Rainbow Warriors

16/6/2025

Paul O'Hara and Gary Park

At least three new members to the club were in successful action over the weekend. Although, Saturday morning’s deluge had its impact generally on numbers running in parkruns, there were enough stalwart runners out there to make their presence felt in other events.

DSD’s track in Tilbradden was the venue for the 5th of this year’s Dublin graded meets. At least 9 of our club-mates took part in the racing there during Saturday in heavy continuous rain. In the women’s 200m grade C race Eva Griffin placed 3rd in a time of 27.53. Then, in the 2nd heat of the men’s A grade race of the same distance Cillian Doherty, who, along with Sean Owens, has been selected to represent Ireland in the U20 squad in Mannheim, placed 5th in 22.54. Heat 3 produced a 3rd place finish for Luke Timlin in 21.68 ahead of Hugo Magee (4th in 21.72), and then in the 1st heat of the grade B race, Andrew Hooke placed 24.17. Charlie Bastow won heat 2 in 23.01. Finally, we had runners in both C and D grade 3000m races. In the former, Paul O’Hara won the race in a PB time of 10:06.01, followed by Gary Park who placed 5th in 10:32.58. Shane Carroll then ran in the D event where he placed 6th in 11:23.56.

We also had a few runners up in Lisburn on the Mary Peters track, participating in a British Milers Club meet. Alex Ainsworth ran in the mile D grade race, where he placed 4th in a super PB time of 4:29.62. Then, in the women’s C grade 800m, Saoirse McGrath took 4th spot in 2:19.61, followed closely by Annie Hughes, in 5th place with a time of 2:20.50.

Earlier in the week, we had athletes taking part in the annual BHAA 5k trail race that took place near the cricket pitches near Chesterfield Avenue in the Phoenix Park. In warm and dry conditions, Clare Sullivan won the women’s race in 19:52, placing 21st overall in a field of 188. Ahead of her, Michael O’Conor took 4th spot in 17:35, and then Clare was followed by Felipe De Sousa (21st in 19:52), Sean Murphy (33rd in 20:46) and then Neil Brown (42nd in 21:29) and Karl Walsh (45th in 21:40) a little further back. It was great to see Laura Garcia Gonzalez back in the country, placing 69th overall and 9th female finisher in 23:14. Laura finished ahead of Sharon Woods (83rd, 15th and 1st F55 in 23:59), Chris Bannon (92nd in 24:24), Brendan Glynn (98th in 24:44) and Kate Murray (101st, 21st and 2nd F50 in 24:53).

Also, during the week, Philip Matthews was our sole representative in the 2nd round of the Raheny Shamrock-organised Lord Mayors 2-mile road race series. In a field of 56, Philip placed 26th in 13:42.

At the end of Pride Week, the Phoenix Park was once again the venue for the annual Dublin Pride 5k on Friday evening. With a significant field exceeding 1400 runners Kabir Sala came across the line in 53rd place in 19:56. Joanne Carey followed (114th and 13th in 21:22), ahead of Dee Ni Chearbhaill (155th and 18th in 22:07). The contingent was completed by Bo Chicoine (273rd in 23:48), Tanja Narancic (309th and 34th in 24:08) and Gabriela Segura (598th and 105th in 26:59).

There were at least two road races in Ireland on Sunday involving Crusaders. Lorraine McMahon took part in the Dunmanway 10k in Co. Cork, placing 213th and 67th in 59:53 in a field of 283. Then, we had major success in the Castleknock 5k in damp conditions with its field of 1764. Recent new member Morgan Evans paced his partner, Sarah-Grace Breen, also new to the club, to a place on the podium as well as a PB, breaking 18 minutes for the first time. Sarah-Grace placed 30th and 3rd in 17:45, 1 second behind the 2nd placed runner who had an identical chiptime, with Morgan alongside (31st in 17:44).

We also had runners taking part in the Royal Canal Odyssey on Saturday, a run along the towpath from Maynooth to Mullingar with everyone trying to complete a distance to match their age at least or indeed further. Olwyn Dunne ran 60k in 5:54, whilst Dee Lawlor ran 44k in 4:09, Kevin Kenny ran 65k in 9:47 and Aitor Arribas Velasco ran 47k in 5:08.

Further afield, Louise, one of our London-based exiles, ran in the Maverick Race in Dorset, covering the distance of 23k in 2:53, whilst new member Sebastian Hansen took part in the Broloppet Half marathon in Denmark. Sebastian recorded a new PB with a time of 79:07, placing 81st in a field of around 40,000.

There were two races in the mountains involving Crusaders. On Wednesday evening, we had three runners in a 12.2k race with a climb of 633m around Djouce in Co. Wicklow. Once again, Donatas Jocius made the podium, placing 2nd in 63:43, ahead of Paul Flynn (11th in 68:34) and Warren Swords (34th in 77:59). The field measured 163.

Then, on Saturday morning, over in Co. Galway, Áine Kenny won the women’s event in the IMRA-organised race in Kylebrack Woods on a course of 11.3k involving a climb of 187m. In a field of 44, Áine placed 15th overall in a time of 70:45.

As mentioned above, the torrential rain on Saturday morning perhaps deterred a lot of runners in parkruns. The field in Poolbeg, for example, was significantly reduced at 92, Nevertheless, there was a good turnout of Crusaders in the event with Kenan Furlong crossing the line ahead of everyone else in a time of 17:54. Kenan was followed by Michael Wycherley (2nd in 18:21), Aoife Hoare (8th and 2nd in 21:02), Jade Murphy (19th and 3rd in 22:45), Franky Keane (36th in 25:37), Louise O’Riordan (46th and 15th in 27:11), Aisling O’Riordan (49th and 17th in 27:25), Tanja Narancic (58th and 22nd in 29:47) Lisa Branigan (63rd and 27th in 31:07), Niamh Trihy (81st and 39th in 39:08) and Sharon Woods, tailwalking.

We also had a fair number of athletes taking part in the parkrun in the University of Galway for birthday celebrations, although the results of several of our runners were not recorded. In a field of 160, Ciara Regan placed 8th and first female finisher in 20:35. Ciara was followed by Irene Gorman (12th and 2nd in 21:13), Kathryn Gibbons (24th and 3rd in 23:33), Margaret Foley (27th and 5th in 24:02), Rebecca Fleming (68th and 22nd in 27:32) alongside Miriam Logan (69th and 23rd in 27:34), ahead of Paul E. Kelly (97th in 30:25).

We had another first finisher, this time in St. Anne’s in Raheny. Peter O’Toole led the field of 187 home in 18:57 and he was followed by Paul F. Kelly (27th in 24:41). Sean Murphy headed to his native New Ross where he placed 2nd in 20:04 in a field of 94, whilst, we had two runners in Bushy Park. Kev Moore took 4th spot in the field of 223 in a time of 20:02 and he was followed by Mary Donnelly (14th and 2nd in 21:27). Laura O’Malley placed 15th and 2nd in 25:22 in the 42-strong field in Tolka Valley Park, whilst, in Lough Key, Kate Murray joined 122 other runners, where she placed 12th and 3rd in 24:49.

Lorraine McMahon ran alongside 189 other participants on the Midleton Greenway, where she placed 82nd and 19th in 28:36, whilst Colm Foley placed 38th in a field of 171 in Griffeen Park, recording a time of 24:01. Anna and Máirín Shine ran in the 89-strong field in Poppintree finishing alongside each other in a time of 32:29 for 71st and 21st and 72nd and 22nd places, whilst Darina Scully ran once again in River Valley Park, where, in a field of 61, she placed 17th and 6th in 26:25. Catriona Egan placed 52nd and 16th in 32:19 in a field of 70 in Fairview, whilst Orlaith de Burca headed to Southwark in London, where, in a field of 542, she placed 348th and 104th in 29:37. Also, abroad, Lisa Shine and Emer Kenny, on a trip to Sweden, ran in the 205-strong field in Haga in Stockholm, where, running alongside each other, Lisa placed 156th and 45th in 32:19 and Emer placed 157th and 46th in 32:20. Finally, two of our UK-based exiles, Toby Benham and Jeanie Watson ran, respectively in Havant and Finsbury Park, with Toby placing 21st in 22:53 in a field of 268 and Jeanie placing 306th and 66th in 26:51 in a field of 829.

BHAA BCM Global 5k Trail run (188)
Overall place Name Cat. Place Guntime
1 Sean Doran 1 00:16:16
21 Clare Sullivan 1 00:19:52
Crusaders AC runners
4 Michael O’Conor 00:17:35
21 Clare Sullivan 00:19:52 (1)
31 Felipe De Sousa 00:20:34
33 Sean Murphy 00:20:46
42 Neil Brown 00:21:29
45 Karl Walsh 00:21:40
69 Laura Garcia Gonzalez 00:23:14 (9)
83 Sharon Woods 00:23:59 (15)
92 Chris Bannon 00:24:24
98 Brendan Glynn 00:24:44
101 Kate Murray 00:24:53 (21)
Full results here: https://members.bhaa.ie/results/race/532
Lord Mayor 2-mile series round 2 (56)
Overall place Name Cat. Place Chiptime
1 Barry Meehan 1 00:10:13
7 Ciara Brady 1 00:11;52
Crusaders AC runner
26 Philip Matthews 00:13;42
Full results here: https://rahenyshamrock.ie/archives/9338?fbclid=IwY2xjawK8FTRleHRuA2FlbQIxMQBicmlkETBudjZEWXlzSWJvbTFEa1BSAR5envmLDtiNXuLNpA7ydU6sPgGTDSzx6VB9Iwo1I-m35XWDwxaGyJX3Z8FhwA_aem_spnpT3Z-L_Nxgl-pUQjZzg
Dunmanway 10k (283)
Overall place Name Cat. Place Chiptime
1 Danny Mullins 1 00:33:12
38 Siobhan Holland 1 00:43:20
Crusaders AC runner
213 Lorraine McMahon 00:59:53 (67)
Full results here: https://www.corkathletics.org/latest-results/2025/463-june/3482-results-of-dunmanway-10k-road-race-2025.html
Dublin Pride 5k (1407)
Overall place Name Cat. Place Chiptime
1 James Moran 1 00:16:20
12 Mollie O’Donnell 1 00:18:24
Crusaders AC runners
114 Joanne Carey 00:21:22 (13)
155 Deirdre Ni Chearbhaill 00:22:07 (18)
273 Bo Chicoine 00:23:48
309 Tanja Narancic 00:24:08 (34)
598 Gabriela Segura 00:26:59 (105)
Full results here: https://myrunresults.com/events/_dublin_pride_run_2025/5675/results
Castleknock 5k (1764)
Overall place Name Cat. Place Chiptime
1 Nickolas Colyn 1 00:14:45
18 Aine Cotter 1 00:17:06
Crusaders AC runners
30 Sarah-Grace Breen 00:17:45 (PB) (3)
31 Morgan Evans 00:17:44
Full results here: https://www.popupraces.ie/race/castleknock-5km-2025/
IMRA Djouce- The Ayling Abyss (163)
Overall place Name Cat. Place Guntime
1 Mark McAdden 1 01:03:18
14 Sorcha Loughnane 1 01:10:32
Crusaders AC runners
2 Donatas Jocius 01:03:43
11 Paul Flynn 01:08:34
34 Warren Swords 01:17:59
Full results here: https://www.imra.ie/events/results/id/2662
IMRA Kylebrack Woods 11.3k (44)
Overall place Name Cat. Place Guntime
1 Henry Browne 1 01:00:36
15 Áine Kenny 1 01:10:45
Crusaders AC runner
15 Áine Kenny 01:10:45 (1)
Full results here: https://www.imra.ie/events/results/id/2737
Lough Key Parkrun (123)
Overall place Name Cat. Place Guntime
1 Hayley McAteer 1 00:20:08
2 Andy Cahill 1 00:21:32
Crusaders AC runner
12 Kate Murray 00:24:49 (3)
River Valley Parkrun (61)
Overall place Name Cat. Place Guntime
1 Jason Lawlor 1 00:20:51
3 Cecile Ollagnier 1 00:23:06
Crusaders AC runner
17 Darina Scully 00:26:25 (6)
Fairview Parkrun (70)
Overall place Name Cat. Place Guntime
1 Jamie Renehan 1 00:18:46
15 Orla Deighan 1 00:24:02
Crusaders AC runner
52 Catriona Egan 00:32:19 (16)
Poolbeg Parkrun (92)
Overall place Name Cat. Place Guntime
1 Kenan Furlong 1 00:17:54
7 Ava Rose Clarke 1 00:20:39
Crusaders AC runners
1 Kenan Furlong 00:17:54
2 Michael Wycherley 00:18:21
4 Stephen Hurley 00:19:14
8 Aoife Hoare 00:21:02 (2)
19 Jade Murphy 00:22:45 (3)
36 Franky Keane 00:25:37
46 Louise O’Riordan 00:27:11 (15)
49 Aisling O’Riordan 00:27:25 (17)
58 Tanja Narancic 00:29:47 (22)
63 Lisa Branigan 00:31:07 (27)
81 Niamh Trihy 00:39:08 (39)
92 Sharon Woods 00:52:19 (47)
Griffeen Parkrun (171)
Overall place Name Cat. Place Guntime
1 Eric Neville 1 00:18:41
20 Shuang Shuang Wang 1 00:22:48
Crusaders AC runner
38 Colm Foley 00:24:01
Univ. of Galway Parkrun (160)
Overall place Name Cat. Place Guntime
1 Matthew O’Brien 1 00:18:18
8 Ciara Regan 1 00:20:35
Crusaders AC runners
8 Ciara Regan 00:20:35 (1)
12 Irene Gorman 00:21:13 (2)
24 Kathryn Gibbons 00:23:33 (3)
27 Margaret Foley 00:24:02 (5)
68 Rebecca Fleming 00:27:32 (22)
69 Miriam Logan 00:27:34 (23)
97 Paul E. Kelly 00:30:25
Tolka Valley Parkrun (42)
Overall place Name Cat. Place Guntime
1 Scott Thomas 1 00:19:11
8 Andrea Van Den Block 1 00:24:36
Crusaders AC runner
15 Laura O’Malley 00:25:22 (2)
St. Anne’s Parkrun (187)
Overall place Name Cat. Place Guntime
1 Peter O’Toole 1 00:18:57
10 Crona Clohisey 1 00:22:08
Crusaders AC runners
1 Peter O’Toole 00:18:57
27 Paul F. Kelly 00:24:41
Midleton Greenway Parkrun (190)
Overall place Name Cat. Place Guntime
1 Séamus McSweeney 1 00:18:01
3 Evita Volginaite 1 00:18:37
Crusaders AC runner
82 Lorraine McMahon 00:28:36 (19)
Bushy Parkrun (223)
Overall place Name Cat. Place Guntime
1 David O’Halloran 1 00:18:25
11 Sinead Staunton 1 00:21:46
Crusaders AC runners
4 Kev Moore 00:20:02
14 Mary Donnelly 00:21:57 (2)
New Ross Parkrun (94)
Overall place Name Cat. Place Guntime
1 Laurence Farrington 1 00:19:23
6 Kate Reidy 1 00:21:49
Crusaders AC runner
2 Sean Murphy 00:20:04
Poppintree Parkrun (89)
Overall place Name Cat. Place Guntime
1 Anthony Brady 1 00:16:51
18 Niamh McElroy 1 00:22:42
Crusaders AC runners
71 Anna Shine 00:32:29 (21)
72 Máirín Shine 00:32:29 (22)