The Irish marathon champion continues to show age is no barrier to success as Zola Flynn takes the women’s honours in Cork.
Gary O’Hanlon crossed the line in 2:21:09 to win the men’s title at the Cork City Marathon on Sunday (June 3), while Calry AC’s Zola Flynn won the women’s race in 2:58:54.
The Clonliffe Harriers runner and Peter Somba were the earlier race leaders with O’Hanlon passing the halfway point in 69:31 and Somba 10 seconds behind. Somba closed the gap before O’Hanlon made his descisive move around the 30km mark and went on to break the course record of 2:22:11 set by Kenyan athlete Freddy Kearon in 2012.
The 43 year-old, who set a personal best 2:18:53 at the Dublin Marathon last year, finished four-minute ahead of Mark Kirwin in 2:25:17, with Star of the Sea’s Eoin Callaghan third in 2:26:08.
Congratulations to Gary O Hanlan who has won this year’s #CorkCityMarathon #MoreThanAMarathon pic.twitter.com/jwGM3IlxwG
— Cork City Marathon (@TheCorkMarathon) June 3, 2018
RELATED: Gary O’Hanlon declared 2017 Irish National Marathon Champion
Earlier this year O’Hanlon lowered his own Irish 50km record, and from his performance in Cork, he certainly shows he no signs of slowing down with his 44th birthday in August.
Swansea Harriers Rachel Davies was the second woman in 3:02:23, with Youghal AC’s Ann Marie Holland completing the podium in 3:03:46.
Half marathon course record holder Sergiu Ciobanu won his third title in Cork crossing the line in 68:00, while Leevale AC’s Claire McCarthy won the women’s race for the second consecutive year clocking 76:52.