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12th
March 2011
Irish Schools Cross Country and Gransha 5K In Weekend Spotlight
The roads in and around Gransha Park and the hopefully,lush
green acres around Dublins National Sports Campus in Abbotstown,will
be the main focus of action this weekend for local athletes
as the local Paddys Weekend 5K and the Irish Schools cross
country championships grab the attention tomorrow.
Despite races tomorrow in Bellaghy, Belfast, Carrickmore
and Glenariff, Gransha should draw a big local and North West
contingent for the popular season opening 5K road race and
the supporting 1K Fun Run, organised by City of Derry Spartans
as a Foyle Hospice fund raiser. The Fun Run has a 10 30am
start and is followed at 11am by the 5K. Entries for both
will be taken at Ballycann House on the Gransha site,opposite
the former soccer pitch, from 9 45am. All Fun Run finishers
will be rewarded with a ribboned finishers medal and all the
5K participants will be eligible for a shot at an array of
Spot Prizes. In addition there will also be hot post race
refreshments for everyone.
The Paddys Weekend outing is the traditional season opener
for many local road runners and offers a great chance to get
a handle on the race form and plan ahead for the spring and
summer road race calendar.Between April and September as ever,
there will be lots of race action opportunities around the
North West,particularly with the Furey Insurances and Donegal
Grand Prix Series once again putting on close to thirty races
over the next five months. Runners from both City of Derry
and Foyle Valley will line up tomorrow with athletes from
Donegal,Tyrone and further afield and of course lots of joggers
and fun runners also keen to test their fitness levels on
the Gransha course.
Big Test For Schools Athletes.
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Thornhill and St Columbs will both have a brace of teams in
Dublin tomorrow after qualifying through the Ulsterchampionshis
last month,and will be spearheaded by the taaented trio of
Aoife Laverty, Shane McGowan and Sean Harkin. Runner up in
the Minor Girls Ulster championship, Aoife will target a high
placing in what will be a top quality test for the promising
Thornhill runner. Shane McGowan goes in the Junior Boys with
an Ulster bronze in his pocket and will be keen to step up
to a higher level tomorrow. In the Intermediate Boys race
Sean Harkin, who was just outsprinted for Ulster gold at Mallusk
has the talent for high finish and if he runs with conviction
tomorrow could be a big day for him.
All four local teams will find it tough to be in medal contention
but the experience should be invaluable and no doubt they
will all give their all tomorrow. With places up for grabs
in the Irish squads for the Schools International later this
month in Antrim the above mentioned trio and possibly Thornhills
Amy Jackson could realistically contemplate mounting a serious
challange for a green vest!
Road Race News
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Finally a round up of some missing road race results from
last weekend. Letterkennys Ivan Toner ran 16m 26s to win Sundays
second round in the Finn Valley 5K Series at Stranorlar.Triathlete
Bronagh O Gara of 24/7 Tri took the womens honours in 19m
31s and Derry runners Peter Lilburn and Christy McMonagle
won the M55 and M65 categories with !8m 05s and 19m 57s clockings
as 187 finishers were recorded at the Donegal venue.
Mention also of the NI Masters Winter League and it has been
confirmed that the Bay Road 5K.race one in the Furey Insurances
Series on Wednesday 20th April,has been added as the final
2010/2011 scoring race. This is significant to a trio of local
masters.Jacqueline McMonagle, Bridgeen Byrne and Dermot Connolly
who will get to strut their stuff on home ground and consolidate
high finish laces in the League which began at the Comber
Cup cross country last October. Jackie and Dermot have a shot
at overall victory in their age grous and Bridgeen can seal
the runners up spot in her grade. M65 Gerry Lynch has already
sealed his category win and will revert to Race Director duties
at the Bay Road event.More details on this one and the Furey
Series next week!
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