Charity Nite for Malin to Mizen

Shirley and Nuala have organised a charity night for the Mizen to Malin trip next Friday the 27th of August in Courtneys Bar. Music by Supernova, 5 victims are going to get their legs waxed and there will be a charity raffle. Admission is only €5.

Please come along and bring your Friends, you can pay at the door.
We have some fantastic prizes to raffle and auction. It promises to be a great night

Results

Folks,

Hope to all that raced on saturday you enjoyed it, many thanks to all the dedicated volunteers without whom, any race would not be possible.

Results are at www.chipit.ie

Carlingford Tri Race Info

1. Registration

This is From Run Ireland..............A reference number is for our records and is issued when details are submitted (does not mean you are entered). You then go through "checkout" and when payment is received you are issued an order number.

Note you are not entered unless you have an order number. You will not be registered until you go through Cr. Card details etc

2. One day Licence

One day Licence will be asked on the day for non Triathlon Ireland Members.

I understand that a one day licence fee must be purchased in advance from Triathlon Ireland's website using this link https://www.triathlonireland-server.com/ODL/PurchaseODL and that I will NOT BE able to purchase one on the day

This licence will only be able to be purchased before Wed 18th Aug.

No Licence - No Race (enforced by Triathlon Ireland official)

Race Briefing

Carlingford Triathlon 2010, Co. Louth.
Saturday 21nd August @ 12noon
Registration

Registration will take place on Saturday 21st August from 9.00am to 11.00am.

Registration will be at the Carlingford Sailing Club. All participants must produce their Triathlon Ireland membership card for verification. Photographic ID of each competitor is required. (I did not receive my number yet = one day licence)

At registration, each competitor will receive their goodie bag and receive their swim cap and number, a t-shirt and timing chip. The race specific swim hat must be worn outermost during the swim leg. The timing chip should be attached to your ankle on race morning, No chip - no time!

Bikes must then be racked within the secure transition area. Spots will be NOT numbered. The transition area will be closed at 11.30am by which time all bikes must be racked.

Pre Race

On race day, both athletes and spectators are advised to park outside Sailing Club (limited parking only) adjacent to sailing club and in the village.

Transition will be open from 9.30am. Only competitors will be allowed access. Toilet facilities are available at the Sailing Club. Verbal briefings from race organisers and the race referee will take place at 11.40am. All competitors must attend at this time, as their timing chip will
be registered and counted as they pass over timing mat onto the slipway for the start of the swim.

Swim

Their will be a one wave start. Wetsuits must be worn. Once counted onto the slipway adjacent to transition, competitors may enter the water and proceed to the start line. All competitors must wear the race specific swim cap. We appeal to swimmers to obey marshals instructions and stay behind the start line once called to order. Slower swimmers should position themselves towards the back of the pack. The race will be started by the sounding of a siren. The swim course will be two 750m laps and go anti-clockwise around a triangular course. The two marker buoys should be kept to your left. Any swimmer who gets into difficulty should follow standard protocol. Roll onto your back, try to stay calm and raise your hand in the air. A canoeist will come to your aid. At the end of the first lap, swimmers must exit the water and proceed up the slipway to go around the static marker before entering the water for a second lap. At the end of the second lap, competitors should go directly to transition. As you enter transition your chip will register your swim time. For safety reasons, please also shout out your race number when asked.

Transition 1

Transition rules will be as laid down by Triathlon Ireland. Helmets must be fastened before bikes are touched. Do not interfere with anyone else's equipment. If anything is knocked over by accident, please replace it. Bikes must not be mounted until you have passed the timing mat at the exit of transition.

Bike

Cyclists will be funnelled to the exit from the sailing club harbour car park. Once onto the road, you turn right to begin the bike lap. Rules of the road apply at all times on the bike route. Whilst the Garda and marshals will assist with traffic control, it is ultimately the athlete's responsibility to protect themselves and other racers. Drafting is prohibited (I prefer the word, cheating as it is a better word to use, JohnnyMc) in accordance with the rules of Triathlon Ireland. Details of the bike route can be found at www.setantatri.com  Junctions will be signposted and road markings will be in place. The route involves two left hand turns
and two right hand turn-a-rounds. Most junctions will also have a marshal and Garda in attendance. This route is on public road so gel/bar wrappers should not be discarded. Completion of the second lap sees a sharp right turn back down towards the sailing club car park. Please take care going down towards transition! Bikes must be dismounted before crossing the timing mat.

Transition 2

Bikes must be racked before helmets are unfastened. Again, please show respect for other competitors' equipment.

Run

Once out of the transition area, turn left on road. The run route proceeds onto the main Dundalk road. Details of the run route can be found at www.setantatri.com Aid station (water) is provided approximately 4k and 8k mark. At the finish line, we'll provide fluids and food while your timing chip is removed. Ensure that you re-hydrate and fuel properly.

Post Race

Post race showers will be available at the Sailing Club. Burgers will be available at the sailing club from 3:00pm onwards. All bikes must be removed from transition after finishing the race. Prize giving will take place 3.45pm, once results are available and last competitor has crossed the line.

See you all then........it's goin' to be a cracker !!!!!!!!!!!

Castlewellan Tri, Clogher Head Tri

Once again the club had some great results at the weekend in castlewellan

Sheena Dullaghan Fresh from IM Swiss posted a podium finish

Sandra O Hagan proving that once again there would be no race without her.

Mary Laverty finshed Top of the Podium for the second race in a row

Peter Tomany appears to have posted the 2nd fastest bike split of the day

Barry Casey again very solid in his build up to his assualt on the 70.3 distance shortly

Also building on his current training Programme for the Big island was Owen Martin posting a very impressive 3rd Overall.

Well Done to all the club that also took part and help organise the 12Hr MTB Bull raid in Bellurgan Park. A great Day was had by all going into the small hours. Surely a Venue to be used alot more.

One small note on the Triathlon in Clogherhead, Niall Ivory is heading for the Court of appeal and arbitration with his demotion from 3rd to 7th. Well done to all the rest of the club in clogherhead

Mary Retains her Coveted Title

Mary Laverty proved once again at the weekend why she is considered the best in the business, with retaining Her Womens Trophy at the Lough neagh Olympic Tri.

Well Done to Mary and Lets hope its just part of the Bigger Picture looking for the Sheep

Fine First Ironman for Ronan

Ronan Greene has got the just reward for his dedication 11:18:52 overall time. Stories to follow when we catch up with the legend himself. Rumor has all the clans medals will now be officially retired to the attic to make room for the M.

Splits: Swim 1:14:48   Bike 5:52:41    Run 4:00:42

Congrats from all

Race Report from Antwerp 70.3 - BMC

“Antwerp is a fast course and if you want a pb this is the spot. If you also want to put on a few extra kilos & increase the waistline then this is definitely the place to be. I can now add Belgian waffles and chocolate pancakes to my list of weaknesses.

Antwerp was a race I have been looking forward to for a while now. I don’t know what I was expecting but there was a bit of an initial let down. There was little or no atmosphere at registration, the lack of course information and the distances between race office, swim start, t1 & t2 left it difficult to get around. That said I was here to race.

The swim was a basic 1 lap of the galweelan lake, water temperature was 22 degrees and I felt it. I’ve never felt hot in a wetsuit before and this was a new experience. There were a few lefts, a few rights & and a couple of elbows thrown before the 300 mark.

There were waves starts and the pros went 5 minutes before the first group of age groupers. Then it was 3 minutes between waves. I was in the 2 nd wave. There were a few names I recognised and felt even with the 5 minute deficit and maybe loss of a few minutes in the swim I could possibly catch them come the end of the bike. If anyone logged onto the results, no I didn’t take a short cut in the swim and I too am just as suprised!!26:29.. Maybe it’s the new Blue Seventy Helix I got a few weeks ago. I didnt wear a watch because I didn’t want to disappoint myself on the swim exit but I found good feet and felt fast in the water. I’d be lying if I said it’s with all the hours I’ve done in the pool.

Bryan McCrystal winning gold at the euro age-groups in Athlone.

All I wanted to do was the bike. I figured get through the swim, drill the bike and hang on for the run I’d be in for a decent time. The bike course isn’t totally flat but a little draggy which I don’t mind. I found it difficult to get into a rythm but I stayed patient and at about 30k my legs were starting to feel like my own. There was a big head wind on the way out so I had a feeling straight away that maybe my time mightn’t be as fast as I thought.

I’ve been feeling good on the bike this season. All thanks to Tommy the Bike in earl street Dundalk. My Giant Trinity is putting out good times this year..

I know you shouldn’t try anything new on race day but I tweeked the saddle a bit and moved my aero bars. I road for the couple of days before the race on that position and it seemed to solve me slipping forward on the saddle when I put the power on. Also I just went on feel, no gadgets.. I usually have the gadgets but they never rule me. I just put the head down and tried to catch as many as possible. I was told to watch out for the tram tracks but noticed that they were all covered by carpet. Good call from the race organisers as it was threating to rain. They didn’t stop me losing my rear bottle. I had to go back as it’s a long day with only 1 bottle. It didn’t hold me back too much. I posted a 2:11. The plan was a 2:05/7 but the wind played a factor and I was very pleased with my bike split.

On the 2nd lap I was starting to catch the pros. I knew they were pros by the colour of their tanned skin and lack of body mass. The more I caught the skinnier they got and they just kept hopping on the train!!! No marshalls in sight at all and it really annoyed me. I’d usually put an effort in to lose them but I just figured they were going to catch me on the run anyway. I had my own race and that was against the clock. There were 6/8 guys in a line behind me and I noticed the front 2 were working together coming round eachother. Very disappointing, I personnally couldn’t do that and one of them put his hand out after the race to complement me on a fantastic bike ride. I put my hand out for the coke and didn’t acknowledge. I came into t2 in 13th spot.

The run course is 3 laps around the city centre and it is lined with people. You can get carried away early on and feel faster than you actually are by the sheer volume of people watching.

Bryan in yellow after winning the Newry 3-day cycle race.

Pacing on the run has been a bone of contention with me. The plan was to wear the garmin and to go out a 4min per k.. Lack of concentration gave me a to quick 3:45 and I just stayed at the pace and slightly quicker and midway died but I resurrected myself and dug in to not to waste all my hard work. I’d be letting my family and friends down had I let it get the better of me. It is the support from them that drives me on to achieve. My wife and 1 year old son were there for support. ‘go go go dada’ was the call I heard with every lap!..

I was hoping for a 1:20/21 but I had to settle for 1:26. I wish I had enjoyed the run more but sometimes you need little reminders that you’re not as fast as you think. Maybe I left my running legs on the training field. Not too many come out to watch you training!!

On reflection I’m happy how I raced. My plan was a 4:05 so I wasn’t far off with 4:07. To sum it up I thought I’d swim slower, bike faster and run faster.. And eat less chocolate..

I finished 23rd overall and got a spot for Clearwater.

————–

In Zurich my sister Eve McCrystal was doubling up on my distance and giving Ironman Switerland a go.She posted a great time of 10:27. She was also joined by 3 Setanta club mates Sheena Dullaghan- 11:20, Jolene Mellon-13:38 and Niall Ivory-10:37.

Eve is a Garda stationed in Ballybay Co Monaghan and is to compete in the Police games in Austria this August. Eve had the honour of meeting the Garda Comissioner after her fantastic performance.She will captain the Ladies team.

Bryan McCrystal.

Setanta Done Proud Again on the Euro Scene

Without  much info and possible stories to follow very briefly the Weekend gone was once again a huge success for the athletes from the Club. There were a few rumors of a DNS in Zurich but a bit of searching found one of the ladies under a different Flag? Now there is secret training but secret racing thats new to us all. Serious results all round and some very hard work has paid dividends for all involved, athletes, Families and coaches.

Jolene Had a Fantastic 13:38:56 of Fun round Zurich

Sheena When we found her had an superb 11:20:26 not bad considering on crutch for some of the training

Niall had a very Strong 10:37:12 for a First timer, well done serious racing there.

Well what can be said about this Result 10:27:01 Eve Mc Crystal/Casey, had to put casey in there cause its the fastest he will ever get. A truly superb day out by Eve a 5:17 bike split makes little of the Mamoth task of 180km.

Now of course not to be undone by the Sis Youger Brother Bryan decided to leave the usual amount of Pros in the Shade in Antwerp 70.3. 23rd Overall and 2nd in his Age group. 4:07:15

Setanta Athletes in action this weekend

Good luck to all Setanat Athletes in action this weeked all over Europe.

Eve McCrystal, Sheena Dullaghan, Jolene Mellon and Niall Ivory compete in the Switzerland Ironman in Zurich, Eve is competing in her 2nd Ironman while Sheena Jolene and Niall in their first, best of luck to all.

Meanwhile over in Antwerp, Eve's borhter, Byran McCrystal lines out  for the Half Ironman and alot will be watching with great interest to see how Bryan gets on with the pros, best of Luck Bryan.

Race Around the Lake

Rise to the challenge in aid of Newry Samaritans with the Race Around
the Lake.

The Event, which is a 7.5 mile run/walk takes place at
12pm July 25th around the scenic Camlough Lake.

The start and finish will be located at Keggal Road Picnic Site Car park.

Entry fee - £10 with a cash prizes for 1st 2nd and 3rd in both Male and
Female Categories.

All race entrants will be entered into a raffle.

For further details contact Dermot Winters on 07731828310
or email at dermotw@yahoo.co.uk

Race Route:

http://www.mapmyrun.com/run/united-kingdom/camlough/789127799005496895

All Welcome!

European Champions, Ironmen & Warriors.

We've just had one of the most successful weekend for the club ever with athletes doing the club proud in Carlingford, Athlone and Frankfurt.

European Age Group Championships Athlone
Bryan McCrystal became an European Age Group champion in Athlone over the Olympic Distance. Represeting club and country, Bryan finished in a time of 1:55:29 winning the gold medal for Mens 25 - 29 Category.

Bryans Splits were:

1057 Bryan McCrystal IRL 0:22:01 12 14:40 2:10 1 0:52:34 1 45.66 1:45 5 0:37:00 6 3:41 1:55:29

Congratulations also to Orla McAdam who won the Open Olympic Distance Race in Athlone in a time of 2:36:54 with a great swim time of 24:52, well done Orla.

Ironman Germany
Meanwhile over in Frankfurt Germany Owen Martin, Liam Dolan, Robbie Carraher, Mark Rafferty and Barry Rafferty all compelted the Ironman Germany. Their task was made all the bit harder with wetsuits being ruled out for the swim due to the heat. First home was in a fantastic performance was Owen Martin, followed by Liam Dolan, Mark Rafferty, Robbie Carraher and Barry Rafferty.

Both Owen and Liam now qualify for the world championships in Hawaii, well done lads

Their splits were: (Name, Swim, Bike, Run, Overall Time)

Lots of Setanta Athletes in action this weekend

Best of luck to all Setanta Athletes this weekend.

In Germany Liam Dolan, Owen Martin, Robbie Caragher, Mark & Barry Rafferty are all taking part in Ironman Germany, best of luck to all.

In Athlone, best of luck to Bryan McCrystal competiting in the European Championshops in Athlone, there are many more Setanta Athletes competiting in Athlone too, best of luck to you all.

At home, in Carlingford the XE Warrior Tri is on at 2pm, good luck to all competitors.

Carlingford Olympic Tri Open

Carlingford Olympic Tri is now open for entries

Click here to enter

More details to follow

Information on the race here

Omeath Charity Swim

There is a swim from Omeath to Warrenpoint on Sunday 27th June in aid of SO SAD and Down Syndrome, the swim is around 2km.

There is small entrance fee which is donated to the selected charities

Contact Dundalk Sub Aqua Club for more details

Blackrock Tri Report

Blackrock Tri - Sun at Last!

The Sun finally came out for the Blackrock Tri

There was some great performances by Setanta Athletes on the day, Nadia is doing up her report at the moment and we'll have that online soon.

Full Results can be found here

All the Race Photos can be found here

Update on Blackrock Tri

Location

Blackrock is located three miles ourside Dundalk, 50 mins north of Dublin and an hour south of Belfast. Blackrock is easily accessed of the M1 Motorway, take the Dundalk South Exit and following the signposts from there, its 5 mins drive from the M1 South Exit.

Race Registration

Race registration will be at the southern end of the village across from the Credit Union. Athletes can register between 7pm  -9pm on Friday night and 9am - 11am on Saturday morning

Race Schedule Sat 12th June

Reg Open 9am

Transtition Opens 10:30am

Reg Closes 11am

Race Briefing 11:40 - 11:50

Race Start 12:00PM sharp

Transtition

Transition is in the same place as all other years, located on the beach side of the main street, starting outside Cafe Acqua up to the entrance of the The Ferns. Transition will NOT be numbered

Swim

The Swim is 600m, more than likely though you will only be out of your depth 300 metres if that :) so this is a great race for beginners. The course is a triangle shape, starting in front of transition, swimming down the length of the main stree to a bouy, then outwards to another bouy before turning there and heading back to shore.

Bike

THe bike is a straight out and back course to Castlebellingham, its 90% flat and is marshalled at all junctions. When you leave transition you cycle 1km to the R132 taking a left to Castlebellingham, when you reach there its round the cone where the Garda and numerous marshalls are and its straight back the way you came

Run

THe run is a nice testing 6km with a couple of nice small(ish) hills, its a 6km lap of blackrock through the main street, past the church, left up the Rock Road, right onto the Golf Links Road, left at Fleda, past the Fairways and Sextons, up to Cockillhill and back into the Village to the Finish which outside Danny Hughes shop.

Showers

Showers are available in Rock Celtic Football club, which is 5 mins walk from transition.

Prize Giving

Prize Giving will be 30 minutes after the last competitor finihsed and weather permitting will be at the finish line.

Course Map

View Setanta Blackrock Triathlon Course on Google Maps here

For more details go here:

http://setantatri.com/index.php?option=pages&id=48

Nadia's Lough Allen Report

Athy Olympic Race Report - McCrystal Wins

Some of the Setanta members who competed in TRY ATHY this year
L-R(Bryan Mc Crystal, Orla Mc Adam, Aisling Martin, Owen Martin)

This weekend saw the 4th annual TriAthy take place in Co. Kildare. Spread over the bank holiday weekend, the TRYATHY team played an excellent host offering a variety of different distances for all to attempt!

5 Setanta Triathletes opted out of the local Sprint distance Race in Camalough Amragh and headed off to Kildare to compete in the OLYMPIC distance triathlon consisting of 1,500m Swim, 40k Cycle and 10k Run.

A few changes to last years course included a challenging 900m upstream swim…with stronger than expected currents….and 600m back….they also introduced a little cross county section to the run….luckily no one returned home with twisted ankles!!!

National Series champion Bryan Mc Crystal continues to shine and makes us all very proud here in Setanta….and indeed Co. Louth. He took podium position!! The competition was tough with over 700 athletes competing but he still won in just UNDER 2hours.

Owen Martin finished strong having only returned from his exploits in The Half Iron Man Barcelona. Owen is competing in Iron Man Germany in July where he hopes to qualify for the world Championships in Kona.

Niall Ivory was first setanta athlete out of the water and is looking in good shape with his ironman switzerland just around the corner. He recently competed on the slane sprint and won his age group, well done Niall :)

Orla Mc Adam quickly returned to the racing season as competing in her first Half Iron Man in Barcelona. An injury played havoc throughout the run but was still delighted with the race.
Roseleen Crawley finished well and was in good form after a successful duathlon series where is she won within her age group.

Final note….Not only did Owen Martin return home happy with his impressive times ..he was also a proud man as his wife Aisling completed her first Triathlon later that evening in the TRY athy sprint race. New to the scene Aisling has agreed to Join Setanta Club….with the promise of some new Zipp wheels….and aero helmet….and Owens’s P4.I can see the makings of one fast lady here!!!

Well done to all!!!

Splits and overall times below and full results and images can be viewed online at

http://www.facebook.com/l/5181e;www.triathy.ie/images/stories/OlympicResults2010

SWIM     BIKE     RUN     TOTAL
Bryan Mc Crystal     23.23     56.17     38.23     1.59.55
Owen Martin     25.58     1.01     39.58     2.10.04
Niall Ivory     23.13     1.04.     43.32     2.13.36
Orla Mc Adam     25.52     1.15     56.29     2.42.09
Roseleen Crawley     44.25     1.30.     55.37     3.16.58

Camlough 2010 - Laverty Makes it Two in a Row

Mary Laverty won her second triathlon of the season producing a fine performance at the Crooked Lake Triathlon in Camlough Lake. Regarded as the toughest sprint triathlon in Ireland it has become the most sought after race in the country with over 360 competitors chasing national series points or personal honours.

Mary exited the water chasing her club mate Eve Mc Crystal who put in an impressive 12 mins 16 sec for the 750 swim. Both were evenly placed on the hilly bike course posting 30 minute ride time with Eve still having the upper hand coming into transition 2 for the bike to run changeover. This is were Mary moved into 5^th gear and  posted a 17min 40 sec 5k run to take the honours from her rival Trudy Brown, Olympian Triathlon Club. Eve held on the 3^rd place in her first triathlon after a year sabbatical. Laura O Driscoll was in the honours for her age group posting a two minute improvement on last year’s time.

 It was a different story this year for the Dawe twins with Annette beating her sister, Breda comfortably after the neck and neck sprint finish of 2009. There was a welcome return to the sport by Linda Meehan who posted a respectful 1hr 19 mins. Bernadette O’Keefe was the next lady home finishing a respectable 8^th in her age category. The early morning training sessions for Kathleen Byrne are proving beneficial as she posted a faster sprint distance time over last week’s Lough Allen performance. There was a battle for placing between Nuala O’Donoghue, Sandra O’Hagan and Sarah Fagan. Nuala is Kathleen’s early morning training partner so it’s not surprising she placed ahead of her team mates. Sandra and Sarah where both neck and neck on the swim and the bike, but Sandra has the experience and accelerated in the run to finish 2 mins ahead of Sarah.

Liam Dolan was the first Setanta Club member home coming in at 4^th position in a very competitive field. Liam’s expertise is in the gruelling Ironman event and his goal again is competing in the world champhionships in Hawaii in October.

The men’s race of the day has to have been between Alan Bingham and Peter Tomany. Alan was first out of the water with a minute advantage over Peter. Both are very strong cyclists and both posted near identical bike splits. It was Peter doing the chasing and he needed to empty the tank to eat into Alan’s lead. Peter posted a faster run split and was gaining rapidly but Alan held out to finish 15 seconds ahead. An impressive performance by Alan who has built on his success in the Sportsman Duathlon series.  Undoubtedly these two athletes will battle in out over the coming months. Johnny “the legend” McCabe keeps racking them up by taking the honours again in his age group. There’s no stopping this man. The other McCabe; Niall knocked two minutes off his performance last year, with Barry Casey and Colin Teevan chasing Niall’s tail. Gerry Kenny and Paul Thorpe finished 10 seconds apart posting sub 1hr 8 min times.  Two weeks after completing the Ironman Lanzarote Ruaidhri Stewart made the swim and bike look easy and finished with a strong run to claim a sub 1hr 5.33 min finish, 10 mins up on his last Camlough.

Camlough first timer’s Stephen Ralph, Kevin Hamill, Alan Gray, Fergal Cunningham and Kenneth Byrne where the next group of finishers with John McKenna posting a fast 5km split to knock 4 mins off last years performance.  Shane McGuinness was chased by Michael Bent, Paul Cheshire, Pascal Larney and Damien Lawrence but Shane held his own and finished 15 seconds ahead of Michael.

Overall wonderful performances posted by all participants at the start of the busy season.

Results: http://chipit.ie/admin/admin/editor.php?action=read&id=141

Laverty, O'Driscoll and Kildea win in Lough Allen

Karl Kildea, Mary Laverty and Laura O'Driscoll all won in Lough Allen Triathlon in Leitrim. Karl and Mary won over the Olympic Distance and Laura won the Sprint Race.

This was a great event with a huge turnout of Setanta Athletes with lots taking prises in age group categorie, too many to mention here!

Full Race Results and Photos can be found here

Mens Winners and Womens Winners Pics:

Triathlon Ireland eBulletin

The Triathlon Ireland eBulletin was sent to the club yesterday and they asked us to distribute to all members.

You can download it here

Enjoy!

The First Setanta Baby

We've had Ironmen, Ironwomen, National Champions, Irish Record Holders & now we have the first purebred Setanta Baby.

Congratulations to Mairead Clarke and Paul Byrne who had a healthy baby boy, Adam, earlier this week.

Congratulations to Mairead and Paul from everyone from the Club 

Ironman, Barcelona & X-Factor

Lots of club news recently, heres a quick update

Ironman Lanzorate

Well done to Ruaidhri Stewart who came 334th out of 1500 in Ironman Lanzorate last weekend in a time of 11:26:48. His splits were:

Swim 3.8km 01:08:39

Bike 180Km 05:56:27

Run 42.2km 04:08:30
Time overall 11:26:48

Half Ironman Barcelona

A good crew from Setana went to the Barcelona Challenge a few weeks ago and eveyone competed well and there was some great times from everyone:

Owen Martin 4:11:52 (39th overall)
Peter Tomany 4:35:31
Colin Teevan 4:42:46
Barry Casey 4:52:16
Stephen Ralph 5:21:39
Kenneth Byrne 5:23:47
Orla McAdam 5:26:54
Fergal Cunningham 5:43:29
Celine McPhilips 5:27:09
Jolene Mellon 5:39:58

Sheena Dullaghan did the swim in 37:52 and bike in 2:32:31....with a broken foot! well done!

McCrystal hits the UK

Well done to Bryan McCrystal who came second in Swashbuckler Half Ironman outside London

Louth XFactor

Anyone who is free this Friday night 28th May, Shirli Muldoon is in the final of Louth’s x-factor & needs audience votes to secure her a podium place! She has gone through 2 months of heats to get to the final & be in with a chance to win a share of €10,000! The final is in Luna nite club, Ardee at 7:30pm

Felda 10km Results

Well done to all who competeted in the biggest ever Felda / Setanta 10km Race on Saturday in the middle of the Irish heatwave!

Results can be downloaded here

Photos coming on this site soon or can be accessed via the Felda Facebook page.

Sportman Duathlon Report

By Nadia Williams

The final race in the popular duathlon series organised by Dundalk’s Setanta Triathlon Club took place on the evening of Wednesday, 12 May 2010.  Almost a hundred athletes lined up to start, some of whom had participated in the whole series.  Weather conditions were ideal, with no wind after a lovely, dry day.  Among those setting off at the start signal were some of Ireland’s top athletes.  They set a blistering pace on the 3.2km run.

John Caffrey came into the transition area first.  Mark Horan, Stephen Harkin and Gonnelly Crehan(2 man relay)  followed close on his heels.  Only twenty seconds separated first and fourth place, and the athletes knew a quick transition from running to cycling could make or break them in this race.  Caffrey consolidated his lead with a quick eighteen seconds in T1.  Crehan’s equally admirable twenty seconds to get onto the bike from the run wasn’t enough to move him up from fourth to third place, though he shrank the gap between him and Harkin to only two seconds.

The competitors worked hard on the bikes, but Caffrey was still in the lead when they flew into T2.  Again there was an opportunity to gain precious seconds with a practiced slide from cycling shoes to runners, and Caffrey made sure he didn’t lose first place with an incredible 13 seconds in T2.  There were, in fact, several transitions made in under fifteen seconds.  Stephen Harkin dashed into the final run at second place, followed by Mark Horan hanging on to third.  Having sped up the ranks with a time on the bike of 28:02, Alan Bingham fought his way from eighth to fourth place.  Gonnelly Crehan faced a battle to catch him with a gap of almost a minute between them. 

Caffrey made short work of the final run to cross the finish line first.  He was followed by Stephen Harkin in second, and Mark Horan in third.  Gonnelly Crehan put in the second fastest time on the last run to wrest fourth place from Alan Bingham, who delivered a great performance to place fifth. 

A special mention should go to Elena Maslova.  This lady has not only proven herself to be a pleasant and friendly competitor in the series, she is an impressive athlete.  After placing fifteenth on the first run, she pushed to eighth on the bicycle, then passed two more male competitors on the last run to finish sixth overall.  This is a remarkable achievement.

Her amazing performance doesn’t take away from that of the other women who competed in the race.  When you consider the margins between places are often no more than seconds, you understand that in races where just finishing is something to be proud of, placing in the top twenty or thirty is a great achievement. 

Mary Laverty dashed into T1 just over twenty seconds after Maslova.  While she was almost a minute ahead of Grainne Connor in third, Anette Dawe was a mere five seconds behind Connor in fourth.  Fifth place was in the hands of Linda Meehan at this stage, with Sonya Rea and Paula Boyle breathing down her neck.

After tackling the demanding 17km cycling course, the first three positions remained unchanged.  However, Rea fought her way to fourth, pushing Dawe into fifth.  Deirdre Loughran clawed her way to sixth from eighth, while Meehan dropped to seventh, Maria Duffy followed and Boyle dropped to ninth.

The finish line welcomed Elena Maslova first among the ladies, Mary Laverty second, Grainne Connor third, followed by Anette Dawe, Sonya Rea, and Linda Meehan.

Spectators were treated to numerous exciting fights for positions lower in the ranks.  Declan Forde and Eugene O’Hagan both beat the hour mark by a single second.  Alan Gray (no, not Setanta’s chairman, the other Alan Gray) got faster with every race, his time Wednesday evening two minutes faster than in the first event.  The Sportsman’s duathlon series was Percy McKeever’s first taste of multi-discipline sport, and he’s hooked.  Nuala O’Donoghue overcame great challenges this year to participate again. 

After the race, it was time for the prize-giving for overall winners.  The atmosphere was warm and playful as athletes enjoyed the tasty sandwiches and warm tea provided by the Sportsman’s Pub.  John Caffrey reaped the reward for hard racing by taking first place overall.  Elena Maslova looked great in new gear as she accepted the prize for first place overall in the ladies’ race.  Category winners were: Damian Trainor and Nicola Loughran (male/female age 20 - 29), Setanta’s Alan Bingham and Mary Laverty (male/female age 30 - 39), Team Mandgin’s Stephen Harkins and St Peters’ Mary Duffy (male/female age 40 - 49), Setanta’s Johnny McCabe and Rosaleen Crawley Clare (male/female age 50+).

Declan from Tommy the Bikes was on hand to dole out the winners’ great prizes.  However, everyone wished they could instead have won the awesome socks worn by one of the race marshals. 

A raffle ensured there were even more winners walking away with small prizes.  This was, overall, a fantastic series of races, with not only an enjoyable course, but also a wonderful atmosphere.

Thank you to all the marshalls, Sponsor Tommy the Bike & special thank you to Susan in the Sportsmans Bar & Restaurant the use of their facilities.

Early Season win for Liam Dolan

Congratulation to Liam Dolan who won the Sperrin half ironman last weekend in a great time of 4:20:21, Liam is sure to add to this win throughout the rest of the season.

Well done also to Barry Rafferty had a PB with 5:59:41.Barry was overheard saying that he was delighted to break the 6 hour barrier and that its not every day that he finished in the top 50 of a race.... :-)

View the results here

Setanta Duathlon Race 4 Results & Pics

The Setanta Duathlon Series came to a finish this evening with a very competitve race on a lovely sunny evening.
 

There was a great turnover of 100 athletes, many competing in their 4th race of the series. 

Winner on the night was John Caffery who took the overall series title also.

There will be a full report on here very soon, but for now the race results are here:

http://chipit.ie/admin/admin/editor.php?action=read&id=118 

Race photos can be found here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/setantatri/sets/72157624049315280/

Lough Allen Tri 30th May

The inagural Lough Allen tri is on the 30th May in Drumshanbo, Co. Leitrim.

There is two races:

Lough Allen Triathlon: 1K swim, 47k bike, 8.5k run

Louth Allen TRY Triatlon : 400m swim,  20k bike, 5k run

For both races there will be an option to do a Kayak instead of the swim section. 

This is a Setanta Race  and we are encouraging as many members as possible to do the race. Alot of hard work has gone in by Johnny and Alan and they need our support.

There is a bus organised to go over and there'll be room for your bike on it. €50 for the bus, this includes your entry fee into the race, for more details on this Call Alan Gray on 0871205616

You can enter online at runireland.com by clicking here

Belfast Marathon and The X Factor

Congratulations to Claire Maher who did the Belfast marathon on monday the 3rd of May in a great time of 4:40:50.

Also another clubmate who need lots of support this weekend is Shirli Muldoon, our very own X Factor Star. Shirli is taking part in the Louth X Factor Quarter Finals in Mulsoons, Ardee tonight and needs your vote.

You can see Shirli in action, sorry, rocking away, here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e58yh5pdc4s

Dundalk Half Marathon Results

Well done to everyone who took part yesterday, the race was a great success and on of the best organised races around, thanks to the Bryan and Brian and the their organising team. There was some great performacnces from Setanta Athletes with alot of PB's achieved.

The results are now online thanks to Chip It Racing Timing Systems

Half Marathon Results

10k Results

Drogheda Master Swim

Drogheda Masters are having a 2.5k Swim on the 17th of July at 2.30pm around Clogherhead to coincide with the Clogherhead Prawn Festival.

Entry is €10 payable on the day and contact Ray Donagh at droghedamasters@mail.com for more details. 

Click here to see more details

New Swim Class Starting

There is a swim class starting on the 6th of May, coached by Oliver Harkin and is taking place in Felda.

Its for 4 weeks starting Saturday 8th of May and is aimed at preparing for Blackrock Tri on the 12th of June

Anyone interested text Brian on 086 3844792 for more details

Lough Allen Triathlon 30th May

We are encouraging as many Setanta members as possibe to take part in the inagural Lough Allen on the 30th on May.

Alan and Johnny have put alot of work in to getting this event off the ground and could do with a good turnout of Setanta Members.

For more information goto http://loughallentriathlon.wordpress.com/

Lisbon Half Ironman Report

Just a small report on my (Ruari Gogarty) adventures in portugal this weekend.

Definatly a race to put on the calander for next year, excellent location with the hotel only 400m from the start/finish and transition.

The course is a quick one so good for a P.B. The swim in a enclosed saltwater lake it was two laps. It was a bit of a beating match at the start heading for the first turn 300m in as it was a mass start with nearly 500 athletes. After the first initial sprint i settled in to a comfortable pace and found myself on my own for the rest of the swim. I was out of the water roughly in the top 60 with a swim time of 30.08 and was quite happy as that was my target(happy until i saw the times of the first guys who were out in 23 mins!!).

The bike was four 22.5k laps out and back with a drag up to the turn around which stunned my rythym but a nice downhill on the way back made it worth it, conditions were breezy on the bike as it was motorway along the sea front with no shelter but nothing to strong.

As i came into the run i was still on my target time of starting the run in 3 hours 5 mins after a 2.30 bike, The sun was out and it was getting seriously hot starting the four lap run.
I started well and ahead of targert but after 7k got a bad cramp which slowed me up and kinda damaged my confident approach but after all that i posted 3 individual P.Bs and a overall time of 4.52.08 which im very pleased with.

Overall a very well organised race and great venue and course so mabye I have planted the seed for next year!!

***Editors Note

The ever modest Mr Gogarty forgot to mention that he finished 4th in his age category just missing out on a podium place, well done!

Rurai's splits were:

Swim 00:30:13

T1 00:02:01

Bike 02:30:03

T2 00:02:26

Run 01:47:29

Total 04:52:14

Sportsman's Duathlon Series - Grand Finale 12th May

All eyes are now on the Grand Finale of the Sportsman's Duathlon Series on 12th May. Registration will be open from 6:30pm with the race starting at 7:30pm sharp.

An exciting final event is expected and all members should try and compete in this one. This is certainly one not to be missed.

The race will be followed by Prize giving for the series in the Sportsman's at 9pm.

Blackrock Triathlon Now Open

Blackrock Triathlon is now open for entries, you can enter online here:

http://www.runireland.com/events/2010-06-12/blackrock-triathlon-louth

More detials about the race can be found here:

http://setantatri.com/index.php?option=pages&id=48

Dundalk Half Marathon and 10km Fun Run Launch Report

By Nadia Williams

“It’s nice seeing each other in clothes for a change,” said Michelle Dolan as she joined me and Mary Lavery on the evening of Wednesday, 31 March 2010. We stood near a conference room at the Ballymascanlon House Hotel, chatting idly before the official launch of the Dundalk Half Marathon and 10km Fun Run. “That statement,” I said, “can be horribly misunderstood if you’re not careful.” Both of us knew what Michelle meant, though. We usually see each other in sweaty training gear or swimming togs. Tonight was special, though, a warm atmosphere permeating the history-rich building where we gathered to launch the inaugural race, which takes place on 5 May 2010. And no, we

were not in sweaty togs, though those gathered for the occasion were for the most part no strangers to training.

The idea for the event came from Setanta Triathlon Club, which joined forces with Louth GAA to get this project off the ground. Thanks largely to the energetic efforts of Bryan McCrystal & Brian Cafferty, a thought became reality. Now, after refreshments, about seventy people sat down as Bryan Cafferty opened proceedings. He reminded us of the great athletes that have

come from Louth in the past, and spoke of the wonderful support given to the project by the local council. Chairman Martin Bellew was there to elaborate on their involvement, stressing that Dundalk Town Council is particularly keen to help those who “help themselves”, that they’re eager to support innovation.

Next it was time to thank the sponsors, and justified thanks it was indeed. Declan McArdle from Tommy the Bikes deserves a special mention. He’s a great support to Setanta, virtually a fixture on the sponsors’ bench, and lends less visible but equally valuable support to many an athlete, beginner and pro alike, through excellent and personal service. Other sponsors include Nice One Dundalk, Felda, JJB, Design North, KMR and the Ballymascanlon House Hotel.

Yet the race will not only ask, it will also give: Simon Community Dundalk stands to receive funds raised by the event. Orla Kirby was there to speak for Simon Community, giving a brief but sobering insight into the work they do, and what a huge difference every Euro given makes.

The organisers’ innovation didn’t end there. The race will bring benefit not only to the triathlon and running community, but also to other sport clubs. The two Bryans, McCrystal and Cafferty – like The Two Ronnies, except according to Cafferty, McCrystal is not funny at all. New to the team Noel Litchfield came up with the novel idea of offering GAA teams a chance to compete among themselves in the midst of the greater race. Each team will enter eight athletes, and the fastest four in each team stand a chance of winning a set of jerseys and four All Ireland tickets. That’s like offering solid gold as the prize, and promises even more excitement and competition on the day, long after the top runners have crossed the finish line.

Now came the fun part: everyone there was treated to a few words from people we can all admire and emulate. First was legend “The Pink Panther” Jim Rock, the only boxer ever to hold the Irish professional title at four different weights. His words, like his fists, were effective and to the point. The next speaker needs an entire sentence just for all his titles and performances.

Former Olympian, former World Champion, holder of the world record for the indoor mile run from 1979 to 1997, holder of the still standing European record for the indoor mile run, holder of more medals than you could carry in one go: Eamonn Coghlan also happens to be a lovely, friendly man. He had the small crowd in stitches with a relation of his caddy’s scepticism of his

celebrity status, judging by his golfing skills.

James Nolan, a wonderful athlete himself who’d competed in the Olympics twice and now trains tomorrow’s stars, thought it was a mite unfair to expect of him to follow such a great guy. However, he did a fantastic job. Encouraging those who might be scared off entering by the intimidating sound of the words ‘half marathon’, he recalled the advice of a former coach: “It’s

not the distance, it’s the pace that kills you”.

All in all it was a lovely evening, but what struck me most was the atmosphere. This was a gathering of friends, a quiet celebration of a special achievement. Setanta is a very active club, and arranging a race of this nature is a huge undertaking. It was inspiring to see how people from Dundalk pulled together and contributed what they could to make this event a reality. Such

efforts draw visitors from far and wide, and brings revenue, recognition and spirit to our town.

It’s an achievement well worth celebrating.

Signup for Felda Indoor Triathlon Now

This years first local race takes place in Felda on the 23rd and 24th of April.
 
Ideal to test yourself with:
 
* 400 Metre (20 laps) Swim in Felda pool
* 12 K Cycle on a gym bike
* 5 K Run on a treadmill
 
Register at Felda reception or by calling 0429321860 now.  Times free on Friday 23rd  Am or Pm and Saturday 24th AM or PM
 
Good luck to all participants

Vo2 Max Testing and other Physiological Testing available soon in Dundalk

Rumour has it that VO2 MaxTesting and other physiological tests will be available soon after Easter operating from state of the art facilities in Dundalk and manned by fully qualified sports scientists.

Your trusty webmaster has negotiated a launch deal for SetantaTri members. If you are interested please send an email to web@setantatri.com.

This will save travelling far afield to Jordanstown and other facilities. So more time for training.

NEW Spring Running Group on Mondays

Starting next Monday at 7:15pm join a local run route leaving from Felda.
Distances ramping up weekly from 6k to 15k over the next 5 to 6 weeks.

Starts on Monday 22nd March, leave from reception at 7:15pm and group stay
together for at least the first 2k. All fitness levels welcome.

Route 1: from Felda to the Greengates, through Blackrock village, past the
back of Dundalk soccer dome, up to the crowne plaza and back to Felda.

Route 2: as above only route continues to bottom of Avenue road, back past
the retail park, past CP hotel and back to Felda.

Route 3: as in route 2 but route does not turn back past the retail park but
continues to very top of the avenue road, turn left on the Dublin road and
continue back to Felda

Route 4: as in route 2 but route does not turn up the avenue road but
continues to the red barns road, turns left and past the army barracks, back
onto bypass, past retail park, past cp hotel and back to Felda.

Any questions contact Ciaran in Felda on 0429321860

Duathlon Race 2 Race Report

On Sunday, 21 March 2010, welcome sunshine took the edge off the early morning chill as more than 150 athletes gathered from all over Ireland, some from as far as Donegal, to face each other in a challenging race.

This was the second in the Sportsman’s duathlon series, organised by Dundalk Triathlon club Setanta, and the largest amount of entries to date. The race drew many of the country’s top athletes, some of them internationally renowned, to form the most competetive field in Ireland so far including a name that everyone knows on the circuit, Bryan Keane.

With the beautiful Cooley Mountains looking on, the run course of 3.2km looped its way along
quiet rural roads. The 17km cycle started with a generous decline to allow athletes to catch their breath after the run, though a turn at a roundabout saw them tackling that hill as an incline on the second half of the course. Once the cycle leg – two laps of the course - was completed, the same run route had to be conquered before the finish line was in sight.

First place was almost a certainty from the start, with Ireland’s top triathlete, Bryan Keane,
taking the lead and showing why he has a good chance to take part in the 2012 Olympics. Paul Carroll was twenty-seven seconds behind him at the end of the first run, followed closely by Adam Speer and Bryan McCrystal. Every second counted as Kevin Danagher, current series leader John Caffery and Stephen Harkins sped into the transition area and onto their bikes, all within ten seconds of each other.

McCrystal clawed his way to second place with a great performance on the bike, the fastest of the day. Harkens made a big leap from seventh to third. Speer followed, two seconds ahead of Caffery, with Danagher and Carroll close behind.

The second run brought few changes in the top of the field, Keane taking first place overall and McCrystal second. Only seven seconds separated Stephen Harkens in third place - first in the veterans’ category - and Adam Speer in fourth. Paul Carroll was fifth, second among the
veterans. John Caffery and Kevin Danagher crossed the finish line in sixth and seventh places.

Setanta’s Peter Tomany and Gerry McCabe battled for eighth place, but it was McCabe who
crossed the line ahead of Tomany to take third place in the veterans’ category, eighth overall.

Among the women, the competition was, if anything, fiercer. Mary Lavery took the lead at the
end of the first run. Michelle Ryan came in hot on her heels, but only a second after Ryan,
Annette Dawe and Grainne Conor arrived. Didi Baxter and Celine McPhillips held fifth and
sixth places at the end of the first run, with Sonia Rea and Deidre O'Toole in seventh and
eighth.

Conor flashed through transition thirty seconds faster than Dawe and Ryan, a vital advantage
with competition between these ladies so close. She gave the best performance among the
women leaders on the bike, leaving her only a second away from Lavery’s first place. They left transition neck-to-neck. It was all down to the second run to determine who’d take honours in the women’s race, and Mary Lavery dug deep to cross the line 21 seconds ahead of Grainne Conor.

This was the first time Mary lined out this year, a great way to start her 2010 racing
season. Deidre 'Toole was third, followed by Celine McPhillips, Michelle Ryan, Didi Baxter,
Sonia Rea and Annette Dawe. In the female veterans category, Maria Duffy was first, followed by Lorraine McCann and Geraldine McCabe.

Further down the pack, many athletes delivered impressive performances. Neal Leddy, 35th
overall, worked hard on the bike. Damian Trainor continued to improve. He knocked almost a
minute off his previous time to move from 12th to 11th place, ahead of Alan Bingham. Ciaron
McDonnell initiated a brand new tri bike with a respectable 57th place overall. Jim Gonnelly of
North East Runners came in 19th, a great performance for his debut in the two-discipline event.

Ken Behan managed 52nd place, shaving 2 minutes off his previous time, in spite of not feeling his best. Karl Dolan managed the amazing feat of looking after not two, not three, but four small toddlers while wife Michelle got a great 15th place in the women’s category. Marie Gorman finished 9 minutes faster than in the first race, and newcomer Nadia Williams felt the
improvement of a shiny new road bike over a hybrid, slashing her time by eighteen minutes. Nadia is new to this type of competition and has made remarkable progress in such a short space of time.

The next race in the series will take place on 25th April with a 9:30am start. Bryan Keane will be back in April to compete and to better his time on the best duathlon circuit in the country. The final race is scheduled for the evening of Wednesday, 12th May with a 7:30pm start.

Setanta Duathlon Series Race 2 Resutls

Great Race this morning at the sportsman won by Ireland top Triathlete Bryan Keane, closely followed by our own Bryan McCrystal

Full Race Results online now at www.chipit.ie, Click here to see the results

Setanta Duathlon Series - Register Now!

The dates for the Setanta Duathlon Series at the Sportsman, Ravensdale has been decieded.

Registration

Pre Series Race - Sportsman
Sunday 31st January

Race 1 - Sportsmans
Sunday 14th Feburary

Race 2 - Sportsman
Sunday 21st March

Race 3 - Sportsman
Sunday 25th April

Race 4 - Sportsman
Wednesday 12th May 7:30pm Reg 6:45pm.

Race Registration 
All races will have registration at 8:30 with race start at  9:30am (Note change for final event)

The First race is on the 31st January and is not part of the race series.

Sportsman Course
Run leg http://connect.garmin.com/activity/14065685

Bike leg- 2 laps of http://connect.garmin.com/activity/17338254

Race Prices

Every race wil be fully chip timed and resutls will be posted on the Setanta Site. The Pre-Series Race on January 31st will be €10, each race after that is prices as follows:

• Each race will cost €15 for a single entry
• Enter 2 races for €27
• Enter 3 races for €40
• Enter 4 races and whole series for €49

ITS THE CHEAPEST AROND (BUT THE BEST)!

Kinetica Sports Nutrition Presentation in Felda

Here is an outline of what we'd like to offer members of Setanta.

* Private session with Kinetica Sports Nutrition which includes:
* A technical expert / sports nutritionist from kinetica onsite to speak
with our members
* Free samples of sports nutrition product which has been designed
specifically for Triathletes.
* Advice on how to read the labels on sports nutrition products
* Advice on what products to choose for recovery, strength etc, speed,
stamina, muscle growth etc.
* Assurance that all products recommended on the night are fully regulated
and drug tested as safe and legal.

Kinetica will essentially be situated in our Health Spa Tranquillity room
from 6:30pm to 7:15pm exclusively for Setanta Triathlon Club and maybe the
Dundalk Rugby club at that time as well.

LOCATION: FELDA SPA TRANQUILLITY ROOM
TIME      : 6:30pm - 7:15pm
DATE      : Monday 15th March

They'll give a brief overview and presentation on sports nutrition for
Triathletes and field all the questions that the guys may have.  They'll
also give out free samples on the night.

Here is a little about Kinetica:

*******************************************

The policy of Kinetica™ Sports-food is to perform to highest achievable
standards. We recognize that investment in product development and quality
is the key to the performance of our success and in order to achieve this we
have invested in assembling a highly focused and skilled team of people,
combined with state of the art laboratory facilities and equipment, to
ensure manufacture of high quality products.

Our commitment to quality is further realized through implementation of a
documented quality system incorporating the requirements of company Good
Manufacturing Practices (cGMP), and through accreditation of laboratory
quality systems. Our Quality Control laboratories participate in the Campden
Laboratory Accreditation Scheme (CLAS) and have been awarded accreditation
to the CLAS Standard which addresses the principles of ISO 17025:2005.

Our scope of accreditation encompasses a broad range of food
microbiological, compositional, and nutritional analytical techniques which
are undertaken to ensure the Kinetica™ Sports-food range performs to the
highest possible standards. We endeavour to improve on our product quality
though sustained research, development, and investment in production and
quality systems, with perpetual commitment to providing the highest
achievable quality within the Kinetica™ Sports-food range. Products undergo
rigorous testing to provide the highest level of assurance that they are
free of substances banned by WADA (the World Anti Doping Agency). Our
ultimate goal, spear-heading performance and leading the competition in the
sports-food arena for the foreseeable future.

********************************************

5.5k Jenkinstown Race on Paddys Day

Pat gogerty 5.5k race around jenkinstown trail on Paddys morning at 9:00. (gate to gate with finish at top gate)

Registration from 8:30am at bellurgan fc grounds. Drive up to start. Shower facilities, teas and coffee after.

This race is going to be big. Some top athletes across the country are going to be their. Hope to be 200/300 on the start line!! Have you ever seen that up there before?? Should make for a great atmosphere.

This race is all in aid of charity.

I want every setanta athlete to try and do this. Support the local races. Great training in preparation for the coming season.

This is the time of year when you have to be putting in the quality sessions!

You will be finished before 10:30 and plenty of time for the family day afterwards!

Contact Noel Litchfield 0872220877 for anymore info

New Club Gear Design

We've got the new deisgns for the club gear for 2010, you can see them below:

Ordering details are as follows:

There are currently samples from the suppliers in Tommy the Bikes Outdoor world in Dundalk. If you can try on samples it would be best practice as returns to a Supplier are a mess plus you wont have a re-work in time for any of your races

The folks in Tommys have a order form and the types of gear available

Check out website for more info: www.carvalhocustom.com

Duathlon YouTube Videos

Alan Bingham has been workign hard on editing together Video's from the Duathlon at the weekend, they look great, here are two of them:

Video 1

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yjMXKIShkjI 

Video 2

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B_kOhlZUWJo
 

Video 3

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fYDgvgE4nmI

Video 4

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rP5Ybe7F3qo

Duathlon Results & Race Report

Click here for the results

Photo are online here, thanks to Alan Bingham for these

Sportsmans Duathlon Series Race 1.

Setanta Triathlon Club held the first of their series races yesterday 14th of February at the Sportsmans. Because the race was on Valentines day every Female athlete received a red rose on registration from cupid himself Brian Cafferty.

Over 100 competitors signed up on the morning, with this being the first race of their season. The venue is second to none and we can see this event growing with alot of positive feedback coming when competitors crossed the line.

John Caffrey from Belpark Triathlon Club was back again to keep his crown and in the womans race we had National Champion Elana Masolova looking to get her season off to a winning start.  From the off the pace was fast and leading out the field for the first Kilometre or so was Mark Lacey from Pulse triathlon club. A run prime( first back from the run) was up for grabs for the first section of the race so usual suspects started to move up the field. Owen Martin of Setanta and Nicolas McGuinness from NER were hot on the heels of Caffrey but not close enough to take the run prime, missing out by a mere 8 seconds. In the womans race their were no great suprises to see Masolova on the bike first and after a quick transition she was in familiar territory with the lead. The  Setanta Dawe twins Breda and Annette followed Masolova and their own dual began when they got on the bike.

This race is all about the bike, a very fast entry into the ballymac roundabout and a tough drag back towards the sportsmans.The race was on in the mens field with places changing  a few times. Owen Martin on the first lap put time into Caffrey and behind Martin, Stepten Harkins of Triangle was making up ground fast. In the middle of the field the the competition was fierce. Alan Bingham of Cuchcullainn CC was having a good sparring match with Rodney Young, Mark McIlroy(Newry Tri) and Mark Lacey. Bingham knows these roads too well and his strength on the bike was to stand to him.

Masolava knew that only a machanical problem was going to cost her the race but that didnt stop the Annette and Breda Dawe from trying their best to catch her.  Futher back Sheena Meehan was moving well & also fellow setanta Maria Duffy, who never stopped smilying the whole day.

No suprises to see Caffrey into transition first but  Harkins had made up serious ground having passed  Martin on the second lap of the bike which put him on course for an upset.
In the Ladies race Masolova was back in first and even could of had time for tea and biscuits in transition had she wanted!. There were only two places left on the podium for the ladies race so the Dawe twins looked sure to be there but  Linda meehan wasnt going to give up without a fight.

 Alot of Setanta battles were going on  with Chris Quinn and Kevin Hamill really testing eachothers limits with very credible sub 34 mins for a hard bike course. Their race was going to be decided on the run. Many athletes at the top of the field went under 30 mins  but the bike prime went to Caffrey, who looked sure to have a clean sweep on all prizes.

Caffrey took the victory but he was pushed hard to the line with one of the performances of the day going to Harkins who made up alot of time on the bike and second run. Owen Martin took third with a solid display. Chris Quinn dug in and reached the line before Hamill. A battle to watch next time!

Masolova was given the ladies title and the Dawe girls were second  & third, Breda just edging out Annette. Linda Mehan ran a fast final section but couldnt to get amoungst the medals.

It was a great race and couldnt have been done without the marshalls who volunteered to help out. Many thanks also to the guards. Thank you to the Sportsmans Bar and Restaurant for lending us their facilities. Next race is 21st of March with an earlier time start of 9:30am. You can register on the morning of the race or pre register on www.setantatri.com . All fitness levels welcome to race.

Setanta AGM

The Setanta Club AGM takes place on Monday 15th Feb in the Crown Plaza Hotel, Dundalk at 8pm.

We urge all current member and anyone in interested in joining to attend.

Setanta Dutahlon Rules & Prizes Details

Hi All,

With the first race only two days away, we now have online the full race rules and the details of the prizes:

Race Rules

Race Prizes

Setanta Club Gear 2010

We now have Samples of Gear availble to Try on in Tommy The Bikes in Dundalk. Please make use of this chance to get your sizing correct.

Folks We are now in the process of ordering up the Club Gear for 2010. The gear supplier is changing this year for the first time since the club was founded. We are now going to a high quality more economical option. For those of you that tried on the gear in Tommy the bikes you willl know what we mean. For those of you that did not get a chance or as usual left it to everyone else to do it please check out the supplier website for more info and also what is available.

www.carvalhocustom.com

The orders will once again be done through Tommy the bike outdoor world so please make your way into the shop to place an order or alternatively use the attached Documents along with viewing the website to decide on your requirements. Then please make your order available to the folks in Tommy's.

One thing to note the company are a european company so please make sure your sizing is correct.

Unfortunately supplier does not actually publish a catalogue, but all the information about the various items are online at

http://www.carvalhocustom.com/cycling-triathlon/
 
jackets/gilets is:
 
Training: windproof breathable chest protector, microfibre back/sides. Not waterproof
 
Drystyorm: Winter jacket; windproof/waterproof/breathable/insulated
 
Minerva: windproof/waterproof/breathable membrane
 
Rain: waterproof/windproof/breathable/lightweight. Easily screws up into a back pocket.

75 Years on the Road

Cuchulainn Cycling Club are celebrating 75 years and are launching the years events on February 12th @ 8pm in the Park Hotel Dundalk. There will be finger food available to all attendees on the night. This is a great chance to gather for what maybe a once off Photo of as many cycling friends as possible.

As part of the celebrations the club is planning to run a number of special events including a stage finish of the FBD Insurance Rás, a team stage race, Mizen to Malin Head Challenge in addition to some of the more established events including the very popular FPM Chartered Accounts Summer League. Full details of all events will be outlined on the night.

In addition to the above we are appealing to ALL LOCAL CYCLISTS AND TRIATHLETES to come along as we plan to take a group photograph and want to draw as many of the areas cyclists together as possible. If you know any cyclists from the area please ask them to come along for this historical event. We would ask all cyclists to wear a local Jersey (Cuchulainn / Setanta / Louth Mouths) if they have one and if they have an extra jersey to bring it along as well for those that don't.

We also hope to unveil plans regarding a proposal for a new Cycling Park and Velodrome for the North East in addition to an appeal for information regarding a new book we are compiling on the history of cycling in the local area.

For further information contact Karl Dolan 087 2219810 or info@dundalkcycling.com to see www.dundalkcycling.com

Duathlon Report for 31/01/10

GREAT TURNOUT FOR THE SPORTSMANS DUATHLON

Freezing weather and icy roads didnt prevent athletes from competing in the Sportsmans Duathlon on Sunday 31st of January.

Competitors travelled from great distances to test out the new circuit for the Race series starting 14th of February. Many local athletes also braved the conditions to showcase there talents and the reaction was very positive for the race and the new course.

The race consisted of a 3.2k run, 16k bike and to finish off, a 3.2k run. Belpark Triathlon club Dublin sent a couple of there finest athletes in John Caffrery and Brian Crinion to have a crack at the course and from the off the pace was set by Caffrery. Caffrery was first back to transition with Crinion only a matter of seconds behind. Niall McCabe from Setanta and Nicolas McGuiness of the north east runners werent too far away and after a quick transition McCabe showed his experience and was on the bike quicker of the two.

Alot of first timers made up most of the field, hoping to test themselves at the 2 disciplines and this should stand to them in preparation for the coming series. Fast out of the blocks and on the bike was local Firefighter Damien Treanor, he was closly followed by cuculainn bike specialist Ray O Shaunessy. O ' Shaughnessy showed his strength on the bike quickly getting into 3rd postion with his sights focused on Crinion of Belpark. Caffery from early on had first place to lose so the race was on for 2nd and 3rd.

In the womans race Michelle Dolan showed that the its not all about the men in the Dolan house and put in a fantastic performance leading from the off. Sarah Fagan closely followed with Nuala O Donaghue and Geraldine McCabe all of Setanta racing hard. Michelle Dolan held onto the lead on the bike and with plenty of encouragement from the sidelines she continued to move away from the chasing girls.

Further back in the mens race the long drag from the ballymac roundabout to the Sportsmans was proving to be a tough ask on the newcomers legs approaching the second lap of the bike.  Damian Myles of Setanta and Ciaran Hughes of Newry Tri looked strong and seemed to be moving up the field well heading into the final run.

The transition from bike to run was a new experience for some and the jelly leg effect seemed to kick in straight away.

At the top of the field Caffrery Strode to victory with Crinion showing all his experience to hold 2nd place  with O Shaughnessy making up the places in 3rd. Niall mccabe put in a very fast 2nd run but it wasnt enough to catch O 'Shaughnessy. One to watch out for is Damien Treanor for in the next few races, he showed good speed and strength in the 3 legged affair and finished high up the rankings in 5th.

Placings didnt change in the womans race from the start with Michelle Dolan cruising to victory. 2nd Place went to Sarah Fagan and 3rd to Geraldine McCabe. Others who performed well on the day were Martin McLaughlin, Nuala O Donoghue and Jordan Flood who won  last years Cuchulainns League Championship. 

Thank you to the sportsmans for lending their facilities and for rewarding competitors with post race food

All money taken on the day was in aid of Haiti.

Next race is Sunday February 14th at 10:30am. Registration from 9:30 or pre register online at www.setantatri.com 

Duathlon Results for 31/01/10

Great turnout at the race this morning, well done to all involved.

Results are as follows:

Overall Results

Results by Category

Free Gait Analysis

Next Tuesday February 2nd Elverys Sports will be in Felda from 4pm to 10pm doing free gait analysis for our members.

Felda would like to open this out to all Setanta members as well, any questions, please emial info@felda.ie

Warning for Runners

A setanta member contact me today to ask for a post to be put up the site. They went running up at Dundalk IT and was bitten by a dog that came from the travellers site, so please run elsewhere, or be careful.

Triathlon Training Courses

Robert in Felda is running a triathlon training weekend in Felda on the weekend of the 23rd and 24th of January, contact him on 0876772265 for more details.

UPDATE: To see full schedule of the weekend, click here

Barry in JJB is running a 5 week begin to swim course for triathlon starting on Saturday 16th Januay from 7 - 8pm. There is a max of 15 places on the course, all showers and changing facilities are provided, the cost is €50. Anyone interested needs to sign up by Thursday 14th Jan in JJB so that numbers can be determine. Contact Barry on 0872030086 for more details

In the footsteps of Cuchulainn - Legendary Status

The CooleyLegends Half Marathon

Escape to the beauty of the Cooley Mountains and absorb the most magnificent views on the North East Coast of Ireland stretching out  along the Cooley Peninsula.
The half-marathon route includes a selection of tracks, paths and  roads along The Táin Way.
The beautiful village of Carlingford lays to the north of the range  overlooking Carlingford Lough, and is the backdrop for the finish.
Here is the landscape of the legend of Cuchulainn and Queen Meabh and the Brown Bull of Cooley.

http://cooleylegendshalfmarathon.wordpress.com

Christmas Party Photos, Videos & Quiz Answers

We had a great Night at the christmas party in Riva on Friday night with over 90 people attending. We had the review of the year, The Setanta's, Setanta does strictly come dancing, The Setanta Calender Girls and finally, revenge for all, Cafo's Bush tucker trial

Photos of the Night

There are some photos online here, http://www.flickr.com/photos/setantatri/sets/72157622828296121/ we'll be adding more later on this evening

Setanta Does Strictly Come Dancing

Disco by David & Shirly http://sendables.jibjab.com/view/UkDomX8Wjhz9sXOv

The Can Can by the Girls http://sendables.jibjab.com/view/ViR1Fs2ITFKaEBS2

Ballet by Team Dolan http://sendables.jibjab.com/view/zUydRqPBalU07bJK

Chipendales by Team Austria http://sendables.jibjab.com/view/wXoYKBEGrdRDQrNc

Breakdancing Dancing by The Elites http://sendables.jibjab.com/view/mglu2yCwBvMEu09c

Farting Carol by The Mountain Bikers http://sendables.jibjab.com/view/PTXv0bwyqAan2aWf

Its a Wonderful like by Ronan, Maria, Ruby, Plug & Johnny http://sendables.jibjab.com/view/3cy13gKcGEfP8t0M

Quiz Answer

We had no winner of the quiz, so nobody get the prise! The answer was Swine Flu because everything else effects elite athletes.

Pope John Paul II was Polish, and Gerry McCabe doesnt fare out too well with Poles

Bryan McCrystal doesnt get on too well with Saddles, especially in Kenmare

Liam Dolan went to Hawaii and couldn't swim in the boiling water

and Finally, Laura O'Driscoll is effecting Karl Kildea

8 Week Duathlon Training Plan

THe Setanta Duathlon Series will be starting in January 2010 and Bryan McCrystal has put together a training plan for this.

Download the training plan here

The Schedule for the Duathlon races will be as follows:

Each Race will start at 9:30 am SHARP

Sunday 31st January- introductory race- not part of series!

Start of series.

Sunday 14 th Feb - Sportsmans

Sunday 21st March - Sportsmans

Sunday 25th april - Sportsmans

Grand finale july ..!!  Town centre venue. Date to be set

Christmas Pudding Run - Dec 19th

Xmas Pudding Run
 
Join us for a seasonal walk, jog, run and burn off those extra cals !!!
 
10k Run

C’ford - Maeve’s Gap - Slate Rock
- Forest - Quarry - Convent Lane
- Dan’s Stone Wall Cafe
 
Fancy Dress optional !!

Date: Saturday, 19th December, 2009
Reg: Carlingford Sailing Club @ 9am
Finish: Dan’s Stone Wall Café
(Dan’s Mince Pies and coffee for all)
Start: Village centre 10am
 
Sponsored Prizes: Georgina’s Christmas Puddings
Contact: Johnny 087-8105919
 
The last shall be first and the first shall be last !!!

Club Training Weekend

Meeting re Half Ironman 2010

There wil be a meeting in Felda on Tuesday at 9pm for anyone interested or planning on doing a half Ironman in 2010.

The meeting is to confirm the venue and then to plan for flights, and accomdation.

New York City Marathon

Well Done to Mikey Bent who completed the New York City Maraton today in a time of 4:33:38

Sportsman Duathlon Course

We will be running a few races on this course next year, the distances are 3.2k run 17k bike 3.2k run

Run Route: http://connect.garmin.com/activity/14065685

Bike Route: http://connect.garmin.com/activity/17338254

We will be doing a "beginner course" soon.

Dublin Marthon

Well done to all Setanta Athletes who took part in the Dublin Marathon yesterday.

Niall McCabe 2.53.56

Stephen Carroll   3.27.38

Sheena Dullaghan 3.37.48

Gerry Kenny 3:37:45

Colin Cooney 3:45:39

Barry Casey 3.46.53

If we missed anyone, let us know at web@setantatri.com asap

On a terrible day like today.....

On days like this remember what its all about. This is not Blackrock beach , I know many will think it is but no its not !!

Well done to Damian Lawrence who took part in the Royan Triathlon recently in France

Post Hawaii Interview with Liam Dolan

ST: So Liam, Good weekend?

LD: The whole event was a great experience, absolutely top class. In terms of organisation was a small step up from Austria, but it is the buzz and atmosphere of the event which I am sure no other Ironman can emulate. The race completely takes over the town of Kona, everywhere bike and run companies are handing out stuff while the pros are out and about. Its like tri geek heaven.

ST: You got to Hawaii nearly a week before the race, did all your gear get there ok?

LD Had a really straight forward trip out, everything arrived with me and had no long layovers in airports, Still its a tough journey, Dublin to London, onto LA is 12 hours and LA Kona is another 6 hours. Kona airport is so laid back.

ST: How did you spend your time in the days before the race?

LD Actually a lot of sitting around watching movies on my laptop! Would usually go for a swim at the pier every morning and then hrt bikes and runs. Anyone who had done an Ironman knows that the few days before hand are fairly boring.

ST: Did you stay with other Athletes....like was there a main area where everyone stayed or what was the setup?

LD Everyone seemed  to be in condos along Ali'i Drive. No matter what the time there was someone runnin up and down that road.

ST: Tell us about the day before the race, how you felt, what you did, what the the atmosphere like around?

LD Definitely nervous before hand and also excited. As I said the atmosphere is just electric and there is a tempetation to spend all your time out training and get caught up in the hype. It takes a bit of will power to take a step back from it all and say no I have to relax and rest up before hand.

ST: Alarm goes off the day of the race, what went through your head? (Oh shit or Nice one, lefts go!)

LD Its race day your too nervous/excited to sleep to the alarm! Actually didnt sleep to bad the night before hand. I just tend to wakeup and your onto automatic pilot, know what I need to eat, getting race food ready. The real hype starts when you get down to the pier.

ST: As you say yourself, you swim was bad by your standards, was there any major reason for this, did you get a punch? go off course etc?

LD I wish I could say all of the above but no nothing was wrong. I dont know what happened, my performance in the pool had been dropping off a little of late but I had thought with a good rest my "speed" would come back.

ST: Your bike split was savage, one of the fastest age groupers, with passing so many people did you fear they may come back at you during the run?

LD No that never really crossed my mind, while I had a good bike split its an ironman so you never really going that hard. I was concentrating on geting the salt and calories in.

ST: Was there any friendly faces along the route?

LD Plenty and even one or two Irish. The Americans are great and always have words of support for you. Best thing I saw was someg uy who was in the race pulled over on the side of the road on his mobile. Can you imagine what he was saying "yeah love I'll get some milk on the way home, just have to finish this bike ride and go for a quck run"

ST: The heat seemed to be a major factor along the way for everybody, have you ever experienced anything like it?

LD No the heat was unreal, but a much bigger factor was the humidity, that was the real killer.

ST: How did it feel to be among some of the best triathletes on the planet....at home or overawed?

LD I dont feel I am among the best at anything, except maybe talking crap. Is that a skill?

ST: Did you recognize ay of the elite athletes as you left them behind!

LD I passed a few of the top women on the run. Watching the pros come the other way, they looked just as bad as I felt. You hear all about how Chrissie Wllington never stops smiling, when I saw her at mile 21 of her run she looked like death. Macca looked like he would rather be anywhere else in the world.

ST: The run was bound to be hard after so much effort on the bike, how was it compared to Austria?

LD Mentally is was so tough. It starts in Kona and is really well supported for the first 8/9 miles, people are cheering you on was guys dressed in banana outfits and of course Borat was out in the mankini! Then you hit the Queen K again and the heat is crazy and there is no support, with some 16 miles to go. The Natural Energy Lab is hell on earth!

ST: 2k from home....whats it like, you know your nearly there....whats going through your head

LD I hope I dont fall over going down Palini Road as its steep and my legs are f*%*ed!!!!

ST: and crossing the finish line?

LD Amazing, absolutely amazing. You know you have finished the biggest and probably the hardest event in the sport.

ST: The next day....what was worse, the sunburn or the pain!

LD Actually the next day isnt too bad, it was the day after that again, sunburn, stiffness, aches, little chaffing marks everywhere.

ST: Your staying an extra few days in Hawaii, getting up to anything nice?

LD Hav been deep sea fishing, diving with Mantra Rays, Swimming with Turtles, been to a coffee plantation and as soon as I finish this are leaving for the volcano, so to answer your question....No :-)

ST: Finally Liam, thanks for your time and whats the plans for the winter & next year?

LD Next year not sure yet, winter just keep tipping away at the training.
 
I also want to thank everyone in Setanta for their support, hard to believe the amount of people who spent their Saturday night and Sunday morning looking at a computer to see how some eject was getting on running a round a rock in the ocean on the other side of the world.

News from Triathlion Ireland

Triathlon Ireland eBulletin – 11/10/09        

Although the domestic race season may be over, Irish athletes have continued to head abroad in search of competition and a little autumn sunshine. Last weekend I had the pleasure of joining nearly thirty TI members at the Challenge Barcelona event on the Costa Brava. Once again this group represented a cross section of our membership – from those chasing podium places in their age group to those who merely wanted to enjoy a race and complete the distance. As with our own events, this was a triathlon catering for all levels of ability.

Over the last decade I have found that Irish athletes usually receive a fantastic welcome when racing abroad and it is something that can be recommended to all our members. As with all travel it opens our eyes to other cultures and their particular ways of doing things. It provides a different challenge and often an enhanced level of competition. This is especially true of championship events at both European and World level. Next year we will welcome the European Championships to Athlone, where a huge number of our athletes will compete. Hopefully these numbers will stay high and Triathlon Ireland will have large teams heading abroad on a regular basis to the ITU/ETU events to which we are affiliated.

Speaking with the organiser of the 2010 European Long Distance Championship, he was very keen to welcome Irish athletes to Vitoria-Gasteiz in the heart of the Basque country. This was probably as a result of the noise and atmosphere being generated by the supporters of the Irish competitors during and after the race! Like the athletes themselves, they were a credit to our association with their good natured support for all those taking part.

During the race itself, it was always pleasing to receive encouragement from other Irish competitors. I even had a strange accent shouting ‘Come on Ireland!’ before a particular Irish Spaniard flew past on his bike. It was only the Wheelworx kit that identified Fernando Fuentes as he disappeared up the road.

However, one sour note was highlighted when Joyce Wolfe overtook me (seems to be a common theme here – must remember to do more biking). As she edged away there were three male competitors and a female professional sitting on her wheel. They remained in my sight for quite some time and made no attempt to pass, happy to draft behind. Call it what you will, but it’s plain old cheating in my book. Joyce had the last laugh though with a fantastic first place in her age group and fourteenth overall.

Draft busters were present on the course but they were not stopping cyclists to apply penalties. Cards were being shown and the athlete then had to stop in the next penalty box. While this can be frustrating when cheats seem to be getting away with drafting, safety must be considered. It is not always safe to stop cyclists during the race and the penalty may have to be applied at a later stage. As competitors, there may be times when we just have to remain calm and trust the officials. If we are to stamp out drafting in our domestic events, athletes must take responsibility for their own actions. It’s not big and it’s not clever – drafting just proves that you’re a cheat.

Another way to help make our events fairer and safer is to increase the number of officials that we have available. Triathlon Ireland are always looking for volunteers to train as Technical Delegates and Race Referees. These people are essential in providing quality races throughout the year. Keep an eye on the website for the next course being organised in your area, or drop me an email and we’ll contact you with course dates as they become known.

Over the winter, we will continue to provide opportunities for the development of our members. These include the Women’s Long Distance Camp on 1st November and the National Coaching Conference on the 14th November. Full details can be found on the website.

Please also note that the latest talent identification day is being held in Dublin on 31st October. This is primarily aimed at those between the ages of 13 and 23 but older athletes are also welcome. The day consists of separate swim and run time trials which are marked against an internationally recognised matrix in order to attain an overall score. Further information and an idea of the required times are on the website at http://www.triathlonireland.com/article.php?story=20090924141336519.

Enjoy your down time, relax and have that second Jaffa Cake before putting your plans together for 2010.

Yours in Sport

Conal Heatley
Secretary, Triathlon Ireland
secretary@triathlonireland.com
Tel: 00353 83 374 6607

Felda & Oliver Harkin launch new membership offer

Felda in association with Oliver Harkin of Primed4fitness.com are delighted to announce the launch of a new club membership tailored to triathlon & Setanta club members.

You can now pay €499 and get a full years membership in Felda with your
choice of:

-Four 1-2-1 swimming lessons with Oliver Harkin – 1 hour duration each

Or

- A 6-week triathlon training programme specifically tailored to you with Oliver Harkin

This offer represents a saving to you of €87 on the standard rate of this package at stand alone prices.

Oliver will tailor both the swim lessons and triathlon training plan to suit your current level and ability to this package is suitable for everyone wanting to improve their times.

Offer is open to both new and existing Felda members.  Do you know anyone thinking of trying triathlon this coming year?  Tell them about this offer which should really help with their training.

For more info:

Tel    : 0429321860 Felda    or     00447834041993 Oliver Harkin
Email    : info@felda.ie        or    info@primed4fitness.com
Web    : www.felda.ie        or     www.primed4fitness.com

Best of luck to all Setanta members in 2010 from Felda and Oliver.

Kildea wins Causeway Half Marathon - Race Report

By Kevin Hamill

Karl Kildea produced a fantastic season’s end to win the Causeway Coast Half Marathon in an impressive 1hr 21mins.

Over 230 competitors lined up for the start of race along the paths, tracks, beaches and coastline of the Causeway Coast Way, between Portballintrae and Ballintoy Harbour - passing the cliffs along the Giant's Causeway.

We arrived at 10.00 am. None of us knew the way but Jolene's fast driving made up for my lack of co-pilot skills. We parked the car in a muddy potato field with over two hours to spare, making a collective decision not  to park in the free spot that had a small mountain of cow manure. Sure enough, Johnny saw no issue with this spot and squeezed the van into place. Registration was painless.

None of us knew what to expect from this challenge but the view from the double decker bus ferrying us to the start was breathtaking, with Rathlin Island to our left and two or three peninsulas with shear cliff faces jutting out into the North Atlantic to our right. The nerves began to show as it dawned on us that we needed to cross these peninsulas’ to complete the race. The full marathon was already in action and the faces on the competitors gave a glimpse of what was in store. The slagging got our minds off the task; "Hamill is wearing the budgie smugglers again!"...” "I wonder has Kildea decided to bring a bottle of water with him this time?"...” who let off again..was it you Dave?” The excuses why we shouldn't do this were stated...even the Bull McCabe complained of a head cold. 10 minutes before the start last minute scrambles for bushes for the calls of nature. The guys just go, the girls require cover. We regroup and consider running in pairs. 2 minutes to go no sign of Mary!

We are off and it’s a fast paced run down along the bottom of a cliff. Suddenly its total gridlock. 230 of us tried to climb over a stile large enough for one. I'm glad of the brief rest but also worried that I need one at such and early stage.
On again and its a run through large coastal rocks, endless amounts of seaweed and choice of either stopping and packing it in or jumping into the knee deep water and legging it back to the beach. So much for the water proof runners. The sand bogged down the wet runners making my legs feel tired. I looked at the GPS and was shocked to see I'd run half a mile. WFT? This is going to be tough. Once we got off the beach I felt it got a little easier. We had what seemed like endless climbs coupled with fast slippery downhill stretches. On occasion we ran along paths that touched the side of cliff edges, naked with the lack of safety rails. I couldn't tell you how high we where from the bottom because I didn't dare look, I was too busy looking ahead at the view of bodies spread out into the distance, indicating the length of the journey ahead of me. I hit the halfway point dead-on the hour mark. Not surprised of the slow time as I climbing up some of those cliff steps like an auld granny.
I needed to pick up my pace if I wanted to beat 2 hours, easy to say if you knew the course ahead. At the nine mile mark I recognised a friendly voice "I've had you in my sights, eventually I caught you". I was surprised to see Mary, assuming she was further up field. From the start of the day Mary stated she was here for the fun and to enjoy the race. So I tagged onto her pace and we muscled past a few runners to cross the line in under 2 hours. First to greet us was Laura and Karl, both looked liked they finished ages ago. When asked how he got on, Karl modestly declared he won.
Pushed further he revealed he finished in 1 hr 21 mins! WTF? Considering the course that’s a truly amazing time. So no problems with hydration then, Karl? Laura had a great race too, finishing in 1hr 49 min as the third lady home. The next fresh face was Johnny's. His cold affected his performance in the early stages but true to form he wins his age category and is ninth overall.
Jolene crossed the line with her trade mark grin, looking like she'd have no problem to do it all again. A great sight was Sinead crossing the line hand in hand with her nephew Karl. Sinead had a scary incident falling the right way on a cliff edge! The muck skid on her ass said it all. Dave was next to finish revealing that he hit the wall midway and had a tough latter race.

A well deserved picnic was held in the mucky car park with a gold star awarded to Jolene for top notch grub scoffed up, without shame, by the lads.
She even made her own coleslaw! The two hour and a bit journey home flew with the laughter at the craic!

A thoroughly enjoyable, well organised race, which offered some us of the challenge just to complete successfully! One for next year.


Karl Kildea     1 hr    21 mins        1st Place

Johnny McCabe    1hr    37 mins        1st in Age category

Laura O'Driscol    1hr    49 mins        3rd Lady

Mary Laverty    1hr    56 mins

Kevin Hamill    1hr    56 mins

Jolene Mellon    2hr     02 mins

Sinead Hearty    2hr    08 mins

Dave McGee    2hr           13 mins

Liam does Hawaii in 9:44

Well done to Liam Dolan who just completed in the Ironman World Championships in Kona, Hawaii, he put in a great performance to finish in 9:44:12, in 169th overall and 22nd in his age category.

After coming out of the water in 1595th place, he passed over 1200 peope on the bike and then another 183 during run with a great marathon time of 3:18.

Well done Liam from everyone at the club and see you in the Home Bakery soon !

Liams full time details:

Ironman Hawaii World Championships Live

You can track Liam Dolan's progress at the World Championships in Kona, Hawaii on this page:

http://ironman.com/events/ironman/worldchampionship?show=tracker&rid=261&year=2009&race=%2Fevents%2Fironman%2Fworldchampionship%2F&athlete=Dolan

Barcelona Ironman Challenge Results

Well done to Mark Quinn who competed the Barcelona Ironman last weekend in an excellent time of 12:28. Marks Spilts were:

This is great inspiration anyone in the club, beginner or experienced, who are thinking of starting the sport or doing an Ironman, Mark couldnt swim two years ago, and now he's and Ironman, Well done Mark

Barcelona Ironman Challenge

Best of Luck to Mark Quinn who is completing in the Barcelona Ironman this weekend.

You can follows Marks Progress online here:

http://www.challenge-barcelona.com

Pre Hawaii Ironman Interview with Liam Dolan

Dublin Half Marathon Report

Saturday saw a group of club members take park in the Dublin half marathon in Phoenix Park, 
some attempting their first half marathon and others trying to clock a PB.  It was an early 
start to the day with all in good spirits.

Just before kick off the sun came out and the announcement of a third water station would
help in the heat.  It was a good course with a few gradual climbs on the second lap.  

The fine weather encouraged plenty of spectators to line the route with our own Mairead Clarke 
shouting plenty of encouragement to all club members (thanks Mairead).  Everyone completed 
the 13.1miles, with some getting a new PB and others with a time to beat next year, all seemed to enjoy the experience.

Results as follows: 

Niall Mc Cabe             1.20
Robert Kinahan           1.23
Amanda Kinehan         1.41
Johnny Mc Cabe          1.22
Stephen Carroll           1.23            
Geraldine Mc Cabe       2.39
Kevin Hamill                1.37
Mary Laverty               1.34
Sinead Hearty              1.43
Jolene Mellon               1.42
Karl Dolan                   1.45
Paul Cheshire               1.46
John Mc Kenna             1.49
Damien Laurence         1.56
Michael Bent                1.55
Paul Byrne                   1.36
Claire Maher                 1.54
Gerry Kenny                 1.32
Annette Dawe               1.41
Anthony Mc Guirk          1.57
Breda Dawe                  1.47 

Well done to all.

Kenmare Half Ironman Race Report

5.30am Friday the 11th of September myself and Ronan Greene headed south to Kenmare for the Lost Sheep Half Ironman.

I knew it was going to be a long drive when we got the greengates cross roads and pints of guinness were mentioned for saturday night. I didn't know if it was a race or a stag we were going to.

The early start meant a day of relaxation and a drive on the course. The nerves were starting to kick in but the running commentry from Greene helped to solve that. On the bike route I heard him whisper " This is were me and the K K come into our own ". He made alot of comparisons to us both..legs, height, weight! only thing I had on him was age!

We cycled a bit of the run course and the up and down meant it would be hard to get a rhythm. Ronan was deep in concentration and again I heard him say he would be like a ''Gazelle'' at 5k on the run leg.

Registration was that evening and I was issued number 5 and Ronan thought through his years of dedication to the Lost Sheep he should be high up in the number ranks but it must of been an oversight on there part when they issued him 361. That just made him more determained to have a go at his PB.

Before we knew it the alarm clock rang on Saturday morning at 5am and carbo the load begun. Off to the race start and it was going to be a cracking day. Suncream was layered on a couple of times and with the wetsuit, hat and goggles on away we went on the dot at 8.15.

The longer swim meant a more relaxed approach was taken from the start and I stayed clear of a boxing match. I think it was the first time I enjoyed the swim leg of a triathlon but when I got to transition and saw a few there that I should be ahead of  I quickly changed my mind. Ronans knowledge from previous years showed when he produced a fantastic swim. He schooled me well  as to what line to take and it worked  for both of us.

The biggest crowd by far this season was at the bike mount line and I gave a demonstration on how not to mount the bike. As I jumped on I missed the saddle and got the rear wheel! A sound of Oooo's echoed and  I just wanted the ground to open up. No problem for Greene through, he was on the  'KK' quicker than one of the McCabes.

I was held up for a 3 or 4 minutes due to bottle problems from the malfunctioned bike mount but I was soon on the way to try and chase down the leaders. I  worked my way up the field to 4th place and with about 30k to go I was into 2nd. Robert and Amanda Kinahan made the long trip down to support us and were on the course to offer words of encouragement and time spilts for both of us. Half distance racing is alot different to olympic and concentration is needed for the whole bike. Nutrition had been my achilles heel in the past and I was determined to get that right. Ironman pro Owen Martin was my nutrition guru and with his help I got it down to a tee. Ronan had  previous demons to conquer and he didn't disappoint. The training he '' hadn't '' been doing paid off. He had a  solid bike split and the 'KK' lived up to all the expectations. It is a tough bike course and the hills really zap the energy from your legs. There are no real steep climbs but just long and gradual.

The sighting of a large crowd again meant I knew the bike was over. The finish of the bike took me by suprise as I thought we had another 20k to go. But the feet were out of the shoes and into  the runners and away I went. A cleaner transition this time meant I didnt lose anymore ground. It was a lonely first half for me as I could see nobody  and the first sighting of another athlete was the eventual winner Bryan "with a Y" Keane. He was on his way back and looked very comfortable. I think I looked a wee bit more under pressure than he did! After the turn around I could see my nearest challengers and with a quick time calculation I knew 2nd place was mine to lose. It wasnt long till I met Ronan and his ''Gazelle'' type run was breath taking. He looked strong and his own course record was soon to be shattered. An early stitch didn't hold him back and he easily picked off competitors that went too hard on the bike.


It was all over before we knew it with myself holding onto 2nd and Ronan finishing alot higher than his race number in 64th, also taking over 10 minutes off his PB! Performance of the day definately goes to Greene with that result!

It was a great couple of days and a we had a well earned guinness later that evening!

Thanks to all for the support!

BMcC

Notice from Triathlon Ireland

Triathlon Ireland are currently finalising the Club Championships and would
ask that you please ask your club members to make sure that they have
updated their membership details on our membership system to include their
club name.  To do this, they simply need to go to 'membership' on the main
menu of our home page and then select 'update details'.  Once they have
logged in, they can check that their club name is included.   If it isn't,
they can then add their club.

At the moment it is difficult for us to calculate the club championships as
many members have not updated their club name.

Can you please ask all club members to update their club details by next
Thursday 17th September  as we will be finalising the club championships
next Friday 18th September.

Thanks in advance,
Triathlon Ireland

Setanta Duathlon 20th September

Sunday 20th September

Venue: Sportmans on Old Newry Road. Registration 8:00am Race at 9:00am 

Run 2 mile

Bike 10 mile

Run 2 mile

Camlough Swim World Record - Entry Form

Are you a World Record holder ?

Yes?  well you dont need to do this.

If you are like me and have not managed to brake a world record by now this is for you and your buddys.

GWR long Distance open water 500KM Relay swim 9/9/09 @1730 @ Camlough lake

Launch date : Guinness World record long distance open water 500km + relay swim attempt on Tuesday 1st September 2009 at 7pm in Carrickcruppen GAA Hall. 131a Camlough Road, Camlough, Newry BT35 7JR

For registration and time slots (first come first served basis), if unable to make the launch date all form can be downloaded from Newry triathlon web site or can be requested by email the above address. Click here to download the Entry Form

All forms have to be received no later than 5pm on the 4th September

2009. Any entry made by post will be given an allocated start time this cannot be changed (if you want a particular time be at launch date).

All participants must present themselves at the start of the attempt on the 9/9/09, 5.30pm Shape at lake side or they will be disqualified from the attempt. (Candidate must be fully aware of the Specific Guidelines from the Guinness Book of Records

Press Notes,
To encourage swimmers and witness to get involved in the Guinness world record long distance open water swimming relay to cover 500km plus.
Each swimming will cover 1500m or 3000m once or twice.
Enquires contract –
Email camloughworldrecord@yahoo.co.uk
Links for forms www.newrytriathlon.com
Mob: 07879413131 Padraig
07790196792 Aoiffe
07737481749 Aaron

Launch date of the Guinness World record long distance open water 500km + relay swim attempt on Tuesday 1st September 2009 at 7pm in Carrickcruppen GAA Hall. 131a Camlough Road, Camlough, Newry BT35 7JR

For registration and time slots (first come first served basis), if unable to make the launch date all form can be downloaded from Newry triathlon web site or can be requested by email the above address.

All forms have to be received no later than 5pm on the 4th September
2009. Any entry made by post will be given an allocated start time this cannot be changed (if you want a particular time be at launch date).

Entry fee is £25 per adult, under 16’s £15, cash and cheque excepted, all cheques can be made payable to Feile Chamlocha. For the attention of GWR attempt, M&M services, 107 Camlough Road, Newry, BT35 7EE, Northern Ireland.

Congratulations to all Eiremen and Women

Congratulations to all members of the club that forewent the lovely weather in Carlingford for the galeforce winds of the Sunny South East last weekend. As Setanta Triathletes we are well used to these conditions and it is no surprise that the Provisional results on www.eireman.org show Liam Dolan as third (3:48:51) in the Middle distance race which was changed to a duathlon as conditions were too rough for a swim leg. Congratulations also to Robert (4:29:22) and Amanda (5:36:39), Denise (5:52:05) and Lisa (6:40:06) and to everyone else who took part.   

Relay For Life

Dundalk Chamber of Commerce and the Irish Cancer Society elected to run an inaugural Relay for Life event from 6:00 p.m. Friday 9th Oct for 24 hours in Building B, Xerox Complex and we hope that you and a Team of your friends, colleagues, neighbours will take part.
 
This document (click to download) outlines why Dundalk is hosting this event; we are mirroring the well established and extremely successful US Relay model which has been going for 25 years, run by the American Cancer Society.
 
Check it out at - http://www.relayforlife.org/relay/
 
Louth is the worst cancer incidence county in Ireland per head of population, which is why Irish Cancer Society asked us to lead off with Relay for Life in Ireland.
 
The intention is to hold this as an annual event in Dundalk but that following our successful event other communities, towns, cities etc will create similar events.
 
The committee are actively framing the event shape and logistics, e.g. food, entertainment etc.
 
The primary reason for holding the event is to connect and promote Cancer Awareness issues for our community.
 
Fund-raising is certainly a part of the target, but not the key element, though ICS spent nearly €300,000 in Louth in 2008, so further funds are key to continue this level of support.
 
Teams will be asked to raise a target of €1,000 per team, if a team makes more all the better!!!
Team size is up to you but anything larger than 20 get unmanageable – 8 – 15 is ideal.
 
We need the Team Captains and Teams to collaborate with other teams on themes and activities etc., for the event as well as spreading the word re the event to all those touched by cancer – survivors, carers etc.    We also need to get lots of kids and families there on the day to buy food, arts and crafts, enter games and go on the bouncy castle etc!
 
Please let me know if you would like to enter a Team and I can invite you to a Team Captain Meeting.
 
Thanks for "volunteering",
 
Liza
 
If you need anything email me at liza.galvin@gmail.com or text me – 086 79 10 10 7

C.L.E.C DVD

The Carlingford Lough Endurance Challenge DVD 2009 has been completed and is we now have a promo online for you all to view, here it is :

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8EVvF8jRoMA

This Final DVD is full HD Quality and over 50 minutes long

If you want to get a copy of the full Clec DVD they arenow available €15 each.

Please payment and a send self addressed envelope to Johnny McCabe, 4 Cluain Na Tain, Loughanmore, Jenkinstown, Co. Louth.

Camlough Swim World Record Attempt

We have recieved this mail from Catherine Murphy from Newry Tri Club:

Camlough is attempting to break the Guinness World Record for the Longest Open Water Relay Swim. The record presently stands at 480km (300miles)!! We are aiming for 500km.

We've calculated that this will take approx 9 days with someone swimming at all times - day and night. If we get enough help and cooperation in place quickly enough we are going to go for the attempt in September, aiming to finish on Friday 18th so starting on Wed/Thurs 9th/10th. As you can imagine the organisation needed will be enormous and there are very strict guidlines that must be followed if the record is to be secured.

AND THIS IS WERE YOU COME IN!!!

Every record attempt must be witnessed throughout by 2 independent witnesses working in shifts. The witnesses should be preferably be of 'standing' in the community, so member of a local club, business person, councillor, doctor, nurse blah blah. This is not always possible in endurancemust be 'independent of each other and not normally associated with, or related to, the record organisers or participants nor have anything to gain from the publicity of the record'

Each witness will be required to compile a statement confirming that while they were on duty the guidelines have been followed, participants they witnessed involved, date, times etc..
I need people to do a minimum of 3 hour shifts. If you can do more than one shift over the nine days, brilliant! If you can do more than 3 hours at any one time, again brilliant. Now folks we need witnesses to cover days and nights. So if you could stretch yourself and give us some of your time for the more unpopular/difficult shifts like daytimes and nights it would be much appreciated.

I need to get a sense of how many witnesses we can get as a matter of urgency. If any period of time, even 1 minute is not witenessed, the whole attempt fails and everyones effort is null and void so your committment is a must.

Could you get back to me asap if you can help out, letting me know your availability. If you think you know someone else who would also help (maybe they could partner you on your shift) would you ask them and give me their details and times they would be available.
Your help would be greatly appreciated.

If you are on this mailing list & are likely to be participating in the swim itself you could still search out some witnesses for me!! Everything has to be in place for the attempt to go ahead so please please give us a hand out and be part of this fantastic world record.Just to stress that we need an army of volunteers to do witness duty at the wold record attempt. Minimum 3 hour shifts but longer shifts if someone is available to do them. Days, evenings and nights for 9 days, 9th-18th Sept.

Could you get me some names of definites and get your fellow club members to do the same. I've no doubt we will get enough swimmers but if we don't have enough witnesses the whole record attempt will fail. You can give people my mobile number and email. Need names sooner rather than later.

Catherine Murphy

Columbia Carlingford Olympic Tri Results

Photos and Race Report to follow

Click here to view full results

Columbia Carlingford Tri Race Briefing

Hope you are looking forward to the race on Saturday, it looks like its going to be a sunny day, which is a change for Setanta Races, so make sure you bring the sun cream.

We're encouraging as many as possible to register on Friday evening from 7pm - 9pm, reg will be open from 9am - 10.45am on Saturday also.

Race start is a 12, so make sure you give yourself plently of time.

Download the Race Briefing here

Lough Neagh Race Photos

Got a mail from a photographer, Jimmy McNulty who was a Lough Neagh at the weekend, has has put loadsa photos online from the race

You can view them by clicking on this link:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/jimmymcnulty/sets/72157622082366526/

Lough Neagh Results

We had 3 Setanta Athletes in the top ten in the at the Lough Neagh Tri, with Gerry McCabe 2:10:45) beating Bryan McCrystal (2:11:41) into 6th place and Owen Martin following them in 8th place in 2:12:17.

Well done to Mary Laverty was the first lady home in 30th place in a time of  2:29:17

Full Results can be viewed here

Pulse Clogherhead Tri Photos

Photos online form the race

Swim: http://www.pulsetri.com/PhotoSet.php?id=72157621868682429

Bike: http://www.pulsetri.com/PhotoSet.php?id=72157621869060707

Run: http://www.pulsetri.com/PhotoSet.php?id=72157621993847766

General: http://www.pulsetri.com/PhotoSet.php?id=72157621868627465

Some interesting ones, like these, if there was an award for the club with the most posers, we'd be run away winners!

And we better put this one in seen as he was the first Setanta man home, next time, wear the club colours....

Karl Kildea completes hatrick at Camlough

Karl Kildea stormed round the course to win the last of this years aquathons and complete a full set of victories. Mick O'Connor took second place with a tremendous run of 19.16 to just push Ross Collins into third place by a few seconds.In the ladies race Michelle Bagnall took the victory a head of Deirdre Dunford who just ran out of road to make up the gap. A sprint finish for third was taken by Paula Boyle just ahead of Linda O'Hare in fourth.

Full results below. Thanks to all the marshalls, Peter, Nicola, Tom, Mrs Kinkaid and Deirdre.
Good Luck to anyone racing this weekend- Lough Neagh Tri, Camlough 5km run and Camlough lake Swim

1. Karl Kildea 10.17 18.23 28.40
2.Mick O'Connor 14.00 19.16 33.16
3.Ross Collins 12.15 21.06 33.21
4.Gareth Taggart 13.30 20.20 33.50
5.Mark McGivern 13.17 22.27 35.44
6.Mick Dunford 15.11 21.20 36.31
7.Paul Watters 15.20 21.39 36.59
8.Keith Sheridan 13.20 24.01 37.21
9.Kenny Bagnall 14.48 22.36 37.24
10.Paul Whatley 13.28 24.07 37.35
11. Eddie O'Hagan 14.40 24.43 38.23
12.David O'Prey 14.55 24.11 39.06
13. Gerry Kenny 17.20 21.53 39.13
14.Paul McCann 14.20 24.59 39.19
15.Shane Haughey 16.15 24.25 40.40
16. Stephen Morgan 16.00 25.25 41.25
17.Tony Bagnall 13.45 28.25 42.10
18.Eamon Campbell 14.30 28.34 43.04
19.Feargall Cunningham 16.15 27.04 43.19
20.Michelle Bagnall 16.25 28.08 44.33
21. Deirdre Dunford 19.15 25.57 45.12
22.Paula Boyle 17.25 27.56 45.21
23.Linda O'Hare 17.05 28.43 45.48
Matthew Kinkaid 10.45 (swim only)
Peter Farelly 12.50 (Swim only)
Katie Kinkaid 13.00 (Swim only)

More Mourne Triathlon Pics

One of the members from Olympian TC in Belfast contact us this morning with a link to the official photos from the race, there is over 800 of them!

They are up on Flickr, the link is http://www.flickr.com/photos/jimmymcnulty/sets/72157621951348964/

There are some great ones there, including this one:

Setanta do well in Pulse Clogherhead Tri

While many Setanta Athletes were taking a brake from the Race Circuit this weekend, a few brake souls made their way to Port Beach for the Pulse Clogherhead Tri today. There was a large entry, 308 in total, and a well organised & marshelled event ensured everything went off without a hitch.

The swim started against the current but once around the first buoy the pace quickened and produced some fast swim times. A bike course "with a few drag's", as described in the pre race briefing, awaited athletes and along with a stiff breeze it proved to be a good test. The run was a straight out 2.5k and back, with a nice stinger of a hill at the 2.5k turnaround  that made sure everybody hurt at that point. Overall a great course and definitely one for next years race calendar.

The first five Setanta athletes home were Rory Gogarty in 11th overall in a time of 1:07:05 followed closely by Niall McCabe in 12th in 1:07:25, Niall Ivory was 19th in 1:09:31, Niall Carroll came in 23rd in 1:10:31 and Colin Teevan in 26th in 1:11:17.

We had some great performance overall and some winners in the age categories, they were:

- Rory Gogarty came 1st in his age group M19-24
- Niall McCabe came 2nd in his, M35-39
- Colin Teevan came 3rd in his, M40-44
- Celine McPhillips came 3rd in hers, M30-34
- Frankey Hennessy came 2nd in hers, F35-39

For a full list of results click here, well done to all Athletes that took part and roll on Lough Neagh next week!

McCrystal & McCabe win at Dublin Duathlon

There was great performances last night in the Phoenix Park Duathlon where we had Niall Ivory, Gerry Kenny, Bryan McCrystal and Johnny McCabe all competing. Bryan won the overall race and Johnny won the Vets category. 

View Race Results here

Castlewellan Triathlon Photos

Just got word that the Castlewellan photos are online at Flickr. The link is:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/34727847@N04/sets/72157621802243099/
 

Castlewellan Triathlon Results

There was a strong contingent of Setanta Athletes today in Castlewellan Co. Down for the middle distance race of 1000m swim, 32 km bike and 8 km run.

The swim was 1000m and with the wind and current helping it produces some very fast times, the leaders out in just over 11 minutes. The bike leg started into a strong headwind and the rolling terrain make it a challenging circuit, not to mention a couple of heave showers thrown in to the mix.

Back into the (very tight) Transition and the run was 2 laps of the lake, mostly flat but a small stinger of a incline to test all athletes. First Setanta man home was Owen Martin in a time of 1:34:29 in 6th place followed closely by Gerry McCabe in 7th place with a time of 1:34:29 and third Setanta Athlete was Robert Kinahan in 20th place in 1:41:22. Mary Laverty was 2nd woman home in 40th place in 1:45:58.

Well done to all who competed, roll on Clogherhead next week.

Click here to view the full race results

Camlough Aquathon Results 29th July

Camlough Lake weaved her magic yet again and served up perfect racing conditions for the 28 triathletes who took part in tonight`s aquathon of 750m swim and 5km run. In fact the water was so calm that some of the swimmers braved it without wetsuits.And then there was Glen Monaghan who simply forgot to take his with him.

When the race got underway Karl Kildea led from start to finish with a blistering display which destroyed the field.

First out of the water in just over ten minutes,Karl was closely followed by Mark McElroy with Myles McCourt,fresh from his cross-channel achievement, posting a season`s best time in third.

Laura O`Driscall was first lady out of the water ahead of Didi Baxter,Michelle Bagnall,Bridgeen Mallon and Denise Mathers.

Karl finished in a breathtaking overall time of 28.45. There was a great battle for second place between Sean Featherstone and Mick O`Connor with Featherstone just taking it in a sprint finish.Fourth and fifth places were also eagerly contested with Mark McElroy just edging it over Garreth Taggart.

In the lady`s race Laura O`Driscall increased her lead on the run course to take a hard earned victory with Didi Baxter finishing second and Michelle Bagnall taking third place.

Position : Name : Swim : Overall Time
1. Karl Kildea 10.10 : 28.45
2. Sean Featherstone 13.11 : 32.43
3. Mick O`Connor 13.35 : 32.45
4. Mark McElroy 11.10 : 33.21
5. Garreth Taggart 13.19 : 33.23
6. Ciaran Hughes 13.26 : 34.31
7. Neil McDonald 12.05 : 35.44
8. Arron Conway 12.48 : 35.48
9. Glen Monaghan 14.35 : 36.05
10. Laura O`Driscall 14.00 : 36.13
11. Barry Casey 14.20 : 36.43
12. Kenny Bagnall 14.45 : 37.55
13. Paul Whately 13.50 : 38.49
14. Brendan O`Hagan 15.43 : 39.03
15. Gerry Heaney 14.05 : 39.16
16. Eamonn McKeown 16.16 : 39.28
17. Eddie O`Hagan 14.45 : 39.45
18. Didi Baxter 14.39 : 40.02
19. Paul McCann 15.03 : 40.13
20. Damian Hillen 14.20 : 40.25
21. Paul Cheshire 15.30 : 41.00
22. Myles McCourt 11.50 : 41.26
23. Shane McCourt 13.30 : 42.34
24. Shane McKeown 18.50 : 43.08
25. Ken Behan 15.54 : 44.37
26. Michelle Bagnall 16.10 : 46.40
27. Bridgeen Mallon 17.18 : Swim only
28. Denise Mathers 18.10 : Swim only

Many thanks to Paula for helping with the timekeeping and to the lads who did a great job marshalling out on the course. Also, a big thankyou yet again to Paul and Lorraine for the post race refreshments.

Next stop is Castlewellan on Saturday for the Mourne Triathlon.Good luck to everyone taking part.

McCrystal wins the Beast of the East

Bryan McCrystal won his second race in as many months on Sunday winning the very tough Beast of the East in Wicklow in a time of 2:12:40. He posted the fastest bike and fastest swim along the way to winning 1 min 33 ahead of James Davenport in 2nd and Peter Kern in 3rd.

It was a great Day for other Setanta athletes also, Karl Kildea finished 8th in a time of 2:20:14, Gerry McCabe 10th in 2:21:45, and Johnny McCabe 23rd in 2:28:41.

Full Results can be found here

JJB 10km Results

Well done to all who competed in the JJB 10km Run on Saturday helping to raise money for The Birches Cancer Charity.

View the results here

Muckno Mania Triathlon Results

Results can be viewed online here

Full Race report and photos coming soon

Tommy the Bikes Camlough Aquaton Results

Good conditions returned for the start of the club's aquathon series, with almost 30 competitors turning up to improve on previous times.

Setanta's Karl Kildea was first out of the water in a rapid 10.30, over 2 minutes clear of the next competitors, Oliver Harkin, Henry O'Neill, and Niall McCarron. Andrea Stefkova was next out of the water with an ever improving swim time, and led the girls by almost 2 minutes.

Out onto the run course, and Kildea increased his lead coming home in a time of 29.11. Harkin opened up a lead, coming through in second place in a time of 33.07, with Henry O'Neill and Niall McCarron following close behind.

Denise Mathers, although disappointed with her swim time, worked hard on the run and moved up 5 places into 1st place, coming home in a time of 45.59. Paula Boyle and Andrea Stefkova, gained second and third place less than a minute behind. Both Roisin McGorman and Leah O'Hare had strong runs which saw them coming home in 4th and 5th.

Following the aquathon, a lucky dip prizegiving was kindly sponsored by Tommy the Bikes. With great triathlon prizes such as Aero Bottles, neoprene swimming gear, goggles, body glide, there were a good few happy people heading home. Obviously Tommy the Bikes in Dundalk is a great place to head for all your triathlon needs.

Swim Overall
Karl Kildea 10.30 29.11
Oliver Harkin 12.41 33.07
Henry O'Neill 12.43 34.03
Niall McCarron 12.39 36.35
Mick Dunford 15.43 37.21
Niall Carroll 15.52 38.32
Shane Haughey 16.23 38.49
Kevy Lynch 16.34 39.17
Mo McGivern 16.40 40.12
Brendan O'Hagan 16.26 40.18
Ciaron O'Connor 15.52 41.06
Paul Cheshire 16.00 41.15
Gerry Patton 16.31 41.50
Billy Campbell 18.59 43.59 1 run lap
Paul O'Neill 16.34 44.49
Gerry Henney 15.27 45.15
Denise Mathers 20.10 45.59
Paula Boyle 17.45 47.02
Andrea Stefkova 14.45 48.09
Ollie Pheelan 16.00 48.53
John White 19.26 50.09
Roisin McGorman (?) 20.02 54.49
Leah O'Hare 24.51 60.19
David O'Prey 15.15 -
Catherine McGrath 16.00 -
Stephen Morgan 16.00 -
Pearse McKeever 16.00 -
Linda O'Hare 17.20 -

Full Results in Excel Format

Achill Roar Triathlon / Adventure Race

Those not going to Kenmare check THIS out, should be a chacker !!!!

New Event: Achill ROAR - Ireland's newest outdoor multisport event.

The race will be held on the magical and beautiful Achill Island on Saturday 12th September 2009.
It is a multisport event designed to cater for both experienced and lesser experienced sports people and also those with a specialist discipline such as running, biking, swimming or paddling.

The categories for the Achill Roar are:
Sports Solo
Expert Solo
Expert Relay Teams
Relay teams can be composed of either 2 or 3 persons sharing the 3 disciplines.
CHECK OUT WWW.ROAR.IE FOR DETAILS.

JJB 10km Run Saturday 25th

JJB are holding their annual 10km run on Saturday 25th At 12pm.

Registration is from 7pm - 9pm on Friday evening and from 10am on the Saturday morning. Cost is €15 for non members of JJB and all proceeds are going to the North Louth Hospice and there will be food after the race.

There is a BBQ on the evening for competitors in the Crown Plaza, similar to what took place there after the Blackrock Triathlon, cost is €25.50 for food and your 1st beer, tickets can be bought at JJB reception and numbers need to be confirmed before Wednesday.

Marshalls are required, so if anyone who is not doing the race and has some spare time, Contact Barry on 087 203 0086

Charity Swim Omeath to Warrenpoint 26th July

Dundalk Sub Aqua Rescue Club are holding a charity swim on Sunday 26th of July at 1pm.

The swim is from Omeath to Warrenpoint and is open to all abilities, there will be lots of resuce boats and kayaks to help you on your way and you can wear wetsuits if you want to.

We are enouraging members to do this if they can as the Sub Aqua Rescuse Club has helped us on many times during our events over the years. Entry is €20 and the local charities benefiting are the North East Hospice, The Birches and the Senior Citizens.

There is a fun day on in Omeath all day, so when the swimmers arrive in Warrenpoint they will be brought back to Omeath by the Sub Acqua Rescue Club, so it should be worth all the effort!

Three Setanta Men Complete Swizz Ironman

Niall Casey, Stephen Carroll & Adrian My Nally completed it the Swizz Ironman today in Zurich, with two of the lads posting fantastic sub 11 hour times.

After training together all year, there was serious bragging rights up for grabs for Niall and Stephen, it was very close, with only 15 min 19 seconds seperating them, so who gets the bragging right?

Stephen Carroll

Swin: 1:13:50 Bike 5:32:49 Run 3:44:38 Total 10:36:52

Niall Casey

Swin: 1:14:30 Bike 5:38:32 Run 3:55:33 Total 10:52:31

Adrian McNally

Swim: 1:17:08 Bike 5:36:23 Run 4:50:41 Total 11:51:25

Well done lads, great performance

Setanta Athletes Ironman Reports

IRONMAN 2009 Season Kicks Off – Austria and Germany 

So the training miles swim bike and running were finally tested weekend gone by, just as a note the avg training time for Ironman preparation would be in the region of 14 hours per week. Setanta had four athletes in action, Owen Martin in Germany, Ronan Carey, Mary Laverty and Liam Dolan were in Austria.

Owen Martin on his return to Frankfurt course posted a fantastic sub 10hr Ironman this is a true testament tot eh dedication and effort Owen has put in over the last 3-4 years of Ironman racing. His overall time of 9hr 52 mins with an exceptionally fast bike split of 5:08 for the 180km. Owen is delighted with his result and we are sure already in the planning stages to lower his time again.

Meanwhile at the same time in  Klagenfurt, Austria Ronan Carey the exiled Munster man was proving his IM experience with a very steady days racing to come home in 11:57. Ronan has hopefully enjoyed his time since joining the club and will no doubt keep up the excellent training and dedication. Mary Laverty once again claiming a title on the day as Irelands First woman home in 11:56 a very impressive time and one Mary is absolutely delighted with, hopefully when things settle down Mary will once again be a force to reckon with on the Irish circuit.

So then it was left to one man to prove himself, well prove himself he has done and beyond in fact, Liam Dolan finished in a mind boggling for the ordinary racers among us, 9Hrs 2mins. Yes that’s right 9hrs 2mins for 3.8km swim, 180km bike and 42.2km run. Competing in his first ever Long distance Triathlon Liam managed 2nd in his age category, and an amazing 25th overall. So to put in to perspective there are paid full time professionals and these filled approx 20 of the 24 spots ahead of Liam. The 2nd place category gives him an opportunity to take part in the World championships in Hawaii in October this year.

Also in addition to these plaudits Liam now claims the Irish Record for the Ironman Tri distance. So really all that can be said is well done from all in the club and you deserve a morning in the Home bakery.

Setanta's Liam Dolan breaks Irish Ironman Record

Setanta's Liam Dolan broke the irish Ironman record today in Klagenfurt, Austria in a time of 9:02:48. His time was good enough to finish 25th overall and 2nd in his age category which is an excellent result beating a host of professionals at the same time.

Liams Slips were:

SWIM 1:09:24 BIKE 4:41:45 RUN 3:11:57 OVERALL 9:02:48

Liam wasn't the only Setanta Athlete in Austria today, Mary Laverty and Ronan Carey took part in the race also, their splits were:

Mary Laverty:

SWIM 1:14:20 BIKE 5:49:49 RUN 4:36:51 OVERALL 11:56:41

Ronan Carey

SWIM 1:14:51 BIKE 5:56:15 RUN 4:33:46 OVERALL 11:57:28

Meanwhile, over in Frankfurt, Germany, Owen Martin unleased his new P4 to the ironman course and finihsed in a time of 9:54:52, Owens Splits were:

Setanta Race Report from The Hell of the West

Race Report from Kilkee - The Hell of the West, 1500m swim, 45km bike, 10km run

The 25th Kilkee, Hell of the West was held on Saturday. The race was designated as the National Standard Distance Championships. Limerick Triathlon Club had put in every effort into the race organisation and it showed on the day, with a great display of how to host a National Championships. Of the few elements that were beyond control the most important, the weather, decided that glorious sun shine was the order of the day, and for the first time in a number of years the wind and waves of Kilkee Bay did not present themselves. If there was a Club Prize once again we probably should have got it no other club had such a turn out in the top 15.

Don’t let anyone ever tell you Ireland is a small place – 6 hours journey on Friday to get to registration for 9 pm, although it has to be said the sunset out over Kilkee bay on Friday evening actually made the journey worthwhile, Johnny reckons best he has seen since his days of chasing Mary in India. Saturday morning and the mist was lifting 20 mins to First wave out and the heat was sweltering in transition.

Crystal clear waters and calm currents left for an unusually enjoyable swim. Then onto to find out why its named the HELL of the west the bike was a climb for approx 5-6km then can only be described as undulating from there on. But as usual the club speed machines made light of this posting 2nd and 3rd on the bikes. Bryan getting very close to the agricultural world on the bike namely John Deere and Gerry discarding the Water bottle for the down hill at the 30 km mark.

The weather was warm but the breeze was hiding the heat, onto the run and more HELLish features 3 km of climb before the normal people like myself could actually start running instead of shuffling. But it has to be said the coastline scenery was breath taking well that’s my excuse anyway Niall Ivory seemed to be happy enough to take it in also. As can be gathered from the club results we had a fantastic day out and all very happy with results, Quality was in abundance. First sighting of Karl was on the Run so we were delighted then to realise we had 3 in the top 15.

Probably very lucky in the fact that we had a glorious day but you take what’s put in front you. Hands up to Limerick Tri fantastic race and organisation in place. Also a note to the Newry lads thanks for all the support as the lads and support crew were there in numbers. Although they did try to interrupt Johnny’s sleep in the B+B but as most know at this stage that’s a hard thing to do. Questions were also been asked about the Legend and his racing attire he seems to forget his club on the day must be feeling the pressure of securing the Columbia sponsorship rumour has it that the t-shirt has not come off since Blackrock

View Setanta's Race Results here

Columbia Carlingford Olympic Tri Open for Entries

Columbia Carlingford Olympic Tri - 22nd August 2009

Setanta Tri are proud to host one of Irelands fastest and most scenic Olympic Distance Triathlons again this year in
the medievil village of Carlingford Co. Louth. Here you will find all the information you will need for the race including:

• Race Entry
• Swim Courses
• Bike Course
• Run Course
• Transition Map
• 2008 Results
• 2007 Results
  

Race Entry

All Race entries are through Active Europe, to enter, click here and fill out the online entry form.

Entry is €35 for TI members, €50 for non TI members. The race is also open to relay teams

Race Route - The Swim 1.5km

The Swim is two laps of a 750 meter course in front of Carlingford Sailing Club

Race Route - The Cycle 40km

The Cycle is 2 laps of a "mostly" flat course. Once you leave transition its straight out the road to Greenore for a turnaround, from then its out to the Bush for another turnaround taking in a few small inclines, back into Greenore, back to Bush and then back to transition

Race Route - The Run 10km

All Flat, straight out and back 5km to Greenore and 5 km back, a nice easy finish to your race!

Transition

Past Results

2008 Race Results - Carlinford Olympic Distance Triathlon

2007 Race Results - Carlinford Olympic Distance Triathlon

Co Louth Hosts another Triathlon

June 17, 2009

Pulse Triathlon Club are hosting the first ever triathlon at Clogherhead, Co. Louth, on Saturday 8th August this summer. The race will be the short (or ‘Sprint’) distance race, comprising of a 750metre sea swim off the sandy Big Strand (aka Port Beach), followed by a 20km cycle and ending with a 5km run. The race is ideal for beginners because of the fast cycle route and flat run course. The Club is designed for beginners and so their members, and those of local volunteers, will be out in force to make sure all competitors have a safe and enjoyable race.

The race is open to individuals or relay team entries for anyone over 16, so if you are not up for all three disciplines, why not bring a friend or two! Register now before entries close on 10 July!For more details go to www.pulsetri.com or email pluserace@gmail.com

http://www.pulsetri.com/Content.php?AID=78

McCrystal wins Camlough 2009

June 15, 2009

Setanta Athletes took 3 of the first 5 places in the 2009 Camlough Triathlon with Bryan McCrystal winning by 1 second in a sprint finish to the line in a time of 55:54, Liam Dolan came in 4th in 57:37 and Karl Kildea came in 5th in 58:22.

As usual with Camloigh, there was glorious sunshine and with 52 athletes from Setanta competeting on the day, the club was very well represented with many dong the race for the first time.

Race results can be seen here

Photos from the race can be found here, thanks to Kevin Hamill for these!

Setanta Felda 10km Results

June 11, 2009

Results for the Setanta Felda 10km Fun Run on May 16th are now available by clicking here. Apologies for the delay.

Columbia Blackrock Tri Results

June 07, 2009

Well done to all competitors who took part in the race yesterday, after the rain for the past two years our luck is bound to change next year.

Full Race Results can be found here

Results by cateory can be found here

And those of you who competed in the 2008 race, here are the results to see if you improved or not!

Click here to view the overall results

Click here to view the results by category

Lost and Found

June 07, 2009

Fogra, A few items for the lost and found section from Saturdays race

Ladies Wetsuit was taken by mistake Short leg and Short arms type. Rack Number 193 so if you were around that location in transition can you check your kit bag.

Also in the vicinty of 103 and 104 a helmet was lifted by mistake so if your missing a helmet we may have it for you.

Drop us a mail web@setantatri.com

The Columbia Blackrock Tri - Online Registrations are now closed.

You may have noticed a name change on this year's race. This is due to the club having secured a major sponsor in the form of Columbia Sports and Outdoor Clothing. More details to follow

The Columbia Blackrock Tri Sprint Triathlon will again take place in the picturesque village of Blackrock, Co. Louth on Saturday June 6th with an 11:30 start.

This fun event will incorporate a beach start for the swim section of 500m followed by 16km bike and 6km run. 

Entry is €35 for an individual Triathlon Ireland (TI) Member a single day race licence of €15 is required for all non-Triathlon Ireland members.

Relay entry of €60 per team, team to consist of 2 -3 individuals per team, where the €15 Single Race Licence will apply to each non-TI member of the team.

Registration Desk will be open from 7 - 9pm on the Friday and from 8:30 to 10:30 on Saturday. Setanta Tri members and competitors living nearby are asked to register on the Friday evening.

A limited amount of Entries will be available at registration on Saturday morning Please be early if you intend to use these places.

Post race showers are available for competitors.

For a map of the course please click here

Preparations underway for Blackrock Tri

Beach being cleared and getting ready for the race on Saturday, are you ready?

Great Success in Athy for Setanta Tri

May 31, 2009

Well done to all Setanta Athletes for their great performances in the Athy Triathlon, specail mention goes out to Gerry "Ironman" McCabe who won the Sprint Distance in a time of 58:17, not bad for an ould fella in a fled of 1010!

The McCabes couldnt keep out of hte news, Dec made it into the Irish Time photogallery of the event!
see the images here

Full Results, Report and more photos to follow soon

Ironman Lanzarote - Some Man for One Man

May 25, 2009

Gerry McCabe completed Lanzarote Ironman on Saturday with an excellent time of 10 hours 59 Mins and 4 seconds. He finished 206th overall and 35th in Age Group.

Swim 1:16:22, Bike 5:49:01 Run 3:44:20

Congratulations Gerry, Ronan has paid for a cup of tea and some carrot cake for you in Aqua.

Austria 70.3 - Results

May 24, 2009

Results are in from Austria. Full report and photos to follow.

Gents

Ladies

Race Report - Fingal Tri

May 20, 2009

Five club members travelled to Dublin for the Fingal Sprint Tri held in the National Aquatic Centre, once the scene of an infamous case of Cattle Rustling, more anon.

Competitors faced all four seasons in one race with equal amounts of wind, rain, hail and sun on the day. The race was organised into five waves with mixed abilities in each to spread out the field. Gerry Kenny was first setanta clubman in, 66th, in 1.17.35. Hot on his heels was Celine Mc Philips 2 minutes later, 80th, in 1.19.48, with all the hard training paying off so Gerry had better watch out.

Next home was Sean Byrne who said there was nothing he likes better than being out on his bike in a hailstone shower with bare arms. He finished 131st, in 1.23.44. Ciaran O'Connor was next clubman home, 151st in 1.26.04 and was happy to get his first tri under his belt .

Nuala O'Donaghue in only her second tri was next, 239th in 1.41.06, and out of a field of 300, is pretty impressive stuff. Oliver Harkin also had a great race finishing 17th, in 1.10.00.

This is a really well run race in a great facility for all levels of athletes.

First Duathlon - Large Turnout

May 18, 2009

There was a great turnout for the first Duathlon of the year. 31 (du)athletes of all levels in total took part and it was great to see so many members giving their time marshalling the event which went off without a hitch.

It was also great to see so many competitors wait around to encourage those finishing further down the field - myself included.

Full Race Results shown here

67 compete in 10km Run

May 17, 2009

67 entered yesterday's Felda Setantatri 10km run on a wet and blustery day. Despite the conditions competition was tough and many personal bests were turned in. Liam Dolan headed the field and full results will be posted in due course. Thanks again to all who marshalled from CuChualainn and North East Runners.

Upcoming Club Races

May 07, 2009

Results to follow

Setanta Annual 10Km Saturday 16th May - Felda
Registration 9:30 to 10:30am
Race 11:00
Showers/T-Shirts/Refreshments for all competitors
€10 Setanta Tri or Felda members, €15 Non Members

Get out and support club events.
Check out the Events section for this year's Club Training and Race Calendar.

Belfast City Marathon

May 05, 2009

SetantaTri member Lisa Connolly competed in yesterday's Belfast City Marathon and finished in a fantastic 4hrs 3mins. Well done Lisa congratulations from all at the club.

Aero Dynamic Opportunities Await the Brave

May 05, 2009

This is the best way possible to make those aero gains for the season ahead. The Ladies from Felda Spa will be warming up their Wax pots on Friday evening in the Claremont Blackrock. Along with a house raffle and some excellent Tunes to ease the pain way. All proceeds on the evening in aid of Cystic Fibrosis Ireland.

If your brave enough the Aero-Dynamism (What a Word) Starts at 9pm Sharp. Word has it the ladies have seen it all before so literally anything goes if your brave enough. Backs, Cracks and Slacks to be removed before hand and you thought you knew what was next. GO on you know you want to!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

First Ever Female winner of A Cuchulainn League Race

May 01, 2009

Cuchulainn Cycling ran their first Race of the Season Last night. The Club Decided this year to try and cater for all and paid special attention to the Handicapping of the groups and also brought in a womens only group.

Setanta Tri Member Jolene Mellon conquered all comers and took the race. Congratulations to Jolene the winter miles and the odd spin to Galway obviously paying their Dues.

Scratch riders have been upstaged many times by Group 2 and 3 riders But Jolenes win is the first ever by a female in the League so well done again from all in Setanta.

Silverware in April

Hopefully a sign of the season ahead, Setanta got their first silverware of the season yesterday at the National Duathlon championships in Donegal. The club had too reps headed north, Barry casey put in a solid performance to come home in just under the 2Hr 30 mark.

But like Saturdays grand national there is no such thing as a form book in the Mc Cabe ranks. Gerry blitzed the course to come home in Second overall less than 1 min behind. Gerry was untouchable again on his two wheel express leading out of T2 and only missed out to David Graham once winner on Blackrock Tri and also a dedicated Runner. Gerry took 1st in age group with a sizeable gap back to a few near rivals

The standardised distance for this event was 10k/40k/5k.

DKIT 10km run

Dundalk IT are organizing a 10Km run next Sunday 29th March.  All information on the event is on www.dundalkrun.com <http://www.dundalkrun.com/>
 
If you have any questions or require further information they can contact Karen Shields on 086 164 1482 or karenshields1432@gmail.com <mailto:karenshields1432@gmail.com>  

Race Around Ireland

Ireland is getting its own Race Across America-like ultra-endurance race in September with the inaugural 1,350 mile Race Around Ireland Challenge. The non-stop event will loop around the country past some of Ireland's most famous landmarks and cross the country's highest mountains with 23,000m of lung-busting climbs.

"This is designed to be one of the most gruelling cycling challenges in the world," read a statement from organizers.

The course will not be closed to traffic and will have no aid stations. Racers will have to arrange their own support. It will start and finish in Navan, Co. Meath and travel through no less than 22 counties. Some of the highlights of the course include Newgrange, Giants Causeway, Malin Head, Connemara, The Burren, Ring of Kerry, Mizen Head, Carrick on Suir, the Wicklow Mountains, not to mention Castlebellingham, "The Rock". "da Town" and the Cooley Mountains.

The race is sanctioned by the Ultra Marathon Cycling Association (UMCA), which has placed the event on its International World Cup Series. It is the second longest event in its calendar after the legendary Race Across America.

Solo, four-person and eight-person teams may compete, and solo racers will be required to ride at least 22 hours per day for four days. World number one ranked cyclist Caroline van den Bulk of Canada has already signed up.

The race is being organized in association with Navan Road Club and the Irish Sports Academy. For more information, visit www.racearoundireland.com.

Connemara marathon 2009-03-22

That jewel in the running calendar that is the Connemara Half & Full Marathon once again called the members and friends of Setanta Triathlon Club to the wild west to a course that meanders past bogs, hills, lakes, and the Twelve Pin mountains rising up over the great expanse of Killary Lough, through the quiet village of Leenane, around the Maam Turk Mountains and all the way back up up up to Maam Cross.

With registration over our main attention was set on food and to find a big screen for the match. Ireland V. Wales for the Grand Slam. The Laverty wanderly wagon eventually arriving by the scenic route, together with an experienced adventure racing navigator, that is one David McKeown, on board. Just as well the course is way marked tomorrow !!! Yes, a 61 year wait for that elusive Grand Slam was the entertainment during some fine Italian dishes, Peter Tomany even downing a pre-celebration pint of Guinness. A wonderful match diverted the talk of BP’s and ‘what do you hope to do’ questions. A superb meal and game and result were served up but the celebrations would have to wait.

Gerry and the Boyler (Shane from Kells) had a head start on the rest of us as they headed for the earlier start of the full Marathon. The first serious question of the day being asked by the Bán an Ti, ‘How do you like your porridge ? They wanted it done ‘the way their Mammy’s make it, was the reply. For the rest of us, we just enjoyed a light breakfast, although it nearly killed Ray O’Shaughnessy to pass on the ‘Full Irish’ having paid for it as well. Others like Mary La thought the B & B a bit expensive and hoped to get a discounted rate by bringing all her own food !! Main topic of conversation from the less experienced runners was ‘I don’t know what to wear’ shorts, longs , bikini’s were suggested with the added advantage that nobody would pass them !!. With all this talk of what to wear, some people just couldn’t make up their mind and decided to go ‘Commando’ more about that painful episode later !
With the half marathon route travelled in reverse by bus, to the start in the village of Leenane in the heart of the Bull McCabe’s country, it gave us a flavor of the challenge before us. A home away from home, shall we say, for one or two of the extended party.

With the last words of encouragement from the race director to have a safe race and to have fun, (Remember to smile Mary), it was off on our 13.1 mile odyssey to the glory and finish at Maam Cross.
 
Performance of the day has to go to one of the Bull’s, Gerry McCabe posting his first ever marathon time of 2:55, coming in a fantastic 4th position overall. Question is would he have passed Joleen if she had decided to wear her bikini, one wonders. Gerry is still wondering !!

The Boyler, Shane Boyle moved up a notch from last year to claim 2nd overall in the marathon in a brilliant time of 2:46. Five minutes off last year’s time. He was really only 3rd, as the guy that beat him last year wasn’t running !!                                    Next up was the adopted Bull, Niall McCabe, as he ghosted over the tarmac like a Barn Owl at dusk on the prowl, he powered his way up Heartbreak hill to finish in 1:21:45, yes a PB. The NE runners will be proud of ya lad.JohnnyMc, who always seems to have food still on his plate when everybody else is finished, was next to take line honors in another PB of 1:23. Sporting his new Bike-Pure kit and runners, Ray O’Shughnessy was in the leading top 10 ( that’s out of 3000 runners folks) at the 3 mile mark. As the race wore on, having gone ‘commando’ something else was wearing. He was heard to say ’Oh I wish I had have borrowed Jolene’s Bikini bottoms !!  Ok then, you try running in the top 10 with one hand stuck in your pocket for the last 5 mile of a thirteen miler. After all that was said and done, yes folks another PB, 1:31. The navigator himself David McKeown (1:33), another BP no doubt, had a very steady run, catching up with Ray at the 7 mile marker, giving the poor chap a near heart attack saying that it was great to be at the 7k mark already. Jarleth Farmer who rode shotgun in the orange mobile overcame a threathing leg injury to capture a great time of 1:37. Peter Tomany completing his first half marathon, and totally enjoying the experience, in 1:42.

First of the ladies to appear was, Mary Laverty showing some fine early season form, coming in, in a time of 1:35 closely followed by sister Sinead in a magical time of 1:39, surly this had to be yet another PB.

            It was then the turn of the Dawe sisters, question was, could they be separated ? In her eager quest to get a first class seat on the bus to the start Breda nearly caused a riot throwing some sweet disguised rib jabs, shots that Bernard Dunne would have been proud of !! However, on the way up to the start they did indeed get separated, not finding each other until the 4 mile marker. And that was the way it was to remain all the way to the finish line, encouraging each other up heartbreak hill, and with the finish in sight..........what’s this, none of this holding hands crossing the line ...., out from the slipstream, Annette catches Breda off guard and cruises ahead to take line honors in a marvelous time of 1:44, Breda closely following a mere 2 seconds later.

And finally, Jolene Mellon showing all the nervous anticipation of her first half marathon, insured all would complete the course in a sub 2 hour time(1:59:04), once it was decided what she was to wear. Oh why didn’t I give Ray my bikini bottoms or wear them myself and then I would have stayed and finished ahead of Gerry !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 
Yes folks Connemara is indeed a jewel in the Running calendar. The secret of this unique event is a secret no longer. So in this regard we would all be grateful if you could tell both Brian and Ronan that entries for 2010 are now open. Slán Abhaile.

 
Connemara Full Marathon 2009 results:

 
2nd Shane Boyle M Full-senior-male 2:4:37

5th Gerry McCabe M Full-VET- male 2:55:06 2nd Vet

Connemara Half Marathon 2009 results

 
Niall McCabe M Half-Senior-Male 1:21:44

Johnny McCabe M Half-M40-Male 1:23:02 2nd VET

Ray O’Shaughnessy M Half-Senior-Male 1:31:49

David Mc Keown M Half-Senior-Male 1:33:03

Mary Laverty F Half-Senior-Female 1:35:35 6th female

Jarlath Farmer M Half-Senior-Male 1:37:17

Sinead Hearty F Half-Senior-Female 1:39:36

Peter Tomany M Half-Senior-Male 1:43:50

Kevin Hamil M Half 1:44

 
Annette Dawe F Half-Senior-Female 1:46:36

Breda Dawe F Half-Senior-Female 1:46:40

Jolene Mellon F Half-Senior-Female 1:59:00

Nuala o’Donoghue F Female 2:25

Cycling training programme to Commence

Cycling training programme to Commence

A re-introduction of the very popular cycling training programme that was introduced last year will start on March 22nd in Felda at 9am, and will run every Sunday morning for a further 8 weeks. The routes will cater for cyclists of all abilities to include beginners and those preparing for spint, olympic and Half Iron-Man events. The programme will begin with a talk, on March 22nd, covering the following areas: 

 
What you should wear - No Borat G- Strings

The talk will be followed by a training run/cycle to determine appropriate training groups and arrangements for the following week. All are welcome.

Local Club Notification

www.localclubsireland.com

The idea behind the website is that in modern Ireland there are so many people who have settled in new areas in recent years. For these people it can be intimidating and hard to find community outlets in their new home town. A central database listing all clubs around the country will be of great use to these people. In addition many others from all walks of life will find the website useful (parents, students, recently retired etc.)

DkIT Mini Marathon (10Km)

Students of DkIT have organised a mini marathon for Sunday March 29th. It will start outside of Dundalks Institute of Technology front entrance at 2:00pm and is being held in aid of the North Louth Hospice

The 10Km route will leave DkIT and go along the bypass and on to the Blackrock Road and head towards the Point Road and back to the College along the bypass.

All are welcome (not just students) visit their website www.dundalkrun.com

Cost is €10.00 paid in advance or €15.00 on the day.

Help urgently needed...

Cuchulainn Cycling club are hosting a race on Sunday 15th March.  They badly need marshal's, lead cars, help with registration and tea/coffee servers. 

Registration opens in Dowdallshill at 9am.  Junior race starts at 10am with all other categories starting at 11am.  All should be finished up around 2pm.  We need as many volunteers as possible to assist with this race. 

A lot of effort goes in to organising races but they cannot go ahead without marshals.  Every athlete in the club should take a turn at marshalling so please try to spare a few hours on the 15th to help out.

Please contact Alan Gray on 0871205616 if you are available.

TriAthlone is now open for entry

Waterways Ireland triAthlone 09 has now opened for entry 

Date: 18th July 2009

As part of the build up to EURO 2010 a new Olympic Distance Course has been added. This is a limited participant race, so you will need to register quickly!  The Irish sprint distance triathlon championships is being hosted there again this year. Thats 3 years running.  The event will be covered by RTE at 7pm on Monday 20th July, yet another chance for some of our setanta triathletes to get their mugs on the telly!!

 http://www.triathlone.com/index.php?id=44

Congratulations

Congratulations to Mary Laverty, Liam Dolan, Gerry McCabe, Johnny McCabe and Aaron Conway who all received awards at the Triathlon Ireland Awards ceremony.  Well done!!

Sperrin Duathlon Cookstown

Last weekend Setanta member Barry Casey headed North for the second in the Sperrin Duathlon series in Cookstown.  The Duathlon consisted of a 2.5 mile run, a 10 mile cycle and a 2.5 mile run. 67 Athletes turned out on the day.  Barry put in an impressive performance taking 18^th place overall in a time of 1 hour 12 minutes and 6 seconds.  Well done Barry!

Run1         Trans1      Cycle         Trans2       Run2         Finish 

00:17:11  00:01:18   00:33:54   00:01:17   00:18:28   01:12:06

Orders for Club Gear '09

Orders for Club gear are now been taking in "Tommy The Bikes" Earl st Dundalk. The Company that supplies the gear have advised us to use the '08 Brochure. The staff in "Tommys" have some pieces available for sizing, if anybody is unsure about sizes if its a first purchase please ask on the message boards or ask around for someone that may have the size of garment you are looking to try. Given our order is going in so late this year it will not leave much time for re-orders to make it back in time for the season.

We intend to have all the orders listed and sent to the supplier by March 10th so please make it your business to get in to the guys. Alternatively for a view of what the supplier can provide us with please go to http://www.impsport.com/direct/index.php you can download the Forms of here and leave in the shop.

Any further queries on the gear call Tommys on 042 933399 or e-mail me on ruaidhristewart@gmail.com

Triathlon Ireland Awards

Club Members are poised to sweep the tables at the Triathlon Ireland 2008 Awards ceremony in Portlaoise on Feb 28^th. The club is well represented in the winner’s enclosure at Junior, Men’s and Women’s categories for Sprint, Standard and Middle Distance events.

Aaron Conway, one of the clubs youngest members, in only his second year of competition, finished second overall in the National Championships 16-19 year old Sprint distance category. 

Club stalwarts, Gerry and Johnny McCabe will each pick up two second place awards at standard and middle distance after a very competitive year. Gerry missed out on first place in the middle distance events to Newry Triathlon member, Peter Savage in a year that saw them regularly swap positions at the business end of the leader board.

Liam Dolan secured a National Championships first place in the 25 – 29 age group.

But this year’s star member is without doubt Mary Laverty who collects silver in the National Series along with silver in the National Championship. And to wrap it up, she also finished third overall female athlete for 2008, a fantastic achievement.

Setanta Triathlon club would like to offer its congratulations to all the prize winners and to all who took part and represented the club at the many events throughout the country and abroad. Here's to another successful year  

Good results from Pheonix Park

Last Saturday, two members of the Setanta Tri Club decided to brave the chilly weather and dodge cupids arrows in the Valentines Day "Cupids Dash" 10km charity race which was held in Dublin's Pheonix park. 

Over 600 love hungry athletes took part in what was reported to be a tough course.  There was no sign of cupid on the day but the Setanta boys didn't let that hold them back.  Both athletes achieved PB's 

Derek McEnteggart - 39:55

Barry Casey - 44:20.

Well done lads!

Irish Duathlon Championships

http://www.northwesttriclub.com/

Irish Duathlon championships anyone thinking of doing this, good incentive for club prize top 3 from each club counts. Check the link for info

Cupids Dash

On Saturday 14th Feburary, a number of Setanta athletes plan to take part in the Cupids Dash which is a 10k run around Dublin's Pheonix park.  The race starts at 10am and participants have been warned to watch out for flying arrows... don't wear your heart on your slieve for this one!

Full details and online entry: http://www.cupidsdash.ie/index.html 

Diamond Quest Ireland : A Multi Sport Race to Win £10,000 Worth of Diamonds

Hundreds of sportsmen and women from across Ireland and Great Britain are expected to hit the Carlingford and Mourne Mountains this May in a multi sports race with thousands of pounds worth of diamonds up for grabs.

The race, which is being organised by Adventure Ireland and Causeway Coast Adventure Racing on behalf of the African Schools Trust charity, will aim to raise funds for a feeding programme to nourish 1000 teachers and school children in the slums of Nairobi for one year.

Competitors will start off from Carlingford in County Louth with a hill run through the beautiful Cooley Mountains and along a forest path, followed by a short kayak section from Omeath to Warrenpoint and finish with a bike ride through the heart of the Mournes sweeping down to the sea at Newcastle in County Down. But its not just first across the finish line who’ll receive prizes, there are 4 diamonds to be won, as charity patron Lucy Jaffa explains:

“To give everyone the opportunity to win one of our diamonds, we’ll be allocating one for those in the top 50, another for the next 100 and a third diamond for the rest of the competitors. Plus there’ll also be an extra diamond to be won by any competitor or guest at the after party that night in O’Hare’s bar in Newcastle, where we’ll sneak a diamond into a glass of champagne! It means you don’t have to be the fittest to win a diamond, and you’ll still have fun taking part.”

Everest climber Hannah Shields, who is supporting the event said: “Taking part in a race like this will give competitors such a fantastic buzz of adrenaline as well as the great feeling of helping so many needy children in Africa.”

For those wishing to enter the race, which takes place on Saturday 9th May 2009, the fee is £80.00 (which includes tshirt, post race party and refreshments). For further details contact Lucy 07734083533 or Ivan 07866416550 and check out the website at www.diamondquestireland.com

Triathlon Ireland AGM

The Triathlon Ireland 2008 AGM will be held on 28 February 2009, commencing at 11am. The venue for the meeting is Portlaoise Heritage Hotel, Town Centre, Portlaoise, Co Laois.   For further details and agenda, please visit the following link:

http://www.triathlonireland.com/article.php?story=20090123133038166

AGM Setanta Tri Club

We had an excellent turnout at our annual meeting on Thursday 8th January. A crowd in excess of 70 heard how the club has gone from strength to strength in the past 12 months.  Johnny presented his secretarys report and congratulated everyone on a memorable year. Particular praise went to our Ironmen ’08 Owen, David and Anthony. Also to Celine who was the clubs only representative on the Irish team in the world championships in Vancouver.

Gerry presented his treasurers report showing the club to be in a healthy state.

The election of officers saw the top table returned en bloc

Chairman :        Alan Gray              Proposed N Casey

                                                 Seconded  M Laverty

Secretary:        Johnny McCabe      Proposed P Kelledy

                                                 Seconded  M  Bent

Treasurer:         Gerry McCabe        Proposed D  Conway

                                                 Seconded M Bent

PRO:                Gareth Duffy          Proposed: N Casey

                                                 Seconded: R Gogarty

Social Secretary:              Denise Conway

Membership Secretary:      Brian Cafferty

Ladies Officer:                  Celine Mc Phillips

Ethics for Children:            Mary Laverty & Michelle Kelly

MEMBERSHIP 2009

It was agreed to increase the annual membership to 30 euro. Members will get a goody bag on joining.

CALENDAR 2009

Blackrock will be held on Sat Jun 6^th and Carlingford on Sat Aug 22^nd.   A date for the X-Terra has not been decided yet.We will also hold our duathlons, the Felda 10k, the JJB 10k & many other events.  It was decided to elect a race committee for each of the races, the committees will be made up from the following volunteers:

Alan Gray, Brian McCrystal, Colin Cooney, Mary Laverty, Gerry McCabe, Johnny McCabe, Michael Bent, Paul Thorpe, Brian Cafferty, Niall Casey, Barry Casey & Ruairi Gogarty

AOB

Four of our members kindly agreed toattend the training weekend for race delegates.  They are Aidan Connolly, David Myles, Gavin Ward and Ronan Byrne. Gavin & Ronan will attend the Leinster training while Aidan and David will attend the Ulster Training weekend.

We are going to hold a childrens triathlon/duathlon in spring, a committee was elected to look after it. The committee is Mairead Clarke, Barry Rafferty, Brenda Gallagher, Michelle Kelly, Mary Laverty and Brian Cafferty.

The meeting ended at 10.15pm

Gym with Johnny

The first of our training tips series focusses on core strength. Choose a session to fit your schedule - 30, 45 or 60 minutes. 

Check back regularly for more in the series....

Swim with Johnny

Bike with Johnny

Run with Johnny

and finally the highly awaited nutritional series 

"Cream Buns, Triathlons and Me" - by Caffo

Download Gym with Johnny here

Making 2009 your best season ever.

Almost one month over – hard to believe.

So what are you doing to achieve your goals this year?  

Get to it – join in the group training sessions….the clock is ticking… 

Monday - Training at the Bush Running Track – hail, rain or shine 8:30pm

Wednesday Intermediate Swimming Lessons – Aura

Saturday Morning Cycling – Meet Felda at 9:00am

Saturday Beginner and Advanced Swimming Lessons – Felda 6:30pm 

Contact Brian for more details….

2009 Setanta Membership Application Form

The 2009 Setanta Application Form is now available to download by clicking here or on the link on the right.

There is also an application for for the CYCLING IRELAND at a discounted rate for Setanta member, this form can be downloaded here

Happy 40th Birthday Ronan Green

One of the clubs oldest and original members turns 40 today, we would like to wish him a happy birthday and wish him all the best in the future competing in the Veterans category in all his future events. Here is a picture of him looking his finest from his first ever triathlon in Blackrock in 2004.

And for those of you who don't recognise him in photo here he is this morning beside the banners and posters his lovely wife organised to be put up on the main street in Blackrock.

Happy Birthday Ronan!

AGM - Setanta Tri Club

The Annual General Meeting of the club is to be held in the Felda Complex, Dublin Rd, Dundalk.                                                                                                      Thursday 8th January 8 p.m. Sharp.

Can all members please attend there is approx 70+ members. Anyone with even the slightest of interest in putting on a pair of runners, goggles or sitting on bike are very welcome.

Membership for 2009 will be open from the night of the AGM €30.

Christmas Party Menu

The Menu for the Christmas Party, which is on in the Claremont, Blackrock on Friday,5th of December at 8pm can be found here. The price is €40 and you must leave money and you menu choice for Brian in Felda or Barry in JJB

The Cross Border Triathlon - YOUR CLUB NEEDS YOU !!

 Details for Saturday's event as follows:

Registration 8am Felda Health and Fitness centre DUblin road Dundalk. Swim 8:30 am Felda. Cycle 10am Felda to Castlbellignham and Back. Run 11:30 Long womans grave area Cooley mountains. Soup/Sandwiches and showers to follow event in Carlingford sailing Club. Times subject to change accordingly with running times on the day.

Get your ass out on saturday to compete or marshall no excuses

On Saturday November 8th we are holding the first cross border triathlon between Newry Triathlon Club and Setanta Triathlon club. This is a fun event aiming to create a relationship between our two clubs. However it has great prizes which will be won by a wide range of athletes.

Race registration takes place between 8am & 8.15 on the Saturday morning in Felda Fitness centre, Dundalk. At 8.15 we will make a draw to establish teams, it will be based as follows:  If there are 20 people from each club then we will have 10 teams of 4 with two members of each club on each team. We will seed the top 10 established athletes as best we can and make them team captains. We will then randomly draw the rest of the team. If for example Gerry McCabe was a captain he will be joined by one fellow Setanta member and two Newry members.

The teams will then tog out for the swim, this will be 400m (16 lenghts of the pool). The 4 members of each team will swim at the same time, their time will be the accumulated time of all 4 members.

When all teams have completed the swim we will change and head to the Bush junction on the Dundalk/Carlingford road. The cycle will take place here. The route is an out and back course to the turnaround point at Greenore( The one used in the triathlon). Again the time for each team will be the combined time of the entire team. If for whatever reason someone is unable to finish we will allocate a time to them, probably slowest plus 1 minute.

We will then have a breather and head up the long womans grave for the run. It is a 5k looped run ,off road. Again the combined time will be taken.The winners will be the team with the fastest combined time over the 3 disciplines. The winners will recieve gym membership/personal training.

There will be showers availabe in The Carlingford sailing club after the event, We will also have the prize giving here and soup and sandwiches for all. There is a nominal fee of £4/5euro to compete. We would encourage everyone to enter who can, if for any reason you can't compete we could do with a few marshalls. This is ideal for beginners as there is a break between each of the disciplines and despite the great prizes is purely a fun event. If you can't do 16 lenghts walk some off them : if you haven't cycled 15k before then try it on November 8th and if you can't run 5k walk it, I know I will be !

Just to explain the team doesn't have to stick together the faster /stronger athletes can go on ahead but if staying and encouraging your team mates will get them to the finish quicker maybe that is the way to go ?

This event is being run in conjunction with Newry& Mourne Council, Louth County Council and in particular Niki McAlinden- Minority sports officer  I know its not the time of year for triathlons but a lot of work has gone into putting this event together so lets get out and support it, you never know it could be you, Liam Dolan, Bryan McCrystal and Ross Collins !

Its Back.......not to be understood........only to be challenged

http://www.mud-madness.com/

After the interesting photos and stories that surfaced from the inagural race in March. Mud Madness is back for anyone looking for something that you are unlikely to have expierenced before. No matter what you think you may enjoy or may think you are good at this event will test all. Should be considered for an outing that is not to be missed.   THe Link below will give a full run down on event and what you can expect.

http://www.mud-madness.com/info.html 

Ironman Story to follow

http://www.taranolan.net/

What would probably be the biggest race of any aspiring Triathlete's career. Go to the link above to follow on what exactly the weeks leading up to the Big one would entail. For anyone not sure of the background Tara has actually gained qualififcation for Hawaii twice this year via both Ironman races in Aus.

PS: Tara is originally from Just up the road in Drogheada and went to school with Celine also.

Model Duathlon 27th September Bessbrook

Images from this event are available to view at www.jgalway.com <file://www.jgalway.com>
Choose client galleries along the top bar and model duathlon images is the first thumbnail
Thanks,
Jacqueline Galway

Worthwhile Challenge.

A friend of a club member lost his bother due to a rare illness last year. In his memory and for charity there is going to be a cycle from Stackallen, Meath( just outside slane) to Tourmakedy, Mayo( 20 miles from castlebar). It is 144 mile. Arrangements will be made as to how we get home!

There is also motor bikes doing this run and it is a race who gets there first. 10.00am departure for road bikes and 2.30pm departure for motor bikes.

There is four guys doing it at the minute and have set themselves a target of 6-7 hours averaging 21mph.

I was hoping a crew of lads will hop on board and give them a dig out.

Already I have 3 more bodies and with a few more it can only be easier!!

If you want to call me my number is. 0872204870 or bryanmccrystal@gmail.com

JJB 10K Fun Run

The results of the JJB 10k Fun Run can be viewed here...

1.9k Swim 93K Bike 21k Run - Why? Because you can!

Was the appropriate Slogan being used by the Organisers of the Half Ironman Race on Saturday in Groomsport Co Down. A Total of 10 of the Certified crazy from the club headed north for the over night stay. All was looking good as the sun set over the North Down Peninsula, The Legend that is Johnny Mc Discovered an Italian restaurant that was to all tastes including those with the sweet tooth. No Names as if I have to any way. Interestingly Johnnys last Half Ironman was in Sligo in 1984(The author of this was 7yrs old), Saturdays race was a first Half Ironman Distance for Ruaidhrί, Karl, Decy and Gerry who surprise surprise made lite of this..

Anyway Saturday Morning arrived and with it the unbelievable, the forecasters had it right dry day light winds and sun to break later. Never mind this craic of racing June, July August wait till September for best day. All on the Beach for the hooter at 9am the swim proved longer than expected with many reckoning on a 2.3k swim. First out the water for the Team in blue, was Bryan Mc Crystal although there was a stewards inquiry just before the Team photo as to his allegiance but he clearly stated its true blue not the Orange he is currently sporting through sponsorship. The ever reliable Brian Cafferty was next onto to the beach and heading for transition.  Liam was next up showing his early morning swims to be paying off. Liam was questioned earlier about his Setanta colours???

Next Up for all was 3 loops of a bike course that was not on closed roads and a near miss to Gerry Mc had De Ja Vue in Clanbrassil St for a moment. Liam and Gerry posted the Second and Third fastest of the day on the Bicycle all the more Admirable as the first place was overall winner a Pro from Finland or somewhere over that direction. The sun was breaking through on the last lap of the bike.It was the bike section that told most peoples story for the day Brian Cafferty sat at the side of the road for 15mins at the start of the bike for a tutorial on fixing punctures, and also was winner of best falling of the bike prize for not hurting himself. Ruairi Gogarty again found out that his Tubs do not like his Rims unfortunately it spelt the end for Ruairi after a promising Swim and well in the pack on the 2nd lap of the Bike. Ronan Greene who like Liam was completing his second Half Ironman in a week cruised around the 3 laps saving all for his blistering run.

The RUN, now in blistering sunshine with no winds, we thought it was a run but it could best described as an Army training course. From grass to Tarmac to Dunes to rocks to Beach it was certainly one of thee most challenging runs that any of us have had in a tri, closer to the CLEC would best describe it. But of course did not stop the show. In actual fact it seemed to spur most of us on.  Result of the day probably would have to go to “An Capaill Dubh” i.e. Black Beauty, Niall Mc Cabe the quiet one of the Club stuck to his task quietly all day and managed to finish third for the Club behind Liam and Gerry.  

Overall Result as per club members, Liam Dolan 2nd, Gerry Mc Cabe 8th, Niall Mc Cabe 33rd, Johnny Mc 40th, Ronan Greene 73rd, Brian Cafferty 101st, Ruaidhri Stewart 108th, Declan Mc Cabe and Karl Dolan Exact same time in 123rd. Due to Technicals as mentioned and hopefully not to serious of Injury reoccurrence Ruairi and Bryan were unable to see it out. There serious rumours that this course may become a full Ironman course for next years race, so watch this space. If the organisation is anything to go by this year it would be well worth considering.

PS: Team Prize still Pending Final Results.

Full Results are at: http://www.ireman.org/

MTB For Beginners

For anyone looking for an alternative way to spend their Sunday mornings. Starting at the end of september Michael Laverty (Mickey La) is getting ready to run a spin in order to introduce anyone interested, to Mountain Biking. This will be for beginners and strictly at beginners pace, allowing people to navigate the local trails and find out for themselves the fun involved in Mountain biking locally. It will depend on interest and numbers that show up. The trails will vary from Ravensdale to Carlingford. All at beginners level with technical stuff to follow on.

Giving Mickey's expierence and dedication to the MTB its a very good oppurtunity for anyone thinking of giving the trail cycling a lash instead of the road for a while. Just in case anyone not aware Mickey has just completed the trans Alp MTB race 8 Days of 6Hr days in the Alps. But dont let this put anyone off as the idea is to get more people interested and be able to enjoy the facilities we have on our doorstep.

If your interested please text or call Mickey on 087-6831021

Spins are to commence as Follows:

Saturday 27th September 9:00 am, Lumpers Pub, Ravensdale.  

Recomended Gear: Helmet, 2 Tubes, Tyre Levers, Pump, At least 750ml of liquids-your own preference something isotonic is better than just water, Food - Bars /Gels etc. Suitable Bike for MTB. Suitable gear for the muck and dirt.

Session also on Sunday 5th October Mickey will fill all in about progressive dates from there as he is conquering more Scottish mountains the following weekend.

Lumpers Pub Ravensdale, is probably easiest to get to by heading out the Carlingford road of the M1/A1 Roundabout, Take the Left at Fitzpatricks bar and its approx 2 mile on the Right hand side to the Lumpers.

Best of luck to all taking part should be some good spins and plenty of craic invloved.                              

Two More Fine achievements for Club Members - Ironman UK

Congratulations from all in the club for the fine achievement of two more Ironman Medals for Club Members.

Anthony Mc Gurk 13:30 :15

David Myles 13:08:07     

The lads solitude from the local racing scene has paid dividends for them going on their results.   The hills and raods around stamullen will be safe for another while

Well Done Lads.                                                                             

Results from Carlingford Triathlon

275 Competitors turned up on the shores of Carlingford Lough for the 2008 Carlingford Olympic Distance Triathlon and the race was a great success with local athlete Bryan McCrystal picking up his second win of the season in a time of 1:55:21, with Shane Scadding second 1 min 33 seconds being and Newry athlete Peter Savage 3rd a further minute and 14 seconds adrift.

In the ladies race, the honours went to Eimear O'Brian from Northwest Tri in a time of 2:10:11, second was Keira-Eve Mooney from Belpark in 2:12:42 and 3rd was Setanta's own Mary Laverty in 2:13:05.

In the relay category, the crack local team Plug & Company led by the man himself Plug Watters won in a time of 1:52:38,  second was Team Think Pink in 2:01:36 and third was Team Swad Squad

Full Results can be viewed here and if anyone has any photos of the prize-giving / race or event in general email them to web@setantatri.com and we'll get them online asap.

Congratulations to all finishers and a big thank you to all the organisers, marshal's, Carlingford Sailing Club, the local Garda and anyone else who helped out, see you all again next year.

There are two videos from the Triathlon on YouTube here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wBKu7i70vDE

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CN8sTuJQ328

Thanks to Niall McAlinden for these.

Carlinford Race Briefing

With only 2 days to go, entries are now closed for the 2008 Olympic Distance Carlingford Triathlon. Forcast for the day is blue skies & no wind, so its sure to be one of the fastest races of the year.

The Race briefing can be viewed here, the only major changes from last year are that there is one wave start, and the bike is now 2 laps of a 20KM course.

See you all on Saturday

Camlough Aquathon

The final race of the mini series took place in Camlough tonight. Results will be availble shortly.

Photos of the race can be viewed here... 

Carlingford Triathlon 2008

Good luck to everyone taking part in this weekends Carlingford Triathlon. Maps of the swim, run and transition area are available below. A map of the cycle route is to follow shortly. Please click on the following links to view:-

Run Course...

Transition Map...

Dublin City Triathlon

The Dublin City Triathlon took place today in the Phoenix Park. Almost 400 individuals and 19 teams took part with only one representative from Setanta taking part. Congrats to Niall McCabe on his impressive time of 2:12:06. The overall title was won by David Graham in a time of 1:48:07.

Full results can be viewed here... 

Setanta - Carlingford Olympic Triathlon 2008 - 30th August

Entries for the Olympic distance race close wednesday 27th. Use Link below

All club members please take note if not competing please Marshall, also anyone competing it is hoped that you can supply at least one marshall. The course has its potential to be a great one but we do need the marshalls to ensure its safety.

One thing, anyone with a Child of Prague statue get it out now and start praying the weather might actually be favourable this year. It does not stops us, but it would be nice for a change especially after blackrock.

The start time is 12:30 pm Saturday 30th August, Carlingford Sailing club
Registration will open at 10am on the morning of the race
Cost €40 Ti Members,

Non Ti Members subject to ODL €15

Race Entry is Now Open

http://www.activeeurope.com/Events/EventDetails.cfm?E=64463&Lang=EN

Entry will close on Wed 27th August.

View Swim Course | View Cycle Course | View Run Course

Where is Carlingford?

Lough Neagh Triathlon 2008

Congratulations to everyone who took part in the Lough Neagh Triathlon yesterday in what has to be said was some of the worst weather of the year. With worries of the stormy conditions making the swim impossible- organisers decided that to move the swim to the nearby marina which shortened the swim to 1200 metres. Flooding hampered the bike section and run section and made the triathlon that bit more difficult for everyone taking part. A great day was had by Setanta members with many top places being taken by our triathletes.

Brian McCrystal took the overall title in a great race with Mary Laverty and Eve McCrystal being the 2nd and 3rd fastest women on the day. Gerry McCabe was also in the rankings with a 2nd in his age group category and taking 8th position overall.

Full race results can be viewed here...

Race photographs can be viewed here...

Loss of a Good friend.

Folks, On the evening of 12th August, the club lost a good friend. Mr David Mc Caul Former Irish international cyclist, and Owner of Sport Active the travel company we have been using for our warm weather training over the past few years, shockingly passed away as a result of an accident whilst taking part in a club league race just outside Belfast. Not much more can be said only that he was a Giant of a Gent a very good to anyone that was lucky enough to know him and able to avail of his vast expierence and coaching.
Our Thoughts are with his Family.

May he Rest in Peace.

Change of Date for Charity 10K Run

Please note that there has been a change in date for the JJB charity 10k fun run in aid of cancer research. The new date is September 6th. This is due to road works being carried out in Blackrock and the road closures.

Look forward to seeing you all there.

Castlewellan Triathlon 2008

Castlewellan Triathlon 2008

Castlewellan triathlon took place today in the Castlewellan Forest Park. 400 competitors turned out to compete in the Olympic distance event where the both the sun shone and the rain poured down! Setanta members turned out in force and had a very successful day with Liam Dolan coming 3rd both overall and in the Ulster Championships, Mary Laverty was placed 3rd in the Ulster Championships and 4th over all, and Brian McCrystal was 3rd in his age group category. Many of the club's members were trying their hand at their first ever olympic distance event and some great times and personal bests were recorded by all.

Results have not been published yet but will be up on the site shortly.

Photos of the day can be viewed by clicking here...

Camlough Mini Series - Round 2

There was a huge turnout for the Camlough mini tri on Wednesday night! The McCrystal family had a great day with Brian winning overall with 1minute 30 seconds to spare and Eve took the womens title of the evening. A big thank you again to the Newry Triathlon Club for another well run and marshalled event. The mini series continues next week.

The results can be viewed through the link below, the bike time includes T1, while the run time includes T2.

See the results here...

Charity 10K Race for Cancer Research

JJB are hosting a 10k road race for a great cause on Saturday 23rd of August, starting at Bay United football field and finishes the roundabout at JJB. The 10k course through blackrock is mostly flat  and walkers, joggers and runners are all welcome to enter. 

The race starts at 12pm and registration is from 10 am at the JJB reception. The race entry is 10 euro and sponsorship cards are also available also. Refreshments will be  provided after the race and showers and changing facilities are available on site.
 
JJB have asked if anyone not participating could offer some help marshalling all help would be greatly appreciated.

Camlough Mini Series - Handicapped Swim Results

The results of last Wednesdays handicapped swim in Camlough which was run by Newry Triathlon can be viewed by clicking on the link below. This was the first installment of the Mini Series which will continue this Wednesday at 7 (sign in at 6.30) with a mini tri. (see the entry below on this page for full details).

Handicapped Swim Results...

The Crooked Lake Mini Series Returns!

Gerry the Cuchulainn Warrior

Gerry McCabe was crowned ‘The Cuchulainn Warrior’ after winning the Carlingford ‘Cuchulainn
Warrior Triathlon hosted by the local Setanta Triathlon Club.

The start was on the Carlingford Sailing Club slipway for this the first off/road triathlon of the season. The triathletes had to swim 400m before exiting the water and mounting their mountain bikes for a 10k bike, with a very tough single track section in Slieve Foy Forest, after overcoming a savage steep hill out of the village. Some competitors arriving with road bikes not quite sure what an off/road triathlon consisted of. They were soon to find out. Gerry McCabe went into an early lead on the bike and was to hold it to the finish of an 9k run to take the trophy in a time of 1h 23m.

Surly an event that has a great future in the area. Thanks to all the marshals out on the course and to Carlingford Red Cross, the local Garda, Carlingford Sailing Club, and Dundalk Canoe Club for their assistance on the day.

1st Gerry McCabe 01:23:36

2nd Niall Somers 01:30:06

3rd Niall O'Briain 01:40:29

4th David Dollard 01:41:02

5th Tony Kelly 01:43:10

6th Kevin Lynch 01:46:11

7th Derk McEntegart 01:46:35

8th Jacqui O'Hagan 01:48:02

9th Niall Casey 01:49:30

10th TommyBrowne 01:53:21

11th Paul Whately 01:55:36

12th DannyMurphy 01:57:46

13th Barry Casey 01:58:08

14th Niall Ivory 01:59:25

15th Sean Kalleher 02:00:36

16th AnthonyMcKenna 02:00:51

17th Cian O'Dorherty 02:02:30

18th PatrickMcMeekin 02:08:52

19th Michael Duffy 02:11:32

20th Paul Taylor 02:16:47

21st CiaranMcDonnell 02:18:08

Wicklow Tri promotes "Beast of the East Triathlon"

Wicklow Triathlon Club invites you to tame the beast.
 
There are some places left, so don’t miss out on your chance to take part in the inaugural 53 Degrees North “Beast of the East” Triathlon. The triathlon will take place on the 19th July 2008 in Lough Dan, Co. Wicklow, just 30 minutes from Dublin.  Situated in the beautiful surrounds of the garden of Ireland, the “Beast” is set to become one of Ireland’s premier races on the triathlon calendar.
So be the first to tame the beast. Log on to www.beastoftheeasttri.com or www.wicklowtri.com for race details and entry. Prizes for male and female in the following categories - overall winners (1st, 2nd and 3rd), fastest splits and age group winners.

Blackrock Lost and Found - Updated

We also have a Blue bike that it looks like fell off the back of a bike rack, so if you left the village heading north with a bike and arrived home without it, let us know, niall@aquaweb.ie

Blackrock Triathlon Results 2008

We finally got the results for the race on saturday...

Click here to view the overall results

Click here to view the results by category

Well done all!

Blackrock Triathlon 2008

Well done to everyone who completed Blackrock triathlon in the wildest weather conditions!

Race report and results to follow.

Some photos of the day can be viewed here...

Official photographs taken by Laurence Dunne Photography can be viewed and purchased through this link from Wednesday 25th June...

Blackrock Tri Course Map

Blackrock Triathlon 2008 Course Map now online.

Click here to view the map in a large version

Blackrock Tri - 21st June

JUst some quick reminders for Saturday's race.

Registration is open from 11am to 1pm it will close sharp at 1pm. It is located at the south end of the village next door to old post office for anyone that done the race before its the same place. Locals please come early for this.

Parking spaces are limited around registration, marshalls will be in place to direct to the deignated car parks - Church, Community Centre, Legion Of Mary Hall. There are shower facilities available at the club rooms of Rock Celtic FC on Sandy lane. This is located next to one of the designated Car parks. So once again follow marshalls for car parking please. This will help the race be a more appealling race to the local residents of the area if all athletes use these designated car parks. Thank you.

The Race itself will have 2 Wave starts you will be given your wave start at registration please adhere to this for timing purposes. Wave 1 is out at 2pm sharp wave 2 will be approx 10 mins behind.

The roads are not closed for this event so please respect the rules of the road and in particular pay attention to marshalls if they make a call at a junction etc etc.

Prizegiving will be held in the registartion area after the race is finished and times are compiled.

Camlough Triathlon Video

A video of Camlough Triathlon by Newry TV with an interview of Setanta member Sandra O'Hagan has been produced.

The video can be viewed here...

UK Half Ironman - Mixed News for the Lads.

The UK Half Ironman Distance race took place today in England the clubs two athletes Liam and Brian had mixed days. Liam whom was travelling with a injury hanging over him was struck with rotten luck on the Bike section, he punctured twice and was forced to retire. there is no worse feeling than having to retire on technicals when all the hard work was done preparing for a race.

However on the flipside of luck, Brian had a tremendous race, coming home in 5 Hrs 6 Mins this placed him 29th Overall and 5th in age category. This result just proves what we all knew Brian has one very bright furture in the Triathlon arena. This is just Brian's third official race. In the position of 29th it was the case that 13 athletes ahead of Brian were Pro's all vying for world championship tickets.

So as a club we can now boast two world class athletes in both Brian and Liam once again lifting the profile of the club beyond anyones expectations. All results and possible more updated story will be available through the week.

Uk 70.3 Sunday 15th June

All in the Club would like to wish Brian Mc Crystal the Best of luck on his maiden voyage on the Half Ironamn circuit. Brian has already proved in his couple of irish races this year that he is at the top of his game after only a very short period of time in the sport. The course in Wimblewall is not for tha faint hearted as several members of the club can vouch for over the last couple of years. Along with Brian will hopefully be the clubs elite athlete for the past few seasons Liam Dolan, Liam has been dogged with a pressing injury scare this year and hopefully can put it to one side to take part in what has been a fantastic event for him in the past having gained qualification for the world championships through this event before.

There will be a few suppporters heading (Mrs Mc Crystal and Miss McCrystal-Casey) over this weekend to fly the flag for the lads and keep there spirits up. So here is hoping that all the dedication will pay dividends.

Best of Luck Lads from all in the Club. http://www.half.ironmanuk.com/

Blackrock Tri Entry Form Online

Download the entry form here (UPDATED)

You can still enter online here via Active Europe

Cuchulainn Warrior Triathlon 2008 - Off-Road Triathlon - ENTRY NOW OPEN

On the 5th of July in Carlingford Johnny will be runnign the Cuchulainn Warrior off Road Triathlon.

500m Swim /12k Bike / 8k Run

Download the entry form here (UPDATED)

Crooked Lake Triathlon 2008

A great day was had by all at this years Crooked Lake triathlon. Over 30 Setanta members took part on Saturdays race. Nerves were high for many and temperatures soared to make this tough event even more challenging but many members still recorded personal best times. Congratulations to the Newry Triathlon Club and the Camlough Festival Committee for a superbly organised race and award ceremony at the Carrickcruppen GFC.

The results are as follows - please let me know if I have overlooked anyone:-

Brian McCrystal : Swim: 11:45 Bike: 28:12 Run: 18:55 Total: 1:00:58

Gerry McCabe: Swim: 14:16 Bike: 27:25 Run: 19:11 Total: 1:02:22

Owen Martin: Swim: 12:39 Bike: 29:07 Run: 19:10 Total: 1:04:04

Graham Townsend: Swim: 13:30 Bike: 30:46 Run: 19:19 Total: 1:05:55

Robert Kinahan: Swim: 14:39 Bike: 30:35 Run: 20:12 Total: 1:08:04

Alan Gray: Swim: 15:36 Bike: 29:12 Run: 21:04 Total: 1:08:17

Niall McCabe: Swim: 14:59 Bike: 30:47 Run: 20:24 Total: 1:08:29

Ruairi Gogarty: Swim: 12:17 Bike: 30:16 Run: 23:35 Total: 1:08:42

Johnny McCabe: Swim: 15:12 Bike: 30:18 Run: 21:10 Total: 1:08:52

David Dollard: Swim: 14:23 Bike: 31:08 Run: 21:44 Total: 1:10:06

Mary Laverty: Swim: 14:17 Bike: 32:45 Run: 21:27 Total: 1:11:01

Paul Thorpe: Swim: 12:50 Bike: 33:27 Run: 22:09 Total: 1:11:49

Niall Casey: Swim: 14:37 Bike: 32:46 Run: 23:08 Total: 1:12:49

Mark Rafferty: Swim: 15:36 Bike: 32:48 Run: 22:28 Total: 1:13:51

Brian Cafferty: Swim: 12:14 Bike: 34:14 Run: 24:52 Total: 1:13:53

Barry Casey: Swim: 16:31 Bike: 31:35 Run: 22:35 Total: 1:14:07

Derek McEnteggart: Swim: 17:45 Bike: 32:47 Run: 21:04 Total: 1:14:26

Gerry Kenny: Swim: 18:35 Bike: 31:42 Run: 21:22 Total: 1:14:45

Karl Dolan: Swim: 17:14 Bike: 29:43 Run: 26:39 Total: 1:16:53

Declan McCabe: Swim: 17:47 Bike: 32:37 Run: 23:49 Total: 1:16:58

Michael Cahill: Swim: 16:07 Bike: 34:58 Run: 22:42 Total: 1:17:03

Linda Meehan: Swim: 14:59 Bike: 37:48 Run: 24:09 Total: 1:19:47

Aaron Conway: Swim: 14:36 Bike: 39:33 Run: 27:20 Total: 1:24:53

Michael Bent: Swim: 13:47 Bike: 39:00 Run: 29:26 Total: 1:26:25

Frankey Hennessey: Swim: 16:49 Bike: 40:31 Run: 25:57 Total: 1:27:51

Eugene McEnteggart: Swim:18:31 Bike:39:09 Run: 28:17 Total: 1:29:46

Liam Baxter: Swim: 20:19 Bike: 35:12 Run: 30:07 Total: 1:30:00

Amanda Kinahan: Swim: 22:46 Bike: 37:58 Run: 26:00 Total: 1:30:05

Mairead Clarke: Swim: 20:50 Bike: 37:30 Run: 28:45 Total: 1:31:24

Claire Maher: Swim: 18:48 Bike: 39:50 Run: 28:39 Total: 1:31:24

Damian Lawrence: Swim: 20:25 Bike: 40:44 Run: 28:31 Total: 1:34:05

Barry Rafferty: Swim: 23:01 Bike: 37:44 Run:31:02 Total: 1:35:16

Denise Conway: Swim: 21:53 Bike: 40:52 Run: 28:33 Total: 1:36:03

Olivia Sands: Swim: 20:03 Bike: 41:05 Run: 31:39 Total: 1:36:33

Rosaleen Crawley Clare: Swim:22:27 Bike:45:45 Run:24:19 Total:1:39:06

Sandra O'Hagan: Swim: 20:52 Bike: 46:07 Run: 33:46 Total: 1:46:25

Liam Dolan: Swim: 12:45 Bike: 26:12 Total: DNF

Full results can be viewed here...

View the photos here...

Duathlon - 3rd June 2008

Another great evening was had by all at the 3rd Duathlon of 2008 with representatives from both Setanta and Newry clubs in attendance.

The 3rd Duathlon results can be viewed here...

The times recorded for all duathlons to date since its inception in 2006 can be viewed here...

Photos of the duathlon can be viewed here...

Fundraiser with a slight push involved

Several members from the club are partaking in the Wicklow 200 event on Sunday coming. However there are are two lads taking part with a slightly un-usual method of transport, well unusual that is to all of us that are now used to carbon frames Dura ace etc etc. Mickey Laverty and David McKeown are taking part on a machine that would be more suited to Postman Pat before the invention of the Red van. Mickey has decided to annoy the people that will actually have trained for this event by passing a few of them on the hilly course at the weekend.

The Members all taking part on the more conventional bikes are Gavan Ward, Robert and Amanda, The Bull Mc Cabes and the Fourth one.

Donations are being gratefully accepted for the Mater transplantation unit.

Mickey would like to take this oppurtunity to thank Mick in Carrick Cycles for the kind sponsorship of the overhaul of the bicycle.

Below you can see the bike in action on a downhill section of the mournes

Well done to everyone who took part in TriAthy!

Last Saturday saw a huge group of Setanta triathletes take part in TriAthy 2008. The weather was great and spirits were high, with several of the members completing their first ever triathlon! With over 500 competitors in both the Olympic and Sprint distances, the club representatives were all well placed on the day.

Unfortunately for Mark and Conor, the run times were incorrect due to them being directed home before running their second lap but Im sure they will be fighting fit for Camlough next weekend to make up for it!

Photos from the day can be viewed here...

The following are the results of the clubs attendees (please let me know if I have overlooked anyone in the list):-

Olympic Distance

Liam Dolan- Swim: 21:44 Bike: 57:59 Run: 36:14 Total: 01:58:08

Brian McCrystal - Swim: 19:24 Bike: 1:01:44 Run: 39:14 Total: 02:02:49

Gerry McCabe- Swim: 25:42 Bike: 57:22 Run: 38:38 Total: 02:03:03

Graham Townsend- Swim: 22:46 Bike: 1:04:54 Run: 41:01 Total: 02:10:32

Johnny McCabe - Swim: 25.22 Bike: 1:04:03 Run: 41:16 Total: 02:12:37

Mary Laverty - Swim: 24:11 Bike: 1:07:57 Run: 43:55 Total: 02:18:10

Niall Casey - Swim: 25:05 Bike: 1:04:40 Run: 46:46 Total: 02:19:25

Niall McCabe- Swim: 27:25 Bike: 1:06:10 Run: 42:29 Total: 02:19:30

Ruaidhri Stewart - Swim: 26:15 Bike: 1:03:50 Run: 50:22 Total: 02:22:51

Colin Cooney- Swim: unavailable Bike: unavailable Run: 49:23 Total: 02:32:31

Declan McCabe - Swim: 30:34 Bike: 1:08:30 Run: 50:40 Total: 02:33:11

Michael Bent- Swim: 26:03 Bike: 1:18:33 Run: 1:08:25 Total: 02:59:04

Frankey Hennessey- Swim: 30:00 Bike: unavailable Run: unavailable Total:03:01:50

Sprint Distance

Robert Kinahan- Swim: 09:30 Bike: 32:29 Run: 22:39 Total: 01:07:20

David Dollard - Swim: 08:51 Bike: 33:31 Run: 22:57 Total: 01:08:18

Derek McEnteggart- Swim: 10:35 Bike: 33:26 Run: 23:34 Total: 01:11:01

Karl Dolan- Swim: 11:29 Bike: 31:10 Run: 28:52 Total: 01:15:47

Barry Casey- Swim: 11:02 Bike: 36:01 Run: 26:28 Total: 01:17:36

Ronan Byrne- Swim: 10:10 Bike: 37:19 Run: 27:30 Total: 01:17:58

Amanda Kinahan - Swim: 12:52 Bike: 37:05 Run: 28:46 Total: 01:23:00

Gavin Ward- Swim: 09:40 Bike: 33:28 Run: 36:30 Total: 01:24:04

Barry Rafferty- Swim: 11:03 Bike: 35:49 Run: 33:56 Total: 01:24:07

Damien Lawrence- Swim: 12:07 Bike: unavailable Run: 30:56 Total: 01:27:44

Conor Crowe- DQ

Mark Rafferty- DQ

Results from the weekend adventures

Ironman Lanzotote 24^th May 08

3.8km Swim, 180km Bike, 42km Run.

Owen Martin   11hr 25mins 21secs  

1:01:37 Swim  6:16:52 Bike   Run 3:48.22

An outstanding performance by Owen given the Increasing temps as the day went on plus the Gael force winds for the complete bike section. Owen's run time is all the more Admirable given that he sprained his ankled exiting the water. "Normal Limits don't apply" 

Half Ironman Austria 24^th May 08 1.9km swim. 90KM bike, 21km run

Stephen Carroll    5:04:11 Swim 38:47,  Bike 2:42:57, Run 1:42:17

Niall Mccabe        5:16:25  Swim 41:17, Bike 2:46:19, Run 1:42:21

Ruairi Gogarty     5:19:19  Swim 31:24 Bike 2:39:48 Run 2:02:09

Ronan Greene      5:28:28  Swim 41:10 Bike 2:48:05, Run 1:52:42

DavidDollard        5:33:10  Swim 36:09 Bike 2:51:05 Run 1:56:37

Niall Casey           5:41:54  Swim 38:41 Bike 3:00:11 Run 1:57:41

Well Done to the lads on some terrific performances, organisers were asking questions when Gogs crossed the line commenting that he is a very big 18yr old as this was the catogery he was entered in. More stories may follow when we have a good aul chat about all the crack over the few days away.

Best of luck this weekend

Report From Saturday's 10K Run

Saturday 17^th May saw the 3^rd running of the Setanta 10 km road run. It was very reassuring to see such a great turnout for the event, with many local fun runners and running clubs supporting the event. We had all levels of fitness from walkers to good club runners. Fortunately the weather stayed dry after a slight scare earlier that morning, in fact the sun came out as the run was about to start to ensure great conditions for the event. From the off the intentions were clear to be seen, with Jim Gonnelly and a small group setting a blistering pace to quickly spread the field. As the kilometres passed the early pace started to show on some of the competitors, gaps were forming and positions were changing quickly. At the front of the field Jim Gonnelly and Brian mc Crystal had got a gap on the rest of the field and it was between 7km and 8km that Jim started to pull away from Brian. This was enough to take Jim home in 1^st place in a new course record of 34.17, another great performance by the master. Brian took 2^nd place in a time of 34.27, not bad for a guy running a little over a year. Third place went to Ugis Karasevs, in a time of 35mins. The ladies section was dominated by Linda Meehan, with a strong run from the start, finishing in a time of 46.02 Second lady home, with a fantastic performance in her first 10km run was Sinead Hearty in a time of 47.46. Third lady home after a close battle with her sister was Breda Dawe in a time of 52.09. There were lots of individual battles going on throughout the field, jostling for places right to the finish line and P.B.’S being set by many competitors.

Again as in previous years we had lots of first times taking part in the event, so a big well done to everyone for taking part and making the event such a success. With thanks to Blackrock Gardai for their support on the day, The Red Cross first aid crew, all the marshals for their hard work and the Management and staff in Felda Health Fitness for their help and use of the facilities on the day. One for your diary next year!!

Full Results are available by clicking here

Fingal Sprint Triathlon - 18th May 2008

Congrats to Annmarie Gaynor and Colin Cooney who completed the Fingal Sprint Triathlon today.

Their times were as follows:

Colin Cooney- Swim: 16:43 Bike: 38:08 Run: 21:28 Total: 1:19:08

Annmarie Gaynor- Swim: 16:58 Bike: 44:03 Run: 22:48 Total: 1:26:28

Blackrock Triathlon 21st June - Entries Now Open

Blackrock triathlon on 21st June at 13:30 is now open for registration on Active Europe.

To Register for the Triathlon click here 

The Course will be the same as last year, 500m swim in Blackrock, 18km Cycle to Castlebellingham and back and a 6km run around Blackrock.

For those of you trying to beat you time last year you can see results and photos here:

Full Race Results | Before Race Photos | Swim Photos | Cycle Photos | Run Photos | Post Race & Prize Giving 

See you there! 

Setanta 10K

Setanta annual 10k run is taking place tomorrow.

Registration at Felda Complex 10am race start 12pm €10   

Course:

Start:Dormer Bugalows on Dublin rd, fairways, left at greengates, cocklehill, blackrock main street, take a left at Butchers up sandy lane, take right on to rock road, then take a left at rock road junction towards crescent, out past the golf club, round bad bends take left at Loakers over to Heinz, take left toward crowne plaza, left at Pj's junction, straight up old dublin road, left for golk links, Finish at Felda gates.

There you have it nice easy 10K.......................... Hopefully have maps of course at registration for anyone unfimiliar with it. Remember all sign on money goes to charity. 

Tri "N" Swim - Swim Lessons commencing May 21st.

Following on from their recent qualifications as affilated swim coaches, Mary Laverty and Aoife Mc Court along with Myles Mc Court are planning to run a further course of lessons in Aura starting 21st May. While these classes are not strictly run by Setanta the coaches have given preference to anyone from the club to sign up, places are limited on a first come first in basis. The coach to pupil ratio is excellent and if the winter pool training is anything to go by these lessons are to be considered by all. Details below from Tri "N" Swim

Tri 'N' Swim school starting Wednesday May 21st. 

Lessons and coaching for adults and children. Children from 6.30 - 7pm and adults from 7 - 8pm.  Childrens lessons restricted to 6 per class. 

For more details please contact

Aoiffe 00447790196792.

Mary 0876423142.

Myles 00447841877277.

Duathlon - 06th May 2008

There was a great turnout for the 2nd Duathlon on Tuesday. Congrats to all who took part and improved on their previous times.

Results can be viewed here

Setanta Christmas Party 2007 Photos

Santas Little Helpers have been deep in discussions through many gruelling commitee meetings to try and agree on which photos were to be selected to be shown on the website. Santa had great pleasure in choosing the final set of photos.

He ask asked me to point out that Santa is not responsible for any incriminating or embarassing photos that may have found their way to the Setanta website...

View the photos here

Up and Running - Newry

If anyone was interested we could tie it in with a swim in the lake.

Time Trial 29th April Images

Images of the time trial can be found here...

Thanks to Maria O Sullivan for here excellent photography skills!

Dolan starts season with a bang

After a long hard winters training Top local Triathlete Liam Dolan showed his immense talent in a star studded Lisbon Half Ironman. The warm portugese weather only slightly hindered Liam as he set a personal record and probably a national record over the 1.9 k swim, 90k cycle and 21k run. Dolans time of 3hrs 57.25 is an incredible time which saw him finish 24th behind a host of world champions and olympic hopefuls.

His swim of 30.06 was followed by an amazing 2r 8 mins over the 90k course averaging over 42k per hour and then finished with a half marathon time of 1.16.33, this is a fabulous time in a stand alone half marathon never mind following a tough swim and cycle.

Dolan will compete in Ireland over the course of the next month before heading back to the UK halfironman to defend his title.

Details for 2008 Cycling and Time trial Leauge

http://www.dundalkcycling.com/league/2008_League.htm

http://www.dundalkcycling.com/league/2008_Time_Trial_League.htm

Attached to the two links above are the dtails for the 2008 Time trial and Road racing Leauges Organised by Cuchulainn / Setanta. Full requirments to race, maps, schedule of races and start times along with details of handicaps are all included. If you have trouble with these links go to www.dundalkcycling.com and in the column on the right had side of the page you will see the Links for 2008 Leauge and the carrick cycle TT's

Thanks to Karl and the guys in the cycling club for organisition to date hopefully all races will be well supported by both clubs and continue to promote the sports in the area.

Correction to TT League

Please note there is a clerical error on the Time trial League

It is due to start Tues 29th April not  Today 24th as stated The spreadsheets will be updated to reflect this.

Dutathon Results

The 1st Duathlon of the year was a great success with 24 athletes competing. We have been ensured that there will be a full race report online tomorrow, although if Utd lose theres not a hope of that.

View the results here

View Photos of the Event Here

Cuchullainn CC Announce Dundalk Cycling league details

Carrick Cycles Time trial League will commence on Tues April 29th.

FPM League starts Thursday May 1st

Full Details will be posted on www.dundalkcycling.com

We will try to keep the Setanta page updated with same information.

Duathlon Series Commencing this evening 18:30 Sharp - Felda

The Setanta run Duathlon series is commencing this evening First competitior sets off a 18:30 sharp. It will be started on a handicap basis most likely in intervals of 30secs to 5 mins depending on ability and experience. The race is open to all.

The run is a 2.6k loop leaving Felda Complex(Transistion) heading towards Sextons take a left at sextons pub then a left for the old golf links road and back to Felda complex then a 16k cycle same as blackrock tri to castlebellingham and back and then a repeat of the run loop. Felda have once again kindly agreed to the use of the car park fopr transistion so all competitiors and spectators are asked to respect the use of the facility is still open to members.

Setanta would also please urge all competitiors and spectators to observe extreme caution on the roads as they are not closed to traffic, in particular the old golf links road outside felda has proved a bottle neck in the past as some public drivers do not care what is going on only that they live in the area so should not be inconvined in anyway. Best of luck to all taking part and anyone that is not please lend a hand with marshalling.

Calender of Events

The Calender of Events is now back online, due to, eh, technical difficulties it was removed for some strange reason.

You can download the calender in PDF format and Excel format so you can personalise to your own training and events.

Warm weather - Not yet

For of all of you thnking we are basking in the sunshine out here, sorry to dissapoint you. We had thuder storms last night and two of the three groups got soaked today. But spirits are still high as the Spa and wellness centre has a strict no clothes policy for the Sauna, thankfully this is not enforced for the ice baths or the lads would be finshed. The so called cheap airlines made their usual killng on the over weight bags and the extortionate prices of the T and Coffee. As per usual messers Gray and Mc Cabe are leading the charge on the road ably assited by rest of the scracth. Group 2 is a lot more conservative with a long term goal of finshing the 6 days training intact. The coffee and bun brigade are flat out checking the latest addtions to the spanish market. 90Km was the average covered by all today with a good split of all three disciplines due to start tomorrow. Bed early now for all and hoepfully no winds howling through the corridors tonight. 140 km planned for bikers tomorrow. The hotel catering department has already had to send for supplies based on the first day at the evening sitting hardly surprising considering avg visit to the counters was proabably 5 per person per course. Hopefully back to you tomorrow evening with the latest.

Club End of Year Tour

We were considering an end of year trip for anyone interested. The proposed trip would be to Royan on the west coast of France. The flights would leave Saturday Sept 13 from Dublin to La Rochelle, returning on Tuesday 16th of September. At present the flights are 100 euro return. The reason for going to Royan is that on Sunday September 14th the Royan Triathlon takes place. There are 2 races a Sprint triathlon and a Super sprint.

The sprint is 750m sea swim followed by a 22k flat cycle and a 5k run. Royan is famous for its long sandy beach and this is where the run takes place. This is the appeal of the race in France and it makes it quite tough. Wetsuits are allowed in the swim. The Super sprint race is 350m sea swim, 11 k cycle and a 2.5k beach run.

We have been in contact with the triathlon club in Royan and they would love for some Irish triathletes to compete in their race.

The proposed accomodation would be mobile homes in the nearby bois-soleil campsite. Anyone who hasn't been to a campsite in Europe need not panic as they have fabulous facilities ,including swimming pools, restaurants , bars and many sporting facilities. A mobile home must be rented for a week saturday to saturday and costs 180euro for 4 people sharing. Therefore if anyone wanted to stay for the week they are more than welcome. The campsite can be seen at www.bois-soleil.com

Therefore the cost per person is about 145 euro before transfers/car hire and getting our bike boxes there.

The cost of the above would depend on numbers travelling. It is about 60euro return for a bike box. We would then have to hire a van to transport them to site and some cars or just hire a bus. The alternative is for someone to take a van on the ferry with the bike boxes onboard. This would mean leaving on the Thursday(11th) and returning on Tuesday 16th. If anyone was willing to do this his/her trip cost would be split between others going. That would be about 50euro if there were 10 interested in going.

The race date has changed recently and now clashes with groomsport half ironman, originally it was scheduled for previous weekend so apologies to anyone affected by the date change.

If you have any interest in going or finding out more about the race or trip please post your name on the message board under club news.

Second swim session draws to close

Monday 8th January brought the second swim training sessions to an end. Many thanks to Myles, Aoife & Aaron for their excellent help and assistance over the previous 10 weeks. These sessions have definitely brought everyone on and will allow so many more people compete in triathlons this year. The results of the time trials can be found here.