To start the week Lindie Naughton brings us all the Irish endurance action and news from the weekend just gone (Monday 24th March).
Sarah Healy (UCD AC) , who had memorably won the 3000m at the European Indoors, was again lining out over the 3000m at the World Indoor Championships in Nanjing, where she finished a fighting sixth and first European in a highly respectable time of 8 mins 40 secs.
Healy was lying fifth for much of the race and moved briefly into fourth place in the later stages of the race, only losing ground in the chase for the line. She admitted after the race that she was a bit too far back to make up the gap.
Photo: James Rhodes
Healy can still look back with some satisfaction on an indoors season that saw her break Irish 1500m and 3000m records as well as winning her first ever senior international gold medal. Roll on the summer!
In the men’s 3000m, Andrew Coscoran (Star of the Sea AC) finished sixth in what was one of his best ever tactical races. Coscoran even moved to the front of the race where eventual winner Jacob Ingebrigtsen of Norway was always the dominant figure.
Photo: James Rhodes
A brilliant silver medal in the women’s pentathlon for Kate O’Connor (St Gerard’s Dundalk) proved the highlight of the Irish performance at the championships in Nanjing.
O’Connor was in action on the opening day of the competition and showed no sign of exhaustion after her bronze medal at the European Indoors only a fortnight earlier.
Photo: Dunboyne 10k
Road running
Niamh Allen (Leevale AC) produced the performance of the day at the Dunboyne 10km on Sunday, a race which incorporated the National 10km Championships.
Allen’s finishing time of 31:44 not only slashed the course record but was the fastest time ever run by an Irishwoman on Irish soil. Only Sonia O’Sullivan and Catherina McKiernan have run faster— and that was overseas.
Allen, now 29, was a latecomer to athletics, joining Crusaders AC in Dublin after her college days and showing some promise before leaving Ireland for Sydney in Australia in 2022, where she spent two years before returning to Ireland in April last year.
Less than three months after giving birth to her daughter, Allen finished second at the National Cross-Country Championships, earning her a place on the Irish team at the European Cross-Country Championships in Turkey, where she finished 11th.
She’s now back living in her native Cork and a member of Donie Walsh’s group at Leevale AC.
Defending champion Ann Marie McGlynn (Letterkenny AC), aged forty-five but running as a senior, was second in 33:04 and Íde Nic Dhomhnaill ((West Limerick), another master athlete running as a senior, third in 33:17.
Jack O’Leary (Mullingar Harriers). Photo: Dunboyne 10k
The men’s race with some quick times too
Overall, Jack O’Leary (Mullingar Harriers) took a first ever national senior title when winning the race in 29 mins 15 secs. David McGlynn (Waterford AC) was ten seconds adrift for second place in 29:25 and Pierre Murchan (Dublin City Harriers) third in 29:31.
Colm Rooney (Clonliffe Harriers) was fourth and first M40 in 29:42 and Cillian Gleeson (Celbridge AC) fifth and first junior in 29:46.
It was a solid victory for O’Leary, a brilliant junior athlete who has struggled with injuries in recent years, but has been on the comeback trail over the winter, running both indoors and cross-country.
Among the master category winners were Niamh O’Sullivan (An Riocht) better known as a coach these days, who was first W60, former Irish marathon champion Christine Kennedy (Galway City Harriers) first W70, Cillian O’Leary (Raheny Shamrock AC) M45 and Pauric McKinney (Inishowen AC) M55.
The team titles
Donore Harriers, took the men’s open team title as well as the national title, with John Travers , Gavin Curtin, Kane Collin and Eric Keogh making up the scoring quartet and all home inside the top thirty. CNDR TC from Belfast, led by Conal McClean seventh was second and Raheny Shamrock, led by Shane Spring in 16th place, third.
Leevale’s trio of Niamh Allen, Lizzie Lee and Hannah Steeds were comfortable winners of the women’s title, with Mullingar Harriers, led by Clare Fagan, second and Dublin City Harriers third.
In the masters’ team categories, Letterkenny AC, Clane AC and Rathfarnham WSAF AC were the top three M35 teams and Grange Fermoy, Inishowen AC and Tuam AC best in the M50 grade. Dunboyne AC made it a home win in the W35 category with Ennis TC second and Metro St Brigid’s AC third. Brothers Pearse won AC the W50 team category, followed by Rathfarnham WSAF and defending champions Mayo AC. A grand total of 99 men’s and 83 women’s teams had lined out.
In Co Cork, Barry Twohig (St Finbarr’s AC, M45) led home an entry of over 1,200 at the Mallow 10-Mile, finishing in a time of 52 mins 46 secs. Shane Collins was second in 52:58 and Damien Madigan (North Cork AC) third in 53:07. Niamh Moore (Leevale AC) was first woman in 58:50 , with Kealey Tideswell (Clonmel AC, W40) second in 60:32 and Catherine Murphy (Eagle AC, W45) third in 63.23.
The post Allen shines at home, whilst Irish athletes battle in Nanjing appeared first on Fast Running.
Source: fastrunning.com