Club’s busy year end programme
The Christmas break is a time we like to break from the normal routine and to spice up the programme a tad. We have already had our Jingle Bells run, the Goal Mile and a couple of festive parkruns and there is more to come, including a run on The Burrow at Kilmore Quay and a fun fartlek around Wilf’s Field. The more adventurous among us have been sea swimming and exploring the county’s backroads by bike. Normal service resumes January 8th.
Master athletes endure wind and rain at Lingstown
While Ireland's top cross country runners, including United Striders bronze medal-winning star Emma Hickey, were performing heroically at the European Cross Country Champs in Portugal last Sunday, Wexford master athletes were, in their way, no less heroic as they met to do battle on the point-to-point course in Lingstown. The occasion was the rescheduled (from last January) Mr Oil Wexford Master Cross Country. With the year almost over and the 2026 edition of the event just a month away, further postponement was out of the question. This was one of those days when everyone deserved a medal just for turning up.
Master athletics starts with the 35+ category and works its way up through the ages. As in senior, novice and intermediate, there are, for each category, both individual and team medals.
The club had three athletes in the women’s 4km race: Ilze Bedrite was 1st F45, Catherine O’Connor was 1st F60, Siobhán Doyle was 1st F65 and Helen Sinnott was 15th overall. The team won bronze. First home for the club in the men’s race was Tony Harpur in 18th (2nd M45) with Paul Harpur 21st and John Dier 22nd (3rd M60). Overall, our seven athletes took home 5 individual age cat medals along with the Women's team bronze.
A big thank you to host club Kilmore AC and everyone involved in organising the event, not an easy task in such horrible conditions.
Results:
Women: 11th Catherine O'Connor 22.54 (1st F60); 13th Ilze Bedrite 23.42 (1st F45); 15th Helen Sinnott 25.42; 17th Siobhan Doyle 31.35 (1st F65). Team Menapians: Bronze.
Men: 18th Tony Harpur 28.50 (2nd M45); 21st Paul Harpur 34.22; 22nd John Dier 37.26 (3rd M60).
Photos by Wexford Athletics
Waterford Half Marathon / Clontarf Half Marathon / Mr Oil Senior Cross Country
Waterford Half Marathon
Hosted each year by Waterford AC the half marathon is a popular staple among local athletes. Only 1 hour down the road to SETU which is race HQ. A really nice course on a cool but not cold day with a bright sky, you would think Christmas is only around the corner.
3 club athletes hit the start line and each race super races on the day earning this years woolley hat.
Congratulations to all 3 of you, nice race to complete just before Christmas.
Jesse Kielthy 1:45:45
Helen Wallace 1:46:37
Marion Galvin 2:21:59
Clontarf Half Marathon
The two Ryan's were on duty today in Clontarf.
Mr Ellard and Mr Midwinter both took on the scenic route around Clontarf on a super morning for running.
Ryan Midwinter was first home in 1:39:20 with Ryan Ellard just behind him in 1:41:24
Great running from both young men.
Mr Oil Senior Cross Country
The battle to be crowned County Senior Champion took place on Sunday in a field just outside the historic village of Ferns hosted by SBR.
Last time this field was used for a county race it was a lot muddier, wetter and also had its own water feature to navigate.
The weather was perfect for cross country nice and bright, cool and soft ground underfoot.
This year we had two ladies representing the club on the course over 5 km.
Catherine O'Connor ran 26.52 to finish in 13th and Helen Sinnott ran 30.14 to finish in 18th. Congratulations to both ladies on their runs.
Thanks to the kind hosts SBR and to the County Board for an excellent event and looking forward to the rescheduled Mr Oil Masters Cross Country in a few weeks.
Run The Line / Wexford 4 Mile Road Race Cheque Presentation / Club La Santa International Running Challenge
Run The Line
Our own Jen Kehoe took on the challenge of the Run The Line race on Saturday. A distance just shy of 12k with over 500m of elevation across the route as she ran up and down a few hills . Jen finished in an impressive 1:28:13
Congratulations Jen, another race ticked on a long list.
Cheque Presentation , Wexford 4 Mile Road Race.
On Monday lunchtime a group of our members met up with members of Wexford Special Olympics and Wexford RNLI at the RNLI HQ to present them both with a cheque from our Wexford 4 Mile Road Race which took place on October 26th.
As a club it was fantastic to be able to present both groups with a cheque for €1000.
Wexford RNLI are creeping closer to their target of €117,000 to purchase a new boat so they can continue their amazing work in Wexford Harbour.
Wexford Special Olympics are prepping their athletes towards competition in 2026 and these funds will be a great boost towards that goal.
Thanks again to everyone who ran or helped organise the event. South East Radio came on board this year and promoted a 'Run with Alan' and Alan Corcoran duly obliged on the day running the event along with his South East Radio colleagues. A wonderful event with wonderful people creating an event for everyone to enjoy while raising funds for two local worthy groups of volunteers.
Large group pic
L-r Sharron Dier, John Dier, Jack Scallon (Wexford Special Olympics Sports Club), Louise Henderson, Peadar Dempsey (WSOSC), Denise Dowling (WSOSC), Dave Percival, Lorraine Galvin (RNLI), Brian Smyth, David Maguire (RNLI), David Sherwood (RNLI), Alan Corcoran (South East Radio), Tadgh Henderson.
La Santa in Lanzarote
Most normal people head away to the sun and chill on their holidays, not Sharon Martin.
Sharon is currently in La Santa in Lanzarote and instead of sipping cocktails all day she is taking part in the Club La Santa International Running Challenge which is 5 days back to back of races.
Nice way to get a bit of Winter sun Sharon. She even met up with our old member Tim O'Donnell who recognised the vest and popped over for a chat.
Menapians AC Autumn League
Menapians Autumn League Conclusion
Last Sunday saw the final run of the club league take place in Carne. The route was along the beach using an out and back route.
Congratulations to Conor MacAogain who was the winner of the series overall. Well done to Sundays other runners Siobhan Doyle, Helen Sinnott, Louise Henderson & Sarah Bermingham.
Thanks to Tadhg Henderson for organising
Club Autumn League / parkrun
Menapians AC Autumn League
Last Sunday our members league continued with a run through Raven Forest in Curracloe. Thanks to Tadhg for organising this run.
The final run will be on November 16th so keep an eye on the WhatsApp group for details.
parkrun
A super morning last Saturday with bright blue skies almost like a Summer's day except a little cooler. Some were nursing heavy heads after our social night on Friday. Well done Sarah who hit a milestone of 150 on Saturday.
Congratulations to Niall Tyrell who stands almost each Saturday timing and encouraging every participant, Saturday was his 250th time volunteering.
Wexford Racecourse Parkrun welcomed Anthony Dowd, Ryan Midwinter, Dave Midwinter, Eamonn Foley, John Hyland, John Dier, Rob Casey, Ollie Stack, Mary Cronin, Sarah Bermingham, Michael Murphy, Sharron Dier, Dave Percival and Bridie McGuire who all completed their 5k runs.
Enda O'Sullivan was at the Knockancree Cloughjordan parkrun in Co Tipperary.
Sinead Ryan completed the Clonmel Parkrun also in Co Tipperary.
Kilmore AC Winter League / Menapians AC members recognised by CBS school
Kilmore AC Winter League
The Kilmore AC Winter League concluded on a bright and chilly Sunday on the Burrow.
A brilliant series of runs were really well organised by Kilmore AC so we'll done to all involved in making it happen.
Darragh Mehigan ran a stormer in the U15 race finishing 2nd.
Helen Sinnott was our Senior Athlete and had a great result coming home in 1st, finishing 1st overall in the League.
Congratulations Helen.
Thanks to the hosts Kilmore AC for their initiative, super organisation all through the league.
Wexford CBS Secondary School award
Lovely to see 2 of our juvenile athletes recognised by CBS Secondary School for their athletic exploits.
The recent award ceremony took place in the Riverbank House Hotel.
Congratulations to Josh Nolan and Fiachra Mehigan.
Wexford 4 Mile Road Race / Dublin City Marathon
Wexford 4 Mile Road Race
Today was finally race day after weeks and months of planning by our Race Director Dave Percival and his committe. It takes a lot of planning to pull off an event like today and today it all came together, even the weather held up for us. Well done to everyone who helped in any way today , it was very much appreciated.
This year South East Radio and Alan Corcoran joined forces with us and we invited two charity partners on board Wexford RNLI and Wexford Special Olympics. In return they were both magnificent with their time as volunteers and marshals on the course. We also were honoured to have Menapians & Special Olympic Athlete Eve Marcus as our Race starter this year.
Numbers were up considerably and a record of 134 finished the event with a smile. Marion Galvin did a wonderful job as our safety officer.
No event of this nature could be held without sponsorship and we cannot thank them enough for their contribution to our run.
So thanks to Ornella Underwriting, Gallagher Insurance, Dulann, O'Connor Mullen LLP, Haven Pharmacy, Levingstones (use of yard for finish area) MWHire (cones) John & Jane Glynn Gavin Glynn Foundation (finish arch) Wexford Racecourse Parkrun (marshals) Marinewatch (marshal transport) Slaney Olympic (clock) Wexford Garda Declan Dennehy
Also thanks to Civil Defence for first aid cover and Wexford Harbour Boat & Tennis Club for allowing us use their facilities.
With 15 different clubs represented the prizes were always going to be difficult to win.
Men
1st Sergeii Raschupkin 20:35
2nd Dennis Whelan S.O. 20:50
3rd Reuben Whelan Kilcoole AC 21:10
Ladies
1st Fiona Kehoe Kilmore AC 23:58
2nd Sharon Cloney Kilmore AC 26:37
3rd Jackie Carthy Kilmore AC 26:56
U20
Male Daniel Dempsey S.B.R. 23:03
Aoife Fleming 48:15
Congratulations to all our winners full results will be published shortly with more race photos.
Looking forward to seeing you all again next year.
Dublin City Marathon 2025
A marathon
26.2 miles
42.195 km's
Either way it's a serious challenge and this year our club had 4 members representing us at the Dublin City Marathon.
To train for a marathon takes a lot of dedication to build up stamina of the body and the mind along with hydration/ nutrition plans.
Months of slow runs, hill runs, long runs, short runs, fast runs, trial food plans, injuries/niggles and lots of planning for the race are all required and our 4 executed their own personal plans to perfection.
Tony Harpur was our 1st man home in 3:25, Dermot Foley was next in 3:46. Jesse Kielthy clocked 3:48 setting himself a marathon PB and Paul Harpur finished in 4:04.
Fantastic result from each of the four , well done gentlemen.
Hope you all enjoy the recovery plan.
Chase the Moon 10k / St. Ibars 6k / European Masters / Intermediate Cross Country / parkrun
Chase the Moon 10k
Brian Smyth is flying the club flag again on his travels. This time he is in London and entered the Chase the Moon 10k on Wednesday evening clocking an excellent time of 41:29. Super running.
St. Ibars 6k
A damp and unpleasant morning inspired our 4 members who took part in the St Ibars 6k this morning. The route started and finished at the GAA grounds with welcome refreshments afterwards in the clubhouse.
Eamonn Foley 27:09, Micheál Kinsella 30:12, Ann Thomas 37:53 & Sam Donegan 41:16 all representing the club in the rain. Ann and Sam were 2nd & 3rd lady in O50 age category and Micheál was 2nd man in O50, well done to the 4 of you.
European Masters - Half Marathon
An amazing result for Anthony Dowd at the Europeans, he has won a team bronze medal for Ireland in the M50 category.
He was the 1st of the 3 Irish men home in a superb 1:26:03 in 68th position.
Huge congratulations to Anthony on his first European Championships, many more to come!
Mr Oil Intermediate and Uneven Age Cross Country.
Held in a damp Wexford Racecourse with a fair but challenging course Wexford Athletics hosted the 2nd day of cross country running. Heavy showers overnight and a damp drizzle made for a perfect cross country atmosphere at the Racecourse.
In the U11 girls race Piper Farrell had a fantastic run in her very first cross country race finishing 14th in a field of 28 athletes. Well done Piper.
As the rain stopped the the grey sky became a blue one the ladies 4km race began. We had Sharon Martin, Catherine O'Connor, Ilze Bedrite & Helen Sinnott all eager to dirty their runners on the muddy track. They combined well to secure a Team Silver medal, a brilliant and well deserved result congratulations ladies.
Finally the last race of the day was the men's. 8km was their distance as Tony Harpur and John Dier gave it their all as they emptied the tank, well done gents.
Thanks to Siobhan who volunteered on the day and John & Sharron for sorting access to the Racecourse.
Tough athletes run cross country so well done to all who ran.
Parkrun
A nice little cool breeze along with a grey sky managed to entice people out early to complete their morning 5k.
Thanks to New Ross Parkrun and Wexford Racecourse Parkrun for calling out our 4 Mile Race, appreciate the support.
Ryan Midwinter, Dave Midwinter, Dermot Foley, Rob Casey, Ryan Ellard, Fran Power, Ollie Stack, Alex Parris, Mary Cronin, Helen Burrell, Janette Mulvany, Sharron Dier, Enda O'Sullivan, Gráinne Hayes, Michael Murphy, Peter Mulvany, Bridie McGuire & Dave Percival all completed the Wexford Racecourse Parkrun.
Tadhg & Louise Henderson wanted a scenic run and completed the New Ross Parkrun in JFK Park.
Brian Smyth was over in London and ran in the Finsbury Park parkrun.
We even caught our volunteers offguard in their natural habitat as John was on tokens and Niall as ever on the clock.
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.