Aoife Mundow of Drogheda and District AC set a new women’s record when completing the Kerry Way Ultra 200km held in perfect conditions on the Ivereragh Peninsula at the weekend (Friday/Saturday September 4-5).

Mundow’s time of 25 hours 25 minutes 49 seconds, which was five hours faster than her time of last year, knocked 2 hrs 30 mins off the previous record. She farrived back in Killarrney in fifth place overall.

Earlier this year, Mundow set a new Irish women’s 24-hour record of 231.376km (143.22 miles) at the Athens International Ultramarathon Festival in Greece. Along the way, she also set new Irish 6-hour, 12-hour and 100 mile records.

Overall winner of the race in 23:37.17 was Gavin Byrne. Keith Lane was second in 24:01.18 and Brian Buckley and Remi Delille joint third in 24:32.14. Dropping out about two thirds into the race was Eoin Keith, who with UTMB cancelled for this year, had entered the race for the first time. Fastest relay team was the Dublin Mountain Running Club in 22:51.55.

In the Ultra Nite 96km, Robert Janowski was first home in 9:10.53 followed by Joe O’Leary 10:01.35 and Daniel Page 10:53.47. Claire McCann was first woman in 13:31.59.

More track success for Robinson in Marseille

Irish champion Paul Robinson of St Coca’s AC consolidated his position on top of this year’s Irish 1500m rankings when he ran a time of 3:38.52 in Marseilles, France, on Thursday (September 3). Robinson finished ninth in a race won by Soufiane el Bakkali of Morocco in 3:34.51.

Among the highlights of the Irish Junior Track and Field Championships in Santry on Saturday (September 5) was a solid victory for Aimee Hayde of Newport AC in 4:25.77.

Winning a quality men’s 1500m was Sean Donoghue of Celtic DCH AC, He held off the challenge of Tadhg Donnelly of Drogheda and District AC to win the title in in 3:58.55, with Donnelly a close second in 3:59.20 and Michael Morgan of Sligo AC third in 4:02.50.

In the women’s steeplechase, Cara McNally of Lusk AC made her steeplechase debut when taking the title in 12:11.13. James Hyland of Raheny Shamrock AC won the men’s race in 9:43.95.

Masters athletics thriving

A day later on Sunday (September 6), the masters took over Santry, with a massive 103 entered for the men’s 5000m alone.

Leading home 20 finishers in the M35 race was John Craig of Annadale Striders in 14:56.96, with Brian Conroy of Clane AC just holding off Glenn Donnelly of Acorns AC to finish second in 14:58.23; Donnelly’s time was 14:58.77.

Eamon McAndrew of North Sligo AC won a closely fought M40 race in 15:53.55. Paul Fleming of Rathfarnham WSAF AC took the M45 title in 16:14.56, while Vivian Foley of Eagle AC was the M50 winner in 16:42.14. In the M55 race, Paul Moran of Rathfarnham WSAF AC took the title in 16:52.40, with Paul Cowhie of Civil Service AC second in 17:14.04.

Perhaps the biggest win of the day came in the M60 race where the winner Tommy Hughes of Strive RC had over two minutes to spare on the chasers when finishing in 16:47.59.

A distant second in 19:23.11 was Martin McDonald of Ballyroan Abbeyleix and District, who is no mean competitor himself. Eamon McEvoy of St Finbarr’s was the M65 winner in 19:57.99, Richard Piotrowski of Eagle AC tok the M70 title in 21:36.38, while best in the M75 class was Tom Durcan of Bohermeen AC with Clonliffe’s Pat Bonass a brave second.

Fast times over 3000m

In the women’s 3000m, Ciara Hickey of Brothers Pearse AC was the fastest overall winner and first W40 in 10 mins 05.17 secs. Second was Norah Newcombe Pieterse of Mayo AC in 10:25.07. Mary Leech of Drogheda and District AC was the W45 winner in 10:27.86 , while a clear winner of the W50 title was world and European champion Annette Kealy of Raheny Shamrock AC in 10:28.17.

In the over 55 category, Anne Gilshinan of Slaney Olympic AC was an impressive winner in 10:36.26. Pauline Moran of Mayo AC was first W60 in 11:57.54 and Mary Jennings of Waterford AC first W65 in 14:36.31.

Fastest time of the day in the women’s 1500m,came from Kathryn Casserly of Galway City Harriers who won the W40 race in 4:58.80. Also breaking 5 minues with a time of 5:59.81 was Jackie Carthy of Kilmore AC, the W45 winner. Winner of the M35 1500m in 4:09.94 was Pat Brennan of Finn Valley AC. Another Donegal athlete , Martin Cunninghma of Tir Chonaill AC, won the M40 title in 4:22.78.

Over 800m, Annette Quaid of Leevale AC and Denise Toner of Clones AC battled it out in the W40 category with Quaid the winner in 2:10.96 and Toner second in 2:12.65 – the fastest times of the day. James Ledingham of Kilkenny City Harriers won the M35 1500m in 2:00.47.

Oldest competitor on the day was the remarkable Pat Naughton of Nenagh Olympics AC who, like everyone else, was confined to one event. He picked the shot putt and duly won his umteenth championship medal with a 7.57m effort. Long may he flourish.

Catching up

Finishing a fighting eight in the annaul Challenge Stellian mountain race in Susan Italy on August 24 was Zak Hanna of Newcastel AC. Hanna completed the 14.4km race – most of it uphill – in 1 hrs 25 mins 57 secs. Winner was Cesare Maestri of Italy in 1:20.72

Mountain runner Ian Bailey, 42, from Kilcoo, County Down set a new world record when “Everesting” Slieve Donard in the Mournes on Sunday August 23.

“Everesting” involved running or cycling up and down any mountain until you reach 8,848 metres – the height of Mount Everest.

Braving Storm Ellen, Bailey ran up and down Donard summit 37 times in a record time of 11 hours and 17 minutes, shaving two minutes off the world record. Like Zak Hanna, Bailey had hoped to run at the World Mountain Championships in Lanzarote later in the year, but this is now cancelled.

FKT in Scotland

Another member of the Irish international trail team, Nicola Duncan, set out at 11pm on Friday night on the Fife Coastal Path. The The Edinburgh based athlete wanted to set a FKT (Fastest Known Time) for the 117 mile route to help fundraise for her friend Kat Henderson, who was paralysed after a MTB accident in 2019.

Duncan ran through the night, skirting the high tides, and broke the 24hr barrier with a time of 23:14. Currently the fund-raising is well over £6,500 of the £10,000 total so if you can help, then please do.

RELATED: Preparing for an FKT on the Fife Coastal Path

If you would like to assist Nicola in raising funds for Kat via this FKT attempt then follow the link here.

The post Course records and FKTs for Irish stars appeared first on Fast Running.

Gideon Kimosop of 1ZERO1 Athletes was the winner of the Waterside Half Marathon in Derry on Sunday (September 1).

Kimosop, a regular visitor to Ireland for the past four years, raced away to victory in 66:43. For second place, Kyle Doherty of City of Derry Spartans just outpaced his club mate Declan Reed with the pair timed at 68:34 and 68:35. Reid was first M45.

First woman in 16^th place overall was Ann Marie McGlynn of Letterkenny AC in 76:58 – faster that her winning time of 77:21 from 2014. Sinead Lambe of Donore Harriers was second in 82:53 and Gemma McDonald of Ballycastle third in 87:06. In the team competition, Foyle Valley AC, with four in the top seven, proved best of the men, beating City of Derry Spartans. Spartans had the consolation of finishing first in the women’s category. A total of 1,442 completed the race.

In Belfast, also on Sunday, John Black of North Belfast Harriers and Emma Mitchell, Clonliffe Harriers newest recruit, were the winners of the Laganside 10km in Belfast. Full results here.

Photo: Harry Murphy/Sportsfile

Hiko Tonosa of Dundrum South Dublin AC made the trip to Cork on Saturday (August 31) where he came out on top in the John Buckley Sports 10-Mile with a time of 49:57.

Finishing a close second was Jonathan Escalante-Phillips of Cambridge and Coleridge AC in 50:09, with Tim O’Donoghue of East Cork AC third in 50:41. First woman was Jill Hodgins of Leevale AC in 59:26. National half marathon champion Angela McCann of Clonmel AC was second in 59:38 with Claire O’Brien of Watergrasshill AC a distant third.

Keeping busy with racing

Escalante-Phillips was a busy athlete, running four races in as many days. On Thursday evening, he won the Portmarnock 5 mile in 25:04. Next up was the Tara 5km on Friday evening where again he was the winner in 16:17.

On Sunday, he was back in Leinster and proved the class of the field when winning the Boyne 5km in Drogheda in a time of 15:18. A distant second in 16.37 was Ruarcan O Gibne of Ace AC in 16.37. First woman was Amy Bulman of Willowfield Harriers in 19:25. In Portmarnock. Colm Rooney of Clonliffe Harriers was four seconds behind for second place, while Raheny’s Kate Purcell was first woman, while in Tara, Laura McvDonnell of Tallaght AC was first woman in 18: 15

On a congested weekend of fixtures, Freddy Sittuk and Aisling O’Connor were the winners of the Tullamore Half Marathon on Saturday (August 31).

Sittuk, currently resident in the Wexford area, was a clear winner of the race in 68:31. Local athlete Liam Brady of Tullamore Harriers was second in 70:20 and Stephen Conroy of Celbridge AC third in 71.27.

O’Connor was first woman in 80:20, with her Edenderry AC clubmate Caroline Donnellan second and first W40 in 82:51 and Dunleer AC’s Karen Costello third in 84:57. Fourth and first W50 was Olympian Pauline Curley in 85:19. She was also leading Tullamore Harriers to team victory over Dunleer AC and Ferbane AC.

First M40 was Paul Buckley of Ferbane AC in 73.08. Brendan Donagher of Naomh Mhuire AC was first M50 in 78:47 and Barry Potts of Donore Harriers first M60 in 93:54. Tullamore Harriers were first men’s team, finishing comfortably ahead of Ferbane AC and Newbridge AC.

Gareth Lyons of North Belfast Harriers and Catherine O’Connor of East Down AC were the winners at the Ards 5-mile on Saturday (August 31). Lyons finished in 28 mins 14 secs, with O’Connor clocking 30:42.

Sean Doran of C& E Products raced away from the field for victory in the Pfizer BHAA 5km on Wednesday (August 28) in Grange Castle, Dublin.

Doran’s time of 15 mins 36 secs saw him finish over a minute clear of Phelim Glynn of Eir who was first M55 in 16:46. Third in 16:55 was Cyril Cuddy of host club Pfizer, with his team finishing first of the grade A teams ahead of Eir. First woman was Lynn Hennessy in 18:35. Luke Whelan O’Loughlin of Pfizer was second and first W40 in 19:48 and Grainne Butler third and first W55 in 20.22, with Butler leading the Health Group to team victory. With no teams in grade B, Eir won the C grade while ESB was best in D.

Photo: Catriona Jennings

50km on the flat and all the way around Mont Blanc

Caitriona Jennings of Letterkenny AC finished seventh in a new Irish record of 3 hrs 19 mins 49 secs at the World 50km Championships in Brasov, Romania on Saturday (August 31). Finishing 46^th in 3 hrs 16 mins was Raivis Zakis of West Waterford AC who was representing his native Latvia.

Best of the Irish at the Ultra Trail de Mont Blanc in and around Chamonix, France, was Paddy O’Leary who finished 41^st in 26 hours 5 mins 54 secs for the 171.6km distance in his first attempt at this most daunting of off road running challenges.

Finishing 52^nd and 3^rd M50 in 27 hours 17 mins on Saturday evening was Eoin Keith of Sportsworld AC in Dublin, who was delighted to complete the race after three DNFs in the past three attempts.

“That went well. Managed to hit my targets, and finishing in a respectable time. Overall I was 52nd, which in a field with way more than 100 elite athletes is pretty good. I was delighted to manage to get on the podium as third in my old old man age category. The UTMB podium is a special place to be!” Keith wrote on his FB page.

Fast Running’s Robbie Britton saw Keith in a sprint finish through the streets of Chamonix in the final miles and said “the sheer determination Eoin was showing in the final push of such a long race was inspirational. It just showed that competitive spirit that has seen Eoin win races and set records across so many years.”

Over the 146.9m TDS distance (with over 9,000m of climb), Gavin Byrne finished 31^st in 22 hours 57 mins 22 secs. Byrne suffered with stomach issues in the early stages, but showed his ever growing experience by moving through the field over the entire race even if the hills “weren’t built for Irish lads”.

Lonan O’Farrell from Castlegar AC finished in 27:11.16 and Munster mountain runner Joe O’Leary in 28:05.07

In the shorter 56.2km race, which took place earlier in the week, Irish international mountain runner Eoin Lennon finished 45^th in 6 hrs 23 mins 17 secs. Finishing 170^th and 26^th woman in 7:50.13 was Nicola Duncan who, like Lennon, is a member of the Carnethy club in Scotland.

Moving towards Doha on the track

Thomas Barr of Ferrybank AC finished sixth in the 400m hurdles at the Diamond League final in Zurich on Thursday (August 29) in his second fastest time of the season.

Barr’s time of 49.17 secs was just off his season’s best of 49.11 set in Oslo in July.

Ahead of him, Karsten Warholm with a sensational time of 46.91 secs not only extended his unbeaten run of 2019 but ran the second fastest time ever – a time only bettered by the American Kevin Young who ran 46.78 at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics.

At ISTAF Berlin on Sunday (September 1), Michele Finn of Leevale AC clocked a personal best and national record time of 6:16.67 when finishing seventh in a high quality 2000m steeplechase.

On Friday evening at the Tonbridge Twilight Invitational in England, (August 30), Mark English of UCD AC continued his preparations for  the World Championships by winning the 800m in 1:45.98 – just off the Doha automatic qualifying mark of 1:45.80. A close second in 1:46.08 was Spender Thomas.

Marcus Lawler of St LOT AC was at the 100m/200m sprint series meet in the Lee Valley stadium on Wednesday (August 28) where he ran a wind-assisted time of 20.63 (+2.5) to win his 200m. In the 100m, Stephen Gaffney of Rathfarnham WSAF ran a personal best 10.63 (0.6) in the 100m.

parkrun

Lynne Hennessy and James Hamilton ran the fastest parkrun times in Ireland this weekend (August 31st). Full rankings here.

If you would like to run faster at parkrun, top tips to help runners of all abilities can be found here.

RELATED: 7 ways to run faster at parkrun

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Lindie Naughton is a journalist and writer based in Dublin who joined the athletics club at her college many many years ago and has never quite escaped. You’ll normally find her jogging around some orienteering course somewhere – or down at the Irishtown track coaching kiddies!

The post Athletes at UTMB, World 50k Champs, track & the roads – Irish round-up appeared first on Fast Running.