CROSS-COUNTRY
Two Dublin clubs represented Ireland at the European Clubs Cross-Country Championships, in Oropesa del Mar, Portugal on Sunday (February 5) where Efrem Gidey produced the Irish performance of the day. Gidey, representing Clonliffe Harriers, finished seventh in the men’s 9.1km race with a time of 24 mins 42 secs, helping his team to eighth place among the twenty-six teams finishing. Making up the team were Sean O’Leary 41st, Jayme Rossiter 45th and Ian Guiden 60th. In the women’s race over the same distance, Cliona Murphy led home the Dublin City Harriers team in 32nd place with a time of in 30:22. Making up the team were Edel Monaghan 40th, Avril Deegan 51st and Faye Dervan 65th. The team finished twelfth of the twenty-teams finishing.
ROADS
On the roads, the two big races of the weekend were held in Trim, Co Meath and Dungarvan, Co Waterford, with over 4,000 finishers between them. In Trim, Raheny Shamrock AC was out in force with eight men’s and seven women’s teams in action. Leading them home was Mick Clohisey who finished runner-up in the race behind Yared Derese of Carrick Aces in a time of 49 mind 55 secs. Unsurprisingly, Raheny took the team title ahead of Brothers Pearse, who were led home by Ieuan Hopkins. He finished a respectable sixth with a a time of 52:29.
A stunning total of eighty-five men’s teams finished, among them teams from Donore Harriers, Crusaders, LSA, Lucan Harriers, Clonliffe Harriers, Esker RC, Love2Run and Dublin Bay RC. Ciara Hickey of Brothers Pearse AC made it a Dublin victory in the women’s race with a time of 57:27; she as also first W40. Best of the many Dublin teams were Raheny Shamrock who finished third, led by Siobhan Eviston. Behind them Brothers Pearse finished sixth and Lucan Harriers eighth, with teams also entered by LSA, Blackrock, Sportsworld and Lusk and a total of seventy-fve teams finishing.
Fewer Dublin athletes were in Dungarvan for the John Treacy 10-Mile which, like Trim was a sell-out. Among the notable results was a third place for Aoife O’Leary of Sportsworld RC in the women’s race with a time of 60:19. As in Trim a massive number of club teams has entered - seventy-three men’s teams and forty-three women’s teams.
Both races, organised by club athletes for club athletes and supported by local businesses, are now a firm fixture on the annual calendar. Long may they flourish!
INDOORS
Tallaght’s Rhasidat Adeleke continued her climb to the top of world athletics when she smashed the Irish indoor record for 400m with a time of 50.45 secs at the New Mexico Collegiate Classic in Albuquerque on Saturday (February 4). Adeleke’s winning time was over a second faster than the existing record of 51.58 and and quicker than her own Irish outdoor record of 50.53. It comes only a fortnight after the 20-year-old broke the Irish indoor 200m record with a time of 22.52, also in Albuquerque. At an altitude of 1600m the venue is known to produce fast times. It will host the NCAA Indoor Championships on March 10-11.
At the New Balance Indoor Grand Prix, Boston, USA, also on Saturday, Brian Fay of Raheny Shamrock AC and UCD AC’s Darragh McElhinney finished sixth and seventh in the the men’s 3000m with times of 7:43.85 and 7:45.79 respectively, both of them personal bests. In the men’s mile, Luke McCann of Dublin City Harriers AC finished sixth in 3:54.91while in the women’s mile, Georgie Hartigan of Dundrum South Dublin AC clocked a time of 4:43.69 for thirteenth place.
At the Boston University Bruce Lehane Scarlet and White Invite, also on Saturday, Stephen Fay of Raheny Shamrock AC finished fifth in the 5000m with a personal best 14:51.73. His clubmate Daniel Stone finished 14th in 15:18.12. Finished fourth in the 800m was Nadia Power of Dublin City Harriers in 2:03.39, with Iseult O’Donnell of Raheny Shamrock AC eighth in 2:04.81.
With the All Ireland Indoors Championships just a fortnight away, A large group of Irish athletes had headed to the IFAN Indoors, Ghent, Belgium, where the highlight was a fourth place in the women’s 1500m for Niamh Kearney of Raheny Shamrock AC in a personal best time of 4:21.30. In the men’s series of 800m races, Mark Milner of UCD AC ran a time of 1:52.14, while Claire Mooney Crusaders AC clocked 2:07.92 in the women’s 800m.
All Ireland Masters Indoors
Athlone was the venue for the All Ireland Masters Indoors Championships, where Shane O’Neill of Rathfarnham WSAF continued his recent winning streak by taking both the M50 1500m and 800m titles in times of 4:23.13 and 2:06.74 respectively. Winning the M40 1500m with an impressive time of 4:11.15 was Ray Hynes of Donore Harriers. In the women’s 800m, Catriona Dowling of Rathfarnham WSAF AC won the W35 title in 2:19.23, with Sinead Lambe of MSB AC second, while Eileen O’Brien of Lucan Harriers took the W70 gold. Many times previous winner Annette Kealy of Raheny Shamrock AC lined out in the 3000m winning the W55 title comfortably in 10:46.03. In the sprints, Carol Kearney of Lucan Harriers won the W55 200m and 400m, while in the men’s 200m, Ruaidhri Kedney, M40, Ronan Gately M50, and Shane Sheridan M60 were all winners for DSD AC, while Edina Gheorghiu won the W45 60m. For Clonliffe Harriers, Edel Maguire Clonliffe Harriers won the W60 400m, 60m and high jump, and Darryl Piggott the M55 400m, where John O’Loughlin of Crusaders AC was given the same time for second place. In the 60m hurdles, Avril Dillion W40 and Kevin Byrne M50 were winners for DSD, with Byrne also winning the M50 pole vault, George Wyatt the M55 triple jump and John Menton the M50 weight for distance. Lucy Moore of DSD won W60 titles for the long jump, shot and wight for distance. For Donore Harriers, Niall Allen won the M45 shot and Michael McCarthy Sr the M35 triple jump.
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