Limerick Athletics - Weekly News Update

GREAT LIMERICK RUN

THERE was a massive turnout and huge support for the 13th staging of the showpiece event of Limerick athletics last weekend.

Blessed by favourable weather conditions, Tudor Mircea, of Clonliffe Harriers, led the Marathon from start to finish in a time of 2:24:12. Alexander Wallace, of St Cocoa’s (Kildare), took the ‘Silver’ in 2:29:04 with Karl Fitzmaurice of neighbouring Shannon AC completing the podium in 2:29:20.

Dooneen’s Mpho Chauke was first Limerick athlete in 2:54:26. Yulia Tarasova made it a Clonliffe double by retaining her Women’s title from last year in 2:55:46 with Joan Flynn, of Mullingar Harriers, second in 3:04:46 with Carol Bray taking ‘Bronze’ in 3:06:39.

Peter Somba, of Ratoath, added the Half Marathon title to his Michal Rejmer victory a few weeks ago winning in a time of 1:08:26. Sergiu Ciobanu, of Clonliffe, did ensure he couldn’t relax though, finishing 20 seconds behind. Chris Jeukens, of nearby Derg, was third in 1:10:54. Karl Lenihan, of West Limerick, was 6th in 1:13:46, takes the Munster Bronze medal and was also 1st M45.

Tony McMahon, of Kilmallock, ran a great time of 1:36:38 to take the Munster Silver Medal for M65.

Sally Forristal, of St. Joseph’s, was the Women’s winner in 1:22:19. Caroline Hasset, of Templemore, took silver in 1:24:10 with Neasa De Burca, part of a large Tribeswomen and Tribesmen contingent taking the Bronze Medal home to Galway in
1:27:07.

Amy Murphy, of West Limerick, was an excellent 4th in 1:28:27 and she does of course take the Munster Silver Medal.

Limerick pretty much monopolised the Men’s 6-mile race with Bilboa’s Declan Moore first in 30:36. Niall Shanahan, of An Bru,  was second in 31:02 with Ibrahim Samovu, of Limerick AC, third in 31:55.

Irish International Shona Heaslip made the short journey from An Riocht in Kerry worthwhile, romping to the Women’s title in 31:59 and was actually fourth placed overall.

Aoife Kilgallon, of Sligo AC, was next in 36:11 with Dee Grady taking third in 37:39. Other times included 'Full Marathon competitor Clare Coleman 3:14:28, Niall Bennis 3:24:54 - both Dooneen AC. 72-year-old Patrick Roche, of Kilmallock, finished in 5:29, ahead of many younger athletes.

In the Half Marathon Killian Lynch (West Limerick) 1:16:09, Niall Harris (Dooneen) 23 rd 1:19:57, Caroline Goddard (Dooneen) 15th woman in 1:34:56, Pamela Kirby (Bilboa) 16th in 1:35:53, Joe Chawke 1:36:06, Karol Downey West Limerick 1:29:31, Tommy Madden (Country Club) 1:47:01

Well done to all athletes, volunteers and sponsors, plus all who ran in the childrens' event. The ‘GLR’ continues to go from strength to strength.

INTERNATIONAL

Well done to Emerald’s Roisin Harrison who was a member of the Irish Women’s team which finished 7th in the final at the World Relay Championships in the Bahamas.

TRAINING TIP 

VERY well done to all who completed the 6-mile, Half Marathon and Marathon on Sunday at the Great Limerick Run.

Hope you are all wearing your tee shirts with pride!

This week you need to rest and recover especially those who completed the marathon. Running 26.2 miles or 42km places a lot of stress on the body and muscles will be sore and your body may ache all over.

Climbing stairs may be difficult and your immune system may even become a bit suppressed.

Get as much sleep as possible, lots of good protein for muscle repair and nutrient rich meals are essential. An ice bath can help alleviate soreness in the initial recovery stage. A light sports massage can also aid recovery.

Post marathon is a bit like the taper in reverse. It can take up to 26 days (a day per mile) to fully recover after a marathon though you should start to feel a lot better after a week to 10 days.

Don’t return to running too quickly as the risk of injury is high if you do too much too soon. Take a break completely from running for 7 days. Active recovery is good but something like gentle walking or swimming in the first week after a marathon is best.

You can introduce some slow easy short runs in the second week and cross train if you feel up to it but listen to your body and if still sore rest up and no speed work yet. 

Gradually increase aerobic activity in the third week with rest days between activities and by week 4 you should be feeling a lot more rested and recovered and able to increase running intensity and distance gradually.

“Pain is temporary - Pride is forever” - Jackie Kingston

FIXTURES

The County Juvenile T&F Championships take place this Sunday, May 12 in Newcastle West Regional Athletics Hub. There will be a €5 entrance fee for adult spectators. Good luck to all.