CROSS-COUNTRY
Ann-Marie McGlynn (Letterkenny AC) made Irish athletics history at Irvinestown, Co Fermanagh on Sunday (November 17) when winning the women’s 6.5km race only a mere four weeks after taking her first ever title at the Irish Marathon Championships in Dublin. It is the first ever any Irish athlete had both both these titles in one year. Now McGlynn will lead the Irish women’s team at next months’ European Championships in Turkey. Finishing third in the team category and and best of the Dublin clubs was Dublin City Harriers led by Jodie McCann in seventh place, backed up by Edel Monaghan 21st, Orla Duffy 27th and Sorcha McAllister 28th. Dundrum South Dublin finished fourth, Raheny Shamrock seventh and Clonliffe Harriers tenth, with only ten clubs entering teams. In the county team category, Dublin finished second behind Cork, beating Donegal by a single point. Finishing eighth and first Under 23 in the race was recently crowned Dublin senior champion Emma McEvoy. A clear winner of the men’s race was Keelin Kilrehill (Moy Valley) with a time of exactly 23minutes for the 6.5km course, a much reduced distance from the previous 10km distance. Finished fourth and best of the Dublin club members in 23:40 was Efrem Gidey of Clonliffe Harriers. Belfast-based CNDR Track won the team title for the very first time. It was a first victory for an Northern Irish club since1955! In tenth place Pierre Murchan was leading Dublin City Harriers to victory in the B team category. Winning the county title was Dublin with Gidey, Murchan, Eanna Ó Bradaigh (DSD), John Travers (Donore Harriers), and Clonliffe pair Sean O’Leary and Colm Rooney thre counting six.
Winning the junior men’s race was Jonas Stafford (UCD AC). Recently crowned Dublin championSean Quinn (DSD) was third. Clonliffe Harriers, led by Ronan Luff in 11th place, proved best of the teams ahead of Lagan Valley and Dundrum South Dublin. Donore Harriers, led by Harry Cahill, finished sixth, Clonliffe Harriers B tenth and Lucan Harriers, with Benjamin Caullier first home, 12th. With six finished in the top 19, Dublin took the county team title comfortably. Winning the U18 team title was Donore Harriers, led by Harry Cahill, with Charlie White, Rhys Johnson and Liam Morris making up the scoring four. Clonliffe Harriers finished third, with Matei Ursachi the first home and Harry Bogan, Harry Lynam and Aidan Benjacar making up the team. Metro St Brigid's finished sixth and DSD 11th.
Finishing sixth and first Dublin club member in the junior women’s race was Megan Brunt (Blackrock AC) who was also second U18. Lorraine O’Connor (Clonliffe Harriers) was eighth overall and fourth U18, helping her club to second place in the team competition behind Lagan Valley. Making up the Clonliffe team were Emily Bolton, Hazel Kenny and Goda Buivydyte. Lucan Harriers, led by Aisling Fitzpatrick, finished tenth team., with Donore Harriers, led by Laura Nunan, 11th. In a closely-fought county team championships, Louth beat Dublin on count-back, after both teams finished on 54 points. Clonliffe finished third of the U18 teams, with Blackrock AC, led by Megan Brunt, fifth and Donore Harriers 11th. Dublin was second county team.
Winners at the Ledwith Construction BHAA 6km Cross-Country, held at Ledwith Farm, Batterstown, Co Meath on Sunday were BHAA ‘regular’ Paul Fleming (Ornua and also Rathfarnham WSAF) and local athlete Eimear English. Fleming was pushed hard mid-race by Tremble (Dept of Social Protection and DonoreHarriers) but pulled away for victory on the last of three laps, finishing in 21 mins 49 secs. Tremble was second in 22:02 and Fred Kiernan (DCC) third in 22:19. English was 16th overall in 25:01. Leona O’Reilly (Gardai and Liffey Valley AC) was second and Patricia Ferguson third. Next up for the BHAA is a Sata Run 6km at the new b=vues of McGee Park in Tallaght on Sunday December 1. Details www.bhaa.ie
For only for the second time ever, Ireland was the overall winner at the annual British and Irish Masters International Cross-Country, hosted by the Northern Ireland Masters Association at the Billy Neill Playing Fields, in Belfast on Saturday (November 16). Helping the team to victory were a number of Dublin club athletes, among them Kate Purcell third W40 and part of the winning W40 team. In the W65 age group, Sheelagh Jones (Rathfarnham WSAF) and Grainne Grennan (Blackrock AC) helped the W65 team to victory, while in the W55 category, Annette Kealy (Raheny Shamrock) added yet another individual title to her collection, with the team finishing second. In the men’s M35-45 race, Eoin Flynn (Rathfarnham WSAF) was part of the winnign M40 team, as was his Rathfarnham club mate Mark Ryan in the M45 age ghroup where he finished second individual. Overall, Ireland end up on 69 points, followed by England 61, Scotland 48, Northern Ireland 32 and Wales 16. Ireland last won the overall title in 2022 — the first time in the history of the event that England was beaten.
ROADS
At the Bear Races Clontarf Half Marathon in Dublin on Saturday (November 16), Kieran Little (Blackrock AC) finished second in 75:44A total of 3,476 completed the run along the Clontarf coast. A further 1,310 completed the 5-mile, with Bernadette Bruen (Raheny Shamrock, W50) first woman in 31:57.
OFF-ROAD
Rain mericully held off for the annual Dublin and Wicklow Mountain Rescue Run the Line 26km/13km from Glencullen Adventure Park on Saturda, with the course taking in Fairy Castle, Three Rock, Pine Forest and Cruagh Woods. Among the Dublin club runners who signed up for the 26km were Sean Meehan from Cherry Orchard AC, who finished in 2:18.40, Aaron Farrall (Crusaders) AC); Ger O’Toole, and Sreedevan Nair, both Blackrock AC; Angela Charlton (Raheny Shamrock AC), Matthew Bush (Lusk AC) and a group of women, including Marie Bermingham from the Garristown Flyers who were delighted simply to get around!
7 MARATHON IN 7 DAYS
At the first of the 7 Marathons in 7 Days Great World Race at Wolf’s Fang, in Antarctica, Ger Prendergast of Ballymun AC finished third in 3 hrs 19 mins. The marathoners then moved on to Cape Town where Prendergast was equal third in 3:15.46 and then Australia where he was fourth in 3:14.46, More on the remaininng foru marathons next week!
CATCH-UP
A record 149 completed the first round of the annual Meet and Train Women’s Winter League Cross-Country held held in Tymon Park on Sunday (November 10). Leading them home was Roisin McMahon (Sportsworld A) with Lisa Gaughan (Dundrum South Dublin A) second and Rachel Calvey (Sportsworld A) third. Other clubs represented were Tallaght, Esker, Dublin Front Runners, Raheny Shamrock, Crusaders, Brothers Pearse, Blackrock, Rathfarnham WSAF, Waterstown Warriors and Donore Harriers, many of them entering multiple teams. Organising the race were the combined forces of Sportsworld and Brothers Pearse to whom a big thanks.
With three rounds left (all in the New Year) new clubs are welcome to join in the fun. Dates are January 12, DSD Tibradden Lane; February 9 , Marino (DFR hosting) and March 2, Abbotstown (Blackrock/Waterstown hosting) with a social run and prize-giving at Irishtown (Crusaders hosting) on April 6. Info:
Over twenty Ballymun AC members travelled to Kilkenny for the annual Stook 10-Mile where Dean Hayden finished seventh in 62 mins 57 secs, followed by Calvin Alexander in 65:16, Owen Hayes in 65:48, Bob Armstrong in (2nd M50) in 66:01, Ian McGrath (5th M50) in 69:38, Jonathan Piggott (M40) in 70:16, Eamonn Carthy (M40) 71:13, Desmond O’Neill in 72:07, with Anne Marie Burns first Ballymun woman in 79:56 followed by Deborah Smith 84:34 and Beth O’Connor 86:51. And a few others! In the 10km, Susie Hickman was third woman in 55:38. Other Dublin club runners in action included Anthony Walsh (Raheny Shamrock, M40) 66:41 Carl Fleming (Clonliffe Harriers, M50) 72:56 and Helen Carr (Raheny Shamrock, W40) sixth woman in 75:39.
A closely-fought men’s race saw DCU beating University of Galway by just s a single second at the annual Irish Universities Road Relays hosted by NUI Maynooth on Friday (November 8). Taking the women’s title was UCD ahead of UCC and DCU. Bringing the DCU men home on the final leg was Finn Woodger (also Metro St Brigid’s). Other strong legs were run by Pierre Murchan (Trinity/DCH) whose time of 14 mins 36 secs for three mile leg was the fastest of the day, and Dublin junior men’s champion Sean Quinn (UCD/DSD) with 9:40in the second two-mile, which also the fastest time. Making up the winning UCD team were Hannah Kehoe (also KCH), recently crowned Dublin senior cross-country champion Emma McEvoy (DSD), Aoife McGreevy (Lagan Valley) and Sadhbh Mohan (MSB).
