M&T Winter League Rd 1, Swords

A great outing in Swords, thanks to the hard work of Fingallians, supervised by Dolores and her crew. Special thanks to "Athletics Official of the Year" the great Harry Gorman, who was our starter. Truly we are not worthy!
Taking an early lead once the two-mile race started around Balheary Playing Fields was Mary Finn of Sportsworld. She was quickly caught by Anne Ormsby, who runs these races and no others and has made them her own over the past year or so.
Mary Finn held out for second place with Bronagh Snow of Fingallians third. Fourth was Louise Keogh of Blackrock, with former high jumper Breda Browne making a comeback to cross-country running and finishing fifth for the Sportsworld B team, ahead of her team mate Sarah McAteer. Among those in action was Josie Power of Fingallians, who had run for the Irish W55 team a day earlier in Stormont, winning team silver.
Next race is in Lucan on Sunday December 9, followed by Terenure on January 20 and the final race hosted by Raheny in St Anne's Park on a February date to be confirmed.
Although a fantastic crowd of over a hundred (from Blackrock, Donore and Crusaders, as well as the clubs already mentioned) turned out, a few prominent clubs were missing.
Most notable of these was Clonliffe (probably still celebrating after being voted "Club of the Year" the night before), Dunboyne, Dublin Striders, Tallaght and Dunboyne; not to mention Raheny.

Come on girls - these runs are for YOU! A great way of keeping fit and motivated over the winter with all standards welcome.



PS: See pictures at
http://www.flickr.com/photos/62351605@N00/sets/72157603226378014/

WINTER LEAGUE DATES FROM SUE

Hi all,
Sorry for the delay in confirming the winter dates as I've been away with work .
RACE 1 SUN 18TH NOV -SWORDS (Fingallians to confirm by Mon); 11am start , 4 per team with top 3 to score. €20 for 4 races or €7 per race . Reg on day 10am.
RACE 2 SUN 9TH DEC -Esker, LUCAN
RACE 3 20TH JAN -Tymon Park (Wellington Lane entrance) Sportsworld to host.
RACE 4 17th Feb St Anne's Park, Raheny.
I don't have time for a meeting before Race 1, so if everyone is happy, we can sort the remaining dates after Race 1. Sorry for the rush but it's hectic at work and I'm often not at my desk for days on end.
Regards,
Sue
PS: Sue's mobile number is 086-2327570.
PPS: The Axa Raheny 5 roadshow will visit Swords taking entries for next year's race on Sun Jan 27.

SUE HAS THE SUMMER LEAGUE SINGLETS

I have the singlets for the summer series and would like people to get them to use over the summer.
Am on hols until next Monday June 25, but if anyone is in town or near my home in Celbridge after that, I can pass them on.
Please phone me on 086-2327570 to arrange your pick-up.
Regards Sue.

M&T GROUPS APPLICATION FORMS:THE LATEST

Why should we sign on for this you are asking; we already run M&T groups and have done for many years? Athletics Ireland recognises this and will help you fill out the form, which was devised by the Sports Council.

AAI is very aware that Donore, Sportsworld, Fingallians, Lucan, Tallaght, Clonliffe, Crusaders, Blackrock, Dunboyne all have M&T sections that are a vital part of their clubs and that others, including Liffey Valley and Raheny which have M&T members, organise internal club leagues that are very suitable for the ordinary club runner.

What they are offering us is the chance to get a few members trained up as leaders, so reducing the pressure on the overall coach/supervisor. A special morning course will be organised, in consultation with established M&T leaders, for a weekend in September. So print the form off (see below) and have a chat with Ryan Montgomery at 087-2631441 on the best way to fill it out.

"Following the success of the 2006 Fit4Life programme, Athletics Ireland is delighted to announce details of the 2007 scheme.

The 2007 programme will take the form of a Fit4Life Meet n Train programme. Many participants in the 2006 Fit4Life Leagues expressed the need to access training information, and a suitable group to train with to get the best benefits from their ‘recreational running’. The Fit4Life Meet n Train programme will be funded under the 2007 Women in Sport initiative. All clubs have been invited to apply to be considered as one of the 40 clubs chosen nationwide to participate in this years programme.

The Fit4Life Programme is aimed at recreational runners. The idea is to encourage clubs to expand their ‘traditional’ structures to include a section for the ‘recreational runner’. From the evidence of events such as the Women’s Mini Marathon, there are thousands of ‘recreational runners’ in the country, but research has shown that many of these are not members of any club. Feedback from the 2006 Fit4Life Running Leagues strongly supported the idea of having a support structure for these ‘recreational runners’ where they can enjoy all the benefits of running in a social, safe and organised environment and also receive tips and advice on training etc.

The success of this Programme in a club will depend on the people who lead it. As part of the Programme, Athletics Ireland will provide support to the club and ‘Fit4Life Leader’ training to 3 individuals from each chosen club to help them to organise and run the Meet n rain programme in their club. Full details of what AAI’s role in this programme will be, as well as the expected role of the club are outlined on the Application Form.

Closing date for clubs to apply to the 2007 Fit4Life Meet n Train programme is Friday June 15th 2007. Application form can be downloaded here: Fit4Life Application Form.

Athletics Ireland hopes to announce the successful Fit4Life Meet n Train clubs at the end of June 2007 so keep checking this website for up-dated information.

For any further queries in relation to this programme or any of Athletic Ireland’s development initiatives, please contact your local Regional Development Officer (RDO) – full contact details on the ‘Development Team’ can be found in the Development section of www.athleticsireland.ie."