from Galway City Harriers GCH’s Andy Power, who will be a familiar face to ye all from Fit4Life sessions, shares his impressions of the recent Tuam 8K road-race as follows…
On a horrible wet and windy January Sunday afternoon, when the rest of the Galway population were cosily reading their Sunday papers or digging into their hot Sunday roasts, a handful of GCH athletes traipsed up the N17 to enter the Tuam AC 8K road-race. Registration was set in the Mercy School grounds, Dublin Road, Tuam. The setting brought back memories for some who had gone to school there some years ago. Ian Egan, Siobhán Cunningham, Martin Ronan, Kristin Riall and myself, amongst others, braved the course from the Fit4Life members.
Luckily, just before the starting gun, the rain miraculously subsided and the day seemed to warm up (or perhaps that was all the jostling at the starting line). The course consisted of two laps around the outside of the town, with the end of the course leading through the main street where locals looked on with confused faces.
As for the race itself, GCH athletes were among the prize-winners, which included Gerry Ryan (race-winner in just over 25m), Mary McHugh, Barbara Bergin, Ian Egan, Pat Burkitt and Brian Geraghty. The GCH men’s senior team won the team prize (Gerry Ryan, Ian Egan, Gerry Carty and Billy King contributing points) while the GCH ladies’ senior team came second.
For all the pre-race bravery needed to get ourselves geared up for the race, Tuam ended up being a great resolution/full start to the beginning of the year’s racing calendar. It was excellently organized by the experienced hands of host club Tuam AC. The free running socks proved very popular, especially for the Harriers sitting close to the box of remaining socks at the end!
Strangely, as we all drove home, the lashing rain and grey January evening closed in once again as if the momentary window of clear weather surrounding the race was all a dream.
A full set of race-results now appears at: https://www.tuamac.com/results/Spring8K2009Full.html