The Long and the Short of It

Karl Fitzmaurice and friends

We had at least one of our club-mates take part in the World Masters Track & Field Championships held over the past week in Daegu in South Korea. Karl Fitzmaurice represented the club well in the 800m and 1500m.

He started his campaign with an M50 PB in the first heat of the 800m, placing 5th in 2:14.09, narrowly missing the final by less than a second as a non-automatic qualifier but improving by 1.4 seconds on his previous PB which he had set when taking silver in the National Masters Championships. Later in the week, and running in temperatures of around 35 degrees Celsius, Karl finished in 6th place in his 1500m heat in a time of 4:34.86 to qualify for the weekend’s final, where he surprised himself by placing 10th in a season’s best time of 4:33.86. Many congrats to him.

We had participants in several road races over the past three days. On Friday evening, Gill Earley and Bex Fleming ran in the 100-strong field in the 4-miler organised by Clane AC. Gill finished in 17th spot overall, 3rd female, in a time of 26:16, followed not too far behind by Bex who placed 25th and 5th in 27:40.

On Saturday morning at least 5 Crusaders took part in the Tullamore Harriers AC-organised Leinster Half Marathon Championships. Alongside nearly 1200 other athletes, on a hilly course, Kathryn Gibbons placed 118th and 7th in a great time of 85:14 and earning F35 individual gold and club and county team gold medals. Doireann Hughes was close behind, placing 120th and 8th in 85:36, also winning club and county gold medals. A little further back came Mags Foley (200th and 17th in 90:52), also winning club and county team gold medals as well as individual F40 gold. Congrats to them! The finishing contingent was completed by Andy O’Dwyer (283rd in 94:02). Congrats to everyone. Spare a thought for Ciara Regan who found herself needing to stop and pull out early on, but realising after a while that she would need to run the circular course to get home and tenaciously managed to complete the distance.

There was another half marathon that took place on Saturday, down in Waterford on the Greenway. We had at least two runners on the point-to-point net downhill undulating course. Jens Seggewiss was our first athlete home, placing 26th in the field of 712, in a time of 78:47 and he was followed by Kate Murray (531st and 163rd in 2:03:15).

There were at least two more half marathons with Crusaders participation that took place on Sunday morning. Down in Oylegate in Co. Wexford, Dee Ni Chearbhaill placed 42nd and 8th in a time of 1:44:27 in a field of 117. Dee also placed 4th in her F40 age category. Then, over in Longford, we had runners participating in both the marathon and half marathon there.

Suffering from a stomach bug, Liam O’Brian ran a creditable 3:44:24 in the marathon to place 90th in a field of 289, whilst in the half, Peter O’Toole led our contingent home in 35th spot in a time of 88:00. In the field of 576, Peter was followed by Jemma Lyons who finished on the women’s podium in 3rd place, taking 52nd spot overall in 90:36. John Lohan completed the contingent, placing 118th in 98:27.

There was a midweek race down in the Wicklow mountains, organised by IMRA. This was the 8.2k Belmont and Little Sugar Loaf which enjoyed a field of 162, among them 2 Crusaders. On a course with a climb of 335m, Donatas Jocius placed 11th in 44:06, followed by Jason Kehoe (28th in 46:38). The latter participated in the Leinster Mountain Championships on Sunday that took place in the Blackstairs Mountains in Co. Wexford. The 18k race with its climb of 1055m, was conducted, taking in Cooliagh and Bran Scultair. Jason also ran in this event, and in a modest field of 32, he placed 9th and 2nd M45 in a time of 2:31:20. Further afield, in the Swiss mountains, one of our UK-based exiles, Louise Lancaster (née Van Wildermeersch), ran in the OCC Ultra, a 62k point-to-point race over the mountains from Orsières to Chamonix, which she completed in just over 11 hours.

 We had at least 5 first finishers in Saturday morning’s parkruns.  Kathryn Tomkins placed 9th overall and first female home in 22:20 in her hometown run in Omagh with its field of 85. Emily Glen ran in the SETU Arena parkrun with its field of 57, placing 4th and 1st in 23:42. Then, Dee Lawlor led the field of 159 home in Cabinteely in a time of 18:32. He was followed by John O’Donnell who placed 7th in 20:16. In Fairview, Brian O’Kelly was first across the line in 18:52 and was followed in the field of 179 by Jamie Renehan (4th in 20:24) and Michael O’Shea (19th in 23:02).  Aoife McCarthy was also a first finisher, placing 18th overall in 24:32 in the 53-strong field in Carlow Town. Aoife was followed by Lisa Shine (32nd and 7th in 30:09). Meanwhile, Tim O’Donnell found himself on the podium in Clonakilty where, alongside 47 other runners, he recorded a time of 20:22.

Karl Walsh took 5th spot in the 118-strong field in Sligo in a time of 22:17, whilst, in Tymon Park, Daniel Lowe placed 4th in a field of 79 and in a time of 19:46. Once again Poolbeg enjoyed the largest contingent of Crusaders. In a field of 221, Ross Neill was the first Crusader home in 5th place in a time of 18:30. He was followed closely by Ashley Hayes (6th in 18:33) and further back by John Healy (20th in 20:13). Kabir Sala finished in 38th place in 22:08, with Kenan Furlong (52nd in 22:44), Zlatko Kulic (54th in 23:03), Saketh Ravuluri (58th in 23:17) and Sharon Woods (64th and 8th in 23:35) further back. Ellen Walsh was next (114th and 21st in 27:32), followed by Tanja Narancic (125th and 29th in 27:57) alongside Franky Keane (126th in 27:58), and then by Josie Ward (145th and 42nd in 28:40) with the picture being completed by Kevin Kenny (164th in 30:56) and Maureen McGinley (166th and 57th in 31:24).

Over in Father Collins Park, with its field of 127, Emer Kenny ran 26:16 for 43rd and 9th places, followed by Darina Scully (46th and 11th in 26:38), whilst, in Hillsborough Forest, Mairead Cashman joined 133 other runners, placing 104th and 29th in 32:56. In the 67-strong field in Tolka Valley Park, Phelim Murray placed 19th in 25:17, with Laura O’Malley finishing in 32md and 13th in 27:36, whilst Martina White placed 59th and 25th in 31:32 in Porterstown with its field of 119. Paul F. Kelly ran in St. Anne’s with its field of 348, where he placed 156th in 27:51, whilst, in Marlay Park, Carina Davidson joined a field of 429, where she placed 256th and 70th in 29:25.

Finally, we had at least 3 of our exiles in parkrun action. In the UK, Aidan Hudner ran once again in Pollok with its field of 433, finishing in 57th place in 23:58, whilst Thom Martini ran in Gunnersbury Park, where, in a field of 693, he placed 90th in 22:41. Meanwhile, down in  Perth in Western Australia, Christina Campbell ran once again in Lake Claremont where, in a field of 105, she placed 44th and 17th in 29:25.
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Clane AC 4-miler (100)
Overall place Name Cat. Place Chiptime
1 Kenneth Rogers 1 00:19:49
13 Ellen Gannon 1 00:25:48
Crusaders AC runners
17 Gillian Earley 00:26:16 (3)
25 Rebecca Fleming 00:27:40 (5)
Full results here: https://www.popupraces.ie/race/clane-ac-4-mile-road-race-2026/
Tullamore AC Half marathon (Leinster Championships) (1170)
Overall place Name Cat. Place Chiptime
1 Jake O’Regan 1 01:05:23
27 Maebh Brannigan 1 01:16:05
Crusaders AC runners
118 Kathryn Gibbons 01:25:14 (7)
120 Doireann Hughes 01:25:36 (8)
200 Margaret Foley 01:30:52 (17)
283 Andrew O’Dwyer 01:34:02
Full results here: https://myrunresults.com/events/bnm_tullamore_harriers_half_2026/6138/results?class=half%20marathon
Waterford Greenway Half marathon (712)
Overall place Name Cat. Place Chiptime
1 Evan Fitzgerald 1 01:04:57
12 Ciara Wilson 1 01:14:10
Crusaders AC runners
26 Jens Seggewiss 01:18:47
531 Kate Murray 02:03:15 (163)
Full results here: https://myrunresults.com/events/greenway_half_marathon_2026/6219/results
Oylegate Half marathon (117)
Overall place Name Cat. Place Chiptime
1 Aaron Doyle 1 01:18:24
15 Nicole Moorehouse 1 01:29:35
Crusaders AC runner
42 Deirdre Ni Chearbhaill 01:44:27 (8)
Full results here: https://www.popupraces.ie/race/oylegate-half-marathon-10k-2026/
Longford Half marathon (576)
Overall place Name Cat. Place Chiptime
1 Clive Glancy 1 01:14:50
45 Nikita Cassidy 1 01:29:50
Crusaders AC runners
35 Peter O’Toole 01:28:00
52 Jemma Lyons 01:30:36 (3)
118 John Lohan 01:38:27
Full results here: https://www.championchipireland.com/index.html#results
Longford marathon (289)
Overall place Name Cat. Place Chiptime
1 Sean Hehir 1 02:36:33
9 Adele Walsh 1 02:56:14
Crusaders AC runner
90 Liam O’Brien 03:44:24
Full results here: https://www.championchipireland.com/index.html#results
IMRA Belmont and Little Sugar Loaf 8.2k (162)
Overall place Name Cat. Place Guntime
1 Brian Melia 1 00:38:41
26 Emer Perkins 1 00:46:28
Crusaders AC runners
11 Donatas Jocius 00:44:06
28 Jason Kehoe 00:46:38
Full results here: https://imra.ie/events/results?id=2851
IMRA Blackstairs 18k (32)
Overall place Name Cat. Place Guntime
1 Con Halpin 1 02:00:15
8 Eimear McKenna 1 02:26:06
Crusaders AC runner
9  Jason Kehoe 02:31:20
Full results here: https://imra.ie/events/results?id=2941
Carlow Town Parkrun (53) 
Overall place Name Cat. Place Guntime
1 Matthew Kavanagh 1 00:18:06
18 Aoife McCarthy 1 00:24:32
Crusaders AC runner
18 Aoife McCarthy 00:24:32 (1)
Omagh Parkrun (85) 
Overall place Name Cat. Place Guntime
1 Tomas Haigney 1 00:17:59
9 Kathryn Tomkins 1 00:22:20
Crusaders AC runner
9 Kathryn Tomkins 00:22:20 (1)
Porterstown Parkrun (119)
Overall place Name Cat. Place Guntime
2 Eoin Wylie 1 00:19:32
22 Margaret O’Friel 1 00:25:36
Crusaders AC runner
59 Martina White 00:31:32 (25)
Clonakilty Parkrun (48)
Overall place Name Cat. Place Guntime
1 Tiarnan O’Donoghue 1 00:18:10
10 Niamh Cronin 1 00:24:18
Crusaders AC runner
3 Tim O’Donnell 00:20:22
Tymon Parkrun (79)
Overall place Name Cat. Place Guntime
1 Máirtín Ó Goibín 1 00:19:01
9 Christine Kinsella 1 00:20:38
Crusaders AC runner
4 Daniel Lowe 00:19:46
Poolbeg Parkrun (221)
Overall place Name Cat. Place Guntime
1 Christopher O’Reilly 1 00:17:10
9 Aoife Hyland 1 00:19:01
Crusaders AC runners
5 Ross Neill 00:18:30
6 Ashley Hayes 00:18:33
20 John Healy 00:20:13
38 Kabir Sala 00:22:08
52 Kenan Furlong 00:22:44
54 Zlatko Kulic 00:23:03
58 Saketh Ravuluri 00:23:17
64 Sharon Woods 00:23:35 (8)
114 Ellen Walsh 00:27:32 (21)
125 Tanja Narancic 00:27:57 (29)
126 Franky Keane 00:27:58
145 Josie Ward 00:28:40 (42)
164 Kevin Kenny 00:30:56
166 Maureen McGinley 00:31:24 (57)
St. Anne’s Parkrun (348)
Overall place Name Cat. Place Guntime
1 Stephen Hackett 1 00:18:29
9 Ailish Malone 1 00:19:45
Crusaders AC runner
156 Paul F. Kelly 00:27:51
SETU Arena Parkrun (57)
Overall place Name Cat. Place Guntime
1 Gerard Long 1 00:22:44
4 Emily Glen 1 00:23:42
Crusaders AC runner
4 Emily Glen 00:23:42 (1)
Cabinteely Parkrun (159) 
Overall place Name Cat. Place Guntime
1 Derek Lawlor 1 00:18:32
14 Elaine Healy 1 00:22:19
Crusaders AC runners
1 Derek Lawlor 00:18:32
7 John O’Donnell 00:20:16
Marlay Parkrun (429) 
Overall place Name Cat. Place Guntime
2 Robert Hackett 1 00:17:43
11 Laura Ryan 1 00:19:41
Crusaders AC runner
256 Carina Davidson 00:29:25 (70)
Tolka Valley Parkrun (67)
Overall place Name Cat. Place Guntime
1 Richard Bartlett 1 00:19:49
9 Hannah Geraghty 1 00:22:50
Crusaders AC runners
19 Phelim Murray 00:25:17
32 Laura O’Malley 00:27:36 (13)
Hillsborough Forest Parkrun (134)
Overall place Name Cat. Place Guntime
1 Josh Mulligan 1 00:19:22
13 Emma Clapton 1 00:22:33
Crusaders AC runner
104 Mairead Cashman 00:32:56 (29)
Father Collins Parkrun (127)
Overall place Name Cat. Place Guntime
1 Ben Robinson 1 00:18:29
7 Maebh O’Shaughnessy 1 00:19:40
Crusaders AC runners
43 Emer Kenny 00:26:16 (9)
46 Darina Scully 00:26:38 (11)
Fairview Parkrun (179)
Overall place Name Cat. Place Guntime
1 Brian O’Kelly 1 00:18:52
30 Hannah Coleman 1 00:23:58
Crusaders AC runners
1 Brian O’Kelly 00:18:52
4 Jamie Renehan 00:20:24
19 Michael O’Shea 00:23:02
Sligo Parkrun (118)
Overall place Name Cat. Place Guntime
1 Sean Gaffney 1 00:19:18
4 Áine Dowd 1 00:20:59
Crusaders AC runner
5 Karl Walsh 00:22:17

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Rebecca Fleming

Gillian Earley

Gillian Earley, Rebecca Fleming and friends

Liam O'Brien