National Inter-clubs XC

emerald007

On this sunday in the phoenix park. Anybody know the start times? Predictions for the individual or team prizes?. I'm assuming its a raheny/rathfarnham battle for men's team competition.

http://www.donoreharriers.com/home_nav_32.html

Stupid_Private

emerald007 wrote: »

On this sunday in the phoenix park. Anybody know the start times? Predictions for the individual or team prizes?. I'm assuming its a raheny/rathfarnham battle for men's team competition.

http://www.donoreharriers.com/home_nav_32.html

Men's Team I can't really see past Clonliffe. I think they had a new runner who came 2nd in the Intermediate. Add him to last years winning team, led by Kenneally and I think they'll wrap it up with a lot of points to spare. 2nd/3rd/4th to come from Raheny, Rathfarnham and DSD.

TheRoadRunner

I think Rathfarnham have a few injuries so may not make top 3 this year. Clonliffe would be my favourites as well. Don't know the full DSD team but could they sneak into the medals ?

I won't get out to see this on Sunday. Have to head off for the day. I'm raging I love the interclubs and the lap it's been run on this year is great from a spectating point of view. Was run here back in 1993 (I think) when Noel Cullen won, savage race. Actually Clonliffe haven't had an individual winner since, maybe Mr Kenneally can rectify this!

chez-moi

Lads is this open to all clubs. Wouldn't mind taking part if I can rustle a few of our club members together. The only thing I'll be winning is the cup of tea in a tent afterwards. Which is the best part.

brutes1

Open to all AAI reg clubs.
Late entry at this stage, but should be ok, the competition is graded by club standard - see attached for the lists - , if you get a team together at all in the lower grades theres a chance of medals to be picked up, believe me its damn hard to get 4 fit men out!! The standard is high,as it should be for nationals, but there are races within races look at it that way...

http://www.athleticsireland.ie/content/wp-content/uploads/2006/05/inter-clubs-2010-entry-form.pdf

jinka

Race is very tough. A lot of lads haven't the bottle to run it. Its THE top cc race in Ireland so hopefully we will have a decent turn out. Last year was pretty poor in terms of numbers/teams.

aburke

I'll be there.
Been targetting it for the winter.
Will still be lucky to make anything higher than bottom 5.

shels4ever

aburke wrote: »

I'll be there.
Been targetting it for the winter.
Will still be lucky to make anything higher than bottom 5.

I'd kill to be in the bottom 5 . Best of luck.

shels4ever

Think Clonliffe will take this after that it will be close.

emerald007

Last year was pretty poor in terms of numbers/teams.

Completly agree, you can see the finishing teams here

http://www.athleticsireland.ie/content/wp-content/uploads/2009/03/Inter%20clubxcSenior%20Men09.pdf

http://www.athleticsireland.ie/content/wp-content/uploads/2009/03/Inter%20clubxcSenior%20women09.pdf

In terms of the A, B or C status of clubs, i think it would be better to demote teams who don't complete or defend a title that they won the previous year. In division B, with letterkenny moving up afte last year, i think there will be a good battle between LF and SW, esp after the leinster senior.

I've the same goal as last year try not to get lapped by the leaders.

brutes1

emerald007 wrote: »

I've the same goal as last year try not to get lapped by the leaders.

Think there ll be a few of us in it..!


Hoepfully there will be a good turnout, wonder should clubs be required to field teams for a senior national race by AAI ?? or at least every second year for example . Difficult to do but the prospect of a bigger field would get more people out if you get me....

Hard to see past Clonliffe /Kenneally to win , not sure if Christie/Murray/Connolly/GThornton are running ...

aburke

shels4ever wrote: »

I'd kill to be in the bottom 5 .

Colour me confused?
To achieve this, all you'd have to do is take part.
Or do you mean you can't run that slow...

shels4ever

aburke wrote: »

Colour me confused?
To achieve this, all you'd have to do is take part.
Or do you mean you can't run that slow...

Thats true, but just coming back form injury and the inter clubs would be a bit too big a step now . But will be out there this weekend watching. Maybe we'll have a Boards AC team there next year.

TheRoadRunner

A bit off topic but Dick Hooper has some excellent suggestions for revamping the XC season including moving the interclubs to before Christmas and use them for trials for Europeans instead of intercounties, he also suggests scrapping some national events and shortening the XC season which all makes sense to me.

Maybe something else that could be looked at is the lengthening of the laps run from 2k to 3k/2miles. A lot of people are afraid of being lapped and this could help alleviate some of these fears and in turn increase turn out.

I'm embarrassed to say I've never taken park in the senior interclubs but hope to target it properly next year. Fair play and best of luck to all competing this weekend.

brutes1

Bigger laps would certainly be good idea, nothing worse than the sound of thundering spikes behind you...

How about the womens race, wonder if Mary Cullen will be running it, if not any predictions...

biscuit_addict

TheRoadRunner wrote: »

A bit off topic but Dick Hooper has some excellent suggestions for revamping the XC season including moving the interclubs to before Christmas and use them for trials for Europeans instead of intercounties, he also suggests scrapping some national events and shortening the XC season which all makes sense to me.

Maybe something else that could be looked at is the lengthening of the laps run from 2k to 3k/2miles. A lot of people are afraid of being lapped and this could help alleviate some of these fears and in turn increase turn out.

I'm embarrassed to say I've never taken park in the senior interclubs but hope to target it properly next year. Fair play and best of luck to all competing this weekend.

Would agree with increasing Nat XC lap size, amongst other things, to encourage greater particpation. Other ideas would be free/reduced entry for 2nd teams, better promotion/invitations to clubs to get teams out, perhaps reduced distance 10k maybe, cental location maybe the midlands (mullingar have great xc tradition) and stick to it each year, greater encouragement to get the nothern clubs down to do it etc etc.

This race should be aiming to have 300+ doing it, make a great occassion. I reckon anyone who can dip under say 38min for 10k should be thinking about having a go at it, of which i'm sure there is well over 300 of these in the country.

bazman

Should be a good race - only watching this year as only recently back training. Rathfarnham will be under strength and are unlikely to challenge this year - unfortunate, but hard to do everything. Reckon Clonliffe, Raheny for top 2 & then battle between Tallaght, Crusaders & DSD for 3rd spot depending on who runs.

emerald007

You can see the team in each grades here.

http://www.athleticsireland.ie/content/wp-content/uploads/2006/05/inter-clubs-2010-entry-form.pdf

Tallaght AC in Grade C?

Stupid_Private

bazman wrote: »

Should be a good race - only watching this year as only recently back training. Rathfarnham will be under strength and are unlikely to challenge this year - unfortunate, but hard to do everything. Reckon Clonliffe, Raheny for top 2 & then battle between Tallaght, Crusaders & DSD for 3rd spot depending on who runs.

I know that Crusaders have Chamney racing this year but is that enough to make up an 80+ point gap to third last year? I'm not sure if Tallaght have a strong enough 4 to medal - they didn't get a full team to score in the Dublin seniors. I still think DSD could have a strong team to fight for second or third but what about outside Dublin? City of Derry have won both the Novice and Intermediate - hat trick?!

surfjunky

Showing my ignorance with these questions but do all grades go off at the same time? If so, whats the liklihood of being lapped? How many laps too? Must get someone to take a photo of me just as they're about to lap me so it looks like I'm leading the field ;-)

Hard Worker

surfjunky wrote: »

Showing my ignorance with these questions but do all grades go off at the same time? If so, whats the liklihood of being lapped? How many laps too? Must get someone to take a photo of me just as they're about to lap me so it looks like I'm leading the field ;-)

Just one start. It will probably be 6 x 2K laps with a strong possibility of a number of people being lapped.

Stupid_Private

Hard Worker wrote: »

Just one start. It will probably be 6 x 2K laps with a strong possibility of a number of people being lapped.

It's 6 laps alright. Keith Kelly's time last year would lap me on a 6 lap course.... Roll on Sunday!

surfjunky

Jeebus! If it would lap your time then then I might be lucky enough to see him twice during the race (each time I'm lapped)

Stupid_Private wrote: »

It's 6 laps alright. Keith Kelly's time last year would lap me on a 6 lap course.... Roll on Sunday!

brutes1

Usually ends up on the bottom 20-25 in an average field of 100 getting lapped in this sort of race, depending on course/standard. Not much you can do just dont impede the leaders!. Id say the expected dry weather and the strength of Kenneally et al will lead to a fast run race..??!

Hopefully the good location will lead to a big turnout..

robinph

Only just spotted this was on, I think I'll head along with the camera tomorrow and watch.

shels4ever wrote: »

Maybe we'll have a Boards AC team there next year.

How far down do those team grades go? We might stand a chance in the grade X level by the way some of the people here are talking about getting lapped, and they would likely be lapping me themselves.

shels4ever

robinph wrote: »

Only just spotted this was on, I think I'll head along with the camera tomorrow and watch.


How far down do those team grades go? We might stand a chance in the grade X level by the way some of the people here are talking about getting lapped, and they would likely be lapping me themselves.

Yep but its all about taking part right?

I was lapped in the Novice so i'd lapped by the end of lap 1

emerald007

great race organised by donore today. thank god the cross country season is over for another year. i just seemed to be going backwards for the whole race, but the team came together and we pulled a medal for our effort, avoiding relegation next year is the 12 month goal now!

thought it was very odd the number of club runners who spectated today, and could have been on teams in the race, but for whatever reason the clubs sat it out.

robinph

Junior Mens and Junior Womens race photos have now been uploaded:

http://racepix.com/National-Senior-Cross-Country/racephotos/226/

... senior races to follow ...

robinph

Just for people that may be subscribed to this thread but not the new one in the main forum, here is a duplicate post for you, don't tell the mods...

I've still got another pile of pictures to go through yet, but I've had enough for today so the rest of the senior mens pictures will have to wait until I get round to them tomorrow some time. For now there is this lot though:

Junior Women
Junior Men
Senior Women
Senior Men

jinka

Poor turnout again-needs a change before next year-perhaps one race instead of counties and interclubs.