Write a commentWednesday 20th June - Dublin County Graded Series, Tallaght Stadium
John McCaffrey and Hughie Mackin made the journey down to Dublin for the latest Graded Series Track Meet. Both men took on the 800m, in a very competitive race heat, Hughie finished 3rd in a time of 2:16:95 with John following through in 2:23:36.
Wednesday 20th June - Lisburn 10k - Ciara takes a Top 5 Ladies Position
Ciara Coffey competed in the Lisburn 10k (part of the Novosco Grand Prix Series) and again notched up a great performance. Ciara has been notchin podium placings in her last few 10k races showing her true fete as a 10k specialist. With temperatures a lot more tolerable than previous years in this race, Ciara was comfortable in her running and placed 5th female, 57th overall, out of a field of 1,713 runners.
Friday 22nd June - Hill & Dales - Final Series Race - Drinahilly
3 Newry AC athletes took on this final race of the series. Weather has been perfect for this race over the last few years and Friday night was again perfect conditions. The race starts and finishes in Donard Park and takes them up through the Forest Paths to Drinahilly and then allows for a fast and furious descent to the finish line. Paul Le Blanc came in 40th in a time of 26:19; Rory Mulvaney followed in 52nd in a time of 27:14 and Coach Kookie O’Hagan followed in at a time of 38:10.
Friday 22nd June - Hill & Dales - Series Awards - Esther Dickson retains her Hill and Dales Female Title
Newry AC lifted a few top placings in the 2018 Series Awards Evening. This is payback on the dedication and commitment they are showing to their training dealt by Taskmaster Coach Kookie O’Hagan.
Esther Dickson retained her title and lifted for the 2nd year the Top Female in the Hill and Dales Series. Esther has been very strong in this series and as she gains more experience and knowledge in the technicals of mountain racing - she will be a tough one to challenge in the 2019 series. Esther is now focusing on the 2018 NIMRA title with the Spelga Skyline on next weekend.
Warren Cartmill's strong performances in a very competitive MV45 Category gained him the Series Prize of 2nd Overall MV45; Paul Le Blanc had a consistent performance throughout and was rewarded with 3rd MV55 Series position; Rory Mulvaney and Kookie O’Hagan completed all the series races and Rory was drawn for free entry to the 2019 Series, of which he was overjoyed to obtain.
Saturday 23rd June - South Armagh Twin Peaks Half Marathon - Warren Cartmill & Maurice Harte take Podium
On a very warm day and tough terrain, Warren Cartmill and Maurice Harte took on the challenging Twin Peaks Race and did not disappoint on their strong performances. Warren Cartmill who ran strongly in the Hill and Dales 2018 Series continued his success and finished in Podium place in a time of 1:51:29. Maurice Harte following in 3 minutes after Warren taking 2nd place in a time of 1:54:22. Well done boys.
Saturday 23rd June - Gaelforce West Adventure Race - Keiron Kelly on the Podium
Keiron Kelly took on the challenge of the Gaelforce West Adventure Race on Saturday. This is Ireland’s Iconic Adventure race, is 66km and the terrain includes mountain, bog, scree, trail, road and water. The race consists of 7 Stages covering 22km of running, 43 km of cycling and 1km of kayaking. The stages briefly are 13.5km of Traill/Road Run, 1km Kayaking across Kilarney Harbour, 4km Trails/Road Run, 32km Cycle, 4.5km Mountain Run on Croagh Patrick, 11km Cycle and a Final Run to the finish in Westport Town Centre. The race covers the areas of the Connemara, Kilarney Fjord, Croagh Patrick and West Port.
Keiron completed this in an amazing 3:39:58 taking 2nd place and only 13 seconds behind the winner. Well done Keiron, a well earned rest this week required.
Dates to note
Belfast International Track Event, Mary Peters Track - Tuesday 26th June
Junior Newry AC member Meadow McCauley received an Athletics NI invite to compete in the Intermediates 800m race at this prestigious event. This is an opportunity for Meadow to witness some of the top athletes performing locally and one to draw experience from. Next weeks report will follow on her progress.
Spelga Skyline - Saturday 30th June
Newry AC are preparing for this tough 13 mile race over challenging terrain. Hopefully, weather conditions and visibility will be better than last year. Esther Dickson will be focusing on taking the top female spot this year to aid her overall NIMRA 2018 Championship Title Challenge.
NI & Ulster Masters Championships - Mary Peters Track - Saturday 30th June
Newry AC Track athletes will be focusing on top performances at this annual event. Joanne McCauley will be focusing on her 100m and 400mH performances along with field events of Long Jump and High Jump.
