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Popular road race reaches milestone

Thursday, 22 January 2009

ALL roads will lead to Raheny this Sunday, January 25, for the 25th annual AXA Raheny 5 road race. The race, promoted by Raheny Shamrock Athletic Club, is rated as one of the country’s leading road races. Olympian Pat Hooper founded the race in 1985 and a quarter of a century later he continues to be the driving force behind the event in his capacity as race director. In a new initiative to mark the silver jubilee of the race, TDS chip timing will be used for the first time. The course remains the same with the race beginning near Raheny Garda Station and roughly incorporates an outside lap of St Anne’s Park via a series of left hand turns. It is regarded as a fast course with Gerry Curtis, from Donore Harriers, setting the course record of 22.39 in 1987, which was subsequently equalled by Mullingar Harriers’ Cormac Finnerty. Defending women’s champion Maria McCambridge set a new women’s course record of 26.20 in 2005. Indeed, the Raheny 5 roll of honour reads likes a who’s who of Irish athletics. Jerry Kiernan, Gerry Curtis, Noel Cullen, Mark Kennelly, 2006 champion, Vinny Mulvey from the host club, Raheny Shamrock AC, and 2007 champion Joe Sweeney, from Dundrum South Dublin (DSD) Athletic Club, are among the previous winners.  Catherina McKiernan won the women’s race in 2004 and other previous female champions include Maria McCambridge, Valerie Vaughan, Theresa Duffy and the host club’s‚ Annette Kealy and Orla O’Mahony. The appeal of the race owes much to the fact that it caters for all categories of competitors, from the jogger to the elite athlete. All finishers receive a specially commissioned plaque. There is a special category for walkers with this event beginning at 2.50pm, while the wheelchair race begins at 2.58pm. The main event starts at 3pm. Participants can enter the race online on the Raheny Shamrock AC  website www.rahenyshamrock.com Online entries cost e20. Race number and chip collection takes place at Scoil Aine National School (opposite Raheny Garda Station) from noon on race day, January 25. Entries costing e25 will be taken on race day up until 2.30pm. Prize giving takes place at 4.30pm in Scoil Aine. There will be prizes for the first 10 finishers in the senior men and women’s races, as well as the first three vets in all categories.  There will also be prizes for the first three juniors, as well as the usual team prizes. Once again the nominated charity for the event is St Francis Hospice in Raheny. Over the years runners in the event have raised thousands of euro for this very worthy cause. There are two kids’ races before the main event – an 800m event for 8-12 year olds and a mile race for 13-16 year olds. Former European junior 1500m champion Colin Costello was the inaugural winner of this race. The first three boys and girls past the post in each race will receive prizes while all finishers will be presented with a medal. Entry is just e5. These races begin at 2.15pm and 2.30pm respectively.