Final race in fun run series at Lees Road

Clare Sports Partnership  and Clare Athletics Association will hold the final leg of the Summer Series (race five)  this Saturday morning at Lees Road Sports Complex over a distance of 5k, starting at 11am.
After the final race there will be a prize-giving presentation at the Lees Road Sports Complex at 12.15pm.
There will be a number of key battles in the final round. In the senior men’s event, Michael Shannon (Kilnaboy), Willie Devitt (Kilmurry Ibrickane/North Clare) and Dariusz Kuranda (Ennis Track) will be chasing victory, with Sharon Rynne (Kilmurry Ibrickane/North Clare) fancied for the senior ladies’ title ahead of Becky Coughlan (Ennis Track).
In the masters’ O-35 ladies, Marian Burke (St Mary’s) is leading from Mags Malone (Kilmurry Ibrickane/North Clare) and Lorraine Hayes (Ennis) going into the final round.
In the O-40s, Hilda O Connor, Niamh Ní Mhuire (Ennis Track) are battling to take the title ahead of Martina Martin (Ennis). In the O-45s Sue Garrahy (Kilmurry Ibrickane/North Clare) leads the way from Ita Doherty and Marie Lennon (Ennis Track) with Rita Kierce (St Mary’s) leading the O-50s.
In the masters’ men, Brian Spring (Ennis Track) leads the way in the O/35s from Jason Moloney (Ennis Track) with Michael McBride (Ennis Track) leading the O-40s from Seamus McNamara.
In the O-45s, Mike Cunningham (Bilboa) has competed in all four events and will take the title, with James Kenny (Kilmurry Ibrickane/North Clare), Aidan Cabey (Ennis) and Ollie Gallagher battling for the O-50s title and James Sexton (Kilmurry Ibrickane/North Clare) looking good to take the O-55s with Pat Rutherford (Ennis Track) favourite for the O-60s.

Fixtures
August
11 Limerick City and Sports Partnership Summer Series Four-Mile Road Race at Vistakon, National Technology Park, Limerick, starting at 7pm.
13 Clare Sports Partnership and Clare AAI 5k Road Final series (number five), Lees Road, starting at 11am.
18 Limerick City and Sports Partnership Summer Series Grand Final Five Mile Road Race at Delta Soccer Dome Limerick, starting at 7pm.
19-21 National Community Games in Athlone IT.
20 National Leagues Finals in Tullamore. 
20 Tulla Soccer Club 10k Road Race and 5k Fun Walk sponsored by Spar Supermarket in Tulla, Tulla Soccer Club, Cragg, Tulla at 5pm. 
21 AAI Masters Track and Field Championships, Tullamore, starting at 10am.

Four bronze at nationals

The Athletics Association of Ireland National Track and Field Championships were held over two days in Santry Stadium, when a host of Irish stars were taking part and looking for big performances.
Clare athletes were looking to do well before the National League Final in Tullamore next week. Rory Chesser (Ennis Track), who has been performing very well over 1,500m, was in a star-studded final, with John Coughlan (Metro St Bridget’s) the favourite along with Paul Robinson (St Coco’s Kildare). Robinson who took the title in 3.50.41 ahead of John Coughlan, with Rory Chesser having to work hard on the final 100m to snatch the bronze medal in 3.52.62 with Jason Fahy (Olympic Harriers) 15th in (4.02.35).
The men’s 10,000m was dominated by the Irish cross country champion, Mark Kenneally (Clonliffe Harriers) with a winning time of 28.58.39. Clare athlete Sean Hehir from Kilkishen and running with (Rathfarnham AC Dublin) captured the bronze medal in 30.16.02.
Timothy Crowe Sixmilebridge and (Dooneen AC) took bronze in the 400m hurdles in 51.38. In the 56lbs for distance David Teirney, who hails from Ennistymon and competes with Leevale AC, captured the bronze medal with a throw of 7.91m.

Results
Senior men
800m Micheal Keane (Ennis Track) (1.58.85); 1,500m 3 Rory Chesser (Ennis Track) (3.52.62), 15 Jason Fahy (Olympic Harriers) (4.02.35); 5,000m 24 Brian Murphy ­(Ennis Track) (16.21.86); 10,000m 3 Sean Hehir (Kilkishen/Rathfarnham) (30.16.02); 3,000m  steeplechase 6 Brian McGinley (Ennis Track) (9.37.75); 400m hurdles 3 Tim Crowe (Sixmilebridge and Donneen AC) (51.38); 56lbs for distance 3 David Tierney (Ennistymon and Leevale) (7.91m).

Rynne and Nestor win in Limerick

The Limerick City and County Sports Partnership held its sixth in the series of Feet On The Street at the Shannon Rowing Club, O’Callaghan Strand Road, on Thursday and again, many Clare athletes made the short journey to take part in this 5k event.
Sharon Rynne (Kilmurry Ibrickane/North Clare) once again went out very hard from the start along with Loretto Duggan (St Mary’s) going through the 1k in 3.50 and as they made their way towards the 2k, they were almost 50 metres ahead of the chasing pack.
At the 3k mark, Sharon Rynne was well clear of the rest of the field and recorded a fine win with a time of 19.21, with Loretto Duggan again a very good second in 20.33.
Christina Organ ­(Kilmurry Ibrickane/North Clare) won the masters’ ladies O-45s in 23.12 and there was another big race from junior athlete Siobhán Nestor (Kilmurry Ibrickane/North Clare) to finish 48th overall and take the junior title in 22.00.
The men’s race was won by Adrian Linehan (Duhallow) in 16.29, with James Sexton (Kilmurry ­Ibrickane/North Clare) 23rd and the leading O-55 in 20.14, beating Pat Conway (Limerick AC) on a sprint to the line in 20.19. Martin Hynes (Kilmurry Ibrickane/North Clare) finishing second in the O-60’s in 23.08.
The next race and the seventh in the summer series will be on this Thursday in Vistakon and is a four-mile event in the National Technology Park, starting at 7pm.

Results
Senior Ladies
1 Sharon Rynne (Kilmurry Ibrickane/North Clare) (19.21)
2 Loretto Duggan (St Mary’s) (20.33)   
3 Juliett Frost (Ind) (20.39)
5 Siobhán Nestor (Kilmurry Ibrickane/North Clare) (Junior) (22.00)
9 Christine Organ (Kilmurry Ibrickane/North Clare) (23.13)
Senior Men
1 Adrian Linihan (Duhallow) (16.29)   
2 Michael Rejmer (Ind) (16.59)
3 Thomas Grimes (Ind) (17.03)
4 Mike Cunningham (Bilboa) (17.07)
23 James Sexton (Kilmurry Ibrickane/North Clare) O-50 (20.14)
77 Martin Hynes (Kilmurry Ibrickane/North Clare) O-60 (23.08)