Thurles Crokes congratulates John Fitzgibbon on his Bronze Medal in the European Masters Athletics
John said: "it was more like mountain running really"
Bronze Medal for John Fitzgibbon in the European Masters Athletics competition held in Brava Portugal on Sunday the 20th February.
John Fitzgibbon in the 8,000m cross country event placed 5th 0/40 (first Irish man home) and the Irish team won bronze medals. John secured this bronze European medal in his first event.
John thought it was definitely the toughest cross country course he's ever been on, and said "it was more like mountain running really".
No flat sections really and the hills were very steep going up and down, a lot of twists and turns in the course, which made it hard to pick up speed on the downs for fear of not been able to take the sharp bends.
It had everything really except the muck, not much chance of that at 20 degrees.
The field was packed full of Portuguese, Spanish and Swedish athletes. The Swedish team were the team the Irish needed to look out for, been one of the strongest in the field. One small lap and 5 big laps made up 8k distance. The start was fairly hectic everyone fighting for positions on a steep down hill section.
John started out his race controlled over the first lap and made his way up and into the middle of the pack after the first kilometre. Over the next few laps he gradually worked his way up the field to 5th and held that position over the final 2k to come home 1st man on the Irish team in a time of 28.04 followed by Stephen Hunter St Abbens AC in 13th 29.55 and Ronan Kearns Rathfarnham AC in 15th 30.53 to make up the Irish team.
In the team event its finishing times added together to make up the score not finishing positions so every second counted on Sunday and the three men won the bronze medals for themselves and Ireland.
Not to mistake this trip as a holiday John again lined up last Thursday, this time on the indoor track for his second event the 3,000m. Going into this event he knew it was going to be a tough run with some great European competitors. John ran a smashing race in his heat tracking each runner lap by lap until a group of 3 broke away John included, digging deep he came home in 3rd place with a new indoor 3,000m PB.
This gave John an 8th place finish overall in the event going on times from other heats. This is fantastic news for John and a Hugh achievement.
On the roads here in Ireland last Sj day our club Novice athletes took to the roads of Moyne for the County Novice. Unlike John in Portugal basking in the sun, Moyne had quite the opposite weather to challenge our athletes, in the form of gaelforce winds, torrential rain and flooding.
We had 10 athletes brave the unsettling weather, our only lady was Eileen Bourke and what a tough courageous run she had, taken off for her 3km first straight into a gale force headwind for much of the race almost at a standstill in parts. Eileen had a strong run over the distance and with a 100m to go straight back into that head wind and a torrent of hail stones, but she battled to the line, what a tough run.
Next our men took off along the same stretch of road with a head wind but for the first lap this stretch wasn't as long to start. By now the wind and rain were picking up and much off the flooding had also spread along the roads.
Our determination athletes battled on and covered the 6km more a run/swim in parts but they held their own. First home for the club and a great return was Liam Shanahan followed by Declan Ryan and Paul Dolan, Shane Dorney, Denis McCullagh, Liam Dorney, Austin Ryan, Noel Kennedy and Tommy Barrett.
Just last Sunday the 27th February a group of club athletes headed cross border to Adare in Limerick for the Adare 10km. Here 7 Crokes athletes lined up in a field of 1,000 participants, this time a little sun shone on them. Not an easy course with plenty of up and down stretches to test endurance all done extremely well and enjoyed the first of their open races of the year. Glad to back competing and meeting everyone on the open road again.
First home in the blue and white of Thurles Crokes was Paul Dolan in a great time of 39.27, next and great to see her return after a lengthy time away due to injury Madeline Loughnane, followed by another athlete making her return after maternity leave Eileen Ely in 42.01, Liam Dorney 43.42, Paula Mills 49.25, Eileen Looby/Bourke 53.52 and Nora McNamara 54.26 in a new PB and only getting better.
Next events coming up for club athletes will be this coming Friday 4th March local primary schools cross country on the club grounds, followed by the County juvenile indoors track in Nenagh Saturday 12th and then the adults County Intermediate Road in Carrick on Suir Sunday March 13. All club athletes wishing to compete must be registered for 2022 and names given before dates of events to Madeline for entry.
All new members welcome both juvenile and adults of all ages and abilities welcome to join the club. Juvenile training is Mondays and Wednesday evenings 6.30pm, adults Tuesday and Thursday 6.30pm.
The club recently received a grant from the Sports Capital Grant scheme to upgrade club lighting and yo build a storage shed. We are currently doing a clothing collection once again to raise funding towards these projects also. All donations can be dropped to the clubhouse weekday mornings from 9am to 11.30am or in the evenings from 4.30pm to 7.30pm. Outside of this please contact Madeline or a club member.