The first 2025 Irish round-up

To start the week (or year) Lindie Naughton brings us all the Irish endurance action and news from the weekend just gone (Monday 6th January).

Although the weather was less than agreaable, the new course facing the Howth road  at St Anne’s Park,  got deserved praise at the well attended Dublin Masters Cross-Country Championships held on Sunday (January 5)

Closest race of the day was the women’s over 35-49 race, where Raheny Shamrock pair Fiona Roche and Kate Purcell, both in the W40 age group, battled it out with defending champion Maria McCambridge  of Dundrum South Dublin from the start.

In the end Roche pulled away for victory in 11 mins 19 secs, with Purcell, the title winner in 2023,  second in 11:21 and McCambridge third and first W45 in 11.29. Fourth and second W45 was Noreen Brouder of Sportsworld AC) in 11:53.  A close fifth and first W35 was former Irish international athlete Caroline Crowley of Crusaders AC who was also given a time of 11:53.

The best of the teams

Leading home the thirteen teams was Sportsworld on 46 points with Crusaders just a single point adrift for second place.  Metro St Brigid’s, led by Kate O’Neill in sixth place, finished third with 54 points.

A clear winner of the M35-59 race was Colm Rooney of Clonliffe Harriers  who completed the 6km course in 19 mins 6 secs and was also first M40. Mark Ryan of Rathfarnham WSAF was second  and first M45 in 19:58 and Pierce Geoghegan of Liffey Valley third in 20:21.

Rathfarnham WSAF, with four in the top eight, were clear winners of the team title with 20 points. Clonliffe Harriers was second with 32 points and  Raheny Shamrock third with 68 points. A total of thirteen teams completed the race.

A push from the start

Retaining her W50 title in some style was Annette Kealy of Raheny Shamrock, who pushed the pace from the start and was also first W55 in 12 mins 5 secs.  Her Raheny clubmate Tara Kennedy finished second and first W50  in 12:46, while third and second W50 was Donna Mahon of Rathfarnham WSAF.

Finishing 15th and first W65 was Sheelagh Jones of Rathfarnham WSAF in 14:02.  First W60 and 17th overall was defending champion Fiona Byrne of Civil Service Harriers in 14:03.  First W70 was Mary Lynch of Raheny Shamrock; another defending champion.  Raheny Sharmock proved best of the  ten teams entered  with nine points, with Rathfarnham WSAF second on 28 points and Clonliffe Harriers third on 56 points.

In the men’s M50-65 race, Lea Fulcher of Pland-Based AC  took an early lead and held on for victory in 20 mins 52 secs. Kevin O’Connor of Clonliffe Harriers  did his best to reel in Fulcher and finished second in 21:11. Third in 21:35 was Ciaran  McCarthy of Raheny Shamrock.

Finishing ninth and first M55 was Kenny McAndrew of Metro St Brigid’s in 22:39 while first M60 was  David Woods of Raheny Shamrock in 24:19, with Philip O’Doherty of Clonliffe Harriers just one second behind for second place.  Raheny won the team title with 45 points. Donore Harriers, led by Des Tremble in sixth place, was second  with 60 points and Metro St Brigid’s third with 68 points. Ten teams had entered.

Best in the M65-80 age group was Liam Lenehan of Sportsworld who finished in 11:54 for the 3000m distance. Tom Cuddy of Rathfarnham WSAF was second in 12:01 and Sean Doyle, also Rathfarnham WSAF,  third in 13:12. Vincent O’Neill of Civil Service Harries was first M70, Pat Collins of Liffey Valley first M75 and Trevor Lloyd of Sportsworld first M80.

Starting the day

Opening  the day’s racing  were the Dublin intermediate championships, with the women’s 3000m race dominated by Clonliffe Harriers and Crusaders athletes. Helena Butterly was the race winner in 11:10 followed by her Clonliffe team mate Niamh Kelly in 11:23, with Saoirse McGrath third in 11:38 and her  Crusaders clubmate Orla Walsh just a second behind for fourth place.  Just a single point separated the two clubs in the team competition with Clonliffe the winners with 20 points and Crusaders second with 21 points. Third with 68 points was Sportsworld.

Kevin O’Rourke led a Donore Harriers ‘posse’ in the men’s 6000m race winning in 20:37, with his clubmates David McCann, Oliver Hopkins and Simon O’Toole finishing third, fourth and fifth. Second was Christopher McLoughlin of Dublin City Harriers. Donore took the team medals with just 13 points. Clonliffe as second with 42 points and Raheny Shamrock third with 61 points.

The Pat Hooper Trophy stays with Raheny

For a fourth year, Raheny Shamrock ended up winning the Pat Hooper Trophy for the best overall club in the masters competition, with four second places from the five counting races, giving the club a total of 40 points.

Just three points adrift  with  37 points was Clonliffe Harriers with Rathfarnham WSAF  a close third with  35 points. Clonliffe and Sportsworld picked up points in all five races as did Sportworld, fourth overall with 29 points. A total of  eighteen clubs counted, with almost 500 athletes aged from 35 to 80 lining out despite the cold, and increasingly wet conditions.

Next up for masters and intermediate distance runners is the All Ireland Cross-Country Championships to be held in Westport, Co Mayo on Sunday February 9. Dublin teams will compete.

Roads

Tadgh Donnelly (Drogheda and District AC) was a comfortable winner of the annual New Year’s Day Tom Brennan 5km, in Dublin’s Phoenix Park on Wednesday (January 1).

Donnelly’s winning time was 14 mins 38 sercs, with Jack O’Leary (Mullingar Harriers)  just out-sprinting Mahad Mohammed Egaal (Clonliffe Harriers)  for second place. The pair were given times of 15:04 and 15:05. Fourth in 15:28 was Aaron Hanlon (Drogheda and District AC).

Laura Mooney (Tullamore Harriers) was first woman in 16:49. Lucy Barrett (Raheny Shamrock AC) was over a minute behind for second place in 17:56, with Saoirse McGrath (Crusaders AC) third in 18:16.

In a closely-fought men’s team competition, Clonliffe Harriers, with three in the top nine, beat Drogheda and District on count-back when both ended up with 19 points.  Third was host club Liffey Valley with 30 points, led by Pierce Geoghegan in fifth place.

Liffey Valley proved best of the women’s teams, led by Ciara Broderick Farrell in sixth place. Crusaders was second  and Raheny Shamrock third.

Starting or ending the year with a 10k

Jeremiah Sheehan (North Cork)  was the winner of the Beaufort 10km in Co Kerry on New Year’s Day in a time of 31 mins 54 secs.  Just two seconds adrift for second place was Conor Kissane (Killarney Valley ) in 31:56, while third in 32:55 was Killian Lynch (West Limerick).

First woman in 35:15 was Sinead O’Connor (Leevale AC). Niamh O’Mahoney was second in 35:21 and Niamh Clifford third in 36:48.

Winners of the 5km were Karol Makarewicz (An Ríocht AC) in 16:07 and Martina Kiely (St Finbarr’s AC) in 18:31.

On New Year’s Eve, Kane Collin (Donore Harriers) was the winner of the Grange-Fermoy New Year’s Eve 10km, in Glanworth,  Co Cork, with a time of 32:27. Sergiu Ciobanu (Clonliffe Harriers), M40) was second in 32:36 amd Kristaps Liepins (Watergrasshill AC) third In 32:47.

Niamh Moore (Leevale) was first woman in 36:26 with her clubmate Sharon Rynne second in 37:17 and Kealey Tideswell (Clonmel AC, W40) third in37:37.

Ultra-running

At the Bauers Megabackyard Trail Ultra Marathon in (loops of 43km course), Waterville, Derrynane, Co Kerry, local resident, Lianne van Dijk retained the title she won last year.

Runners have eight hours to complete the 43km look on on a section of the Kerry Way and can then continue for as many loops as they can manage.

Last year, Van Dijk  managed four loops, running for 28 hours non-stop and covering a distance of 172km. This ear proved trickier, with just three of the seventeen starters setting off on a third loop. When two of those dropped out, van Dijk was left on her own, completing the third loop with a total time of 14 hrs 45 mins 54 secs for the 129km distance.

In the English Lake District, Carol Morgan has completed the Winter Wainwright Round in a record time of 193 hrs 51 mins 47secs, negotiating all 214 Wainwright peaks, all but one of them over 304.8m high for a total distance of  over 500km of hiking/running.

Photo www.granddayoutphotography.co.uk