It was a busy weekend but Lindie Naughton covers all the Irish action at home and abroad. 

Jake O’Regan of St John’s AC was the winner of the Sonia O’Sullivan Cobh 10-Mile on Sunday (April 2). O’Regan’s time of 50 mins 47 secs put him comfortably clear of Mick Clohisey of Raheny Shamrock AC who finished in 51:10. Third in 52:50 was Leevale AC’s Michael Bruton.

Finishing eighth and first woman was marathon woman Aoife Cooke of Eagle AC in new course record time of 54:49. Just one place behind and second woman was Olympic steeplechaser Michelle Finn of Leevale AC in 55:06. Third woman was Jean Lucey in 65:24.
In the team competitions, Leevale made it a double, beating St Finbarr’s AC and Ballymore Cobh AC in both men and women’s categories.

At the Titanic 10km in Belfast, Conor Bradley of City of Derry Spartans proved the class of the field winning in 29 mins 20 secs. Conall McClean of St Malachy’s AC was second in 30:33 and Craig McMeechan of North Down AC third in 30:42. First woman in 38:24 was Yvonne Macauley.

In Co Offaly, Ray Hynes of Donore Harriers won the Lough Boora Half Marathon in 69 mins 54 secs. Peter Mooney of Na Fianna AC was second in 74:51 and junior athlete Heather Murphy of St Michael’s AC fourth overall and first woman in 79:23.

Winning the Ennis 10km, which was the fourth and final race in the Run the Banner Series in Co Clare, was Kenneth Rodgers of St John’s AC in 31:33. Chris Jeuken of Derg AC was second in 32:12 and Rory Chesser of Ennis TC a close third in 32:17. First woman was Anne Marie Connellan of Ennis TC in 38:10. She was followed home by her team mate Dee Grady in 39:07 and Annette Kelly of Dublin club Love 2 Run in 40:29.

An Ace up the sleeve

Yared Derese made it a home win at the Carrick Aces Credit Union 5km, held in Carrickmacross, Co Monaghan, leading home 333 finishers in a time of 15 minutes exactly. Mindaugas Balciauskis was second in 15:16 and Gary Campbell of Dunleer AC third in 15:42. Tenth and first woman was Denise Toner of Clones AC in 17:20. Local athlete Laura McConville of Carrick Aces was second in 18:07 and Natasha Scott of Glaslough Harriers third in 19.17.

Abroad, David McCarthy of West Waterford AC finished best of the large Irish contingent at the Berlin Half Marathon with a time of 67 mins 1 sec. Of the women, Cliona Murphy of Dublin City Harriers finished in 76 mins 43 secs (76 :13 chip time). Kate Hawkshaw of Clonliffe Harriers was second of the Irish women, crossing the line in 87:59 (83:20 chip time). A total of 27,067 completed the race.

In Canada, Ian Guiden of Clonliffe Harriers finished fourth in the Spring Run Off 8km in Toronto with a solid time of 24 mins 37 secs for the hilly course.

Hopkins no April fool

Business Houses Athletic Association regular Ieuan Hopkins was the winner of the Dublin City Council BHAA 4-Mile Road Race, held in St Anne’s Park, Raheny, Dublin on Saturday – April Fools’ Day!

Hopkins showed that he was far from foolish when clocking a time of 20 mins 14 secs, which put him twenty seconds clear of George Snee from Fidelity Investments Ireland who finished in 20:34.

Third in 21:31 was Tom Sherlock who was leading Bank of Ireland to a Grade 1 team victory . Brian McMahon from Pfizer was fourth and first M40 in 21:46 and Declan Power fifth and first M50. In the team divisions, Revenue was second in Grade 1 and winner of Grade 2.

First woman was Siobhan Eviston in 23:04, with Sarah Mulligan second in 23:16 and Sinead Lambe third in 23:33.

Masters Indoors

Ireland ended up a highly creditable seventh of the medals table at the World Masters Indoors in Torún, Poland which concluded on Saturday.

On the track, Joe Gough of West Waterford AC collected his eighth and ninth world masters’ medals when winning both the 800m and 1500m in the M70 age category he entered in January.

Another double winner was Annette Quaid of Leevale AC, who won the W45 400m and 800m, and also finished second in the 200m
As we wrote last week, Anne Woodlock of Donore Harriers took Ireland’s first gold at the championships when she won the W80 3000m, with Pauline Moran of Mayo AC then taking the W65 title.

Also taking place at the championships were 10km , half marathon and cross-country races, which most definitely did not take place indoors. After her 3000m gold, Pauline Moran went on to win the W65 cross-country and 10km titles. Also taking double gold was Zoe Quinn of Raheny Shamrock AC in the W45 cross-country and and 10km. Quinn’s Raheny clubmate Annette Kealy managed to combine racing outdoors and indoors, following up her second place in the W55 300m with victory in the cross-county.

Declan Toal M50 was Ireland’s only male winner in the 10km finishing 17th and first home overall of the Irish.

In the half marathon on the final day of competition, Cathy McCourt W50 and Mary Slocum W60 were both winners while former Irish marathon and cross-country champion, Christine Kennedy of Galway City Harriers, was the W65 winner, albeit running in American colours.

Stateside

Peter Lynch of Kilkenny City Harriers ran a personal best 27 mins 59.27 secs when finishing a close fifth in a competitive Stanford Invitational 10000m in California on Friday evening (March 31). British athlete Charles Hicks, who is well known to Irish athletes, was the race winner in 27:57.49.

Ultra-running

Northern Ireland and Ulster team member Jarlath McKenna of Bristol and West AC was the winner of the 28th Anglo Celtic Plate and Open 100km held in Craigavon, Co Armagh, on Sunday (April 2) in a time of 6 hrs 37 mins 19 secs.

Best for Ireland was Ciaran McGonigle of Letterkenny AC who finished seventh in 6 hrs 57 mins 32 secs. Wayne Waldron of Donore Harriers, for the Ireland B team, was next in eleventh place with a time of 7:11.59. First for Northern Ireland and Ulster was Tim Brownlie of Willowfield Harriers, 14th in 7:23.45.

Of the Irish women, Patricia McLoughlin of Le Cheile AC was second woman in 8:19.25, while Karla Borland of Springwell RC and the Northern Irish and Ulster team, was third woman in 8:26.36. Sarah Webster in the England team broke the British record with an outstanding 7:03:40.

In the team competition, the Northern Ireland and Ulster women’s team finished second behind Scotland. Ireland was third of the men’s teams behind England and Scotland, with Northern Ireland and Ulster fourth.

Winning the 50km was Tom Charles of Chorlton Runners in 3:06.21. Sean Meehan of Cherry Orchard RC was second in 3:38 and Liza Bradshaw of CLC Striders in Cheltenham third and first woman in 3:44.01.

Photo: Lindie Naughton

Orienteering

Jonathan Quinn of Great Eastern Navigators (GEN) was the winner of the elite course at the Leinster Orienteering League round hosted by Three Rock Orienteering Club at Carrick Mountain, near Glenealy in Co Wicklow on Sunday (April 2)

Quinn completed the 7km course which included 19 controls in 72 mins 6 secs, proving the class of the field. Second in 89:0 was Eoghan Whelan of SEVO/UCDO, while a close third in 89:11 was Tim Norwood of GEN.

Former Irish champion Justin May of the host club 3ROC, now an M60, proved best on the green 4km course with a time of 48:38. Roisin McDonnell of Setanta was fastest of the women in 60:52. Competitors could choose between seven different courses, with 90-year old Con Carroll of 3ROC completing the 2.3km course. Carroll is aiming to become the first ninety-year-old ever to compete at the Irish Championships, which will take place in Leinster next month.

Con Carroll (3ROC) 1st M90 in action and Leinster League orienteering on Carrick Mountain