Mayo delivers: Cru success in Louisburgh Half marathon

19/9/2021

Enda Clarke

This week, from Monday, will hopefully see the beginning of the return to normality, at least in terms of training and also in terms of restrictions on the number of participants in outdoor races. Up to now, as everyone will be aware, we’ve been restricted to a maximum of 200 for participants in outdoor races, be they on road, cross country or in the mountains. This week those restrictions will be lifted and, hopefully, we’ll see much more significant participation going forward.

As a consequence, we have only a few real (i.e. non-virtual) events on which to report this weekend.

The first was the Clew Bay Half marathon that started and finished in the picturesque Louisburgh, Co. Mayo. There were 115 participants on the one loop, hilly, clockwise course conducted for the most part on scenic back roads (at least for the first 15k), among them 5 Crusaders. Enda Clarke was one of those who took part and he worked his way through the field, eventually making it to third place overall in the final few kilometres in a great time of 1:22:55. Just behind him came Catherine Thornton in 5th place overall, who won the women’s race in a new course record time of 1:25:34, her second fastest time in a half marathon, defending her title and breaking her previous course record time in the race of 1:27:20. Catherine found herself in no man’s land for much of the race but, like Enda, had to work her way through backmarkers in the 10k, which had started 30 minutes after the half, in the final kilometre to get to the finish line. Liz Nixon and Miriam Logan worked together throughout the race, crossing the line in 51st and 52nd places overall, respectively (15th and 16th female finishers), in the same time of 1:48:21, followed by Maria Kennedy who placed 62nd overall (19th female finisher) in 1:54:16. Conditions were quite pleasant with the wind being less strong than the previous edition and coming from the opposite direction.

On the same day, Donatas Jocius was our lone representative in the IMRA-organised Aherlow 50k that took part in Co. Tipperary. The race, involving a climb of some 1,200m, was conducted on winding forest trails, zig-zagging across Sliabh na Muck to Bansha Woods and back. Among the 32 participants Donatas placed 9th and 2nd M35 in a time of 5:18:48. Also, on Saturday, IMRA organised another race in Co. Wicklow, a 9k run on Luggala (or Fancy Mountain) near Lough Tay. It involved a climb of 700m on difficult terrain on an anti-clockwise loop of, firstly, Knockaclohoge Mountain followed by a straight up and down of Luggala. We had 3 club members among the field of 75 runners. They were led home by John McAuley in 16th place in a time of 67:42. John was followed by Brian McGuckin in 28th in 73:12, and Brian in turn was followed by Pat Quill running 84:02 for 46th spot.

On Sunday, Cristian Vilchez Ceballos and Esther Requena Ferri travelled to Navan to take part in the 7k Ras Gaelscoil Eanna 7k. On an undulating 2 lap course Cristian placed 4th in a field of 90 in a time of 24:31, whilst Esther placed 2nd in the women's race and 17th overall in a time of 28:03. Also on Sunday, members will be interested to learn that our Italian exile, Italo Giancaterina, once again took on a city circuit. This week's race was the Stracittadina di Avezzano, where Italo ran a distance of 8.75k in a time of 28:47 for third place on the podium. A late addition to the report comes from Kenan Furlong who ran with 105 other participants up in Co. Antrim in the Shane's Castle half marathon. On a reasonably hilly course, Kenan ran a super time of 1:23:26 to place 6th overall.

We also should mention that, this weekend, Olwyn Dunne travelled down to Dunmore East in Co. Waterford and, alongside Isabelle Cairns, she competed in the Hook or by Crook sprint triathlon, her first experience of such an event. Of the 395 contestants, Olwyn placed 309th overall, 78th (of 135 women who took part) and 7th in her age category in a time of 1:40:58. Isabelle, who has been training hard for this event, placed 115th overall and 17th female across the line in 1:22:37.

It was great to see a second round of parkruns in parts of Ireland this weekend. In Ballincollig, down in his native Co. Cork, Ger Forde was first finisher in a field of 248. Ger ran 17:24. Orlaith de Burca ran in Co. Wicklow’s Avondale Forest where, in a field of 98, she placed 66th and 19th in 33:47. Finally, in the second running of the Porch Field parkrun near Trim in Co. Meath (the first having been last week), Lisa Shine placed 25th and 2nd in a field of 106 in a time of 24:26, whilst Mairin Shine ran 30:25 for 68th and 19th places.

Louisburgh Clew Bay Half marathon (115)
Overall place Name Cat. Place Chiptime
1 Shane Begley 1 01:18:41
5 Catherine Thornton 1 01:25:34
Crusaders AC runners
3 Enda Clarke 01:22:55
5 Catherine Thornton 01:25:34 (1)
51 Liz Nixon 01:48:21 (15)
52 Miriam Logan 01:48:21 (16)
62 Maria Kennedy 01:54:16 (19)
Full results here: https://www.popupraces.ie/race/clew-bay-half-marathon-10k-2020/#2_9D70EA
Aherlow 50k (IMRA) (32)
Overall place Name Cat. Place Guntime
1 Nick Hogan 1 04:25:31
14 Aoife O’Brien 1 05:25:21
Crusaders AC runner
9 Donatas Jocius 05:18:48
Full results here: https://www.imra.ie/events/results/id/2084
Luggala 9k (IMRA) (75)
Overall place Name Cat. Place Guntime
1 Brian Furey 1 00:56:18
20 Caroline Harney 1 01:08:58
Crusaders AC runners
16 John McAuley 01:07:42
28 Brian McGuckin 01:13:12
46 Pat Quill 01:24:02
Full results here: https://www.imra.ie/events/results/id/2103
Ras Gaelscoil Eanna 7k (90)
Overall place Name Cat. Place Chiptime
1 Sean Doran 1 00:22:39
9 Laura McDonnell 1 00:25:39
Crusaders AC runners
4 Cristian Vilchez Ceballos 00:24:31
17 Esther Requena Ferri 00:28:03 (2)
Full results here: https://www.myrunresults.com/events/r%C3%A1s_gaelscoil_%C3%A9anna_3.5km__7km_2021/4125/results