It was another weekend of track and road action for Irish athletes and Lindie Naughton has a full report.

Mark English of Finn Valley AC , who skipped the national championships last weekend because of injury worries made a return to the track on Saturday (August 5) at the Folksam Grand Prix in Malmö, Sweden where he finished fourth in the men’s 800m in 1:47.20.

Along with Ciara Mageean of City of Lisburn AC, English is one of the senior members of the Irish team selected for the World Track and Field Championships Championships, which start in Budapest on Saturday August 10 and continue until Sunday August 27. Ferrybank AC’s Thomas Barr has withdrawn from the team with a calf injury

On Friday, Sarah Lavin of Emerald AC, who will also compete in Budapest, ran a new personal best 12.67 for fifth in the 100m hurdles at the CITIUS Meeting in Bern, Switzerland. The time was just two-hundredths of a second off Derval O’Rourke’s 12.65 Irish record. At the same meet, Sophie O’Sullivan of Ballymore Cobh AC finished fourth in the rarely-run 1,000m distance, clocking a national U23 record time of 2:37.08.

Editor: Below is some quite spectacular drone footage of the hurdles from the meet in Switzerland. Fascinating to see different ways to showcase our sport, but one must wonder if they are the opposite to the safelight technology. A stick chasing you instead of a carrot to chase.

 

Local track

James Whelan of Raheny Shamrock AC ran the fastest 3000m time of the night at the final Dublin Graded Track and Field Meet at Santry on Wednesday (August 2).

Whelan won the B race in a time of 8:49.31. In the A race, Conor Burke of Celbridge AC was the winner in 8:59.16. Winning the women’s 3000m in 9:51.57 was Cliona Murphy of Dublin City Harriers.

First home in the women’s grade A mile was Louise Gaffney of Rathfarnham WSAF AC in 5:10.99.

Conall Connell of Raheny Shamrock AC won the men’s A mile in 4:26.043.

Roads

Conor Duffy of Glaslough Harriers ran a time of 50 mins 25 secs to win the Kilbeggan 10-Mile in Aghamore, Co Westmeath on Sunday (August 6).

Gerry Forde of Kilkenny City Harriers was second in 51:07 and Kyle Doherty third in 52:04. First woman was Grace Lynch of Iveragh AC in 56:12. Ciara Hickey, winner of the Terenure 5 earlier this year, was second and first W40 in 56:30. Dee O’Keeffe, a clubmate of Hickey’s at Brothers Pearse AC, was third in 65:43.

Also on Sunday, Anthony Brady with a time of 83 mins 30 secs led home 254 finishers at the Inner City Runners 21km on a lapped course based at Henrietta House in northside Dublin.

A close second in 83:36 was Brian Kelly of Raheny Shamrock AC, while third in 84:10 was Anthony O’Brien. Finishing eighth and first woman in 89:45 was Mary Walsh. Sinead Cowan of the host club Inner City Runners was second in 90:38 and Carmel Ward of Raheny Shamrock AC third in 93:28.

In a 10km dominated by women, Yumiko Bejarano was the winner in 35:53, with Colm Cassidy of Raheny Shamrock AC second and first man in 37:07 and Siobhan Eviston, also Raheny Shamrock, third in 38:34. The top three in the 5km were all women – Julianna Silva in 28.00, Niamh Hassett in 28:31 and Tracey Dowling in 30:52. Fourth and first man was Noely Hanney in 31:36.

10k and trails for some

In Co Kerry, Carl Lenihan of West Limerick AC was the winner of the Banna Run 10km at Ardfert in 33 mins 51 secs. First woman was Aoife O’Connor of Raheny Shamrock AC in 40:58. Tommy Arthur won the 5km in 16:28; Amy Pollman Daamen of An Riocht AC was first woman in 18.00.

Daniel Ryan Ellis of Nenagh Olympic and Siobhan O’Doherty of Borrisokane AC were the winners of the Run with Cillian 10km on Sunday in Borrisokane, Co Tipperary. Their times were 34:44 and 39:08. The race was in aid of Paralympian Cillian Dunne of Borrisokane AC, who duly won the 5km in 24.40. Joan Stakelum was first woman.

A day earlier, Patrick McColl in 86:19 was the winner of the half marathon at the Scrabo Trail runs on Saturday (August 5). Second and first woman in 94:07 was Mary Slocum of Ward Park Runners.

Danny Bradley of Orangegrove AC won the 10km in 37:09, with Fiona McQuillan of North Down AC first woman in 41:06, while in the 5km, the winners were David Coffey in 19:42 and Willow Farrington of Scrabo Striders in 24.00.

In other Saturday races, Eileen McCullagh of Thurles Crokes was the winner of the ARRA AFC Garrykennedy 10km in 42:15. Second and first man in 44:19 Eugene Duff from Greystones.

Seamus McSweeney of St Nicholas AC was the winner of the Adrigole 5-Mile, Beara Peninsula, Co Cork, in 29 mins 52 secs. First woman in 36:54 was Deirdre O’Sullivan of Beara AC in 36:54.

At the Breffni 3 Provinces Challenge, in Arva, Co Cavan, Colin Beades in 83:44 and Aoife Barry in 99:17 were the winners of the half Marathon, while Colm McKenna and Edel Nolan proved best in the 10km with times of 43:54 and 45.00 respectively.

Lee O’Boyle was the winner of the Waterfoot to Ballycastle trail marathon with his time of 3 hrs 54 mins taking 30 minutes off the previous best time. Second in 4:05 was Alan Ritchie, with Matt O’Kane third. First woman was Nicola Frizelle, followed by Alanna Rowntree.

Another packed Friday

Hugh Armstrong of Ballina AC led home an entry of close to 500 at the Carlingford 5km in Co Louth on Friday (August 4). Armstrong’s time of 14 mins 39 secs put him comfortably clear of the chasers led by Gary Crummy of Newry AC, second in 14:55, and Darragh Greene of Dunleer AC third in 14:59.

Finishing eighth and first M50, as well as first master overall, was Shane Healy of Metro St Brigid’s AC in 15:16.

First woman in 16:37 was Hannah Gilliland of Annadale Striders AC. Nichola Sheridan was second in 16:54 and Faye Dervan of Dublin City Harriers third in 17:02.

Best of the seventeen men’s teams entered was the Raheny Shamrock AC trio of Kevin Moriarty, Ian Conroy and David Rooney. Second was Newry AC, with Armagh AC third.

Annadale Striders took the women’s prize, ahead of Dromore AC and Drogheda and District AC, with eleven teams entered.

Racing on the streets

In Co Meath, Brian O’Kelly of Crusaders AC was the winner of the Streets of Athboy 5km in 15:35. James Keegan of Mullingar Harriers was second in 15:657 and Declan Toal of North East Runners third in 16:03. Fourth and first M35 was Anthony Sharkey of LSA AC in 16:16. Ian O’Reilly of Brothers Pearse AC was fifth and first M45 in 16:20.

First woman in 26:46 was Aine Cotter of North East Runners, followed by Fiona Clinton of Dundrum South Dublin AC in 16:48 and supervet Barbara Cleary of Donore Harriers in 17:02. The race incorporated the Meath Road Race Championships, with Declan Toal and Aine Cotter making it a double for North East Runners.

Trim AC won both team (and Meath) titles. The Trim AC women, led by Edel Gaffney, saw off the challenge of Civil Service AC, led by Laura Cullen, with an impressive seventeen teams entered. In the men’s competition, Trim were clear winners ahead of Fr Murphy AC, with twenty-four teams entered.

Peter Somba of Dunboyne AC was the winner of the Birr 5km, which was the eighth and final round of this year’s Offaly 5km Road Series. Somba finished in 15 mins 154 seconds with Mick Fogerty of Ferbane AC a close second in 15:16, and Paul Mitchell of Tullamore Harriers AC third in 15:30.

First woman was Niamh O’Connor of Tullamore Harriers AC in 16:43, with Nadine Donegan of Tullamore Harriers second in 17:38 and Aisling O’Connor of Edenderry AC third in 17:54.

Rian McCaffrey of Longford AC and Nikita Cassidy were the winners at the opening round of a well-supported Longford 5km Trail Series at the Royal Canal, Longford town. Their times were 17:53 and 20:14 respectively.

On a wet evening at the Kinsale Regatta 5-Mile in Co Cork, Jeremy O’Donovan of St Finbarr’s AC was the winner in 26:09; O’Donovan was also first M45. Finishing eighth and first woman in 26:55 was marathon woman Aoife Cooke of Eagle AC.

Among the 500-plus finishers was Simon Mugglestone from Bideford AC in Devon, who finished 17th in a time of 27:53, easily winning the M55 category. In the late 1980s/early 1990s, Mugglestone was a leading distance runners in the UK and won the 5000m at the European Juniors held in Birmingham in August 1987.

A member of the famous Westbury Harriers, he was coached in his early days by Wexford native George Blackburn. Blackburn, who died in November 2020, was instrumental in bringing a number of Westbury teams to the legendary Ballycotton ‘10’ in its early days.

Despite the teeming rain, a sprint finish at the Ballyshannon 5km in Co Donegal saw Gerard Gallagher of Finn Valley AC just seeing off the challenge of Jamie McDonnell of Enniskillen RC, with the pair both given a time of 15 mins 46 secs.

A close third in 15:51 was Shane Donnelly from Strive AC.

First woman was Ciara Cunningham of host club Tír Chonaill AC in 18:04. Elizabeth Maher of Galway City Harriers was second in 18:18 and Majella McCartan of Carmen Runners third in 19:23.

Philip Goss of North Belfast Harriers was the winner of the Carnlough Quarry 5km in 17:16. First woman was Holly Woodhead of Serpentine RC in 21:01.

… and earlier

Tony Forristal of East Cork AC was the winner of the St Catherine’s 5km at Ballynoe, Co Cork on Thursday (August 3) in a time of 15:38. First woman was Martina Kiely of St Finbarr’s AC in 17:57.