National Senior Inter Clubs CC 02/03/2014

NiallG4

Not much talk about this. Its on this Sunday in Dundalk. I think there was a proposal to merge the Inter Counties and Inter Clubs recently. Not sure how that went. Anyone? Numbers and quality were down last year imo (98 finishers in mens race, 64 in ladies). Anyone any predictions on likely winners. Can anyone stop Sergui Ciobanu retaining his title?

RayCun

I think there's a motion in to the Leinster AGM saying they should be combined.

McGee not running, so the women's race is wide open

Krusty_Clown

RayCun wrote: »

McGee not running, so the women's race is wide open

Are you guys an athletic club or a fan club?

NiallG4

RayCun wrote: »

I think there's a motion in to the Leinster AGM saying they should be combined.

McGee not running, so the women's race is wide open

I will wait and see how many show up on Sunday before I comment but if it is less than 100, it should be looked at. I know we cant compare to the English CC but look at last weeks start
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XjtW7rX3xSQ. Some spectacle.

Hopefully there are 10 top guys fighting out for the podium and a good fight thereafter for team prizes.

NiallG4

Sorry that was 2013
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=juSlWBx94QU

RayCun

Krusty_Clown wrote: »

Are you guys an athletic club or a fan club?

Michelle McGee is the kindest, bravest, warmest, most wonderful human being I've ever known in my life.

brutes1

Having it the week after Masters and Inters is crazy, was thinking about racing this but after the race last Sunday and long drive up and down the body is shattered.
I hope theres a good field, 12k XC is an epic race. perhaps it should be held a bit earlier as should Masters /Inters - Jan and Feb for the?
And why not make a National cross country league for clubs with the 4 current club national events to count and double points for Interclubs, like the National T&F League

Should be a strong enough field given race location

thirstywork2

Don't think it will be a strong field in either race(no disrespect to any runners)

Joe Sweeney is out,Mark Christie preparing for Rotterdam so not sure there.
Pollock or any of the Annadale boys racing?Are the Mulhare brothers racing?


Sergiu and Mick Clohisey will be hard beaten.

Linda Byrne out still?Britton racing?

brutes1

Sanchez running womens
http://clonliffeharriersac.com/barbara-sanchez-runs-245-in-seville/

RayCun

So help a novice runner out - there's the Novice XC (county, province, national), Intermediate (ditto), Masters, Intercounty and Interclubs, yes? The Novice, Intermediate, and Masters ll exclude some runners, but what is the difference between the fields in the Intercounty and the Interclubs?

brutes1

RayCun wrote: »

So help a novice runner out - there's the Novice XC (county, province, national), Intermediate (ditto), Masters, Intercounty and Interclubs, yes? The Novice, Intermediate, and Masters ll exclude some runners, but what is the difference between the fields in the Intercounty and the Interclubs?

Intercounty has no club competition , interclubs no county competition .....

RayCun

brutes1 wrote: »

Intercounty has no club competition , interclubs no county competition .....

Why not? Don't all the others - novice, inter, masters - have club and county competitions - why not have one race?

brutes1

Very valid point!
I guess traditionally Intercounties has been a Euro cross country trial and Interclubs a world cross country trial and an end of cross season grand finale between best club teams about etc ; Why squeeze an event out that Ireland can do well at internationally team and individual wise by combining, maybe should be a focus on encouraging clubs to support these events as opposed to so many other road races etc. Incentivise them if need be and tighten up the calendar over 4 months .
UK cross country relays could be looked at as a possible change (4*5k or something ) . Or maybe the intermediate needs to be looked at lowest fields in most years .Am probably in a minority but am a great fan of the XC and it is imho a good prep for road seasons/marathons etc

RayCun

I like XC too! But it's a bit strange to have two races at opposite ends of the season, both of which are in theory the main race of the year. Dropping the Intermediates would do more to free up space in the calendar though.

PVincent

Inter clubs is a qualifier for Europe for the winning clubs , so it's a big event for the top clubs , eg Ladies of Raheny , Men of Clonliffe and DSD ( junior level) went to Portugal recently to represent ireland. There is definitely talk of combining iner counties and clubs. You can also throw in the Gerry Farnan because that is used as a trial for picking the international teams at certain levels including Masters . This year they picked the top 4 for a euro cross event I think .

pconn062

Really looking forward to this (mainly because I'm stewarding, not running!). Our county Intermediate cross country was held here last October and if the ground is dry, there is some really good running on it. However I know it can be a real bog when it's wet. Nice to have this race is our county and on the same grounds as where I work!

pconn062

Elite fields here:

http://www.athleticsireland.ie/content/?p=37086

YFlyer

pconn062 wrote: »

Elite fields here:

http://www.athleticsireland.ie/content/?p=37086

No mention of the Mulhare brothers.

brutes1

Are they running?

YFlyer

Don't know. It's a shame considering Michael was running great.

brutes1

http://clonliffeharriersac.com/clonliffe-teams-for-national-interclub-cross-country/

Clonliffe team

pconn062

YFlyer wrote: »

Don't know. It's a shame considering Michael was running great.

Michael looked pretty tired at the Raheny road race at the end of last month and had some strapping on his knee so maybe he's on a break for a few weeks.

NiallG4

Without knowing who is running on Sunday, I will make a prediction.

Gary Thornton
Mick Clohissey
Sergui Ciobanu.
Smmoore79 (39th)

Womens is hard to call
Sarah McCormack
Siobhain O'Doherty
Barbara Cleary

No idea who is running but that's my guess based on who I think is not running.

brutes1

The three men are running....as a biased observer, Gary has a very good shot, pity we havent a club team to back him but last weeks races took the sting out of people s interest etc . we had about 35 from the club out for Vets and Inters , shame really .Scullion is also running. No mention or sign of the Mulhares/Hehir/Pollock/Christie who would probably win if they show , wide open so. Tom Fitz is another that springs to mind.

Would be good to see SOD go close she puts in the work but hard to see her beat SMC. Maria Mc Is running I think danger there.

NiallG4

brutes1 wrote: »

The three men are running....as a biased observer, Gary has a very good shot, pity we havent a club team to back him but last weeks races took the sting out of people s interest etc . we had about 35 from the club out for Vets and Inters , shame really .Scullion is also running. No mention or sign of the Mulhares/Hehir/Pollock/Christie who would probably win if they show , wide open so. Tom Fitz is another that springs to mind.

Would be good to see SOD go close she puts in the work but hard to see her beat SMC. Maria Mc Is running I think danger there.

Not sure Scullion is running. Not listed on the Clonliffe team.

pistol_75

Pollock is running a HM in the UK.

pconn062

I'm going to go with:

1st: Ciobanu
2nd: Clohissey
3rd: Scullion

And in the women's race:

1st: McCambridge
2nd: McCormack
3rd: McGee (just for Ray! )

RayCun

She's not running
(or I might argue about the order) ;-)

brutes1

pconn062 wrote: »

I'm going to go with:

1st: Ciobanu
2nd: Clohissey
3rd: Scullion

And in the women's race:

1st: McCambridge
2nd: McCormack
3rd: McGee (just for Ray! )

Scullion and Mcgee both not running...!

pconn062

brutes1 wrote: »

Scullion and Mcgee both not running...!

Hmmm, seen that alright. Who cares about 3rd though?! In that case I go with Cleary for bronze in the ladies, and Gary O'Hanlon for a sneaky bronze in his home town.

pconn062

Will try and post results, very poor crowd here.

pconn062

Junior women:

1st; Sarah Myles DSD
2nd: Clodagh o'Reilly
3rd: Isobel Odlum Dsd

dna_leri

pconn062 wrote: »

Will try and post results, very poor crowd here.

Running and/or watching?

pconn062

Junior men;

1st: Kevin mulcare
2nd: Aaron Hanlon
3rd: Brendan o' Connor

pconn062

dna_leri wrote: »

Running and/or watching?

Both! About 12 in the junior women race

pa4

pconn062 wrote: »

Both! About 12 in the junior women race

Really? Didn't think the turn out was that bad. Was there much in the junior mens?

pconn062

pa4 wrote: »

Really? Didn't think the turn out was that bad. Was there much in the junior mens?

About 30! Senior women on now, Ray was wrong Michelle mc gee up with the leaders

pconn062

Senior women:

1st: Sarah McCormack
2nd: Michelle McGee
3rd: Maria mcCambridge

pa4

Would have loved to see McGee do the treble, great run all the same

PVincent

Unreal run Michelle. We genuinely didn't think she was running otherwise we would have been there roaring her on. I hear it was a sprint finish between the 3

pconn062

Men; clohissey, Thornton, ciobanu

YFlyer

pconn062 wrote: »

Men; clohissey, Thornton, ciobanu

Cheers

How did you get on yourself?

pconn062

YFlyer wrote: »

Cheers

How did you get on yourself?

I was only stewarding so apart from being very cold and wet I got on grand!

RayCun

RayCun wrote: »

She's not running
(or I might argue about the order) ;-)

pconn062

Got my photo taken with fionnuala Britton so my day was made!!

smmoore79

Seriously tough race today. 12k is crazy long for a cross country! was tempted to drop out after 6k with all that mud

Was that yourself PConn cheering my name close to the finish line? I was in too much of a world of pain to acknowledge ya, sorry!! Cheers anyway, well stewarded event today.

YFlyer

Its 15K in England I believe

TRR

Just looking at the numbers of runners in each race and they are disastrous. No doubting the quality and the podium finishers today would have had to have been on top of their game, but something seriously has to be done with the inter clubs. As a kid I grew up and all the runners in the 2 clubs I was involved with targeted this race. The inter counties before xmas was actually viewed as the lesser of the 2 national titles. The introduction of the European XC championships in the 1990s (intercounties became selection race) and inability to compete with the Africans in the world cross (interclubs use to be selection when we sent teams) has changed this. Anyway, as has been said on other threads, probably time to combine the interclubs and inter counties.

pconn062

smmoore79 wrote: »

Seriously tough race today. 12k is crazy long for a cross country! was tempted to drop out after 6k with all that mud

Was that yourself PConn cheering my name close to the finish line? I was in too much of a world of pain to acknowledge ya, sorry!! Cheers anyway, well stewarded event today.

I was shouting for you near the finish line (glasses and silly hat!). Good run today, looked tough and I was glad I was stewarding, not running as that ground can be seriously heavy going when it's wet.

climbhigh

Junior women: http://www.flickr.com/photos/24280411@N06/sets/72157641765862184/
Junior men: http://www.flickr.com/photos/24280411@N06/sets/72157641768529733/
Senior women: http://www.flickr.com/photos/24280411@N06/sets/72157641769693313/
Senior men: http://www.flickr.com/photos/24280411@N06/sets/72157641772430224/

NiallG4

NiallG4 wrote: »

Without knowing who is running on Sunday, I will make a prediction.

Gary Thornton
Mick Clohissey
Sergui Ciobanu.
Smmoore79 (39th)

Womens is hard to call
Sarah McCormack
Siobhain O'Doherty
Barbara Cleary

No idea who is running but that's my guess based on who I think is not running.

Nearly got the mens right. Delighted to see Clohissey win. He has been knocking on the door for a few years now and he deserved his win. Would like to see Thornton get one also. Sad day for athletics. Very small fields. Not sure what is to blame. There was serious amount of races over the weekend with Bohermeen, Carlingford, Monaghan, Garristown and so on. Anyone any suggestions. I know a lot of guys in my club feel they are way out of their depth in this race (me included but ran anyway to make up team) but if everyone thinks like this the field would be a lot smaller. I personally think the Vets and Intermediate the week before was a mistake. Maybe a solution is have the Vets the same day. A least there will be a crowd there at the given venue. Reduce the distance to 10K (I know IAAF is 12K for World CC) and merge the Intermediate with the Senior. Just a suggestion but something has to be done. 12 in the Junior ladies is embarrassing with 9 of these from DSD and Clonliffe. Spoke to one guy from Donore afterwards and he was very saddened by it. He reckons AI should incentivise (other then the European clubs) the athletes and clubs. He reckons cash for first 10 and teams and so on. Not sure I agree but at least its a suggestion. Anyone any ideas? or maybe know why athletes are not going. Is Athlone track taking elites to an indoor season? Is it viewed as elitist? is the CC season too long?