Something for almost everyone in Tallaght

24/7/2022

Emily Glen, Miriam Logan, Aoife Quigley, Tanja Narancic, Rebecca Fleming, Yvonne Macauley, Joe McDermott, Amy McGuinness, Michael Wycherley, Joanne Carey, Paul E. Kelly, Kevin Kavanagh, Aitor Arribas Velasco, Kevin Fitzgibbon

Crusaders took full advantage of the relatively small field competing in the Dublin Novice Championships, held this weekend as part of the Tallaght 5k, returning with a decent medal haul.

On a partly cloudy and hot Sunday morning with a strong-ish breeze from the southwest which really would have only impacted the start and finish, we had 15 clubmates take part in the race. A few had participated in the same race when it was held last November and at least three of our athletes significantly improved their previous times. The overall event, organised by Tallaght AC, involved 203 runners, as compared to 303 last year, and the field for the novices was about 50% of what it had been last year at 79 (146 in 2021). The course involved an anti-clockwise loop that was otherwise flat or downhill, but for an uphill drag between the 3rd and 4th kilometre.

We saw some great performances in the women’s race, with Yvonne Macauley, who has put in some super runs recently, maintaining her strong form by placing 3rd (37th overall) in 18:26. Yvonne wasn’t eligible for the Novices, but, hopefully, would have been otherwise well-rewarded for her podium finish. Next came Aoife Quigley in 55th place overall (7th woman home overall and winning the bronze individual medal for placing 3rd in the Novices), another runner showing continuing improvement since her return to competition. Aoife was eligible and was our lead scorer in what turned out to be the gold medal-winning team with a time of 19:40 (a 20 second improvement on the time she ran this race last year). Aoife was followed by Miriam Logan, our second scorer, with a 1 second improvement on her PB set in Kilcock in June (64th and 10th in 20:18) and over a minute faster than last year, Joanne Carey (3rd scorer in a time of 20:58 in 81st overall, 15th female finisher and 4th F40), Amy McGuinness (83rd and 17th in 21:06, and like Yvonne, ineligible) and Rebecca Fleming (our 4th scorer in the Novices in a time of 21:45 for 93rd and 20th). Emily Glen was next (99th and 24th in 22:20) and the female contingent was completed by Tanja Narancic (123rd and 33rd in 23:35).

Our men took home the team bronze, led home by Kevin Fitzgibbon who placed 7th overall in a PB time of 16:35 and also 3rd in the Novices. Kevin was followed by Michael Wycherley, another runner to improve on his time last year. Michael ran 17:22 last year and 16:55 on Sunday for 13th place (and 3rd M45). Our 3rd scorer was Joe McDermott (27th in 17:45) and our 4th man home was Kevin Kavanagh (44th in 18:55). Richard Kavanagh was next in 80th place and winner of the M65 age category and a time of 21:01 (an 18s improvement on 2021), and Richard was followed by Aitor Arribas Velasco (118th in 23:13) and Paul E. Kelly (168th in 26:37).

Earlier in the week, we had several members take part in the Dublin Athletics 7th graded meet, which took place on the same track as the finish for the Tallaght 5k. Seven of the eleven athletes from the club who participated were under the age of 20 and acquitted themselves well. In the field Morgan Brennan (1.25kg) and James Quinn (1.5kg) threw the discus, respectively 35.52m and 29.95m, whilst, in the High Jump, Conor Napper took 1st place with a leap of 1.7m.

The 200m featured two Crusaders in the men’s B1 graded race, with Max Doyle placing 2nd in 23.84 and young Liam Beaumont, 7th in 24.93. Then, in the C1 race, Larry Kirkham won in a time of 24.09. A more mature athlete, Liam Lyster, placed 5th in 31.29 in the men’s D1 event.

Another two of our younger members ran together in the 1500m C1 race, with Oscar Sherry placing 2nd in 4:33.61 and Matthew Ryan, 6th in 4:45.93. Finally, two of our more frequent participants in the graded meets took part in the men’s D1 1500m. Brendan Glynn placed 16th in 5:35.29, whilst Paul E. Kelly ran 5:53.16 for 18th place.

Then, over the weekend Athletics Ireland held the AAI Games on the track and in the field in Tullamore. On the first day, in heat 1 of the men's 800m, Fearghal O'Hare finished in 5th place in a time of 1:56.01, whilst, after posting a DNF in the 1st series of the men's 110mH, Matt Behan placed 3rd in series 2 in a time of 14.88. Conall Gallagher placed 5th in heat 3 of the men's 200m in a time of 22.59. On day 2, Rhianna McCarthy competed in both series 1 and 2 of the women's 100m sprint where in heat 2 she placed respectively 3rd in 12.54 and 2nd in 12.58, whilst Conall took on both series of the men's 100m, where, in heat 3, he placed respectively 6th in 11.38 and 8th in 11.40.

Moving back to road racing, we had a highly solid performance from Brendan Murphy in the Mullingar 10-mile race that took place over the weekend in reportedly breezy and hot conditions. In a field of 193, Brendan placed 4th in a highly creditable 54:49. Meanwhile, Kevin Kenny ran with 299 other runners in the Donaghadee 5k, part of the East Antrim marathon series. His time of 26:50 placed him 136th. Further afield, two of our exiles in Australia, Niamh Allen and Katie Rogers, continue to perform well. Both ran around Sydney Harbour, with Niamh joining 2440 runners to do the 10k which she ran in a superb 33:21 for 4th place (24th overall), and Katie, opting instead for the 5k event, placing 2nd and also 24th overall in a field of 732 and a great time of 18:17.

Earlier in the week, Tim O'Donnell had returned to his native Cork where he joined 410 other participants in the Gas Networks Ireland 5k race, organised by the Cork BHAA. On a flat course around the Cork Marina, in good conditions for running, Tim recorded a PB time of 19:15 to place 82nd overall. Then, late on Sunday, Brian Scanlan reported that he ran in the San Francisco Half marathon where he recorded a time of 1:49.

The race report does not regularly cover triathlons but it is hard to let go by a result from the weekend for Olwyn Dunne who joins the likes of Isabelle Cairns, Seamus Moore (who recently completed an Ironman) and, of course, Donnacha McCarthy, in participating in such events. Olwyn placed 3rd woman home in the Greystones in a sprint event on the back of little preparation.

There was a midweek IMRA race in the Wicklow mountains last week with Cru participation. It was the Coillte Crone Caper, a 10.5k run with a 572m ascent on difficult terrain from Powerscourt Waterfall up to Maulin via Crone Wood. The course looked pretty much like a figure of eight. 121 athletes competed in the event, with 5 of our number involved. Paul Flynn was first home in 64:06 for 24th place and he was followed by Paul McNamara (33rd in 66:46), Becky Quinn (35th and 2nd female finisher in 67:00), Léan Ni Chiobhain (50th and 3rd in 70:34) and Pat Quill (61st in 74:10).

We had a few podium finishes as usual in the parkruns on Saturday morning. Fiona Shine was a first finisher in Cabinteely where, in a time of 22:50, she placed 10th overall in a field of 88, followed by Louise Dobbyn (14th and 2nd in 23:31), Stephen Mulligan (15th in 23:47), Lisa Shine (46th and 15th in 30:46) and Mairin Shine (48th and 16th in 31:11). John Lohan took 2nd place in Castlerea with its modest field of 14. John’s time was 21:18, whilst, in Naas, Karl Walsh joined 94 other runners to place 3rd in 19:04. Poolbeg is an event where we generally turn out in force. This week, Kenan Furlong took 2nd place in a field of 109 and in a time of 17:54. He was followed by Pat Quill (12th in 20:59) and Russell Murphy (53rd in 26:30), and then by some of those preparing for the following day’s Novices: Tanja Narancic (72nd and 24th in 29:14), Aoife Quigley (73rd and 25th in 29:20) and Miriam Logan (74th and 26th in 29:21). The contingent was completed by Maureen McGinley (75th and 27th with the same time as Miriam) and by Rebecca Byrne (81st and 31st in 30:21).

Darina Scully placed 27th and 7th in a time of 25:20 in the 85-strong field in Gorey, whilst Mairead Cashman ran 29:39 for 56th and 16th places in the 96-strong field in Tramore Valley, Cork. John Reidy headed off to Perth in Scotland where, alongside 200 other runners, he ran 22:49 for 48th place, whilst Maria Kennedy remained in her native Kilkenny, running 26:42 for 41st and 11th places. The field measured 118. Sharon Woods and Michael Maughan ran in St. Anne’s alongside 264 other participants. Sharon placed 43rd and 6th in 22:00, whilst Michael placed 49th in 22:27. Marlay Park was the venue for Luke Davis (7th in 19:13) and Kate Murray (83rd and 13th in 24:36). The field there measured 277. Orlaith de Burca and Carina Davidson ran once again in Shanganagh, with Orlaith placing 103rd and 38th in 29:51 and Carina, 122nd and 49th in 31:22, in a field of 149. Finally, Paul F. and Aoife Kelly ran in the parkrun on the Sports Ireland Campus. Aoife placed 26th and 8th in 30:01 and Paul placed 27th in the same time, in a field of 49.

IMRA Coillte Crone Caper 10.5k (121)
Overall place Name Cat. Place Guntime
1 Derek Crammond 1 00:51:39
20 Sarah Brady 1 01:02:39
Crusaders AC runners
24 Paul Flynn 01:04:06
33 Paul McNamara 01:06:46
35 Becky Quinn 01:07:00 (2)
50 Léan Ni Chiobhain 01:10:34 (3)
61 Pat Quill 01:14:10
Full results here: https://www.imra.ie/events/results/id/2178/
Donaghadee 5k (300)
Overall place Name Cat. Place Guntime
1 Dale Murray 1 00:16:36
29 Mary Slocum 1 00:20:44
Crusaders AC runner
136 Kevin Kenny 00:26:50
Full results here: http://eastantrimmarathonseries.co.uk/?q=node/150
Mullingar 10-mile (193)
Overall place Name Cat. Place Chiptime
1 Graham Gilsinan 1 00:53:07
27 Rachel Birt 1 01:02:00
Crusaders AC runner
4 Brendan Murphy 00:54:49
Full results here: https://www.myrunresults.com/events/mullingar_10_mile/4448/results
Tallaght 5k (Dublin Novice Championships) (203)
Overall place Name Cat. Place Chiptime
1 Richard Owens 1 00:15:51
8 Ciara Hickey 1 00:16:38
Crusaders AC runners
7 Kevin Fitzgibbon 00:16:35 (PB)
13 Michael Wycherley 00:16:55
27 Joe McDermott 00:17:45
37 Yvonne Macauley 00:18:26 (3)
44 Kevin Kavanagh 00:18:55
55 Aoife Quigley 00:19:40 (7)
64 Miriam Logan 00:20:18 (PB) (10)
80 Richard Kavanagh 00:21:01
81 Joanne Carey 00:20:58 (15)
83 Amy McGuinness 00:21:06 (17)
93 Rebecca Fleming 00:21:45 (20)
99 Emily Glen 00:22:20 (24)
118 Aitor Arribas Velasco 00:23:13
123 Tanja Narancic 00:23:35 (33)
168 Paul E. Kelly 00:26:37
Full results here: https://www.popupraces.ie/race/tallaght-ac-5k-road-race-2021/
Castlerea Parkrun (14)
Overall place Name Cat. Place Guntime
1 Gary Elbert 1 00:19:54
5 Anne Mulgrew 1 00:27:46
Crusaders AC runner
2 John Lohan 00:21:18
Naas Parkrun (95)
Overall place Name Cat. Place Guntime
1 Niall Barrett 1 00:17:49
13 Aoibheann O’Brien 1 00:22:10
Crusaders AC runner
3 Karl Walsh 00:19:04
St. Anne’s Parkrun (266)
Overall place Name Cat. Place Guntime
1 Anthony Dorran 1 00:17:59
18 Mary Cronin 1 00:20:40
Crusaders AC runners
43 Sharon Woods 00:22:00
49 Michael Maughan 00:22:27
Poolbeg Parkrun (109)
Overall place Name Cat. Place Guntime
1 Ian Carruthers 1 00:17:50
5 Miranda Spencer 1 00:18:51
Crusaders AC runners
2 Kenan Furlong 00:17:54
12 Pat Quill 00:20:59
53 Russell Murphy 00:26:30
72 Tanja Narancic 00:29:14 (24)
73 Aoife Quigley 00:29:20 (25)
74 Miriam Logan 00:29:21 (26)
75 Maureen McGinley 00:29:21 (27)
81 Rebecca Byrne 00:30:21 (31)
Shanganagh Parkrun (149)
Overall place Name Cat. Place Guntime
1 Aaron Fennell 1 00:17:40
18 Eileen O’Toole 1 00:22:23
Crusaders AC runners
103 Orlaith de Burca 00:29:51 (38)
122 Carina Davidson 00:31:22 (49)
Tramore Valley, Cork Parkrun (96)
Overall place Name Cat. Place Guntime
2 Loic Garel 1 00:18:52
8 Niamh Cronin 1 00:20:09
Crusaders AC runner
56 Mairead Cashman 00:29:39 (16)
Cabinteely Parkrun (88)
Overall place Name Cat. Place Guntime
1 Asher Cook 1 00:17:54
10 Fiona Shine 1 00:22:50
Crusaders AC runners
10 Fiona Shine 00:22:50 (1)
14 Louise Dobbyn 00:23:31 (2)
15 Stephen Mulligan 00:23:47
46 Lisa Shine 00:30:46 (15)
48 Mairin Shine 00:31:11 (16)
Marlay Parkrun (277)
Overall place Name Cat. Place Guntime
1 Ruben Bartelink 1 00:16:52
29 Niamh Murphy 1 00:21:15
Crusaders AC runners
7 Luke Davis 00:19:13
83 Kate Murray 00:24:36 (13)
Kilkenny Parkrun (118)
Overall place Name Cat. Place Guntime
1 Philip O’Hara 1 00:19:16
5 Claire Phelan 1 00:21:45
Crusaders AC runner
41 Maria Kennedy 00:26:42 (11)
Gorey Parkrun (85)
Overall place Name Cat. Place Guntime
1 John Slater 1 00:19:01
2 Eilidh Dallas 1 00:19:20
Crusaders AC runner
27 Darina Scully 00:25:20 (7)
Sports Ireland Campus Parkrun (49)
Overall place Name Cat. Place Guntime
1 Brian Sexton 1 00:19:43
7 Hannah Kennedy 1 00:24:28
Crusaders AC runners
26 Aoife Kelly 00:30:01 (8)
27 Paul F. Kelly 00:30:01

Kevin Fitzgibbon, Joe McDermott, Michael Wycherley, Joanne Carey, Kevin Kavanagh, Aoife Quigley, Paul E. Kelly, Aitor Arribas Velasco, Amy McGuinness, Miriam Logan, Richard Kavanagh, Emily Glen, Rebecca Fleming, Ilona McElroy, Clare Sullivan