Continuing to renew acquaintances

L-R: Kieran Martin, Shane Egan, Paddy Gaynor and Maurice Kelter

There were more annually recurring races last week with which we are familiar, among them the ALG 5K and the Ratoath and Charleville Half marathons. We had several Crusaders take part in each of them and more.

The report starts with the ALG 5K Corporate Team Challenge, a race with a large field exceeding 3000, and using much of the same route as our Docklands 5k but which has perhaps more twists and turns and as a result which might not be expected to produce many PB. This was largely the case on Tuesday evening. However, there was at least one PB among our 20 odd participants. In addition, they all ran well, with at least 18 figuring in the top 250 overall finishers in such a large field (all our female clubmates finishing among the top 75 women) and all appearing to finish in under 23 minutes in windy conditions (a strong westerly along the quays).

The group was led home by an excellent run from Conor Kilkenny (2nd in 15:46) who is beginning his taper for the Berlin marathon towards the end of the month. Conor was followed by John Mulvihill (31st in 17:16), Tim Bowen (54th in 17:45), another marathoner Kenan Furlong (78th in 18:04), John McDonagh (85th in 18:07), Ross Neill (91st in 18:11), Peter O’Toole (94th in 18:15), Barry O’Mahony (122nd in 18:38), Simon Kenny (128th in 18:45) alongside Liam Nagle (129th in the same time), Molly Hyland (139th overall and 6th female finisher in 18:51), Ger Moore (144th in 18:53), Emma Rowe (193rd and 10th in 19:16), Adrian Groarke (198th in 19:19) alongside Felipe De Sousa (199th in 19:20), Aoibhinn Gilmartin (209th and 12th in 19:24), Tristan Freeman (234th in 19:36) alongside under 14 runner Abigail O'Shaughnessy (235th and 16th in 19:37), Liam Morris (348th in 20:21), Bex Fleming (444th and 42nd in 21:01), David O’Donnell (459th in 21:08), Joanne Carey (636th and 71st in 22:17) and Charles Cartledge (774th in 22:49).

Then, in equally windy, but also wet, conditions on a familiar undulating course, we had a similar number of runners take on the Ratoath half marathon, starting near and finishing on the Fairyhouse racecourse. Our first finisher was Marc Geraghty who placed 7th in 73:36, followed by Maurice Kelter, back temporarily from Australia and, although nursing an injury may well start in Berlin (15th in 75:50). Later came Shane Egan (55th with a PB time of 80:19), Mikel Crisostomo (71st in 81:46), Paddy Gaynor (75th in 81:46), Henry Griffin with a possible PB (79th in 82:06), late entrant Molly Hyland (158th and 8th in 86:01), Ross Potterton (161st in 86:04), Jamie Symmons (219th in 88:16), Emma Rowe (227th and 11th in 88:38), Cormac Fenton with a PB (235th in 88:49), Ronan Smith (244th in 88:59), Charlie Coonan (357th in 93:03), Gill Earley (367th and 36th in 93:05), Aoibhinn Gilmartin (382nd and 42nd in a PB time of 94:11), Oisin Browne (387th in 94:33), Aoife Quigley (437th and 48th in 96:25), Dee Ni Chearbhaill (491st and 62nd in 98:13), Triona Quill (626th and 87th in 1:42:28), Ryan Preston (634th in 1:42:53), Emer Kenny (639th and 89th in 1:43:00) and Bex Fleming (799th and 141st in 1:47:35).

On the same day, Conor Macguinness took part in the Mediaeval Half marathon, one of a series of races in Kilkenny. In a field of 749 finishers, Conor placed 60th in 98:20. Down in Kerry, meanwhile, Tilde Martinsen joined 262 other runners in the Jerry Kiernan Tralee 10k, where she placed 40th and 4th in a time of 45:47.

There were more races to come. On Sunday, at least 4 Crusaders took part in the Charleville Half marathon, an out-and-back race in the rebel county and the last in this year's Peugeot Race Series. In a race won by veteran John Travers (65:05) and ex-Crusader Niamh Allen (17th overall in 70:47), Ciarain Kelly placed 57th in the field of 1771 finishers, in a time of 77:23. Ciarain was followed by Emma Noonan who recorded a time of 84:10 for 143rd and 11th places. Emma was followed by Ciara Lynch (458th and 62nd in 95:12) and by Cork native Ronan Moynihan (772nd in 1:44:09).

The Dublin 5-mile championships took place on Sunday in the context of the Lucas Harriers AC 5-miler, with a field of 522. Whilst no medals were forthcoming among our small contingent of 4 runners, they all acquitted themselves well. Kevin Kavanagh was our first athlete to finish, placing 18th in 28:24. Kevin was followed by Joe McDermott (39th in 30:30), Anna Brown (208th and 47th in 40:04) and Daragh Crowley (342nd in 46:05).

Further afield on Sunday, our recent exile, Luz Estevan, now running in her native Spain, took part in the 10k Correria Guardia Civil Zaragoza. Luz described the race as fun, conducted on a variety of different surfaces: road, gravel, stairs, trail and she placed 77th overall and 2nd female finisher in a time of 44:01. Then in Italy, south of Verona, Louise O’Riordan joined the field running the Guastalla half marathon, where she placed 6th female finisher in warm conditions on a mildly undulating course in a time of 94:27. Also, on the same day, Pat Quill took part in the Tallinn marathon in Estonia which he completed in 3:59. Finally, Andrea Rondina took part in a XC race on Sunday, the 40th running of the Golden Gate Park XC in San Francisco where he placed 26th on the 6.6k course in a time of 22:20.

Moving on to Saturday morning’s parkruns, there seemed to be fewer of our members taking part, possibly because of all the other events taking place. Still, we did have some first finishers and podium results on the morning.

In Achill, Ashley Hayes led the field of 38 across the line in a time of 17:37, whilst, in Shanganagh, Dee Lawlor did the same in a field of 264 and in a time of 18:01. Dee was followed by Lisa Shine (107th and 20th in 27:50), Carina Davidson (127th and 28th in 28:53) and Máirín Shine (138th and 34th in 29:10).

Louise Dobbyn placed 37th and 2nd in 22:33 in Poolbeg, preceded, in the field of 233, by Michael Wycherley (5th in 18:22), Luke Corcoran (6th in 18:44), Stephen Hurley (15th in 19:47), Ronan Walsh (18th in 20:35), Daniel Littlewood (25th in 21:26), Conor Kilkenny (26th in 21:29) and Luke Haran (31st in 21:53). Next came Sharon Woods (47th and 4th in 23:53), Susan Clarke (49th and 6th in 24:00), Paula Nolan (54th and 7th in 24:21), Claire Reidy (58th and 9th in 24:42), Diarmuid Finan (75th in 26:07), John Lohan (76th in 26:08), Paul Campbell (78th in 26:10), Franky Keane (105th in 27:31), Iseult Ni Chuinneagain (117th and 28th in 27:57), Aisling O’Riordan (133rd and 38th in 28;43), Mari Hansen (135th and 39th in 28:49) and Edwina Hogan (172nd and 66th in 31:21). Alby Allan also took part. However, his result is not recorded.

Rachael York, Sarah Lyons and Felipe De Sousa ran in Tolka Valley. Alongside 72 other participants, Felipe placed 7th in 20:29, followed by Rachael (8th and 2nd in 20:34) and Sarah (17th and 5th in 23:32), whilst in her native Co. Tyrone, Kathryn Tomkins ran once again in Omagh alongside 87 other runners, where she placed 14th and 2nd in 22:20. Meanwhile, in Fairview, Jamie Renehan placed 5th in 19:58 in a field of 237. Jamie was followed by Mairead Cashman (165th and 62nd in 33:50), whilst, in Naas, with its field of 153, Karl Walsh took 7th spot in 18:49. Also placing 7th was Ross Neill, this time in Ormeau Park in Belfast. Ross ran 18:44 in the field of 553.

Darina Scully took on Broadmeadow Linear where, in a field of 38, she placed 17th and 8th in 26:53, whilst, in Mullingar, with its field of 136, Kevin Lambe placed 12th in 22:27. In Marlay Park, with its field of 474, Myles Nolan took 98th spot in 25:09, followed by Barry O’Neill (127th in 26:22) and Kate Murray (164th and 35th in 27:42), whilst, in Donabate, Ryan Hoey ran 24:20 for 24th place in a field of 188.

Further afield, Mustaf Ahmed ran in the Brooklyn Bridge parkrun in New York City, where, in a field of 267, he placed 29th in 21:00, whilst, in the first running of the Trione parkrun in Italy, Louise O’Riordan placed 21st and 7th in 25:54 in a field of 95. Our exile in Glasgow, Aidan Hudner ran once again in Pollok. In a field of 330, Aidan placed 49th in 23:57. Finally, Kris Ryan ran once again in Paradise Point in Queensland, Australia, where our Antipodean exile placed 111th and 26th in 25:53 in a field of 421.

Incidentally, if any of the results published here are incorrect or there are races/results which need to be include please let us know. The report will be updated, as was the case last week, where Áine Kenny’s 6-day exploits in Iceland were added during the week as well as those of Rebecca Kelly and Patricia Velasquez who took part in the Kerry Way Ultra Lite 58k.
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ALG 5k Corporate Team Challenge (3175)
Overall place Name Cat. Place Chiptime
1 Fintan Kerins 1 00:15:36
59 Aedin Corr 1 00:17:49
Crusaders AC runners
2 Conor Kilkenny 00:15:46
31 John Mulvihill 00:17:16
54 Timothy Bowen 00:17:45
78 Kenan Furlong 00:18:04
85 John McDonagh 00:18:07
91 Ross Neill 00:18:11
94 Peter O’Toole 00:18:15
122 Barry O’Mahony 00:18:38
128 Simon Kenny 00:18:45
129 Liam Nagle 00:18:45
139 Molly Hyland 00:18:51 (6)
144 Gerard Moore 00:18:53
193 Emma Rowe 00:19:16 (10)
198 Adrian Groarke 00:19:19
199 Felipe De Sousa 00:19:20
209 Aoibhinn Gilmartin 00:19:24 (PB) (12)
234 Tristan Freeman 00:19:36
235 Abigail O'Shaughnessy 00:19:37 (16)
348 Liam Morris 00:20:21
444 Rebecca Fleming 00:21:01 (42)
459 David O’Donnell 00:21:08
636 Joanne Carey 00:22:17 (71)
774 Charles Cartledge 00:22:49
Full results here: https://myrunresults.com/events/alg5k_corporate_team_challenge_2026/6224/results
Ratoath Half marathon (1815)
Overall place Name Cat. Place Chiptime
1 Robert Murphy 1 01:08:39
45 Fiona Stack 1 01:19:39
Crusaders AC runners
7 Marc Geraghty 01:13:36
15 Maurice Kelter 01:15:50
55 Shane Egan 01:20:19 (PB)
71 Mikel Crisostomo 01:21:46
75 Patrick Gaynor 01:21:56
79 Henry Griffin 01:22:06 (PB)
158 Molly Hyland 01:26:01 (8)
161 Ross Potterton 01:26:04
219 Jamie Symmons 01:28:16
227 Emma Rowe 01:28:38 (11)
235 Cormac Fenton 01:28:49 (PB)
244 Ronan Smith 01:28:59
357 Charlie Coonan 01:33:03
367 Gillian Earley 01:33:05 (36)
382 Aoibhinn Gilmartin 01:34:11 (PB) (42)
387 Oisin Browne 01:34:33
437 Aoife Quigley 01:36:25 (48)
491 Deirdre Ni Chearbhaill 01:38:13 (62)
626 Triona Quill 01:42:28 (87)
634 Ryan Preston 01:42:53
639 Emer Kenny 01:43:00 (89)
799 Rebecca Fleming 01:47:35 (141)
Full results here: https://myrunresults.com/events/ratoath_ac_half_marathon_2026/6141/results
Mediaeval Half marathon (749)
Overall place Name Cat. Place Chiptime
1 David Ryan 1 01:21:46
14 Geraldine Lacey 1 01:27:47
Crusaders AC runner
60 Conor Macguinness 01:38:20
Full results here: https://myrunresults.com/events/_medieval_marathon_2026/6160/results?class=half%20marathon
Lucan Harriers AC 5 miler (incorporating Dublin Championships) (522)
Overall place Name Cat. Place Chiptime
1 Colm Rooney 1 00:23:48
45 Sarah Mulligan 1 00:30:48
Crusaders AC runners
18 Kevin Kavanagh 00:28:24
39 Joe McDermott 00:30:30
208 Anna Brown 00:40:04 (47)
342 Daragh Crowley 00:46:05
Full results here: https://myrunresults.com/events/lucan_harriers_ac_5_mile__dub_champs/6387/results
Charleville International Half marathon (1771)
Overall place Name Cat. Place Chiptime
1 John Travers 1 01:05:05
17 Niamh Allen 1 01:10:47
Crusaders AC runners
57 Ciarain Kelly 01:17:23
143 Emma Noonan 01:24:10 (11)
458 Ciara Lynch 01:35:12 (62)
772 Ronan Moynihan 01:44:09
Full results here: https://www.popupraces.ie/race/charleville-international-half-marathon-2026/
Jerry Kiernan Tralee 10k (263)
Overall place Name Cat. Place Chiptime
1 Tadhg O’Sullivan 1 00:31:58
11 Mairéad Walsh 1 00:39:50
Crusaders AC runner
40 Tilde Martinsen 00:45:47 (4)
Full results here: https://sporthive.com/events/s/45365508-024d-4101-8da9-457f722b3d8c/race/e1d03375-4a3a-4ba3-8b57-115f8d4d1faa
Omagh Parkrun (88) 
Overall place Name Cat. Place Guntime
1 Declan Leonard 1 00:18:13
4 Alana Casey 1 00:19:32
Crusaders AC runner
14 Kathryn Tomkins 00:22:20 (2)
Ormeau Parkrun (553) 
Overall place Name Cat. Place Guntime
1 Scott Stirling 1 00:15:26
38 Clodagh Bradley 1 00:21:45
Crusaders AC runner
7 Ross Neill 00:18:44
Broadmeadow Linear Parkrun (38)
Overall place Name Cat. Place Guntime
1 Adam Butler 1 00:19:55
4 Sarah Rossiter 1 00:22:20
Crusaders AC runner
17 Darina Scully 00:26:53 (8)
Tolka Valley Parkrun (75)
Overall place Name Cat. Place Guntime
1 Aaron Gibson 1 00:17:39
6 Karen Hayes 1 00:19:30
Crusaders AC runners
7 Felipe De Sousa 00:20:29
8 Rachael Yorke 00:20:34 (2)
17 Sarah Lyons 00:23:32 (5)
Mullingar Parkrun (136)
Overall place Name Cat. Place Guntime
1 Kyle Gillanders 1 00:19:38
4 Monika de Almeida 1 00:20:23
Crusaders AC runner
12 Kevin Lambe 00:22:27
Poolbeg Parkrun (233)
Overall place Name Cat. Place Guntime
1 William Appman 1 00:16:53
14 Raquel Garcia-Cabrera 1 00:19:40
Crusaders AC runners
5 Michael Wycherley 00:18:22
6 Luke Corcoran 00:18:44
15 Stephen Hurley 00:19:47
18 Ronan Walsh 00:20:35
25 Daniel Littlewood 00:21:26
26 Conor Kilkenny 00:21:29
31 Luke Haran 00:21:53
37 Louise Dobbyn 00:22:53 (2)
47 Sharon Woods 00:23:53 (4)
49 Susan Clarke 00:24:00 (6)
54 Paula Nolan 00:24;21 (7)
58 Claire Reidy 00:24:42 (9)
75 Diarmuid Finan 00:26:07
76 John Lohan 00:26:08
78 Paul Campbell 00:26:10
105 Franky Keane 00:27:31
117 Iseult Ni Chuinneagain 00:27:57 (28)
133 Aisling O’Riordan 00:28:43 (38)
135 Mari Hansen 00:28:49 (39)
172 Edwina Hogan 00:31:21 (66)
Fairview Parkrun (237)
Overall place Name Cat. Place Guntime
1 Seán Cahill 1 00:18:56
6 Joanna O’Byrne 1 00:20:03
Crusaders AC runners
5 Jamie Renehan 00:19:58
165 Mairead Cashman 00:33:50 (62)
Achill Greenway Parkrun (38)
Overall place Name Cat. Place Guntime
1 Ashley Hayes 1 00:17:37
4 Anne Hand 1 00:23:24
Crusaders AC runner
1 Ashley Hayes 00:17:37
Shanganagh Parkrun (264) 
Overall place Name Cat. Place Guntime
1 Derek Lawlor 1 00:18:01
18 Lynne Hennessy 1 00:20:54
Crusaders AC runners
1 Derek Lawlor 00:18:01
107 Lisa Shine 00:27:50 (20)
127 Carina Davidson 00:28:53 (28)
138 Mairín Shine 00:29:10 (34)
Marlay Parkrun (474) 
Overall place Name Cat. Place Guntime
1 Daniil Miasoedov 1 00:18:26
22 Eimear Diskin 1 00:21:33
Crusaders AC runners
98 Myles Nolan 00:25:09
127 Barry O’Neill 00:26:22
164 Kate Murray 00:27:42 (35)
Naas Parkrun (153)
Overall place Name Cat. Place Guntime
1 Jamie O’Brien 1 00:18:49
10 Edith Dowling 1 00:21:38
Crusaders AC runner
7 Karl Walsh 00:20:56

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L-R: Aoibhinn Gilmartin, Emma Rowe and friends

Emma Noonan

Emma Noonan

Luz Estevan

Louise O'Riordan (on left)