Irish records for Healy and English – Round-up

Lindie Naughton covers all the Irish action, with a lot of indoor meets at home and overseas seeing some world class performances. 

Mark English (Finn Valley AC) set a new Irish indoor record when winning the 600m at the New Balance Indoor Grand Prix in Boston on Sunday (February 4). English’s time was 1 min 16.64 secs for the rarely run distance.

In the men’s 3000m, Brian Fay (Raheny Shamrock AC) finished third in 7:40.09 and Andrew Coscoran fourth in 7:40.30, both of them personal best times. Ireland’s representative in the Junior Boys’ International Mile were Jack Fenlon (St Abban’s AC) who finished ninth in 4:10.22 and Caolan McFadden (Cranford AC) 13th in 4:28.78.

30 July 2023; Sarah Healy of UCD AC, Dublin, right, on her way to winning the women’s 1500m ahead of Sophie O’Sullivan of Ballymore Cobh AC, Cork during day two of the 123.ie National Senior Outdoor Championships at Morton Stadium in Dublin. Photo by Sam Barnes/Sportsfile

Sarah Healy (UCD AC) set an Irish indoor record when finishing second in the 3000m with a time of 8:36.06 at the World Indoor Tour Meet in Metz, France on Saturday (February 3).

The time knocked ten seconds off Healy’s previous best of 8:46.14 and is under the qualifying standard for the forthcoming World Indoors Championships in Glasgow. Race winner by some distance was Hirut Meshesha of Ethiopia in 8:28:46.

In the men’s 3000m, Darragh McElhinney (UCD AC) finished third in 7:39.92 knocking over two seconds off his previous best of 7:42.86. Nicholas Griggs (CNDR AC) finished sixth in 7:45.57 also a personal best by over six seconds.

Large Irish contingent at the IFAM Gent, in Belgium.

Over 3000m, Keelan Killrehill (Sligo AC) finished 14th in a personal best time of 8:03.82, while Niamh Kearney (Raheny Shamrock) finished seventh in the women’s 1500m in 4:20.82 with Louise Shanahan (Leevale) ninth in 4:21.24 Jenna Bromell (Emerald AC) finished sixth fastest overall in the women’s 800m with a time of 2:05.79.

In the series of men’s 800m races, Cian McPhillips (UCD AC) finished sixth overall in 1:48.88, John Fitzsimons (Kildare AC) seventh overall in 1:49.04, and Cillian Kirwan (Raheny Shamrock AC) tenth overall in 1:49.48.

At the Folksam GP in Stockholm, Sweden, Cathal Doyle (Clonliffe Harriers finished third in the 1500m in a personal best 3:40.66.

A day earlier, on Friday, Grace Richardson (Kilkenny City Harriers) ran a personal best 4:49.26 for the mile in New York.

Indoors at home

The Clonliffe men and white Dundrum South Dublin again made it a Dublin club double at the the All-Ireland Indoor T-F League final in Athlone on Saturday (February 3).

While DSD took a clear win, Clonliffe had to fight for their title. In the women’s competition, Mollie Reilly 60m, Amy of Donoghue 1500m, Ciara Wilson Bowen walk, Rachel Dunne weight for distance, Lauren Healy in the high jump and Molly Mullally long jump were all winners for DSD, with O’Donoghue also second in the 800m and Mullally second in the triple jump.

The club ended up with 105 points. For second place, Leevale on 81 points beat Ratoath by a single point. Of the other qualifying Dublin teams, Clonliffe Harriers was fourth with 73 points and Raheny Shamrock sixth.

Just nine points separated the top four teams in the men’s competition. In the end, wins in the pole vault for Rolus Olusa and Niall Allen in the weight for distance, along with five second places, gave Clonliffe the win with 87 points. Second was Ratoath with 80 points. Just a point behind for third was Leevale with Nenagh Olympic fourth on 78 points.

At Abbotstown, close to 2,000 youngsters were in action at the second and third days of the Dublin Juvenile Indoors in the NIA. Is this a record?

Conor Duffy and Peter Somba. Photo: Ciaran Tobin

Road running (remember that?)

A total of 4,522 finished two sold-out ten mile races held on Sunday morning.

Although the Trim ’10’ in Co Meath was the smaller race in numbers, with 1,687 finishers, the race provided the faster times.

Race winner in a time of 51 mins 31 secs was Conor Duffy (Glaslough AC), who held off the challenge of Peter Somba (Dunboyne AC), second in 51:33. Third in 52:01 was Martin Hoare (Celbridge AC). Finishing 14th and first woman was Ann Marie McGlynn (Letterkenny AC) in 56:23.

Photo: Pop-up Races

Catherina Mullen (MSB AC) was second in 57.20 and Adrianna Mulligan (Longford AC) third in 59.16.

Leading home 89 men’s teams was Celbridge AC, with Donore Harriers second and Dunboyne AC third. Best of the 76 women’s teams was Mullingar Harriers, followed by Edenderry and Dunboyne.

In Co Waterford, Oisin Spillane (Ennis TC) led home 2,835 finishers at the 32nd John Treacy Dungarvan 10-Mile in a time of 51:57. John Kinsella (Bilboa AC )was second in 52:01 and Ieuan Hopkins (Brothers Pearse AC) third in 52:32.

Ciara Wilson (DMP AC) was first woman in 59:15 followed by Sally Forristal (St Joseph’s AC) and Christian Scollard (Dublin City Harriers) third in 60:14.

Grange Fermoy proved best of the men’s teams ahead of Waterford AC and St Finbarr’s AC; 64 teams of three completed the course.

St Finbarr’s AC took the women’s team prize ahead of Kilkenny City Harriers and Clonmel AC, with 48 women’s teams entered.

Cross-country

Winners at the Garda BHAA Cross-Country, Phoenix Park, Dublin on Saturday (February 4) were Daniel O’Brien in the open four-mile race and Laura McDonnell in the women’s two-mile race).

First up were the women with McDonnell a clear winner in 12 mins 17 secs. Second in Clare Sullivan from the CSO in 13:14 with Kate O’Neill a close third in 14:17. Taking the team prize was the Teachers team.

In the open four-mile race O’Brien, representing the ESB team finishing in 22:57. Second in 23.16 was Stephen Kelly of Express Side Gates while third in 23:29 was Tmoas Sherlock in 23:29.

Meta proved best of the teams, beating Bank of Ireland and ESB. Dublin Bus won grade 2.