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Club Unveils New Gear at Triathy
A large number from the Carrick-on-Suir triathlon club travelled to Athy recently to take part one of Ireland’s largest triathlons. In only its second year the race attracted almost 1,300 competitors including some elite athletes. Race day proved to be a scorcher with temperatures hitting 25 degrees. Most of the Carrick club wore the brand new club gear on the day. The bright blue, white and yellow colours really stood out in the summer sunshine and the new club logo proved instantly recognisable as shouts of support for the club could be heard all through the race. The triathlon itself consisted of two races. The first to run was the Olympic Distance race which consisted of a 1.5km swim in the river Barrow followed by two laps of a 20k cycle route, 40km total, and a 10km run to finish. The Sprint Distance race consisted of a 750m swim followed by a single lap of the 20k cycle route and a 5k run to finish. In the searing heat the swim was a welcome chance to cool down. However once out of the water the midday sun was out in full force. After a tough cycle in the warm temperatures many found the run difficult as it was extremely hot with no wind to cool you down. There were 12 separate start waves to the races which ensured a constant stream of triathletes on the race course over the space of a few hours. The first to start were the fastest Olympic distance swimmers. Carrick member Sean Collier had a fantastic swim to exit the water in the top 50 out of almost 500 athletes. He added a strong cycle leg and a fantastic run to finish in 36th position with a time of 2:06:00. Owen Byrne was the 2nd Carrick man home in 62nd place in a time of 2:11:22, and Rolf Power had a superb race to finish in 88th place with a time of 2:15:18. First female club member home was Marie-Casey Breen in a time of 2:54:45 beating Sinead Dempsey by a single second! After 6 Olympic distance start waves the fastest Sprint distance swimmers took to the water with 3 Carrick triathletes, Catherine Brown, Shane Molloy and Jonathan Kelly exiting the water in the top 50. Catherine proved how good a swimmer she is to exit the water in 6th place beating many of the best male triathletes. She finished 71st overall to be the first Carrick female to cross the line in the Sprint competition with a time of 1:14:27. Shane built on his excellent 32nd place swim to gain places on the cycle and run to finish in 22nd place overall in 1:08:44. After a good swim Jonathan’s timing chip came off with the wetsuit in the first transition so he received no official overall time! Although not as quick as Shane in the swim Kenny Curran was the first Carrick man home overall thanks to one of the best runs on the day to finish in 13th place in 1:06:43. Shane Molloy was the second Carrick man to finish and Ian Hayes was 3rd in 32nd place with a time of 1:10:07. Many more club members raced on the day, too many, in fact, to mention them all! So a collective well done to all that raced.
Added:19/06/2008
Want Free Entry to TriAthlone?
Ok……So……What’s the catch?
In case you didn’t know Athlone was awarded the 2010 European triathlon championships. As part of the build up to this, triAthlone needs to join the International Triathlon Union (ITU) European Cup Circuit in 2008. This means putting on an elite draft legal triathlon on the same day as the triAthlone event that you will
participate in. Think about it, some of the world’s top triathletes competing in Ireland!
This also means, however, that we need to recruit official field of Play (FOP) marshals to help with the event. So, what we want is YOU to help US and in return WE will help YOU! If YOU help US marshal the elite event in the afternoon of 12th july you can race
triAthlone for FREE. Once you have completed your race, we will give you lunch, your official ZOOT pack and then you get to be part of the event that will host the European Champs in 2010!
Great idea! Count me in! What do I need to do?
1. Register for the event online at www.triathlone.com
2. Send an email to hugh@triathlone.com and tell him you are interested in become an official ITU Field of Play Marshal
3. You will be contacted by your Chief Marshall for instructions.
4. Arrive on race day and receive your full refund along with your special ZOOT sponsored marshal pack!!!
What’s in it for me?
1. Free Entry to the best event on the calendar
2. Marshall pack which includes (amongst other things)
• Official ZOOT polo shirt (worth Euro 80)
• Free lunch and Dinner
• Beer Voucher and access to post race party
3. You get to see Olympic Athletes up close
Added:03/06/2008
Bonmahon Triathlon 2008
The John Collins Memorial Triathlon took place in Bonmahon last weekend, the 25th May. Over 120 triathletes braved the wind and cold seawater to take part in the event. Traditionally the Carrick-on-Suir Triathlon Club is very well represented at the race and this year was no exception. Sean Collier was the first Carrick triathlete over the finish line, narrowly missing out on a top 5 finish by a mere 14 seconds. He posted a superb time of 1:01:34. Hot on his heels was Rolf Power who showed he has recovered from his recent run in the London Marathon to finish in 11th place with a time of 1:07:06. Philip O’Leary, Kenny Curran and Shane Molloy finished one after the other with times of 1:12:29, 1:12:50 and 1:13:10 respectively. Andrew Weight, Catherine Brown, Martin Lydon and Michael Quinn were the next Carrick members to finish with only 1 minute separating them. Their times were 1:15:22, 1:16:07, 1:16:18 and 1:16:25 respectively. Special mentions needs to be given to Catherine Brown whose excellent time secured 2nd prize in the female category. Robin Stubbs and Andy Mulligan followed soon after with Robin coming home in 1:19:24 and Andy in 1:21:20. Sinead Nolan was the 2nd Carrick female to cross the finish line in 1:25:42, which secured a top 10 finish in the female category. Christine Crowley, Emma Murphy and Karen Hennessey were the next to finish with times of 1:29:11, 1:29:20 and 1:30:28 respectively. Ger Foley finished with a time of 1:31:18. And in the race between two club veterans Pat Crowley narrowly beat fierce rival Garry McCarthy to finish in 1:36:13. Garry was only 32 seconds behind with a time of 1:36:45 and has vowed his revenge in the next race! Well done to all involved.
Added:28/05/2008
Valentia Triathlon Race Report
250 competitors from all over the country made the trip to the island of Valentia on Kerry’s scenic coast for the first ‘real’ triathlon of the 2008 season. Two members of the club, John McEneaney and Niall Crowley, were to brave the chilly waters and tough climbs on both the cycle and run in search of a good time and place.
The event itself has taken on almost cult status over since its inception four years ago. It’s an understatement to say that the course is unique! The run cuts through the centre of the island and skirts one of the only tropical gardens in Ireland. The cycle has views of the Dingle Peninsula and the Skellig Islands if you need some natural inspiration at any stage. Then there is the swim. After the ferry drops the competitors back to the Kerry mainland there is only one option left to them…swim back!
The weather was perfect for the race with blue skies and a light wind. After a few minutes in the water getting used to the cold water and the traditional blessing form the local priest the race begun. The swim start was, as you would expect, a moment charged with tension and atmosphere as everyone wanted to get going after a winters training.
Niall and John came out of the water in the top half of competitors but made their charge on the bike reeling back in a good number of others. Good Winter League running from both lads combined with recent run coaching saw them finish out the race very strong. Niall eventually finished 34th, with a time of 1:13:21, knocking 7 minutes of his time last year and John finished 75th overall with a time of 1:18:24.
An equally great party followed a great race. Good friends of the club David Cantwell, Tom Casey and Noel Dillon were in the thick if it and made the day and night really enjoyable. A big thanks to the organisers, and all the locals, for their support and encouragement.
Added:27/05/2008
Suir Swim
 Triathlon Course 500m /750m Proceeds in aid of Carrick River Rescue Date: Saturday 14th June Time: 5:00pm Venue: Sean Healy Park, Carrick-on-Suir. Entry Fee: 20 Euro FREE BBQ for all entrants! Excellent Spot Prizes on the day! Carrick River Rescue do excellent work and all club members are encouraged to support the charity swim.
Added:22/05/2008
Carrick-on-Suir Duathlon 2008
Mark Dowling - Mens' Winner Carrick Duathlon 08 The inaugural Carrick Duathlon was held Saturday 26th of April and was a tremendous success. Over 120 competitors signed up with no less than 24 from our own club. The weather wasn't perfect with some rain falling at times but it wasn't enough to dampen anyone's spirits! For a full race report and results please click here.
Added:07/05/2008
Marathon Men!
 
Congratulations are extended to six club members who recently completed marathons. Three club members took part in the Connemarathon, namely Bernard Connolly, Richard Rudkins and Michael Quinn. Bernard was the first Carrick man home in a time of 3:57:26. Richard came in not long after in a time of 4:07:51, and Michael crossed the finish line in a time of 4:28:45. Meanwhile Rolf Power, Robin Stubbs and Liam Lowe took the short trip across the Irish Sea to take part in the Flora London Marathon as three of a field exceeding 35,000 runners, joggers and walkers. Rolf had a storming run to come home with a time of 3:16:33. Robin finished in a time of 4:05:42 with Liam close behind him in 4:17:23. All six ran exceptionally well and our congratulations go out to them.
Added:18/03/2008
Club Trip to Cyprus a Resounding Success
This week eight Carrick-On-Suir triathletes returned fit and tanned from a week’s warm-weather training in sunny Cyprus. The trip, organised by one of the club’s founding members, Garry McCarthy, involved training in all three triathlon disciplines.
The group consisting of Donal Jacob, Vincent Power, Andy Mulligan, John McEneany, David Grace, Garry McCarthy, Ollie Harold and Jonathan Kelly donned the Carrick hoodies and boarded the mini-bus destined for Dublin Airport on Monday 10th March. Some pre-training nutrition and liquids were taken in the airport bar before boarding the 4h 30m flight to Cyprus. On arrival the team were ferried to their hotel by mini-bus and, after check-in and dropping all bags in their respective rooms, the Carrick lads ventured into the town to meet the locals and spread some Irish goodwill. The locals proved very hard to find as it was a bank holiday so the boys headed to bed for a good night’s sleep.
The team arose early almost every morning for an open water swim in the Mediterranean, while the cool evenings proved perfect for some runs along the shoreline. The swim distances averaged over 2k with Vinny and Donal completing a 4k swim one morning. The group also made use of a long boardwalk running down the coastline to take in some runs of over 10k.
The main aim of the trip, however, was to get some good miles in on the bike and that’s exactly what was done.  Bikes were hired from ex-professional road racing cyclist Thomas Wegmuller who also became the team’s guide and cycling partner. Thomas brought the lads on cycles ranging from 3 to 6 hours long on routes varying from easy spins through coastal villages and orange groves to grueling climbs toward the 6,400 ft summit of Mount Olympus. The weather was lovely for the week however there were some strong winds on the first few days which proved very challenging on the bike. The bike hiring arrangements were exemplary. Each club member, with the exception of Vinny who brought his own bike, received a road bike with a loaded saddle bag, maps of the island, a water bottle and some nutrition. An individual key was given to unlock each bike and you could come and go as you please for the week.
Sharing the hotel and bike shed were some professional mountain bikers from the Fischer BMC team, Petra Henzi and Andreas Kugler.  They were in Limassol to compete in the Cyprus round of the Sunshine Cup. Some of the Carrick group traveled to the race on Sunday to cheer on the two riders. The support worked wonders with Petra winning the women’s race and Andreas coming second in the men’s. Both took their respective overall titles. It was a great experience to see some professional athletes in action and the Carrick lads know with a bit of hard work it could be them next year!
On top of the hard training during the day the Carrick team took time out in the evenings to enjoy themselves  and see what the Cyprus nightlife had to offer. The pub opposite the hotel, the Nag’s Head, became the local for the week. Indeed a certain member of the club spent most nights there hogging the karaoke microphone. He shall remain nameless! On the last night there club sponsors, Cyprus Tourism, kindly brought the team out for a traditional Cyprus meal. This became one of the highlights of the trip as the boys enjoyed a Cyprus Meze consisting of plate after plate of traditional dishes, some local wine and all the while being entertained by a Cypriot band.
The next morning the whole team rose bright and early with bags packed and took in some breakfast before making the journey home. Some tears were shed when boarding the plane to Dublin with the realization that the trip was coming to the end and with it, for the short-term at least, open-water swimming and cycling in shorts!
The whole trip was a great success and thoughts are already turning to next year. A big thank you goes out to Gary McCarthy for organizing it all.
Added:18/03/2008
New Club Gear
Following on from the viewing of the club gear we have decided on a brand and are delighted with what they have to offer. Club colours cycling, running and triathlon gear will be on offer and all items will be subsidised by the club by 33%. Below is the list of items on offer: | Item | Price | | Cycling Road Jersey (Short Sleeve) | €32 | | Cycling Road Jersey (Long Sleeve) | €35 | | Cycling Jacket (Windtex) | €45 | | Cycling Gilet | €25 | | Cycling Bibshorts | €40 | | Cycling Thermal Biblongs | €35 | | Pro Tri Suit | €55 | | Pro Tri Vest | €25 | | Tri Shorts | €25 | | Running Vest (Mens) | €20 | | Running Vest (Womens) | €25 |
* All prices include the club discount and are based on a moderate bulk order discount offered by the manufacturer. Therefore prices may vary slightly depending on the quantity of our order and the exchange rate.
To view item descriptions and sizing chart click here to download the brochure.
To order this gear you need to contact your area representitive with your chosen items and sizes by Sunday 16th March. Area representitives are:
Kilkenny - Bernard Connolly
Tipperary - Kenny Curran
Waterford - Niall Crowley
Wexford - Christine Crowley
Added:09/03/2008
EGM
 An EGM will be held on Friday 7th March in the Carrig Hotel, Carrick-on-Suir at 8.30pm sharp (30 mins max) for the election of a new PRO.
There will also be some samples of gear available before the meeting if members wish to share their thoughts on it.
Added:03/03/2008
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