Over two thousand competitors are heading for Tipperary to take part in two sporting events based on the natural environment of the Premier county.
On September 3 – 4 Clonmel will host the World Masters Mountain Running Championships 2022. This elite event for those aged between 35 – 79 has attracted over 800 entrants with several nations represented. The lead organisers are Tricia and Tom Blackburn from the Mooreabbey Milers Athletic Club in collaboration with the Irish Mountain Running Association. The event is headquartered at Hillview Sports Club in Clonmel and will feature a parade of the athletes from West Gate in Clonmel on Friday September 3rd to Denis Bourke Park for the opening ceremony. The parade will commence at 7pm and be led by Banna Cluain Meala. The event features multiple races in one and the public can avail of shuttle buses from Clonmel on Saturday to a viewing point near the Holy Cross above the town. The course is open to mountain runners of all ages on Sunday September 4th. Full details can be found on www.wmmrch2022.ie
On September 10th over 1,300 participants will take part in Quest Lough Derg – first staged in 2019. The event is a blend of running, cycling and kayaking offered at three different levels. Quest Lough Derg has been sold out for several weeks and offers participants the chance to participate at Challenge level involving a distance of 22km, Sport level where the distance to be covered by running, cycling and Kayaking is 45km or Expert level where the distance increases to 69km. A specially constructed pontoon bridge is being erected to link Ballina to Killaloe for the competitors to use for running and cycling. The event will be headquartered at Flanagan’s on the Lake.
Both events feature the athletes being timed electronically to determine their ranking in the event. Quest Lough Derg is supported by the Lough Derg Marketing Group in conjunction with Ireland’s Ancient East, Ireland’s Hidden Heartlands, Fáilte Ireland and the Local Enterprise Office. The event is intended to support the tourism sector locally by offering an event outside the peak tourism season and to generate a team of ambassadors to promote the location for those seeking intense physical activity as part of their lifestyle. Full details can be found here
