Relaying the News

28/4/2025

L-R: Saoirse McGrath, Annie Hughes, Charlotte Myers, Orla Walsh, Kathryn Gibbons, coach Susan Walsh, Claire Mooney

The annual running of the National Road Relays in Raheny took place on Sunday afternoon. It is always great craic and this year’s edition did not disappoint. Held on a warmish day with the wind increasing throughout the afternoon, we fielded 6 teams in 4 of the races and got so close to medalling in two of them. However, all the clubs involved bring out such strong teams and it is a great credit that we can even get close.

The afternoon started with the masters women’s O/35 contest, involving three runners in a sequence of one-mile, two-mile and one-mile legs. The one-mile looped course used for all the races is pretty much flat and run on a concrete road for the most part. 13 club teams participated in this first race and our team of Clare Sullivan, Yvonne Macauley and Caroline Crowley (who is still recovering from a broken elbow sustained in the Tallaght 5k) placed 4th behind Longford, Sportsworld and Dunboyne. Clare ran 5:34 for the first leg, Yvonne, 12:19 for the two miles and then Caroline ran 5:40 as the anchor, their total time being 23:31. It was a super effort.

In the masters O/35 men’s race, we had two teams in the field of 24, also running a sequence of 1-mile, 2-mile and 1-mile legs. The team of Enda Clarke (4:51), Michael O’Conor (10:56) and Paul O’Hara (with a PB of 5:15) ran a total of 21:01, to place 14th overall. Then, our team of Karl Fitzmaurice (5:19), Jan Manschot (11:48) and men’s captain Joe McDermott (5:29) placed 21st in 22:35.

The final two events were senior races. The same format as the masters races was maintained for the senior women’s competition involving 14 club teams. The team of Saoirse McGrath (5:30), Orla Walsh (12:01) and Charlotte Myers (5:13) placed 4th behind DSD, UCD and Raheny with a time of 22:00, whilst the team of ladies’ captain Kathryn Gibbons (5:44), Annie Hughes (12:01) and Claire Mooney (5:33) took 7th place with an accumulated time of 23:17.

Lastly, our senior men’s team were involved in a 4-man relay involving a sequence of 2-mile, 1-mile, 3-mile and 2-mile legs. In a race of extremely high standard they placed 18th in the 26 team race, Paul running 10:59 in the 2-mile first leg, followed by Luke Clarke in 5:03 for the 1 mile, with Alex Ainsworth running a steady pace for a strong 3-mile leg (15:55) and the anchor leg being taken by Brian Regan (10:52 for 2 miles).

Well done to all. It was also great fun supporting everyone and there was a good crowd of Crusaders to provide support.

Apart from the road relays, the weekend seemed to belong mostly to the exploits of those running full and half marathons, both in Ireland and abroad. Saturday saw Brian O’Kelly win the 52-strong Royal Canal Marathon along the towpath in Longford. Brian ran a time of 2:46:26. Then, on Sunday morning, many of us were glued to the BBC coverage of the London marathon which is always such a spectacle, noting that under cloudless skies the temperature was rising from a broadly acceptable 15 degrees at the start, but to around 20 degrees or higher by the finish of the last wave. The event was trying to achieve a World record for the number of finishers, trying to outdo New York’s total of 55,000 or so in November last year. It may well have achieved it, but it would have been a major challenge, given the warm weather conditions. In such circumstances, our hats must be doffed to those from the club who ran in the event. Chief among them was Kevin Fitzgibbon, running his second marathon in a week, having achieved 2:49 in Boston. In London, Kevin found the last 10k tough (and his tracker took forever to refresh after 21 miles, making it look as though he may have dropped out) but, thankfully, completed the distance in 2:56:18.

Kevin was preceded by Daragh O’Reilly who surprisingly recorded a super PB time of 2:34:40, running metronomic 5k splits throughout, and by Doireann Hughes, running her last race with the club (and actually representing her British club of Edinburgh AC in the UK championships) who also recorded a fabulous PB of 2:52:30. Next came Ciara Lehane, paced by her husband Ciaran Diviney, with them both crossing the line with an identical chiptime of 3:45:26, and they were followed by Lieze Verberght (4:14:11), Ciara Reilly (5:03:56) and Fanny Trébouet (5:07:30).

We also had a runner in Manchester on the day. Our London exile Kate O’Malley ran a super 2:56:29 for a PB. Despite a dodgy knee and temperatures in the 16-18 degrees range, Ian Weldon ran 3:26:36 in Hamburg. We had two runners in the challenging marathon in Madrid. Charles-Édouard Cattier, soon to return to these shores from Spain, ran 3:17:18, whilst Lisa Branigan, following her 10-mile race on Monday, ran 3:53:50. Conditions were about the same as in Hamburg.

Finally, back in Ireland on the west coast in blustery conditions and on a hilly course known to many, we had one runner in the Connemarathon full race. Barbara Walsh was one of 574 finishers, placing 419th in 4:54:20. Then, in the half marathon, we had 4 athletes from the club take part. In a field of 1408 finishers, Jeff Marvel placed 10th in 86:10, followed by Aaron Farrell (25th in 92:51), Mark Browne (216th in 1:50:44) and Joy Flaherty (718th in a PB time of 2:11:54).

Another race to note, was the P&G 5k that took place in the northern suburbs of London in midweek. In an event that measured slightly short, another of our London-based exiles, Rob Glascott, ran 18:28.

In the mountains midweek we had 4 of our clubmates take part in the IMRA Wednesday kick-off event held around the Sugar Loaf mountains. In a race of 8.5k with a climb of 360m, and a field of 278, Donatas Jocius placed 2nd in a time of 42:56, followed by Jason Kehoe, after a season playing field hockey, who placed 17th in 47:40, and then by Caoimhe Dempsey (102nd and 15th female finisher in 56:40) and Gavan Doherty (115th in 57:38).

We had some excellent outings in parkruns this week, with several first finishers and podium places.

Sarah Lyons placed 8th and 1st in 23:31 in the 57-strong field in Tolka Valley, followed by Maria Pertl (43rd and 18th in 31:49), whilst Mark Culleton placed 1st in Portumna in a time of 18:52. The field measured 31. Meanwhile, Lisa Shine was also a first finisher, placing 12th overall in 25:43 in the 54-strong field on the Grand Canal Way in Tullamore, whilst Michael Wycherley travelled to Bognor Regis where he joined a field of 400, placing first in a time of 18:01.

The club dominated the top results in the Poolbeg parkrun this weekend. Rory O’Kennedy placed 1st in 17:11. With Emma Rowe placing 15th and 1st in 19:52. In an event involving 235 participants we had 18 members taking part. Kenan Furlong placed 2nd in 17:56, followed by Stephen Hurley (3rd in 17:58) and Ross Neill (11th in 18:53). Behind Emma came Adrian Groarke (19th in 20:30), followed by Conor Kilkenny (22nd in 21:27), Kabir Sala (29th in 21:27), John Lohan (33rd in 21:48), Ciara Regan (41st and 5th in 22:17), Sharon Woods (80th and 13th in 24:40), Russell Murphy (88th in 25:13), Fiona Bane (89th and 16th in 25:19), Bo Chicoine (106th in 26:09), Lorraine McMahon (156th and 52nd in 29:04), Tanja Narancic (160th and 55th in 29:25), Mari Hansen with a buggy (201st and 81st in 33:12) and Don Anderton, tailwalking.

Visiting family in Ipswich in East Anglia, Thomas Vogée placed 2nd in the Kesgrave parkrun with its field of 331. Thomas’ time was 17:34. Meanwhile, we had 3 runners in Bushy Park. In a field of 225, Daniel Lowe placed 4th in 19:48, followed closely by Kev Moore (5th in 20:01) with Kevin Kenny further back (58th in 25:44). James Sherry ran in Monaghan Town where, alongside 123 other runners, he placed 2nd in 19:36, whilst Darrina Scully ran once again in River Valley Park where, in a field of 129, she placed 20th and 3rd in 24:50. Tara Murphy took advantage of a trip to the USA to run in the Veterans Park in New Jersey, where, in a field of 25 runners, she placed 9th and 4th in 27:02, whilst, in the 99-strong field in Brickfields, Eoghan Corrigan and wife Caroline Crowley placed respectively 27th and 28th overall in 25:01 and 25:10. Caroline also was 7th female finisher. In Naas, with its field of 164, Karl Walsh took 4th spot in 18:55, followed by Dale Whelehan who ran 23:43 for 33rd place.

Máirín Shine joined a field of 92 in Clonmel, placing 33rd and 11th in 28:01, whilst Carina Davidson, working her way back from a foot injury, managed to walk/run to 162nd and 62nd places in 46:23 in the 179-strong field in Cabinteely. Colm Foley placed 63rd in 25:28, running alongside 235 other participants in Griffeen Park, whilst Franky Keane joined 171 others in Mullingar, where he placed 35th in 25:40.

Shanganagh enjoyed a field of 306, among them Oisin Browne who placed 22nd in 20:09, followed by Aoife McCarthy (67th and 7th in 23:06), Orlaith de Burca (170th and 41st in 28:14) and Jill Nason (229th and 76th in 31:36). We had 2 participants in Donabate. Chris Bannon ran 23:30 for 36th spot, followed by Lorraine Fitzsimons, tailwalking. 225 runners took part. Paul F. Kelly was our lone runner in the 636-strong field in St. Anne’s where he placed 102nd in 23:09, whilst Mairead Cashman took on Bundoran Promenade where, in a field of 81, she placed 55th and 24th in 32:44.

Finally, looking at other results abroad from our exiles, Aidan Hudner ran once again in Pollok in Glasgow where, in a field of 338 he placed 39th in 23:07, whilst Toby Benham, now perhaps based in the UK, ran alongside 728 other participants in Worthing where he placed 5th in 17:42. Finally, Jeanie Watson ran 23:24 for 149th and 18th places in the field of 865 in Finsbury Park in London.

Connemarathon Half marathon (1408)
Overall place Name Cat. Place Chiptime
1 Marc Augustin 1 01:16:47
26 Sarah Flanagan 1 01:33:06
Crusaders AC runners
10 Jeff Marvel 01:26:10
25 Aaron Farrell 01:32:51
216 Mark Browne 01:50:44
718 Joy Flaherty 02:11:54 (PB)
Full results here: https://www.connemarathon.com/results/
Connemarathon Full (574)
Overall place Name Cat. Place Chiptime
1 Feidhlim McGowan 1 02:30:53
39 Jennie O’Leary 1 03:29:08
Crusaders AC runner
419 Barbara Walsh 04:54:20
Full results here: https://www.connemarathon.com/results/
Longford Royal Canal Marathon (52)
Overall place Name Cat. Place Chiptime
1 Brian O’Kelly 1 02:46:26
8 Helen Hartnett 1 03:15:29
Crusaders AC runner
1 Brian O’Kelly 02:46:26
Full results here: https://www.popupraces.ie/race/royal-canal-run-longford-2025/
IMRA Belmont and Little Sugarloaf 8.5k (278)
Overall place Name Cat. Place Guntime
1 Rory Lush 1 00:42:08
14 Emer Perkins 1 00:47:13
Crusaders AC runners
2 Donatas Jocius 00:42:56
17 Jason Kehoe 00:47:40
102 Caoimhe Dempsey 00:56:40 (15)
115 Gavan Doherty 00:57:38
Full results here: https://www.imra.ie/events/results/id/2658
The Grand Canal Way, Tullamore Parkrun (54)
Overall place Name Cat. Place Guntime
1 Dylan McDonnell 1 00:20:18
12 Lisa Shine 1 00:25:43
Crusaders AC runner
12 Lisa Shine 00:25:43 (1)
Tolka Valley Parkrun (57)
Overall place Name Cat. Place Guntime
1 Cian Ó Raghallaigh 1 00:19:32
8 Sarah Lyons 1 00:23:31
Crusaders AC runners
8 Sarah Lyons 00:23:31 (1)
43 Maria Pertl 00:31:49 (18)
Monaghan Town Parkrun (124)
Overall place Name Cat. Place Guntime
1 Nigel Prior 1 00:19:25
13 Ciara Quigley 1 00:22:39
Crusaders AC runner
2 James Sherry 00:19:36
Clonmel Parkrun (92)
Overall place Name Cat. Place Guntime
1 Paul Halloran 1 00:19:56
8 Rhian McCarthy 1 00:23:13
Crusaders AC runner
33 Máirín Shine 00:28:01 (11)
Poolbeg Parkrun (235)
Overall place Name Cat. Place Guntime
1 Rory O’Kennedy 1 00:17:11
15 Emma Rowe 1 00:19:52
Crusaders AC runners
1 Rory O’Kennedy 00:17:11
2 Kenan Furlong 00:17:56
3 Stephen Hurley 00:17:58
11 Ross Neill 00:18:53
15 Emma Rowe 00:19:52 (1)
19 Adrian Groarke 00:20:13
22 Conor Kilkenny 00:20:30
29 Kabir Sala 00:21:27
33 John Lohan 00:21:48
41 Ciara Regan 00:22:17 (5)
80 Sharon Woods 00:24:40 (13)
88 Russell Murphy 00:25:13
89 Fiona Bane 00:25:19 (16)
106 Bo Chicoine 00:26:09
156 Lorraine McMahon 00:29:04 (52)
160 Tanja Narancic 00:29:25 (55)
201 Mari Hansen 00:33:12 (81)
235 Don Anderton 01:13:34
Bundoran Promenade Parkrun (81)
Overall place Name Cat. Place Guntime
1 Cormac Dillon 1 00:18:53
13 Philomena Gallagher 1 00:24:54
Crusaders AC runner
55 Mairead Cashman 00:32:44 (24)
Brickfields Parkrun (99)
Overall place Name Cat. Place Guntime
1 Maxim Bondarenko 1 00:18:23
11 Eimear Nic An Bhaird 1 00:22:24
Crusaders AC runners
27 Eoghan Corrigan 00:25:01
28 Caroline Crowley 00:25:10 (7)
Bushy Parkrun (208)
Overall place Name Cat. Place Guntime
1 Cian Buckley 1 00:18:48
16 Leah Carroll 1 00:21:59
Crusaders AC runners
4 Daniel Lowe 00:19:48
5 Kev Moore 00:20:01
58 Kevin Kenny 00:25:44
St. Anne’s Parkrun (636)
Overall place Name Cat. Place Guntime
1 Sean Og MacSeoin 1 00:16:53
3 Kate O’Neill 1 00:18:23
Crusaders AC runner
102 Paul F. Kelly 00:23:09
Portumna Parkrun (31)
Overall place Name Cat. Place Guntime
1 Mark Culleton 1 00:18:52
6 Mary Conwell 1 00:24:08
Crusaders AC runner
1 Mark Culleton 00:18:52
Cabinteely Parkrun (179)
Overall place Name Cat. Place Guntime
1 Sean Terek 1 00:20:12
18 Isabelle Higgins 1 00:23:17
Crusaders AC runner
162 Carina Davidson 00:46:23 (62)
Griffeen Parkrun (236)
Overall place Name Cat. Place Guntime
1 Oliver Warren 1 00:18:24
3 Niamh Murphy 1 00:19:15
Crusaders AC runner
63 Colm Foley 00:25:28
Mullingar Parkrun (172)
Overall place Name Cat. Place Guntime
2 Ciaran Walsh 1 00:18:30
12 Hazel Jones 1 00:21:53
Crusaders AC runner
35 Franky Keane 00:25:40
River Valley Parkrun (129)
Overall place Name Cat. Place Guntime
1 Matteo Healy 1 00:21:29
4 Cecile Ollagnier 1 00:22:21
Crusaders AC runner
20 Darina Scully 00:24:50 (3)
Donabate Parkrun (225)
Overall place Name Cat. Place Guntime
1 Alessandro Porazzini 1 00:18:28
19 Geraldine McHale 1 00:21:23
Crusaders AC runners
36 Chris Bannon 00:23:30
225 Lorraine Fitzsimons 00:52:30
Shanganagh Parkrun (306)
Overall place Name Cat. Place Guntime
1 Reuben Whelan 1 00:17:37
24 Emily Kane 1 00:20:26
Crusaders AC runners
22 Oisin Browne 00:20:09
67 Aoife McCarthy 00:23:06 (7)
170 Orlaith de Burca 00:28:14 (41)
229 Jill Nason 00:31:36 (76)
Naas Parkrun (164)
Overall place Name Cat. Place Guntime
1 Rhys Johnson 1 00:16:29
7 Caroline Ayton 1 00:19:34
Crusaders AC runners
4 Karl Walsh 00:18:55
33 Dale Whelehan 00:23:43