INDOORS - WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS
At the World Indoors, Sophie Becker (Raheny Shamrock) was part of the Irish 4 x 400m quartet setting an Irish record of 3:28.45 in the 4x400m heats. The tiem qualified them for the final, where they finished fifth in only a slightly slower time of 3:28.92. Also in action was Irish indoor 1,500m record holder Sarah Healy (UCD) in the 1500m heats and Israel Olatunde (Tallaght), who ran ran a season’s best 6.70 secs in the 60m heats, putting him top of the current Irish rankings.
INDOORS - LOCAL
Nkemijka Onwunereh (Metro St Brigid’s) was the only athlete to go under seven seconds in the men’s 60m at the eighth round of Track & Field Live at NIA Abbotstown on Wednesday evening (February 28). Onwunereh clocked a time of 6.92 in the second series of 60m races. Cillian Kirwan (Raheny Shamrock) ran a personal best indoor time of 1:48.09 in the men’s 800m series. Fastest in the women’s 800m was Susie Nestor (UCD) in 2:10.32. Winning the women’s mile in a personal best 4:53.16 was Mary Horgan (Crusaders). Juan Ignacio Pena (Raheny Shamrock) proved fastest of the men across two heats with a time of 4:14.72. Over 400m, Sophie Becker (Raheny Shamrock) proved the class of the women’s entry with a time of 53.00 secs; Becker was using the race as a final blow out before heading to Glasgow for the World Indoor Championships.
ROADS
Emmett Jennings (DSD) finished a fighting eleventh in the Paris Half Marathon on Sunday (March 3) with a time of 65 mins 18 secs. Jennings had run a personal best 64:52 in Valencia, Spain, last October — only his second half marathon Finishing 39th in a personal best 68:23 was Ieuan Hopkins (Brothers Pearse). Hopkins, a prolific racer, ran a time of 71:48 in the Lisbon Half Marathon a year ago.
Sean Cronin (Clonliffe Harriers) was the winner of the Lusk 4-Mile in Co Dublin on Sunday afternoon in a time of 19 mins 33 secs; the race attracted an entry of 765. Also breaking 20 minutes were Raheny Shamrock pair Shane Spring and Mick Clohisey. Spring finished second in 19:36 and Clohisey third in 19:44. On a good day for Raheny, Michael Brady was fourth in 20:01 and Marcus O’Sullivan sixth in 20:36. Ninth overall and first woman was Dublin resident Íde Nic Dhomhnaill in 20:52. She was followed home by Lucy Barrett in 22:22 and Ailis Murtagh in 24:01, both of them from Raheny Shamrock, so no prizes for guessing who won the mixed team category! Second of the fifteen teams entered was Clonliffe Harriers with host club Lusk third.
First woman at the Naas 10-mile in Co Kildare with a time of in 58.25 was ex-Clonliffe athlete Becky Woods, who was a basketball start in her youth and who, more recently, has turned to triathlon and cycling.
Mihail Sprincean (Clonliffe Harriers) was the winner of the Stook 10-mile in Dungarvan village, Co Kilkenny, with a time of 53 mins 31 for the hilly course. A day earlier, Louis McCarthy (Rathfarnham WSAF AC, M40) won the Kinvara Rock and Road 10km in a time of 32 mins 31 secs. Daragh Keegan (Donore Harriers) was third in 34:35. Evan Reid (Portmarnock AC) won the Kinvara half marathon in 71:23.
CROSS-COUNTRY
At the ALSAA BHAA Cross-Country, which went ahead at Dublin Airport on Saturday in post-snow conditions, Karla Doran of Mason Hayes and Curran and Donore Harriers won the women’s two-mile race in 12 mins 43 secs. Daniel O’Brien won the open five-mile in 28 mins 22 secs. Robert Frewen was second in 28:37 and. Sean Doran third in 29:08.
A day later, bright sunshine greeted over a hundred woman at the fourth and final round of this winter’s Meet and Train Cross-Country League held on the National Cross-Country course at Abbotstown. Winning her second race in the series was Lisa Gaughan (DSD AC) who completed the tough two-mile course in 11 mins 4 secs. Second was her DSD clubmate Ruth Wilson, while for third place Rebekah Vickery (Brothers Pearse) outlasted Emma Finlay (Esker Runners). Deirdre Lyons (Dublin Frontrunners AC), who was second in the third round race, had to be content with fifth place this time. Sixth was Elaine Kennedy (Sportsworld). Overall results in the various team grades will be confirmed before the prize-giving and fun run at the DSD Campus, Tibradden Lane on Sunday April 7 (11am).
HILLS/MOUNTAINS
At Ticknock Winter mountain race in Co Dublin on Sunday (March 3) Killian Mooney (DSD) finished second. First woman was Caoimhe Daniels (Sportsworld) . Harriette Robinson (DSD) was second and Orlaith Smith (Raheny Shamrock) third
NEWS
DSD will defend its team title at the 2024 Peugeot Race Series organised by Pop-Up Races, with a prize pot of €33,000 on offer. First round is the Streets of Portlaoise 5km Road Race on St Patrick’s Day Sunday March 17. The series of nine races includes the Dunsahguhlin 10km, one of the most popular road races on the athletics calendar. Further details at: https://www.popupraces.ie/
Irish Olympic hurdler Derval O’Rourke and British athletics legend Kelly Holmes are among the keynote speakers for the ‘Menopause in Motion, Running for a Balanced Life’ conference taking place in the Marino Institute of Education, Dublin on Saturday, 20 April (9.30am). The conference, supported by the Dublin Front Runners (DFR) AC, aims to provide health, nutrition and coaching guidance for women navigating the perimenopause, the menopause, and beyond. Tickets at €30 include lunch, tea and coffee and a Pilates class. Book at https://www.eventbrite.ie/e/
Meet and Train pics are at https://www.flickr.com/
Pics from Lusk are at the MyRunResults FB page: https://www.facebook.
Captions:
Lisa Gaughan (DSD) winner Meet and Train Winter League R4
Last big of snow at Abbotstown - Meet and Train Start
Mid-pack Meet and Train race, Abbottstown
Mid-race Lusk 4-Mil. Image MyRunResults
Clonliffe at Lusk 4-Mile. Image Clonliffe Harriers
