Open for Business

18/10/2021

Niamh Allen and coach Mike McGovern

The highlight of the weekend has to have been the Autumn Open Cross-Country meet in Abbotstown on Sunday. There were great conditions for running. Not too much wind and the ground was reasonably firm. The event had races for all age categories and was quite well populated so that we were able to witness some quality competition on the now well-known, but challenging, purpose-built course at the National Sports Centre.

We had just one runner in the women’s senior and masters race, Niamh Allen, but she did us proud with some strong running to bring herself home in 7th place among the Irish (taking into consideration masters athlete Ann-Marie McGlynn’s fabulous 2nd place overall, together with Mary Mulhare who placed 3rd among the seniors, splitting the 3 senior English girls from Loughborough who took 1st, 4th and 5th places overall). The winning time was 20:51 for the 6k race, and Niamh’s time of 21:30 for 6th place among the Irish seniors was only 5 seconds off Bronagh Kearns, the 2nd Irish senior’s, time in a senior field of 37 competitors. It was a quality run where she held her position for much of the race and took some decent scalps.

The men’s senior race was won by Darragh McElhinney. Aaron Cashman and Elliott O’Beirne, new recruits to cross-country, understandably found the going tough but hung on in there to place 49th and 50th in 29:28 and 30:33, whilst in the masters race, conducted at the same time on the 7.5k course, with its mixture of lush grass, sand and a bit of mud, we had 4 runners. They, and indeed the entire Crusaders contingent, were led home by Brendan Murphy who took 7th spot in the masters O/35 section in a time of 26:11, behind age cat. winner Tim O’Donoghue (23:36). Ger Forde was next, placing a strong 5th in the O/40 category in a time of 27:20 (behind age cat. winner John Kinsella who ran 25:15). Having seen easier days perhaps, Michael Kiely was next in the O/35 race where he placed 14th in 27:55, followed finally by Karl Walsh who ran 30:15 also for 14th place in the O/40 category. The course will likely be used for the European Championships. It got a good workout this weekend!

On the roads there are several races to report on that took place over the weekend. Mairin Shine celebrated her birthday with a 5-mile run on Bere Island in Co. Cork with daughter Lisa. The latter reported that the race was quite possibly the hilliest challenge that either of them had ever taken on and Lisa was surprised by the pace indicator on her GPS watch which indicated a 9 min/km pace after only a mile of running! In a field of 76 intrepid runners, Lisa placed 30th and 11th female finisher in a time of 42:00, whilst Mairin ran 53:20 for 61st and 28th. The overall winning time in moist conditions was 32:23 which gives some indication as to how tough the race was.

Not to be outdone on the hilly stakes, David Willis and Georgina Hawkins took on the highly scenic but challenging Gaelforce Howth 10k (with its can of tuna awaiting them in the goody bag!). The race was conducted over all the hilliest parts of Howth, so it’s not surprising that, as with Bere Island, the winning time was not particularly fast at 41:08. David ran well to place 22nd in the (nowadays substantial) field of 471, with a time of 48:02, whilst Georgina placed 138th and 10th woman across the line in 57:46.

On the other hand, Pat Quill reported that he ran in a 53.5km ultra along the coast in the almost entirely flat county of Suffolk (a nice contrast to the Alps where he ran in the UTMB earlier in the Summer), which he covered in 6:11:28.

We also had some other long distance runners in action over the weekend. In Paris, Emer Kenny has perhaps found her métier as a marathon runner with a super 3:27:16, a PB improvement of nearly 33 minutes over her first marathon (in Dublin) a while back. Emer enjoyed pretty consistent splits over the 42.2km distance on what is a hilly course in the second half, with several underpasses. Indeed, her 2nd half was only marginally slower than her first. Tim Francony, a native Frenchman, also ran on Sunday and he recorded a great time of 2:55:28 on the back of little targeted training. Tim was able to run a 1-minute negative split. The race conditions were almost perfect, if a little chilly early on with a delayed start. Later, we heard that Bob Manson had run his 59th marathon on Sunday in Amsterdam in 3:17, whilst Kenan Furlong ran in his first big city marathon there too, finishing in a great time of 3:11:27, after finding the going tough from 30k.

We also had runners in half marathons in Ireland over the weekend. Again, in relatively small fields which are becoming the norm for the times that we are in, we had one runner in Clogher and, in the same county, one in East Mayo. In the Clogher half marathon, and on a 3-loop hilly course, Enda Clarke placed 6th in a field of 79 with a time (consistent with other recent performances) of 1:22:50. Further east, Jonathan Claridge ran in an equally hilly but one lap course near Claremorris-Swinford, where, alongside 92 other runners, he placed 10th in a time of 1:27:06. Then, in Italy, our exile and inveterate racer, Italo Giancaterina, was in action once again, this time in a half marathon taking place between Rome and the coastal town of Ostia. In a field exceeding 4,500, Italo came home in 1:10:06, a super PB for the distance, for 24th place.

Parkrun numbers continue to creep up and we had runners in at least 15 events in Ireland on Saturday morning. By far the biggest contingent was in Poolbeg for its reinstatement. No fewer than 13 Crusaders were in action, including Don Anderton as a tailwalker. The entire field was led home by Cristian Vilchez Ceballos, with he and Esther Requena Ferri continuing from where they finished off over each of the past two weeks. In a field of 106, Cristian ran 18:31 with Esther first female finisher in 7th place in a time of 20:07. They were followed by Stephen Hurley (9th in 20:21), David Timoney (12th in 21:00), Olwyn Dunne (27th and 3rd female in 22:59), Fin Goulding (34th in 23:17), Gillian Curran (41st and 7th in 24:08), Sharon Woods (44th and 8th in 24:29), Zlatko Kulic (49th in 24:48), Cliodhna O’Reilly (55th and 13th in 25:21), Mary Dolan (75th and 23rd in 28:04) and Maureen McGinley (77th and 25th in 28:22). It was great to see so many Crusaders coming back to some form of competitive action.

Perhaps one of the more surprising results of the day was in the Royal Canal Parkrun in Kilcock where Caroline Crowley, imminently due to give birth, ran a super time of 29:17 for 75th and 27th places in a field of 143 behind her partner Eoghan Corrigan who took 25th spot in 24:02. Following on in Esther’s footsteps, Dee Ni Chearbhaill was a first finisher in Fairview this week, where in a field of 73 she placed 9th overall in a time of 22:39. Another first finish went to Kate Murray who ran in Mullingar, where, in a field of 110, she placed 16th overall in a time of 24:15. Not to be outdone, Ronan Moynihan also went into the books this weekend as a first finisher in Claremorris. Ronan led 66 other participants home in a time of 18:20. Meanwhile, we had a good turnout in Cabinteely, with Sam Carvill placing 5th in a field of 150 and a time of 19:53. Sam was followed to the line by David Carter (6th in 19:59) and they were followed by Fiona Shine who placed 24th and 2nd in 22:01, only 10s behind the first female finisher. Luke Haran ran once again in Mungret down in Limerick where he ran with 79 other runners, placing 7th in 21:42, whilst Mairead Cashman took part in the Glen River parkrun with 68 other participants and where she placed 43rd and 10th. Paul and Aoife Kelly ran in St. Anne’s placing respectively 200th and 335th (109th female finisher) in a field of 410. Paul’s time was 27:01, whilst Aoife ran 31:25. In addition to those mentioned above, we had solo runners in several other parkruns, namely in Malahide where Brian Scanlan joined 327 other runners to place 32nd in 21:46, and in Marlay, where David Long, in his late 50s, took 13th spot in a super 18:53 in a field of 384. In Bushy Park, Eanna Farrell was our lone representative where he ran 24:31 for 51st place in a field of 170. We had a good turnout in Poppintree, our 3-person contingent being led home by Diarmuid Byrne (27th in 24:20), followed by Darina Scully (69th and 24th in 28:32) and by Maria Pertl (100th and 45th in 34:24). Those running measured 133. Mike Stewart and Orlaith Burke ran with 173 other participants in Shanganagh, where Mike crossed the line in 22nd spot in 21:58, followed by Orlaith who claimed 106th and 33rd in a time of 28:52. Then, Brian Langton and Kevin Flynn ran in Porterstown. In a field of 157 runners, Brian ran 26:17 for 68th spot, whilst Kevin came home in 115th place in 32:24. Finally, Mark Heaney and Mari Hansen ran in Nansenparken in Mari’s native Norway. In a modest field of 27, Mark placed 10th in 23:13, whilst Mari was 24th and 8th in 33:29.

Gaelforce Howth 10k (471)
Overall place Name Cat. Place Chiptime
1 Shane Fitzgerald 1 00:41:08
51 Lucy Chapman 1 00:51:13
Crusaders AC runners
22 David Willis 00:48:02
138 Georgina Hawkins 00:57:46 (10)
Full results here: http://www.redtagtiming.com/results/GF_Howth2021.html
Clogher Half marathon (80)
Overall place Name Cat. Place Chiptime
1 Shaun McLaughlin 1 01:12:50
7 Neasa de Burca 1 01:24:33
Crusaders AC runner
6 Enda Clarke 01:22:50
Full results here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1nCc4YE0TfqUyucK7IqCqcvs17YjNNFke/view?fbclid=IwAR3woSTbvDFLztIYyEhXsoKtqLnrD1BvX0uVMGINMo9L4tQ5RdaouruAWSE
Bere Island 5 mile road race (76)
Overall place Name Cat. Place Chiptime
1 Conor Murphy 1 00:32:23
6 Deirdre O’Sullivan 1 00:35:08
Crusaders AC runners
30 Lisa Shine 00:42:00 (11)
61 Mairin Shine 00:53:50 (28)
Full results here: https://www.popupraces.ie/race/bere-island-5-mile-road-race-2021/
East Mayo Half marathon (93)
Overall place Name Cat. Place Chiptime
1 Enda Marren 1 01:15:09
19 Roisin Golden 1 01:33:38
Crusaders AC runner
10 Joanathan Claridge 01:27:06
Full results here: https://www.popupraces.ie/race/east-mayo-half-marathon-2021/
Malahide Parkrun (328)
Overall place Name Cat. Place Guntime
1 Robert Frewen 1 00:18:04
3 Annette Kealy 1 00:18:33
Crusaders AC runner
32 Brian Scanlan 00:21:46
Marlay Parkrun (384)
Overall place Name Cat. Place Guntime
1 Mark Stitch 1 00:16:49
46 Ruth Comerford 1 00:21:13
Crusaders AC runner
13 David Long 00:18:53
St. Anne’s Parkrun (410)
Overall place Name Cat. Place Guntime
1 Jamie Killeen 1 00:18:16
37 Roisin Vance 1 00:20:57
Crusaders AC runners
200 Paul Kelly 00:27:01
335 Aoife Kelly 00:31:25 (109)
Poppintree Parkrun (133)
Overall place Name Cat. Place Guntime
1 Bobby Bedford 1 00:18:09
5 Mya O’Reilly 1 00:21:26
Crusaders AC runners
27 Diarmuid Byrne 00:24:20
69 Darina Scully 00:28:32 (24)
100 Maria Pertl 34:24 (45)
Shanganagh Parkrun (175)
Overall place Name Cat. Place Guntime
1 Drew Donohoe 1 00:17:27
5 Sarah Baryga 1 00:19:33
Crusaders AC runners
22 Mike Stewart 00:21:58
106 Orlaith de Burca 00:28:52 (33)
Cabinteely Parkrun (150)
Overall place Name Cat. Place Guntime
1 Liam Blackburn 1 00:17:41
21 Joanne Ryan 1 00:21:51
Crusaders AC runners
5 Sam Carvill 00:19:53
6 David Carter 00:19:59
24 Fiona Shine 00:22:01 (2)
Mullingar Parkrun (110)
Overall place Name Cat. Place Guntime
1 Eddie Newman 1 00:17:45
16 Kate Murray 1 00:24:15
Crusaders AC runner
16 Kate Murray 00:24:15 (1)
Claremorris Parkrun (67)
Overall place Name Cat. Place Guntime
1 Ronan Moynihan 1 00:18:20
14 Elaine Lynch 1 00:22:21
Crusaders AC runner
1 Ronan Moynihan 00:18:20
Bushy Parkrun (170)
Overall place Name Cat. Place Guntime
1 Niall Coppinger 1 00:18:40
19 Christine Kinsella 1 00:21:44
Crusaders AC runner
51 Eanna Farrell 00:24:31
Porterstown Parkrun (157)
Overall place Name Cat. Place Guntime
1 Niall Sherlock 1 00:17:39
19 Fiona Sheerin 1 00:22:39
Crusaders AC runners
68 Brian Langton 00:26:17
115 Kevin Flynn 00:32:24
Fairview Parkrun (73)
Overall place Name Cat. Place Guntime
1 Oskar Hollinsworth 1 00:19:20
9 Dee Ni Chearbhaill 1 00:22:39
Crusaders AC runner
9 Dee Ni Chearbhaill 00:22:39 (1)
Poolbeg Parkrun (106)
Overall place Name Cat. Place Guntime
1 Cristian Vilchez Ceballos 1 00:18:31
7 Esther Requena Ferri 1 00:20:07
Crusaders AC runners
1 Cristian Vilchez Ceballos 00:18:31
7 Esther Requena Ferri 00:20:07 (1)
9 Stephen Hurley 00:20:21
12 David Timoney 00:21:00
27 Olwyn Dunne 00:22:59 (3)
34 Fin Goulding 00:23:17
41 Gillian Curran 00:24:08 (7)
44 Sharon Woods 00:24:29 (8)
49 Zlatko Kulic 00:24:48
55 Cliodhna O’Reilly 00:25:21 (13)
75 Mary Dolan 00:28:04 (23)
77 Maureen McGinley 00:28:32 (25)
106 Don Anderton 00:43:04
Mungret Parkrun (80)
Overall place Name Cat. Place Guntime
1 Alan McCutcheon 1 00:19:51
21 Michelle Downes 1 00:24:58
Crusaders AC runner
7 Luke Haran 00:21:42
Glen River Parkrun (69)
Overall place Name Cat. Place Guntime
1 Finbarr O’Dwyer 1 00:18:08
19 Anita Locke 1 00:24:36
Crusaders AC runner
43 Mairead Cashman 00:29:33 (10)
Royal Canal Kilcock Parkrun (143)
Overall place Name Cat. Place Guntime
1 Gerry Cribbin 1 00:16:53
12 Emma Finlay 1 00:21:02
Crusaders AC runners
25 Eoghan Corrigan 00:24:02
75 Caroline Crowley 00:29:17 (27)