The Mary Peters Track up in Belfast has had a habit recently of producing some great runs and Saturday’s Belfast Milers club meet there was no exception. More of this later as we go through the results of the 9 Crusaders who took part in the event. There was also an excellent turnout from the club on Sunday morning in the Irish Runner 5k (which doubled up as the national 5k championships) as well as contributions from club members in the return of the 100km Wicklow Way Relay that took place starting in the early hours of Saturday morning.
We start, however, on the track, and, on Wednesday evening at the Morton Stadium in Santry there were several events on offer as part of the 2nd graded meet of the season. We had runners in the 200m, 1,500m and 5,000m races. The 200m races generally had a field of 5-6 runners, whilst 11-14 seemed to be the standard size field for the 1500m races. In the sprints, Hugo Magee placed 2nd in the A2 standard with a time of 22.24, whilst in the following, A3, race, Matt Behan also took 2nd place in 22.93. Then, in the B1 event, Robert Ivers repeated the feat with a 2nd place finish in 22.58. Finally, our O/70 runner, Donal Swift, placed 5th in the D1 race in a time of 39.50. Léa Braud contested the ABC1 women’s 1,500m, where she placed 8th in a field of 14 in 5:02.46. In the men’s C1 race, we had two runners: Henry Griffin placed 10th in 4:40.47, followed by the 16-year-old Oscar Sherry who placed 11th in a field of 14 in 4:44.41. Brendan Glynn took on the D1 graded race, where he placed 12th in 5:46.39, with Alan Kavanagh running in the D2 event, where he placed 10th in 5:30.25. The last event was the mixed ABC1 5,000m race, where Ronan Moynihan was the 14th man across the line in a time of 19:52.55. Staying with track athletics, Mike McGovern and Susan Walsh helped to organise the meet up in Belfast on Saturday afternoon and they took with them 9 runners to participate in sprint and middle-distance races. Matt Behan and Valantinos Goularas contested the 100m event, where Matt placed 4th in 11.18, followed closely behind by Valantinos in 5th place with 11.24. Roisin Dobey took on the women’s 100m race, where she placed 4th in 13.16. Roisin also took part in the women’s 200m later on, finishing in 5th place in a time of 26.59. Robert Ivers was our sole competitor in the men’s 200m, where he finished in 6th place in a time of 23.25. In a meet where we saw the women’s Irish 800m record fall to Louise Shanahan (1:59.42), just ahead of the athlete who held the previous record (Ciara Mageean, who was caught by Louise and finished only just outside her record in 1:59.86), we had a couple of runners in the men’s 800m races on offer. In the 800m B event Fearghal O’Hare finished in a closely contested 5th place in a great time at this stage of the season of 1:52.26, whilst, in the D grade, Finn Boyle placed 3rd in 1:57.81. Then, we had 3 athletes take on the 1,500m races. In possibly only her second competitive event Charlotte Myers placed 7th in the women’s 1,500m B race in a field of 13 and in an excellent time of 4:32.87. Meanwhile, Enda Clarke recorded a PB with his 4:20.60 time in the 1,500m E race. Enda placed 4th, just ahead of Aaron Cashman who finished in 5th place in a time of 4:23.68, also most likely a PB too. On the roads this weekend, we can report on at least 3 races. Luke Haran travelled home to Limerick once again to take part in the Dooneen AC-organised Michal Rejmer 10-mile race. On a single lap course, with a few hills in the middle, Luke ran with 132 other participants, placing 43rd in 74:55. Also on Sunday morning, we are all having to get used to relatively early starts for events taking place in the Phoenix Park. In addition, the OPW is endeavouring to confine events to the northwest corner of the park. So, the Irish Runner (the National 5k), with its field of 775, took place on a course that those who ran the recent national 10k championships would be familiar with. In particular, it took in the hill coming out of the Furry Glen onto the Upper Glen Road. As a consequence, it is not really a PB course. We had at least 16 athletes in the race, with the first 4 of our men across the line taking second place out of 8 in the senior men's team competition, behind Clonliffe, but ahead of Rathfarnham. The silver medal-earning team members were Ciaran Diviney (who was using the event to get speed back into his legs whilst he trains for the Cork marathon over the next bank holiday weekend), who placed 27th (and 4th M45) in 16:30, Michael Wycherley (32nd and 6th M45 in 16:55), Jan Manschot (49th in 17:24) and newcomer Colm Parnell (56th in 17:30). They were followed by Eoin Fitzpatrick (67th in 17:48), Gerard White (92nd in 18:27), Julie McGrath who placed 97th overall and 7th female finisher in a great time of 18:33, Sam Carvill (148th in 19:18), Alan Kavanagh (203rd in 20:19), Neil Brown (204th in 20:58), Amy Wright (225th, 43rd and 4th F35 in 20:52), Ruadhán Maccormaic (226th in 20:52), teenager Colman O’Flynn (537th in 28:53), Paul E. Kelly (608th in 33:15), Maria Caird (632nd and 233rd in 34:04) and John Caird (633rd and given the same time). Just to note, the men's O/35 team of Gerard, Alan and Neil placed 10th in that category, whilst the women's senior team likely placed 8th but for some reason were not recorded. Finally, Tim Francony won the Kerry 50k Ultramarathon on Saturday in a super time of 3:38:40 for the distance. The race was described as fast and flat on a course involving 5 ten-kilometre loops near Tralee. We turn to trail running and the mountains. Having now returned to her native Caudete in Spain last week, Esther Requena Ferri maintained her podium-placing ways with a second-place finish (1st in her age category) in a trail race called the ITRAIL - Alacera Caudete. Esther ran the 14.4k course in a time of 1:21:51. On Wednesday, runners took part in the latest Leinster League race. This was an event that took place around and over Carrick Mountain in Co. Wicklow. It involved a climb of 421m over a distance of 7.5k on a marked route over moderate terrain. Becky Quinn successfully negotiated the figure-of-8 course, placing 21st and 1st woman home in a time of 47:55. In a 95-strong field, Becky was led home by Warren Swords who placed 8th (and 2nd M40) in 42:55 and followed by Brian McGuckin, who placed 34th in 53:25, just ahead of Karl Walsh (35th in 53:54). Saturday saw the return of the iconic Wicklow Way Relay. This year’s event, back after a gap of two years, involved 35 teams and, although there was no official Crusaders team this year, there were at least 7 of our clubmates involved in contesting the event, spread across 7 of the teams. This year was no exception for the thrills, spills and runners getting lost that marks the event. The race started at 7 in the morning and by the end of the third leg the pre-race favourites had already suffered a blow with their experienced mountaineer becoming disoriented (perhaps, a touch of heatstroke and maybe a fall) to take them out of contention. The day proved to be a tough one for all the competitors as the east of Ireland was bathed in sunshine all day. Conor Greenan was a member of the 3rd-placed team, running the 7th of 8 legs, the 7th being the longest leg of the day at around 21k. Becky Quinn was a member of the 4th-placed team, with Warren Swords in the 6th team to finish. Lean ni Chiobhain also took on the 7th leg for her team that ultimately placed 12th. Dee Lawler was another runner to be roped in, being a member of the team that finished in 18th place. Finally, we had 2 runners, Emily Glen and Gavan Doherty, who were members, respectively, of the 31st and 33rd 8-person finishing teams. As usual, we had some excellent performances in parkruns on Saturday morning. Caroline Crowley was a first finisher in Corkagh where she placed 6th overall in 20:31 in a field of 138 runners. She was joined by partner Eoghan Corrigan in 16th (24:03) with Oisin in the buggy. Stephen Hurley was also a first finisher in Poolbeg where he led 121 other runners home in a time of 17:36. Stephen was followed by Kenan Furlong (3rd in 18:10), John Fahy (6th in 18:34), young teenager Daniel Sheridan (12th in 19:47), Aoife Quigley (16th and 2nd female in 20:10), John Lohan (37th in 22:55), Aitor Arribas Velasco (43rd in 23:49), Emer Kenny (44th and 6th in 23:53), Russell Murphy (45th in 23:55), Tanja Narancic (48th and 7th in 24:18), Tara Murphy (59th and 10th in 25:24), Stephen Mulligan (62nd in 25:52), Kevin Kenny (67th in 26:19) and Maureen McGinley (89th and 27th in 29:37). Karl Walsh also came home in first place in 105-strong field in Naas. Karl’s time was 18:32. Meanwhile, Kate Murray was also a first finisher in Mullingar, where she placed 8th overall in a time of 23:41. The field measured 76. We should not stop there, as Lisa Shine also came home a first finisher in Poppintree. Placing 9th overall, Lisa recorded a time of 22:52, followed in the 125-strong field by Mairin Shine (50th and 12th in 27:32), Maria Pertl (75th and 23rd in 30:53) and her partner Diarmuid Byrne, tailwalking. Podium finishes were recorded in Cabinteely by Luke Davis (3rd in 19:07) and Louise Dobbyn (18th and 3rd in 23:37). The event involved 105 runners. Marty James took 7th spot in Shanganagh where he ran 19:39 in a field of 139, whilst Mairead Cashman ran 28:09 to place 41st and 11th in a field of 67 in Father Collins Park. Darina Scully tailwalked in River Valley, whilst Andy Deuser ran 23:48 in Bushy Park, for 23rd place in a field of 131. Olwyn Dunne ran in Knocknacarra, finishing in 57th and 21st places in a field of 73 and in a time of 32:00, whilst, Neil Brown prepared for the following day’s 5k with a run in Marlay Park. Neil ran 30:11 to place 244th in a field of 355. Deirdre Kennedy joined 256 other participants in Malahide where her time of 27:34 put her in 141st and 34th places, whilst, finally, we had 3 runners in St. Anne’s Raheny. Michael Maughan placed 42nd in 21:59 and he was followed by Áine Crotty (104th and 14th in 24:51) and her fiancé Cian Coughlan (106th in 24:52). The field measured 357. IMRA Carrick Mountain 7.5k (95) Overall place Name Cat. Place Guntime 1 Peter Bell 1 00:39:47 21 Becky Quinn 1 00:47:55 Crusaders AC runners 8 Warren Swords 00:42:55 21 Becky Quinn 00:47:55 (1) 34 Brian McGuckin 00:53:25 Full results here: https://www.imra.ie/events/results/id/2156/ Irish Runner 5k (775) Overall place Name Cat. Place Chiptime 1 Efrem Gidey 1 00:13:51 23 Ciara Hickey 1 00:16:24 Crusaders AC runners 27 Ciaran Diviney 00:16:30 32 Michael Wycherley 00:16:55 49 Jan Manschot 00:17:24 56 Colm Parnell 00:17:30 67 Eoin Fitzpatrick 00:17:48 92 Gerard White 00:18:27 97 Julie McGrath 00:18:33 (7) 148 Sam Carvill 00:19:18 203 Alan Kavanagh 00:20:19 204 Neil Brown 00:20:58 225 Amy Wright 00:20:52 (43) 226 Ruadhán Maccormaic 00:20:52 537 Colman O’Flynn 00:28:53 608 Paul E. Kelly 00:33:15 632 Maria Caird 00:34:04 (233) 633 John Caird 00:34:04 Full results here: https://www.myrunresults.com/events/irish_runner_5k/4420/results Michal Rejmer 10-mile race (133) Overall place Name Cat. Place Chiptime 1 Michael McMahon 1 00:55:36 10 Siobhan O’Doherty 1 01:02:26 Crusaders AC runner 43 Luke Haran 01:14:55 Full results here: https://www.myrunresults.com/events/michal_rejmer_10_mile/4376/results Naas Parkrun (105) Overall place Name Cat. Place Guntime 1 Karl Walsh 1 00:18:32 9 Rose Mernagh 1 00:20:38 Crusaders AC runner 1 Karl Walsh 00:18:32 Knocknacarra Parkrun (73) Overall place Name Cat. Place Guntime 1 Matt Walter 1 00:19:34 11 Aining Zhan 1 00:22:59 Crusaders AC runner 57 Olwyn Dunne 00:32:00 (21) Poppintree Parkrun (125) Overall place Name Cat. Place Guntime 1 Jean-Benoit Paulin 1 00:18:44 9 Lisa Shine 1 00:22:52 Crusaders AC runners 9 Lisa Shine 00:22:52 (1) 50 Mairin Shine 00:27:32 (12) 75 Maria Pertl 00:30:53 (23) 108 Diarmuid Byrne 00:38:40 Father Collins Parkrun (67) Overall place Name Cat. Place Guntime 1 Brian Grant 1 00:19:33 6 Caitriona Cosgrave 1 00:20:50 Crusaders AC runner 41 Mairead Cashman 00:28:09 (11) Mullingar Parkrun (76) Overall place Name Cat. Place Guntime 1 Andy Boyhan 1 00:18:07 8 Kate Murray 1 00:23:41 Crusaders AC runner 8 Kate Murray 00:23:41 (1) Marlay Parkrun (355) Overall place Name Cat. Place Guntime 1 Ruben Bartelink 1 00:17:25 16 Carole Bray 1 00:19:33 Crusaders AC runner 244 Neil Brown 00:30:11 Bushy Parkrun (131) Overall place Name Cat. Place Guntime 1 Aidan O’Donovan 1 00:19:44 16 Carmel Cooney 1 00:22:21 Crusaders AC runner 23 Andy Deuser 00:23:48 Malahide Parkrun (257) Overall place Name Cat. Place Guntime 1 Robert Frewen 1 00:17:24 9 Áine Crimin 1 00:19:26 Crusaders AC runner 141 Deirdre Kennedy 00:27:34 (34) Poolbeg Parkrun (122) Overall place Name Cat. Place Guntime 1 Stephen Hurley 1 00:17:36 14 Miranda Spencer 1 00:19:48 Crusaders AC runners 1 Stephen Hurley 00:17:36 3 Kenan Furlong 00:18:10 6 John Fahy 00:18:34 12 Daniel Sheridan 00:19:47 16 Aoife Quigley 00:20:10 (2) 37 John Lohan 00:22:55 43 Aitor Arribas Velasco 00:23:49 44 Emer Kenny 00:23:53 (6) 45 Russell Murphy 00:23:55 48 Tanja Narancic 00:24:18 (7) 59 Tara Murphy 00:25:24 (10) 62 Stephen Mulligan 00:25:52 67 Kevin Kenny 00:26:19 89 Maureen McGinley 00:29:37 (27) Shanganagh Parkrun (139) Overall place Name Cat. Place Guntime 1 Rory Lush 1 00:17:58 12 Emily Kane 1 00:20:25 Crusaders AC runner 7 Marty James 00:19:39 Cabinteely Parkrun (105) Overall place Name Cat. Place Guntime 1 John Golden 1 00:18:55 9 Cristin Scollard 1 00:22:33 Crusaders AC runners 3 Luke Davis 00:19:07 18 Louise Dobbyn 00:23:37 (3) St. Anne’s Parkrun (357) Overall place Name Cat. Place Guntime 1 Chris Hamill 1 00:17:37 35 Trish Fitzgerald 1 00:21:42 Crusaders AC runners 42 Michael Maughan 00:21:59 104 Áine Crotty 00:24:51 (14) 106 Cian Coughlan 00:24:52 Corkagh Parkrun (138) Overall place Name Cat. Place Guntime 1 George Brady 1 00:17:57 6 Caroline Crowley 1 00:20:31 Crusaders AC runners 6 Caroline Crowley 00:20:31 (1) 16 Eoghan Corrigan 00:24:03 Comments are closed.
|