On Friday evening (15th July) from around 8.30pm, Newcastle & District Athletic Club is delighted to host a ‘send-off’ for Kerry O’Flaherty.

Kerry ran the Olympic Qualifying Time for the 3k Steeplechase just over a year ago at the International Meeting in Letterkenny posting 9:42.61. On what turned out to be a historic evening 2 other Irish athletes also achieved the time. Exactly one year on, the 3 same athletes raced each other over the Chase in the final of the European Championships in Amsterdam where O’Flaherty came home a very creditable 12th in 9:45.88 (only 0.7 seconds behind 8th place). 

The day after the official qualifying window closed for the Rio Olympics, the 12th of July, Athletics Ireland confirmed O’Flaherty’s nomination for the Games to the Olympic Council for Ireland (http://www.athleticsireland.ie/news/rio-olympic-team-nominated-for-selection).

O’Flaherty started her running career 21 years ago at the age of 13 when she competed in Newcastle AC’s 5k Road Race around the town. It is fitting that after many years Bryansford GAC (in association with Newcastle & District AC) revived this race just last weekend. O’Flaherty went on to represent the club in cross-country, on the track and in road races. She has also competed many times for Ireland including winning a team bronze medal at the European Cross-Country in France in December 15 (and other European Cross-Countries in 2008, 2010 & 2011); European Team Cups in Slovakia (3000m, 2009), Hungary (3000m, 2010), Ireland (5000m, 2013), Estonia (3k Chase, 2014) & Crete (1500m, 2015) and in the Steeplechase at the World Championships in Beijing in 2015. She also represented Northern Ireland in the Steeplechase at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow in 2014.

The Sea2Sky 10k race is taking place at 7.30pm on Friday evening with O’Hare’s Lounge as its Race HQ. The Newcastle AC function will take place from 8.30pm in the Beer Garden at the rear of the complex. All are welcome….