Well done to everyone who took part in the 2nd day of the Cork County Juvenile Track & Field Championships last Sunday in CIT.
Fit4Life Report
BANDON AC COMMITTEE MEETING
FIT4LIFE REPORT MAY 2016
April was a good Month for FIT4LIFE with Members taking part in various Races.
Two Members of FIT4LIFE took part in the Half Marathon in Madrid. Both Leonie Weir and Gloria Helen achieved excellent times.
We are only counting down the Days to the Half Marathon in Cork City. A number of our Members are competing at this level and for a lot of them it is their first time doing a Half Marathon. They have been training with me on Sundays and fierce mileage is being put down. From the 16th May, we will have to start tapering back the Mileage.
Saturday the 7th May saw a number of our FIT4LIFE Members take part in the Pieta House (Darkness into Light) 5K Run. This is an event that is always well supported by FIT4LIFE Members.
I am just wondering could Bandon AC do anything for us in the way of a 4 Mile Road Race Series which we did some time ago. For registered Members only – just to keep the interest and loyalty to FIT4LIFE up. Even if we were shown the Long Jump etc., I could take it on myself to ask permission from the Soccer Club for the use of the Town Park, as they have been accommodating to me in recent times.
The Order for T-Shirts and Singlets has gone in for FIT4LIFE Members and there is a 2 week time frame left on these. All Monies have been collected and lodged to the relevant Account.
That concludes the Report on FIT4LIFE
Linda Hodnett
10th May 2016
Leevale results
Some impressive performances today at the Leevale Sports in CIT despite the heavy rain which was a feature for most of the day.
Joan Healy had a comprehensive win in the 100m in an excellent time of 11.71 in the conditions.
Phil Healy after her recent exploits in the 400m relay lined up for the 400m in her competitive debut at the distance and took control of the race from the gun and stormed to victory in 54.96m. Phil later placed 2nd in the 200m.
Laura McSweeney was 2nd in the Shot Putt, 3rd in the Discus and 3rd in the Hammer.
Rosin Howard had a very busy day she placed 3rd in the High Jump, 2nd in the Long Jump, 4th in the Shot Putt, 4th in the Discus and 6th in the Javelin.
In the men’s 100m Bandon had 3 athletes in the final with Joe Gibson placing 2nd in 10.99, Joey Henchy was 3rd with Shane Howard in 4th. Shane won the Long Jump and placed 3rd in the High Jump.
Patrick McSweeney won the Shot Putt and placed 3rd in the Hammer. Daniel Hathaway placed 7th in 200m.
In the relays, Bandon Men’s team of Joey Henchy, Joe Gibson, Daniel Hathaway and Mathew Draper had a good win in the 4x100m.
Bobby Smith placed 3rd in the Javelin.
FIT4LIFE Report April 2016
BANDON AC COMMITTEE MEETING – FIT4LIFE REPORT APRIL 2016
Firstly, I would like to thank Bandon AC for nominating me for Club Person of the Year. This was totally unexpected and it was great to be recognised among such great Talent on the night.
St. Patrick’s Day saw Bandon FIT4LIFE join Bandon AC in the Parade this year – we had a good turn out and looked well in our Club Gear representing our Club.
April 2016 will see a number of Road Races coming up for our Members.
The Carmel Lucy 10K Road Race was held on Sunday the 3rd April and was well represented by the Club
The 17th April will see a number of Road Races and we really have a good choice here in what to participate in.
Pink Ribbon 10K Charity Walk – a lot of our Members run this route as it is a nice course. This is not timed
Rosscarbery will hold its annual 10K Road Race in aid of the Irish Cancer Society. This Race is a timed 10K – the course would be a little bit more challenging. However, I have been told that some of our Members will partake in this.
Carrigaline Road Runners will host their 5K, 10K and 25K Road Race.
Half Marathon Training is ongoing on a Sunday in preparation for the Cork City Half Marathon which a lot of our Members will take part in this year.
The next thing on my report takes me to Club Gear. I have been asked by Members to place another order of T-Shirts and Singlets.
Linda Hodnett
Bandon FIT4LIFE
Sad News
Bandon A.C would like to extend its sympathy to the family of club member Declan O’Halloran who passed away recently.
Declan was the former chairman of Bandon A.C. and was a regular on cross-country teams of the Eighties. He was also for a time the treasurer of the West Cork Athletics Division.
Declan was an accomplished runner who featured in the prestigious BallyCotton ’10’ as recently as 2013.
Bandon A.C. members will be performing a guard of honour at the funeral mass.
May he rest in peace.
Reception on Friday morning at 11am at St. Martin’s Church, Farnivane followed by Requiem Mass at 12 noon. Funeral afterwards to the adjoining cemetery. Donations in lieu of flowers to Neurology Trust at C. U. H.
DIRECTIONS TO FARNIVANE CHURCH… FARNIVANE IS ABOUT 3 MILES NORTH OF BANDON…. TAKE THE BANDON TO MACROOM ROAD AND AT FINNIS CROSS TAKE A LEFT UP FOR FARNIVANE….direction signs will be on road
Rotterdam Marathon
Rotterdam Marathon On Sunday April 10, 2016
A large number of Irish athletes took part in this year Rotterdam marathon. Mark Hanrahan from Cork just missed out in the Olympic marathon qualifying time by 50 seconds when he ran 2.19.50 finishing 34th out of 12814 runners. Bandon A.C. David Craig continued his great form running a big PB of 2:50:12 finishing in 298th place, with a faster second half by 20 seconds.
Report by Kevin Wilmot
Congrats
John C. Lorden -First Irish winner of Boston Marathon
With the 2016 running of the Boston Marathon a few weeks ago, just a brief look back at the first ever Irish winner of that race.
John C. Lorden having been born just outside of Bandon in 1876 found himself like many Irish at the time heading to U.S.A. in search of work and settled in Massachusetts. Working as a shipping agent for a manufacturing company in Cambridge, he was only able to train at night because of his job. However he soon found himself one of the top distance runners of his generation. As the start of the Boston Marathon in 1903 he was reported as feeling unwell at the start of the race and ignored doctors orders that he should not compete, so he took his place at the start line with an impressive list of quality marathoners.
Among the other runners was John Caffrey who won in 1900 and 1901, Samuel Mellor who was the defending champion as well as as 2 future winners in Spring (1904) and Lorz (1905). However Lorden was not overawed by he had previously featured well in the race, placing 5th in 1901 and 3rd in 1902.
Once Lorden put to rest the leg cramps that had bothered him early in the race, he began his pursuit of the leaders and caught defending champion Mellor with less than three miles to go and won by nearly six minutes in 2:41:29.
The race certainly captured the imagination of the press at the time.
Boston Daily Globe ran the headline “Marathon Run a Race of Marvels” while the Boston Evening Transcript called the race “Greatest of Marathon Runs”
Lorden the following year became one of the many Irish born athletes of the era who competed for the USA in the Olympics. At the 1904 Summer Olympics in St Louis, condition were very warm during the marathon and Lordon was reported to have begun vomiting within the first half mile of the race and unfortunately he did not finish the competition. He was not alone in failing to finish the 1904 marathon as they were competing in terrible conditions. The temperature was 90 degrees and the race was held on a hilly, dusty roads with uneven footing, and traffic regularly passing by. Fresh water was available at only two places in the course with the eventual winner being reported as being revived by a shot of brandy during the race!
In 1905 Lorden again featured in the Boston Marathon finishing in 12th place in a time of 2.57.51
Lorden is also recording as being one of just 2 participants in the first ever marathon held in Newfoundland in 1909. The race was held in a stadium with 6 laps of the track for every mile it was an incredible 150 laps. Despite being just 2 runners involved, due to the high profile of those runners, the race attracted thousands of spectators into the stadium. The lead changed hands many times but finished with Lorden being beaten by McDonald who was one of the top marathoners of the time.
Lorden’s younger brother Joseph also contested a number of Boston Marathons, he finished 10th in 1911, 7nd in 1913, and 3rd in 1914 in a time of 2.28.42
Lorden while delighted with the opportunities afforded to him in the USA, remained proud of his Irish heritage and his Bandon roots just as Bandon is rightly proud of him and his achievements.
Bandon A.C. commemorated the 1903 achievements of Lorden with a monument in Bandon.
(Thanks to his grand daughter for the photo of the race finish and of the clock.)
Lorden at the finish line of the 1903 race with the huge crowd being held back by police
The prize for the winner, an English Carriage Clock
Engraving on the clock
Monument in Bandon
Monument in Bandon
Inscription on the Bandon monument
Weekend events
Wishing everyone who will be competing in the Cork County Juvenile Track & Field Championships on Sunday. This will be the first County competition for a number of them, so hoping for an enjoyable experience for all.
Info on Counties and timetable etc is available here
Also best of luck to the Bandon athletes who are heading to Templemore on Monday for the Munster u20/u23 Track & Field Championships.
Munster Timetable is available here
East Cork Harbour Marathon
East Cork Harbour Marathon event in aid of Marymount Hospice. Race include a full and Half Marathon and also a 10KM on the 20th August.
See flyers for more info
