Why would you organise an athletics meeting, have a timetable and then disregard it? It doesn't seem a very sensible course of action. Where is the logic? What is the rationale? All of these questions could be asked of those who were in charge of the Donegal Athletics Championships held in Letterkenny on Tuesday evening. The timetable announced that the first event would take place at 6.30pm. It was 7.15 pm before the starter's pistol recoiled for the first time.
It was then decided that the order of events should be altered. It was announced that the 3000m would be run before the 800m. No satisfactory explanation could be given for this volte face.
I don't know what occurred in the mind of the lap counter during the 3000m race, but he made that most elementary of mistakes and rang the bell with two laps to go. One athlete was prompted to start his final effort by this sound and was so spent and disillusioned when he was met by the bell for the second time that he dropped out.
I was very tempted to leave without competing in the 800m, but was persuaded to stay by one of my training partners. The first lap was somewhat quicker than I wanted and I expect this had a detrimental affect on my final time. Still an opening time of 2.18.52 (1.55 age adjusted), for my first 800m of the season was just about acceptable.
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