Bray Runners Athletics Club

11.11.2019

Details

Published on Tuesday, 12 November 2019 10:17

Race Reports

National Schools Combined Event

Firstly, a massive congratulations to Grainne O’Sullivan on winning silver in the National Schools Combined events at the AIT last Saturday.  Grainne will now be the first ever juvenile Bray athlete to represent Ireland.  She will be competing at the Schools Combined International at the Emirates Arena in Glasgow on November 30^th.  All her hard work and dedication over the past number of years is paying off. We are all very proud of Grainne.

Leinster XC Uneven ages

We had another amazing turnout for the Leintster Unevn Ages XC last Saturday in Ferbane, County Offaly with 15 of our Bray athletes toeing the line.  The weather held for the event and despite the heavy rain the previous night, the course was in relatively good condition and not as mucky as we anticipated. However, there was a large scattering of cow pats and various steep hills to be negotiated by the athletes.   We had some very impressive individual performance as well as some great team efforts on the day.  The U11girls race kicked off at 12 noon and Saorlaith Kieran competing for her first time at Leinster level, ran a fine race and was undaunted by the experience. Well done Saorlaith!  Next up was the Boys U11, where Aaron Egan fought hard to finish in an impressive 3^rd spot to win a Leinster bronze medal. We had 5 girls running in the Girls U13 race with 3 of the 5 running up an age group. The standard in this race was very high and Roisin Murray was first of the Bray athletes in 21^st position followed by Kate Hanly in 28^th, Catherine O’Neill was 32^nd.  Mia McEntee and Eile Kennedy also ran very well against stiff competition. Overall the Bray girls were the 7^th club team home and Wicklow were the 5^th county team. Next we had Bobby More and James Foot in the boys U13 boys race. This was another very competitive race.  James in a very tactical race had to use all his race experience to date to try and hold his nerve by tucking in behind the lead group of 5 boys and then managed to pull off a sprint finish with 200m to go to secure another Leinster gold.  Bobby came in in 16^th position and together they secured a place for Wicklow in the Nationals on the 15^th December.  Noah Harris of Ashford finished in 4^th and Malachy Kenny of Kilcoole finished in 7^th which made 3 wicklow athletes were in the top 12. In the girls U15 race we had 4 athletes – Niamh Murray, Hannah Kelly, Eleanor Foot and Jennifer O’Dwyer, Jennifer was also running out of her age group in order to complete the Bray team.  Niamh Murray in typical form left nothing on the course to finish in an amazing 6^th position. She was closely followed by Hannah Kelly who is narrowly missed out on a medal by coming in a very impressive 14^th.  Eleanor and Jennifer also had fine races and the Bray team were 5^th overall and the girls will now form part of the Wicklow team who have qualified for the Nationals by being the 4^th County team. Hannah Foot was the final of our athletes to race in the U17 race. Hannah is returning to fitness after a rest period from running and racing and was using the race to improve her fitness for the Nationals on the 24th.  Well done to all our athletes.  

Sleep and Nutritional Advise

As we have two XC Nationals events coming up shortly, with the first in 2 weeks time, we would like to include a note on the importance of sleep and nutrition.  Both are so important when racing and particularly at National level in order to give the athletes the best possible chance of perfoming at their best.  We cannot emphasize enough the importance of proper Sleep and Nutrition and its effect on performance.

Proper sleep, especially during the week of the race is so important. We would suggest getting an extra hours sleep each night for a week leading up to the race and not just the night before.

Proper Nutrition plays a huge part in the development of young Athletes and again good habits are so important.

We would suggest that after each training session or race, Athletes refuel within an hour of exercise (ideally within 20 mins). It is scientifically proven that the first hour after training/Race is the vital time in managing an Athletes recovery.

We would suggest that after training on a Tuesday or Thursday or after a race that the Athlete has a glass of Milk or some nuts (protein) with some carbs (say a banana or peanut butter sandwich or a healthy cereal with Fruit).

Staying hydrated before and after sessions is also very important. Please talk to the coaches if you need any further information or advice.

Registration

Could all unregistered athletes please register on or before 12.11.2019 with the club as you will not be allowed to run outside if you are not registered.

Training

Tuesday training will continue in Woodbrook College tomorrow from 6.50 – 8.00pm.

Thursday training will be on the promenade in Bray, meeting at the boathouse coffee shop 7-8pm (Southern end of the prom). This session is open to all athletes born in 2008 or earlier.

Next Sunday we are hoping to check out the course in Abbotstown for the National Even ages XC due to be held there on the 24^th November.   We are waiting for confirmation from Inbhear Dee that we are allowed to run on the grounds. If we are allowed, this would be very beneficial to all athletes especially those competing in the Nationals so please make every effort to attend, more details in the Whats App groups to follow.

Upcoming Events

**Round 4 of the juvenile league will take place on Friday, November 15^th at 7pm in Roundwood Uneven ages**

U/7 200
U/9  400
U/11 800
U/13 1200
U/15 1600

These races are a great introduction to crosscountry, with a certificate awarded to each athlete on race completion. The emphasis is on athlete participation rather than on winning.

Location: An Tochar GAA club, drive through R/wood and keep right for Laragh and it’s on the lefthand side.  Emma Craxton will be there to register the athletes so look out for Emma.

Round 5 of the juvenile league will be held by Bray Runners on December 6^th at 7pm in Bray Emmets Even ages

Irish Life Health National Juvenile Even Age Cross Country in Abbotstown on 24^th November.

04.11.2019

Details

Published on Tuesday, 05 November 2019 10:40

County Selections For National Cross Country Champs Even Ages

Huge congratulations to the following athletes who in addition to competing for their club at the Nationals have also been selected to be part of the county teams. To be even considered for selection for this is very special and you should all be extremely proud of yourselves.

Girls U12’s

Kate Hanly
Roisin Murray
Kripa Kissanthomas
Catherine O'Neill

Boys U12’s

James Foot
Aaron Egan

Boys U14’s

Bobby More
Matthew Daly
Rian Anafi Fitzgibbon

Girls U16's:

Hannah Kelly

Niamh Murray
Eleanor Foot
Hannah Foot

The Irish Life Health National Juvenile Even Age Cross Country will be held in Abbotstown on the 24th November.

Leinster Cross Country Uneven Ages

The following are the athletes that have been entered for the Leinster cross country race in Ferbane, Co. Offaly this Saturday.

U11 Girls

Saorlaith Kieran

U11 Boys 

Aaron Egan
Samuel Whelan

U13 Girls

Kate Hanly
Roisin Murray
Kripa Kissanthomas
Catherine O'Neill
Eile Kennedy
Mia McEntee

U13 boys

Bobby More

James Foot

U15 Girls:

Hannah Kelly

Niamh Murray
Eleanor Foot
Jennifer O'Dwyer

U17 Girls:

Hannah Foot

Registrations

Could all unregistered athletes please register on or before tomorrow with the club as you will not be allowed to run outside if you are not registered.

Training

Tuesday training will continue in Woodbrook College tomorrow from 6.50 – 8.00pm.

Thursday training will be on the promenade in Bray, meeting at the boathouse coffee shop 7-8pm (Southern end of the prom). This session is open to all athletes born in 2008 or earlier.

Next Sundays run with Inbhear Dee is in Shanganagh Park and will be a shake out run after the Leinsters. The following Sundays run (Sunday 17th) will be in Abbotstown, for a run on the course before the Nationals, this will be invaluble to all athletes competing in the Nationals so please make every effort to attend, more details will be in next weeks email, or in the Whats App groups.

Upcoming Events

Saturday 9th of November - Leinster Cross Country (Unevens) - Ferbane, Co. Offaly

**Round 4 of the juvenile league will take place on Friday, November 15^th at 7pm in Roundwood Uneven ages**

U/7 200
U/9  400
U/11 800
U/13 1200
U/15 1600

These races are a great introduction to crosscountry, with a certificate awarded to each athlete on race completion. The emphasis is on athlete participation rather than on winning.

Location: An Tochar GAA club, drive through R/wood and keep right for Laragh and it’s on the lefthand side.

Round 5 of the juvenile league will be held by Bray Runners on December 6^th at 7pm in Bray Emmets Even ages

Irish Life Health National Juvenile Even Age Cross Country in Abbotstown on 24^th November.

Volunteers

Thanks again to the parents who have volunteered to help out at training. Without your assistance we would not be able to keep accepting new members. We will keep the appeal going for parental assistance: We now have 103 registered juveniles with the club and in order to maintain the smooth running of our training sessions we need help. You do NOT have to be a runner, all you have to do is provide encouragement and support to our young athletes. Please feel free to speak to any of our coaches about volunteering.

Finally, the very best of luck to Grainne competing in the National Schools Combined events at the AIT this Saturday and good luck to all our cross country runners competing in Offaly.

28.10.2019

Details

Published on Wednesday, 30 October 2019 14:19

Race Report From Leinster Cross Country Even Ages

For those of you who may not have heard, each and every one of our juvenile athletes put in a great performance at the Leinster cross country last Saturday. On a challenging and mucky course our athletes showed their strength and resilience coming home with the most amount of medals from a Leinsters in one day.

In the Girls U12’s there were individual medals for Roisin (5th), Kate (8^th) and Catherine (9th) who together with Kripa won the club gold medal.

James won the gold medal in the Boys U12’s and together with Aaron and other Wicklow athletes they won the county gold.

The boys U14’s all ran fine races, Wicklow won the county silver medal with Bobby being part of the team.

In the Girls U16’sNiamh won an individual medal and together with Hannah K, Eleanor and Hannah F they won both theclub and county silver.

A massive congratulations to you all and thanks to the parents and supporters who travelled with the athletes.Many will now go on to run in the Irish Life Health National Juvenile Even Age Cross Country in Abbotstown on 24^th November.

Leinster Cross Country Uneven Ages

he following are the proposed athletes to be entered in the Leinster cross country race in Ferbane, Co. Offaly on November 9^th. All registered athletes are eligible to compete. 4 athletes are needed to make a team. Please let us know via the Whats App groups by Friday if your child intends on running as the closing date for entries is this weekend.  If there is enough interest a bus could be arranged again.

U15 Girls:

Hannah Kelly,

Niamh Murray

Eleanor Foot

Jennifer O’Dwyer

U13 Girls:

Eile Kennedy

Mia McEntee

Kate Hanly

Roisin Murray

Kripa Kissanthomas

Catherine O'Neill

U13 Boys:

Bobby More

James Foot

U11 Boys

Aaron Egan

Samuel Whelan

Registration

Could all unregistered athletes please register before next Tuesday with the club as from Tuesday November 5^th you will not be allowed to run outside if you are not registered.

Training

Tuesday training will continue in Woodbrook College tomorrow from 6.50 – 8.00pm.

There will be no Thursday training this week as it is Halloween.

Details of the Sunday run will be posted on the What’s App groups this week. As we are not training on Thursday we would strongly encourage all those athletes taking part in the upcoming Leinsters and Nationals to do the Sunday run. The athletes doing this run regularly are showing their strength in the finishing stages of races, they are able to come through or hold their position in the closing stages. If we are to compete at nationals the long Sunday run is imperative.

Upcoming Events

Saturday 9th of November - Leinster Cross Country (Unevens) - Ferbane, Co. Offaly

Round 4 of the juvenile league will be on Friday November 15^th at 7pm in Roundwood Uneven ages

Round 5 of the juvenile league will be held by Bray Runners on December 6^th at 7pm in Bray Emmets Even ages

Irish Life Health National Juvenile Even Age Cross Country in Abbotstown on 24^th November.

21.10.2019

Details

Published on Tuesday, 22 October 2019 08:39

Race Reports

The evening got off to a great start with the first of the three Hanly sisters, Ella, making her debut run in the girls U6’s with a fine run, well done Ella!! Following this Niamh Graham had a super run yet again to finish 2^nd in the Girls U8’s.

In the Girls U10’s Lucy Hanly running cross country for the first time also had a fine run finishing in the middle of a very large field, Ryan Egan and Oisin Whelan both had great races in the Boys U10s with Ryan going on to win this race and Oisin placing well.

Next up were the girls U12’s where Kate Hanly had a super run to finish 2^nd and Saorlaith Kieran also had a great debut cross country run. In the boys U12’s Aaron Egan, Samuel Whelan and Adam Craxton all had great runs in a large field of 29 boys. Aaron went on to finish 2^nd, Samuel 10^th and Adam 20^th, great runs from all the boys.

The final girls race of the evening saw Eile Kennedy produce a super win in the Girls U14’s and in the final boys race Dara McGrandles also put in a fine performance.

It was a great nights running with all of our athletes showing lots of enthusiasm and camaraderie towards their club mates. Thanks to all the parents who brought their children to this event and cheered them on. I do believe some of our debut cross country runners may have caught the love of cross country!!

I'm attaching a copy of the official results so you can see for yourselves.

Round 4 of the juvenile league will be on Friday November 15^th at 7pm in Roundwood Uneven ages
U/ 7 200
U/9  400
U/11 800
U/13 1200
U/15 1600

The last round will be held by Bray Runners on December 6^th at 7pm in Bray Emmets Even ages

Last Wednesday October 16^th saw 5 of our secondary school athletes compete in the Leinster Schools Combined events in the NIA. In this event the athletes have to compete in 5 different events both track and field, these are: long jump, 60mH, high jump, shot putt and the 800m. Eleanor Foot, Niamh Murray, Jennifer O’Dwyer and Eile Kennedy all had great performances in the minor girls competition but the result of the day has to go to Grainne O’Sullivan, our very own KJT had a fantastic day to claim the gold medal in the junior girls competition with 3 pb performances in the shot putt, high jump and 800m. Grainne now goes on to compete in the National Schools combineds next month, best of luck Grainne!!

The following are the athletes entered for this Satudays Leinster cross country race in Gowran Co. Kilkenny

U16 Girls:

Hannah Kelly,

Niamh Murray

Eleanor Foot

Hannah Foot

U14 Boys:

Bobby More

Finn Campbell

Rian Anafi-Fitzgibbon

Matthew Daly

Fionn Begley

U12 Boys:

James Foot

Aaron Egan

Samuel Whelan

U12 Girls:

Kate Hanly

Roisin Murray

Kripa Kissanthomas

Catherine O'Neill

U16 Boys:

Dara McGrandles

For all those wishing to avail of it there is a bus leaving from Shanganagh Park at 9am which should be back by approx 3.30pm.

The very best of luck to everyone running.

Training

14.10.2019

Details

Published on Thursday, 17 October 2019 18:11

Race Report: Day 2 County Cross Country Championships

A big well done again to the 18 Bray Runners A.C. juvenile athletes who competed so well at day 2 of the Wicklow county cross country championships in Avondale yesterday.  The heavy rain of the early morning stopped just before the first race began making for good cross-country racing conditions on a challenging course.  All our athletes put in fine performances again, demonstrating their determination and toughness. 

Our first runner of the day was Sophie Mackle who again got the day off to a great start finishing 7th out of a field of 32 U9 athletes. Sophie was followed by the boys U9’s where Feidhlim Harvey followed his day 1 3rd place with yet another 3^rd place finish, well done Feidhlim!!  Oisin Whelan followed close behind having another fine run finishing 10^th.                                                                          

Jenna Daly and Isla Graham both had good runs in a large girls U11 field both finishing well up the pack in 16^th and 23^rd places respectively.  In the boys U11’s Aaron Egan and Samuel Whelan both had excellent runs finishing 3^rd and 5^th respectively, well done boys, super runs!!

The only team from our club competing yesterday was the girls U13’s, where all 4 girls came in the top 10 claiming the team gold medal a long way ahead of their nearest competitors. Roisin Murray (3^rd), Catherine O’Neill (4^th), Eile Kennedy (5^th) and Mia McEntee (10^th) all put in superb performances and demonstrated what cross-country racing is all about – teamwork!! In the boys U13’s James Foot running out of his age followed up his excellent win on day 1 with another superb win yesterday.  Bobby More and Adam Craxton both had fine runs finishing 5^th and 15^th respectively.

In the girls U15’s Hannah Kelly had a superb race taking home the county gold medal.  For all our younger athletes Hannah is a great example of an athlete who has been working away for a number of years and yesterday took her first county cross-country individual gold.  In the boys U15’s Matthew Daly and Finn Campbell both running out of their ages had superb races finishing 4^th and 6^th and Dara McGrandles made an excellent debut performance on the cross-country scene.

Well done to all who took part and a big thanks again to all the mums, dads, brothers and sisters who came along for support.  Looking at these results it again goes to show that all the hard work and dedication put in by your children is paying off and it also shows particularly for the older athletes that the additional training sessions on a Thursday and Sunday are making a huge difference to the athlete’s endurance and stamina.  

Training

Tuesday training will continue in Woodbrook College tomorrow from 6.50 - 8.00pm.

Thursday training will be on the promenade in Bray, meeting at the boathouse coffee shop 7-8pm (Southern end of the prom).  This session is open to all athletes born in 2008 or earlier.

 Details of the Sunday run will be posted on the What’s App groups this week.

Upcoming Events

Following the county champs. we now look forward to the Leinster Cross Country Champs. Details will follow next week of proposed teams for these events.

Saturday 26th of October - Leinster Cross Country (Evens) - Gowran Co. Kilkenny

Saturday 9th of November - Leinster Cross Country (Unevens) - Ferbane, Co. Offaly

Thanks again to the parents who recently volunteered to help out at training.  Without your assistance we would not be able to keep accepting new members.  We will keep the appeal going for parental assistance:  We now have 100 registered juveniles with the club and in order to maintain the smooth running of our training sessions we need help.  You do NOT have to be a runner, all you have to do is provide encouragement and support to our young athletes.  Please feel free to speak to any of our coaches about volunteering.

07.10.2019

Details

Published on Tuesday, 08 October 2019 19:45

Race Report: Day 1 County Cross Country Championships

A big well done to everyone from Bray Runners A.C. who competed so well at day 1 of the Wicklow county cross country championships in Roundwood yesterday.  It was the perfect day for racing with excellent underfoot conditions.  All our athletes put in fine performances demonstrating their determination, toughness and teamwork. 

We had 5 new athletes racing cross country for the club for the first time all having fine runs.  3 of our newest and youngest members Sophie Mackle and Nicoleta Captari got the day off to a great start finishing 10th and 22nd in a large girls U10 field of 42 athletes. These were followed by the boys U10’s where another of our newer athletes Feidhlim Harvey had a great run finishing third.  Oisin Whelan and Adónai Sugrue both also produced fine runs finishing 18th and 14th respectively.

Next it was time for our u12s to shine, where both the boys and girls teams won team gold medals with superb displays, the girls enjoyed a 1-2 finish and not to be outdone the boys had a 1-3 finish. Both Róisín Murray and James Foot won their individual age group titles for the 4th year in a row, with Catherine O'Neill (2nd) also making the girls' individual podium for a fourth consecutive year. Aaron Egan running out of his age and only recently returning from a foot injury came a superb 3rd.  Huge credit to the rest of the girls team, with another great run from Kate Hanly (5th) and Kripa Kissanthomas (9th). Meanwhile, there was a really gritty run from Samuel Whelan (12th) and another of our first time cross country racers, Adam Craxton (20th) in the boys race. 

Our u14 boys fought bravely to win silver medals bunching nicely in the top 12 with 6th, 8th, 11th and 12th places going to Finn Campbell (another first time runner for the club), Matthew Daly, Bobby More and Fionn Begley respectively. Unfortunately, there was no full u14 girls team from Bray Runners this time, but there were some really outstanding performances particularly from Éile Kennedy improving from 10^th place last year to finish a brilliant 4^th this year and only missing out on a medal by the narrowest of margins on a sprint finish, Jennifer O'Dwyer and Mia McEntee both also put in excellent performances finishing 6th and 9th respectively.   

In a race where the U16, U18 junior and novice women ran together 13 year old Niamh Murray led the charge with a superb win running an incredible time of 15.58 for 4km. Niamh was ably supported by Hannah Kelly who had a great race just missing out on a podium position finishing fourth, Eleanor Foot 5th and Ciara Murray 7th.  Both Hannah and Eleanor were also running out of their ages.  These results meant the girls claimed team gold for the fourth time in 5 years. Well done all and a big thanks to all of the mums, dads, brothers and sisters who came along for support.

Looking at these results it just goes to show that all the hard work and dedication put in by your children is paying off and it also shows particularly for the older athletes that the additional training sessions on a Thursday and Sunday are making a huge difference to the athletes endurance and stamina.  

Unfortunately we will not have the team medals from the county board on time to hand out at training tomorrow night, but should have them soon.

Training

Tuesday training will continue in Woodbrook College tomorrow from 6.50 - 8.00pm.

Thursday training will be on the promenade in Bray, meeting at the boathouse coffee shop 7-8pm (Southern end of the prom).  This session is open to all athletes born in 2008 or earlier.

No Sunday run this week due to the cross-country event in Avondale. 

Wicklow Cross Country Championships Day 2

The second day of the county cross country championships take place this Sunday.  Again, we will have a Finnegan’s bus leaving from the main gates at Shanganagh park at 9:00am and returning at 1:30pm approx.  Athletes and parents are welcome to travel on the bus, or alternatively (of course) make their own way.

 A check-list of things to bring includes:

• Bray Runners t-shirt /singlet
• Running spikes (if you have them)
• Spare shoes / socks / tracksuit bottoms
• Rain jacket
• Towel
• Food / drink

These championships are very important for the club and every athlete should make every effort to compete (or at least support their club mates). We hope to see as many of you as possible on Sunday.  All our registered members are eligible to participate and are encouraged to do so, particularly as this is a team event.    

Date:                Sunday October 13^th
Venue:             Avondale, Rathdrum, Co. Wicklow

Start Time:       11.00 am.

Distances:     

Boys and Girls 

U/9 800m (b. 2011)

U/11 1500m (b. 2009, 2010)

U/13 2500m (b. 2007, 2008)
U/15 3500m (b. 2005, 2006)
U/17 Girls 4000m (b. 2003, 2004)

The following cross country teams have been put together for this Sunday, if your child has not been included they are of course more than welcome to compete the better the chance each team has.  For teams the first 4 athletes are scoring athletes.  Please let us know if you child has been listed and isn’t competing.

Girls U9 Sophie, Lily, Sofia

Boys U9 Feidhlim, Oisin

Girls U11 Jenna, Saorlaith, Nicoleta, Alannah, Isla

Boys U11 Aaron, Samuel, Adónai, Ryan

Girls U13: Catherine, Kripa, Mia, Eile

Boys U13: James, Reuben, Con, Bobby, Adam                                 

Girls U15: Hannah, Eleanor

Boys U15: Sam, Dara, Rian, Fionn, Matthew, Finn

Upcoming Events

Saturday 26th of October - Leinster Cross Country (Evens) - Gowran Co. Kilkenny

Saturday 9th of November - Leinster Cross Country (Unevens) - Ferbane, Co. Offaly

Thanks again to the parents who recently volunteered to help out at training.  Without your assistance we would not be able to keep accepting new members.  We will keep the appeal going for parental assistance:  We now have 100 registered juveniles with the club and in order to maintain the smooth running of our training sessions we need help.  You do NOT have to be a runner, all you have to do is provide encouragement and support to our young athletes.  Please feel free to speak to any of our coaches about volunteering.