Last minute cancellations left right and round the track meant that racing was in rather short shrift this week. But that doesn’t mean there wasn’t excitement to be had.

Sunday saw an early Christmas present for marathon fans as The Marathon Project injected a little bit of pro-athlete sparkle back into the tail end of the year. Organised by Ben Rosario, the coach of Hoka NAZ Elite and Josh Cox, the race saw a strictly curated list of 100 runners run 4.3 miles super flat loops around a closed course in Chandler, Arizona.

Most of the participants were from the USA but even if you’re not a marathon geek it’s worth taking a look at the wider results. The women’s winner was Sara Hall in a big PB (and a near-American Record) of 2:20:32 – she came second at the London Marathon in 2:22:01 which perhaps gives you some idea of the impact of the conditions in that race.

Super debut for Scotland’s Inglis

Seven men went under 2:10 today in Arizona as well as 12 women under 2:30. One of those women was Scottish national and Canadian resident Sarah Inglis (Lothian) who ran a superb marathon debut of 2:29:41 to place 9th female.

While it would be easy to focus on the galling fact that her time is just 11 seconds off the Olympic qualifying time, let’s take a moment instead to be in awe of her pacing. To run a 74:36 and a 75:05 (tbc) for each half shows incredible control for an athlete that has not taken on the distance before. Her half marathon PB, set in Houston in January this year is 70:24.

Her time represents the 5th fastest debut by a British woman and puts her in fine company with likes of Freya Ross, Jo Pavey, Charlotte Purdue, Louise Damen and Steph Twell clocking debut times around or inside the 2:30 mark on their debut.

Dylan Hassett who has represented Ireland since 2018 ran a creditable 2:36:53 for 25th place. She ran 2:35:29 in the Houston Marathon earlier this year but was unable to build on it this time.

SUPERB DEBUT
Many congrats @SarahInglis5 on 2:29.41 @MarathonProj today in Arizona on her marathon debut – a hugely encouraging performance#SALbelong@SALMarkMunro @TaritTweets @Tartanshorts @MaguireSal @SALDevelopment @ianbeattie1 https://t.co/wguRvoLg8U

— scottishathletics (@scotathletics) December 20, 2020

2:17 debut for Leach

The men’s race was run by Reebok sponsored US athlete Martin Hehir who is a working medical student. Also making his marathon debut was Peninsula Distance Project / Bed & Herts runner Matt Leach who ran 2:17:38 to finish 38th ( going through half in 1:07:46).

Leach also ran the Houston half earlier this year, where he set a big PB of 62:57. His pacing suggests he was looking for a sub 2:15 clocking but given his talent over HM and down, we suspect there’s more had in the future.

Christmas cheer for flying Tobin

Back closer to home the Athletics Northern Ireland Winter Sprints and 10,000m meet at the Mary Peters Track, Belfast, saw Sean Tobin of Clonmel AC run a storming 28:30.91 to win over 10,000m, run a new track record, upgrade his PB ( previously 30:23.27) and run the fastest time by an Irishman since 2009. Runner up was Brian Fay of Raheny Shamrocks with 28:41.70 on the clock and in third it was1500m specialist Andrew Coscoran (Star of the Sea) in 29:01.21.

Ennerdale Cycle Circuit hosted the Hull 5k and a win which was a whisker under the 15 minute mark, as Matthew Nelson broke the tape in what looks to be a new PB of 14:58. In second was Joseph Moores of Salford Harriers & AC who finished in 15:05 safely ahead of Athony O’Brien (Liverpool Pembroke & Sefton Harriers AC) who clocked 15:24.

Leeds City AC took the top women’s honours thanks to a 16:47 from Jennifer Walsh who beat clubmate Rachel Friend (17:26) and Libby Brown (18:41).

The Let it Stow Half Marathon was one of the few festively named challenges that survived the cut. Katie Austin (Ipswich Jaffa’s) was first home after 1:58:06 out on the trails. Tom Wake (Woodbridge Shufflers) was first man back in 1:29:48.

The Hullavington Secret Santa which should have been 10 miles, managed to be run but with a curtailed distance of 7.7miles due to road closures. Charlotte Taylor-Green (Clevedon AC) secured victory over the hilly course in 44:43 using it as the tempo section in the middle of a long run. Catie O’Donoghue of Bristol and West was runner up in 49:54 and her club-buddy Clare Joliffe was third in 50:57.

Men’s honours went to Alan Baker in 43:02 followed oh-so-closely by Gary O’Brien for Swindon Harriers in 43:05 with Paul Gardiner rounding out the podium with a time of 43:40.

 

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Also hilly (one assumes) was the West Wight Chilly Hilly 10 which was conquered this year by Tom Newnham of Ryde Harriers in 63:08. The local Harriers held all three top spots as Gary Marshall crossed the line 30 seconds later and Adam Tuck took third in 63:50.

Gillain Johnson held off a strong local challengers taking the women’s win for the Ryde Harriers in 72:02 ahead of the Isle of Wight Road Runner’s Hayley Baxter in 72:52 and Wight Tri’s Janet Fletcher in 76:12.

The Blast 5k results from Sunday are still tbc (if indeed it goes ahead), but Blast at the Meadows took place on Tuesday albeit with a somewhat “boutique” lineup.

Stuart Livingstone of Corstorphine led the charge of 11 competitors, winning in 16:13 – a comfortable minute and half plus ahead of Jackson Woodruff’s new PB (17:53) and Andrew Carrick who finished in 18:43. No ladies ran in this one.

Not a race, as such, but the Birmingham Track Elite group did a 10,000m time trial this week which resulted in Michael Ward beating his previous best by 3 seconds to run 29.13. Dougie Musson ran 29:28, Tom Drabble 29:47 and Grant Anderson 30:15. Also running fest time trials was the Team Thie training group with some stand out performances including GB steeplechaser Ieuan Thomas clocking 29:02 for 10000m and Ciaran Lewis 14:24 for 5000m.

Finished off our lastest block of training with a 100% time-trial Pb’s- Helping to boost the athletes confidence through the next unknown @ThomasIeuan 10km 29:02 @Ciaranlewis97 5km 14:24 Rhys H 15:19 & Iestyn E 15:30 with help from pacers @MKurly @TomMarshall1500 & @JakeSmith_run pic.twitter.com/H5Ldc5oD7m

— James Thie (@TeamThie) December 19, 2020

Wolverton 5k, Race Organiser Dorney Lake series, Run Through Olympic Park Half Marathon, Wimbledon Hercules 5k, Kent Christmas Cracker are just some of the names on the roll call of races-not-run.

We hope to see them back again soon and thank the organisers for doing their best to host responsible racing during these uncertain times.

Whoriskey and McKinstry win Bobby Rea XC

There ever competitive Bobby Rea XC took place in Northern Ireland Catherine Whoriskey (City of Derry Spartans) claimed the win with 14:09 from u/20 Niamh Carr (Ballymena & Antrim AC) in 14:26 with Caitlyn Harvey (Lagan Valley AC) third in 14:50.

Mark McKinstry (North Belfast Harriers) claimed the men’s title in 12:04 in a tight run race with Craig McMeechan (North Down AC) who finished 2nd with 12:09 with Aaron McGrady (East Down AC) 3rd in 12:25.

Brilliant NDAC turnout at the Bobby Rea XC today. Congrats to @Craigychan on his 2nd place finish and @katzmo1995 on her 4th place finish. Thanks to @AthleticsNI for a really well organised race pic.twitter.com/r5hoqFc4Ad

— North Down AC (@NorthDownAC) December 20, 2020

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Joe Warne of Doheny AC was the winner of a competitive MyRunClub Race Series 5km, with Drogheda and District AC, held at Newtownsallaban, Drogheda on Sunday (September 27).

Warne finished in 15 mins 19 secs, ten seconds ahead of junior athlete Ruarcan O Gibne of Ace AC who finished in 15:29. Indeed junior athletes took three of the top four places, with Michael Murphy from Tullamore Harriers, just holding off the challenge of Aaron Smith from Cilles AC for third place; their times were 15:37 and 15:40 respectively. Fifth and first M35 was Karl Nolan of Clonliffe Harriers in 16:08.

Aoibhinn McGoldrick of Raheny Shamrock AC, another junior athlete, was first woman in 17:39, with Edel Gaffney of Trim AC second in 17:45 and Mary Leech of the host club Drogheda and District AC third and first W45 in 17:47.

In a second race, junior athlete Tony McCambridge from St Malachy’s AC was the winner in an even faster time of 15 mins 15 secs, followed by Declan Toal of North East Runners in 15:48, and Callum Morgan, another junior from St Malachy’s, in 15:51. World W55 record holder Anne Gilshinan of Slaney Olympic was first woman in 18:35.

A clear winner of the 5km at the Champion Chip Ireland Running Series Event 6 at Shane’s Castle in Co Antrim on Saturday (September 26) was James Hamilton of Ballymena Runners who finished in 15 mins 46 secs.

Second in 16:12 was Peter Gracey of Beechmount Harriers, while third in 16:20 was Adrian Scullion of Knockmany. Eighth overall and first woman was Grace Carson in 16:59. Emer McKee of Willowfield Harriers in 18:04 and Aine Hughes in 18:55 were second and third.

Tommy Hughes loves a race

Winning the 10km in 33:49 was Adam Smyth of St Peter’s AC. The ageless Tommy Hughes of Strive Racing Club was second and first M60 in 33:54 while third in 34.29 was Jonathan Canning of Foyle Valley AC in 34:29.

Elizabeth Carr of Mullingar Harriers led home the women in 38:55, followed by Gemma McDonald of Ballycastle Runners in 39:20 and Kelda Gibson of Convoy AC in 40:03. Back in action after a long period of injury was the veteran Cathy McCourt who finished fifth woman and first W45 in 41:33.

Winners of the half marathon were Iain Taggart in 76:48 and Karen Alexander in 84:46, while first home in the marathon were Rowan Griffin of Magherafelt Harriers in 2:43.40 and Fiona McFall of Jog Lisburn RC in 3:134.50. The final round in this well-received series takes place at Down Royal on October 10.

Thursday night racing

In Rathdrum, on Thursday evening (September 24) junior athlete Joe Byrne of SBR AC in Co Wexford was a clear winner of the MyRunClub 5km Series at Avondale House in 16 mins 34 secs. Derek Crammond of Parnell AC was second in 17:05 and Paul Gary Duffy of Inbhear Dee AC a close third in 17.08. In fourth place, Myles Gibbons of SBR AC was first M45 in 17.18, while finishing sixth and first M60 was Mick Byrne of Parnell AC in 17.47.

Edel Gaffney of Trim AC was first women in 18:37, Catherine O’Connor of Parnell AC second and first W40 in 19:11 and Rebecca Harris of Ashford AC third and second W40 in 19:40.

John Fitzgibbon of Thurles Crokes won the The Thursday Club 10km Stagger at Mondello Park, Co Kildare, also on Thursday evening (September 24).

Fitzgibbon finished over a minute clear of the field in 35 mins 1 sec. Second was Tommy Kelly in 36:04, while third and first M50 was Michael Counsel of Trim AC in 36:22. First woman in 41:03 was Sharon Cantwell of Moyne AC; Ulrike Strubing of Trim AC was second and first W50 in 43:02 and Annmarie Feely of Naas AC third and first W40 in 46.01.

Ruth Here finishing strong over the cross country.

Even more cross-country

David McGlynn of Waterford AC was a convincing winner of the men’s race at the annual West Waterford AC open cross-country, held in the grounds of St Augustine’s College, Dungarvan on Sunday (September 27).

McGlynn, who finished in 26 mins 1 sec, was followed home by Pat Hennessy of host club West Waterford in 26:29, with Noel Murphy of Waterford AC third in 27:53. With four finishers in the top six, Waterford AC were clear winners of the team prize, ahead of West Waterford AC and Ferrybank AC.

Making it a Waterford AC double in the women’s race was Ruth Heery who had a clear win in 14: 37. Ferrybank AC pair Louise Morgan in 15:56 and Orna Murray in 16:04 were second and third, and with back-up from Mollie Hutchinson and Aisling Lowe, Ferrybank finished first team ahead of West Waterford AC.

Junior winners were Una O’Brien and Matteo Mary, both from Waterford AC. The event, which included a number of juvenile races, incorporated the Waterford County Championships.

Exciting racing in historic mountain race

Blue skies and wonderful sunshine greeted the runners in the 76th annual Slieve Donard Race in the Mourne Mountains of Co Down on Saturday (September 26).

Only after much negotiation with the Forestry Commission and a slight adjustment to the course, the race was allowed to go ahead after earlier dates in May and July proved impossible.

At the sharp end of the race, Timmy Johnston of Mourne Runners used his track speed to pull away early reaching the summit 35 mins 2 secs, with Seamus Lynch of the organising club 23 seconds adrift. Behind them came Jonny Steede of Glen Runners, now over 40, and 16-year-old Tom Crudgington of Newcastle and District, who lost some momentum on the downhill but still finished seventh.

On the descent, Lynch overhauled Johnston and was leading when they reached the tarmac road. At that point, Johnston kicked past Lynch to regain the lead. He went on to win the race for the first time in 50 mins and 31 secs; Lynch finished four seconds adrift. Third and first M40 was Steede in 53:23.

Of the women, Esther Dickson of Newry AC proved the class of the field, reaching the summit in 44 mins 28 secs and crossing the finish line in 64 mins 2 secs. In a close tussle for second place, Sarah Quinn, also Newry AC, just pipped Karen Wilton of Jog Lisburn AC with both women given a time of 72:58.

Further down the field, BARF’s Ian McCulough, who was born in 1945 – the year the race was first held – set off with the ambition of reaching the summit in a time less than 75 minutes. He managed it comfortably in 67 mins 31 secs and went on to finish the race in 1 hr 45 mins 3 secs.

Ultra running in Co Wicklow

Northern Irish athlete Lee O’Boyle of Mallusk Harriers won a much delayed Maurice Mullins Ultra over a course located entirely in Co Wicklow on Saturday (September 26), completing the 44km distance in 3 hrs 51 mins.

Finishing second in four hours exactly was Paul Tierney of Go Tri Adventure in Co Tipperary, while third was Edward O’Connor in 4:03.

First woman in 4:26 was Patricia McLoughlin of Le Cheile AC; Claire Keeley was second in 4:47 and Mags Dempsey from Tracton AC in Co Cork third in 4:50. A total of 70 completed the course. Dublin-based athletes could not take part in the race owing to COVID 19 restrictions.

In the English Lake District, Jack McKenna, aged 23, of Ballymena Runners completed the Bob Graham Round (42 fells, 106 km, 8,200m climb) in 21 hours 43 mins on Saturday (September 26).

The end of a truncated track season?

Michele Finn of Leevale AC set an Irish record of 6 mins 16.46 secs when winning the women’s 2000m steeplechase at the City of Barcelona athletics meet in the Estadi Joan Serrahima on Tuesday (September 22).

In the women’s mile, Nadia Power of Dublin City Harriers finished a close third in 4 mins 32

Power had gone through 1500m in 4:14.76, a time which puts her behind only Ciara Mageean in the current Irish rankings. At that point, she was lying second behind eventual winner Marta Pen Freitas of Portugal but was caught by Marta Perez Miguel of Spain in the chase for the line. Power finished in 4:32.50, just behind Miguel whose time was 4:32.26.

In the men’s 3000m, Sean Tobin of Clonmel AC finished fifth in a personal best time of 7:45.46, while Paul Robinson of St Coca’s AC was 11th in a season’s best 8:03.74. Race winner was Ouassim Oumaiz Errouch in 7:40.62.

Catching up on last weekend

Evan Fitzgerald of Clonmel AC won the senior men’s at the St Senan’s AC Open Cross-Country, held for a 43rd time in Kilmacow, Co Kilkenny on Sunday September 20. He was followed home by Dean Rowe from Gowran AC and Conor Rochford of host club St Senan’s.

It was a little poetic that Fitzgerald’s father John was an Irish international athlete who finished runner-up at the St Senan’s event four times, but never quite managed to win it.

Ruth Heery of Waterford AC won the senior women’s race from Dymphna Ryan of Dundrum AC in Co Tipperary and Ciara O’Neill of Clonmel AC. First master was Evelyn Maher of Templemore AC and first junior Una O’Brien of Waterford AC. Waterford AC finished best of the women’s teams followed by St Senan’s and Gowran.

High standards all round

First of the master men was Noel Murphy with his Waterford AC club mate Trevor Power second and Alan O’Connor of United Striders third. Winning the junior race was Matteo Mary of Waterford AC. In the team competition, Waterford AC were the winners, with Ferrybank AC second and Gowran AC third.

A number of juvenile races were of national championships calibre featuring athletes who had made the top 12 in last year’s national championships. Under 18 winners were Ava Costello of Trim AC and Cathal O’Reilly of Kilkenny City Harriers.

At the British Milers Club meet in Nuneaton on Friday September 18, Iseult O’Donnell of Raheny Shamrock finished fourth in her 1500m heat with a time of 4:24.28. Jayme Rossiter of Clonliffe Harriers clocked a time of 3:56.01 for third place in his 1500m heat.
Correction:

At the Allihies 5-Mile in Co Cork on Saturday (September 19), third placed Nina Murphy ran a time of 37 mins 01 sec and not 40:33 as published last week.

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The post Another busy weekend of Irish action appeared first on Fast Running.

A record total of over 700 had entered the championships, reflecting perhaps the lack of racing on the roads.

Race of the weekend was the men’s 1500m, where a last -second lunge across the line gave Paul Robinson of St Coca’s AC his first national title in eight years at the expense of his training partner Sean Tobin from Clonmel AC.

Thanks to the wonders of photo-finish technology, the pair were timed at 3:43.90 and 3:43.92 respectively. Third was Andrew Coscoran of Star of the Sea AC in 3:48.70, while fourth was the up-an-coming Johnny Whan of Clonliffe Harriers in 3:49.76.

On a good day for Limerick club Emerald AC, Amy O’Donoghue ran a smart race to win the women’s 1500m. Holding her fire until the finishing straight, she stormed past Iseult O’Donnell of Raheny Shamrock AC, after both had already passed longtime leader Michelle Finn of Leevale AC. A tiring Finn missed out on a medal when relegated to fourth place by UCD’s Ellie Hartnett.

It was still a fine effort from the Cork athlete who, a day earlier, had won the 5000m in style; plus she’s hot favourite to retain her steeplechase title next Sunday.

Showing a maturity belying his 19 years was Darragh McElhinney of Bandon AC who tucked in behind John Travers of Donore Harriers for much of the men’s 5000m; as indeed did Efrem Gidey of Clonliffe Harriers, another under 23 athlete.

On a day of gusting winds following Storm Ellen, that proved a smart tactic. The three finished in that order, with McElhinney timed at 13 mins 56 secs, Travers at 13:57.11 and Gidey fading on the final two laps but still finishing in a respectable time of 14:17.89.

Success overseas

Abroad, Mark English of Finn Valley AC ran a time of 1:48.42 for 800m on Monday (August 17) at the Trofio Ottavio Missoni in Liguano Sabbiadoro Italy, with Athletics Ireland approval.

Absent from Santry was Ciara Mageean of City of Lisburn AC who was racing over 1500m at the Diamond League round in Stockholm on Sunday (August 23). After two recent Irish records, she finished a disappointing 12th in 4:10.99. Race winner was Scotland’s Laura Muir in a world leading time of 3:57.86.

In the 800m at the Blackheath and Bromley Invitational on Friday last (August 21), Katie Kirk of University of Ulster ran a time of 2:02.98 – just 0.3 off her personal best and her fastest time in six years after a long battle with anorexia.

Over the same distance, Louise Shanahan of Leevale AC and Cambridge University, who is the Irish indoor 1500m champion, ran a personal best of 2:03.17, while in the men’s 800m, Zak Curran of Dundrum South Dublin AC ran 1:50.87.

Nadia Power of Dublin City Harriers, like Mark English, is scheduled to race over 800m at the second round of the All Ireland Championships in Santry next weekend, with heats on Saturday and the finals on Sunday. On Tuesday August 11, Power ran a time of 2:03.13 at the Paavo Nurmi Games in Turku, Finland.

Scheduled for Sunday in Santry are the men’s and women’s steeplechase races, with former champion Tomas Cotter of Dunleer AC entered for the men’s event. Defending champion Jayme Rossiter of Clonliffe Harriers, based in England, won’t defend his title. Rossiter ran a time of 8:22.45 for 3000m at the Blackheath and Bromley meet.

Road running coming back

Ballynoe in Co Cork was the venue for the East Cork Road Championships on Thursday (August 20), where Sonia O’Sullivan made a surprise appearance in the women’s 3000m finishing eighth and helping her club Ballymore Cobh AC to team silver behind Midleton AC.
On an evening of gusting winds and cold showers of hail, the race winner was Fiona Santry of East Cork AC in 11 mins 22 secs. Second was Jennifer Goggin-Walsh of Carraig na bhFear AC in 11:56 with Linda O’Sullivan of Watergrasshill AC third in 12:04.

Making it an East Cork double in the men’s 5-mile race in 26 mins 11 secs was Kevin O’Leary of East Cork AC. Two Midleton AC junior athletes, Paul Hartnett and Frank O’Brien, finished second and third in 26:39 and 27:13 respectively. East Cork proved best of the teams on 30 points with Watergrasshill AC second on 45 points and Midleton third on 74 points.

No hill racing at home

Thanks to a change in Government Covid 19 policy, both the 54km Stone Cross to Lug Solo and the Galtee Half Marathon scheduled for Sunday 22 August were postponed, while hill runs at Paddock Hill on Wednesday 19 August and Brockagh on Sunday 23 August were cancelled. Updates at www.imra.ie

Fast 10’s Zak Hanna took part in three races in Italy and the furlough pro ran excellently. A highlight was 8th at the Challenge Stellina 14km, which doubled as the Italian National Champs. That was on the back of a 5th in the Fletta Trail 21km and 3rd in the Piz Tri Vertikal the day before.

Want to run faster? For just £30 per month athletes are provided with a Final Surge plan for each day of the week, coaching advice from Robbie Britton and Tom Craggs, as well as access to the unique Fast Running Performance community.

If you would like more information on joining the project, click here.

The post The Irish round-up is back appeared first on Fast Running.

The pair went through half way in 14 mins 49 secs, with Armstrong then pulling away in the final two kilometres to win by four seconds from Clohisey who finished in 29:36, A distant third in a personal best time of 30:47 was international triathlete Con Doherty.

First women and 15th overall was Breege Connolly of City of Derry Spartans in 34 mins 42 secs. Aoife Kilgallon from Sligo AC was second in 36:24 with her Sligo clubmate Eavan McLoughlin third in 37:38.

Neil Johnson of Springwell Runners were the winner at the 34th annual Greencastle 5-Mile in Co Tyrone. Johnson was followed home by Scott Rankin of Foyle Valley and Mark McKinstry of North Belfast Harriers. His winning time was 24 mins 54 secs. In fourth place, Matthew Neill of Acorns AC was first junior.

Emma Mitchell of Clonliffe Harriers was first woman in 29 mins 21 secs., with Pauline McGurran second and first W450 and April Clarke of North Belfast Harriers third.

Finishing 14th overall and first master in 28:02 was Tommy Hughes of Termoneeny who will celebrate his 60th birthday on 8 January next.

National four mile record

At the Clonmel 4-mile, local athlete Sean Tobin obliterated the course record with a time of 17:45. His time was faster than the 17:59 recorded by Noel Berkeley in Peoria, Illinois on 20 June 1992, which stands as the Irish best time for the distance. Tobin was wearing the state-of-the-art carbon fibre shoes which are helping athletes re-write the road running record books at the moment.

A distant second in Thomas Hayes for Kilkenny City Harriers in 19 mins 5 secs, with Kevin Moore of Dundrum AC third in 19:37. First woman was Siobhan O’Doherty of Borrisokane AC in 23 mins 10 secs. Dymphna Ryan of Dundrum AC was second in 23:25 and Angela McCann of Clonmel AC in 23:33.

Also on December 26, Sean Doran of Clonliffe Harriers won the Streets of Wicklow 5km in 15 mins 47 secs just holding off Gareth Murran of Sportsworld who finished a second behind for second. Myles Gibbons of SBR Ferns was third and first M45 in 16:14. First woman in 27:33 was Sarah Mulligan of Dundrum South Dublin AC in 17.33. Clodagh Kelly of Croghan AC was second in 28:32 and Claire Earls of Inbhear Dee third in 18.48.

In Kilbeggan, Pauric Ennis won the St Stephen’s Day 6km in 19 mins 35 secs, with Euan Lagan second and Peter Mooney third and first M40. Nadine Donegan was first women in 22:36 followed by her sister Danielle who was also first junior in 22:40. Sinead Rigney was third.

Alan O’Shea of Bantry AC won the annual Dick Copithorne Memorial 4-Mile in Belgooly, Co Cork in a time of 19 mins 25 secs. Cillian O’Leary of Raheny Shamrock was second in 19:56 and Alan O’Brien of Eagle AC third in 20:19. Leevale’s Niamh Moore was first s woman hom in 22:51, followed by clubmate Louise Shanahan in 24:11 and Teresa Murphy of Kenta AC in 24:41. 426 finishers.

A day later (December 27), Ben Brunton of St Brigid’s AC was the winner of the Rita and Robbie 5km in Navan with a time of 15 mins 42 secs. Second and first junior was Tadhg Donnelly of Drogheda and District AC in 16:10, while third and first M40 was Brian Leahy of Raheny Shamrock in 16.14.

Karen Costello of Dunleer AC was first woman in 17:44, followed by Laura Buckley of Dunboyne AC and Ellen Vitting of Trim AC.

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The post Great racing over 10km and a new Irish four mile National record appeared first on Fast Running.

First up was Efrem Gidey, a refugee from Eritrea, who was making his Irish team debut in the men’s U20 category. Gidey ran a mature race and, despite a dip mid race when he fell back to seventh place, recovered quickly to finished third behind the Norwegian Jakob Ingebrigtsten who was taking his fourth title in this age group. In a closely fought team race, the Irish only lost out on the bronze medal to host nation Portugal on countback.

Next to win medals were the U23 women, with Stephanie Cotter finishing third, Eilish Flanagan ninth and Roisin Flanagan 17^th and the team taking silver. All three are students at Adams State college in Colorado and took the top three places at the NCAA second division championships last month.

Last on the schedule were the senior women, with hopes high that Fionnuala McCormack, in her 16^th appearance at these championships, could snatch a medal. It was not to be with the Kenyan-born Yasmin Can winning the race for a fourth year ahead of a battling Karolina Grøvdal of Norway – the true queen of European cross-country at the moment.

McCormack ran a typically battling race moving into third place around halfway through but was passed on the final lap by Samrawit Mengsteab of Sweden, who like Efrem Gidey, was born in Eritrea. It was a fourth time McCormack, who won the race in both 2011 and 2012, had finished just outside the medals.

Behind her, track specialist Ciara Mageean was as high as 11^th at one point, but it was Aoibhe Richardson, another Irish athlete benefitting hugely from the American collegiate system, who finished second of the Irish in 17^th place. Behind her Mageean collapsed over the line in 20^th place ensuring team silver for a battling Irish team by just two points.

In the men’s senior race, Sean Tobin, who had finished tenth a year earlier but is recovering from injury, led the Irish team home in 18^th place.

Photo: Michael Hynes of Raheny Shamrock

Looking ahead to Dublin 2020

McCormack’s post race interview summed up the day for the Irish, who will host next year’s championships in Dublin.

“It’s difficult because I’ve come fourth so many times before and it’s very painful to be honest. But we got a team medal today, and that’s good,” she said.

“We had a very successful team championships this year. I don’t think we’ve ever won this many medals as a group before and, going into Dublin next year, that’s promising. It will be a big year for us next year – the last time the championships was held in Ireland ten years ago, we had quite high expectations for our team. It didn’t really come off so, hopefully next year, we can spread the pressure between all of us and be successful.”

Reflecting on her own performance, she said: “The course was brilliant, the crowd were great – it’s what cross country is meant be. The only thing I didn’t like was my position. I love running, and I really like competing and it’s easier when you stand on the podium. Having done that before, I know what it feels like, so I keep trying to do it again.

“Being fourth isn’t that far away, and every time I convince myself that this year will be my year. I moved up to the marathon, but I never really moved away from cross country, so it’s nice to be able to be here, and be competitive and not just be making up the numbers because it’s my 16th time.”

Irish results –

U20 Men: 3 Efrem Gidey (Clonliffe Harriers) 19.01; 12 Darragh McElhinney (UCD AC) 19.21, 24 Thomas McStay 19.32, =25 Keelan Kilrehill 19.33, 28 Jamie Battle 19.34, 76 Shay McEvoy 20.26. Teams – 1 Great Britain 25, 2 Norway 38, 3 Portugal 39 (4,14,21), 4 Ireland 39 (3,12,24)

U20 Women: 46 Jodie McCann 15.28, 62 Aoife O Quill 15.48, 77 Sarah Kelly 16.10, 84 Danielle Donegan 16.24, 85 Eimear Maher 16.3093 Maeve Gallagher 18.08. Teams – 1 Great Britain 29, 2 Italy 29, 3 France 38…11 Ireland 185.

U23 Men: 22 Brian Fay 25.25, 25 Jack O’Leary 25.32, 26 Peter Lynch 25.31, 49 Cormac Dalton 26.0571 Cathal Doyle 27.07, 72 David McGlynn 27.13. Teams – 1 France 17, 2 Italy 29, 3 Germany 45….7 Ireland 73

U23 Women: 3 Stephanie Cotter 21.15, 9 Eilish Flanagan 21.47, 17 Roisin Flanagan 22.06, 38 Fian Sweeney 22.52, 47 Claire Fagan 23.16, 57 Sorcha McAllister 24.55. Teams – 1 Netherlands 17, 2 Ireland 29, 3 Great Britain 40.

Senior men: 18 Sean Tobin 31.11, 52 Conor Bradley 32.28, 61 Eoin Everard 32.55, 64 Liam Brady 33.01, 71 Damien Landers 34.11, dnf Kevin Maunsell. Teams – 1 Great Britain 36, 2 Belgium 38, 3 Spain 45…..13 Ireland 131.

Senior Women: 4 Fionnuala McCormack 27.45, 17 Aoibhe Richardson 28.52, 20 Ciara Mageean 28.58, 35 Mary Mulhare 29.44, 37 Una Britton 29.59, 47 Fionnuala Ross 30.50. Teams – 1 Great Britain 26, 2 Ireland 41, 3 Portugal 43

Mixed Relay: 1 Great Britain 17.55, 2 Belarus 18.01, 3 France 18.05… 7 Ireland (Nadia Power, John Travers, Amy O’Donoghue, Eoin Pierce) 18.40

… and elsewhere 

Northern Irish athletes were competing at the Telford 10km in England on Sunday (December 8) where Finn McNally led the men home finishing 22^nd in 30 mins 9 secs while Nakita Burke ran a massive personal best of 34 mins 8 secs for eighth place among the women

Yared Derese of Carrick Aces AC moved up a distance to win the Waterford Half Marathon on Saturday (December 7).

In a quality race, Derese finished in 64 mins 13 secs – over a minute clear of Mick Clohisey of Raheny Shamrock who was second in 65:23. Third in 67:48 was Eric Keogh of Donore Harriers, while fourth in 69:36 was David Mansfield of Clonmel AC.

First woman was Ruth Fitzgerald of host club Waterford AC in 80 minutes exactly. Fiona Kehoe of Kilmore AC was second in 81:38 and Jackie Carty, also Kilmore AC, third in 82.58. A total of 2,226 completed the race.

At the Jingle Bells 5km in Dublin’s Phoenix Park, Hiko Tonosa of Dundrum South Dublin AC beat his clubmate Emmett Jennings with Tonosa finishing in 14 mins 16 secs and Jennings just two seconds adrift for second. Third in 14:24 was Andrew Coscoran of Star of the Sea AC, while for fourth placed was Pierre Murchan of Dublin City Harriers out-sprinted Evan Byrne of Togher AC with the pair both timed at 14:28.

First woman was Cliona Murphy in a strong 16:29. Kate O’Neill of Metro St Brigid’s AC was second in 17:10 and Maisy O’Sullivan of St Abban’s AC third in 17:23.

As a mark of respect to the late Irwin Spiers, Saturday’s Mighty Oaks cross-country in Cookstown, organised by Acorns AC, was postponed until a later date.

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The post Celebrations in Lisbon – Irish weekend round-up appeared first on Fast Running.

Hills were the order of the day at the European Cross Country Championships in Lisbon. The course, not for the faint hearted and separated the mountain goats from the rest. Ireland brought home two team silver medals and two individual bronze medals, our first of any colour since 2015, boding well for our turn to host these championships at Abbotstown in 2020.

Efrem Gidey in his first outing for Ireland since becoming a refugee here held onto second place for most of the race and finished in a smashing third. He said “I am so happy, this is a great opportunity for me.”

Darragh McElhinney finished a fine 12th in the under 20 race “to be honest in the middle laps I was dying and it was the prospect of a team medal that kept me going. I knew that Efrem [Gidey] was right up the front and I could hear Keelin  [Kilrehill] behind me as well.

We pulled it out of the bag anyway I mean we came here looking for a team medal. I was a small bit disappointed with my own placing but to be honest it doesn’t really matter at all now that we are after getting a team medal.”

At the time of interview Ireland had been listed as placing third in the team event, however this was later changed to fourth on count back. No doubt a disappointing change of events, but it shouldn’t take away from a fine team performance by the lads.

Photo: Michael Hynes of Raheny Shamrock

Cotter leads U23 women to team silver

Stephanie Cotter brought home Ireland’s second individual medal of the day and led her team mates onto the podium with an excellent run behind Moller of Denmark and Lau of the Netherlands.

Supposed by twins Eilish and Roisin Flanagan, who finished in ninth and 17th respectively, only the Dutch team fared better and it was an excellent run by the Irish team.

This comes on the back of the trio going 1-2-3 at the NCAA Division Two Cross Country Championships in Sacramento last month, finishing in the same order as today on the bigger stage.

“If you’re not coming home in an ambulance you’re not giving enough”

Under 23 man Jack O’Leary had plenty to say on the course. “I was too aggressive in the first 5km that probably came to bite me in the ass a little. With two laps to go going through your mind is like ‘Jesus can I get to the end here’.

Liam Brady (team captain) gave us a very good speech before, he had this expression at nationals that if you’re not coming home in an ambulance you’re not giving enough.” Jamie Battle took it one hill at a time “I just focused on the next hill and the next hill to try break it up as I went along.”

On the terrain O’Leary said “the southern countries might say it was mucky but for the Irish it was very fast. Just the hills were insane. I would have loved to have the Strava on the watch and see the elevation gains.” On the very steep downhill “you have to just try and open your legs and it’s very tough when you are absolutely dying, it’s a big mental battle telling yourself open up the stride open up the legs.”

We asked Jack how the course compared to other races he has run, to which he responded “oh it was a very cool race, I don’t think there was one stage in the race when you were actually on level always either climbing or going down. I don’t think you’d find any course that can be that hilly unless you’re racing on Everest or something.”

Downhill madness at the finish

The under 23 women of silver, delighted with their reward, agreed, “it was a crazy course” said Claire Fagan. The finish line was particularly steep “it was mad at the end went downhill and into the finish like that was crazy because I’ve never done that before and your legs are going so fast.”

The unrelenting hills meant that places we’re changing by the half lap. Fian Sweeney said “you were always working and thinking you’d have the downhill to pick up momentum and then the next hill came around. Personally it was just such a mental battle the whole time, you felt like you were going back because some people are super strong on the hills and some are super strong on the downhill. I caught people going up and then lost it going down.”

Photo: Michael Hynes of Raheny Shamrock

Brave run from Tobin

Sean Tobin in the Senior race moved very well through the first few laps, hitting the bell lap in 13th. He faded to 18th.

Speaking afterwards to Fast Running, with his bare and bloody feet, barely able to stand on them, he said “there is so much friction underneath my foot I just kept getting blisters as I went and those last two laps I was trying my best to move but I felt like there were bubbles on my feet and could feel the blisters popping.”

“I couldn’t even get around the hill on the corner I was just suffering from that, so obviously I lost four of five spots on the last lap. Part of it was fatigue but my feet are just fucked.”

Hoping to place higher, he knew a top 10 was there for him but “fitness wise we gotta be really pleased but I’m just disappointed about those feet. I think a top ten was there and I hate to come out with an excuse but I was just gritting my face and I couldn’t even think about the race my feet were just going.”

Coach Feidhlim noted however that Sean placed in the top 20 at the last three cross country championships, two of them with him so “that’s some achievement.”

Inspiring the next generations

Eoin Everard, who scored third for the team today, took the time to praise Athletics Ireland for sending full teams in all events, “I must say the AAI deserve a lot of kudos for bringing six. Performance wise I know 61st people are probably going like “ah well people have won medals this weekend”, but Kilkenny City Harriers are putting on an award ceremony for us [also Aoibhe Richardson] on Tuesday and that is going to have more than 100 juveniles there getting medals off us.”

“I am 33 and I am coming to the end and some people say why don’t they only bring four but you don’t know who is in that room on Tuesday who is thinking about Kilkenny camogie or hurling that might go, feck, I want that Irish gear, I want to go there and they could be a medallist at this.”

“We are going back to local clubs and you don’t know who this keeps in a club, seeing Irish gear and seeing that as a route. You don’t know the long term benefits of that.”

You know for sure there are members of the team today that have been inspired by the medal performances of Fionnuala McCormack over the years and i’s great to know the impact this can have on young club athletes when we compete with so many sports for their dedication.

Hard and fast start for Brady

Liam Brady described his race as having “blazed into the race and then blazed out of it again just as quick. Sean and I were probably a bit too hyped up and we said we were going for a bald head the two of us, we decided we were gonna be where we wanted to finish soon after 2k had passed.”

“It worked for Tobin, fair play to him, but the harder I tried the slower I felt I was going. But I just kept going.”

Other athletes described the toughest battle as having the mental will to carry on, but for Liam the battle was physical, “ I felt like I was at my limit straight away for some reason. I think I was a bit rigid going down the hill. I was beating lads up the hill but as soon as I went to run down the hill they were gone past me again.

“I wasn’t loose enough flowing down and was just working all the time. I am disappointed yeah. I was going for top 30, to really take it on and I didn’t do that so I can’t come away and say I am happy with 63rd. But I am proud I didn’t give up, I never felt like pulling out it was never an option, it never even crossed my mind. But the sooner the finish line came the better.”

Photo: Michael Hynes of Raheny Shamrock

Finishing on a phenomenal team effort

Fionnuala McCormack led the senior women to a team silver, having been sat on for much of the race by the eventual bronze medallist from Sweden.

Second home, and bypassing Olympian Ciara Mageean in the ultimate lap, was Aoibhe Richardson, “the last lap was a bit of a blur but I just had my eyes on her and I was trying to chase her down and it really helped to have a team out there to work with.”

Like many athletes coming off the NCAA cross country season, we asked was it a stretch to hang in for another race, “I actually finished the season feeling really good and really excited about doing the race. Last year I was a bit burnt out but this year I felt ready for another race and really excited.”

Richardson attributes this to a longer and slower build up, “I changed colleges this year and I was a bit slower with my build up, less mileage, less intensity to make sure that I felt really fresh and good going into every race and that helped the longevity of my season.”

Ciara Mageean, clearly ecstatic about the Irish success noted that this is “probably the most positive euro cross that Irish athletics has ever had. And it’s a testament to our governing body and a testament to the coaches in Ireland  because they don’t get paid for it and they do it out of the love of their own heart, and most of these athletes aren’t making a hell of a lot of money out of this sport and some of them are making none.”

“They go out and put their bodies on the line, because, if anybody wants to see how tough athletics is they just have to watch euro cross. I thought I could have died… I was starting to see stars.”

Mageean once again answered Ireland’s call and it was clear to all watching that the track athlete suffered for her teammates and her country. Collapsed on the ground at the finish, a fresh looking McCormack was on hand to check on her teammate. It was great to see the team rewarded with the much deserved silver medal.

Anger where there should be hope

One downside to a wonderful day was criticism and anger sent towards young Efrem Gidey after his excellent bronze medal. Keyboard warriors were quick to criticise the young Eritrean refugee, even the commentator saying over the megaphone as he crossed the line “this black man but he runs for Ireland.” Such commentators should do well to remember that sport is a great equaliser and way of bringing people together.

As an island with the largest diaspora in the world, we are privileged to live in a peaceful and wealthy country and to be in a position to offer protection to refugees. This will no doubt change the face of Irish teams in the future, as people from all over the world bring their talent, skills and humanity to us.

Bláithín is a middle distance and cross country athlete who has been known to accidentally run into trees. She is in total denial about having to work for a living – you can follow her attempts at run-commuting to work on Strava.

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The post Putting it on the line for Ireland in Lisbon appeared first on Fast Running.

“It is quite common in Ireland to blame the American route, that the coaches run us too hard or you’re gone off on the drink, people disappear, but people forget that it is easy to get lost, especially coming back from the States.”

Most of his teammates joined professional teams in America upon graduating, Craig Engels for example having joined the now defunct Nike Oregon Project. Others joined the likes of Hoka Northern Arizona Elite, Reebok Track Club, Saucony Track Club and Hoka One One New York New Jersey.

Tobin, however, found himself back in Clonmel, lost, lonely and unsure what he was going to do. He was certain he was going to run. That is his chosen profession. What was not so certain was who he would run with, and how he would fund it.

The next steps after coming home

Coming home from the States people would ask him what was next. If you ask any recently graduated student, you are often met with evasive answers while the student grapples with big life choices and situational changes. This is particularly pertinent for students who don’t have a city base, whose family homes are in rural places with little to no access to people to train with at their level.

For athletes exiting the American collegiate system this transition is particularly challenging. In America, saying you are a full time runner is met with enthusiasm, people back you and are excited for you to join a team and chase your dreams.

In Ireland though, the same culture does not exist, and so outside of immediate friends, family and other athletes, Sean found it quite difficult to explain a career choice that involved making no money. He would tell someone that he was trying to qualify for the Olympics and they would ask “but what do you really do?” Sometimes he would rather just say he was a student.

“You come home after a good percentage of your life, and everything was looked after for you in college, and you’re trying to figure out your own rent and to adjust to running outside of college.” It is common for non-athletes to take their time figuring out their professional career, taking a year after college to do so.

But it seems athletes can be held to a higher standard and if someone is not performing straight off the bat, people can be quick to criticise. If one thing is clear from talking to Sean, it is that life is not straightforward and it is not as easy as just coming home and transitioning smoothly. “You meet other guys who have been through the system and they’re completely lost still”.

On a road to nowhere

In summer 2018 he was racing and hoping for some performance but nothing was clicking. “It all fell to pieces” and he ultimately found himself with his parents in Clonmel, at his wits end, no professional set up, and running out of options. All his friends had moved on and that was difficult.

“Socially it was very tough, it got to the point where going down to the coffee shop was a big deal, just very nervous, very lost. You’d be afraid to go out as people would be asking you what you were doing and you don’t really have answers you know.”

Then, a chance presented itself. “It was like something out of a movie, I remember sitting in bed saying please just give me some bloody sign, and then I got a message from Feidhlim, and there was the opportunity.”

They agreed he would join the Dublin Track Club. “Feidhlim has been wonderful to me and he has been around for years. He is the one coach that put himself out there in positions, he has travelled and linked in with guys like Nic Bideau, and lived in London trying to make it as an athlete, he has done a lot. He is willing to learn and listen, he is so hungry.”

The group has developed and expanded since then, and “it has a lot more meaning for me now, it’s about developing the Irish system.”

Photo: Liam Kelleher

The importance of the right environment

Tobin mentions when he was training in Falls Creek, Australia, there was literally “nothing to do.

The house didn’t have wifi or anything.” Sonia O’Sullivan told him that during her time there they just read books, and one thing she said that stood out to him most was that “you almost have to re-adjust to civilisation when you come down off the mountain, and it’s true.”

“You’re so used to it being so quiet and silent, and everything is so loud and noisy. That is the lifestyle you want for running.” Dublin is not quite the same, but that is not to bash Dublin, “we obviously will make things work here.”

In the Dublin training group, few are full time, most are studying or working with flexible arrangements. “We have to create something ourselves, we can’t just expect the same model as Kenya or the US. As athletes we need to be educated in terms of how can you be a full time athlete and create an income, what job opportunities for someone who is in college and can make money online say.

“There are a lot of opportunities to make things work.” He refers to the Melbourne Track Club who also built themselves up, and when they need money the race. “They work hard and they don’t complain.”

Keep it simple

The life of an athlete is relatively simple. But the simple things are the hardest to secure: housing and food. It’s fine in college, but once you graduate into adulthood you need independence from your parents. If you’re from Dublin it is much easier, of course, the cost of living in Dublin is just so high if you are renting.

It is also hard to hold down a full time job and then ask for 6-8 weeks off to go to Australia to train. Sean has held odd jobs on and off, for example in his local coffee shop, Coffee Works, while he was injured, but as the miles crept up again this was not sustainable either. He considers himself very lucky to be supported with Richard Donovan, he couldn’t be in Dublin without that support.

Brendan O’Neill had a big influence on Sean’s decision to stay in Ireland. He noticed that athletes struggle with visas in the USA, then they’re home, and back and forth. It can be all over the place and “suddenly it turns into a three year cycle of trying to find your feet. He said I have to find a rhythm, he was the one that convinced me to stay home and make it work, get settled for a year at home and then the second year is not as bad.

So this is really the second year home, having my own place and being a little bit settled. It has been huge, having my own room.” Having stability, rather than living between places and out of suitcases has been a very positive development.

Funding athlete lifestyles

The funding system here is strange. He lives beside the National Sports Campus and sees the boxers going in, always together for training, “a proper national squad, where as the runners are scattered everywhere. I don’t want cash or whatever, I just want a house and food, as an athlete all you need is your food and your housing.”

“Imagine if Athletics Ireland had invested in houses over the years.” It would be very helpful for someone coming home too, if they could offer a base for six months while they find their feet and figure things out. “Sometimes the simple things go over people’s heads.” It seems that private sponsorship is a better model, evidenced by teams around the world, but it is missing in Ireland.

“As a group, anything that is stressful is always financial, thats a big thing that is stopping athletes going after it. If you look at the people deciding to have a real go of it, they decided to go abroad.” For example, Síofra Cléirigh-Buttner has joined the New Balance team based in Boston which is coached by Mark Coogan.

Tobin chasing down Great Britain’s Marc Scott, a member of the Bowerman Track Club, at the European Champs in Tilburg last year.

Clearly not a lack of motivation

What is clear in the transition from college to professional running is not a lack of motivation or ambition, but the very basics. People can be very quick to say that athletes are burnt out “but really it is just that life hits you, do I get a job, what do I do, et cetera. You can be pulled a lot of ways. And the more you go through the running ranks the tougher it gets.”

The Irish funding system is rewards based, if you compete well on a world stage you will get funding, but “if I finish top 8 in the world I don’t need that then, I needed it to get there. And even this year trying to qualify for the Olympics, if I qualify then suddenly I will be given more funding.”

This is not actually conducive to promoting and supporting Irish athletes development. Sean notes that he is in a very good position, probably better than most in the country because of Richard Donovan’s support and is keen to express that he does not take that for granted.

What can athletes do to help themselves?

“It is something that as athletes we can be very ‘take take take’, we need this we need that, and it is figuring out how can we actually give back to a community or a sport, what can we do to benefit others.” Coaching is the obvious first option of course, Sean coaches the DCU endurance group.

Other athletes have successful coaching businesses. The coaching also gives him a bit of perspective with the variety of levels involved, “we can forget how we got here too.”

Athletes need to look for opportunities to earn money doing online work. In terms of options to do things like grinds, Sean says that he did “an athlete’s degree” at Ole Miss, he wasn’t really study focused.

“I neglected academics and that was a hard lesson for me. As an athlete it is a great opportunity to self educate, read, learn new skills, it is a wonderful opportunity.” He realised a bit too late that he liked studying economics, so now a lot has changed in his mindset and approach to academics.

If he were to go back to University he wouldn’t choose a place purely based on its name, more so on the courses available and professors teaching. He regrets it, “I was given a wonderful opportunity that I tossed away, school is expensive.” But one can only learn the hard way, and if he returns to education he has made it more difficult for himself to get into a programme, but “I understand to make the most of that time now.”

Photo: Athletics Ireland / Sportsfile

Nothing is guaranteed

This sport is hard and cruel, “Feidhlim reminds us of that every day. This is not easy. You can do everything right and not be rewarded. Look at me this summer, I learned that the hard way. I put in one of the best years of training I ever put in, thought suddenly I was going to go out on the track and have this outstanding season, and bang, leg just gone.”

He raced two 5kms on the track with his leg hanging off, and ran personal bests but they were “nowhere near what I could have done.”

After John Travers running 13.28, “I buzz off the idea of the Irish doing well, if I can run 13 and twenty something that’s great now we have two irish guys doing it.” Look at Scullion and Pollock going 2.10 and 2.12. And not to forget the people behind the scenes, “I don’t think anyone is safe”.

When people assume someone is off to Tokyo “that boils my blood because no-one is guaranteed anything. I am not guaranteed anything.” This was the caption of Sean’s strava during the week, it points to an athlete working hard to make it work, and grateful for what he has.

Bláithín is a middle distance and cross country athlete who has been known to accidentally run into trees. She is in total denial about having to work for a living – you can follow her attempts at run-commuting to work on Strava.

Are you a fan of Fast Running? Then please support us and become a patron. For as little as the price of a monthly magazine you can support Fast Running – and it only takes a minute. Thank you.

The post Sean Tobin is taking nothing for granted appeared first on Fast Running.

Irish junior international athletes Sarah Healy and Darragh McElhinney turned out for UCD at the Irish Universities Road Relays at NUI Maynooth on Saturday (November 16) – although neither was on a winning team.

After completing her Leaving Cert exams last June, Healy took silver in the 1500m at the European U20 Championships in Boras, Sweden. She’s now studying law at UCD. Also in Boras, McElhinney took bronze in the 5000m.

First up on Saturday were the women with teams of three running a mile leg, two two mile legs, and a final mile leg. Winners with Trinity College with a total time of 34 mins 10 secs. Making up the team were Caron Ryan, Sorcha McAlister, Cliona Murphy and Eavan McLoughlin. The team moved steadily through the field catching early leaders DCU on the third leg. DCU’s quartet of Aoibheann McGoldrick, Jodie McCann, Lauren Tinkler and Nadia Power finished second in 34:22; UCD, with Healy running the second two-mile leg, finished third in 35:12.

The men’s event

In the men’s race, similar to the women’s but with the addition of a three mile leg, DCU took the lead on the second leg and went on to win in 43 mins 14 secs. Making up the team were Conor Duncan, Cathal Doyle, Cormac Dalton, Brian Fay and Colin Smith.

UCD, with McElhinney running the 3-mile leg, finished second in 43:43; also running were Fionn Buttner, Paul O’Donnell, Luke McCann and Christian McKenna. Finishing third in 44:48 was NUI Galway.

Carrick Aces Yared Derese receives the Viking 10k trophy from Patsy Carroll, brother of Annagassan’s legendary Olympic athlete Noel Carroll

Battles on the roads

Yared Derese of Carrick Aces AC clocked a time of 30 mins 36 secs to win the Viking 10km in Annagassan, Co Louth on Sunday (November 17) .

Gary Campbell of Dunleer Ac was second in 31:10 and Declan Toal of North East Runners AC third in 32:07. First woman was Laura Mathews of North East Runners in 37:21. Michelle Cox of Newbridge AC was second in 38.20 and Claire Leavy third in 40:10.

Pauric Ennis of Tullamore Harriers was the winner of the men’s 10km at the Hollymount International Road Race in Co Mayo on Sunday (November 17).

Ennis was a clear winner in 33 mins 56 secs, with David Bohan of Mayo AC clocking 35:23 for second and Ger Hartnett of Tuam AC third in 35:28. Best of the teams was Tuam AC.

Winning the women’s 6km was Regina Casey of Galway City Harriers in 22 mins 24 secs. Edel Reilly of Mayo AC was second in 23:25 and Heather Foley from Sligo TC third in 23:58. Mayo AC was first team. In the junior 3km, Rory Gallagher and Leah Toner were the winners.

Also on the roads on Sunday, Kieran McKeown of Watergrasshill AC in 12 mins 55 secs and Leevale’s Niamh Roe in 14 mins 53 secs were the winners at the Cloyne Commons 4km which attracted an entry of close to 500.

In Co Kilkenny, William Maunsell of Clonmel AC beat his brother Kevin to win the Stook 10km held near Gowran, also on Sunday.

William finished in 32 mins 24 secs, with Kevin just three seconds behind. Third was Brian Kirwan of St LOT AC in 37:55. First woman in 42:27 was Bronwen Kiernan of St LOT AC.

Winning the 10-mile race, held on the same day, were Freddy Sittuk in 54 mins 12 secs and Angela McCann in 61:50.

Masters tackle Grand (inter) National

Irish and Northern Irish teams competed at the British and Irish Masters Cross-Country International in Aintree, England, with both teams picking up wins.

Overall winner of the men’s M35-45 race for a second year was Mark McKinstry of Northern Ireland. Other winners for Northern Ireland were Terry Eakin M70 and Brigid Quinn W75 and the M50 team of Eamon White, Steve Cairns, Gary Henderson and Justin Reid.

For the Republic, Annette Kealy won the W50 title, while both the W35 and M40 teams teams took gold. Making up the W35 team were the trio of Fiona Kehoe, Claire McGuigan and Kate O’Neill who packed brilliantly to take the fourth to sixth places.

Leading the M40 team home, in another fine example of good packing, was Paul Moloney who finished second followed by Alan O’Brien 3rd, Paddy O’Toole 5th and Dermot McElchar 6th.

Last year’s women’s winner Teresa Doherty of the Republic had to be content with second place overall this time behind England’s Kirsty Longley, both of them in the W40 age category. There were also second places for Kay Byrne W55 and Tommy Hughes M55, and third places for Jackie Carthy W45, Niamh O’Sullivan W55, Pauline Moran W60, Margaret Glavey W65 and Paul Elliott 3rd M65, plus eight second places for teams.

For Northern Ireland, Eamonn White and Steve Cairns were 2nd and 3rd M50, while David Clarke 3rd M60. The W35 and M35 teams both finished third. Overall winner (as usual) was England.

World Mountain Running Association Champs

Best of the Irish at the World Mountain Running Championships in Villa La Angostuna, Argentina on Friday (November 15) was World Cup champion Sarah McCormack who finished 12th in the women’s race in 80 mins 43 secs.

That put her five minutes behind the American winner Grayson Murphy of the USA, a recently converted steeplechase runner, who finished in 75:40. The 14.7km race, held in wet and windy conditions, included a waist-high river crossing and a super-fast trail descent.

Of the other Irish women, Kate Cronin was 31st in 85:58 and Henriette Robinson in 98:34. The last of the 61 finishers crossed the line in 2:13.39. Failing to show on the day were the Kenyan and Ugandan teams with visa problems stopping the Kenyans apparently. First of 14 teams was France ahead of the Czech Republic and Great Britain; Ireland was 9th.

Men’s classic race

In the men’s race, won by Joseph Gray of the USA in 65 mins 13 secs, Zak Hanna finished 32nd in 73:53, followed by Ian Conroy 64th in 81:59, and Eoin Flynn 69th in 83.02. First of the 17 teams was the Czech Republic, with the USA second and Italy third. Ireland was 16th.

A day later, at the long distance championship on a 41.5km course which included not one but two river crossings, Paddy O’Leary finished 50th in 3:57.42; Winner was Jim Walmsley of the USA in 3:12.18. Of the other Irish, Brian Furey was 69th in 4:12.32 and Gavin Byrne 76th in 4:32.23. Spain was first team, with Ireland 15th.

Best of the Irish women was Angela Speight who finished 36th in 4:40.05. Becky Quinn was 40th in 4:40.46 and Nicola Duncan 47th in 4:47.03. The Irish team did have a rather difficult ordeal getting to the event with airport staff strikes leading to an additional night travelling to the race.

Running the line

Winner of the Run the Line 13km trail race from Glencullen in the Dublin Mountains on Saturday (November 16) was John McAuley of Crusaders AC in 58 mins 32 secs.

His team mate Warren Swords was second and first M40 in 58.44. Ninth overall and first women was Sonya McConnon of Dundrum South Dublin AC in 62.46. Barry Cronin was first home on the 26km long course in 2 hrs 10 mins 43 secs. First woman was Elizabeth Wheeler in 2:34.13.

Grassroots cross country

Annette Quaid of Leevale AC won the women’s title at the Munster Masters Cross-Country held in Beaufort, Co Kerry on Sunday (November 17).

Mary Daly of Farranfore Main Valley AC was second and Sinead O’Driscoll of Midleton AC third. Tenth overall and first W45 was Evelyn Cashman of Youghal AC. Karina Teahan of St Finbarr’s AC was seventh overall and first W35.

Other winners were Joan Ennis of Grange/Fermoy W55, Aisling Power of Ennis TC W50, Joan Ennis og Grange/Fermoy AC W55, Anne Mangan of Star of the Laune AC W60, Marion Lyons of St Finbarr’s AC W65 and Kathleen O’Brien of St Catherine’s AC first W70. Dooneen AC was first of the W35 teams and Ennis TC first W45 team.

Niall Shanahan of An Bru AC won the men’s race and was first M35 with Martin Doody of Limerick AC second and first M40 and Sean McGrath of East Cork AC third and second M35.

Winning the other age groups were Michal Harrington of Durrus AC M45, Dermot Hayes of Dundrum AC M50, Kevin Griffin of An Riocht AC M55, James Kenny of Kilmurray/Ibrick/N.Clare AC M60, Joe Gough of West Waterford AC M65, Richard Piotrowski of Eagle AC M70 and Billy Caball of Rising Sun AC M75. East Cork AC was first of the M35 teams ahead of Leevale AC , while Dundrum AC was first M50 team.

Irish Life BHAA 6km XC – Lindie Naughton

Other cross country

Perfect running conditions for the Women’s Meet and Train League 2-mile at the Cow Park, Dunboyne on Sunday (November 17) where there was a miraculous absence of the usual muck. Top three were Lorna Quinn of Sportsworld, Eimear English of Dunboyne AC and Maura Mahoney of Crusaders, with teams in the four grades still to comeNext round is at Irishtown, Dublin, on Sunday December 8.

A day earlier, the Business Houses Athletic Association celebrated its 40th anniversary at the Irish Life 6km cross-country in Santry – a month later than planned after permission to run in the national course at Abbotstown was withdrawn by Campus Ireland at the last minute.

A good race up front was won by Sean Doran of C& E Products in 20 mins 42 secs, with Rory O’Connor and Darragh Lynch second and third and just five seconds separating the top three.

First woman was Ciara Durkan of Teachers who was running her first race after a long battle with injury. She finished in 24 mins 22secs; second was BHAA regular Adrienne Jordan, also Teachers, in 24.47, while for third place Alma Hanevy of the Health Group just pipped Blaithin Shiel of the Law Society – and Fastrunning.com.

Since the race was also the BHAA Championships all finishers received a special commemorative medal plus a copy of “Keeping Business on the Run – 40 Years of the BHAA”, the recently published history of this remarkable organisation with its philosophy of putting on friendly races for runners of all standards.

Even better, everyone has a chance of winning a prize thanks to its unique grading system for teams from the workplace.

Want to join in? See www.bhaa.ie or www.corkbhaa.com.

Catch up

Amy O’Donoghue of Emerald AC was the winner of the women’s senior race at the Munster Cross-Country Championships held in Conna, Co Cork on Sunday November 10. Fiona Santry of East Cork AC was second and Aisling Kelly of St John’s AC third. St John’s was first team ahead of Leevale and East Cork.

Winning the men’s race was Sean Doyle of North Cork AC. Tim O’Donoghue of East Cork AC was second and Evan Byrne of Togher AC third. East Cork beat Ennis TC and Togher AC for the team title.

parkrun

Irish international  Sean Tobin ran a new Irish parkrun best of 14:19 at Malahide parkrun this weekend and Iseult O’Donnell was the quickest lady, also at Malahide in 17:25. Full rankings here.

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The post Cross country season in full swing – Irish round-up appeared first on Fast Running.

Cross country, indoors, outdoors, indoors, more cross country and road. In under five months I’ve covered every season – in that order.

In this short space of time, I’ve learned five key lessons, most of which I attribute to the Melbourne Track Club.

This group has opened up my eyes to professionalism. In this article, I will do my best to share these insights.

Lesson 1: The group

“Coming together is a beginning, staying together is progress, working together is success” – Henry Ford

Melbourne Track Club’s most powerful asset is simply the training group. Yes, there are days the guys may be out there training alone but for the most part the guys are training together.

Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday are the workout days, it’s simple: be there at 9:30am. It’s a massive help when you have a set time for training.

The guys don’t complain, they make it work, they show up ready to train and willing to help each other out.

Running can be a very lonely sport so it is a massive help when there is a social aspect to it, having fun is essential for one’s sanity, especially on the tough days.

View this post on Instagram

First week done in Falls Creek. Looking forward to learning as much as I can from these lads over the next month @ryangeard #lovethepain #getitdone

A post shared by Sean Tobin (@theirishhammer) on Jan 4, 2019 at 11:39pm PST

Lesson 2: The coach

“A genuine leader is not a searcher for consensus but a moulder of consensus” – Martin Luther King Jr

Nic Bideau has set the tone for the group, everyone knows that if you want to train with the group, Nic expects high standards. No one questions if he’s a good coach, the man has managed over 20 Olympians.

It’s simple, believe in the coach and do what you’re told. Everyone in the group has faith in Nic and they know if they listen and follow his guidance, they’ll be successful. Recognising a competent leader and putting your trust in them is fundamental.

Nic is a tough man and no one wants to piss him off but if he’s mad at you, be happy because it’s a sign he cares.

If you find people like this in your life, you better goddam hold on to them, whether they are your friends or your coach, they want the best from you, they want to see you succeed, if they are upset or disappointed in you it’s because they respect you enough to see you for what you could be, not just what you are.

Lesson 3: Ego is the enemy

“Impressing people is utterly different from being truly impressive” – Ryan Holiday

If you turn up thinking you’re better than everyone else or come in boasting about what you want to achieve you won’t last long in the group.

It’s very simple, everyone knows they are there to work hard and everyone has their own intrinsic goals in mind. Telling people your goals does not correlate with actually achieving them.

There’s no need to run your mouth, just show up and do the work. The guys are very good and leave their egos at home when doing sessions.

You may not be having the best day at training and instead of working yourself to death to stay at the front, they know when to let their egos go and pull back.

It’s not going to kill you to run a few seconds slower per rep, what will kill you however is smashing your body just to make yourself look good.

Lesson 4: The simple stuff

“The art of being wise is the art of knowing what to overlook” – William James

The guys keep everything simple, in their training and in their lifestyles. There’s no secret formula, nothing is overcomplicated.

Train, eat and sleep (although I also use my rest time to self educate, my young legs won’t last forever).

You train to get fit, you eat to refuel and sleep to recover. We can often over complicate everything in life and it is such a great feeling when you keep things simple. The no clutter approach frees the mind.

Lesson 5: The work never stops

“Don’t count the days, make the days count” – Muhammad Ali

No matter the time of the year, the Melbourne Track Club are working. They will keep the sessions and volume going all year round.

They are most likely only a few weeks from a strong performance all the time. There’s no major drop in workload when coming into a race and after a race no matter the result, you are back at work. Consistency is key.

Sean Tobin features in the ‘Fast 10: class of 2019’ and over the course of the year will share his running journey. You can follow Sean on Twitterand Instagram, while further information about the ‘class of 2019’ can be found here.

Are you a fan of Fast Running? Then please support us. For as little as the price of a monthly magazine you can support Fast Running – and it only takes a minute. Thank you.

The post 5 key lessons I learnt at the Melbourne Track Club appeared first on Fast Running.

Clonmel’s Sean Tobin was the over six minutes to spare when he led home over 600 finishers at the Sonia O’Sullivan Cobh 10 Mile in Co Cork on Sunday (April 7).

Tobin was on his own for much of the race winning in a course record time of 48:34. Finishing second in 55:00 was Colin Merritt of Glenville AC who was also first M45.

First woman and seventh overall was Leevale’s Michelle Finn in a course record 57:26.

Winners of the Lough Boora Half Marathon in Co Offaly, also on Sunday, were Colin Maher of Ballyfin AC in 70:33 and Neasa de Burca of Galway City Harriers in 86:13.

Tommy Hughes of Termoneeny AC knocked over seven minutes off the Irish M55 marathon record when he ran a time of 2:30:10 at the Rotterdam Marathon on Sunday morning. The old record was 2:37:42.

RELATED: Olympian Tommy Hughes aims to bounce back into the record books

Best of the Irish men at the Rotterdam Marathon was Sergiu Ciobanu of Clonliffe Harriers who finished 23rd in 2:19:52. Not far behind was Ciobanu’s training partner David Mansfield fo Clonmel AC who finished 28th in 2:22:06.

Raheny’s Cillian O’Leary finished in 2:25.03 and former international race walker Colin Griffin in 2:26.48.

Of the Irish women, Breege Connolly of City of Derry Spartans ran 2:37:50 for 13th place – just 50 seconds off the qualifying time for the World Championships.

In her debut marathon, Letterkenny’s Ann Marie McGlynn ran a time of 2:39:22, one place behind Caitriona Jennings who finished 16th in 2:38:42.

Gary O’Hanlon of Clonliffe Harriers was a solid winner of the Omagh Half Marathon on Saturday (April 6) in a time of 67:41.

That put him exactly one minute ahead of Mark McKinstry from North Belfast Harriers, with Eoin Hughes of Acorns AC third in 79:47.

First woman was Laura Graham of Mourne Runners in 76:31. Martina McGee of Tir Chonaill AC was second in 81:13 and Karen Alexander third in 81:30.

A total of 2,297 completed the race along with a further 76 walkers, and 907 finishers in a 5km where Martin Cox of Carmen Runners in 15:49 and Catherina McKiernan of Annalee AC in 17:53 were the winners.

Rory O’Connell and Linda Byrne were the winners of the 10th Rás UCD 5km held on a cold, but bright spring day on the Belfield campus in Dublin on Saturday.

O’Connell made his move on the second of two laps passing early leader Daire Finn of Dublin City Harriers to finish in 15:00 on a course which was fractionally shy of 5km. Finn finished second in 15:12, with Karol Cronin of Sportsworld AC third and first M40 in 15:27.

Byrne of of Dundrum South Dublin AC was 17th overall in 17:03; on a good day for the family Byrne’s brother Brian was just ahead of her in 10th place, with their parents also running.

Bronagh Kearns of St Senan’s a former UCD women’s captain, was second in 17:12 and Niamh Devlin of DSD AC third in 17:59.

Neil Johnston was the winner of a well-supported Queen’s 5km in Belfast on Wednesday (April 3). Johnson finished in 14:51, with Declan Reed of City of Derry Spartans second in 14:58 and Nakita Burke of Letterkenny AC first woman in 16:50.

Track and field

Phil Healy, representing Waterford IT was only five-hundredths outside her Irish record when she won the women’s 200m in a championships record time of 23.04 at the second day of the Irish Universities Track and Field Championships in Athlone on Saturday.

@philhealy2 back to her less lactic happy events with a 23.04 and 11.51 openers in the @IreUniAthletics #no400 #fastwoman #recordsx2 pic.twitter.com/5LjUZEIxjK

— Shane McCormack (@mcwexford) April 6, 2019

Coming second was Sharlene Mawdsley of University of Limerick in 24.21 with Aoife Lynch of DCU third in 24.40.

“Yes – I was just shy of the national record of 22.99 – in my fourth race this weekend. I’m absolutely delighted,” Healy said after the race. She’s going warm weather training next week for a fortnight. “Then I come home and sit my exams and then I go off again and race.”

Earlier Healy had comfortably won the 100m in 11.51 an IUAA record.

In the men’s 200m, Marcus Lawler, representing Carlow IT, showed that he was right back in form when he smashed the championships record with a time of 20.83.

Lawler’s time was under the A standard for the World University Games. “Hopefully that will secure my spot on the team I think I’ve done enough today to do that,” he said. Lawler struggled with injury last summer although he did make the Irish team for the European team championships.

“Hopefully I’ll have another go at the European team championships this year. I’m going to need to be in a position to be picked and then obviously Doha is on later in the summer as well and please god I’ll run the qualifying standard for that too.”

Finishing second was Craig Newall of University of Ulster in 21.62 with DCU’s Paul McDermott in 21.80.

In the 200m, Travane Morrison of IT Tralee was the winner with a time of 10.75. Craig Newall of UU was second in 10.93.

DCU students dominated the men’s 5000m, with Cathal Doyle winning in 14:39.25 and Sean O’Leary second in 14:44.34. Damien Landers of NUIG was third in 14:51.22.

Andrew Coscoran of DCU won the men’s 1500m in 3:53.90, with his DCU tema mate Gary Cambell proving best in the 10,000m with a time of 30:13.39.

Winning the women’s 400m in 54.47 was Cliodhna Manning of Carlow IT. DCU’s Sophie Becker was second in 54.60. Winning the men’s 400m was Cathal Crosbie of UL in 48.76.

Taking the women’s discus title with a throw of 48:39 was Niamh Fogarty of Athlone IT. Eoin Sheridan of DCU proved best in the men’s discus with a 53.72m effort. In the men’s hammer, a throw of 60.60 gave Adam King of DCU the title.

Continuing her long winning streak in the triple jump was national champion Saragh Buggy of DCU with a leap of 12.40m. Taking the men’s combined events title with 2904 points was David Dagg of UCD.

A day earlier, John Kelly of Letterkenny IT won the men’s shot with 17.12, with Michaela Walsh of DCU winning the women’s shot with 13.93m. Walsh also won the hammer with a throw of 59.57m. Winning the women’s 1500m in 4:33.00 was Avril Deegan of DCU. Matthew Behan of DCU won the 110m hurdles in 14.38. Running as a guest, Kate Doherty won the women’s 100m hurdles in 14.10.

A DCU quartet led by Cillin Greene set a new championships record of 41.59 when winning the men’s 4 x 100m. Winning a dramatic women’s 4 x 100m after NUIG’s Nicole Walsh pulled up with an injury within sight of the line was University of Ulster. Walsh held on for second ahead of host college Athlone IT.

Drama for Aisling Forkan of @nuigalway in the women's 4x100m relay at #IUAAtf19 Irish Universities Track & Field Championships as @_UUathletics grab a last-gasp win. pic.twitter.com/hyh0cqelIS

— IUAA (@IreUniAthletics) April 6, 2019

At the final day of the All Ireland Juvenile Indoor Championships in Athlone, Wymin Sivakumar of Leevale was a worthy winner of the U18 boys tripled jump with a fourth-round effort of 13.31m. Pushing him all the way was Adam Turner of Belgooly AC who threw 13.25 in the sixth and final round.

In the 4 x 200m relays, Galway City Harriers won the girls’ U18 title in 1:44.56, with Dundrum South Dublin second and St L O’Toole third. Dundrum South Dublin went one better in the boys’s U18 4 x 200m, winning in 1:32.72, with Brothers Pearse AC a close second and Orangegrove ASC third.

In the U19 age groups, St L O’Toole AC won the girls’ 4 x 200m title in 1:45.93 with GCH second and DSD third. St LOT also won the U17 title.

Metro St Brigid’s AC , with Leinster schools cross country champion Scott Fagan leading them off, won a thrilling boys U17 4 x 200m in 1:35.76; GCH just held off St LOT for second.

Dooneen A set a championships best time of 1:42.86 when winning the boys’ U14 race.

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The post Sean Tobin and Laura Graham among Irish weekend winners appeared first on Fast Running.