New experiences bring new successes for Crusaders

25/2/2020

Olwyn and Joe Dunne and Phelim Murray

We start with the Leinster senior and masters indoor championships that took place in the indoor arena in Abbotstown on Saturday. In the men’s 200m, Donal Swift came 2nd in the M65 category in 38.52, following it up with a similar placing in the 400m in 1:35.44. Kevin Woods also took silver in the senior men’s 800m in a time of 1:57.69, whilst Niall O’Connell, in his first race at the distance, took bronze in the men’s M45 3,000m in a great time of 10:49.95. John O’Loughlin maintained his medal-winning tradition, taking gold in the M50 400m in 58.95, whilst Fearghal O’Hare looked to have finished 2nd in the senior men’s 400m behind Lee Byrne, only to find that the timing equipment had malfunctioned and so the organisers asked for it to be re-run. None of the athletes wanted this and in any event Fearghal had experienced a hamstring pull towards the end of the race, so there are no official results.

Also, on Saturday, the inaugural XC race sponsored by the Central Bank took place around the playing fields of Wesley College. With a mixed field of 180 enjoying the 4 mile event followed reportedly by an incomparable spread, the race was considered a significant success. Essentially, it involved 4 laps of a flat course with lots of sharp corners as runners looped round the playing fields. There was quite a strong wind to contend with in places, as well as standing water at times. At least 25 Crusaders took part in the race, with some success. Rachael Yorke won the women’s race in a time of 27:06, finishing in 43rd place overall. Rachael was followed by Niamh Corby (3rd and 60th in 28:19). Alma Hanevy was next, in 4th place (and 64th) and winner of her age category, in 28:39. New to BHAA running, Georgina Hawkins placed 8th (and 83rd) in 30:11, followed by Louise O’Riordan (10th and 98th) in 31:14. Finally, on her birthday, Kate Murray placed 15th and 118th as well as 3rd in her age category and Kate was followed by Susan Walsh who placed 23rd and 135th (as well as 3rd in her age category) in a time of 33:42.

In the men’s race, our best finisher was Michael O’Conor who ran 23:44 to earn 8th place. He was followed closely by John Mulvihill (9th in 23:54). Brian Hyland was next (11th in 24:02), followed by Paul Reidy (12th in 24:05), just behind. Ciaran Diviney led home Michael Wycherley and John McAuley, with Ciaran placing 14th in 24:38, followed by Michael (15th in 24:48) who managed to pass John (16th in 24:52) with whom he ran for most of the race, taking him in the last 200m. Ciaran took 3rd in the M45 age category, with Michael in 4th place. John Healy is another runner unfamiliar to many BHAA athletes, and he would have surprised a few by placing 24th in 25:44 and winning his M60 age category. Michael Kiely followed John in 26th place with a time of 26:00, with Barry McGuire right on his tail (27th in 26:01). Next across the line was Joe Walsh (32nd in 26:30), whilst further back came Karl Walsh (56th in 28:07). Top 100 places also went to Enda Currid (65th in 28:43), Robbie Moore (85th in 30:22), Brendan Glynn (91st in 30:47) and Tom Dunne (100th in 31:19), followed by Michael McGovern (105th in 31:39) and Tony Hackett (134th in 33:27).

On Sunday, 13 Crusaders took part in the Seville marathon, which was a venue also for 3 of the elite Irish athletes attempting to get a place in the team for the Tokyo Olympics. The scenic course is not too twisty and apart from having to go down and up one underpass twice early on, and then over a couple of bridges, it is perfectly flat. For the elite athletes too the temperature at this time of year is relatively kind as it was about 10 degrees at the start (thoughtfully held at 8:30) and the mercury steadily rose throughout the morning, but would likely not have been above 16 degrees by 11 am. For those running closer to 3 or 4 hours it did, however, get tough and by about midday the temperature was likely around 20 degrees, climbing to 25 degrees throughout the afternoon. So, as many people will now know, one of the 3 athletes, Kevin Seaward, ensured selection by recording the second fastest run in a marathon by an Irishman (John Treacy holding the Irish record) with a finishing position of 25th in the 11,000-strong field and a time of 2:10:10. Our contingent also had some success. Adam Flanagan confirmed his strengths with a 2:46:22 finish, looking great throughout the race, despite a fuelling plan that had included a reasonable quantity of the amber nectar the day before. Another runner who almost literally flew around the course was Mark O’Connor who recorded a 7 minute PB improvement, with negative splits and a half marathon PB in the second half of the race. Mark’s time was only slightly behind that of Adam with 2:46:58. Rory Goldsmith was next. Despite feeling the going tough towards the end, he still managed to carve out a 2 minute PB with a time of 2:51:35. Rory was followed by Adrienne Jordan, another runner to record a huge PB (but we all knew she had it in her). In breaking 3 hours with a time of 2:58:45, Adrienne also ran a 2 minute negative split. She looked fabulous all the way round, not a bother for her and was the 40th female athlete (9th in her age category) to finish. Our next Crusader across the line was Patrick Needham who had an enjoyable race, finishing close to his Dublin time, in 3:04:24 and he was followed by John Lohan who ran well for his 3:25:49, despite a recurring ankle injury flaring up towards the end. John was followed by Joe Dunne who had an immensely enjoyable time as always, recording a “post cardiac arrest PB” with his 3:27:38 (the day before the 6th anniversary of his cardiac arrest in Sean Moore Park whilst training with Crusaders), as did Olwyn, his wife, who looked like she was flying around coming home with her usual infectious enthusiasm in 3:38:02. Between their results, Kevin Lambe had a tough day for his 3:37:51, but found it a good learning experience, as did Phelim Murray for his 3:52:41. Another runner carrying an injury was Triona Quill who thought she might only make it to 10k, but in the final analysis was able to pull herself round the entire course, and getting in under 4 hours to boot (3:58:37). Tara Murphy was next in 4:14:08 and the contingent was completed by Leo Lundy (5:36:01), who despite suffering in the heat, will be back for another marathon next weekend, in Cambridge (thankfully another flat marathon). A good number of us headed over to Seville for the event and supporters and runners alike had a most enjoyable time in the sunshine in a really interesting city.

Also, on Sunday, we had 3 athletes in the second running of the Kinsale 10 miler. It’s not a flat race and seems to be mostly uphill for the first half and downhill for the second. About two thirds of the course is an out and back with the remaining 3rd being a loop before the return. Conditions would have been windy, but largely across the runners. Tim O’Donnell was the first Crusader home, placing 58th in a field of 723. Tim’s time was an excellent 69:07, a PB for him and his first time breaking 70 minutes. He was followed by Aine Crotty who placed 182nd and 18th in 76:11, with Lisa Shine being the remaining runner, placing 342nd and 69th in 84:00.

We had a couple of first finishers as usual in last Saturday’s parkruns. Paul Flynn finished ahead of the field in Shanganagh in a time of 18:55, whilst Cristian Vilchez Ceballos did likewise in Poolbeg with a time of 18:00 and a podium place went to David Carter in Cabinteely (3rd in 20:14). In Poolbeg, Esther Requena Ferri took 4th place 9and 28th) in 21:18 along with David O’Donnell (22nd in 21:04), Mark Swan (30th in 21:32), Aine Kenny (36th and 5th in 22:08), Russell Murphy (46th in 22:27), Fiona Shine (53rd and 8th in 22:57), Tanja Narancic (89th and 23rd in 25:22), Aitor Arribas Velasco (90th in 25;24), Mike Fong (103rd in 25:59), Gillian Curran (104th and 30th in 26:15) and Mairin Shine (157th and 57th in 29:41). In Glen River, newcomer Ailsa Berkeley placed 5th and 45th in 24:40), followed by Lisa Shine who ran 28:55 for 96th and 19th places. Tomas Bradley ran in Marlay Park where he took 6th spot in 19:19, whilst Ronan Moynihan ran in Malahide where he placed 11th in 18:07. Further afield, Kris Ryan ran in Paradise Point in Queensland, where she picked up 49th and 7th places in 24:49 in a field of 273 runners, whilst in Pollok park in Glasgow, Aidan Hudner ran 23:49 for 34th in a field of 184 runners. Again, outside the country, Mari Hansen ran in Toyen, Norway, where, in a field of 111 participants, she placed 78th and 26th in 28:56. Eoghan Corrigan ran in Kilcock where he placed 16th in 21:43, whilst Gillian Lyons placed 107th and 47th in Fairview in a time of 35:33. Finally, we had 3 runners in Poppintree, led home by Diarmuid Byrne in 14th place in a time of 22:55. Diarmuid was followed home by Darina Scully and Maria Pertl, a second apart, in 34:26 and 34:27 for 115th and 116th places (and 44th and 45th).

BHAA Central Bank Mixed 4 mile XC (180)
Overall place Name Cat. Place Guntime
1 George Snee 1 00:22:33
43 Rachael Yorke 1 00:27:06
Crusaders AC runners
8 Michael O’Conor 00:23:44
9 John Mulvihill 00:23:54
11 Brian Hyland 00:24:02
12 Paul Reidy 00:24:05
14 Ciaran Diviney 00:24:38
15 Michael Wycherley 00:24:48
16 John McAuley 00:24:52
24 John Healy 00:25:44
26 Michael Kiely 00:26:00
27 Barry McGuire 00:26:01
32 Joe Walsh 00:26:30
43 Rachael Yorke 00:27:06 (1)
56 Karl Walsh 00:28:07
60 Niamh Corby 00:28:19 (3)
64 Alma Hanevy 00:28:39 (4)
65 Enda Currid 00:28:43
83 Georgina Hawkins 00:30:11 (8)
85 Robbie Moore 00:30:02
91 Brendan Glynn 00:30:47
98 Louise O’Riordan 00:31:14 (10)
100 Tomas Dunne 00:31:19
105 Michael McGovern 00:31:39
118 Kate Murray 00:32:11 (15)
134 Anthony Hackett 00:33:27
135 Susan Walsh 00:33:42 (23)
Full results here: https://documentcloud.adobe.com/link/track?uri=urn%3Aaaid%3Ascds%3AUS%3Ad531f3e7-ee27-4ac3-ab4c-fd24c80048e6&fbclid=IwAR0hXa-iRiV2_XeZZfNZEfF-4QIOT74vaPxRpm1rQM7yqn1jzFCyiqwnwio
Kinsale 10 Mile race (723)
Overall place Name Cat. Place Chiptime
1 Pat Hennessy 1 00:51:11
16 Claire McCarthy 1 01:01:19
Crusaders AC runners
58 Tim O’Donnell 01:09:07 (PB)
182 Aine Crotty 01:16:11 (18)
342 Lisa Shine 01:24:00 (69)
Full results here: https://my.raceresult.com/149895/?fbclid=IwAR3r09FYeT-dFVlEwOfNJTBPec-Lp_HgSz0Iiu2WmJ3MHx9bxxmusMdeXOQ
Malahide Parkrun #382 (353)
Overall place Name Cat. Place Chiptime
1 Robert Frewen 1 00:16:25
15 Shannon Kelly 1 00:19:30
Crusaders AC runner
11 Ronan Moynihan 00:18:07
Full results here: http://www.parkrun.ie/malahide/results/weeklyresults/?runSeqNumber=382
Marlay Parkrun #340 (467)
Overall place Name Cat. Place Chiptime
1 Paul Stpehenson 1 00:15:57
15 Emi Takakura 1 00:20:23
Crusaders AC runner
6 Tomas Bradley 00:19:19
Full results here: http://www.parkrun.ie/marlay/results/weeklyresults/?runSeqNumber=322
Shanganagh Parkrun #251 (233)
Overall place Name Cat. Place Chiptime
1 Paul Flynn 1 00:18:55
23 Agnieszka Sobolewska 1 00:22:49
Crusaders AC runner
1 Paul Flynn 00:18:55
Full results here: http://www.parkrun.ie/shanganagh/results/weeklyresults/?runSeqNumber=251
Poppintree Parkrun #271 (162)
Overall place Name Cat. Place Chiptime
1 Noel Selorm 1 00:18:48
10 Elizabeth Daly 1 00:22:14
Crusaders AC runners
14 Diarmuid Byrne 00:22:55
115 Darina Scully 00:34:26 (44)
116 Maria Pertl 00:34:27 (45)
Full results here: http://www.parkrun.ie/poppintree/results/weeklyresults/?runSeqNumber=271
Poolbeg Parkrun #132 (197)
Overall place Name Cat. Place Chiptime
1 Cristian Vilchez Ceballos 1 00:18:00
10 Ellie Fielding 1 00:20:16
Crusaders AC runners
1 Cristian Vilchez Ceballos 00:18:00
22 David O’Donnell 00:21:04
28 Esther Requena Ferri 00:21:18 (4)
30 Mark Swan 00:21:32
36 Aine Kenny 00:22:08 (5)
46 Russell Murphy 00:2:27
53 Fiona Shine 00:22:57 (8)
89 Tanja Narancic 00:25:22 (23)
90 Aitor Arribas Velasco 00:25:24
103 Mike Fong 00:25:59
104 Gillian Curran 00:26:15 (30)
157 Mairin Shine 00:29:41 (57)
Full results here: http://www.parkrun.ie/poolbeg/results/weeklyresults/?runSeqNumber=132
Cabinteely Parkrun #253 (148)
Overall place Name Cat. Place Chiptime
1 Matthew Kavanagh 1 00:19:39
21 Celeste Roche 1 00:23:52
Crusaders AC runner
3 David Carter 00:20:14
Full results here: http://www.parkrun.ie/cabinteely/results/weeklyresults/?runSeqNumber=253
Glen River Parkrun #67 (156)
Overall place Name Cat. Place Chiptime
1 John Longan 1 00:18:41
25 Hana Faska 1 00:22:40
Crusaders AC runners
45 Ailsa Berkeley 00:24:40 (5)
96 Lisa Shine 00:28:55 (19)
Full results here: http://www.parkrun.ie/glenriver/results/weeklyresults/?runSeqNumber=67
Fairview Parkrun #134 (126)
Overall place Name Cat. Place Chiptime
1 Tom Parkin 1 00:20:46
3 Amber Watson 1 00:21:15
Crusaders AC runner
107 Gillian Lyons 00:35:33 (47)
Full results here: http://www.parkrun.ie/fairview/results/weeklyresults/?runSeqNumber=134
Royal Canal Kilcock Parkrun #47 (172)
Overall place Name Cat. Place Chiptime
1 James McGarry 1 00:18:17
4 Louise Long 1 00:19:53
Crusaders AC runner
16 Eoghan Corrigan 00:21:43
Full results here: http://www.parkrun.ie/royalcanalkilcock/results/weeklyresults/?runSeqNumber=47