October « 2015 « LIMERICK ATHLETIC CLUB

MINI MARATHON FAST APPROACHING!!

October 21, 2015 in Important Notices by Gwynne Ryan

MINI MARATHON

SUNDAY

25TH OCTOBER

START TIME:

10km will commence @ 12:00

5km will commence @ 12:30

PLEASE TRY AND BE IN UL BY 10:30 FOR EASE OF PARKING.

IF ANYONE IS AVAILABLE TO ASSIST WITH STEWARDING PLEASE CONTACT:

EUGENE O’ SHEA @ 087-6184135

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Munich 2015

October 14, 2015 in Uncategorized by Colm Turner

Mark Guerin and Mike Lynch in the Munich Marathon

Limerick AC senior men’s cross country team returned from Munich on Tuesday from what was ostensibly an international race weekend away but turned out to be so much more. Embarking for the Bavarian capital on Saturday with fresh faced enthusiasm, the team with some wags in tow (as Paul Fitzgerald aptly called the lovely wives who braved the trip) landed in Munich in the afternoon and negotiated the bustling streets on foot to reach their budget hotel – Hotel Ibis. Budget it certainly was, but runners are but simple creatures needing no more than shorts and a pair of runners to keep them happy so the no frills hotel was perfect, a functional base from which their international adventure would revolve.

The race consisted of a Marathon, Half Marathon and kiddies 10K run. Mike Lynch and Mark Guerin, true men of iron, tackled the marathon and fought hard to cross the line in unison clocking a fine 2:58:55 time. Preparations weren’t ideal for these chaps traveling over the day before but that only emphasises their achievement in successfully dipping below the 3 hour mark. Mark Guerin certainly enjoyed the moment throwing his arms into the air as he finished, lapping up the atmosphere in the Olympic stadium. Mark would later anchor a conga line in a beer hall which just goes to show he knows how to enjoy every opportune moment. We all have a lot to learn from this man in how to live life to the fullest.

Next was the half marathon and we had club stalwart and comedian Tony O’Donovan, adventure man Daniel Gallagher and nice guy Paul Fitzgerald competing in this one. Fitzgerald blazed across the finish line first out of the Limerick crew in a red hot 76 minutes and 2 seconds. Although he expressed slight disappointment at not breaking the 76 minutes he couldn’t be but content with what was a new personal best for him. Unfortunately for Fitzgerlad, he was born with a very long right leg that forces him to run wide around every bend god sends his way. If it wasn’t for this terrible disability I imagine he would have sailed under the 76 minute barrier no hassle.

Next in for Limerick AC was Tony (aka Tom) in a time of 90 minutes and 31 seconds with his wife Christine (aka ‘Tom’s wife’) cheering him on from the side-lines. Tom’s performance showed a welcome return to consistency especially after recovering from a bad knee injury earlier in the year.

Gallagher brought up the rear guard in the half and gained many fans in his battling performance that saw him time 94 minutes and 8 seconds. Gallagher trained only twice in the last 8 weeks due to a number of issues, one of which was recovering from a broken collar bone. Club mate Vinny O’Brien was heard saying that Gallagher was his new idol after such a performance and would cherish the memory for the remainder of his days.

Finally, in the kiddies race which was masquerading as an official 10K road race, Vinny O’Brien (Team Mascot) and Colm Turner ran 38 minutes and 33 min 43 seconds respectively. Both athletes enjoyed themselves and although both whined beforehand about a chest infection and an injury plagued body, they both finished and got their medals – everybody’s a winner in a kiddies race.

Anyway, the real endurance events were yet to come and Mike Lynch coaxed the team into the famed Hofbrauhaus that night for a few tipples. The Hofbrauhaus is a cavernous beer hall of epic proportions boasting 4 floors and an ethos of ‘last man standing’. The barmen, of which there were many to accommodate the drunken hordes, scoffed at our request for a few pints and were duly presented with 1 litre tankards of what is known as HB original – a cuddly name, much like a HB golly bar. The true grit of each team member was put to the test and first to fall was yours truly. Just as Icarus flew too close to the sun, yours truly couldn’t take the heat and crashed out in a mere 2 hours. The Limerick AC team is a fellowship and true to character guided their wounded comrade to safe haven.

The night progressed and the events that followed would lead to a Romanian taxi driver being subjected to a run-down of Na Piarsaigh’s victories over the last 10 years, a stairwell that proved too challenging for the entire team, an encounter with a man parading a giant dancing rat, and what seemed like an eternity walking the underground halls of the central underground train station -Marienplatz . Sad to say but the lion’s share of the entire trip (possibly 75% of the time) was spent aimlessly wandering the halls of Marienplatz – some team members even forgot what it felt like to feel the sun on their skin.

So, the weekend was a success by all accounts and a huge thank you must go out to ‘the wags’ – ‘Tom’s wife’, Niamh Fitzgerald, and Anne-Marie Lynch who made the weekend that bit more enjoyable. The team are now firmly bonded and will look forward to the Limerick Senior cross country with a sense of confidence, knowing that the man next to them is willing to bleed for the team.

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MINI MARATHON HELP

October 7, 2015 in Important Notices by Gwynne Ryan

LIMERICK AC ARE LOOKING FOR ASSISTANCE.

SUNDAY 25TH OCTOBER

5km and 10km runs

Assistance also required on Saturday and Sunday to help in handing out RACE NUMBERS AND T-SHIRTS.

ANY ASSISTANCE WOULD BE GREATLY APPRECIATED!!!

PLEASE CONTACT:

EUGENE O SHEA @ 087-6184135

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JUVENILE COUNTY CROSS COUNTRY CHAMPIONSHIPS.

October 6, 2015 in Cross Country Results by Gwynne Ryan

The sunshine was looking down on the Juveniles who took on the first Cross of the season in Cappamore(27th September).

Representing LAC was girl’s under 10’s

Meadhbh Hurley (4th)

Rachel Shannon (6th)

Boys under 10’s:

Sean Mc Hugo who improved on last year’s bronze to win Silver this time round with a great run.

Jack O Neill (9th)

Girls under 12’s:

Aoife Ryan

Boys under 12’s

Jack Doyle

Cillian Lynch

Aaron O Connor

Girls under 14’s:

Makayla Ryan-Wade (4th)

Boys under 14’s:

Rory Prendeville (3rd)

UL was our next location (4th October) were the sun followed. We had a bigger contingency representing LAC this time adding a few more medals to Rory and Sean’s the previous Sunday.

Girls under 9’s:

Aoife Grimes who ran a great race finishing 2nd.