A good night out in Annaghdown with over 160 competitors toeing

the line @ 7:30 PM for the first annual Summer Solstice 10KM in

and around the environs of the parish/lake area.

Race HQ, at the local National School, was a hive of activity,

resembling a normal school day such was the volume of children

buzzing around - a new experience for most hardened runners?

The bad weather just about held off and the race was completed

without the runners being drenched. The start was just down from

the school itself and went up the road and out the country from

there. The 'Fields of Athenry' KM markers adorned the race route

at regular intervals - not regularly enough for my liking as I

was going so poorly but that a salutary tale for another day! -

and we turned to come back for home around 5KM.

The route itself was through verdant countryside with all passing

traffic very respectful of the puffing and panting runners all

along the way :).

The course was full of little but quite stiff inclines, declines,

blind turns, both left and right. There was no straight stretch

of more than three or four hundred metres, so we had no idea what

was next around the corner, with the stiffest incline "mugging"

us just after 8KM.

The last 500 metres was all downhill as some of us wound up for

the final dash to finish under the '2006 North Pole Marathon

Finish Line' bouncy castle arch down at Annaghdown Pier itself,

passing the local cemetery along the way for good measure.

The route is an almost perfect loop. Loads of fruit and water

was available at the finish with a water stop just before 5KM.

For those competitors game enough, a convivial knee-deep dip in

Lough Corrib was available less than 25 yards from the finishing

tape too :).

Afterwards, copious amounts of tea, home-made sandwiches, Jaffa

Cakes and other confectionery, was available in the hall at the

school, while Alan Duggan et al got to grips with the specially

commissioned Excel results' spreadsheet provided by yours truly.

By 9:10 PM the prizes were ready to be given out. Full

provisional results were available by then too.

Steve Jones - former Marathon world-record holder - was on hand

to hand out the prizes for the various categories. T'was

probably the quickest prize giving I've ever seen as all the

envelopes were given out in double quick time, just like Steve in

his prime :).

Paul McNamara bounded around in a little over 32 minutes to win

the race while Jane-Ann Healy won the women's race in a little

over 41 minutes. 'Superman' Paul could be seen for a full half

an hour after the race doing laps of the school's pitch, watched

by a adoring gaggle of young ladies, all under the age of 10,

mind you.

Overall, a great night out. Well organised in all respects and a

very welcome addition to the local running scene. Thanks must

also go to title sponsors, Newell Construction, whose principal

lives very nearby!

Full results and a race video will be available hereabouts over

the next few days too!

Roll on next year...

P.S. Special congratulations must go to Alan Burke for breaking

37 for the distance for the very first time and also to Mark

Davis for joining the sub-35 club. The course did suit some :}.