John Treacy delighted with success of Midland Running League

Last Wednesday evening (May 31st) the final event of the Midland Running League took place at the scenic 3 mile course at Ladestown, just outside Mullingar close to Lough Ennell. The League organised by Mullingar Harriers Athletic Club in association with Westmeath Sports Partnership was hugely successful with a record 170 runners, joggers and walkers taking part over the five events. Aiming to cater for runners, joggers and walkers of all ages and abilities the coordinators succeeded in promoting a family friendly fun event with the focus on participation rather that competition and proved that there is huge potential for all inclusive mass participation events of this kind.

The fine summer weather set the scene for the climax of the league and the organisers were delighted with the large entry of 114 for the final event, which included many new entrants on the night. The event has grown week on week capturing the imagination of the public by offering a fun and social way to participate in sport. There was a huge response from the people of Westmeath with runners, joggers, walkers and even entire families taking part. The series also lived up to its title as a Midlands event attracting many entries from a large catchment area including Offaly, Meath, Longford, Roscommon, Laois, Cavan and Sligo.

We were delighted that the leading administrators in our sport attended the final event and awards function in the Bloomfield House Hotel. John Treacy CEO of the Irish Sports Council said he was delighted with this very worthwhile initiative between Mullingar Harriers and Westmeath Sports Partnership that the Sports Council fully endorsed and he thanked all the participants for taking part. Michael Heery, President of Athletics Ireland pointed to the huge turnout at the event and encouraged the participants to stay involved in the sport stating that Mullingar Harriers would cater well for all of them. Concluding, Brendan Hackett CEO of Athletics Ireland commented on the event’s universal appeal with runners of all ages taking part. He thanked the officials of Mullingar Harriers who had driven this project forward and hoped that the initiative could be repeated in several locations across the country. Sonja Statham of Westmeath Sports Partnership and Pat Muldoon of Mullingar Harriers paid tribute to all the participants for making the event such a success and also thanked John, Michael and Brendan for attending on the night to present the prizes. They looked forward to building on the event’s success with future initiatives including a Winter League.

Mullingar Harriers and Westmeath Sports Partnership wish to thank all who contributed to the success of the event, especially Bloomfield House Hotel and Leisure Club, Westmeath Civil Defence, An Garda Siochana, Westmeath County Council, Olly Gallagher and all the stewards who did a super job on marshalling the course, taking entries, recording and processing results. The event coordinators would also like to express their sincere thanks to the following sponsors:

Aida, Alo Gowran, Art & Hobby Shop, Cocoon, Days Bazzar, Dunnes Stores, Elvery Sports, Ennell Jewellers, Fagans Office Supplies, Farm Fresh Fruit & Veg, Fox's Fruit & Veg, Galvin for Men, Golden Discs, Heartbeat City, Hugh Daniels, Image, John P Foy, John Power & Associates, Just Books, Kenny Bicycles, Kilroys, L O'Sullivan, Marshalls Supermarket, Mc Cormicks Jewellers, McDermotts, Midland Car Care, MJ O'Sullivan, Mullingar Pharmacy, PJ Shaw, Presents, Rochforts, Shaws Hardware, Swarbriggs, Texas, The Bike Shop, The Sports and Leisure Store, Tom Bermingham, Unique Boutique, Unicare Pharmacy, Vera McCool, Walsh Jewellers, Weirs Pharmacy, Wellness, Wild Earth, Wilfs, Woods Pharmacy.

The event would not have been the success it was without their support. Finally we would like to thank the local and national media for their coverage of the event.

Overall Results

Senior Women

1. Mary Hanley; 2. Vera McCool; 3. Riona Murtagh

Masters Women 1

1. Paula Murray; 2. Therese O'Keeffe

Masters Women 2

1. Maura Dervan; 2. Mary Walsh; 3. Mary O'Reilly Farrell

Masters Women 3

1. Linda Gunning

Masters Women 4

1. Brigid McCabe; 2. Rosaleen Gordan; 3. Marie Muldoon

Masters Women 5

1. Breda McDonnell

Junior Women

1, Aisling Bannon; 2. Grace Kearney

Grade A

1. Sinead Prunty; 2. Ursula O'Reilly; 3. Mary Costello

Grade B

1. Irene Flynn; 2. Marie Gorman; 3. Sandra Brehony

Grade C

1. Emer Fitzpatrick; 2. Margaret Hayes; 3. Karen Gaffney

Senior Men

1. Damian Shaw; 2. Cormac Finnerty 3. Derek Croal

Masters Men 1

1. Tom McGrath; 2. John Donegan; 3. Matt Glennon

Masters Men 2

1, Domo Moran; 2. Joe Wrafter; 3. Joe Holton

Masters Men 3

1. Ben Vaitevichius; 2, Pat Muldoon; 3. Michael Maguire

Masters Men 4

1. Eddie Prunty; 2. Fr. Ciaran McGovern

Masters Men 5

1. Sean McMullin; 2. Christy Creagh; 3. Aidan Cashin

Junior Men

1. Anthony Smith; 2. Joey Cleary

Grade A

1. John Gill; 2. Fr Mark English; 3. Jody Reilly

Grade B

1. David Burke; 2. Ciaran Molloy; 3. Declan Byrne

Grade C

1. Kieran McCarthy; 2. Ludvic Isenhow; 3. Tselo Tlom

Grade D

1. Ray Martin

WEEK 4

The Midland Running League reaches its climax this Wednesday evening (May 31st) when the final 3 mile event takes place at Ladestown just outside Mullingar, at 8.00pm followed by the presentation function in Bloomfield House Hotel. Organised by Mullingar Harriers Athletic Club in association with Westmeath Sports Partnership, the League has been an unprecedented success with 160 participants already registered. The organisers are delighted with the response to date and anticipate another large entry for the final event.

We are delighted that John Treacy, CEO of the Irish Sports Council, Brendan Hackett, CEO of the Athletic Association of Ireland and Michael Heery, President of the Athletic Association of Ireland will present the prizes on the night. John, one of Ireland’s most distinguished athletes is a former winner of the World Cross Country Championships on two occasions and also an Olympic silver medalist in the marathon. It will be a privilege to have some of the leading administrators in Irish sport in our presence and it promises to be a most enjoyable evening.

We again look forward to welcoming back all our participants for the final event and hopefully many new runners, joggers and walkers will take up the challenge and join us in this fun and social event. We also encourage children to take part in our 1 mile fun run. Why not come along and get John Treacy’s autograph? For new entries registration is at the Bloomfield House Hotel from 6.45pm to 7.45pm or at the start area from 7.00pm onwards. Each entrant will receive a souvenir t-shirt. Runners and walkers already registered should go directly to the start. The start and finish area, which is close to Butlers Bridge just off Lynn Cross, approximately 1 mile from the hotel, will be signposted. Prizes will be awarded in junior, senior, master and walker categories for participants who take part in three out of the five events. There will also be prizes in graded categories as well as spot prizes. Refreshments followed by presentation of prizes will be in the Bloomfield House Hotel immediately after the event.

Last Wednesday May 24th the penultimate event in the League took place. A fine summer’s evening set the scene for a most enjoyable event. Thanks to all the participants who yet again came out in huge numbers to support the event. The League has grown week on week and it was great to see a record entry of 113 take part. The large entry included many local runners, joggers and walkers, with many athletes throughout the midlands and beyond also taking part. Robbie Maher from Dunshaughlin Athletic Club and Mary Hanley from Na Fianna Athletic Club were the male and female winners on the night, but in this event everyone who takes part is a winner. It is a mass participation event that offers a fun and social way to participate in sport. We aim to cater for runners, joggers and walkers of all ages and abilities. The focus is on participation rather that competition and we encourage as many as possible to take part.

Our thanks to Westmeath Sports Partnership without whose support this event could not take place, thanks also to our various sponsors, to Bloomfield House Hotel and Leisure Club, to the Civil Defence and all the stewards who did a super job on marshalling the course.

The Midland Running League is a Westmeath Sports Partnership supported event. One of the aims of Westmeath Sports Partnership is to encourage participation in sport at local level. The Local Sports Partnership initiative is central to the Irish Sport’s Council’s strategy for the development of sport.

WEEK 3

John Treacy to present prizes at Midland Running League

The Midland Running League organised by Mullingar Harriers AC in association with Westmeath Sports Partnership is now nearing its conclusion and judging by the turnout so far it has been an fantastic success. A record 140 runners, joggers and walkers have already registered for the event and with two events in the series still remaining it has the potential to be one of the most successful participation in sport initiatives in the county.

Last Wednesday May 17th the third event took place at the scenic 3 mile course in Ladestown close to Lough Ennell, just outside Mullingar. In contrast to the fine summer weather of the previous week, the wet and windy conditions on the night were far from ideal but it did not deter the participants who yet again came out in huge numbers to support the event. The League is growing week on week and the organisers were delighted to see a record entry of 95 take part.

There has been a fantastic response to this mass participation event that seems to have captured the imagination of the public by offering a fun and social way to participate in sport. The large entry included many local runners, joggers and walkers, with many athletes throughout the midlands and further afield also taking part. Tom McGrath of the host club and Mary Hanley of the Na Fianna club in Meath were the male and female winners on the night, but in this event everyone who takes part is a winner. We aim to cater for runners, joggers and walkers of all ages and abilities. It is a family friendly event with a 1-mile fun run for children under 16 also taking place. The focus is on participation rather that competition and we encourage as many as possible to take part.

Our thanks to Westmeath Sports Partnership without whose support this event could not take place, thanks also to our various sponsors, to Bloomfield House Hotel and Leisure Club, to the Civil Defence, An Garda Siochana and all the stewards who did a super job on marshalling the course.

The 3 mile series continues for the final two Wednesday evenings during May with the next event taking place this Wednesday evening, May 24th at 8.00pm. We again look forward to welcoming back all our participants and hopefully many new runners, joggers and walkers will take up the challenge and join us in this fun and social event. We also encourage children to take part in our 1 mile fun run. Registration is at the Bloomfield House Hotel from 6.45pm to 7.45pm or at the start area. The entry fee of €15 (children €3) covers all the events and each participant will receive a souvenir t-shirt. Runners and walkers already registered should go directly to the start. The start and finish area, which is close to Butlers Bridge just off Lynn Cross, approximately 1 mile from the hotel, will be signposted. Prizes will be awarded in junior, senior, master and walker categories for participants who take part in three out of the five events. There will also be prizes awarded based on participation and spot prizes.

Refreshments followed by presentation of prizes will be in the Bloomfield House Hotel after the final event on May 31st, which promises to be a very enjoyable evening. The organisers are delighted to announce that John Treacy, CEO of the Irish Sports Council will be the guest of honour on the night. John is one of Ireland's most distinguished athletes. He is a former winner of the World Cross Country Championships on two occasions as well as being an Olympic silver medalist in the marathon. The Midland Running League is a Westmeath Sports Partnership supported event. The Local Sports Partnership initiative was launched by the Irish Sports Council in 2001 and is central to their Strategy for the development of sport in the country. The aim of the Westmeath Sports Partnership is to co-ordinate and promote the development of, and encourage participation in sport at local level.

WEEK 2

Midland Running League a Fantastic Success

The Midland Running League organised by Mullingar Harriers in association with Westmeath Sports Partnership is now in full swing and judging by the turnout so far it has been an unqualified success. A record 120 runners, joggers and walkers have already registered for the event and with three events still remaining in the series it has the potential to be one of the most successful participation in sport initiatives in the county.

Last Wednesday May 10th, the second event took place at Ladestown close to Lough Ennell, just outside Mullingar. The fine summer weather set the scene for a most enjoyable evening. For the second week in a row a record entry of 90 participants completed the scenic 3 mile course. Again it was great to see such a fantastic response to this mass participation event that seems to have captured the imagination of the public by offering a fun and social way to take part in exercise and sport.

The large entry included many local runners and walkers and even families, with many athletes throughout the midlands and further afield also taking part. There were Westmeath winners in both the men’s and women’s races with Damian Shaw and Maura Dervin quickest on the night, but in this event everyone who takes part is a winner. We aim to cater for runners, joggers and walkers of all ages and abilities. It is a family friendly event with a 1-mile fun run for children under 16 also taking place. The focus is on participation rather that competition and we encourage as many as possible to take part.

Our thanks to Westmeath Sports Partnership without whose support this event could not take place, thanks also to our various sponsors, to Bloomfield House Hotel, to the Civil Defence, An Garda Siochana and all the stewards who did a super job on marshalling the course.

The 3 mile series continues on the Wednesdays evenings during May with the next event taking place this Wednesday evening, May 17th at 8.00pm. We again look forward to welcoming back all our participants and hopefully many more runners, joggers and walkers will take up the challenge and join us in this fun and social event. Registration is at the Bloomfield House Hotel from 6.45pm to 7.45pm. The entry fee of €15 covers all the events and each participant will receive a souvenir t-shirt. Runners and walkers already registered should go directly to the start. The start and finish area, which is close to Butlers Bridge just off Lynn Cross, approximately 1 mile from the hotel, will be signposted. Prizes will be awarded in junior, senior, master and walker categories for participants who take part in three out of the five events. There will also be prizes awarded based on participation and spot prizes. Refreshments followed by presentation of prizes will be in the Bloomfield House Hotel after the final event on May 31st, which promises to be a very enjoyable evening.

WEEK 1

Outstanding Start to the Midland Running League

The first round of the Westmeath Sports Partnership sponsored Midland Running League was held last Wednesday evening in ideal weather conditions and a record field of 90 runners, joggers and walkers completed the picturesque 3 mile course at Ladestown, close to Mullingar. It was great to see such a great turn out for the launch of this new innovative event that seems to have captured the imagination of the public and filled a void in mass participation competition for running and walking enthusiasts.

Judging by the huge turnout at last Wednesday's event, the Midland Running League is destined to be a huge success and is sure to be around for many years to come. The influx of joggers and walkers to the event was most noteworthy, and this combined with a big entry of runners from athletic clubs around the midlands and further afield ensured a most enjoyable and fun event was had by all. Paul Buckley from Ferbane recorded the fastest time of the night while Damien Shaw and Maura Dervin were first Westmeath male and female runners to finish. The focus however was on participation and it was great to see such a great interest in the event with even entire families taking part.

Our thanks to Westmeath Sports Partnership without whose support this event could not take place, thank also to our various sponsors, to Bloomfield House Hotel, to the Civil Defence, An Garda Siochana and all the stewards who did a super job on marshalling the course.

The 3 mile series will continue on the Wednesdays throughout and the next event is on this Wednesday evening, May 10th at 8.00pm. We look forward to welcoming back all our participants and hopefully many more runners, joggers and walkers will join us in this fun and social event.

Registration at Bloomfield House Hotel is from 6.45pm to 7.45pm. Runners and walkers who have already registered from the last week should go directly to the start. The start and finish area, which is close to Butlers Bridge just off Lynn Cross, approximately 1 mile from the hotel, will be signposted. The entry fee of €15 covers all the events and each participant will receive a souvenir t-shirt. Prizes will be awarded in junior, senior and masters categories for participants who take part in three out of the five events. There will also be prizes awarded based on participation and spot prizes for walkers. Refreshments followed by presentation of prizes will be in the Bloomfield House Hotel after the final event on May 31st.