Message from our Chairman

Thank you for making 2012 one of our most successful years ever, with over 30 medal winners at national, provincial and county level, and with record numbers regularly turning out for training.

Next outing is Christmas morning, 9.30, Shanganagh, for those who can make it. Thursday training resumes on 3 January,and the next big club committment being the Wicklow Masters C/C (4k women, 6k men,masters are 35plus) in Shanganagh at 11am on 6 January.

Finally, on behalf of all the committee, may I wish all our members, their families and friends a very happy Christmas, and looking forward to 2013 being an even better and bigger year for our club.

This Weeks News

Great turnout last Thursday for our Christmas drinks, thanks to all who attended, brought prizes and also contributed generously to our caretaker collection.

Well done to all our athletes who performed so well, in the Wicklow Senior C/C C/ships, our men winning gold, as would our ladies, were it not for the  very welcome intervention of Fionnuala Britton, European C/C champion and her equally talented sister Una. 
But silver a great outcome for a team most of whom had never run a C/C race before. Congratulations to both Suzanne and Ian on their bronze and silver medals in the individual event. Full results and link to a gallery of photographs in earlier post.
Great turnout of club helpers and stewards --- all in all, club in very good health given number of runners, supporters and helpers.

                                                                                                                                        SEAN.

Masters C/C C/ships.

Next big race for our club is the Wicklow Masters C/C C/ships, which will be held in Shanganagh on Sunday 6th Jan at 11am. This race is open to ALL athletes 35 years of age and upwards. Medals will be awarded in all the usual catagories, 35 to 39, 40 to 44, 45 to 49, etc etc. There will also be a ladies team section and in the mens team event there will be 2 sections, 35 to 49 and 50 plus. We ask all eligable athletes to make every effort to take part. Last year Noelle was 1st lady home and Joe Cawley was 1st male athlete to cross the line. In order to help speed up parerwork please let us know, at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or inform Richard or Sean, if you intend running.

WHAT TO STRETCH AND WHAT TO STRENGTHEN, TUMS AND BUMS TIME.

A Talk/Demonstration by Hope Staunton,MISCP, BSc Physiotherapy, MSc Sports Medicine, PostGrad Dip CardioResp Physiotherapy.

The talk will take place on Wednesday 9th Jan. at 8pm, in our clubhouse on Vevay Road. We would encourage all our athletes to attend what is certain to be a very informative evening.  Hope is a member of our club and she is held in very high regard in the field of strengthening and stretching for athletes. If you have a yoga mat please bring it along. There will be light refreshments served after the talk.

Reminder; Thursbay 20th Dec, training 6.30 Ballywaltrim, Thursday 27th Dec, No Training. Training resumes Thursday 3rd Jan.

Wicklow Senior C/C C/ships

In todays C/C C/ships both our senior mens and womens teams performed way above expectations. In the mens event Ian McGrath, with a great run, took the silver medal and with great support from, Neil Wiktorsk (5), Finbar Kirwan (6), Gary Condon (7). Joe Cawley (12),Martin Francis (16), Dominic Horan (17) and Bill Stanley (23), Ian led the team to the team gold medal.

There was a treat in store for athletes and spectators alike in the womens event, as Fionnuala Britton, European Cross Country Champion and one of the best C/C runners in the world, put in a magnificient display to take the Gold medal. Her sister Una took silver and our own Suzanne Foot, ran the race of her life to take bronze. The womens team took the silver medal. In the team event Suzanne was well supported by Helen Barry (5), Noelle Thorpe (6), Denise O,Leary (11), Siobhan Butler (13), Charlotte Stevens (16), Leanne Geraghty (18), Grainne Cunningham (22), Andrea Murphy (23), Susan Dowd (24), Elaine Norton (26), Fiona Moran (27) and Lorraine O,Rourke.

Thanks to Michelle and Susan for their help in getting our teams registered.

A brilliant gallery of 80 photographs, courtesy of Tom Kavanagh, can be viewed by clicking on the link below,

https://www.dropbox.com/sh/s99430womq2cmxk/mYVwjHaXXm

NEWS UPDATE

Fionnuala Britton.

After her recent sucess in the European C/C C/ships,and indeed the Irish team success, there will be a welcome home party in Druids Glen Resort on Sunday 16th Dec. at 6pm. All are welcome especially children.

Another large turnout at our thursday evening training session, those taking part in sundays C/C took it easy, while the rest of the group did a 45min fartleg session. Also last night we had our Christmas Drinks in Duff lounge in Bray. There was a great turnout for what was a most enjoyable evening. We had the presentation of prizes for our Club H/Cap, we also had a few words from our Chairperson, in which thanked those who gave their time and effort during the year. He also noted the many successes, at National, Leinster and Wicklow C/ships and many other races,at home and abroad, during the year. He paid particular tribute to Noelle Thorpe, who medalled at all levels during the year.

Training, Thursday 20th at 6.30. Thursday 27th, no training. Thursday 3rd Jan. 2013, 6.30.

IMPORTANT NOTICE. Round 3 of Athletics Wicklow Juvenile League, scheduled for Rathdrum this Friday 14th Dec, has had to be cancelled due to a waterlogged course.

Finally, Fiona Minogue, one of our regular thursday athletes, would like to wish all her training partners a Happy Christmas.Due to a minor illness, Fiona haas been advised to take a few weeks off from running, but will be back with us early in the New Year.