Grand Canal Half Marathon / County Novice Cross Country / European Master
Grand Canal Half Marathon
Ryan Ellard was busy on Saturday morning as he was competing in the Grand Canal Half Marathon in West Dublin. In ideal running conditions Ryan finished in a great time of 1 hour 46 minutes.
Super stuff Ryan, well done.
Mr Oil County Novice Cross Country
J.F.K. Park was the venue as the counties athletes were eager to run cross country. The even age juvenile categories were eagerly contested with lots experiencing cross country for the first time.
Representing our club proudly in the ladies were Ilze Bedrite and Helen Sinnott over 4k and in the men's were Tadhg Henderson and Conor MacAogain over 6k.
Two very competitive races over the 1k loop marked out by the experienced hosts United Striders. Thank to Padraig Kelly and Siobhan Doyle who volunteered on the day.
Well done to Wexford County Board and United Striders on a great event this morning and hope to see everyone again next week in Wexford Racecourse for the Mr Oil Intermediate and uneven age Cross Country.
European Masters
Club member Anthony Dowd has travelled to Madeira to compete at the European Masters Athletics Championship.
Today he ran the 5000m on the track, not an easy task by any means. Anthony has put in very diligent preparation work before travelling and can regularly be seen at the Wexford Rasecourse Parkrun each Saturday morning.
He ran 18:44 in the B final of the M50 for an excellent 11th place, a fantastic result from Anthony.
Congratulations Anthony
parkrun
A perfect morning for a run, no breeze, just a touch of coolness in the air and lots of eager people ready to run a 5k.
2 milestones this week.
Michael Murphy hit his 300th parkrun and Dermot Foley hit his 200th, that's 500 between them a fairly impressive statistic.
Well done to you both .
Ryan Midwinter, John Hyland, Dave Midwinter, Dermot Foley , Eamonn Foley, Fean Power, John Dier, Oliver Stack, Rob Mehigan, Sarah Bermingham, Mary Cronin, Michael Murphy, Janette Mulvany, Geoff Hoffheinz, Peter Mulvany, Bridie McGuire and Anthony Dowd all completed the Wexford Racecourse.
Brian Smyth ran the Fethard Parkrun where he had the honour of being first to finish and Enda O'Sullivan ran the Knockancree Cloughjordan Parkrun both in County Tipperary.
Taghmon AC Open / Kilmore Cross Country League / Nenagh 5K / parkrun
Taghmon AC Open Cross Country
Taghmon AC held their Cross Country Open last Sunday. A sunny morning on fairly good ground saw loads of underage athletes race their hearts out over the course.
Then it was the adults turn and Catherine O'Connor, Helen Sinnott and Ilze Bedrite pulled on their club colours and lined up on the start line.
Ilze had a great run finishing 4th in the Senior.
Catherine rolled back the years taking 2st in the Vet category with Helen just behind taking a super 2nd place.
Excellent results for the ladies and great preparation for the upcoming Cross Country season.
Kilmore Cross Country League
This morning Helen Sinnott was 2nd lady home and Siobhan Doyle was 3rd while Fiachra Mehigan ran in the U17 and finishing 3rd. Super result from our 3 athletes. Thanks to Kilmore Athletics Club for organising.
This League is great prep work for the upcoming cross country races beginning next Sunday 12th with the Mr Oil Novice & Even age in JFK Park followed on the 19th by the Mr Oil Intermediate & Uneven age at Wexford Racecourse.
Nenagh 5k
Enda O'Sullivan was in Nenagh County Tipperary at the weekend and ran in the local fundraiser 5k in aid of the Order of Malta.
Good man Enda, you never know where you will see Enda getting his runs in around the country.
parkrun
Storm Amy calmed herself down a bit by Saturday morning and left a cool breeze to welcome everyone to parkrun.
Some of our members took to the roads and ran events further afield with Geoff heading the furthest to London.
Geoff Hoffheinz ran the event at Southwark in London.
Enda O'Sullivan ran in the Borrisokane event
Ryan Midwinter ran at the a Corkagh event in Dublin.
Ryan Ellard ran the Poppintree event in Dublin.
In Kilkennny Brian Smyth ran in the event in Kilkenny Castle.
At Wexford Racecourse Parkrun Anthony Dowd, John Hyland, Dave Midwinter, Dermot Foley, Helen Wallace, Paul Harpur, John Dier, Gareth Lloyd, Fiachra Mehigan, Rob Mehigan, Sarah Bermingham, Mary Cronin, Helen Burrell, Michael Murphy, Dave Percival and Bridie McGuire all completed the 5k.
EOI 3/4 Marathon / Ecotrail / Slaney Olympic 5k
EOI 3/4 Marathon
A long race for Jesse Kielthy today as he made his way to the course in Howth Co. Dublin .
A 3/4 Marathon on a looped course was conquered as he finished in 3:08:15
Brilliant running , congratulations Jesse.
Ecotrail
The Eco trail 19k includes almost 900m of elevation and this all proved no obstacle for Jen Kehoe on Saturday.
She even overcome horrible weather with a grin (or was it a grimace).
Jen powered her way around the course in 2:23:51, nice work on a tough day for racing well done Jen.
Slaney Olympic 5k
Slaney Olympic held a 5k on their fast course on the Enniscorthy bypass on Sunday as a fundraiser towards the costs of Jessie O'Connor heading to France where he will compete on the Irish team as Captain in the World 24 hour Championships.
Bridie McGuire and John Dier both travelled up to take part with Bridie clocking 39:01 and John clocking 23:54.
It's a great course to run and both were very pleased with their times.
Well done to both of you and best of luck to Jessie in France.
St Iberius 5k / Club League / Ironman Wales / parkrun
St Iberius 5k
Using the parkrun route the St Iberius 5k took place on Saturday shortly after the parkrunners had left. 8 from the club all took part with a top 3 clean sweep as Ryan Midwinter (with a 50 second PB for 5k), Brian Smyth and Ryan Ellard the first 3 home. Just behind them Dave Midwinter and John Dier were happy to see the finish. Then we had Helen Burrell, Sharron Dier and Bridie McGuire all finishing with a smile.
Well done to all 8 who I believe also had run a parkrun 5k earlier.
Menapians Club Autumn League
The Club Members League kicked off this morning in glorious sunshine. A 4k run was today's distance on the trail of Forth Mountain utilising the fabulous views of Skeeter Rock trail.
Tea and coffee was a welcome treat along with Siobhan's homemade banana bread.
Thanks to Louise & Tadhg for organising and also to Ann for recording everyone's times today.
Well done everyone and keep an eye on our WhatsApp group for the next outing.
Ironman Wales
Always up for a challenge Tony Harpur took on the Dragon on Sunday as he landed in Tenby for the Iron-man event.
Just a swim, cycle and run to get a medal.
Not just an ordinary triathlon though, this one is epic. A swim of 3.8km just to get going, a cycle of 180km to warm up the muscles and a marathon run to finish. Even one of those would be enough for most people but Tony combined the lot into one.
A huge amount of training just to get to the start line and the mental and physical challenge was accomplished in style as he finished in 12hrs 23 mins and 45 seconds. A fantastic result , a testament to his dedication to training.
Massive congratulations Tony from everyone at the club.
parkrun
A few milestones at the weekend to mention. Congratulations to Brian on reaching 300 parkruns on Saturday, that's a lot of laps of Wexford Racecourse. Also congratulations to John on reaching his 450th volunteer event.
The event on Saturday just about got the best of the days weather before the miserable rain showers took over the skies.
Anthony Dowd, Brian Smyth, Ryan Midwinter, Dave Midwinter, Dermot Foley, John Hyland, Eamonn Foley, John Dier, Ollie Stack, Enda O'Sullivan, Helen Burrell, Mary Cronin and Bridie McGuire all completed the Wexford Racecourse Parkrun with Antony first to finish.
Ryan Ellard and Rob Casey were up at the Gorey Parkrun.
Gareth Lloyd was in the UK and took in the Irchester Parkrun while there.
Kilmore Winter League / Very Pink Run / Quest Lough Derg / parkrun
Kilmore Winter League
Well done to our three ladies who ran in the Kilmore Winter League on Thursday evening. DMP were the hosts this time around providing a route to test the legs on grass as we move towards cross country season.
Congratulations Helen Wallace, Louise Henderson & Helen Sinnott who all had great runs on the night and thanks to Kilmore Athletics Club & D.M.P. Athletics club for organising.
Very Pink Run , Kilkenny
Bridie McGuire travelled to Kilkenny City on Sunday to take part in a brilliant event which raises funds for Breast Cancer Ireland .
Bridie ran the route in 1h 17m on the day.
Congratulations Bridie.
Quest Lough Derg
An increasingly popular series the Quest Adventure series attracts adrenaline junkies as the run,bike, kayak combination adds up to a brilliant event.
Sharon Martin and Jen Kehoe are no strangers to these events and again on Saturday had great results in challenging conditions.
Jen was competing in the Challenge distance of 26k finishing strongly in 1:49:41. This saw her record a 20th place overall and she was 5th lady home.
Sharon was competing in the Sport distance of 48k powering home in 2:43:49 and claimed 14th overall and took the silver as second lady home.
Excellent performances from both ladies, congratulations.
parkrun
There was no event at Wexford Racecourse on Saturday due to the Wexford Rally so everyone had to hit the road to get their fix.
Enda O'Sullivan completed the Knockancree Cloughjordan parkrun in County Tipperary.
Brian Smyth headed to North Wexford to run the Gorey Parkrun.
Anthony Dowd, Rob Casey, Bridie McGuire and Sharron Dier were all at the New Ross Parkrun in JFK Park.
Well done everyone.
Hell & Back / Toddy Moore, Kilmore AC 10k / parkrun
Hell & Back
Well done to Enda O'Sullivan and Darren O'Grady who both took on the Hell & Back challenge in Kilruddery House on Saturday morning.
An early start as they were in the 9.15am wave so a coffee at 8am in the Applegreen Coynes Cross to kick start the day.
Lots of climbing, running and jumping as they made their way around the 7km route (turned out to be 7.8km) which included the famous ice baths 500m into the event and the lake 1km from the finish.
Toddy Moore, Kilmore AC 10k
The quite village of Kilmore was full of colour as 105 people entered the 10k race which headed towards Bridgetown and took the scenic route back to the village.
Amongst them 9 club athletes prepared to step to the start line on Saturday evening. Great to see clubs supporting each others events as members wore their colours with pride.
Well done to Kilmore AC as the race was extremely well organised and a nice route ensured everyone enjoyed it.
A mention to Ryan who took 5 minutes off his 10k PB and claimed 1st Junior, well done.
Ryan Midwinter 40:53
Donal Grant 41:23
Dave Midwinter 45:00
John Hyland 46:03
Micheál Kinsella 51:00
John Dier 52:56
Ollie Stack 55:15
Bridie McGuire 1:26:53
Sharron Dier 1:28:44
parkrun
A special mention this week to club member Niall Tyrell. Niall volunteers almost every week as timekeeper and his motivational encouragement is 2nd to none, fair play Niall.
Club participation was a little lower at Wexford Racecourse on Saturday due to members racing the Kilmore 10k later in the evening time. Rob continues to run with a buggy just to increase the difficulty.
However 12 members still got a 5k in and some then went on to Kilmore later in the evening.
Brian Smyth, Ryan Ellard, Rob Casey, Alex Parris, Sarah Bermingham, Helen Burrell, John Hyland, Mary Cronin, Michael Murphy, Ann Thomas, Sharron Dier & Bridie McGuire all completed the Racecourse event.
Further afield and Anthony Dowd ran the Brickfield Parkrun in Dublin on his way to the Irish Open Golf.
Kilmore Winter League / DSD AC Masters / Oylegate Half & 10K / parkrun
Kilmore Winter League
Well done to Helen Sinnott who was the first member to begin training towards the upcoming cross country season.
Helen was competing at the well organised Kilmore AC Winter League. Thanks to Kilmore Athletics Club for organising.
DSD Masters.
Siobhan Doyle hit the road to Dublin to compete at this event, a new one to the calender.
Siobhan entered the 100m and 200m. These were timed runs with ages and genders running at the same time.
Siobhan ran 16.76 seconds for the 100m and 34.82 seconds for the 200m.
Two great runs rewarded with two PB times giving Siobhan a big smile for her drive home.
Congratulations Siobhan.
Oylegate Half Marathon & 10k
(Mr Oil County Half Marathon)
This year the County Board used the Oylgate Half as the county race also which doubled as the local fundraiser in the village of Oylegate.
A well known 10k loop at this stage which the Half Marathon athletes ran twice and both races finished in Oylegate GAA grounds. The weather was unsettled with some heavy showers falling during the morning. The club had two in the Half marathon and 5 in the10k event.
A testing course which was well Marshall and overall a very well organised event.
In the Half Marathon Anthony Dowd was 20th (1:27:59) and Jesse Kielthy (1:57:12) both represented the club.
In the 10k Eamonn Foley (47:37) John Dier (1st O60 50:44) Helen Burrell (1:07:12) Sharron Dier (1:17:52) and Bridie McGuire (1:27:07) completed the clubs entry in the race.
Congratulations to all who ran in the event.
Parkrun (Sat 30th August)
Sorry this one is a bit late, the P.R.O. was on holidays !
A very heavy burst of rain caught parkrunners out as they were well and truly drenched showing dedication to the cause.
At the Wexford Radecourse 19 members ran the 5k route.
Anthony Dowd , Ryan Midwinter, Dave Midwinter, Helen Wallace, Rob Casey, Eamonn Foley, John Hyland, Fran Power, Brian Smyth, Geoff Hoffheinz, Martin Kelly, Alex Parris, Enda O'Sullivan, Dave Clancy, Sarah Bermingham, Mary Cronin, Sharron Dier, Michael Murphy & Bridie McGuire all ran.
Knock Me Down Adventure Race / Boston Scientific Half Marathon / parkrun
(week to 29/08/2025)
Knock Me Down Adventure Race
The Adventure Races continue as our 3 adventurers took on the Knock Me Down Adventure Race which took place in the Knockmealdown Mountains.
Sharon Martin & Fran Rea completed the Mór route, a total of 62k.
Jen Kehoe completed the Challenge route, a total of 35k.
It's a super race, very tough but great race according to the gang.
Results:
Sharon finished 2nd Overall F and 1st in U40’s
Jen finished 3rd in U40’s
Fran was 8th in O50’s
Also while these members are the topic Sharon and Jen also performed impressively well in the IMRA South East League this year.
Sharon finished 2nd overall in IMRA SE League and won age category for all races.
Jen finished 3rd in IMRA SE League.
Huge congratulations to all of you a lot of training and determination shown which showed in your results.
Boston Scientific Half Marathon
Well done to the four club members who ran the Boston Scientific Half Marathon today in Clonmel this morning.
It was a very warm day on an undulating course making the challenge of running 21km a little more difficult.
Congratulations.
Brian Smyth 1:36
Ryan Midwinter 1:39 with a great PB
John Hyland 1:41
Ryan Ellard 1:56 showing no ill effects from a fractured bone 2 months ago
parkrun
For the first time in quite a while the 'r' word was used at parkrun, rain. After the formalities were compeleted and the whistle blew light rain began to fall to the delight of some but not all who were running. A welcome natural cooler as everyone made their way around the course but it did not last much longer than 1 lap of the course.
Anthony Dowd was first to complete the Wexford Racecourse Parkrun and was joined by Dave Midwinter, Dermot Foley, Eamonn Foley, Ryan Midwinter, Ryan Ellard, Gareth Lloyd, Conor MacAogain, John Dier, Ollie Stack, Geoff Hoffheinz, Darren O'Grady, Rob Mehigan, Martin Kelly, David Clancy, Helen Burrell, Mary Cronin, Sharron Dier, Michael Murphy & Dave Percival who all finished with a smile.
Brian Smyth ran his event in Fethard Town a day was 3rd to compete the 5k.
Enda O'Sullivan completed the Knockancree Cloughjordan parkrun.
IMRA Annagh Hill / Tri the Hook / parkrun
(week to 22/08/2025)
IMRA Annagh Hill
Jen Kehoe was back in action at the recent Annagh Hill 10.70km IMRA race. A very tough incline rewarded by a challenging decline as Jen powered her way through the km's finishing 1st in her age cat.
She completed the course in 1:50:09 , congratulations Jen.
Tri the Hook
Well done to club members Marion Galvin and Anthony Dowd who both competed in the Tri The Hook triathlon on Saturday morning. Putting their run training to good use but adding in a swim and cycle just to add to the pain .
Congratulations to the two of you.
parkrun
A beautiful morning saw big numbers out early for their 5k runs on Saturday.
Rob did his strength session while running by pushing the pram around the Racecourse.
Martin Kelly was on his travels again and this time ran his 5k in Achill Island Parkrun.
Well done to you all.
At Wexford Racecourse Parkrun Ryan Midwinter, Brian Smyth, Dave Midwinter, John Hyland, Gareth Lloyd, Conor MacAogain, John Dier, Helen Wallace, Rob Casey, Ollie Stack, Geoff Hoffheinz, Darren O'Grady, Rob Mehigan, Helen Burrell, Sarah Bermingham, Michael Murphy, Sharron Dier and Bridie McGuire all completed their 5k runs.
United Striders 5k Youghal Half Marathon / parkrun
(week to 15/08/2025)
United Striders 5k
Wow what a fantastic event United Striders have created on the Greenway in New Ross.
An A to B route, gentle decline, bus to the start or run out yourself, chip timing, cheer squads in the last km, tonnes of parking, easy registration, endless tea/coffee and refreshments the list goes on.
It's no wonder they had 320 finishers on such a great evening for running as some took a welcome break from the Fleadh Cheoil. I think the majority ran a time they were very happy with after training hard towards this run, even a couple of new PB's too
Well done to Martin Kelly who won the M70 prize.
18 Menapians AC members hit the start line and each ran superbly. Well done to everyone.
Congratulations to Striders on a wonderful event, we will be back again next year.
Results:
Brian Smyth 19:27
Dermot Foley 20:09
John Hyland 20:10
Eamonn Foley 20:58
Martin Kelly 21:25 M70 winner
Fran Power 21:39
Paul Harpur 21:45
Gareth Lloyd 22:46
John Dier 23:37
Geoff Hoffheinz 24:16
Ollie Stack 25:26
Darren O'Grady 25:38
Rob Mehigan 27:12
Ger Mulhall 28:55
Helen Burrell 30:02
Gráinne Hayes 31:30
Sharron Dier 35:44
Bridie McGuire 39:43
Youghal half marathon
David Midwinter was representing the club at the Youghal Half on Sunday morning. A bit humid on the course but the drizzle was a welcome distraction as he tackled the 2 lap route of the season side town of Youghal.
A good day as he ran 1:48:12 to finish with a smile.
Congratulations
parkrun
A very small crew taking part in parkrun on Saturday due to 2 things :
1. A number of club members running the United Striders 5k on Friday night.
2. There was no Wexford Racecourse on due to the Fleadh Cheoil.
A few did manage to complete a parkrun elsewhere,
Martin Kelly ran his 5k in Gorey Parkrun.
Anthony Dowd and Bridie McGuire travelled to JFK Park to run the New Ross parkrun.
Well done to you all.