Cobh

<h2>Run Galway Bay Half Marathon</h2>

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693 athletes successfully negotiated this 13.1 mile race over a looped course situated between The Claddagh area of Galway city and a closed road stretching out to the seaside funfair, slot machine and Kiss Me Quick Squeeze Me Slow hat zone of Galway's very own Atlantic City - Salthill promenade. 
Beneath a sapphire sky, with the occasional squall making it's presence felt from the Atlantic, as befits any race out west, three of our members toed the line in windy conditions.
Deirdre Meyler put in a good day's work, a 1:52 time and a run not to be sniffed at. She felt she has work to do over this distance however and wasn't slow about saying it. A glass or two of Veuve Clicquot that afternoon and one bite into her luncheon of pan-fried sea bream with Jerusalem artichokes, fennel and red onion, if you don't mind, and it was soon put to the back of her ceann. 
Hey Deirdre, objects in the rear-view mirror are probably Leilia Pender and Triona Hayes. As, hot on her heels, were this pair of likely lassies. 
How'll I run it? Do I need gels? Would a generous helping of St. Tola goat's curd with baked celeriac, hazelnut and lovage suffice for my carb-loading? Oh, the things that go through the mind of a first time half marathoner. Talk about taking it in her stride - this lady absolutely glided around the course. Veteran-like in application, Triona Hayes made short shrift of any pre-race jitters with an accomplished performance, clocking a really nice time of 1:55. 
Senior Ballymore Cobh foreign policy advisor, Leilia Pender, can be a hard lady to please. Lanzarote Half Marathon? No, sure I'd go over my personal carbon footprint quota. 
Las Vegas Half Marathon? Not until the native Shoshone-Paiute Tribes are handed back their ancient lands by the Nevada State Gaming Commission. 
Killarney Half Marathon? Too many Kerry folk. 
Galway it was, then. So half marathon number 847 and a sweet 1:55 time it was for Leilia Pender, the steely-eyed veteran who has a penchant for fast internet, fast elevators, fast guitar players and an occasional Amaretto Sour, though not necessarily in that order. 
Footnote: Their husbands were also in tow for this trip. Weighed down with bags of shopping and dreading his next Mastercard bill, one of them bravely quipped that his bank card had gotten skimmed once before and they didn't go through his money half as fast as his wife had done in Galway. He says he should've married the skimmers.
<h2>Douglas Credit Union 5k</h2>

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Marys's Day
She shuns the limelight, living a life of solitude akin to a 6th century hermit, on meagre sustenance, rumoured to be dwelling in a cave hidden deep inside Marlouge Woods. The only evidence of human habitation was one of our spotters catching a glimpse of a pair of Asics Gel-Kayano 28 Platinum running shoes left outside the well-camouflaged entrance. 
But we can exclusively reveal here at Ballymore Cobh Towers, that Mary De Barra was witnessed in full De Barra Beast Mode scorching a two-looped trail around Tramore Valley Park in the Douglas Credit Union 5k Race. 
Not only did Mary blaze to an 8th place finish, but landed herself into a 3rd place podium finish in her age category to boot. And if that wasn't enough for her, she only went and won the race draw for a fancy shmancy pair of runners from John Buckley Sports. 
REPORTS FROM SHANE MYLER

Ballymore-Cobh athletes on the run

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