Super Runs in the National and Leinster Half Marathon Championships in Tullamore

27/8/2023

L-R: Kevin Fitzgibbon, Brendan Glynn, Ciara Regan, Rebecca Fleming, Kathryn Sweeney, Dee Ni Chearbhaill and Paul E. Kelly

The major event of the weekend was the National and Leinster Half Marathon Championships, this year hosted by Tullamore.

On a single loop with an out-and-back lead-in on a course that was mildly undulating, but with a 25m climb over about 7k and a NW wind of about 20kmh, we saw a few PBs among our runners with at least one individual age cat. medal.

The race, in damp conditions, enjoyed a field of 1176 finishers, with Ciarain Kelly leading home our contingent in 37th place in a PB time of 75:21. Ciarain was followed across the line not too far behind by Ciaran Diviney (45th and 2nd M50 in both Leinster and National competitions in 75:53). Next came Vinnie McGuinness who was guiding Declan Ryan, the Thurles athlete who trains with us from time to time. They finished in 77:21, placing 63rd and 64th. As a result, the 3 Crusaders came home as 7th team in the national O/35 team competition and 6th in the Leinster O/35 contest.

Further back came two runners, also with PBs: Margaret Foley placed 376th overall and 59th female finisher in 1:34:10 as she prepares for the Berlin Marathon, and Mags was followed by Charlotte Rufié (528th and 110th in 1:40:55). Next was Olwyn Dunne (544th, 117th and 5th F55 in both national and provincial competitions in a time of 1:41:51). The three women made up a senior team that placed 18th out of 36 club teams participating. The contingent was completed by Frank Renehan (698th in 1:47:38).

Earlier in the week, the club had several runners competing in the Celbridge AC 5k in Co. Kildare on Thursday evening. Our 10 athletes were joined by 420 others in a decent field. On a largely flat route with an out-and-back onto a large loop with a 12m descent in the middle over 500m and then a similar climb over the same distance, the race finished on a grass running track. It was not the fastest of 5Ks, but decent enough, enjoying a temperature of 16 degrees and westerly wind of 15kph.

Kieran Little was our first runner home, placing 7th in 16:02. Kieran was followed closely by Kevin Fitzgibbon (10th in 16:08) and then by Michael Wycherley, with unfortunately a painful effort to place 30th in 17:07. Kathryn Sweeney was next, placing 97th and 9th in 19:08, followed by Ciara Regan (105th and 13th in 19:21), Rebecca Fleming (128th and 20th in 20:20), Dee Ni Chearbhaill (186th and 34th in 22:32), Brendan Glynn (204th in 923:30), Paul E. Kelly (280th in 26:49) and Maureen McGinley (290th and 81st in 27:44). The mixed team of Kieran, Kevin, Kathryn and Ciara then had the good news that they had won the mixed team competition with 39 points, the second placed team from St. Michael’s recording 96 and Celbridge, 100.

On Wednesday evening we had a couple of Crusaders taking part in the BHAA Pfizer 5k taking place around the company's campus. Eoghan Kerins ran 18:57 for 16th place in a field of 139, followed by Robbie Moore who ran 22:09 for 56th spot.

There were more races to come. We had two runners who took part in the extremely challenging 15k Warriors Run in the hills around Strandhill in Co. Sligo on Saturday. In a significant field of 1025 participants, Jim Stagg placed 11th in 65:18, followed by newcomer Shane Egan, training for the Dublin marathon, who placed 14th in 66:53.

Then, in Oylegate in Co. Wexford, halfway between Enniscorthy and Wexford towns, Gillian Earley and Máirín Shine took part in the 10k organised there, whilst Emer Kenny used the half marathon as part of er long run, building up for the Munich marathon in early October. In the 10k, Gill placed 15th overall and 2nd female finisher in 49:12, in a field of 67, whilst Máirín placed 37th, 9th female and 1st F60. Emer joined a field of 97 other runners in the half, where she placed 60th and 8th in 1:49:38 and might well have won the prize for 2nd F40 in her brand new age category. To be confirmed.

Also, on Sunday, less than 24 hours after getting off a flight from Sydney, on a whim, Maurice Kelter decided to attack jet lag in a most unusual way by taking part in the Longford Marathon, in wet conditions. He was joined by at least one other Crusader, Kenan Furlong, and both did incredibly well. Maurice placed 5th in a time of 2:44:18, whilst Kenan broke 3 hours for the first time, finishing in 2:58:23 and 19th place. The field measured 198. John Lohan ran in the half there, where he crossed the line in a time of 1:39:44 for 81st place in a field of 396 finishers.

Further afield, Áine Kenny took part in a series of races in Cardiff spread over a couple of days, running 21.13 in the 5k contained in the Cardiff parkrun, 43:38 for the 10k, 20:19 for a 4.5k XC race, 1:37:49 for the 4th stage which was a half marathon, finishing in a mile competition which Áine completed in 6:31. Her official cumulative time was 3:09:29 for the effort. Also, in the UK, Suzanne Martin ran in the Dartmouth 5.1-mile road race, where she placed 5th female finisher in 41:15. The course was reported to be surprisingly hilly and challenging.

There was one race in the mountains on which to report. On Wednesday evening, a couple of Crusaders joined 93 other runners in competing in the Mountain Rescue Benefit 8k that took place on a short route around Paddock Hill near Laragh in Co. Wicklow. The route involved a climb of 250m with moderate difficulty. Robert Healy was the first of the pair home, in 25th place in a time of 40:00, and he was followed by Gavan Doherty (54th in 50:36).

We had quite a significant attendance in parkruns, both at home and in the UK, on Saturday morning, and, as usual, we had some first finisher and podium places.

Carmel Cooney was a first finisher again in Poolbeg, where in a field of 142 she ran 21:01 for 14th place overall. Ahead of her came Simon Kenny (7th in 20:14) and then Carmel was followed by Paul Campbell, celebrating his birthday (16th in 21:20), Russell Murphy (42nd in 23:43), Rachel Calvey (54th and 9th in 24:22), Kevin Kenny (75th in 25:30), Cliodhna O’Reilly (79th and 18th in 25:56), young Mía Zoladz with perhaps a PB (81st and 19th in 26:17), Tara Murphy just behind (83rd and 20th in 26:39, Máirín Shine (120th and 44th in 32:35), Anna Shine (121st and 45th in 32:36) and Cynthia Perucca (126th and 49th in 35:20).

Kevin Kavanagh travelled to Bury St. Edmunds in Suffolk, East Anglia whjere, in a field of 307 he led everyone home in a time of 18:42. Garret Dunne was 2nd in Oughterard in a time of 18:47, in a field of 46, whilst John Fahy also finished in 2nd place in 19:05 in a field of 94 in Brickfields. Toby Benham ran in Glengarriff with 99 other runners, where he placed 2nd in 19:42, whilst Paul Cowhie also took 2nd place in Malahide alongside 233 other runners. Paul’s time was 17:15. Eoghan Corrigan finished in 3rd place in 24:00 in a field of 31 in Russborough, whilst Kate Murray ran in Marlay Park where, in a field of 496, she placed 69th and 10th in 22:44. John O’Donnell and 4 other Crusaders took on Shanganagh. In a field of 242, John placed 6th in 18:18, followed by Dee Lawlor (10th in 18:52), David Carter (17th in 19:37), Carina Davidson (160th and 42nd in 28:36) and Orlaith de Burca (179th and 52nd in 30:14). Emer Kenny placed 35th and 6th in 26:17 in a field of 94 in Father Collins, whilst Conor Little took 8th spot in 21:56 in a field 117 in Father Collins Park. Áine Kenny’s exploit in Cardiff won her 88th and 7th places in 21:13 in a field of 690, whilst Josie Ward ran nearby in Ashton Court in Bristol where she placed 150th and 26th in a field of 402.

Karl Walsh took 13th spot in Naas where he ran alongside 108 other runners. Karl’s time was 21:10. John Reidy travelled to Perth in Scotland where he placed 39th in 21:33 in a field of 292, whilst Fiona Shine ran on Hampstead Heath where, in a field of 379, she placed 212th and 46th in 28:50. Who knew there was a parkrun on Inis Meáin in the Aran Islands, but Mairead Cashman found it. Joining a field of 71, Mairead placed 33rd and 13th in 30:15. In the field of 352 in Ballincollig, Helena O’Keeffe placed 116th and 20th in 25:46, followed by Lisa Shine (127th and 25th in 26:05), whilst Martina White came home in 71st and 24th in 32:52 in the field of 107 in Porterstown. Gemma Cooper placed 91st and 30th in 27:41 in Tramore, Waterford with its field of 186, whilst, finally, Brendan Glynn ran once again in his new home parkrun, Donabate, where, in a field of 155, he placed 23rd in 23:45.

Tullamore Half Marathon (inc. National and Leinster Championships) (1176)
Overall place Name Cat. Place Chiptime
1 Ryan Creech 1 01:05:47
75 Natasha Adams 1 01:18:15
Crusaders AC runners
37 Ciarain Kelly 01:15:21 (PB)
45 Ciaran Diviney 01:15:53
63 Vinnie McGuinness 01:17:21
376 Margaret Foley 01:34:10 (PB) (59)
528 Charlotte Rufié 01:40:55 (PB) (110)
544 Olwyn Dunne 01:41:51 (117)
698 Frank Renehan 01:47:38
Full results here: https://www.myrunresults.com/events/aai_national_champs_bord_na_mona_tullamore_half/4688/results
Celbridge AC 5k (430)
Overall place Name Cat. Place Chiptime
1 Daire Finn 1 00:14:59
27 Fiona Clinton 1 00:17:01
Crusaders AC runners
7 Kieran Little 00:16:02
10 Kevin Fitzgibbon 00:16:08
30 Michael Wycherley 00:17:07
97 Kathryn Sweeney 00:19:08 (9)
105 Ciara Regan 00:19:21 (13)
128 Rebecca Fleming 00:20:20 (20)
186 Dee Ni Chearbhaill 00:22:32 (34)
204 Brendan Glynn 00:23:30
280 Paul E. Kelly 00:26:49
290 Maureen McGinley 00:27:44 (81)
Full results here: https://www.popupraces.ie/race/celbridge-a-c-5km-road-race-2023/
Oylegate 10k (67)
Overall place Name Cat. Place Chiptime
1 Niall Sheil 1 00:34:20
9 Jackie Carty 1 00:41:18
Crusaders AC runners
15 Gillian Earley 00:49:12 (2)
37 Máirín Shine 00:59:44 (9)
Full results here: https://www.popupraces.ie/race/oylegate-half-marathon-10k-2023/
Oylegate Half Marathon (98)
Overall place Name Cat. Place Chiptime
1 Sean Hehir 1 01:12:10
27 Beth O’Connor 1 01:33:27
Crusaders AC runner
60 Emer Kenny 01:49:38 (8)
Full results here: https://www.popupraces.ie/race/oylegate-half-marathon-10k-2023/
Longford Marathon (198)
Overall place Name Cat. Place Chiptime
1 Dermot Gorman 1 02:29:53
26 Deirdre Martin 1 03:01:04
Crusaders AC runners
5 Maurice Kelter 02:44:18
19 Kenan Furlong 02:58:23
Full results here: https://www.championchipireland.com/index.html#results
Longford Half Marathon (396)
Overall place Name Cat. Place Chiptime
1 Barry Sheil 1 01:10:24
10 Adrianna Mulligan 1 01:22:01
Crusaders AC runners
81 John Lohan 01:39:44
267 Tara Murphy 02:01:32 (83)
Full results here: https://www.championchipireland.com/index.html#results
Warriors Run 15k (1025)
Overall place Name Cat. Place Chiptime
1 Seamus Somers 1 00:59:18
28 Aoife McCavana 1 01:10:15
Crusaders AC runners
11 Jim Stagg 01:05:18
14 Shane Egan 01:06:53
Full results here: https://coretiming.ie/events/warriors-run-23/#1_876FAE
BHAA Pfizer 5k (139)
Overall place Name Cat. Place Guntime
1 Sean Doran 1 00:16:10
28 Catherine Brogan 1 00:19:55
Crusaders AC runners
16 Eoghan Kerins 00:18:57
56 Robbie Moore 00:22:09
Full results here: https://irp.cdn-website.com/15e8030f/files/uploaded/BHAA%20-%20Pfizer%205k%202023.pdf
IMRA Mountain Rescue Benefit 8k (95)
Overall place Name Cat. Place Guntime
1 Liam Mooney 1 00:33:52
22 Sonya McConnon 1 00:39:16
Crusaders AC runners
25 Robert Healy 00:40:00
54 Gavan Doherty 00:50:36
Full results here: https://www.imra.ie/events/results/id/2336/category/O/
Malahide Parkrun (234)
Overall place Name Cat. Place Guntime
1 Matthew Farmer 1 00:17:15
5 Annette Kealy 1 00:18:37
Crusader AC runner
2 Paul Cowhie 00:17:15
Ballincollig Parkrun (352)
Overall place Name Cat. Place Guntime
1 Barry Twohig 1 00:16:27
22 Megan Finn 1 00:20:11
Crusaders AC runners
116 Helena O’Keeffe 00:25:46 (20)
127 Lisa Shine 00:26:05 (25)
Oughterard Parkrun (46)
Overall place Name Cat. Place Guntime
2 Garret Dunne 1 00:18:47
3 Cliodhna Ruane 1 00:23:06
Crusaders AC runner
2 Garret Dunne 00:18:47
Inis Meáin Parkrun (71)
Overall place Name Cat. Place Guntime
1 Conor Lucey 1 00:17:45
4 Deirdre Gibbons 1 00:18:55
Crusaders AC runner
33 Mairead Cashman 00:30:15 (13)
Marlay Parkrun (496)
Overall place Name Cat. Place Guntime
1 Luke McMullan 1 00:16:51
23 Muirna Twomey 1 00:20:33
Crusaders AC runner
69 Kate Murray 00:22:44 (10)
Poolbeg Parkrun (142)
Overall place Name Cat. Place Guntime
1 Oliver Warren 1 00:18:08
14 Carmel Cooney 1 00:21:01
Crusaders AC runners
7 Simon Kenny 00:20:14
14 Carmel Cooney 00:21:01 (1)
16 Paul Campbell 00:21:20
42 Russell Murphy 00:23:43
54 Rachel Calvey 00:24:22 (9)
75 Kevin Kenny 00:25:30
79 Cliodhna O’Reilly 00:25:56 (18)
81 Mía Zoladz 00:26:17 (19)
83 Tara Murphy 00:26:39 (20)
120 Máirín Shine 00:32:35 (44)
121 Anna Shine 00:32:36 (45)
126 Cynthia Perucca 00:35:20 (49)
Donabate Parkrun (155)
Overall place Name Cat. Place Guntime
1 Al O’Dowd 1 00:18:50
6 Aisling Andrews 1 00:21:16
Crusaders AC runner
23 Brendan Glynn 00:23:45
Tramore, Waterford Parkrun (186)
Overall place Name Cat. Place Guntime
1 Dermot Twomey 1 00:17:14
7 Ciara Rohan 1 00:20:16
Crusaders AC runner
91 Gemma Cooper 00:27:41 (30)
Brickfields Parkrun (94)
Overall place Name Cat. Place Guntime
1 Seán Cahill 1 00:18:42
7 Brigid Reilly 1 00:21:06
Crusaders AC runner
2 John Fahy 00:19:05
Shanganagh Parkrun (242)
Overall place Name Cat. Place Guntime
1 Noah Harris 1 00:16:21
21 Emma Hand 1 00:20:03
Crusaders AC runners
6 John O’Donnell 00:18:18
10 Derek Lawlor 00:18:52
17 David Carter 00:19:37
160 Carina Davidson 00:28:36 (42)
179 Orlaith de Burca 00:30:14 (52)
Russborough Parkrun (31)
Overall place Name Cat. Place Guntime
1 Tom Mernagh 1 00:20:11
10 Caoimhe Fitzgerald 1 00:28:51
Crusaders AC runner
3 Eoghan Corrigan 00:24:00
Glengarriff Parkrun (100)
Overall place Name Cat. Place Guntime
1 Cain O’Mahony 1 00:19:39
5 Deirdre O’Sullivan 1 00:22:12
Crusaders AC runner
2 Toby Benham 00:19:42
Porterstown Parkrun (107)
Overall place Name Cat. Place Guntime
1 Niall Sherlock 1 00:17:24
6 Caroline McCarthy 1 00:20:35
Crusaders AC runner
71 Martina White 00:32:52 (24)
Naas Parkrun (109)
Overall place Name Cat. Place Guntime
1 David Joyce 1 00:18:54
30 Annette Kane 1 00:23:44
Crusaders AC runner
13 Karl Walsh 00:21:10
Cabinteely Parkrun (117)
Overall place Name Cat. Place Guntime
1 Sean Terek 1 00:19:33
2 Cristin Scollard 1 00:19:41
Crusaders AC runner
8 Conor Little 00:21:56
Father Collins Parkrun (94)
Overall place Name Cat. Place Guntime
1 Shane Merrigan 1 00:18:33
11 Aileen Hooper 1 00:22:27
Crusaders AC runner
35 Emer Kenny 00:26:17 (6)