Munster Junior, U/23, Senior & Masters Indoor Champs, Nenagh Indoor Arena, Sun 06-Jan-2013, 11am

All athletes participating in these championships must be registered (paid-up) club members for 2013. No individual (Relay excluded) entries will be accepted on the day of competition. The closing date for receipt of entries is Friday, 28th of December 2012, so please text or email your entries to the competition secretary [compsec@stfinbarrsac.com] as soon as possible.

Programme of Events – click here

General Notes:

  • Club tops must be worn.
  • Guests can participate but must be registered.
  • Eligible athletes can compete either junior / U23 / senior in the individual events but not both. i.e. an athlete is either junior / U23 / senior / masters for the day (no chopping and changing).
  • Eligible athletes may move up or down category to participate in a relay but may compete in only one relay.
  • 200m & 400m results will be decided based on times.

Masters Indoor Championships:

  • Categories for Men & Women O35, O40, O45, O50. etc.
  • Masters athletes can only compete in 4 individual events on the day of competition but can enter as many events as they want.
  • For shot, long jump & weight for distance – best of 4 attempts.
  • Inter Club Relay for O35 and Older.
  • Inter County Relay for O50 men/O45 Women. 


Munster Star Award Winners 2012

The Munster Star Awards Banquet 2012 will take place on Saturday 26th January 2013 in the Rathkeale House Hotel, Rathkeale, Co. Limerick. Tickets are €35 each & can be purchased from Mossie Wolfe or Anne Cullinane. For accomodation, please contact the Rathkeale House Hotel on 069 63333 (quoting reference “Munster Awards”). Among the Munster Star Award Winners for 2012 was St. Finbarr’s A.C. with awards in two categories. Congratulations to all award winners.

Cross Country Awards
Novice Women – Martina Kiely, St. Finbarr’s A.C.

Cross Country / Road Club Awards
Overall Senior Club X-Country & Road – St. Finbarr’s A.C.

BARRS Christmas Run, Mon 17-Dec-2012, 6.15pm

The St. Finbarr’s A.C. annual Christmas Run will be on Monday, December 17th at 6.15pm from the top of the Mardyke. On the way, we’ll  be stopping off at Rendezvous Bar to enjoy a hot something or other. According to tradition, the last one back picks up the tab.

The St. Finbarr’s A.C. Christmas Party, Mardyke Cricket Grounds Pavilion, Fri 14-Dec-2012, 8.30pm

We’ve booked the Pavilion at the Mardyke Cricket Grounds to hold our 2012 Christmas Party. The Hall, Bar and Kitchen are reserved exclusively for our members to eat, drink, dance and be merry. There’ll be plenty of finger licking good food and good music with the usual medal presentation sandwiched somewhere in between. If you haven’t already done so, please let Maria (0860226850) know if you are planning to attend. The Friday evening training session at the UCC Mardyke track will go ahead as usual, so Friday the 14th is shaping up to be an eventful evening for the BARRS. See you there!!!

The Christmas festive season is well under way as we countdown the remaining days of 2012 and look forward to a fruitful 2013. The Adamstown Novice XC last Sunday was the last official T&F engagement of 2012. With a four week hiatus until the indoors in January, what better way to keep the BARRS uppermost in your thoughts that to decorate your Desktop and/or Laptop with your favourite club colours?  Just click on either of the images below (Adoration of the Kings or Christmas Snowman), right click on the expanded image and select the “Set as background” option. MERRY CHRISTMAS to all our members and friends.

AAI National Novice & Juvenile Uneven Age XC Champs, Adamstown, Co. Wexford, Sun 09-Dec-2012, 2.30pm

AAI Novice Adamstown 2012 Site

The AAI National Novice & Juvenile UA XC Champs will take place on Sunday, 09-Dec-2012, hosted by Adamstown A.C., Co. Wexford. The Juvenile events get under way at 11.30am with the Novice Women up at 2.45pm and the Men at 3pm. Do allow time for some slippage either way! The championship course is on the lands of Gavin & Stuart Rothwell and has hosted Leinster Cross Country Championships in 2009, 2010 and 2011. Please remember to keep the site litter free and bring any rubbish away with you. As with the Curragh last year, this course appears to be relatively flat, so you can expect the Novice races to be fast and furious.

AAI Novice Adamstown 2012 Course - click here

Women’s Novice 4000m (2.45pm) : 1 x Lap B + 2 x Lap A

Men’s Novice 6000m (3pm) : 4 x Lap A

Registration is the Paul Berry Sports Medicine & Physiotherapy Centre across the road from the Course and just a short walk up from St. Abban’s church. Race numbers must be collected and signed for here, BEFORE entry to the course. Race numbers should be collected at least 45 minutes before the start of a race. The Berry Sports Medicine Centre in partnership with Athletic Therapy Ireland will be offering free post race massage for athletes at the Registration Centre as well as hot showers and changing facilities. Sports injury assessment and biomechanical analysis will be available at special discounted rates. Showers and changing facilities are also available in the Adamstown Community Centre, which features a 700m Warm-up/Cool-down track. Ample parking is available close to the course, both for private cars and coaches.

 Adamstown 2012 Facilities – click here

Registration (+52° 23' 41.42", -6° 43' 13.88")

The National Novice & Juvenile UA Cross Country Championships 2012 are hosted by Adamstown A.C. The XC course is in the village of Adamstown, in central Co. Wexford. It is situated 12 miles from New Ross, 13 miles from Enniscorthy and 14 miles from Wexford town. From Cork, take the N25/E30 route by-passing Waterford (Tolled), onwards through New Ross towards Wexford and take a left onto the R735 at Carrigbyrne, continuing straight into Adamstown village. All routes to the event will be signposted from the N25 and the N30.

AAI Novice Adamstown 2012 Map

Google Maps Coordinates: 52.394838,-6.720521

(Open Google Maps, copy the above numbers, paste into the search box and hit enter)

Adamstown A.C. will be offering Tea, Coffee, Hot Chocolate, Hot Soup, Sandwiches, and Homemade Confectionary & Fruit for sale on the course and in St. Abban’s Ballroom beside the course. All the proceeds from catering will go towards Adamstown A.C. Club Development Fund, so your spend will be supporting the local grassroots athletics. Many thanks to our friends at Adamstown A.C. for the provision of information relating to the course and the local facilities and the very best of luck to everybody on the day!

AAI Novice Adamstown 2012 Finish

Late Update
Adamstown A.C. advises athletes/spectators to allow an extra 30min travel time to the Championships, to allow for minor traffic delays, parking and a maximum 10/15min walk to registration and course. A traffic plan will be in operation – a one way system in and out of the Adamstown village. We ask visitors to cooperate fully with our parking stewards who are working in the athlete’s best interest, to ensure a smooth and efficient running of the day.

Q&A with David Matthews, Olympian, 05-Dec-2012, CIT

David Matthews - Two-time Olympian & Personal Trainer

David Matthews, two-time Olympian and Irish 800m record holder, will conduct an hour long Q&A session on athletics performance, motivation and training at the County Board meeting room at CIT on Wednesday, December 5th from 6.45pm. David Matthews is an Irish former middle-distance runner specialising in the 800m. Born in 1974 in Leixlip, Co. Kildare, he attended University College, Dublin (UCD) and his career in athletics was nurtured and encouraged by the late Noel Carroll, Athletics Coach, and the late Dr Tony O’Neill, Sports Director at UCD. At his favoured distance, he won consecutive national titles outdoors in from 1994 to 1997 and indoors from 1993 to 1995. He won the bronze medal at the 1993 European Junior Championships, reached the semi-final stage at the Atlanta Olympics (1996) and the heats of the Sydney Olympics (2000). David Matthews is the current Irish record holder at 800m and 1000m outdoors. In 2011, David was appointed fitness coach of Cork GAA’s senior hurling team.

Munster Juvenile B & Masters Cross Country Champs, Newmarket On Fergus, Sun 02-Dec-2012, 12pm

Newmarket on Fergus Show (+52° 46' 32.40", -8° 54' 33.21")

The Munster Juvenile B & Masters XC Champs take place on Sunday 02nd of December 2012 in Newmarket on Fergus, Co. Clare starting from 12pm. It’s customary for the Juveniles to go off first, with the Masters Men’s and Women’s races starting around 2pm. However, do allow for some slippage either way!

Women’s Masters 4000m

Men’s Masters 7000m

The Masters categories are O35, O40, O45… There’s an O35 & O50 club competition for Masters Men and O35 & O45 for Masters Women. An athlete can only score for one team, i.e. cannot be a member of an O35 & O45/50 team. This is the penultimate XC event of 2012 with only the National Novice to come on the 9th of December. Last year’s Munster Masters was held in the environs of Limerick Racecourse. Notable results were a 3rd place position for the BARRS Men at O50, while the CORK Men won the O40 team prize.

Munster Masters XC 2012 Venue

 Google Maps Coordinates: 52.775666,-8.909225

(Open Google Maps, copy the above numbers, paste into the search box and hit enter)

The venue is the site of the Newmarket on Fergus Show. Travelling from Limerick on the N18/E20, head out past Bunratty and northwards onto the M18 for Newmarket on Fergus. To avoid the village, go past the exit for Newmarket on Fergus (Exit 10), and take the next exit for QUIN (Exit 11). The venue will be signposted from here. Basically, you’re making a U-Turn and heading back towards Newmarket on Fergus on the R458.

It may be difficult to get parking near the venue while the kids races are in progress. The venue is very exposed with little or now natural shelter. Check the weather forecast on the day and in the event of rain, have an umbrella, a pair of wellies and something waterproof to keep your clothers dry. Better still, leave the clothes in the car and hop over the wall. The start line isn’t too far from the main road. Good luck all!

Christmas Party 2012

Fri 14 Dec – 21.00 – Mardyke Cricket Club
To celebrate the year’s achievements and there have been a few!. Will see you there!

Upcoming AAI events for your diaries….

Thanks to Michael Herlihy for this….

Some of the upcoming fixtures that Cork AAI athletes will be competing in over the next 4 or 5 months;

Dec 2nd – Munster Juvenile “B” & Masters Cross Country Championships, Co. Clare
Dec 9th – AAI Novice and Uneven Ages XC Champs, Adamstown, Co. Wexford
Dec 9th – European Cross Country Championships – Budapest, Hungary

Dec 15th – Doneraile Park 5km
Dec 23rd – Duhallow 5km, Newmarket, Co. Cork 1pm
Jan 6th – Munster Senior, Junior and Masters Indoor Championships, Nenagh.
Jan 13th – Munster Juvenile Relays, Junior & Senior XC Champs, Limerick Racecourse.
Jan 19th – AAI Masters Indoor Championships – New Athlone Indoor Complex!
Jan 20th – AAI Junior & U/23 Indoor Championships – Athlone
Jan 24th – North Munster Schools Cross Country – Pallaskenry
Jan 25th – South Munster Schools Cross Country – Cork IT
Feb 3rd – AAI Development Cross Country – Gransha Park, Derry
Feb 3rd – AAI Intermediate and Masters Cross Country – Derry
Feb 9th/10th- AAI Senior Indoor Championships – Athlone IT
Feb 16th/17th – Munster Juvenile Under 9 to 13 Indoors – Nenagh
Feb 23rd/24th – Munster Juvenile Under 14 to 19 Indoors – Nenagh
Feb 24th – AAI Inter-Club Cross Country – Tullamore, Co. Offaly
March 5th – Munster Schools Indoor Championships – Nenagh
March 9th – Irish Schools XCountry – Jordanstown, N.Ireland
March 10th – Munster Senior and Novice 4 mile – TBC
March 23rd – Schools International XC – Wales
Mar 23rd/24th – All-Ireland Juvenile Indoors – Athlone
April 14th – AAI 10km Road Champs – Phoenix Park

Back in the UCC Mardyke from Friday 30-Nov-2012

The catastrophic flood of 2009 and large scale redevelopment of the Pavilion and Sports Arena in 2011 & 2012 resulted in a near extinction of athletics at the UCC Mardyke. Now, at last, the builders and the machinery have moved on and the Mardyke is once again ready for a return of the clubs and athletes, and the unique atmosphere of fun and excitement their presence brings to the venue.

The track has been completely resurfaced and laid out to international standards. And, with new floodlighting to boot, the whole setup looks and feels fantastic. As of the 30th of November 2012, the Friday evening training sessions will take place at the UCC Mardyke from 6pm.

Rob Heffernan named Irish Athlete of the Year for 2012

Race Walker

Rob Heffernan at London 2012 (far right)

At the time of the Montreal Olympics in 1976, the nation held its collective breath as Eamonn Coghlan, by his own admission, grabbed fourth place from the jaws of victory in the eagerly awaited 1500m showdown with his long-time rival John Walker. And so, fast forward to London 2012, and another Irish athlete, and a Walker to boot, takes fourth spot in an Olympic final. However, for the vast majority of the Irish sporting public, the latter fourth was more like a Bolt from the blue than a Bolt from Jamaica. 

Of course, to those who know Rob Heffernan, his performance at London 2012 came as no great surprise. This was the culmination of years of dedication, effort and single mindedness in his quest to reach the top of his chosen sport. In the post games rush, Ireland’s Olympic medallists in Boxing and Equestrian took centre stage in the national limelight. However, for Track & Field enthusiasts, Road Runners and Coyotes alike, Rob Heffernan’s fourth place in the 50km Walk was undoubtedly the highlight Irish performance of London 2012. 

It would of course be remiss of me not to mention Rob’s better half Marian (Andrews) Heffernan who, along with her 4x400m colleagues, also gave of their best in pursuit of Olympic glory. All the above mentioned did the nation proud and competed gallantly in the true spirit of the games. Well done, Olympians one and all! 

Rob Heffernan can often be seen of an evening strutting his stuff on the Straight Road. If you manage to catch up with him, then he’s probably taking a breather. Do him a big favour and tell him to Hurry up. “C’mon now Rob, you really ought to be Russian along there!” 

Excerpt from Athletics Ireland

Rob Heffernan (Togher A.C.) was named as the Athlete of the Year at the National Athletics Awards in association with Woodie’s DIY and Tipperary Crystal which took on Saturday 17th of November in the Clyde Court Hotel in Dublin 4.

2012 was the year when Rob Heffernan quite literally had the Walk of his life. His fourth place finish in the 50k Walk at the London Olympic Games was the standout performance by an Irish athlete at major championships this season. On that occasion the Togher AC athlete carved his way through the field and came up one place short of what would have been a well deserved Olympic medal. In the process Heffernan destroyed his own national record with a time of 3:37.54. The 34-year-old remains on course to grab the major medal that now appears more probably than possible. Not Surprisingly Rob Heffernan was also awarded the Race Walker of the Year Award for 2012.