2017 coaching results review

This year I really need to thanks our amazing training centre in Renmore the KingFisher club, and the support of the entire staff and especially Brian Clancy who, without a doubt, made our team a massive success in 2017 :



I retired from full time coaching after the Rio Olympic Games in Agust 2016. I left Claremorris and Bluefin Swimming Club head coach positions with the feeling that I let my team down. I certainly cried a lot and wonder if it was the right thing to do, but I knew the people taking over could be trusted and would do a great job with a good legacy. I thought I left enough guidance and knowledge for them to grow and become their own inspiration to the new generations. But my heart was broken to leave my teams, as it happened in the past. But at the end of the day, I reached the best I had in me with the limited resources I had at the time.

I also left my business in the trusted hand of my business partner Richie Feeney and my events department to my close friend Ray O'Connor. Ray directs a leading event management business with Angela Geraghty and with whom we ran runireland.com together until 2013. The impact they have on the sporting community will certainly never be acknowledged enough and their passion for their own business, Proactive Design and Marketing is another amazing story.

I am pleased today, that I stopped, I spend more time with my family, instead of working 5am to 10pm without any weekends and holidays for 20 years. I have time to look after my own health which I neglected, from spinal, neurological issues I had for years affecting my health but never gave up. I always put my athletes first. At least I know and I am very proud to say every child, teenager, young adults I work with were in safe hand and I always watched out for them.



The last part was my Elite athletes who found their own way with other great coaches. I kept a small crew of 8 athletes with whom I could train after my new working hours with SAP Ireland. Regardless of coaching 1 to 2h a day I am quite satisfied with my results for 2017 as a part-time coach.

Craughwell AC has been a very welcoming club and today moving from Athenry AC due my relocation doesn't feel awkward. Lots of friends everywhere. Sessions have been really fun and the Senior Track development is a great tool for training.

Craughwell 10 miles 2018

In 2017, I left my last head coach swimming position with Atlantic Masters for work reasons and health issues mentioned above. Some of the results of those which I have trained are listed below.

Triathlon :
- European club championships (Tiernan Burke, Caron Ryan, Ben Ryan)
- 1st Irish Female Sprint World Age Groups Championship (Roisin Dune)
- 1st Female super tri "worlds end" Limerick Triathlon
--1st Make National triathlon cat 2 (elite series)  (Ben Ryan)
- 1st National junior Duathlon (16-19) (Ben Ryan)
- 2nd at Olympic distance nationals age group
- National series winners in age group (Tiernan Burke)
- 3rd Female Derry sprint national champion 20-24

- 4th Female Dublin  sprint national series (Roisin Dune)
- 4th Pulse national series sprint (Roisin Dune)
- 5th Male Lough Cultra category 1 race (Tiernan Burke)

Swimming :
- 4th Skin Makle Galway Bay Frances Thorton 13k (Sebastien Locteau)
- 25 open water marathon swimmers (Atlantic masters)
- Athletes at National Open water championship
- Athletes at the ice mile challenge
- Athletes at National Age groups, open and Masters Short course and Long Course Championship (including Brian, Declan, Sebastien Locteau and club swimmers)

Running :
- Represented Ireland in Mountain  Running, ( WMRA world youth championships, British and Irish U17 fell  championships)
- 9th and 11th National Cross-country championship (Caron Ryan)
-  National Senior cross country Championship (Sebastien Locteau)
- Craughwell AC runners at multiple local, National running events including some winners and top 3 in male and female events


So I am delighted to still have some very encouraging results and still promising future with my small crew. This wouldn't happen without the support of the Kingfisher clubs in Renmore as our base for training. While training mainly outdoor we really enjoy the access to the facilities when the weather plays tough with us. We also train in Loughrea lake and Renville during the summer.

Kingfisher photoshoot can be seen here: Kingfisher Photoshoot

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