Out like a lamb – A wonderful weekend of racing

28/3/2022

Back row: Michael Wycherley, Joe McDermott, Alan Kavanagh and Gian Piero Allerta. Front row: Emily Glen, Kathryn Gibbons, Olwyn Dunne, Paul E. Kelly, Aoife Quigley, Gillian Earley, Dee Ni Chearbhaill and Rebecca Fleming

What a gorgeous weekend for being out and about, most unexpected in March! Runners everywhere took full advantage. Numbers were up in parkruns and the road races that took place also had decent turnouts.

First up, though, is the Leinster junior, senior and masters indoor championships that took place over the weekend in Athlone. We had several athletes competing, all of whom finished on the podium, with our best result being a gold medal for Adam McMullen in the senior long jump where, with his third effort of six, he leapt 6.93m for the win. The other athletes competed at masters level. Enda Clarke took silver in the M35 1500m in a time of 4:31.43, whilst John O’Loughlin took bronze in the M55 200m in a time of 28.31. Donal Swift competed in two events, the 200m and the 400m, where he placed respectively 3rd and 2nd in respective times of 38.89 and 1:35.16 in the M70 age category. Congratulations to all our athletes.

Moving on to the road, we had a super turnout from the club in the well-organised Dunboyne 10k held on Sunday at midday. A decent quality field of 567, with many familiar faces, contested the race, won superbly by Efrem Gidey in 28:25, despite almost taking a wrong turn whilst out in front as the runners came through the village for the first time. His slight detour probably only cost him a second or two, thankfully. Also impressive was Fionnuala McCormack who, in sunny and warm conditions, ran 32:27 and 11th place overall for her win in the women’s race. Our runners didn’t disgrace either and several had PBs despite the warm conditions.

Runners who have participated in the BHAA’s 5 miler in Dunboyne will be familiar with large parts of the course, with the only real difference being the start and finish in the village. It is known to be a flat course as it winds its way round in one loop along country lanes. The hedges were not needed on Sunday to protect against the wind as there was little to be found. Michael Wycherley was the first Crusader across the line, giving it his all with a 5s PB improvement, placing 28th in 34:41 and finishing 5th in his M45 age category. Next came Joe McDermott going from strength to strength in 58th place in 36:29, just ahead of an old rival in the club, Frank Hague, who has now moved onto MSB. Clare Sullivan in her first race for the club was next, placing 122nd and 17th female finisher in 40:42, having just recovered from Covid and Clare was followed by a resurgent Gillian Earley not too far behind in 129th place (and 19th) in a time of 41:07. Gill would have placed 2nd F40 as Ciara Hickey finished in 2nd place to Fionnuala. Rebecca Fleming continued with her great form, taking 146th and 23rd in 42:15 and together with Aoife Quigley (151st and 24th in 42:29), the first 4 Crusader women placed 2nd in the 15-strong club team competition on 83 points, just behind Mullingar on 78 and ahead of Dunboyne with 113. The first 4 male Crusaders (Michael, Joe, Richard and Gian Piero) took 8th place in the 16-team competition.

The next runner across the line was Richard Kavanagh in 175th place with a super time of 43:37 and taking 2nd spot in the M65 category behind Donore’s Tony Kynes. Kathryn Gibbons followed behind in 189th and 33rd with a time of 44:31, with Gian Piero Allerta not too far adrift in 202nd place with a time of 44:54. Alan Kavanagh continues to amass PBs and this race was no different as he crossed the finish line in 204th place with a time of 44:59. Our remaining runners were Dee Ni Chearbhaill (216th and 42nd in 43:53), Olwyn Dunne (227th, 48th and 3rd F55 in 46:28), Kate Murray (246th and 56th in 47:38), Emily Glen (283rd and 69th) in a PB time of 49:22 and Paul E. Kelly who also recorded a PB with his time of 57:35 for 422nd place. If we had been allowed a second team in the women’s competition, our 4 of Kathryn, Dee, Olwyn and Kate would actually have placed 5th with 179 points. A really strong showing!

The Wicklow Gaol Break Half marathon took place on the same day, in similar warm conditions and a good field of 636 finishers. The hilly course, involving one loop that took runners close to Maghermore on the coast and then up to Rathnew, would have been reasonably challenging. We had at least 6 athletes in the race. They were led across the line by newcomer Alby Allen who placed 32nd behind race winner Tudor Moldovan (Mireca) who beat Sean Hehir in an unbelievable photo finish dip for the line. Alby’s time was 1:32:06. Next came Eoghan Walsh, in training for the Cork marathon, who could well have recorded a PB with his time of 1:35:54 for 53rd place. Ian Smith followed, in 140th place with a time of 1:45:37 and further back came Piarais Neary (158th in 1:47:26). The contingent was completed by Phil Sykes (293rd in 1:57:17) and Stephen Mulligan (300th in 1:58:43).

On Saturday IMRA held its annual Maurice Mullins Ultra in similarly warm conditions. The race involves a 50k out-and-back along the undulating Wicklow Way, starting and finishing at Lough Dan and turning at its northernmost point at Prince William’s Seat near Glencullen. There are some significant climbs en route, practically every 10k, on what the organisers describe as extremely difficult terrain with a 2,100m climb. We had at least 4 Crusaders in the race, led home by Conor Greenan who placed 10th in the field of 166 finishers in a super time of 4:52:00. Becky Quinn and Lean Ni Chiobhain were next, with both Crusaders successfully appearing on the podium. Becky took 2nd and Lean 3rd in the women’s race. The former’s time was 5:11:00 and she placed 26th overall, whilst Lean was only 5 minutes behind with a time of 5:16:00 for 29th spot overall. Raghnall O’Donoghue made a welcome return, placing 59th in 5:53:00 and was the 5th M45 to finish.

As mentioned above, the parkruns this weekend were well attended, with numbers generally up. As usual we had some first finishers among members of the club. Paul Cowhie took on St. Anne’s where he led the field of 403 home in a time of 17:36. Paul was followed by Brian Kelleher (17th in 20:20), Paul's wife Aoife (154th and 33rd in 25:57) and Deirdre Kennedy (246th and 80th in 29:16). Then, in Lough Key, Daniel Lowe was the first runner across the line in a field of 153 in a time of 17:35. We had 6 runners in Cabinteely and once again the field was led home by a Crusader. In a time of 19:11 Dave Carter finished ahead of 143 runners who included Louise Dobbyn (17th and 2nd in 22:53), Barry O’Neill (29th in 24:06), Stephen Mulligan, warming up for his following day’s half marathon (71st in 29:23), Lisa Shine (72nd and 21st in 29:30), Joe Dunne, who was pacing the 30-minute runners (82nd in 29:55) and Mairin Shine (112th and 47th in 35:02). Fiona Shine and Orlaith de Burca headed to Queen’s Belfast where they joined 138 other runners, Fiona placing 16th and 2nd in 21:46 and Orlaith, 76th and 13th in 27:51. As usual, Poolbeg witnessed the biggest contingent of Crusaders on the day. Stephen Hurley took 3rd spot in 17:34 and he was followed by Simon Everard (9th in 19:48), Kieran Finucane (19th in 20:44), Paul Campbell (in a PB time of 20:57 for 22nd), John Lohan (39th in 22:58), Josie Ward (48th and 5th in 23:33), Tara Murphy (56th and 7th in 24:58), Cliodhna O’Reilly (67th and 13th in 25:41), Maureen McGinley (105th and 30th in 35:39) and Mari Hansen (105th and 30th in 35:39). The field measured 111 (a “Nelson” in cricketing terms!). Sarah Lyons joined 49 other runners in Tolka Valley, her new local parkrun, where she placed 11th and 3rd in a time of 23:36. Paul and Aoife Kelly also ran there, placing 35th and 34th (and 12th) in a time of 29:48 and 29:49. Dee Lawlor, who is just coming back from Covid and hoping to run the Paris marathon next weekend, ran in Shanganagh, where he produced a highly respectable time of 19:02 for 5th place in a field of 158, whilst, in Naas in a field of 108, Luke Davis also took 5th place in 18:30, with Karl Walsh just behind in 6th in a time of 18:56. Another 5th-placer was Hannah Jones who placed 9th overall in the modest field of 13 in Narin Beach in Co. Donegal. Hannah’s time was 28:27. Mairead Cashman joined her latest friend Sonia O’Sullivan and 57 other runners in Glen River where she placed 44th and 15th in 28:54, whilst Donal Foley returned to parkrunning in Hartstown where, in a field of 51, he placed 8th in a time of 23:30. Kevin Flynn took 82nd place in Porterstown in 34:22, whilst Darina Scully tailwalked for the field of 108, whilst in Kilcock, Caroline Crowley also tailwalked for the field of 84, as partner, Eoghan Corrigan, placed 27th in a time of 23:57. Finally, Colm Foley joined 140 other participants in Griffeen Park, where he also placed 27th in a time of 23:13.

Eirgrid Dunboyne 10k (567)
Overall place Name Cat. Place Guntime
1 Efrem Gidey 1 00:28:25
11 Fionnuala McCormack 1 00:32:27
Crusaders AC runners
28 Michael Wycherley 00:34:41 (PB)
58 Joe McDermott 00:36:29
122 Clare Sullivan 00:40:42 (17)
129 Gillian Earley 00:41:07 (19)
146 Rebecca Fleming 00:42:15 (23)
151 Aoife Quigley 00:42:29 (24)
175 Richard Kavanagh 00:43:37
189 Kathryn Gibbons 00:44:31 (33)
202 Gian Piero Allerta 00:44:54
204 Alan Kavanagh 00:44:59 (PB)
216 Dee Ni Chearbhaill 00:45:53 (42)
227 Olwyn Dunne 00:46:28 (48)
246 Kate Murray 00:47:38 (56)
283 Emily Glen 00:49:22 (PB) (69)
422 Paul E. Kelly 00:57:35 (PB)
Full results here: https://www.myrunresults.com/events/eirgrid_dunboyne_10k/4319/results
Wicklow Gaol Break Half marathon (636)
Overall place Name Cat. Place Chiptime
1 Tudor Moldovan 1 01:10:18
2 Sean Hehir 2 01:10:18
8 Niamh Staunton 01:26:16
Crusaders AC runners
32 Alby Allan 01:32:06
53 Eoghan Walsh 01:35:54
140 Ian Smith 01:45:37
158 Piarais Neary 01:47:26
293 Phil Sykes 01:57:17
300 Stephen Mulligan 01:58:43
Full results here: http://redtagtiming.com/results/WicklowGaol2022_21km.html
IMRA Maurice Mullins Ultra (166)
Overall place Name Cat. Place Guntime
1 Dillon McEvoy 1 04:09:00
13 Sarah Brady 1 04:58:00
Crusaders AC runners
10 Conor Greenan 04:52:00
26 Becky Quinn 05:11:00 (2)
29 Lean Ni Chiobhain 05:16:00 (3)
59 Raghnall O’Donohue 05:53:00
Full results here: https://www.imra.ie/events/results/id/2143
Queens Belfast Parkrun (140)
Overall place Name Cat. Place Guntime
1 Sean Terek 1 00:17:38
9 Shileen O’Kane 1 00:20:52
Crusaders AC runners
16 Fiona Shine 00:21:46 (2)
76 Orlaith de Burca 00:27:51 (13)
Griffeen Parkrun (141)
Overall place Name Cat. Place Guntime
1 Mark Lally 1 00:18:53
12 Tricia Gough 1 00:21:48
Crusaders AC runner
27 Colm Foley 00:23:13
Naas Parkrun (108)
Overall place Name Cat. Place Guntime
1 Joe Cocoman 1 00:16:03
14 Samantha Klus 1 00:20:26
Crusaders AC runners
5 Luke Davis 00:18:30
6 Karl Walsh 00:18:56
Hartstown Parkrun (51)
Overall place Name Cat. Place Guntime
1 Brian Flannelly 1 00:18:26
9 Aoife Slater 1 00:23:46
Crusaders AC runner
8 Donal Foley 00:23:30
Porterstown Parkrun (108)
Overall place Name Cat. Place Guntime
1 Louis Guillou 1 00:19:35
9 Joan O’Callaghan 1 00:22:06
Crusaders AC runners
82 Kevin Flynn 00:34:22
106 Darina Scully 00:55:32
Lough Key Parkrun (153)
Overall place Name Cat. Place Guntime
1 Daniel Lowe 1 00:17:35
18 Mairead Cogan 1 00:24:27
Crusaders AC runner
1 Daniel Lowe 00:17:35
St. Anne’s Parkrun (403)
Overall place Name Cat. Place Guntime
1 Paul Cowhie 1 00:17:36
4 Fiona Stack 1 00:19:12
Crusaders AC runners
1 Paul Cowhie 00:17:36
17 Brian Kelleher 00:20:20
154 Aoife Cowhie 00:25:57 (33)
246 Deirdre Kennedy 00:29:16 (80)
Tolka Valley Parkrun (50)
Overall place Name Cat. Place Guntime
1 Dermot Grogan 1 00:20:22
7 Shauna Dunne 1 00:22:44
Crusaders AC runners
11 Sarah Lyons 00:23:36 (3)
34 Aoife Kelly 00:29:48 (12)
35 Paul F. Kelly 00:29:49
Poolbeg Parkrun (111)
Overall place Name Cat. Place Guntime
1 James Bartram 1 00:15:57
15 Ava Rose Clarke 1 00:20:29
Crusaders AC runners
3 Stephen Hurley 00:17:34
9 Simon Everard 00:19:48
19 Kieran Finucane 00:20:44
22 Paul Campbell 00:20:57 (PB)
39 John Lohan 00:22:58
48 Josie Ward 00:23:33 (5)
56 Tara Murphy 00:24:58 (7)
67 Cliodhna O’Reilly 00:25:41 (13)
73 Maureen McGinley 00:27:47 (16)
105 Mari Hansen 00:33:39 (30)
Shanganagh Parkrun (158)
Overall place Name Cat. Place Guntime
1 Alex Gray 1 00:16:25
19 Marie Louise Maddison 1 00:21:23
Crusaders AC runner
5 Derek Lawlor 00:19:02
Cabinteely Parkrun (144)
Overall place Name Cat. Place Guntime
1 David Carter 1 00:19:11
8 Ciara Brady 1 00:21:16
Crusaders AC runners
1 David Carter 00:19:11
17 Louise Dobbyn 00:22:53 (2)
29 Barry O’Neill 00:24:06
71 Stephen Mulligan 00:29:23
72 Lisa Shine 00:29:30 (21)
82 Joe Dunne 00:29:55
112 Mairin Shine 00:35:02 (47)
Royal Canal Kilcock Parkrun (84)
Overall place Name Cat. Place Guntime
1 Stephen Woods 1 00:19:29
10 Aoife McNerney 1 00:21:18
Crusaders AC runners
27 Eoghan Corrigan 00:23:57
84 Caroline Crowley 00:53:02
Narin Beach Parkrun (13)
Overall place Name Cat. Place Guntime
1 Alastair Rodger 1 00:19:53
2 Claire Tonry 1 00:20:21
Crusaders AC runner
9 Hannah Jones 00:28:27 (5)
Glen River Parkrun (59)
Overall place Name Cat. Place Guntime
1 Thomas Heising 1 00:18:38
7 Sonia O’Sullivan 1 00:22:03
Crusaders AC runner
44 Mairead Cashman 00:28:54 (15)