The races are now starting to come thick and fast and a little snow at the end of last week was not enough to put people off taking to the cross country and roads over the weekend.
We start, however, with action on the track in the middle of last week. The highlight of the day in the latest and possibly last in the season of graded indoors races at the National Indoors Arena was the result produced by Mary Horgan who ran in a quality field of 14 in the indoors women's mile event, winning the race in a super time of 4:53.16. Two other Crusaders ran in different events on the night producing equally impressive outcomes. Liam Beaumont went in series 2, heat 1 (of 4) in the 60m sprint, which he won in 7.56, whilst Rhianna McCarthy, who now runs for UCD, also won her 60m sprint heat (heat 3 of 4 in series 1) in a time of 7.88. The poor weather leading up to the weekend, produced difficult conditions again for cross-country and the playing fields of ALSAA were back to their traditional challenging boggy conditions for the two BHAA races that took place on Saturday morning. The races enjoyed smaller fields of late, but still with some stalwart Crusaders involved. In the women’s 2-mile race, with its field of 28, once again Clare Sullivan podiumed, coming second in a time of 12:58. Clare was followed by Miriam Logan who ran 14:37 for 12th place and 1st F40. Then, in the mixed 5-mile event, enjoying a field of 68 athletes, John Mulvihill was our lead runner across the line, placing 5th in 30:21. John was followed by men’s captain Joe McDermott who placed 8th overall and 2nd M40 in 31:35 and then by Karl Walsh (33rd in 36:39), Neil Brown (37th in 38:17), Robbie Moore (38th in 38:25) right on Neil’s heels, Tomás Dunne (43rd in 39:38), Tony Hackett (45th in 40:05), David O'Donnell (50th in 40:43), Patrick Needham (54th in 42:18) and Paul E. Kelly (65th in 52:43). Members may also be interested to hear that Sean Murphy, the United Striders athlete who trains with us, placed 32nd in 35:43. Sticking with cross-country, on Sunday morning, 14 of our female club-mates took part in the 4th and final Women’s Meet and Train winter league. This time the race, that measured slightly short of the usual 2 miles, was conducted on one of the loops of the purpose-built XC course in Abbotstown. The women had to run 3 times round the course which was on a mix of firm and muddy ground (and, in particular, including an unexpected set of deep and muddy tractor tracks across the course in the final dash for the line). In a field of 93 runners, the contingent was led home by Cría Dowling (15th in 12:18) and Cría was followed by Hannah Jones (25th in 13:00), Darina Scully alongside her (26th in the same time) and Laura Gobbi closely behind (28th in 13:01). Catriona Egan was next, placing 52nd in 14:10, closely followed by Lydia Bigley (54th in 14:13), a little ahead of Laura O’Malley (59th in 14:18). Next came Carina Davidson (68th in 14:36), followed by Emma O’Mahony (72nd in 14:58), Anna Shine (82nd in 15:50), Máirín Shine (83rd in 16:11), Fiona Shine (86th in 16:30), Niamh Trihy (89th in 19:20) and her guide Lisa Shine (90th in the same time). Because we had incomplete teams for each of the series of races in the league, it appears, subject to confirmation, that we did not produce any meaningful results from a team competition point of view, but everyone had great fun in taking part in the races in which they did participate. On the roads on Saturday morning, we had two Crusaders taking part in both the half and ¾ marathons in Kinvara in Co. Galway. In extremely windy conditions, with horizontal rain at times, on an undulating looped course, Áine Kenny joined 174 other runners in the ¾ marathon, where she placed 35th overall, 5th female finisher, and probably 1st F40 by virtue of the fact that the podium had two O/40 runners on it. Then, in the half marathon, the women’s race being won by an athlete who trains with us from time to time (Catherine Thornton who was 11th overall in 1:23:14), Tara Murphy placed 414th and 128th in the field of 608 in a time of 2:01:45. Similarly, on Saturday, Kathryn Sweeney headed up to Donegal where she ran in the Bundoran 10-mile race there. In a large field of 1544 finishers, Kathryn placed 130th and 12th in a great time of 66:45. That same day, Daniel Cullen also found a ten miler to run in, closer to home. In Naas, in a field of 519, Daniel came home in 79th spot in a respectable time of 71:53. Finally, and further away from home, Florian Mormont, in training for the Paris marathon in April, ran in the Semi-Marathon de Paris, recording a time of 1:53:54 for the 21.1k distance. Even further afield, on Sunday there was a reasonable number of Irish runners among the overseas contingent who took part in the Tokyo marathon, with its field of 38,500 runners. Among them were 4 Crusaders, Liz Nixon, Kate Murray, Liam O’Brien and James Cottle. Conditions at the start were quite cold and we were packed into the corrals for over an hour beforehand. It was difficult to stay warm in temperatures just above freezing, but then when we got underway, the cool and sunny morning provided some upside and was ideal for marathon running. The starting gun produced a cascade of petals for us to run under to begin our race. The chilly start had required a decent amount of discardable clothing, which had to be placed in large bins in the starting corrals. This was just one element of the rules of the game in Japan. As we ran the course, there was virtually no litter on the roads: paper cups at the water stations were discarded in bins at the end of each station, used gel sachets were either put in the same containers or held onto. We were advised we could be disqualified for littering or throwing clothing away enroute. As a result, this approach to tidiness was pretty firmly adhered to by the competitors. The course has a slight downhill element to it over the first 5km, but thereafter flattens out with just the odd few bridges, which provided some relatively steep climbs at times. It also involves 4 out-and-back elements, allowing runners to see those ahead, including the elite front runners, and those behind. For some of us, it was exhilarating, but such elements can be demoralising for others. The turns at the end of each “finger” were also quite tight and we were reduced to a walk at times to go round them. Huge, polite crowds lined the wide streets as we went along, many of the spectators in fancy dress. It was a fun experience and so different from western marathons. We were lucky with the weather as the sun came out for much of the race, but it only got really warm towards the end and there was plenty of shade from the skyscrapers lining the route. Such buildings also created a challenge for runners. Our GPS watches were all over the place and we found that as each km mark came along our watches were registering a distance that increased over time. At the start the difference between watch and course marker was in tens of metres, but by the end of the race our watches had us finishing over 500m before the actual finish line, meaning that our watches were telling us that we had run around 43k. This made it hard for the pacing groups too and led to a certain amount of surging by the pacers at times to keep on track. In the end the best way to pace was to ignore the watch from a distance point of view and simply to check on the cumulative time at each km marker. The contingent was led home by James who stuck with the 3:10 pacers for the first 35k and ran 3:12:23 to place 5th in his M65 age category, a highly satisfactory outcome after a truncated 8-week period of training following injury in December. This was also James’ 6th marathon major (the majors being Berlin, Boston, New York, Chicago, London and Tokyo) and all runners who completed the six were given a second medal commemorating the achievement, with James joining about 250 others in Ireland to have done this (including Alma Hanevy, Joe Walsh, Ciaran Diviney, Áine Kenny and no doubt a couple more Crusaders). James was followed by Liz who was also delighted with her 3:43:31, achieved with level splits, then by Liam (3:47:58), with Kate running 4:01:25. All enjoyed the experience and the day was completed with a lavish after race party involving demonstrations of Japanese activities, including traditional theatre and Sumo wrestling together with sumptuous Japanese food and drink. Following the surprising snow storm in Dublin on Friday, several of the parkruns, including Poolbeg, were cancelled and, indeed, there appeared to be generally smaller fields at those that were held. Still, we had a decent showing in those parkruns that did take place along with a few podium finishes. The highlight of the day probably belongs to Brian Regan who was in London on the day (and where presumably the weather would have not had any impact) and in the Hackney Marshes parkrun he led home the field of 330 in a time of 18:44. Darina Scully recorded a podium finish in River Valley Park, placing 11th overall and 3rd female finisher in a time of 24:08 and in a field of 91, whilst Toby Benham also placed 3rd in Tramore Valley, Cork in a time of 18:57. The field there measured 200. Serena Molony also got herself on the podium once again in Templemore, where in a field of 67, she ran 24:18 for 16th and 3rd places. We had a reasonably large contingent in Shanganagh. In a field of 225, Dave Carter took 8th place in 20:00, followed by Caroline Crowley (39th and 4th in 23:09), Eoghan Corrigan (no doubt with his buggy), (61st in 24:21), Kevin Kenny (70th in 24:56), Orlaith de Burca (171st and 66th in 30:34), Máirín Shine (194th and 82nd in 33:47), Fiona Shine (195th and 83rd in 33:48), Carina Davidson (209th and 91st in 38:01) and Lisa Shine (212th and 93rd in 40:14). Also, running well, Paul Cowhie ran with 278 other participants in Malahide, where he placed 6th in a time of 18:07. Diarmuid Byrne took 4th spot in22:21 in the 37-strong field in Tolka Valley, whilst Andy Deuser placed 14th in 23:04 in the field of 132 in Fairview. Susanne ran on Laytown Beach where, in a field of 388, she placed 119th and 16th in 26:55. Interestingly, next week’s parkrun there is cancelled due to the start time coinciding with high tide. Mairead Cashman headed down to Co. Waterford where in the SETU Arena Parkrun she placed 62nd and 25th in 30:29 in a field of 106, whilst we had a lone runner too in St. Anne’s where, in a field of 429, Irene Gorman placed 357th and 126th in 33:40. Finally, once again Brendan Glynn ran in Donabate where, in a field of 128, he placed 56th in 26:37. Bundoran 10-mile race (1544) Overall place Name Cat. Place Chiptime 1 Eoghain McGinley 1 00:56:18 14 Noeleen Scanlan 1 00:58:40 Crusaders AC runner 130 Kathryn Sweeney 01:06:45 (12) Full results here: https://www.myrunresults.com/events/_bundoran_10_2024/5164/results Kinvara half marathon (608) Overall place Name Cat. Place Chiptime 1 Evan Reid 1 01:12:23 11 Catherine Thornton 1 01:23:14 Crusaders AC runner 414 Tara Murphy 02:01:45 (128) Full results here: https://www.rockandroad.ie/results/?fbclid=IwAR0W543ZQriwDOVeAMPIwXvYD-ny4p-HKUOqmao5yhs4FktuFXZlVwabiAA Kinvara ¾ marathon (175) Overall place Name Cat. Place Chiptime 1 Karl Ennis 1 01:57:24 9 Dee Collins 1 02:09:50 Crusaders AC runner 35 Áine Kenny 02:30:54 (5) Full results here: https://www.rockandroad.ie/results/?fbclid=IwAR0W543ZQriwDOVeAMPIwXvYD-ny4p-HKUOqmao5yhs4FktuFXZlVwabiAA BHAA ALSAA women’s 2-mile XC (28) Overall place Name Guntime 1 Karla Doran 00:12:43 Crusaders AC runners 2 Clare Sullivan 00:12:58 12 Miriam Logan 00:14:37 Full results here: https://irp.cdn-website.com/15e8030f/files/uploaded/ALSAA%20CC%205m%202024%20Results%20V2.pdf BHAA ALSAA mixed 5-mile XC (68) Overall place Name Cat. Place Guntime 1 Daniel O’Brien 1 00:28:22 21 Zoe Quinn 1 00:33:57 Crusaders AC runners 5 John Mulvihill 00:30:21 8 Joe McDermott 00:31:35 33 Karl Walsh 00:36:39 37 Neil Brown 00:38:17 38 Robbie Moore 00:38:25 43 Tomás Dunne 00:39:38 45 Anthony Hackett 00:40:05 50 David O'Donnell 00:40:43 54 Patrick Needham 00:42:18 65 Paul E. Kelly 00:52:43 Full results here: https://irp.cdn-website.com/15e8030f/files/uploaded/ALSAA%20CC%205m%202024%20Results%20V2.pdf Naas 10-mile race (519) Overall place Name Cat. Place Chiptime 1 Hugh Armstrong 1 00:50:12 8 Becky Woods 1 00:58:24 Crusaders AC runner 79 Daniel Cullen 01:11:53 Full results here: https://www.popupraces.ie/race/naas-10-mile-2024/ Women’s Meet & Train 4th 2-mile XC (169) Overall place Name Guntime 1 Lisa Gaughan 00:11:04 Crusaders AC runners 15 Cría Dowling 00:12:18 25 Hannah Jones 00:13:00 26 Darina Scully 00:13:00 28 Laura Gobbi 00:13:01 52 Catriona Egan 00:14:10 54 Lydia Bigley 00:14:13 59 Laura O’Malley 00:14:18 68 Carina Davidson 00:14:36 72 Emma O’Mahony 00:14:58 82 Anna Shine 00:15:50 83 Máirín Shine 00:16:11 86 Fiona Shine 00:16:30 89 Niamh Trihy 00:19:20 90 Lisa Shine 00:19:20 Laytown Beach Parkrun (388) Overall place Name Cat. Place Guntime 1 Chun Man Tam 1 00:17:59 31 Caitriona Costello 1 00:22:33 Crusaders AC runner 179 Susanne English 00:26:55 (16) Shanganagh Parkrun (225) Overall place Name Cat. Place Guntime 1 Risteard MacEoin 1 00:18:30 13 Robyn Kennedy 1 00:20:40 Crusaders AC runners 8 David Carter 00:20:00 39 Caroline Crowley 00:23:09 (4) 61 Eoghan Corrigan 00:24:21 70 Kevin Kenny 00:25:46 171 Orlaith de Burca 00:30:34 (66) 194 Máirín Shine 00:33:47 (82) 195 Fiona Shine 00:33\:48 (83) 209 Carina Davidson 00:38:01 (91) 212 Lisa Shine 00:40:14 (93) St. Anne’s Parkrun (429) Overall place Name Cat. Place Guntime 1 Ryan Bradshaw 1 00:18:39 20 Triona Nic Dhónaill 1 00:20:54 Crusaders AC runner 357 Irene Gorman 00:33:40 (126) Fairview Parkrun (132) Overall place Name Cat. Place Guntime 1 Matthew Cleave 1 00:18:42 7 Ava Rose Clarke 1 00:21:52 Crusaders AC runner 14 Andy Deuser 00:23:04 Malahide Parkrun (279) Overall place Name Cat. Place Guntime 1 Stephen Butler 1 00:17:02 4 Kate Cronin 1 00:17:32 Crusaders AC runner 6 Paul Cowhie 00:18:07 River Valley Parkrun (91) Overall place Name Cat. Place Guntime 1 Viktoras Kuzminas 00:19:27 5 Cecile Ollagnier 1 00:22:06 Crusaders AC runner 11 Darina Scully 00:24:08 (3) Donabate Parkrun (138) Overall place Name Cat. Place Guntime 1 Daniel Doran 1 00:18:37 13 Órla Gilheany 1 00:22:37 Crusaders AC runner 56 Brendan Glynn 00:26:37 SETU Arena Parkrun (106) Overall place Name Cat. Place Guntime 1 Damian Bourke 1 00:18:48 12 Maire Mahony 1 00:22:46 Crusaders AC runner 62 Mairead Cashmman 00:30:29 (25) Tramore Valley, Cork Parkrun (200) Overall place Name Cat. Place Guntime 1 Barry Walsh 1 00:18:32 8 Carmel Crowley 1 00:20:15 Crusaders AC runner 3 Toby Benham 00:18:57 Tolka Valley Parkrun (37) Overall place Name Cat. Place Guntime 1 Mindaugas Igaris 1 00:20:19 3 Siobhan Nugent 1 00:21:24 Crusaders AC runner 4 Diarmuid Byrne 00:22:21 Templemore Parkrun (67) Overall place Name Cat. Place Guntime 1 Tom Lupton 1 00:19:01 10 Mairead Butler 1 00:22:14 Crusaders AC runner 16 Serena Moloney 00:24:18 (3) Comments are closed.
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