force cheering us up
the hill. Again and again.
It is quite a struggle and doesn’t get
any easier but as Edmond says, “Get your recovery in while you
run”. Then something special happened. I was about half
way through my last lap (and the only runner still on the course) heading
towards the bottom of the hill when I found a line of Midleton ladies spread
across the road running towards me, demonstrating everything that is positive
about out club.
They’d come back to help me out and climb the hill for the
last time with me. Truly inspirational. They cheered,
coached (“short steps”, “swing your elbows”) and encouraged me up the final
hill when without them I might have given into the temptation to
walk. Instead my fifth mile was 15 seconds faster than my fourth due
to their overwhelming club spirit.
I finally made it to the finish
line and collected my hard-earned mug that I feel was a true team effort. It
must have been an amazing sight to see the last competitor labouring up the
hill surrounded by a group of smiling, laughing and cheering club
mates. Thanks again to you all ladies. And for all the
right reasons, it’s not a race that I’ll forget anytime soon.
Thanks Mike
