WINNING TEAM Race winner Ger Corcoran with his wife Aileen McNamara, the second woman over the line in the shorter Sea2Summit Spirit-level race.
Over 1,200 take part in third Sea2Summit
Neill O’Neill
WESTPORT was teeming with athletes and spectators on Saturday as the third annual Sea2Summit Adventure race got took place in the town. Over 1,200 competitors took part in the event, which is organised by the Castlecourt and Plaza Hotel Resort.
Local man Ger Corcoran was first over the line in a time of three hours and seven minutes. Tipperary native Ann-Marie Egan was first home in the women’s section. The event had plenty of glitz too, with popstar and former Atomic Kitten member Natasha Hamilton competing, along with plenty of other well-known people.
The 56.5 kilometre course involves a cycle, run and also takes in Croagh Patrick, which was snow capped at the weekend. There was also a shorter race – the Spirit category – for those who did not fancy the prospect of the bigger, more demanding event. Corcoran's wife, Aileen McNamara, was the second woman over the Spirit line.
Sea2Summit Race Director Paul O’Brien said the event had surpassed all expectations, and at a gala evening in The Castlecourt Hotel there was also praise for the Corcoran family and their marketing team who had put in all the hard work in terms of organising the event.
Speaking to The Mayo News, Ger Corcoran said he was delighted to have performed so well on his home patch. The Covey Wheeler had originally planned to compete in triathlons this year but after a solid season in the saddle will now be focusing more on his cycling.
“I performed strongly on the Reek and I was in first place shortly after the descent when I got up on the bike, and never looked back after that,” he explained. “I didn’t know how much I was in the lead by, but my cycling has been strong all year so it made the difference for me. I didn’t do any other adventure races all year, but I will keep up the cycling over the winter.”
A relative newcomer to the sport, Corcoran has said that he should be back to defend his title next year, all going well.
