RATHFARNHAM WIN FOR PEÑA
Form man Juan Ignacio Peña (Raheny Shamrock AC) raced away from the chasers to win the Rathfarnham 5km in Dublin on Sunday (September 29). The Chilean athlete’s time of 14 mins 34 secs saw him finish five seconds clear of Colm Rooney (Clonliffe Harriers, M40) who was second in 14:39. Third in 14:41 was Shane Spring (Raheny Shamrock AC), which assured Raheny of victory in the open team category. Coming down to the wire was the women’s race with Cheryl Nolan (St Abban’s AC) passing Dublin-based school teacher Íde Nic Dhomhnaill (West Limerick AC) almost on the line.Their times were 16:02 and 16:03. Despite Raheny nailing down two of the top three men’s places, the open team category was closely fought with Clonliffe Harriers finishing just 14 seconds behind Raheny for second place. Host club Rathfarnham WSAF AC, led by Dáire Sullivan, finished third. Those three clubs also finished top three in the Dublin Championships, which was incorporated in the race. Raheny Shamrock, led by Niamh Kearney, won the women’s open team title with Crusaders second and Dundrum South Dublin third. Winning the Dublin title was Crusaders ahead of Clonliffe Harriers and Raheny Shamrock. In the age categories, Dublin winners were Sarah Mulligan (DSD) W35, Ciara Hickey (Brothers Pearse) W40, Maria McCambridge (DSD) W45, Edel McNamara (DCH) W50, Annette Kealy (Raheny Shamrock) W55, Sheelagh Jones (Rathfarnham WSAF) W65 of the women. Of the men, the Dublin winners were Colm Rooney (Clonliffe Harriers) M40, Mark Ryan (Rathfarnham WSAF AC) M45 and Paul Cowhie (Crusaders AC) M60. First junior woman was Hazel Kenny (Clonliffe Harriers).
In the Dublin Championships masters’ team categories, Brothers Pearse won the M35 title ahead of Sportsworld and Rathfarnham WSAF AC. Best in the M50 category was Crusaders, followed by Blackrock and Civil Service Harriers. Brothers Pearse also won the W35 title, with Rathfarnham WSAF AC second and Crusaders third. Civil Service came out on top in the W50 category, with Lucan Harriers second and Brothers Pearse third.
ABROAD
Fastest Irish finisher at the Berlin Marathon was Kane Collins (Donore Harriers) who finished 39th in 2 hrs 24 mins12 secs (chip time). Other Dublin runners who finished in under 2 hours 40 minutes included Peter Thompson (Dublin Endurance Project) 2:34.17, Robert Frewen (Raheny Shamrock) 2:35.18, Daragh O’Reilly (Crusaders, M35) 2:35.58, Karl Fleming (Portmarnock) 2:37.39, Barry Meehan (Raheny Shamrock) 2:38.37, Philip Simpson (DSD) 2:38.40 and Ciaran Kelly (Crusaders, M35) 2:38.42. Best of the Dublin women club athletes was Grace Kennedy (Donore Harriers, W35) in 3:03.51. Adrienne Jordan (Crusaders AC, W45) finished in 3:07.05, Meghan O’Keeffe (Clonliffe Harriers) in a personal best 3:09.28 and Anne Curley (Donore Harriers, W50) in 3:13.31. Eileen O’Brien (Lucan Harriers) finished sixth W70 in 4:16.13 and Jean Carr (Clonliffe Harriers, W65) in 4:25.11 Other Dublin clubs represented included Garristown Flyers, Ballymun AC, Sportsworld AC, Dublin Bay AC, Tallaght AC, Metro St Brigid’s AC, Skerries AC, Brothers Pearse AC, Liffey Valley AC, Portmarnock AC and Balbriggan and District.
In Canada, Eoin Taggart (Clonliffe Harriers) won the Brita 10km Night Run in Toronto by about four minutes with a time of 31 mins 59 secs.
CROSS-COUNTRY
Lauren Tinkler (Dublin City Harriers) made a winning return to racing with an impressive victory in the women's 4,000m race at the Castlegar Open Cross-Country at the Galway Race Course on Saturday (September 28). Tinkler’s time of 21:47 put her almost a minute clear of Mary Mulhare (Portlaoise AC) who finished second in 22.46.
TRAIL
Third and first local finisher in the 80km ultra long race at the annual Eco Trail Wicklow in Bray on Saturday (September 28) was Sean Meehan (Cherry Orchard AC) in 7 hrs 46 mins 18 secs. Fourth overall and first Irish woman was Sorcha Loughnane (Donore Harriers, W40) in 7:51.55 Alastair Higgins (Dublin Bay Running Club) was fifth and first M50 in 8:13.13.
DUBLIN GRADED MEETINGS 2024 AWARDS
At the annual Dublin Athletics Graded League awards night held in Sportslink in Santry on Friday (September 27), Darby Browne (Lusk ) for the pole vault was among the youngest of the winners, while Frances Mansfield (Clonliffe Harriers), now aged eighty, was by some way the oldest when winning an award for her specialist hammer. Some sixty years ago in 1964, when women were finally invited to compete at the Dublin Graded Meets, Frances was among the pioneering group to sign up. Long may she flourish! Other winners included Maria McCambridge (DSD) and Aisling O’Connor (Rathfarnham WSAF) for women’s middle distance in grades A and B; Peadar McGing (DSD) for men’s high jump, and comeback kid Isabel Mullarney (Rathfarnham WSAF) for women’s shot.
* Diary date: Dublin Novice Cross-Country Championships, Magazine Hill area, Phoenix Park, Sunday October 5. Novice women’s 4000m, 1.50pm; novice mena’s 6000m, 1.15pm.Also Juvenile Even Ages U10-18) programme from 11am. Further details elsewhere on this site.
PS: Pics from Rathfarnham 5k and the Dublin Graded Meeting Awards awards night at https://www.flickr.com/
