To start the week Lindie Naughton brings us all the Irish endurance action and news from the weekend just gone (Monday 14th April).
Efrem Gidey (Clonliffe Harriers) produced the run of his career to date when finishing just out of the medals at the inaugural European Road Running Championships held in Leuven, Belgium over the weekend.
Running in the half marathon on Saturday, Gidey lost out on the bronze medal when beaten to the line by Valentin Gondouin of France. He finished in 61:55 seconds just a second behind Gondouin. The Clonliffe man had hoped to finish second or third, but a stitch midway through the race slowed him down. Race winner was Jimmy Gressier of France in a personal best 59:45.
In the women’s race, Ann-Marie McGlynn (Letterkenny AC, W45) finished 26th in 75:53. Race winner was Chloé Herbiet of the host nation in 70:43.
A day later, in the 10km, Cormac Dalton (Mullingar Harriers) led home the Irish team in 24th place with a time of 28:49. Sean Tobin (Clonmel AC) was 41st in 29:22 and Keelan Kilrehil (Moy Valley AC) 47th in 29:26. The team finished 11th. A total of 78 had registered to run, with Yann Schub of France the winner in 27:37.
Niamh Allen. Photo: Bjorn Paree
Of the women, Niamh Allen (Leevale AC) was 18th in 32:25 and Emily Haggard Kearney (North Belfast Harriers) 30th in 32:51. Kearney, who is from the Wirral in England, where she was a member of the Warriors Pentathlon and Athletics Club, spent some years in the American College system. She became eligible to run for Ireland a year ago.
Italy’s Nadia Battocletti was the race winner in 31:10.
In the Netherlands, Irish record holder Hiko Tonosa (DSD AC) finished twelfth at the Rotterdam Marathon in a time of 2 hrs 9 mins 52 secs — just ten seconds off his own Irish record of 2:09.42 set in Dublin last October. Tonosa went through 10km in 30:49 and halfway in 65:04. Winner was Geoffrey Kamworor in 2: 04.34.
Larking in the park!
Colin Leonard (Drogheda and District AC) with a time of 32 mins 45 secs, led home close to 2,500 finishers at at the Great Ireland Run 10km in Dublin’s Phoenix Park on Sunday (April 13).
Ryan Murphy (no club) was second in 33:47 and Cian Charlton (Raheny Shamrock AC) third in 33.58.
First woman in 38:32 was Mollie O’Donnell (Liffey Valley AC). Aisling O’Connor (Rathfarnham WSAF AC) was second in 38:48 and Clodagh Brennan McLoughlin (no club) third and first W45 in 39:09.
In a team competition with three to count that mixed club and business teams, Raheny Shamrock AC proved best of the men, beating Deloitte and Metro St Brigid’s AC. Donore Harriers, led by Emily Cunniffe, took the women’s title with Accenture second and Clonliffe Harriers third.
In Wexford, Guillaume Mekrouda had over six minutes to spare when leading home 1,434 finishers at the Bear Events Wexford Half Marathon, also on Sunday, in 69:42. First woman in 83:21 was Shibeal McCann.
A further thousand or so ran the 10km in Wexford with the winners Jack Butler (SBR AC ) in 35:04 and Hannah Kehoe in 38:58.
A whole host of distances to choose from
At the Clara AC 5km, round 3 of the Healthy Offaly Road Races Series. Peter Somba (Ratoath AC) in 15:34 and Emily Grennan (Tullamore Harriers) in 18:23 were the winners.
Winning the Bantry Flying 5-mile in Co Cork was Naoise O Flaitheartaigh (Bandon AC) in 27:24, with Julie O’Brien (Durrus AC) first woman in 32:17.
Karl Fitzmaurice (Shannon AC) was a clear winner of the Michal Rejmer Dooneen 10-Mile at Limerick Racecourse on Sunday (April 12) in a time of 51 mins 58 secs. Dee Grady (Ennis TC) was first woman in 62:12.
On Saturday (April 12), Peter Donnelly (Candour TC, M35) and Gladys Ganiel (North Belfast Harriers, W45) were the winners at the Larne 10-Mile in Co Antrim.
Donnelly’s time of 53.56 put him well clear of the chasers led by local athlete Jordan Heron in 55:49. Ganiel finished in 61:08, with her North Belfast Harriers clubmate Eliosa Crawford second in 62:19
Danny Mooney (Letterkenny AC) won the Streets of Ballyshannon 5km, in Co Donegal, also on Saturday, in a time of 14 mins 52 secs. First woman in 17:31 was Angeline McShane (City of Derry Spartans AC).
Winning the Hugh Gallagher Memorial 5km in Milford, Co Donegal on Friday evening (April 11) with a time of 16:42 was Darragh Norby (Foyle Valley). Helen McCready (Rosses AC) was first woman in 17:48.
Mid-week action you might have missed
Winners at the Cork BHAA PwC 5km in Cork, on Thursday (April 10) were Tadhg O’Sullivan in 14 mins 19 secs and Ellen Moran in 16:42. Second overall and first M45 was Barry Twohig in 14:21. The race had a record 963 finishers.
Mindaugas Balciauskis led home over a thousand finishers at the DkIT Dundalk 10km on Wednesday (April 9) finishing in 30 mins 39 secs. Second in 33:20 was Paul Smith while third in 33:32 was Brian Martin. Twelfth overall and first woman in 35:29 was Aine Cotter. Eimear McCracken was second in 38:19 and Roisin Egan third in 39:57.
Track and Field – Can anyone beat DCU?
Dublin City University stretched its winning streak to seventeen years at the Irish Universities Track and Field Championships held in Santry on Friday and Saturday (April 10 and 11).
DCU, which holds a 40-year-lease on the National Athletics Stadium at Santry, were hosts of the competition this year and won the title from perennial rivals the University of Limerick and UCD. A total of seventeen colleges had entered at least one athlete.
No other college has won the track and field title in the nineteen years since DCU’s first win in 2007 (there were no championships in the lock-down years of 2020 and 2021). In cross-country, however, they are occasionally vulnerable with University of Galway winning the title last October..
On the track, records were set in the 5000m won by Niall Murphy (UL) in 14:08.86, the men’s 3000m steeplechase won by Jonas Stafford (UCD) in 8:55.37 and the women’s 1500m, where Eimear Maher (UCC) clocked 4:27.15.
Other solid wins came from Emma McEvoy (UCD) who won the women’s 5000m in 16:35.52. Gavin Curtin (TUC) first in the men’s 10,000m with a time of 30:43.3 and Cian Gorham (DCU) winner of the men’s 1500m in 3:52.42, with Louie Woodger (QUB) a close second in 3:52.74.
Stateside
In the USA. Michael Morgan (Sligo AC) ran a personal best 14:17.08 for fourth place in the 5000m at the Friar Invitational, in Providence, Rhode Island on Friday (April 11). Not far behind was Scott Fagan (Metro St Brigid’s AC) sixth in 14:20.48.
Winning the women’s 3000m, in a personal best 9:26.44 was Anna Gardiner (East Down AC) with Jane Buckley (Leevale AC) fourth in 10:00.84. In the men’s 3000m, Shane Coffey (Naas AC) finished 13th in 8:47.66 with Sean Lawton (Durrus AC) 14th in 8:48.58.
Niamh O’Mahoney (An Riocht AC) finished second in the women’s 5000m in 16:44.22, another personal best.
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Source: fastrunning.com