Johnny O'Connor Predicts Victory

It was cold and blustery last Sunday morning as a hardy group of Galway runners lined up for a dash over a measured mile around the Ballybrit racecourse. This was an informal workout for all concerned but the fact that athletes took part from a number of Galway clubs was evidence that they appreciated the opportunity to blast a quick mile. The mile-long course was undulating and included a long stretch into a cold and stiff headwind. Despite the tough conditions Ian Egan of GCH posted a highly respectable winning time of 4:40. Close behind was Mark Davies of Craughwell AC, and Pat Hannon of Loughrea AC chased the two leaders home. In terms of the conditions, the wind and cold certainly added around fifteen seconds to each of the finishing times in comparison to a calm day. It was also interesting to note that the first five runners home were each from different Galway clubs. There's clearly an appetite for this sort of informal racing event out there and hopefully more such outings can be arranged over the summer months.

There was a short prize-giving afterwards where these brave souls were rewarded with some small prizes. All of our thanks go to James Corbett and Dave Dunne who arranged the event and also to Kathryn Casserly who assisted at the finish line.

A good morning's work!

Hopefully we'll have a few more.

Ian Egan GCH 4:40

Mark Davis Craughwell AC 4:50

Pat Hannon Loughrea AC 5:00

Brian O'Connor Athenry AC 5:05

Mike Tobin Craughwell AC 5:07

Emmet Farrell Craughwell AC 5:08

Seamus Gilhooley Athenry AC 5:09

Alan Burke Athenry AC 5:20

Johnny O'Connor Athenry AC 5:24

James Lundon Athenry AC 5:27

Brendan Monaghan Tuam AC 5:38

Michael Rooney Athenry AC 5:45

Michelle Lynch GCH 5:51

Richard Monaghan Tuam AC 6:31