Race report for Leinster Senior XC, Ballyhale, 5 November, 2022
I don’t think I can remember a November cross-country race as mild as the Leinster senior cross-country in Ballyhale, a small village in south Kilkenny perhaps better known as a traditional heartland of hurling.
The men’s race was 10K and five runners from the club ran: Paul, Trevor, Conor, Michael and Brian. Despite the rain of the past few days, the ground was very firm. The twists and turns of the course made the laps – 5 in all – seem shorter than might be assumed. Somebody mentioned at the start line that one should go steady for the first 2 or 3k. There was only one muddy part in the whole course, a rarity in cross-country.
Given the race location in south Kilkenny, it wasn’t surprising that the course was fairly hilly.
After the race (and on the way to Ballyhale), we stopped in the Apple Green station in Paulstown for tea and sandwiches.
It was a great achievement for the Sportsworld team (Paul, Trevor, Michael, Conor) to win a medal. The results are here: https://www.myrunresults.com/events/leinster_senior_xc_championships/4604/results
In the faster girls 5km race the Sportsworld ladies narrowly missed out on a team medal in fourth place which is a shame considering the long drive Maura had from Mayo to make the race. Lisa Madden however got a Dublin gold county medal which along with the men’s county medals made a successful trip down the M9.
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