To start the week Lindie Naughton brings us all the Irish endurance action and news from the weekend just gone (Tuesday 22nd April).

Former Irish marathon champion – and Dublin resident – Sean Hehir (Croghan AC) was the winner of the Battle of Clontarf  10-mile with a time of 54 mins 53 secs  in  St Anne’s Park, Dublin,  on Easter Monday April 21.

First woman was Fiona Roche of host club Raheny Shamrock in 60:01.  Both winners are in the over 40 age group.

Jason Reilly (Civil Service Harriers) was second overall in 55:10 and Anthony Doran (Clonliffe Harriers) third in 55:27.  Colin Coyne  (St Abban’s AC) was fourth and first M45 in 55:51. Colm Costello (Brothers Pearse was ninth and first M50 in 57:21.

Of the women, Niamh Clifford  (Donore Harriers) was second in 60:27 and Fiona Kehoe (Kilmore AC, W40) third in 61:09..

Raheny Shamrock  won both men and women’s team titles.The race was a Leinster Championships.

At the Kinsale 10-Mile, Ryan Creech (Leevale AC) was the runaway winner in 49 mins 16 secs. First woman in 63:31 was Catherine Murphy (Eagle AC, W45).

Peter Somba (Ratoath AC) was the winner of the M4M Moynalty 4-Mile,  in Co Meath in a time of 20 mins 42 secs. After him came two members of Dundrum South Dublin AC -Patrick Elliot  in 21:04 and Gavin Callery in 21:32. First woman in 23:50 was Rachel Birt. Rose Finnegan 9Bohermeen AC0 was second in 24:24 and Anne Smith (Shercock AC) third in 24:37.  Teams winners were  the Dunboyne men and the Moynalty women.

Danny Nugent (ACE AC) in 14:45 and junior athlete Dearbhla Allen St Peters AC) in 18:03 were the winners at the Easter Monday 5km in Dundalk, Co Louth. Winners of the Drogheda Easter 5km were Colin Dyas (Drogheda and District AC) in 16:49 and Leah Sheerin in 18:48.

Saturday fun times

At the Run Ballybunion Half Marathon, 10km in Co Kerry on Saturday (April 18),  master athlete Brian Lenihan was a clear winner of the half marathon in a time of  75:46.  Lorraine Scanlon was seventh overall and first woman in 93.00. Winners of the 10km were Padraig O’Donnell in 35:59 and Cara Leahy in 41:45, while firs home in the 5km were Joe O’Brien in 19:08 and Grace O’Donnell in 20:53.

Kenneth Nugent (Donore Harriers) led home 371 finishers in the Kilmovee 10km in Co Mayo on Saturday morning . Second  and firstM50 was Sean Burke (Tuam AC) in 35:45.  First woman was Sarah Doonan (Corran AC, W40 ) in 38:11, while second and first W55 was Mayo AC’s Colette Tuohy in 40:55.  Winners of the 5km were Kieran Campbell in 17:32 and Judith Campbell (Galway City Harriers, W50) in  20:32. Conditions were wet.

Winner of the Ballyliffan International Coastal Challenge/10 Mile in Co Donegal for a second year was John Jo Doherty  in 55 mins 10 secs. His  Finn Valley clubmate Diarmait Keogh finished  second in 59:36 and Declan Donaghy (Carndonagh ) third in 58:36. First woman was Michelle Donaghy  in 65:22.. Winner of the seven mile race was Darragh Reynolds (Swinford AC) in 47:18. Buncrana native Gemma Callaghan (Pudsey Pacers)  was first woman  in 53.00. Over a thousand turned out for the challenge.

Eoin Mullan (Omagh Harriers, M40) was the winner of the Beragh 5-Mile in  St Mary’s Park, Beragh, Co Tyrone  with a time of 25 mins 40 secs. Patricia O’Hagan (St Peter’s AC, W50) was sixth and first woman in 31:18.  Winners of the 5km were Ciaran McCarroll (CBS Omagh) in 16:18 and Cora Scullion in 19:02.

Roads – earlier in the week

Cathal O’Reilly (Kilkenny City Harriers) was the winner of the sold-out Streets of Kilkenny 5km on Thursday evening (April 17 ) with a time of  14 mins 15 secs.

The race was the second round of this year’s Peugeot Race Series,  and last year’s individual winner, Pierre Murchan (Dublin City Harriers) finished second in 14:21. David Mansfield (Clonmel AC) was third in 14:31.

Finishing ninth and first woman was Emily Sisson in 14:58. Sisson, who is American  and a double Olympian, has strong Irish links; she’s married to  Waterford AC’s Shane Quinn.  Íde Nic Dhomhnaill (West Limerick AC) was second and first W40 in 16.00 and Orla Duffy (Dublin City Harriers) third.

Kilkenny City Harriers also finished first of the mixed teams of six, earning themselves a €1,000 bonus under the new prize structure  for the Peugeot Series. The races winners each got a €500 bonus. This year’s Peugeot Series consists of ten races, with €2,000 in ‘bonuses’ to be handed out at each race.

Next round is the Aisling Murphy 4-Mile in Tullamore on  Sunday, May 11. Full details at  www.popupraces.ie

A week with plenty of races

At the annual Emo Forest Run in  Killimy, Emo, Co Laois on Friday (April 18), Stephen Hunter (St Abban’s AC)  won the 10km race in 34:21, with Aidan Murphy (Dundrum South Dublin AC) second in 34:55.

First woman in 46:44 was Aoife McEvoy (Portlaoise AC, W40) with Pippa Hackett of host club St Michael’s AC second and first W50  in 47:00.

Paul  Moloney (Mallow AC, M40) in 24 mins 59 secs and Amy Pollman Daamen (An Ríocht AC ) in 29:20 were the winners at the Streets of Killarney 5-Mile in Co Kerry also on Friday evening.

In Templemore, Co Tipperary,  Mossy Bracken and Mathew Ryan, both from the  Moycarkey Coolcroo club, corssed the line together at the  John Kelly 7.5km. Their time was in 25 mins 10 secs. First woman in 30:59 was Niamh Hennessy (Templemore AC).

At the Ballyneale 5km,  in Carrick-on-Suir, Evan Fitzgerald (West Waterford AC) was the winner in 15 minutes exactly. Second and first M40 in 15:50 was Dermot Gorman (Carrick AC). First woman was Laura Behan in  in 18:51. The was the opening round of the annual Three Counties Challenge.

Creech wins again

With a time of  19 mins 5 secs, Ryan Creech (Leevale) led home 1,200 finishers at the Ballintotis 4-Mile, in Castlemartyr , Co Cork on Wednesday evening (April 16). Sean Doyle (Cork City AC) was second in 19:21 and Michael Harty (East CorkAC) third in 19:30. In a quality race, Fiona Everard (Bandon AC) was first woman in 21:41

Track-overseas

Sophie O’Sullivan  (Ballymore Cobh AC) posted a 2:00.61  when finishing third in the women’s elite 800m at the Bryan Clay Invitational in Azusa, California on Thursday (April 16-18), which  over two days, featured numerous races over the various distances.

The time was just  outside her PB of 2:00.28, run last year. A day later, O’Sullivan ran 4:08.69 for third in one of the many 1500m races.

At the same meet, Ava O’Connor (Tullamore Harriers)  finished seventh in the women’s invitational 3000m steeplechase, with her time of 9:46.22 breaking an Irish U23 3000m steeplechase record of 9:49.20 set by Fionnuala McCormack in  2006. A day later, in one of the six  women’s 1500m races held, O’Connor finished fifth in a personal best 4:15.31.

A large number of Irish athletes were competing at the meet.

Elsewhere, Shane Brosnan  (An Ríocht AC) ran 13:49.32 for 12th in the 5000m at Winston-Salem on Thursday (April 17), while Laura Nicholson (Bandon AC) ran a PB 4:07.17 for second in the women’s 1500m.

Ultra running

Running the 170 km distance from Belfast to Dublin in a time  of 16 hours 42 minutes 15 seconds was Mark Walker, who was one of twelve finishers  from twenty-seven starters at this year’s Belfast to Dublin Ultra which started on Friday (April 18)  at 12 noon. .

Second and first woman was British ultra runner Jo Zakrzewski in 17:15.21. In  February 2023, Zakrzewski, then aged 47,  set a world 48 hour record at the Taipei 24 Hour, when she ran 411.458 km.

Boston Marathon

In a Boston Marathon that saw a new women’s course record for Sharon Lokedi the first Irish woman was Ruth Murphy (Liffey Valley AC) 2:57.05 and the first Irish man was Michael Brady (Raheny Shamrock) in 2:23.06.