New Irish record for McGonagle – Irish round-up

To start the week Lindie Naughton brings us all the Irish endurance action from the weekend just gone.(Monday 25th March).

Sean Tobin (Clonmel AC ) and Shona Heaslip (An Riocht AC) were the winners at a well supported Dunboyne 10km held in perfect running conditions on Sunday (March 24).

Tobin make his intentions clear for the start of the race and had already built up a ten metres lead when the race came into the town centre only a few minutes after the start.

Dunboyne 10km – winner Sean Tobin. Photo: Lindie Naughton

Behind him, Pierre Murchan (Dublin City Harriers AC), winner of the the Portlaoise 5km a week earlier, and Emmet Jennings (Dundrum South Dublin AC) were leading a chasing pack that also included the 2023 winner Mitchell Byrne (Rathfarnham WSAF AC), Colm Rooney (Clonliffe Harriers) and Eoghan McElhinney (Bantry AC).

Tobin maintained his lead right until the end, although Murchan made a determined effort to catch him when the race turned into the Dunboyne track for the final 300m.

Tobin’s winning time was 29 mins 17 secs. Murchan was juts four seconds behind for second in 29:21, and Jennings third in 29:44. Rooney finished fourth and first M40 in 30:16,McElhinney fifth in 30:20 and Mitchell sixth in 30:38. Other impressive runs came from Martin Hoare (Celbridge AC, M35 ) seventh in 30:31 and Declan Reed (City of Derry Spartans) who was first M50 in 31:36.

Dunboyne 10km – Shona Heaslip and Ann Marie McGlynn battle it out. Photo: Lindie Naughton

A more empathic win for Heaslip

In the women’s race, Heaslip had a more emphatic win with her time of 32 mins 49 seconds a course record and a massive personal best. Second in 33:10 was the ageless Ann Marie McGlynn (Letterkenny AC) , while third in 33:22 was Fiona Everard (Bandon AC) .

The top six women all broke 34 minutes — Cheryl Nolan (St Abban’s ) fourth in 33:52, Grace Lynch (Dundrum South Dublin AC) fifth in 33:51 and Ciara Wilson (DMP AC) sixth in 33.53.

In the team competition, Rathfarnham WSAF, led by Mitchell Byrne, proved best of the forty men’s teams entered, followed by Clonliffe Harriers and City of Derry Spartans.

Tullamore Harriers, led by Danielle Donegan in eighth place took the women’s senior title ahead of Dublin City Harriers and Metro St Brigid’s AC, with thirty-two teams entered.

In the masters teams categories, Clane AC, led by Brian Conroy, lead home a massive entry of forty-four teams. Raheny Shamrock AC was second and Drogheda and District AC third. Rhaney took the W35 title ahead of Mullingar Harriers and Galway City Harriers, with thirty-two teams entered.

At over 50 level, Mayo proved best of the women, ahead of Lucan Harriers and Drogheda and District AC. Inishowen, led by multiple national title winner, Pauric McKinney, now in the M55 age group, won the men’s title ahead of Raheny Shamrock and  the Offaly club, Naomh Mhuire AC.

The race incorporated the All Ireland 10km Championships and was well supported by teams from Ulster, Connacht and Leinster and by individual athletes from Munster (including the two winners). A total of 1,261 completed the race.

Peter Somba wins again

Many Munster athletes had stayed local for the Mallow 10-Mile — another long established road race with a solid reputation, which like Dunboyne, attracted an entry of over a thousand.

Ironically it was Peter Somba of Dunboyne AC who took a narrow victory here. Both Somba and second placed Sean Doyle (Cork City RC) were given times of 50 mins 50 secs. A distant third in 52:34 was Conor McCauley (Leevale AC) who was also first M40.

First woman in 58:31 was Niamh Moore (Leevale AC). Prolific racer Kealey Tideswell (Clonmel AC, W40) was second in 59:09, while third in 64:04 was Noémie Leduc (Grange Fermoy AC).

A couple of interesting names from the past cropped up up among the finishers. Cathal Lombard, suspended from athletics for two years after an EPO drugs violation almost twenty years ago, was listed as finishing third M45 in 59:13, while crossing the line in just over an hour was former junior international Liam Reale, now an M40.

A reason to run fast

Over 2,600 apparently finished the Wicklow Gaol Break Half Marathon and 10km organised by Bear Events. Most of those lined out in the 10km, which was won in 37 mins 20 secs by local man Eoin Gregg, an individual athlete who was also first M40. First woman in 43:02 was Elaine Kennedy (Sportsworld AC).

The winner of the half marathon appears to have been Frances Carter — a woman — in 1 hr 40 mins 31 secs and the first man was Diarmuid O Colmain in 2 hrs 5 mins 32 secs. If that’s the Diarmiud O Colmain we know, he’s a former mountain runner now in his early 70s! Only 23 results are listed.

Martin Crowley was the winner of the Wander Wild 10km, in Knockreer, Killarney, Co Kerry on Saturday (March 22) in a time of 36 mins 48 secs. Jennifer Hogan was first woman in 44:54. . www.hardman.ie
At the Coleraine Campus 5km, also on Saturday, the fastest times over the three races were 14 mins 14 secs recorded by Neil Johnston and 16:48 clocked by Robyn McKee. Both are members of Annadale Striders.

Schools

Ireland was the host and Abbotstown the venue for the SIAB Schools Cross-Country International on Saturday, where the home nation finished second in three of the four races contested.

Irish performance of the day came in the junior girls race where Freya Renton from Sacred Heart School, Westportwas a clear winner of the race and her twin sister Holly a fighting third.

Best of the Irish in the inter girls’ race was Emily Bolton (Mount Sackville Chapelizod) in eighth place, with all six of the Irish team finishing in the top twenty. The Irish finished second in both these races behind England.

In the inter boys’ race, where the Irish team also finished second, Daire Matthews (St Mary’s Dundalk) in seventh place was leading home the team, with Odhran McBrearty (St Columbas Stranorlar) close behind in ninth place and Leo Murray (Douglas CS, Cork) 11th.

At junior level, the Irish boys were unlucky to finish fourth just three points behind Wales in third place. England won all four races and also the two mixed relays, with Ireland third in both.

Cross-country

Daniel O’Brien and Laura McDonnell were the winners at a new look Irish Life BHAA cross-country held at the Meath Eco Park, a venue known to many from the Ireland’s Fittest Family TV show.

This was true cross-country — an undulating 2km lap navigated three times with more than its fair share of mud and a queue for the tap in the yard for the cleaning of shoes, socks and legs in the aftermath.

O’Brien, a welcome new addition to the Business Houses Athletic Association, pushed the pace from the start and finished in 21 min 57 secs. Second in 22:05 was George Snee while third in 23:15 was Sean Doran. McDonnell finished seventh overall and first woman in 25:04. Sarah Hade was second and Clodagh Dunphy third. ESB, led by O’Brien, won both the the grade 1 and grade 2 team categories.

BHAA races now leaves the mud behind and heads for the roads , with the Dublin City Council 4-Mile taking place in St Anne’s Park on Saturday April 6. Newcomers to BHAA running are always welcome. Entry fee for any of its races is just €10 once you register.

Masters

Ireland finished seventh on the medals table at the European Masters Indoors in Torún Poland, with three middle distance members of the team taking two golds apiece.

Annette Kealy (Raheny Shamrock) won both the W55 3000m and the cross-country in her age -group and also helped the W55 team to victory. Joe Gough (West Waterford AC,) set a new European record when when winning the M70 800m and went on to win the 1500m as well. Ann Woodlock (Donore Harriers), not only won the W85 3000m but went on to beat younger athletes on her way to victory in the 1500m.

Other distance golds came in the cross-country, with Declan Toal (North East Runners) first M50, Brian Lynch (also North East Runners) first M70, Martin McEvilly (Galways City Harriers) first M75 and Fiona Gettings (Longford AC) first W40.

Track

Members of the Dublin Track training group are currently in Australia, and in a 1000m race held in Melbourne on Thursday (March 21) , Andrew Coscoran (Star of the Sea AC) was the winner in a personal best 2:19.36, while Paul Robinson (St Coca’s AC) was third in 2:20.78.

Trail

Emma Stuart made a winning debut on the Irish hills when finishing first woman at the annual Maurice Mullins Memorial 50km, held in the Wicklow Mountains on Saturday (March 23).

Stuart, originally from Sligo and currently working as a farm animal vet in Cumbria, was first woman at the 350km Tor des Geants in Italy among a number of other ultra accomplishments last year.

In wet and windy conditions, Stuart completed the 51.1km course with 2,500m of climb in 5 hrs 5 mins 11 secs. Second in 5:23.11 was Sorcha Loughnane (Donore Harriers, W45) while third in 5:36.07 was Laura O’Driscoll (North East Runners).

In a quality women’s race, Aoife Mundow (Drogheda and District, W40) was fourth and Ellen Vitting (Munster Trail Runners, W35) fifth.

Barry McEvoy was overall winner in 4:33.00, followed by Edward O’Connor in 4:38.12 and last year’s winner Enda Cloake (Slaney Olympic AC) third in 4:41.12.1. A total of 233 men and 34 women completed the course.

At the Barntown NS Forth Mountain 13km Trail Run in Co Wexford also on Saturday, Niall Sheils was the clear winner in 49 mins 25 secs. First woman was Geraldine Doolan in 60:15.

Photo: John O’Regan

Road ultra-marathons

It was the annual Anglo-Celtic Plate 100k in Perth, Scotland, with strong teams travelling for both Ireland and Northern Ireland.

One of the standout performances of the day was a new Irish record of 6:50.28 for Ciaran McGonagle of Letterkenny AC who went though 50k in 3:20.41 and battled bravely in the second half to set the new best mark.

The Northern Ireland men’s team, led by Angus Irvine in 7:06:07, did enough to secure bronze in the team competition behind Scotland and England, with Ireland fourth.

In the women’s race it was silver for Ireland, with Patricia McLoughlin home first with 8:55:09, and bronze for Northern Ireland, led by Jenny Elliott York in 9:08:15.

England took the first spot, sweeping the race’s top four positions with Sarah Webster setting a new European record of 7:03:48.