INTERNATIONAL
At the World Athletics U20 Championships, in Lima, Peru, Irish champion and national record holder Elizabeth Ndudi (Dundrum South Dublin AC) finished sixth in the long jump with a best effort of 6.18m. Ndudi is currently a student at the University of Illinois in the USA. In the 400m hurdles, David Davitt (Clonliffe Harriers) finished fourth in his heat with a time of 52.51 secs which saw him progress to the semi-finals, where he improved his time to 51.93 a when finishing sixth. On Saturday, Davitt ran the second leg for the Irish 4 x 400 team with the team finishing a fighting seventh in the final in a time of 3:09.73
At the Paralympic Games in Paris, Greta Streimikyte (Clonliffe Harriers), competing in her third Paralympic Games, finished a frustrating fourth in the T13 1500m. Streimikyte, now aged 29, had also finished fourth on her first Paralympic outing in 2016 and then fifth three years ago at the Tokyo Games. Her time of 4:32.28 was a season’s best and broke her own European record, which was some small consolation.
In Italy, Sarah Healy (UCD AC) finished eighth in the women’s 1500m at the Diamond League Rome on Friday (August 30) with her time of 3:58.42 her second fastest ever.
Also in Italy, at mountain running’s World Cup Nasego vertical race in Casto, on Saturday, Ian Conroy (Raheny Shamrock AC) was first M40 in 40 mins 16 secs.
ROADS
Efrem Gidey (Clonliffe) ran a superb time of 22 mins 57 secs to win the FIAT Lucan 5-Mile in Dublin on Sunday (September1), with his time smashing the course record of 24.12. Gidey was on his own from the start of the race, and by the finish, was almost two minutes clear of the chasers led by Juan Ignacio Peña (Raheny Shamrock AC) who crossed the line in 25:02. Third in 25:29 was prolific racer Sean Doran (Clonliffe Harriers) who was running his third race in ‘half a week’ - he ran in Skryne , Co Meath, on Friday and Abbotstown on Wednesday. ‘I missed two years through injury so I’m making up for lost time!’, he said after the race. Faye Dervan (Dublin City Harriers) was first woman in 28:07, with Kate Purcell (Raheny Shamrock W40) second in 28:40 and Amy Pollman Daaman (An Ríocht AC) third in 29:14. Age group winners were Kate Purcell (Raheny Shamrock) W40, Breda Smyth (Lucan Harriers) W50, Sheelagh Jones W60 and Eileen O’Brien (Lucan Harriers) W70 of the women. First junior woman was Bobbi Beatty. Of the men, the age group winners were Cillian O’Leary (Raheny Shamrock ) M40, Des Tremble (Donore Harriers) M50, Patrick Malone (Newbridge AC) M60, and Joe Caffrey M70 with Dáire Sullivan (Rathfarnham WSAF) the first junior in seventh place overall.
Dublin Championships winners in the age groups were Sarah Mulligan (DSD AC) W35, Kate Purcell (Raheny Shamrock) W40, Catherine Brogan (Portmarnock AC) W45, Breda Smyth (Lucan Harriers) W50, Laura Cunningham (Love2Run) W55, Fiona Byrne (Civil Service Harriers) W60, Liz Arkins (Lucan Harriers) W65 of the women. Of the men, winners were Kieran Little (Blackrock AC) M35, Cillian O’Leary (Raheny Shamrock AC) M40, Paul Fleming (Rathfarnham WSAF) M45, Des Tremble (Donore Harriers) M50, Gerry Dore (Tallaght AC) M55, Paul Cullen (Civil Service Harriers) M60 and Sean Doyle (Rathfarnham WSAF) M65.
A clear winner of the men’s open team title (three to count) was the Clonliffe trio of Gidey, Doran and Paul Keenan with 18 points. In the battle for second place Civil Service Harriers beat Raheny Shamrock by a single point. The same three clubs won the Dublin senior title, with four results counting; Brian O’Reilly was the fourth counting finisher for Clonliffe. Liffey Valley packed well to take the women’s open team title with Aifrid Gallagher, Shauna Dunne and Orla Gordon the counting trio. Clonliffe Harriers was second and Love2Run just three points behind for third. Winning the Dublin title was Love 2Run with Liffey Valley second and Civil Service Harriers third. M50 champions were Civil Service Harriers, followed by Raheny Shamrock and Love2Run.
Of the women, Lucan Harriers won the W35 title, ahead of Raheny Shamrock and Waterstown Warriors. In the W50 age group, Waterstown Warriors were the winners with Lucan Harriers second. Tallaght AC took the M35 Dublin title, followed by Civil Service Harriers and Lucan Harriers. More pictures are at there are many more at https://www.flickr.com/
A number of Dublin clubs travelled to Co Offaly for the Tullamore Half Marathon, on Saturday (August 31) taking a few team and county prizes. Raheny Shamrock, led by Robert Frewen in tenth place, finished second men’s team in both open and Leinster Championship categories. In the women’s open team competition, Raheny, led by Ciara Brady, finished fifth, while in the Leinster Championships, Crusaders AC, led by Ciara Regan, finished third and Raheny Shamrock fourth, with 21 teams entered. Lucan Harriers, with all team members over 50, finished 17th. In the M35 category, Raheny was 5th, Lucan Harriers 18th, Clonliffe Harriers 19th, Donore Harriers 24th and Brothers Pearse 27th. Clonliffe Harriers finished fifth, Brothers Pearse 7th and Lucan Harriers 10th in the M50 age group; while in the women’s team competitions, Raheny Shamrock was seventh and Lucan Harriers 17th W35 and Lucan Harriers fifth W50. In the county championships (teams of six), Dublin finished second behind Offaly in the senior men’s category with a healthy seven county teams entered. The Dublin men’s teams also finished fourth M35 and third M50, while the women’s teams were third in the senior category and fifth in both W35 and W50 age groups.
At the Waterford Greenway Half Marathon from Kilmacthomas to Ballinroad, Co Waterford, also on Saturday, Patrick O’Grady (Clonliffe Harriers) was ninth overall and first M60 in 78:17. He finished just one place behind his clubmate Ben Nugent who was eighth in 77:42. Gavin Foley (UCD AC) was 11th in 78:57.
WEEKDAY EVENING RACES
In Co Meath at the Tara 5km, in Skryne, Sean Doran (Clonliffe Harriers) was second in 15:29 while fifth and first M40 was John Dunne (Raheny Shamrock AC) in 16:29.
Winner of the fourth and fastest race at the Dunboyne Track 5000m meet in Co Meath on Thursday (August 29) was Rhys Johnson (Donore Harriers)in 15:39.
Sean Doran (Clonliffe Harriers) and Laura McDonnell (Rathfarnham WSAF AC) were the winners at the BMS Ireland BHAA 5km, which was held on the all too rarely used National Cross-Country course at Abbotstown on Wednesday (August 28). Doran finished the hilly course in 16 mins 13 secs with McDonnell fourth overall in 18:36. The course will be used again for the Snap Jerry Kiernan Foundation BHAA 6km on Sunday September 8 (10am). All are welcome; register at www.bhaa.ie
