Closer to home the Kildare Athletics womens team will be in action in Santry in Round 2 of the National track and field League on Sunday. A number of St Cocas athletes will be competing for the county. They are currently in 8th place (of 15 teams) and the top 8 qualify for the National Final in August.

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All Ireland Pairs – 26th/27th June 2010

Congratulations to Aoife O’Cuill and Aoife Rattigan who won a bronze medal at the All Ireland U10 500m last weekend. It was a brilliant performance from the girls in their first All Ireland competition. In the U9 300m the team of Nise O’Cuill and Holly Ginty finished just outside the medals in 5th place. Their combined time was just 4 seconds off the bronze medal and they finished 1stLeinster team. The girls U9 relay team had a great run in the final also but an athlete crossed into their lane at one of the changeovers and they lost some ground. They battled on to finish 8th and were delighted with their experience. The team was Maud O’Shea, Nise O’Cuill, Holly Ginty and Aoife Rattigan. Well done to them all.

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All Ireland Track and Field Championships – 3rd/4th July 2010

Day 1 U13/U19 The older age championships took place over the past weekend in Tullamore and St Cocas had two athletes in action in Saturday. Luke Allen jumped 1.78 in the U17 High Jump to claim a bronze medal. As happened in the Leinsters the top three athletes jumped the same height and the medals were decided on countback. Luke is perhaps the most consistent performer for the club winning a medal at All Ireland level all of the past 5 or 6 years. Andrea Bennett competed at the U16 100m but was out of the medals. Well done to both Luke and Andrea on their performances. Day 2 It was middle distance day for all of our athletes on Day 2 of the All Irelands. Eoin Reidy was first up in the U13 600m final. Eoin ran a perfect race not starting off too hard and with 400m to go he was tucked in at the back of the pack. At this stage he made his move and passed a number of athletes to finish 6th place. It was a great performance for his first All Ireland. Next up we had the 800m races and St Cocas were represented in all age groups from U15 through to U19. Caoimhe Whittaker in the girls U15 ran her usual race and was in the mix all the way through. With 200m to go she went clear into 2nd place and battled all the way to the line being passed just on the line to win a bronze medal. Caoimhe is another athlete who has been a consistent medallist over the past few years. Sophie Courtney was in action in the U16 event. The race started off very fast and all of the athletes went with the fast pace. At 300m the athlete in front of Sophie tripped and fell and Sophie had to jump over her. This disturbed her stride pattern and she lost some ground, however she battled on the finish 7th. A terrific result in her first All Ireland. Emily Milner U17 and Rachael Smyth U18 both ran well but finished 6th and 7th in their races. Last of the 800m and the most drama of the day. Aislinn Hurley started in lane 8 and going down the back straight got into a great position in 4th. As she went into the 2nd lap she pressed on and overtook one of the Greystones athletes to get into 3rd place which she maintained to the finish. However it was not to be on the day as the judge at the break line had put up the red flag as Aislinn had crossed in just before the break. It was heartbreaking as she had run a fantastic race and it was a tough outcome after she had given it her all. Sport sure has its ups and downs! The 3k events were next and Samuel Allen was in action in the U16 race. The pace of this race was perfect with no one going out too fast. This suited Sam as she settled in the middle of the pack. With 3 laps to go the leaders stepped up the pace a bit but Sam hung on to 6th place and ran on superbly to finish 6th. Daragh Fitzgibbon was the last of the club in action in the U17 3k. The race started out very fast and Daragh decided not to go with the fast pace expecting some of the athletes to slow down. Half way through the race Daragh was starting to pick off athletes and got to 8th place but had left too much to do at that stage and could not make up any more ground. Well done to all who competed at the All Ireland this weekend, everyone did their best and even though there were a few disappointments along the way everyone supported each other which was great to see. Thanks especially to the non competing athletes who travelled to support the others. We will have another big contingent competing on Saturday 24th in the walks, 1500m and 200m events. In the meantime training continues for those who will be in action that day. The selection for the World Juniors is expected over the next day or so and all eyes will be on the AAI website to get confirmation of Paul Robinson’s selection.

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Our New Tent – Bring a little Soul to meetings!

We have taken receipt of our new tent, a 5m Bell Tent which should help to keep our athletes and their gear dry or cool at various meetings. This is an extremely good quality tent that is quick to erect and dismantle. No doubt many of our supporters and members will become very proficient at erecting and taking down this tent in coming months.

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St Cocas’s AC – Winners of 2010 Kildare Track and Field League! Well Done..

With the final meeting for the 2010 Kildare Track and Field League in Crookstown last Sunday, St Coca’s AC again emerged as overall winners. This is a great achievement for the club and demonstrates the breadth of young talent we have in our club, as well as the dedication of trainers and mentors. Aside from the overall award, we also had individual category winners – Caoimhe Whittaker, Oisin Fitzgibbon, Gavin Judge, Aoife Rattigan, Miracle Ladejobi, Rebecca Travers, Tara Whittaker and Holly Ginty. Well done to all junior athletes who took part at the various events and contributed to the success of our club. Thanks to all the parents, mentors and coaches who gave of their time and skills. Good Luck to all of our athletes taking part in the All Ireland Track and Field Championships over the coming weekends in Tullamore.

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Leinster Track and Field Championships U13/U19 – Tullamore – 19th/20th June 2010

Day 1

The first day of competition in the Leinster T&F took place on Saturday last in sunny Tullamore. The walkers were the first athletes in action and as usual they set the bar high for the rest of the club. In the girls U14 Karen Bourke was an impressive winner with Ena Groome coming in 3rd to claim the bronze medal in her first competitive race. Nathan Murphy looked powerful in the boys U14 event winning the silver but improving with every race he does. Sinead Burke U15 and Sarah Bourke U17 both won gold medals. Well done to them all and to Bobby for all the good work. Daragh Fitzgibbon was next up in the U17 3000m where he ran strongly to take the gold medal. We had three competitors in the 1500m and Emily Milner finished 2nd in the U17 and Sophie Courtney 3rd in the U16. Oisin Fitzgibbon had a brave run in his first ever 1500m to finish 4th and qualify for the All Irelands. Aislinn Hurley also had marvellous run in the U19 800m to win a bronze medal. Luke Allen was in action in the U17 High Jump clearing 1.80 (a new PB). The top three athletes cleared this height but Luke was awarded the bronze medal on countback. Late in the day Caoimhe Whittaker and Andrea Bennett competed in the 200m finals Caoimhe winning a silver medal in the U15 and Andrea 4th in the U16. Aisling Kilduff U17 300m 6th and Sinead Kelly U17 Long Jump 8th were also in action.

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Day 2

Sunday dawned even better than Saturday with blue skies and hardly a breath of air. The 800m events were on early and Caoimhe Whittaker had a marvellous run in the U16 event. Linda Conroy (Mullingar Harriers) and herself made a great race of it with Linda coming out on top and Caoimhe winning silver. Next up came the U16 event with Sophie Courtney in action. With 300m to go she was in 4th place with her mind firmly set on a medal she lengthened her stride and passed one athlete, then another and finally she passed the leader with about 60m left to claim her first Leinster gold medal. It was a terrific performance. Emily Milner also had a great run in the U17 1500m but had to be content with silver as she tried her best to claw back the early lead of the Gowran athlete Mary Ellen Doyle. Gavin Judge, Niamh Disney (both U13) and Esther Alaoye (U14) all ran in the sprints just missing out on making the finals. Samuel Allen had one of the most difficult tasks of the day, to run the 3000m in the heat of the day. The race took off fairly fast and one athlete made a bit of a break, Sam managed to keep with the second athlete until the last lap but finished well to take the bronze medal. Andrea Bennett was again unlucky to finish 4th in the U16 100m just missing out on the bronze. In the very last race of the day Eoin Reidy had a brilliant run in the U13 600m to take a bronze medal and qualify for his first All Ireland. Cormac Divilly (U13) was in action in the shot and Luke Allen in the U17 200m and Elaine Kilduff in the U14 800m all ran well. Well done to all our athletes in action this weekend and best of luck to all who qualified for the All Ireland finals.

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Last Kildare event of the season

The final of the inter-club league takes place next Sunday in Narraghmore (the Crookstown/Millview track) starting at 1pm. Individual awards will be presented to the winners after the competitions.

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Leinster Senior and Masters – Tullamore – 6th June 2010

Rachael Smyth was the only club athlete who competed at the Leinster Senior Championships in Tullamore on Sunday. She finished 3rd in the 800m but followed it up wth a win in the 400m later in the afternoon. Bobby and Larry swapped from coaching to competing and both were successful at the Masters events, Bobby in the 5K walk and Larry in the 5000m.

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Leinster U13-U19 Championships – Closing Date for Entries

Entries need to be submitted for the Leinster U13-U19 Championships before this Friday. Please tell your coaches what events you wish to take part in.

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Kildare “B” Track and Field Championships – Celbridge – 5th June 2010

A small group of athletes travelled the short distance to Celbridge on Saturday for the Kildare “B” Track and Field Championships. Itwas a great opportunity for athletes who just missed out on medals in the Kildare event to get another chance and also for newer members of the club to have a go at some events. In the U9 races Rebecca Travers won her heat and final of the 80m and then went on to win a bronze medal in the Ball Throw. Kirsten Monaghan won a silver medal in this event also. Aine Burke finished 3rd in the U10 100m and Niamh Palmer 2nd in the U11 Ball throw. In the U12 events Daniella Alaoye won the 100m and Helen Field the Long Jump. It was a St Cocas 1,2,3 in the U14 girls sprint with Esther Alaoye Elaine Kilduff and Toto Teriba filling the top spots. Elaine and Esther swapped spots in the 1000m and all three girls taking the medals. Aine Field, Karla Burke, Roisin Daly and Eoin Twohig all ran well but were out of the medals.

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Paul gets 1500m standard for World Juniors in Canada – Sat 5th June 2010

Paul Robinson was in action in Tullamore on Saturday in the IMC 1500m held in conjunction with the Irish Schools finals and what a race it turned out to be…..21 men lined up at the start and by the end 7 men had run under 3.48 one of them being Paul who has now achieved the 1500m standard in addition to the 800m which he achieved only 7 days ago. His time of 3.46.83 is also a new PB for him and saw him finishing 5th in one of the best 1500m races seen in Ireland in a number of years. There are pictures of Paul in action at www.irishmilersclub.com

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All Ireland Schools Championship – Tullamore, Sat 5th June 2010

Earlier on in the day Sinead Burke had a marvellous walk in the junior race to claim her first All Ireland Schools medal where she finished in 2nd place. Sarah Bourke was in action just after her in the Inter walk and she finished 4th. Well done to both girls and also to coach Bobby King who has really worked so well with his walkers over the past year to bring them to this stage. Ailsinn Hurley was in action in the senior 800m where she ran a great race to finish 6th, Samuel Allen was 7th in the Junior 1500m and Sophie Courtney 7th in the U16 mile. Congratulations to all on their performances in Tullamore.

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New PB for Paul Robinson – 29th May 2010

Paul Robinson set a new PB for the 800m on Saturday evening in Manchester and in the process got the qualifying time for the World Junior championships which will be held in Canada in July. Benefiting from 2 weeks altitude training, he had his work cut out for him as he could only get entry to the “C” race. He did not panic and ran a very clever race, only easing to victory over the closing metres. His time of 1.50.41 is the fastest outdoor time of any Irishman so far this year. Congratulation to Paul on his achievement – everyone in the club is so proud of him and for putting St Cocas on the map, following in the footsteps of David Campbell. Two other Kildare athletes made a big impression over the weekend also. Roseanne Galligan (Newbridge) also achieved a standard in Manchester for the European championships and Claire Brady (Celbridge) set a new PB in the 100m and also looks set get the standard before July.

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Leinster Junior Championships – Tullamore – 29th May 2010

Up and coming athletes from the club were also in action over the weekend. At the Leinster Juniors in Tullamore on Sunday Rachael Smyth had a brilliant double in the 800m and 1500m while Daragh Fitzgibbon had a great run in the 1500m to finish 2nd behind Liam Brady (Tullamore Hrs), who is two years older than him. Sarah Bourke was in action on Sunday too in her first junior competition and she made it a winning debut in the 3K walk. Sarah will be in action next Saturday at the schools All Ireland along with Sinead Burke, Samuel Allen, Sophie Courtney and Aislinn Hurley. Good luck from all in the club.

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Leinster Juvenile Championships – Tullamore – 30th May 2010

The U9 to U12 Leinster competitions also took place in Tullamore on Saturday. The competition was very stiff on the day but the U9 girls 300m team of Holly Ginty and Nise O’Cuill won silver medals while the U10 500m team of Aoife O’Cuill and Sorcha Monaghan won Bronze. Great runs by Aoife Rattigan and Rebecca Travers saw them just outside the medals in the U9 sprint. Tara Whittaker Sorcha Gillman and Emma Ginty were in action in the U11 events and despite some great performances did not make the podium. The U12 events were championship events and here Caolann Brady ran brilliantly to make the final of the 60m having finished in the top 8 earlier on in the 600m. In the boys U12 Oisin O’Cuill finished 5th in a very fast 600m final. Ciaran Smyth and Eric Menton were not too far behind. Tadhg Fitzgibbon was in action too in a very competitive 60m hurdles. All in all a great weekend for the clubs athletes. The Kildare “B” track and field championships will take place next Saturday 5th June in Celbridge starting at 1pm for athletes who did not win a track medal at the Championships in May.

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Bob Heffernan 5K Road Race - 25th May 2010

Some of our senior (and older!) athletes were in action on Tuesday 25th at the Na Fianna 5K Road Race. A fantastic run by Kevin Kelly to claim 2nd place junior in a time of 19.09. Annette Whittaker, Lynda Gormley, Anna O’Cuill, Carmel Kelly, Ciara Fitzgibbon and new recruit Alison Murphy all ran well above expectation and were just outside the club team prize. It was a great experience for all concerned and plenty of post race analysis in the Hamlet afterwards!

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Weekend and recent news – 24th May 2010

A large number of teams travelled to Greystones for the Leinster Relays on Sunday last on probably the hottest day of the year so far. Competition on the track was hot too and the club won two gold medals and one silver. Highlight of the day was the girls U9 team who were very impressive winners in the U9 event. The team of Nise O’Cuill, Rebecca Travers, Holly Ginty and Aoife Rattigan were gun to tape winners in their event. Winners also were the girls U18 4x300m Rachael Smyth, Sinead Kelly, Sarah Bourke and Aisling Kilduff while the girls U17 4x300m won the silver medals – Sinead Kelly, Ailsing Kilduff, Jessica McKenna and Sarah Bourke. In the other events the girls U13 team came 4th – Miracle Ladejobi, Niamh Disney, Toto Teriba and Niamh Whittaker and the U14 U15 and U16 teams came 5th. Well done to Esther Alaoye, Elaine Kilduff, Karen Bourke, Emma Ryder, Niamh Burke, Caoimhe Whittaker and Andrea Bennett. Also in action were Rachael Ladejobi, Tara Whittaker, Emma Ginty, Soirse Gillman, Caolann O’Reilly, Helen Field, Karla Burke, Cadhla O’Reilly, Sadhbh O’Reilly, Aoife O’Cuill and Daniella Alaoye. Congratulations to everyone who competed in Greystones and thanks to the parents who helped on the day. The various schools provincial finals were held over the weekend and a number of club athletes have qualified for the All Ireland Schools Finals in early June. Sinead Burke (Maynooth PPS) was a convincing winner in the junior walk at the Leinster Schools as was Sarah Bourke (St Wolstans) in the Inter walk. Both will go into the All Ireland with loads of confidence following their performances at Leinster. Samuel Allen (Salesian) can also be very happy with his performance in the Junior 1500m where he finished a fantastic 2nd place to qualify. Sophie Courtney (Kings Hospital) is another to make it to the All Ireland in the U16 girls mile after finishing 3rd in Santry. Aislinn Hurley (Bower Athlone) was competing in Connaught and will also compete in Tullamore on 5th June after a marvellous 2nd place in the Senior 800m. Emily Milner just missed out on the finals after finishing 3rd in the Inter 800m with only 2 to qualify for the All Ireland. Many other St Cocas athletes were in action in the Leinster finals – Niamh Field 200m, Luke Allen High Jump, Rachael Smyth 300m and 800m, Niamh Burke Long Jump, Sinead Field Long Jump, Sinead Kelly Long Jump, Daragh Fitzgibbon 3000m, Jessica McKenna 3000m, Caoimhe Whittaker 800m and Kevin Kelly Javelin.

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Upcoming Events

Saturday 12th June U9-U15 Team event Greystones 11.30 Saturday/Sunday U13-U19 Championships Tullamore 10am start Saturday 10.30 start Sunday Younger athletes U9-U12 will be informed by the coaches if they are competing at Leinster Level. For Senior/Master/U13-U19 athletes please inform one of the coaches or Carmel what events you wish to be entered in. If you do not inform us you may enter on the day but YOU will have to pay DOUBLE ENTRY FEE. One Kildare fixtures for your diary Sunday 27th June Pike Bridge, Narraghmore (Crookstown Millview grounds) FINAL ROUND of Kildare Inter Club League followed by presentation of Prizes. Start time 1pm. Results – Round 2 Kildare Track and Field Championships (Sunday 16th May 2010) It was another enormously successful day for our athletes at the 2nd round of the Kildare Championship last Sunday in Naas. Numbers were down a bit due to first communions and many of our older athletes are concentrating on the schools competitions this week and were not in action but there were many outstanding performances by everyone. Luke Allen was again in brilliant form winning the U18 and senior High Jump and also the U17 100m. Andrea Bennett and Eoin Reidy also claimed their 2nd gold of the year when they stormed to victory in the U17 and U13 200m. James Behan had a marvellous throw to win the U11 Ball throw and Miracle Ladejobi impressed when winning the U13 100m. Sarah Bourke was in fine form when winning the Senior walk and her sister Karen also won the U15 walk. Jake Reidy made an impressive debut in the championships when winning the U11 200m and in the 800m races Niamh Burke won the U15 event and Sophie Courtney the U17 race. The U12 girls relay team of Tara Whittaker, Helen Field, Rachel Ladejobi and Daniella Alaoye won their race and in an exciting last event the U17 girls team of Andrea Bennett Sophie Courtney Naimh Burke and Aisling Kilduff beat off the stiff opposition of the Senior womens team – Aislinn Hurley, Rachael Smyth, Samantha Ginty and Glynnis Reidy. In the Senior events Rachael Smyth and Aislinn Hurley battled it all the way to the line in the senior 400m with Rachael getting the nod. The senior 1500m saw Glynnis Reidy finishing 2nd and 1st in her masters category. The results are as follows – Boys U10 relay 3rd – Diarmuid Smyth, Eoin Disney, Evan Jordan and Alex Ginty Girls U11 80m – 2nd Tara Whittaker, 3rd Emma Jane Ginty 600m – 3rd Soirse Gillman 3rd Boys U11 200m – 1st Jake Reidy, 3rd James Behan Ball throw – 1st James BehanGirls U12 relay 1st – Tara Whittaker, Helen Field, Daniella Alaoye and Rachael Ladejobi Boys U12 600m – 3rd Ciaran Smyth Girls U13 100m – 1st Miracle Ladejobi, 2nd Niamh Disney Shot 2nd – Niamh Disney Boys U12 200m – 1st Eoin Reidy Long Jump – 3rd Gavin Judge Girls U14 Long Jump – 3rd Laura Bennett Boys U14 relay 3rd – Eoin Reidy, Oisin Fitzgibbon, Gavin Judge and Conor O’BrienGirls U15 800m – 1st Niamh Burke Walk – 1st Karen Bourke Girls U17 200m – 1st Andrea Bennett 800m – 1st Sophie Courtney Relay 1st U17 and Senior – Aisling Kilduff, Sophie Courtney, Andrea Bennett and Niamh Burke Boys U17 100m – 1st Luke Allen 1500m – 2nd Kevin Kelly Boys U18 and Senior High Jump – 1st Luke Allen Girls U19 and Senior 400m – 1st Rachael Smyth, 2nd Ailsinn Hurley Senior 1500m – 2nd Glynnis Reidy Masters 1500m – 1st Glynnis Reidy, 2nd Lynda Gormely M2 – 2nd Annette WhittakerSenior Walk – 1st Sarah Bourke Senior Relay 2nd – Glynnis Reidy, Aislinn Hurley, Rachael Smyth and Samantha Ginty A total of 30 individual medals and 6 relay medals, 18 gold medals! Congratulation to everyone who competed over the two weekends and thanks to the parents who supported each and every athlete.

 

Report from Prague

The spotlight was on the coaches at the weekend, when Larry, Gerry and Tom took on a big challenge – the Prague Marathon. Preparations and long runs for the event over the last few weeks and the lads were in great form and looking forward to the event. Also running was Joseph Robinson who was part of the Irish Garda team competing in the European Police championships. It was a maiden run for Gerry over the distance, while Larry, Tom and Joe had each competed at a marathon before. Gerry and Joe headed over on Friday and the rest of the party arrived on Saturday. Thankfully the volcanic dust had headed south west and there were no last minute hitches at the Airport…even though Tom’s hand luggage looked a little bit on the big side…we made it through. First port of call in Prague airport was the ATM – Tom thought he was loaded as he headed back to us with CZK600 only to find out that he had all of €24! We purchased our 3 day travel tickets and headed off like big children into central Prague. Things were just going too well and we had the first and (thankfully) only scary moment of the weekend. After stepping from the bus as the doors were closing, Carmel realised that her handbag was still sitting on the bus! Pure panic! Money, passports and boarding cards! Larry ran after the bus down the tramline and lost sight of it as it rounded a roundabout (not the warm up that he had planned). The men wrote down the reg number….next thing across the road a red bus pulled up at the terminus…lucky for us it was our bus…what a relief! We nearly kissed the bus driver as we collected the bag feeling like bold kids!Things could only improve after that…and they did. We met Gerry at the hotel and even though he was delighted to see us the only word he could utter was “Carbonara”. Gerry needed Carbonara and lots of it so off we went in search of a restaurant he had seen. Many streets later and not having found his little Italian, we stumbled into a restaurant and had lunch. The “runners” went for a little rest as the rest of us went walking around the sights….what a beautiful city…and fabulous weather too! We all met later on for dinner and we finally found Gerrys restaurant, how could he not remember the name “Carmelita”!!!! Lots more Carbonara and pasta for the lads …it was like the last Supper! The morning of the race dawned bright, sunny and warm. A light breakfast for Gerry and Larry, Tom had the “Full Irish” or should I say “Full Czeck”. The race started at nine and our first meeting (cheering) point was the 14k mark. First to pass was Gerry waving and smiling like the Queen Bee…4 minutes later Joe loped by like a gazelle…another 2 mins before Larry ran steadily by with a wry knowing smile…long way to go!! And Tom came by, also giving the royal wave. Seamus and Anna had joined us at this stage and we moved on the 23/24 kms …. A bit of an uphill climb by the river and this time Joe was moving great at the head of a fast looking group…Gerry still looked good not too far behind…..Larry as steady as ever and Tom enjoying every moment. At 30k Larry was absolutely flying, just about a minute outside his predicted time and chasing down the Robinson boys. We looked sideways at the big screen and the winners were being presented with their medals…2hrs 5mins..a course record! The race however was only beginning for the real runners as the supporters headed to the finish. We just kept looking out into the distance to see which St Cocas singlet would appear first…….it was steady Larry, not smiling now but with steely determination who appeared first and crossed the line in 2.56. A marvellous race for him. Close on his heels came Gerry 3.10 for his first marathon a brilliant achievement too. Joe met the famous “wall” with only a couple of km to go but finished all the same in 3.30 and Tom had a little trip on the tram line but didn’t let that stop him and he made the finish in 4.27. Plenty of post mortems in the nearby Irish bar but all agreed it was a marvellous enjoyable experience. Funnily enough nobody had Carbonara that night…it was steaks all round….and a pint or two!! Where to next for our marathoners…..New York, Cyprus, Rotterdam, London, Boston all got a mention…one thing for sure we will do it again! pan>

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Fees are Now Due

Training Fees are now due. It is E20 per family to cover from now to the Summer break. Please bring along to training by 15th May. Thanks

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Kildare Track and Field – Round 1 – 2nd May 2010

Over 50 St Cocas athletes turned out for the first part of the County Kildare Track and Field championship on Sunday in Celbridge. After last year’s brilliant sunshine the weather was a little less kind on the day, but nevertheless the performances on the track more than made up for the lack of sunshine. There were many superb performances on the day for the club but one of the highlights was the Senior Womens 800m. Rachael Smyth, Sinead Kelly and Anna O’Cuill took to their marks. Liz Foy from Kildare A/C was the defending champion winning the title in almost all of the past 10 years, and has been one of county Kildare’s most prominent and consistent athletes on the Leinster and National circuit. However we saw a change at the top on Sunday. In a very competitive race both Rachael and Liz were neck and neck down the back straight and just rounding the corner Rachael stretched her legs and sprinted to victory. Sinead too was having a marvellous race and came in 3rd with Anna not far behind in 5th. Rachael and Sinead are both just still juvenile athletes. One of the other races of the day was the final of the boys U13 600m where Eoin Reidy stormed to victory in the closing 60m of the race. Half way through the race he was in about 7th place but worked away down the back straight and was in a position to strike for home coming into the final 100m. More gold medal performances from Aoife Rattigan who won the U9 sprint with a big smile on her face. Saoirse Gillman was the top thrower in the U11 girls Ball throw and Miracle Ledejobi U13 and Nathan Murphy U15 won the walks. Andrea Bennett came out in top in a close finish in the U17 100m and Luke Allen was an impressive winner in the U17 200m. Cormac Divilly won the U13 shot. In the middle distance events Daragh Fitzgibbon won the U17 800m and Caoimhe Whittaker won the U15 1500m. The club won a total of 32 individual medals and 16 relay medals. Aside from the medal winning performances we had a huge amount of finalists in the sprints and also some super finishes in the middle distance races. Congratulations to all who competed on Sunday and thanks to the parents and athletes who stayed until the end to give all our athletes a cheer. The 3rd round of the League takes place on Tuesday 11th May in Naas starting at 7pm and Part 2 of the Championships the following Sunday 16th also in Naas. Full results listing on the results page.

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Take a JUMP!! – New Developments at our Track

Recent weeks have seen some major work taking place at our track in the Bawnogue. A new tartan strip has been added to our long-jump – compliments of the funding from the Better Ireland Award. The preparatory work was completed by Bobby, Tom, Larry and others – thanks lads!! Now we have an excellent facility for our members to practice and compete on.

 

The Kildare Championships will be taking place over two weekends SUNDAY 2nd May in Celbridge at 12 midday and SUNDAY 16th May in Naas at 12 midday. The schedule of events can be seen here. Please note these dates. SPRINTERS – please note that we will be working on the starting blocks on Friday nights at 7pm. Please bring your spikes along. One of our parents has very kindly offered her time and experience to assist us. The next round of the league takes place on Tuesday evening 11th May in Naas starting at 7pm. St Cocas are currently leading the league so a good turnout is needed on the 11th.

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Spikes and Running Gear

If you are doing some spring cleaning and have any old spikes which you have outgrown please bring them along to the track on Wednesday or Friday next and we may be able to pass them on to some other athletes. Annette has singlets and shorts for sale also on these nights. It is important to wear the club colours at the county and Leinster events.

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Weekend update

Congratulations to Samuel Allen who finished in 3rd place at the Junior Great Ireland Run in the Phoenix Park last Sunday. A terrific run! Well done also to Glynnis Reidy who had a marvellous run to finish the 10k event in under 47 mins. Richard Lunn also completed his first 10k race. Seamus O’Cuill took the scenic route to Narraghmore on Sunday but got there in the end! Oisin finishing 2nd in the U12 600m and Aoife 3rd in the U10 300m. Nise O’Cuill and Eric Menton also ran well but were out of the medals. Good Luck to all athletes competing in the Schools Track and Field over the coming weeks. Make sure your school has entered you for these events – ask your teacher if you are unsure of the dates/events.

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All Ireland Indoor Championships – Nenagh - 10th April 2010

Elation, disappointment and heartbreak were the emotions felt by the athletes in action at the All Ireland Indoors on Saturday in Nenagh. For Karen Bourke competing in the U14 walk in her first All Ireland, she took up the race from the gun and pushed hard over the first 600m to go further in front of her rivals. She continued at this pace over the last half to claim a fantastic Gold medal. Luke Allen, another athlete to make the podium on Saturday in the U16 High Jump finishing 2nd behind his rival Conor Daly from St Abbans. Niamh Field made the final of the U19 200m by the skin of her teeth but ran one of her finest races ever to take a bronze medal. Caoimhe Whittaker U15 and Emily Milner U17 both ran in straight finals of their respective 800m, with both finishing 4th and just out of the medals. Rachael Smyth U18 and Daragh Fitzgibbon U17 both qualified from their 800m heats. Rachael’s race started fast and she found herself in 4th place after the first 200m, and was unable to make any more ground and finally finished 5th. Daragh also found himself in a very fast race with Newbridge athlete Eoin Murphy taking it up at breakneck pace. Race favourite Sean Tobin from Clonmel got into top gear and Daragh got stuck towards the end of the field and found it difficult to make his way through the field. Tobin went on to win with Murphy holding on for 3rd and Daragh a bit disappointed finished in 5th place. However his disappointment was, Sinead Burke had the heartbreak of suffering a DQ after crossing the finish line in 2nd in the U15 Walk. Herself and the Westport walker seemed to walk the perfect race and were almost neck and neck going into the last 100m. They were not given much information after the race but informed that they were both disqualified. As this is a very technical event it can be difficult to call, but on Saturday the judges seemed very inconsistent in their calls. Both girls were distraught straight after the race but will be back stronger and more determined for the outdoor championships. Another two 4th places for Nathan Murphy U14 walk and Sarah Bourke U17 walk. Earlier, Oisin Fitzgibbon ran well in the heats of the U14 800m but failed to make the final. Well done to all the athletes who gave it their best in Nenagh. For some, it was so near and yet so far Others will prefer to look ahead to the outdoor season but for Karen, Luke and Niamh it was great to see them do so well and make it to the podium…All Ireland medals don’t come easy.

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Kildare Inter Club Kildare Track and Field League, Round 2

The next round of the League takes place this Sunday at 2:00 pm in Celbridge. Events are The events commence at 2pm on Sunday and we would need to be at the venue by 1.30pm at the latest. The Celbridge track is behind St Wolstan’s Post Primary School on the Clane Road. For anyone who did not compete the last day an entry fee of €5 will cover the whole competition (over four rounds). The points are very close between the clubs after the first round so it is important to get as many as possible out on Sunday.

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AIB Better Ireland. We did It!! Thanks for all your votes.