Club Membership for 8 to 11 year old children is now closed until September 2025 as we have a large number of children in these age groups and can only train a certain amount safely.

Booking now open for the Rathfarnham WSAF AC Annual Awards and Dinner on Friday Jan 31st via Eventbrite: There is a limited number of tickets so don't delay in booking, it's always great fun! 

On Saturday 16th August we had the Frank Duffy 10 miler. Gavin Murphy going from strength to strength took nearly one minute off his pb with a time of 1:03:49. Mick Stuart also ran a great time of 1:11:20.  Sunday 17th August, we had the Kilcock 10 from 10 with some smashing times. Alexey Marchenko was fourth overall with a time of 54:03 (and €50 for his troubles). Gael Hernandez donning the new pink Rathfarnham singlet he’s trying outran 58:37 which was a new pb. Micheal Murphy ran 1:02:46. Ross Griffin ran 102:59 and Denis Daly ran 1:06:52 Across the way in Athy, Edwin Keville won the 050 RunAthy 10k in 39:52. Brilliant performance after a tough year with illness and injury. Dave Power ran up the Galtymore mountain in the latest IMRA. Dave finished 6th in a race with a total elevation gain here of over 1100 metres. Having made his first 400m national final this year, Stephen Gaffney took over half a second off his club record and PB at the most recent Stratford Speed meet on 17 th August at the London Olympics campus running 46.94s. Former Irish national 100m champion, Stephen has made fantastic progress this season over the 400m not having competed much in this event previously. Stephen also ran the 100m event at Stratford running a season’s best of 10.66s. One man who will not want the season to end. Stephen trains with an elite sprint group at UCD alongside fellow club members Cillian McCabe and Isabelle Doyle all of whom have done the club proud in sprint events over recent seasons. We had the Celbridge AC 5k on 21st August. Eoin Flynn back home finished 9th overall in a time of 15:24. Pearse Coyle finished in 18:44. Richard Deeney had a great run with a time of 18:49. Clare Shiels in her own competition with husband Dermot to see who can run the most races in a calendar year ran 20:35. Esther Lawler wearing those V (1980s miniseries) like sunglasses finished in 21:16. Well done to all who ran.

Well done to all our Club members who competed at the Dublin Graded Meeting 8 at Morton Stadium on Wednesday 30th July 2025. In the 1,500m Louise Gaffney ran 4.58, Caitriona Dowling 5.03, Aisling O'Connor 5.14 and Sophie McGrath 5.34. In the mens 1,500m Aiden O'Connor ran 4.15 and Richard Deeney 5.21. In the discus Vanessa Sallier threw 14.20m. The full results are on http://live.dublinathletics.com/graded25-8/menu.htm l.

A great day was had on Saturday July 26th down on the track in Tullamore by Rathfarnham WSAF athletes. Caitriona Dowling won the F35 in the 800m. Louise Gaffney then won the F35 1500m. Sheelagh Jones won Gold and SIlver in the 3000m and 1500m respectively in the F65. Serious going. Dermot Shiels won M50 silver in the 5000m and Tom Cuddy was just pipped at the post to finish fourth in an unbelievably competitive M65. Away from the track and over to the field, Vanessa Sallier nailed down a bronze in the F50 at the High jump and Hammer.  Pipped at the post on Thursday 24 th July was our Kevin Donagher in the Liberties 4 mile in the south inner city, who finished second in 22.06. Super results everyone.

At the BHAA DCC 5k in Irishtown/Ringsend on Thursday 17 th July our own Matt Kane won the overall race in 15.55 and we had several category wins and places. Sheelagh Jones won the F65 category, Sean McCreery won the M55 category, Vanessa Sallier was second F50 and Donal Murphy was second M65. We also had Alex Fraser, Terry Clarke and Catherine Kelly running well. Another great run from Colm Murray in torrential rain in the National 10-mile road championships in the Phoenix Park on Sunday 20th July. Colm was 5th in his age category in 64.25. Tom Cuddy won the M65 age category in 65.16. Other notable runs were had by Donal Murphy, 74.12, was 7th in M65, Nunzio Perrone ran 72:20 and Martin Kelly ran 93.39. The M50+ team were fourth. Also on Sunday 20 th July Kevin Donagher won the Nurney 5k in Kildare in 16.48. At the AAI Games in Carlow on Sunday 20 th July Alexey Marchensko was third in the National 10,000m track championships in 34:26.51.

Well done to all our athletes who took part in the Dublin Graded Meeting No. 7 on the Lucan track on Wednesday 16th July 2025. They competed over 3,000m (Dermot Shiels 10.01, Michael Murphy 10.08, Tom Cuddy 11.03, Richard Deeney 11.32; Aisling O'Connor 10.50 and Sophie McGrath 12.01), 800m (Caitriona Dowling 2.25) and in the shot put (1st Isabel Mullarney 8.79m, Orla Murray 6.89m and Vanessa Sallier 5.44m). The full results are on the Dublin Athletics Live site at http://live.dublinathletics.com/graded-25-7/menu.htm l.

Docklands 5k - We had a number of Rathfarnham WSAF Athletes running in the Docklands 5k on Thursday 10 th July 2025, with some age category wins and podium finishes, coupled with the return to racing of our rebel county man Donagh Powell. On a very hot sunny evening, the race went off at a blistering 24deg with the evergreen Dave Power won the M40 category in a time of 16:30. Marc Fitzachary was 3rd M45 in a time of 17:37. Denis Daly won the M55 category in a time of 19:41. Sophie McGrath was 24th female home in a time of 20:53. Micheal Murphy ran 17:50, John McCauley ran 17:52, Donagh Powell ran 18:06. Richard Deeney ran 19:17 and Sean McCarron back from injury ran 22:25.  At the Morton Games on Friday 11 th July Ryan O’Neill ran well in the Under 20 mile. Denis Daly has only gone and done it again creating more work for the admin team here at Rathfarnham WSAF. The race was Le Mike Bishop Agonac 10k, Dordogne, Bastille day run on 14 th July 2025. In his own words ‘I seem to be less slow than everybody else in 35°C, 85% humidity and 220m climb!’ Great experience for our under 14 girls (Siún Broderick, Rosie Shields, Alice Wilson and Siobhan Murray) getting to the nationals juvenile Track and Field Championships on Sunday 13 th July in the 4x100m relay. There was very tough competition out there and they did the club proud. Two of the team are also eligible to run U.13s as well. Another big shout out to Ciara MacDonnacha who was 12 th in the U17 long jump in 4.44 metres.

Races in Clontarf always advertised as flat and fast. They forget to mention the wind. It didn’t stop Colm Murray rocking up in the Clontarf Half Marathon on 5 th July 2025, the man who loves to race every week. Punishing conditions however, with a strong head wind from 9k home coupled with high humidity. Not a great mix. Still another age category podium finish in second place and a sub 90 (1:29:28). Very impressive stuff. NATIONAL U20 and U23 track and field Championships took place in Tullamore on Saturday 5 th July and Rathfarnham had 2 representatives. Ryan O Neill ran the U20 1500m and it was a tactical race from the off. The Tallaght athlete and eventual winner Cormac Dixon made a decisive break half way through and field did not go with the move which meant that the other medal spots would be decided in the final 300m. Ryan bravely took on the lead at that point but was narrowly edged out of the medals in the final strides to finish a commendable 5th in 4.02.5. Jared Murray took to the start in a very strong heat including eventual winner Nick Griggs in the U23 800m and just missed out on the final finishing 9th overall in 1.57.17. Ryan will compete in the Morton Games on Friday whilst Jared will aim for national seniors’ championship in a few weeks’ time. Well done to speedster Ellie Oldrey who came third in the U16 80m hurdles in the national championships in June. 11.98 is a serious time. Very unlucky to clip the hurdle towards the end. She also romped home to victory in the rain in the schools 200m in an insane time of 25.65. Well done to all who ran. 

Another busy week is of summer activities. Thursday 26th June we had Liam Dunne, 12th., run a find time of 34.38 at the Clonee 10k. Friday 27th June we had the usual large participation seeking PBs in always fast St Cocas 5k with honourable mention to first home busy Dad of 3 Gaël Hernandez running his first ever sub 17m. in 16.57. Great runs were also had by Dermot Shiels 17.23, David Reidy 17.36, Michael Murphy 17.53, Gavin Murphy 18.42, Michael Steward 19.28, Claire Shiels 19.59, Ester Lawlor 21.31, Paul Stephenson, Lian Brady 22.15, and John McCabe 22.51. Saturday 28th June saw action switch to ultra fast track Irish Milers event in Santry stadium with Ryan O Neill again running 1500m sub 3.54 and Jared Murray lowering his 1500m mark sub 4.02, fast running lads. Today Sunday 29th June saw more runners take to start for national 5m road in Phoenix Park with David Power first thru in a remarkable fine PB time of 26.40. Also category wins for Tom Cuddy 31.33 and Shellagh Jones 36.19. Great runs were also had by Paul Fleming 28.58, Colm Murray 30.54, Tom Cuddy 31.33, Terry Clarke 39.30, and Richard Deasy 32.55. Meanwhile we had no less than 7 juveniles make the trip to the prestigious annual National Championship in Tullamore on Sunday 29th June where Ellie Oldrey again came away with medal taking bronze in U16m 80m . Also we had Lucy Blessington run the 800 metres in 2.25, Callum Kelly ran in the U17 110 metres hurdles. Aoibheann Nic Mathuna was 8th, throwing 9.25 metres in the U15 shot put. Euan Bale U15 ran the 80 metres hurdles in 13.80 seconds. Well done to all.