World indoors and beyond – Irish round-up

There was a lot of action at World Indoors, but that wasn’t the only place Irish athletes were flying about. Lindie Naughton reports. 

Redemption for the small Irish team at the World Indoors in Glasgow came on the final day when Sarah Lavin (Emerald AC) and the 4 x 400m women’s quartet both made finals.

Lavin ran a personal best 7.90 secs to win her 60m hurdles heat. In the semi-finals, she powered to a brilliant second repeating her time of 7.90. An hour later, she lined out in the final, where she finished a creditable fifth in 7.91.

In the 4 x 400m relay, the quartet of Phil Healy (Bandon AC) , Sophie Becker (Raheny Shamrock AC) , Róisin Harrison (Emerald AC) and Sharlene Mawdsley (Newport AC) set a new Irish record time of 3:28.45. On the opening leg, Healy had set the team up for a fast time when handing over the baton in the lead having run a time of 51.93, while in on the fourth leg, Mawdsley’s ‘split’ of 50.48 was the fastest across the two heats.

In the final, the quartet finished fifth in 3:28.92, with Mawdsley again running the fastest fourth leg overall with a split time of 50.47.

Photo: Eric Bellamy

In the preceding days, Mawdsley (Newport AC) had run 52.23 to qualify for the semi-finals, in which she was then controversially disqualified and proceeded no further.

In the women’s 1500m, Sarah Healy (UCD AC), who looked certain of a place in the final, fell within sight of the line in her heat finishing sixth in 4:18.46.

Roisin Flanagan (Finn Valley AC), a late pick for the team, ran a 8:53.50 PB in the In the 3000m, which was as much as coudl be expected.

Sprinter Israel Olatunde (Tallaght AC), who has raced sparingly this winter, ran a season’s best 6.70 secs in the 60m heats, which put him top of the current Irish rankings, but off his PB 6.57 from last year.

Sunday roads

Emmett Jennings (Dundrum South Dublin AC) fighting 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 Irish 5000m champion Íde Nic Dhomhnaill (West Limerick AC) 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.

A clear winner of the Naas 10-mile in Co Kildare by over five minutes was Hugh Armstrong (Ballina AC) in 50 mins 12 secs. A distant second in 55:58 was Donal Mongey. First woman 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. Aisling O’Connor (Edenderry AC) was second in 61:43.

Mihail Sprincean (Clonliffe Harriers) with a time of 53 mins 31 secs and Keely Tideswell (Clonmel AC, W40) in 60:53 were the winners at the hilly Stook 10-mile in Dungarvan, near Gowran village, Co Kilkenny. Conor Carroll in 17:57 and Katie O’Brien in 21:06 , both from Gowran AC, were the winners in the 5km race.

In Munster, Conor McCarthy led home almost 450 finishers at the Cork BHAA MTU 5km in Bishopstown in a time of 15 mins 36 ses. Gavin Kenny was second in 15:46 and Eric Curran third in 15:51. First woman was Carol Finn in 18:10, followed by Sandra Manning in 19:19 and Vicki Spiteri in 1:33.

Uisce Eireann won the grade A team category on count-back from Apple, with Dept of Education third. HSE dominated women’s grade A finishing first and second MTU won men’s grade B, with UCC the women’s winners.

In Grade C Apple was first of the men and Douglas Meet and Train best of the women.

Mark Hanrahan (Ennis TC) won the men’s race at Munster 4-Mile Road Championships in Dundrum, Co Tipperary with a time of 19 mins 48 secs. Second in 19:56 was Declan Moore (Bilboa AC) while third was Mossy Bracken (Moycarkey Coolcroo AC). First woman was local athlete Dymphna Ryan.

Barry Twohig (St Finbarr’s AC) won the Karen Fenton Memorial 5km at Ballinora, near Ballincollig, Co Cork in a time of 16:13. Second in 16:23 was Danny Mullins (Bantry AC) with John Longan (St Finbarr’s AC) third in 16:34. Lily Manning was first woman in 21:17.

Fergus Kelly (Craughwell AC) and Edel Kelly were the winners at the Scoil Mhuire Clarinbridge 5km, in Kilcornan Woods, Co Galway on Sunday. Their times were 17:46 and 19:50 respectively.

Saturday Roads

Eoghain McGinley (Letterkenny AC) led home an impressive 1,668 finishers at the Bundoran 10-mile in Co Donegal on Saturday (March 2).

McGinley who finished in 56 mins 19 secs was followed home by Omagh Harriers pair Paul Barbour in 56:38 and Phil Adams in 56.50. Fourth and first M40 was Ciaran McGonagle (Letterkenny AC) in 57:01.

Making it a Letterkenny AC double was Noeleen Scanlan who was first woman and first W40 in 58:41. Catherine Whoriskey (City of Derry Spartans )was second in 60:33 and Fiona Stack (Raheny Shamrock, W40) third in 62:27.

Omagh Harriers were the winning men’s team ahead of Letterkenny and Keep ‘Er lit with 24 teams entered. Best of the 27 women’s teams was Galbally Runners, with Enniskillen RC second and Letterkenny third.

In the Bundoran 5km the previous evening, winners were Harry McKenzie (Enniskillen RC) in 15:48 and Theresa McGloin (Finn Valley AC) in 16:58.

Louis McCarthy (Rathfarnham WSAF AC, M40) won the 10km in a time of 32 mins 31 secs at the
Kinvara Rock and Road 3/4 marathon, half marathon and 10km, in Co Galway on Saturday (March 2). Daragh Keegan (Donore Harriers) was third in 34:35.

Evan Reid (Portmarnock AC) won the half marathon in 71:23. Catherine Thornton (Galway City Harriers) was first woman in 83:1

Cross-country

At the ALSAA BHAA Cross-Country, which went ahead at Dublin Airport on Saturday in challenging conditions, Karla Doran of Mason Hayes and Curran and Donore Harriers won the women’s two-mile race in 12 mins 43 secs. Clare Sullivan was second in 12:58 while in third place in 13:17, Gemma Treacy was leading HSE to a team victory over the Teachers’ Group.

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. Special well won to M70 winner Adrian JP Byrne of the Garda team whose time of 38:46 would have placed him third M60.

Bank of Ireland, led by Frewen, proved best of the Grade 1 teams ahead of Revenue and ESB. Eir won Grade 2, with Irish Life second and Retirees Utd A third.

Photo: Lindie Naughton

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, despite the post-snow soggy underfoot, 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).

Schools

Sean Lawton (Col Pobail Bantry) was the comfortable winner of the boys’ senior 6km race at the
Munster Schools Cross-Country Championships held in Tramore Valley Park, Cork on Tuesday (February 27).

Lawton finished in 20 mins 1 sec with Robert Troy (Charleville CBS) fifteen seconds behind for second place in 20:16 and Ryan McCarthy (Kinsale CS) third in 20:21. St Colman’s Fermoy, with four placers in the top ten, was the winning team; CBC Cork was second and St Brendan’s Killarney third.

Nicole Dinan (St Angela’s Cork) won the senior girls’ 3.5km race in 11:08. Eve Dunphy (Abbey CC) was second in 11:33 and Ella Collins (Coláiste na Toirbhirte) third in 11:56. First team was Colaiste Mhuire Ennis ahead of St Angela’s Waterford and PSIS Kanturk. Colaiste Mhuire also won the junior and minor girls’ team category.

Winning a more competitive inter girls race, also over 3.5km, in 11:56 was Rachel O’Flynn (Loreto Fermoy). Fia De Paor (St Augustine’s Dungarvan) was second in 12:03 and Sophie Maher (St Flannan’s Ennis) third in 12:06. A close fourth was Katie Hennessy, who was leading St Aloysius Carrigtwohill to team victory over St Angela’s Cork and Loreto Fermoy.

In the boys’ inter 5km race, Leo Murray (Douglas CS) was the winner in 17:48. Finnian Ó Lachtain (Scoil Mhuire Ballingeary) was second in 17:56. He was followed by Ben O’Reilly (Douglas CS) whose third place in 18:04 ensured team victory for his school. St Flannan’s Ennis was second and DLS Macroom third.

St Brendan’s Killarney proved best of the junior boys’ teams, with Midleton CBS the minor winners.
Full result at www.myrunresults.com. The individual and team winners in each category will compete in the All Ireland Schools Cross-Country Championships at Tymon Park, Dublin, on Saturday March 9.

Ultra running

Irish ultra runner Emma Stuart finished third at the recent Transgrancanaria 2024 (February 23-25) completing the 126km course with 700m of climb in a time of 16 hrs 50mins 40 secs. Winner was ultra-running legend Courtney Dauwalter who finished in 15hrs 14m.

Best of the three Irish men who finished was Brian Lydon of Glendalough AC with a time of 23 hrs 10 mins 49 secs.

Stuart, originally from Sligo but based in Penrith, Cumbria, where she has a full-time job as a farm-animal vet, only took up running in 2018 when she entered a few half marathons. In 2019, when her partner James Chapman decided to run the Manx Mountain Marathon 50km, she joined him — and finished second woman.

Although never a fan of running in her school days, Emma’s aunt, a prolific marathon runner in her day, had given the young Emma encouraging advice: ‘When I was seven or eight, she said to me, “Emma, the problem is that we Stuarts are like Duracell bunnies, we’re designed to go forever. These races are not long enough for you. You need to go longer.”’

She has progressed steadily since then, and in the summer of 2022, won the Lakeland 50, the Montane Cheviot Goat and the Lakeland 100, following that up in 2023 with victory at the Arc of Attrition 100-mile ultra held in Cornwall in January 2023. Her time of 21 hours, 22 minutes and 16 seconds took almost four hours off the previous best.

Photo: Alessandro Zambianchi

Last September, Stuart, then aged 33, won the Tor des Geants ultra in the Val d’Aosta, Italy, taking 82 hours to complete the 350km distance, hitting heights of up to 3,200m.

She’s also a prolific orienteer. ‘I bloody love it. I’m also rubbish at it. Really rubbish. I’m often near the bottom of the results table. That’s if I actually finish/hit the right controls. But that doesn’t stop me from going back time and time again.’

Next up for Stuart is the Maurice Mullins 50km on March 23 followed by a couple of ultra races in the UK and possibly the UTMB with a place on the Irish trail running team another target.

Hills/Mountains

Winner of the snowy Ticknock Winter mountain race in Co Dublin on Sunday (March 3) was Matthew McConnell in a time of 35 mins 32 secs. Second was Killian Mooney (DSDAC) in 35:42, with Philip Slattery a close third in 35:43.

First woman in 48:27was Caoimhe Daniels (Sportsworld AC) Harriette Robinson (DSD AC) was second in 48:37 and Orlaith Smith (Rahney Shamrock) third in 51:17.

A day earlier, Keith Johnston (Armagh AC) won the 50th Slieve Gullion mountain race in Co Down with a time of 30 mins 14secs for the 6.2km distance with 360m of climb. Ryan Stewart was second in 30:27 and Joshua McAtee (Mourne Runners) a close third in 30:29.

First U20 in 32:34 was Joshua Muckian (Slieve Gullion Runners). First woman in 38:30 was Tanya Cumming (Newcastle and District, W40).

Catriona Edington was a close second in 38:35 and Alexa James (Carmen Runners) third in 39:27. The race was the opening round of the NIMRA Championships which consists of fourteen races in all.