Boit leads all the way in ‘Streets’

Date Published: 11-Aug-2009

THE 2009 FUTURE Streets of Galway 8k Road Race took place on Saturday evening last from South Park in the Claddagh. This was the 24th running of the race hosted by Galway City Harriers AC, and the biggest yet. The race entries sold out in mid-July and on Saturday night over 2,000 people took to the streets around the traditional route from Southpark to Eyre Square, by UCHG towards Devon Park, Pearse Stadium and back in the Prom.

Race t-shirts feature footsteps passing the Cathedral along the route and on the back they quote an old Galway byelaw from 1518 which was designed to keep the natives out. It said : “neither O ne Mac, shoulde Strutte ne Swagger, throughe the Streetes of Gallway”. The 2009 Streets of Galway had over 1700 entrants from Galway City and County, with plenty of visitors from Ireland, France, Spain, The Netherlands, the US and Japan as well.

The weather forecast had been good, fine with only light winds, and these were predicted to be at the runners’ backs on the home stretch along Salthill promenade. Fast times and personal bests were hoped for by many of the runners who lined up at the start.

Chip timing was used again this year, which means that everyone received an accurate time for their run, regardless of how far back from the start line they were for the ‘off’. The chip recorded their time from the moment they crossed the start line to the moment they cross the finish.

The gun went off at 7pm and…