Week-end of mixed fortunes

Jake Byrne and Shane Fitzsimons were in top form when competing for Ireland at the Celtic International Track and Field Games in Carmarthen, Wales last Saturday (1st Aug). Jake ran extremely well in the 3,000m Under 18 where he finished second, and even though Jake doesn't like to lose, he'll take some satisfaction that it took the winner of the 3,000m at the recent European Youth Olympics to beat him.Shane ran very close to his personal best in the 800m u/16 and was narrowly beaten into second place. Jake and Shane's points for their second place finishes helped Ireland to overall victory in the Celtic Cup. Congratulations to both these fine young athletes on their terrific performances in the Ireland vest and both can now take a short break after what has been a long year, and recharge their batteries for the cross country season ahead.In contrast, at the AAI Senior Track and Field Championships in Santry on Saturday and Sunday last (1st/2nd Aug), it was very disappointing to see Martin Fagan forced to drop out of the 10,000m on Saturday, shortly after the half-way point, due to a recurrence of an Achilles problem. Martin was in control of the race up to that point and though receiving close attention from the eventual winner looked very comfortable and it was difficult to see how he could have been beaten if he had made it to the finish. The injury doesn't impact on the forthcoming World Championships for Martin as he was not going anyway, but he intended competing in the New York marathon in November and the Achilles problem will hamper his preparations. Such is the occupational hazard for a top class athlete and we wish Martin well as he begins his rehabilitation to recover. Also on Saturday, young Warren Walsh competed bravely in the heats of the 400m but didn't advance from the extremely competitive heats. He has now had a taste of the big time, so to speak, and this will surely fire him up to train hard over the winter and approach 2010 with renewed determination.Sean McMullin competed in the 10,000m walk on Sunday, where he was up against the very best in the Country, including some Berlin-bound World-class race walkers but that didn't faze master-athlete Sean and he gave a good account of himself and was pleased with his performance. Brendan Marshall struggled to find the form that won him the long jump indoor title in February and though he put together a good series of jumps had to settle for sixth place, which is still a very respectable finish in a National final.It was great to see Mullingar field two athletes, Damien Bateman and Mark Christie in the 5,000m. Alistair Cragg took out the pace from the gun, closely followed by Mark in second and Damien in fourth, with the rest of the 35-man field some distance behind. We'd expect Mark to go with the lead group, but it was great to see Damien also go with the lead group and run such a positive race as it wasn't that long ago he would have stayed with the following group and not dare try to go with the lead group. This is a sure sign that Damien has really matured as a distance runner and his experience in the USA is really starting to show dividends.It took a few laps, but Cragg slowly pulled away and built up a lead that took him to victory. Damien eventually had to drop off the pace and settle for fourth but Mark looked very comfortable in second place, though tracked all the way. Coming into the finish straight for the final time it looked like Mark would take silver, but he was passed in the dying stages of the race and finished in third place, with Damien finishing strongly to take fourth. Both Mark and Damien can be very proud of their determined performances that rounded off the week-end for Mullingar on the track.Daingean 5km Road RaceThe annual Daingean Festival 5km Road Race last Friday evening (31st July) attracted a good entry despite the weather forecast. As it transpired, the storm and tempest that was forecast didn't materialise, though the wind was very strong in places.As expected, Mullingar had a large group in attendance in support of the event, which as always was very well organised by Tullamore Harriers. Run over three laps of the town on a very flat fast course, first to finish from Mullingar was Tomas Navickas in 5th place, with Martin Lyons and Maurice Looby close on his heels in 6th and 7th, only seconds behind. Next in was Vincent Connolly in 10th place overall and first junior man, followed by Liam McGlynn, Matt Glennon, Aidan Gorry, Colm Walsh, Kieran Nolan, JP O'Brien, Pat Muldoon (3rd in master category), Paula Murray (2nd in master category), Christy Creagh (1st in master category), Aidan Daly, Michelle O'Halloran (1st in master category), Michael Hannon (3rd junior man), Michelle O'Sullivan (2nd junior lady) and Michael O'Sullivan, all running well in support.Congratulations to one and all on their performances in the Mullingar colours.Castlepollard Road RaceNext Wednesday (12th Aug), the annual Castlepollard Road Race organised by North Westmeath AC will be held, with a full programme of races around the Square for juveniles starting at 7pm, followed by the senior race over 5km at 8pm. Starting and finishing near the Square, the course takes the athletes through the beautiful woodland setting of Tullynally Estate, which sets this race apart from others and one of the principal reasons the event is firmly established as a fixture on the athletics calendar. As the venue is so close, and the event is organised by our nearest neighbouring Club, we expect a very large attendance from Mullingar to compete in support.Improvements at Club groundsThose who have taken a break recently will be pleasantly surprised on their return to training to see our new recently installed all-weather running and jogging trail. This is a great addition for all Club members, as underfoot conditions during the winter months will be greatly improved. A special thank you to those who gave of their time to help with the laying of the track.Cross country season only weeks awayWith the track season now virtually over, Club officials will now be concentrating on getting teams together for the forthcoming cross country season. It looks as if we'll have strong Novice, Senior and Master teams. Our underage squads will start training again in the coming weeks, and with all last year's athletes still available, plus several talented newcomers in each age group, it looks as if we will have very strong teams in both boys and girls competitions. In fact, we hear that many of them are already doing some secret training.Finally, congratulations to Michael Lane on his selection as the Ireland walks coach for the forthcoming World Track and Field Championships in Berlin, starting next week. This is a great honour for Michael as he has been to the forefront of race walking in Ireland for many years. He has of course been to all the major games, including European and Olympic Games as coach for many years.Fixtures5th Dublin Graded Meeting, Irishtown Stadium9th Boyne AC Open T&F Sports, Drogheda12th Castlepollard Road Race 8pm (Juvenile races 7pm)15th - 23rd IAAF World T&F Championships16th AAI Masters T&F Championships, Tullamore22nd/23rd Community Games National Athletics Finals, Athlone IT29th Northern Ireland Veterans T&F Championships, Mary Peters Track30th Longford Marathon & Half Marathon, 11amTrainingTraining continues each Tuesday and Thursday from the Clubhouse in Grange at 7pm and at Belvedere on Sunday mornings at 11am.Check the Club's website <>at www.mullingarharriers.com for results, news and details of all upcoming fixtures.