New Year’s Resolutions

11/1/2026

L-R: Kate Murray, Chris Bannon, Neil Brown, Karl Walsh, Robbie Moore, Anthony Hackett, David O'Donnell

The dry weather on Saturday morning no doubt contributed to significantly increased participation across the parkruns in the Dublin area at least, and Crusaders were out in force. Otherwise, there were only a few races locally on which to report, a couple of them being warm-up events for the Donadea 50k in February along with another round of the BHAA winter XC league. It was also a weekend where many of us were glued to our TV screens (experiencing appalling camera work!) on Saturday afternoon watching the World XC Championships with ex-Crusader Niamh Allen along with Fiona Everard and Brian Fay giving a masterclass in working steadily through the fields of 10k races, which were held on an artificial but fun course (naturally) in hot conditions in Tallahassee in Florida. In fields of over 100, Niamh placed 21st overall and 3rd European followed by Fiona (23rd and 4th), with Brian working his way in his race to 16th place overall and 4th European in a super sprint to finish just behind Olympic 10,000m champion Jimmy Gressier. Inspirations for us all!

We start with the BHAA. The first mixed XC of 2026, and the latest in the winter league, took place on Sunday morning on familiar loops at the southern end of Tymon Park inside the M50. In windy conditions, but otherwise dry, Crusaders made up 10% of the field of 107. They were led home by Ollie McGrath (19th in 26:33) who also was the first M45 across the line. He was followed by the 2nd M45, Liam Morris, a man who has not raced in some time (22nd in 26:48), and then by Karl Walsh (26th in 27:09). David O’Donnell was next (38th in 28:37), followed by Tony Hackett (52nd in 29:34), Robbie Moore (72nd in 31:20), Chris Bannon (76th in 32:04), Kate Murray (78th overall, 15th female finisher and 3rd F50 in 32:16) and Pat Quill (80th in 32:51). Brendan Glynn completed the contingent (101st in 36:29).

In Donadea Forest over both days of the weekend, Pop Up Races hosted the rather grandly-titled World Festival of Half marathons, featuring both a half and full marathon on each day. On Saturday morning, in preparation for the upcoming Donadea 50k national championships, Olwyn Dunne tackled the marathon distance, alongside 55 other competitors. On the usual 5k trail loops through the forest, Olwyn placed 26th overall and 3rd female finisher in 3:52:25. Later, Karl Walsh took part in the half marathon event, where, in a field of 191, he placed 33rd in 1:41:46. Then, on Sunday, Kevin Kenny ran the half marathon too, placing 141st in a field of 173 and in a time of 2:14:09.

Further afield, Áine Kenny took part in a half marathon on Sunday in Egmond on the Dutch coast. It is considered a challenging event taking place on an undulating route through sandy beaches, dunes and trails, made even harder this year by 20kph winds and extremely chilly. Áine ran 96:47, a chiptime that was 10 minutes faster than her guntime as it took so long to cross the start line in a field of just under 10,000. Also, on the same day, one of our exiles in the United Arab Emirates, John Cunnane, ran in the Dubai Creek Striders Half marathon, finishing in a time of 99:12. Anna Hoesl, one of our exiles in Germany, ran in the Ismaning 17k, a cross-country race, which she completed in 81 minutes. One of our Swiss-based exiles, Lukasz Batruch ran a 10k in Dietikon in Switzerland, the Dieteker Neujahrslauf, which he completed in 43:15. Then, in Spain, one of our exiles there, Pablo Sanchez, came second in the Tres Cantos 5k, finishing in a time of 16:57, whilst Esther Requena Ferri, also a Spanish exile, took part in the San Silvestre Velez-Malaga, where she completed the 4.8k race in 19:33. Finally, two of our London-based exiles, Kate O’Malley and Conor Parle ran in a couple of XC races. Kate ran in the Surrey League 8.4k on Mitcham Common which she completed in 35:00, whilst Conor ran in the Met League - Welwyn Garden City XC of similar distance, finishing in 41:18.

As mentioned, the fields for local parkruns this weekend were swollen with new runners, many no doubt attempting to fulfil, at least for the time being, a New Year’s resolution.

We had at least one first finisher as well as some podium places. Felipe De Sousa brought the field home in Tolka Valley Park. In a field of 66, Felipe recorded a time of 19:08, and he was followed by Kabir Sala (9th in 23:10), Laura O’Malley (22nd and 4th in 26:21), Bo Chicoine (34th in 30:08) and Maria Pertl (42nd and 17th in 32:07). One of our triallists, Tracey Connolly, ran in Father Collins Park, where she placed 45th and 2nd in 25:49 in a field of 173, whilst, in Bushy Park, Mary Donnelly also placed 2nd (20th overall) in 22:25, preceded, in the field of 269, by Luke Corcoran (3rd in 19:39) and followed by Conor MacGuinness, running with his daughter (145th in 29:27).

As usual, the largest turnout of club members was in Poolbeg, with its numbers significantly increased to 296. Stephen Hurley crossed the line in 2nd place in 18:20, followed by Jan Manschot (3rd in 18:23), Gerry Cooper (6th in 18:43), Sebastian Hansen (15th in 19:59), Ed Forester (19th in 20:36), Kenan Furlong (20th in 20:58), Adrian Groarke (23rd in 21:14), James Sherry (28th in the same time) and Gerard Moore (31st in 21:35).

Next to cross the line was Zlatko Kulic (41st in 22:09), followed by John Lohan (48th in 22:34), Piarais Neary (55th in 22:46), Aoife McCarthy (62nd and 7th in 23:02), Garret Connolly (68th in 23:35), Ryan Preston (69th in 23:38), Ger Buckley (79th in 24:16), Sharon Woods (85th and 11th in 24:32), Ambrose Carr (86th in 24:34), April Dunne (87th and 12th in 24:44), Susan Clarke (88th and 13th in 24:48), Saketh Ravuluri (95th in 25:03), Franky Keane, in his 250th parkrun (96th in an almost poetic 25:05), Tanja Narancic (115th and 25th in 25:52), Alan Martin (122nd in 26:08), Ellen Walsh (145th and 38th in 26:54), Tara Murphy (166th and 46th in 28:07) and Mark Browne (177th in 28:28).

David Pepper placed 212th in 29:22, followed by Emily Glen (213th and 75th in 29:28), Aisling O’Riordan (217th and 78th in 29:35), Mari Hansen (222nd and 81st in 29:53), Sam Osborne (226th in 30:01), Maureen McGinley (233rd and 89th in 30:28), John Corish (235th in 30:37), Siobhan Russell (255th and 102nd in 32:16), Marie-Claire Daly (259th and 105th in 32:55) and Lorraine McMahon (260th and 106th in 32:46). Joe Dunne and James Bradshaw also participated, but their results were not recorded.

Rob Cross ran in Malahide with its field of 392, placing 5th in a time of 17:56, whilst, in Brickfields, Charles-Edouard Cattier joined a field of 161, where he placed 7th in 20:00. In Fairview, Brian O’Kelly took 10th spot in a field of 267 with a time of 21:08, followed by Enda Currid (31st in 23:35) and Michael O’Shea (35th in 23:58). Meanwhile, Darina Scully ran once again in River Valley Park, with 147 other participants. Darine ran 28:13 for 46th and 10th spots, whilst, in Marlay park, with its field of 613, Killian Barry placed 8th in 19:23, followed by Kathryn Sweeney who is improving each week whilst on maternity leave (67th and 6th in 23:22), Phil Sykes (90th in 23:57), Barry O’Neill (128th in 25:29) and Kare Murray (382nd and 109th in 31:09).

Mairead Cashman took on Dundalk parkrun, joining 94 other runners in so doing, and placing 56th and 9th in 31:06, whilst, in Coomera in Australia, Kris Ryan, one of our exiles there, joined a field of 155, placing 45th and 9th in 27:09. Meanwhile, we had two runners in Poppintree with its field of 227. Julian Callan took 92nd spot in 29:02, whilst Anna Shine placed 124th and 39th in 31:27. Other members of the Shine family ran on Wexford Racecourse, with Máirín placing 108th and 44th in 36:52, just ahead of Lisa (109th and 45th in 36:53), in a field of 139. Kevin Flynn tailwalked in Porterstown with its field of 179, whilst Orlaith de Burca took 168th and 30th spots in 28:45 in the 279-strong field in Shanganagh. Finally, despite arriving late, Sarah Lyons and Phelim Murray managed to plough their way through the back of the 116-strong field in Mountlucas, with Sarah placing 78th and 36th in 34:56 and Phelim taking 79th in 35:03.

BHAA BoI Mixed XC 6K (107)
Overall place Name Cat. Place Guntime
1 Kenneth Nugent 1 00:22:17
12 Lorna Sheehan 1 00:25:56
Crusaders AC runners
19 Ollie McGrath 00:26:33
22 Liam Morris 00:26:48
26 Karl Walsh 00:27:09
38 David O’Donnell 00:28:37
52 Anthony Hackett 00:29:34
72 Robbie Moore 00:31:20
76 Chris Bannon 00:32:04
78 Kate Murray 00:32:16 (15)
80 Pat Quill 00:32:51
101 Brendan Glynn 00:36:59
Full results here: https://members.bhaa.ie/results/race/541
World Half marathon Festival (Saturday) (191)
Overall place Name Cat. Place Guntime
1 Niki Aleksandrovics 1 01:21:03
15 Helen Hartnett 1 01:33:26
Crusaders AC runner
33 Karl Walsh 01:41:46
Full results here: https://www.popupraces.ie/race/world-half-marathon-festival-2026-sunday/#2_9D70EA
World Half marathon Festival (Sunday) (173)
Overall place Name Cat. Place Guntime
1 Brian Kavanagh 1 01:23:43
13 Anna Klimek 1 01:36:16
Crusaders AC runner
141 Kevin Kenny 02:14:09
Full results here: https://www.popupraces.ie/race/world-half-marathon-festival-2026-sunday/#2_9D70EA
World Half marathon Festival (Marathon Sarturday) (56)
Overall place Name Cat. Place Guntime
1 David Murphy 1 03:08:47
22 Rachel McKenna 1 03:48:40
Crusaders AC runners
26 Olwyn Dunne 03:52:25 (3)
Full results here: https://www.popupraces.ie/race/world-half-marathon-festival-2026-sunday/#2_9D70EA
Dundalk Parkrun (95)
Overall place Name Cat. Place Guntime
1 Sodiq Oyewole 1 00:18:45
17 Rachel McArdle 1 00:23:51
Crusaders AC runner
56 Mairead Cashman 00:31:06 (9)
Poolbeg Parkrun (296)
Overall place Name Cat. Place Guntime
1 Hugo Loomes 1 00:18:00
13 Niamh Cotter 1 00:19:37
Crusaders AC runners
2 Stephen Hurley 00:18:20
3 Jan Manschot 00:18:23
6 Gerard Cooper 00:18:43
15 Sebastian Hansen 00:19:59
19 Ed Forester 00:20:36
20 Kenan Furlong 00:20:58
23 Adrian Groarke 00:21:40
27 Diarmuid Finan 00:21:24
28 James Sherry 00:21:24
31 Gerard Moore 00:21:35
41 Zlatko Kulic 00:22:09
48 John Lohan 00:22:34
55 Piarais Neary 00:22:46
62 Aoife McCarthy 00:23:02 (7)
68 Garret Connolly 00:23:35
69 Ryan Preston 00:23:38
79 Ger Buckley 00:24:16
85 Sharon Woods 00:24:32 (11)
86 Ambrose Carr 00:24:34
87 April Dunne 00:24:44 (12)
88 Susan Clarke 00:24:48 (13)
95 Saketh Ravuluri 00:25:03
96 Franky Keane 00:25:05
122 Alan Martin 00:26:08
145 Ellen Walsh 00:26:54 (38)
166 Tara Murphy 00:28:07 (46)
177 Mark Browne 00:28:28
212 David Pepper 00:29:22
213 Emily Glen 00:29:28 (75)
217 Aisling O’Riordan 00:29:35 (78)
226 Sam Osborne 00:30:01
222 Mari Hansen 00:29:53 (81)
233 Maureen McGinley 00:30:28 (89)
235 John Corish 00:30:37
255 Siobhan Russell 00:32:16 (102)
259 Marie-Claire Daly 00:32:55 (105)
260 Lorraine McMahon 00:32:46 (106)
Father Collins Parkrun (173)
Overall place Name Cat. Place Guntime
1 Stephen Butler 1 00:17:24
38 Denise Antohi 1 00:25:01
Crusaders AC runner
45 Tracey Connolly 00:25:49 (2)
River Valley Parkrun (148)
Overall place Name Cat. Place Guntime
1 Viktoras Kuzminas 1 00:18:24
12 Bernadette Cashman 1 00:23:22
Crusaders AC runner
46 Darina Scully 00:28:13 (10)
Mountlucas Parkrun (116)
Overall place Name Cat. Place Guntime
1 Dean Fitzgerald 1 00:20:48
6 Catherine Bennett 1 00:22:44
Crusaders AC runners
78 Sarah Lyons 00:34:56 (36)
79 Phelim Murray 00:35:03
Porterstown Parkrun (179)
Overall place Name Cat. Place Guntime
1 Daire Glennane 1 00:18:10
6 Patricia McLoughlin 1 00:21:58
Crusaders AC runner
178 Kevin Flynn 00:48:31
Malahide Parkrun (392)
Overall place Name Cat. Place Guntime
1 Tom Kirker 1 00:16:55
9 Rachael Dowling 1 00:18:24
Crusaders AC runner
5 Rob Cross 00:17:56
Poppintree Parkrun (227)
Overall place Name Cat. Place Guntime
1 Oisin Gavin 1 00:17:37
45 Harriet Kenny 1 00:25:13
Crusaders AC runners
92 Julian Callan 00:29:02
124 Anna Shine 00:31:27 (39)
Brickfields Parkrun (161)
Overall place Name Cat. Place Guntime
1 Darragh Ward 1 00:18:12
20 Stephanie Bergin 1 0:22:32
Crusaders AC runner
7 Charles-Edouard Cattier 00:20:00
Shanganagh Parkrun (279)
Overall place Name Cat. Place Guntime
1 George Callery 1 00:17:12
3 Isabel O’Reilly 1 00:17:30
Crusaders AC runner
168 Orlaith de Burca 00:28:45 (30)
Marlay Parkrun (613)
Overall place Name Cat. Place Guntime
1 Karl Connolly 1 00:17:36
4 Louise Gaffney 1 00:18:49
Crusaders AC runners
8 Killian Barry 00:19:23
67 Kathryn Sweeney 00:23:22 (6)
90 Phil Sykes 00:23:57
128 Barry O’Neill 00:25:29
382 Kate Murray 00:31:09 (109)
Bushy Parkrun (269)
Overall place Name Cat. Place Guntime
1 Paul Kenny 1 00:18:55
10 Aisling Kelly 1 00:20:26
Crusaders AC runners
3 Luke Corcoran 00:19:39
20 Mary Donnelly 00:22:25 (2)
145 Conor MacGuinness 00:29:27
Tolka Valley Parkrun (66)
Overall place Name Cat. Place Guntime
1 Felipe De Sousa 1 00:19:08
11 Aoife Fowler 1 00:24:36
Crusaders AC runners
1 Felipe De Sousa 00:19:08
9 Kabir Sala 00:23:10
22 Laura O’Malley 00:26:21 (4)
34 Bo Chicoine 00:30:08
42 Maria Pertl 00:32:07 (17)
Fairview Parkrun (267)
Overall place Name Cat. Place Guntime
1 Martin Alvarez-Espinar 1 00:17:25
14 Caoimhe Smith 1 00:21:53
Crusaders AC runners
10 Brian O’Kelly 00:21:08
31 Enda Currid 00:23:35
35 Michael O’Shea 00:23:58
Wexford Racecourse Parkrun (139)
Overall place Name Cat. Place Guntime
1 Cillian Larkin 1 00:18:19
7 Maeve Boland 1 00:22:52
Crusaders AC runners
108 Máirín Shine 00:36:52 (44)
109 Lisa Shine 00:36:53 (45)