MASTERMAN READY – MICHAEL KIELY TAKES 5000M GOLD, CRU PODIUM ACROSS THE BOARD IN THE MASTERS NATIONAL T&F CHAMPIONSHIPS

6/9/2021

Michael Kiely

Well, it was great to follow the events in Santry on Sunday, if only on the livestream and then, for reasons unknown, without commentary. Again, for reasons unknown, our runners on the track performed in an almost empty stadium. However, they did the club proud and in each event which featured a Crusader, the club picked up a medal.

The crowning glory must go to Michael Kiely who won gold in the M35 category in the 5,000m. In warm conditions, he ran a steady pace for the first 3k, cranking it up for the last two, coming in ahead of the second placed runner from Clonliffe by over 30s and winning in a time of 16:02.46.

Liam Lyster also won his M65 200m race in 32.24, whilst placing 2nd in the 100m in 14.75. Then, also in the remaining sprint events, we had 2 runners in the 400m races. Paul Francis took bronze in the M55 category in 1:03.56, whilst Donal Swift also came home with a bronze medal in the O/70 category in 1:31.82. Finally, in the M60 1500m, John Healy was up against last year’s national champion in David Clarke and also Tommy Hughes (who had won the M60 5,000m earlier in the day in a finishing time of just over 17 minutes) and came home with a bronze medal in a time of 4:55.89. Clarke’s winning time was 4:34.23, with Hughes having to take 2nd place for once in 4:46.21. Congrats to all our competitors, each coming home with a medal.

So, that may be the last of the outdoor track for the season, although 55 of our clubmates turned out for the now traditional end of month time trials on Tuesday on Irishtown’s track. The time trials are a great way for our members to monitor their progress in training which also have the added advantage of introducing race conditions to members. We had 20 participate in 2 editions of the mile and 35 in the three 3,000m events to do just that. In the first mile race, the 12-strong field was led home by Seamus Moore who ran 5:34. First female finisher was Mairead de Faoite in 6:28. Then, in the second race with 8 runners, Kieron White took top honours in 4:28, just ahead of Fearghal O’Hare in 4:48, with Kathryn Gibbons and Joanne Carey recording 6:06 and 6:11. Coming onto the 3,000m, the first race, with a field of 10, was won by Brendan Glynn, ever the glutton for punishment having immediately before run in the first mile event. Brendan ran 12:16, with newcomer Caoimhe Carney finishing first among the women in 13:19. The second race had 14 runners and the field was led home by Ronan Moynihan in 10:56 with Dee Ni Chearbhaill, in the first of two events she ran this week, finishing in 12:18. Finally, Michael Kiely prepared himself well for the national championships, running 9:15 to lead the field of 11 home. 2nd place went to Niamh Allen who ran 9:46. Well done to all who took part. Some excellent benchmarks recorded, which is what it really is all about.

There were a few road races this week on which to report. One of the standout events perhaps was the midweek 3rd race of the Lord Mayor of Raheny 2-mile series, organised by Raheny Shamrocks. The two winners, male and female, were Cristian Vilchez Ceballos and Esther Requena Ferri, recently returned from Spain. In a field of 61 on a one lap course on the streets of Raheny near St. Anne’s Park, Cristian ran 10:32, with Esther placing 10th overall and recording a winning time in the women’s race of 12:22. We also had a winner in Galway, where Aine Kenny, in training for the London marathon, ran a PB time of 20:00 to take the win in the women’s race in East Galway AC’s 5k. In misty conditions on the west coast on Sunday Aine placed 16th overall in a field of 57. On Saturday, Dee Ni Chearbhaill tackled the hilly Seamie Weldon 5k, organised by Ardee AC, placing 72nd overall and 13th female finisher in a decent field for the times of 328, Dee recording a time of 21:26. Also, this week, Phil Sykes was our lone representative in Wicklow in the Bling Hunter Garden County 10k, where, in a field of 53, he placed 22nd in 48:29. Finally, up in Co. Meath, Gian Piero Allerta joined 159 other participants to take part in the St. Brigid’s AC 5k fund raiser. Just coming back from injury, GP managed to place 19th in 21:53.

There was only one race in the mountains this week on which to report. This was the Maurice Mullins Ultra that took place on Saturday morning in relatively warm but, in places, misty conditions in Wicklow. In a field of 95 runners, we had 2 Crusaders compete with Becky Quinn coming out on top in the women’s race. The event involved an out and back along the Wicklow Way over 44km in total with a climb of 1,940m. Becky ran 4:39 to place 14th overall, behind overall winner Barry Minnock who ran 4:08. Our recent major convert to long distance mountain running, Donatas Jocius, placed 25th, crossing the line in 5:01:00.

Finally, we won’t have to wait too long for the parkruns to reappear in Ireland, but, for the time being, we do have a few results from elsewhere, all involving the club’s exiles abroad. In the Wimbledon Common parkrun with a field of 435 participants, Louise Van Wildermeersch placed 79th overall and 11th female finisher in a time of 22:31, whilst, in Glasgow, Aidan Hudner ran in the Pollock parkrun where he placed 49th out of 261 in a time of 23:12. Lastly, Kris Ryan, in Coomera, Australia, placed 7th female and 21st overall in a field 81-strong and a time of 24:38.

As usual, any missed or mis-recorded event, please let us know. Thanks.

East Galway AC 5k (57)
Overall place Name Cat. Place Chiptime
1 David Carter 1 00:16:09
16 Aine Kenny 1 00:20:00
Crusaders AC runner
16 Aine Kenny 00:20:00 (PB) (1)
Full results here: https://www.popupraces.ie/race/east-galway-acs-5k-road-race-2021/
Maurice Mullins Ultra (IMRA race) (95)
Overall place Name Cat. Place Guntime
1 Barry Minnock 1 04:08:00
14- Becky Quinn 1 04:39:00
Crusaders AC runners
14 Becky Quinn 04:39:00 (1)
25 Donatas Jocius 05:01:00
Full results here: https://www.imra.ie/events/results/id/2081
Ardee AC Seamie Weldon 5k (328)
Overall place Name Cat. Place Chiptime
1 Kieran Kelly 1 00:15:09
14 Siobhan Eviston 1 00:17:28
Crusaders AC runner
72 Dee Ni Chearbhaill 00:21:26 (13)
Full results here: https://www.myrunresults.com/events/ardee_ac_seamie_weldon_5k/4164/results
Lord Mayor of Raheny Round 3 (2 miles) (61)
Overall place Name Cat. Place Chiptime
1 Cristian Vilchez Ceballos 1 00:10:32
10 Esther Requena Ferri 1 00:12:22
Crusaders AC runners
1 Cristian Vilchez Ceballos 00:10:32
10 Esther Requena Ferri 00:12:22 (1)
Full results here: https://rahenyshamrock.ie/?p=4842&fbclid=IwAR1HNjgqnB664LzT5vsFA9vMgdYVLedWlhgj0isYT2MarP0f_Lil1eTr31U
Bling Hunter Garden County 10k (53)
Overall place Name Cat. Place Chiptime
1 Darren Cullen 1 00:35:34
19 Michelle Jennings 1 00:47:13
Crusaders AC runner
22 Phil Sykes 00:48:29
Full results here: https://www.popupraces.ie/race/bling-hunters-garden-county-5k-10k/#2_9D70EA
St Brigid’s AC 5k (160)
Overall place Name Cat. Place Guntime
1 James Keegan 1 00:16:46
7 Susan Glennon 1 00:19:43
Crusaders AC runner
19 Gian Piero Allerta 00:21%3
Full results here: https://www.facebook.com/St-Brigids-Athletic-Club-998938226840534