Pride in the Docklands

19/6/2023

Back row: Peter O'Toole, Kieran Martin, Aoife Quigley, Emer Kenny and Fiona Shine. Front row: Joe Dunne, Lisa Shine and Aitor Arribas Velasco

Forewarned is forearmed, and, thankfully, we were well prepared for nearly everything that was thrown at us on Thursday evening as organisers of this year’s edition of the Docklands 5k, with its title sponsor for this year and the two to follow, J.P. Morgan. We weren’t expecting roadworks to start on the Sam Beckett Bridge as the race was about to start, but at least we had all the permits in place to allow us to delay the conflict. The breakdown just before the start of an express coach at the turn from the North Wall Quay onto the Matt Talbot road bridge was also not expected, but at least we had enough time to warn everyone and, indeed, it was actually off the racing line in the end and many runners did not even notice it. So, the race went off without any major incident on a warm and sunny evening, the only challenge on the fastest flattest course in Dublin being the strong easterly wind which may have denied our eventual overall winner, Pierre Murchan, a course record (his winning time of 14:32 being 2 seconds off the record set in 2017 by John Coghlan). We had a few Crusaders in the race, most of them, too numerous to mention, running with their colleagues from the many corporate entries we received, but the majority of those on the quays that night were out on the course performing to perfection, under the leadership of Liz Nixon, the admirable task of stewarding, for which as a club we are so grateful. We also had some great pacers, among them those supporting the latest C25k initiative, the programme successfully put together by Paul Kelly. Work on setting up the race went back to February, and our super hard-working committee members were able to draw on our experience from organising the previous 6 editions to have it go smoothly on the night. Once again, we had a lovely evening, with the race followed for the third time by what is now becoming the traditional barbecue in Capital Dock Square. It was wonderful to see such happy faces among the 1,550 odd runners who contested the race, many of whom attended the party afterwards, and we had so many compliments on the night and on social media in the days to follow. There was a race within the race, for AAI-affiliated clubs and this year’s winners of the Mary Purcell cup, for the winning female club team, were a mother and daughter combination representing Kilkenny Harriers (the family of Niamh Richardson and her twin daughters who placed 2nd and 3rd in the women’s race, Grace and Maebhdh). This is the third year that the cup has been awarded, its first two presentations going to Sportsworld, who were runners up this year. The Terenure club did, however, win the men’s trophy, the John Fitzsimons Cup, for the first time (following previous wins by Leevale and Raheny in 2019 and 2022). It was a great fundraiser for the club, supporting the Docklands, Ringsend and Irishtown communities and a major fixture now in the running calendar.

On Sunday, DSD held the DSD Games, to celebrate the opening of the club’s new track and stadium. The event was co-organised by Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown Council who provided much of the financial support for the construction of the track. We had several members of the club compete in what was in some ways rather like the fortnightly graded meets with hears of differing standards in some of the events.

Mary Horgan made a welcome return to competitive running after the birth of her second child, placing 6th in a field of 13 in the women’s 1500m in a time of 4:36.08, whilst we had 3 runners in the A and B men’s races of the same distance. In the sub-4:10 edition, Barry McCarthy placed 10th in 4:04.59, whilst in the B race, Henry Griffin ran 4:25.90 for 6th place followed by Patrick Conlon who placed 7th in a PB time of 4:32.08. Matt Behan won the 110mH in a time of 14.40, followed by Sean Owens who placed 2nd in 14.68. Mark Inowa placed 2nd in heat 2 (of 6 heats) of the 100m in 11.73. We had 3 runners in heat 1 of the 200m. Hugo Magee took 3rd spot in 21.80, followed by Mark Inowa in 4th in 23.64, with the master athlete, Donal Swift, placing 8th in 38.13. In the faster 3rd heat, Sean Owens ran 22.40 for 4th place. Two of our club mates contested heat 2 (of two) of the men’s 800m. Finn Boyle took 2nd place in 1:54.59, followed by Fearghal O’Hare who placed 3rd just behind on 1:54.90. Donal ran once again in the 400m, placing 6th in his race in 1:31.97. Finally, Conor and James Quinn contested the shot put. With his second throw of six, Conor won the event with a distance of 13.01m, followed by James in 6th place, his last throw of 8.85m being his best of the series.

Friday saw the Pride 5k kicking off this week’s gay pride activities in the capital. The race, as usual, took place on the footpaths and roads of the Phoenix, and, unlike the previous night, there was a deluge at the start. There was such a large number on the front line so eager to get underway in the torrential rain that the scene was described as resembling that of a column charging into battle! We had at least 4 runners in the event. They were led home by Dave Carter, brother to the race director, who finished in 28th spot in a time of 19:35. Dave was followed by Annie Hughes who placed 78th and 10th female finisher in 21:02. In the race, with its field of 1,161 finishers, Dee Ni Chearbhaill was next in 97th and 12th places in a time of 21:39, followed by Lydia Bigley (274th and 35th in 24:31).

The 32nd running of the Michael Manning Dunshaughlin 10k (and 4th race in the Peugeot race series) took place on Saturday evening in warm conditions. One of the fastest, if not the fastest, 10Ks in the country, the race did not disappoint with a strong elite showing, producing some great times. Our fast runner on the night was ger Forde with yet another PB. Ger placed 40th in the field of 971 finishers, in a great time of 33:52 and 5th M40. Ger was followed by Joe McDermott, just seconds off his PB, placing 67th in 34:47 and by Peter O’Toole who also recorded a PB with his time of 35:40 for 102nd place. Ronan Smith completed the contingent with a satisfying 39:46 for 275th place, such a large number of finishers running under 40 minutes. Among the many ex-Crusaders in the race, Catherine Thornton, who trains with us from time to time, placed 116th and 9th female finisher in a PB-equalling 36:01 and Sean Murphy, who also trains with us, placed 280th in 40:03.

The first race of the Irish Life Dublin Marathon Race Series took place in Corkagh Park on Sunday morning. It was a 5-mile event, won overall by Peter Somba, who had placed 3rd in our Docklands Race three days earlier. Adrienne Jordan distinguished herself, placing 31st and 2nd in 31:29, followed by Karl Walsh who ran 31:42 for 34th place. Further back came Robbie Moore (165th in 36:20) and Kevin Kenny (347th in 40:46).

On the same day, we had runners in two other relatively local races. David O’Donnell joined 1,231 other runners in the Castleknock 5k, crossing the line in 169th place in a time of 22:34. There were two of our club mates in the Thoroughbred Half marathon in Co. Kildare. Paul F. Kelly placed 35th in a field of 365 in a time of 1:34:59, whilst Seamas Bulaeir finished in 107th spot in a PB time of 1:49:30.

Further afield, on Saturday, Brian McGuckin and Niall McGeorge had headed to Livigno to run in a 17k mountainous trail and road race. Unfortunately, Brian was forced to drop out after 3k with a suspected chest infection, but Niall was able to complete the challenge in 3:50:04 to take 135th place in a field of 179 finishers.

There had been more action in the mountains closer to home over the course of the week. On Wednesday night, there was a race, organised by IMRA as part of the Leinster League, over Djouce once again. This time it was based on the route known as the Ayling Abyss. The race was 10.64k long, involving a climb of some 607m. 164 runners contested the event, among them Paul Flynn who placed 24th in 64:43 and Raghnall O’Donoghue (31st in 65:55). Then, on Saturday, Donatas Jocius, joined the field of 73 to run in the Dublin Mountain Trail Festival 25k, one of the races in the festival. Donatas performed well, placing 2nd overall in 2:18:44.

Elsewhere, two of our London-based exiles were active over the weekend. Kate O'Malley placed 2nd female finisher in the Maverick Dorset Trail Race, whilst Thom Martini ran in the Osterley 10k set in the park there, recording a time of 44 mins. Louise O'Riordan marked a return to competition by placing 3rd female finisher in the Tri an Mhi sprint distance triathlon (2:05).

Despite the rainy conditions early on Saturday morning there was a good turnout in the parkruns on offer. As usual, we had a fair smattering of first finishers. In the USA, Tara Murphy placed first (9th overall) in a field of 67 and in a time of 25:28 in the Delaware and Raritan Canal parkrun. In a field of 24, Sarah Lyons took 8th and 1st finisher place in 24:24 in Tolka Valley. She was preceded in the event by her husband, Phelim Murray, who ran 22:50 for 4th place. Ciara Regan was another first finisher, this time in Fairview where she ran alongside 152 other participants. Ciara’s time was 20:49 for 5th place overall and she was followed by Andy Deuser who placed 9th in 22:06. Áine Kenny ran in Mountbellew Forest, where, again, she was a first finisher (3rd overall) in a field of 23, completing the distance in 23:25.

We had two first finishers in the Crusader-dominated 189-strong Poolbeg parkrun. Stephen Hurley finished ahead of the field in 17:53, with Carmel Cooney placing 14th and 1st in 20:37. Ahead of Carmel came Ross Neill (3rd in 18:20), Michael Wycherley (6th in 18:31), Cathal O’Hara (8th in 19:08) and Simon Kenny (11th in 20:10). Paul Campbell followed Carmel home in 21st place in 21:01 and he was followed by Kenan Furlong (36th in 22:58), ex-club President Niall O’Connell making a welcome return (43rd in 23:19), Dee Lawlor (59th in 24:32), Josie Ward (60th and 11th in 24:41), Cliodhna O’Reilly (76th and 17th in 25:26), Maureen McGinley (123rd and 33rd in 28:38), newcomer Louise Snowe (158th and 55th in 34:03) and Niamh Trihy (172nd and 67th in 36:29). Irene Gorman ran 20:44 for 20th and 2nd in the 402-strog field in St. Anne’s and she was followed by Tim Hyland (246th in 30:17). Darndale enjoyed a modest field of 15 runners, among them 5 Crusaders who placed well. Julian Callan took 3rd spot in 23:30. Anna Shine placed 7th and 2nd in 27:25, followed by Fiona Shine (8th and 3rd in 27:29), Máirín Shine (10th and 5th in 28:23) and Lisa Shine (11th and 6th in 28:24).

Michael O’Conor and Rob Glascott ran in Brickfields where they joined 67 other runners. Michael placed 2nd in 18:49, whilst Rob’s time was 22:37 for 13th spot. Dale Whelehan ran in the 276-strong field in Bushy Park where he placed 36th in 23:51, whilst Aidan Hudner ran in Pollok in Glasgow in a field of 239, where he placed 45th in 24:40. Colm Foley took 43rd place in Griffeen Park, where he recorded a time of 23:55 in a field of 233. Ciarán Smyth joined 91 other participants in Oldbridge where he took 15th place in 23:15, whilst Olwyn Dunne ran once again in Cabinteely. In a field of 186, Olwyn placed 66th and 14th in 26:09. Mairead Cashman took 39th and 9th places in Father Collins, where, in a field of 83, she ran 27:58, whilst, in Donabate, Brendan Glynn ran a time of 23:05 for 22nd place in a field of 158. Paul F. Kelly took 67th spot in 27:28 in Poppintree, with its field of 137, whilst Carina Davidson ran in Shanganagh. With her time of 38:12, Carina placed 207th and 92nd in a field of 221. Lastly, Franky Keane joined 84 other runners in Mullingar where he placed 9th in 22:34.

Dublin Pride 5k (1161)
Overall place Name Cat. Place Chiptime
1 Peter McGuinness 1 00:16:28
9 Eavan McLoughlin 1 00:18:05
Crusaders AC runners
28 David Carter 00:19:35
78 Annie Hughes 00:21:02 (10)
97 Dee Ni Chearbhaill 00:21:39 (12)
274 Lydia Bigley 00:24:31 (35)
Full results here: https://myrunresults.com/events/dublin_pride_run_2023/4829/results
Michael Manning Dunshaughlin 10k (971)
Overall place Name Cat. Place Chiptime
1 Conor Duffy 1 00:30:19
26 Ide Nic Dhomhnaill 1 00:33:10
Crusaders AC runners
40 Ger Forde 00:33:52 (PB)
67 Joe McDermott 00:34:47
102 Peter O’Toole 00:35:40 (PB)
275 Ronan Smith 00:39:46
Full results here: https://www.popupraces.ie/race/micheal-manning-memorial-dunshaughlin-10k-2023/
Irish Life Corkagh Park 5-mile (1241)
Overall place Name Cat. Place Chiptime
1 Peter Somba 1 00:25:36
7 Caitlin Harvey 1 00:29:50
Crusaders AC runners
31 Adrienne Jordan 00:31:29 (2)
34 Karl Walsh 00:31:42
165 Robbie Moore 00:36:20
Full results here: https://www.tdleventservices.co.uk/en/results-embed.php?event=3941#0_1EE2F1
Castleknock 5k (1232)
Overall place Name Cat. Place Chiptime
1 Kevin Moriarty 1 00:15:35
12 Ellen McLoughlin 1 00:17:40
Crusaders AC runner
169 David O’Donnell 00:22:34
Full results here: https://www.popupraces.ie/race/castleknock-5km-2023/
Docklands 5k Sponsored by J.P. Morgan (1552)
Overall place Name Cat. Place Chiptime
1 Pierre Murchan 1 00:14:32
27 Laura Mooney 1 00:17:04
Crusaders AC runners
20 Alex Ainsworth 00:16:47 (PB)
42 John Mannion 00:17:35
112 Sam Carvill 00:19:00
338 Michael Maughan 00:22:07
832 Fanny Trébouet 00:25:54
1195 Matthew Jennings 00:29:04 (C25K)
1282 Sharon Woods 00:31:10 (C25K pacer)
1283 Michele Reid 00:31:10 (C25K)
1312 Emma Harty 00:32:36 (C25K)
1314 Marie Claire Daly 00:32:37 (C25K)
1317 Sharon McHugh 00:32:42 (C25K)
1340 Ruth Keane 00:33:18 (C25K)
1341 Virginia Stewart 00:33:17 (C25K)
1350 Maeve Scully 00:33:46 (C25K)
1351 Tea Jugovic Bezjak 00:33:29 (C25K)
1356 Emily Glen 00:33:51 (C25K pacer)
1423 Gemma Butler 00:35:25 (C25K)
1448 Cynthia Perucca 00:36:33 (C25K)
1489 Áine Ní Riain 00:39:06 (C25K)
1490 Kate Rigney 00:39:07 (C25K)
1496 Siobhan McGuire 00:39:39 (C25K)
1497 Liz Bradshaw 00:39:39 (C25K)
1543 Sinead Hayes 00:47:43 (C25K)
Full results here: https://www.myrunresults.com/events/docklands_5k_2023/4825/results
Thoroughbred Half Marathon (365)
Overall place Name Cat. Place Chiptime
1 Tom O’Leary 1 01:20:00
16 Emma Boland 1 01:28:37
Crusaders AC runner
35 Paul F. Kelly 01:34:59
107 Seamas Bulaeir 01:49:30 (PB)
Full results here: https://my.raceresult.com/249917/
Dublin Mountain Trail Running Festival 25k (73)
Overall place Name Cat. Place Guntime
1 Marc Fitzachary 1 02:01:11
11 Annette Leahy 1 02:47:00
Crusaders AC runner
2 Donatas Jocius 02:18:44
Full results here: https://www.webscorer.com/racedetails?raceid=318650&did=392221
IMRA Djouce – The Ayling Abyss 10.6k (154)
Overall place Name Cat. Place Guntime
1 Mark McAdden 1 00:53:16
22 Anna Michael 1 01:04:20
Crusaders AC runners
24 Paul Flynn 01:04:43
31 Raghnall O’Donoghue 01:05:55
Full results here: https://www.imra.ie/events/results/id/2310/
Mount Bellew Forest Parkrun (23)
Overall place Name Cat. Place Guntime
1 Tony O’Malley 1 00:20:29
3 Áine Kenny 1 00:23:25
Crusaders AC runner
3 Áine Kenny 00:23:25 (1)
Tolka Valley Parkrun (24)
Overall place Name Cat. Place Guntime
1 Dom Barnett 1 00:21:28
8 Sarah Lyons 1 00:24:24
Crusaders AC runners
4 Phelim Murray 00:22:50
8 Sarah Lyons 00:24:24 (1)
Darndale Parkrun (15)
Overall place Name Cat. Place Guntime
1 Daire Feeney 1 00:21:43
6 Joann Kelly 1 00:27:10
Crusaders AC runners
3 Julian Callan 00:23:30
7 Anna Shine 00:27:25 (2)
8 Fiona Shine 00:27:29 (3)
10 Máirín Shine 00:28:23 (5)
11 Lisa Shine 00:28:24 (6)
Shanganagh Parkrun (221)
Overall place Name Cat. Place Guntime
1 Brian Colivet 1 00:18:11
10 Eleanor Foot 1 00:20:55
Crusaders AC runner
207 Carina Davidson 00:38:12 (92)
Father Collins Parkrun (91)
Overall place Name Cat. Place Guntime
1 Pawel Kaim 1 00:18:38
9 Andrea Borstas 1 00:21:30
Crusaders AC runner
39 Mairead Cashman 00:27:58 (9)
Griffeen Parkrun (233)
Overall place Name Cat. Place Guntime
1 Nuno Santos 1 00:18:34
14 Jiaojiao Wang 1 00:21:19
Crusaders AC runner
43 Colm Foley 00:23:55
Bushy Parkrun (276)
Overall place Name Cat. Place Guntime
1 Paul Childs 1 00:17:54
8 Stephanie Slevin 1 00:21:57
Crusaders AC runner
36 Dale Whelehan 00:23:51
Poolbeg Parkrun (189)
Overall place Name Cat. Place Guntime
1 Stephen Hurley 1 00:17:53
14 Carmel Cooney 1 00:20:37 (1)
Crusaders AC runners
1 Stephen Hurley 00:17:53
3 Ross Neill 00:18:20
6 Michael Wycherley 00:18:31
8 Cathal O’Hara 00:19:08
11 Simon Kenny 00:20:10
14 Carmel Cooney 00:20:37 (1)
21 Paul Campbell 00:21:01
36 Kenan Furlong 00:22:58
43 Niall O’Connell 00:23:19
59 Derek Lawlor 00:24:32
60 Josie Ward 00:24:41 (11)
76 Cliodhna O’Reilly 00:25:26 (17)
90 Kevin Kenny 00:25:56
123 Maureen McGinley 00:28:38 (33)
158 Louise Snowe 00:34:03 (55)
172 Niamh Trihy 00:36:29 (67)
Cabinteely Parkrun (186)
Overall place Name Cat. Place Guntime
1 Dave Walsh 1 00:19:32
2 Cristín Scollard 1 00:19:35
Crusaders AC runner
66 Olwyn Dunne 00:26:09
Donabate Parkrun (158)
Overall place Name Cat. Place Guntime
1 Stephen Connon 1 00:19:02
10 Geraldine McHale 1 00:22:09
Crusaders AC runner
22 Brendan Glynn 00:23:05
Fairview Parkrun (153)
Overall place Name Cat. Place Guntime
1 Seán Ó Fathaigh 1 00:19:18
5 Ciara Regan 1 00:20:49
Crusaders AC runners
5 Ciara Regan 00:20:49 (1)
9 Andy Deuser 00:22:06
Brickfields Parkrun (69)
Overall place Name Cat. Place Guntime
1 Wesley Harrison 1 00:18:08
11 Mary Fee 1 00:22:21
Crusaders AC runners
2 Michael O’Conor 00:18:49
13 Rob Glascott 00:22:37
Strokestown Parkrun (27)
Overall place Name Cat. Place Guntime
1 Cian Crosbie 1 00:21:27
3 Kate Murray 1 00:22:56
Crusaders AC runner
3 Kate Murray 00:22:56 (1)
St. Anne’s Parkrun (402)
Overall place Name Cat. Place Guntime
1 Dermot Coffey 1 00:17:38
15 Jane Gormley 1 00:20:14
Crusaders AC runners
20 Irene Gorman 00:20:44 (2)
246 Tim Hyland 00:30:17
Oldbridge Parkrun (92)
Overall place Name Cat. Place Guntime
1 Mark Leacy 1 00:19:10
34 Michele McCullough 1 00:26:39
Crusaders AC runner
15 Ciarán Smyth 00:23:15
Poppintree Parkrun (137)
Overall place Name Cat. Place Guntime
1 Bobby Bedford 1 00:18:29
33 Alison Kearns 1 00:24:18
Crusaders AC runner
67 Paul F. Kelly 00:27:28
Mullingar Parkrun (85)
Overall place Name Cat. Place Guntime
1 Noel Scally 1 00:19:42
15 Christine van Welie 1 00:23:52
Crusaders AC runner
9 Franky Keane 00:22:34