Pat Finnerty Memorial 5k 2018 (2nd May)

Scroll down for Report and details of Prize Winners

1st man – Peter Somba (Dunboyne AC)

1st woman – Emma Mitchell (QUB AC)

Ready for the start of the Juvenile 1,500m race

The course for the Pat Finnerty Memorial 5k on Wednesday evening 2nd May was a straight point to point starting near the Cloghan Inn on the Delvin Road, straight through the Crazy Corner, and finishing at Donnelly’s Cross on the Castlepollard Road. The course was mostly flat or downhill and it certainly lived up to its prediction of being fast as the winner of both the men’s and women’s race recorded very fast times and earned bonus prizes in addition to their prizes for first place and the award of the Pat Finnerty Memorial Trophy to each of them.

While the runners in the 5k warmed up and made their way to the start either by jogging there or taking the courtesy shuttle bus, there was a 1,500m race for boys and girls u/16 on a very quiet side road beside Clonkill Hurling Club, which was the excellent location for Race HQ. A simple out and back course meant no one could go astray and first to finish was Philip McCartan (4:30), followed by Callum Costello (14:37) and Conor Liston (4:55). Fifth overall and first girl to finish was Grace Byrne (5:09), with Orla Manning (5:24) second just ahead of Eva Farrell (5:25) a very close third. Once all 41 youngsters had finished and the trophies for the first three boys and girls were awarded and everyone received their finisher medals, they returned to the Clonkill Hurling Club for some well-earned refreshments. Juvenile results HERE.

Kenyan-born Peter Somba (Dunboyne AC) set off hard from the start of the 5k with clear intent and by the first kilometre mark had established a good lead. Coming through the Crazy Corner just past the half way mark he was well ahead and racing against the clock from there to the finish, which he reached in an excellent 14:56, inside the 15 minute mark that earned him a bonus prize and setting a course record that will be difficult to better. This was a marvelous exhibition of top class front running at its best. Shane Healy (MSB AC) took second place with 15:49 and Mick Fogarty (Ferbane AC) third in 16:07 in the men’s race.

Emma Mitchell (Queen’s University Belfast AC) is not long back from the Commonwealth Games in Queensland, Australia where she smashed her own Northern Ireland record on her International Championship debut in the 10,000 metres final, finishing fifteenth in 32:49.91 seconds, so clearly a woman in top form. Emma finished fourth overall against some very well regarded male Club runners, coming home in 16:23, inside the 16:30 mark that also earned her a bonus prize and setting a course record in the women’s race that should stand for a very long time. Behind Emma in the women’s race was the Mullingar Harriers duo Aine O’Reilly (18:12) and Sinead Whitelaw (18:35).

Right through the field of runners there was competition in the junior races and in the various master categories, with some very close finishes in some cases. The Prize Winners are in the table below and full results are available on the MyRunResults website. After the race, there were plenty of refreshments for everyone in the Clonkill Hurling Club and the prizes were presented to the various category winners including the Pat Finnerty Memorial Trophies for first man and first woman presented to Peter Somba and Emma Mitchell. Full results HERE.

This concluded a successful first staging of a new 5k race on a new fast course with good numbers registering for the event. The success of the race is due to the very many volunteers who gave up their free time. These are the people who took registrations, helped Clonkill officials with car parking, stewarded the course, organized prizes, and did all the other tasks required.

Finally, many thanks to the Committee of Clonkill Hurling Club, in particular Declan Leonard, for the generous use of their excellent facilities. Many present were seeing the clubhouse and sports hall for the first time, which they were told could be hired for all manner of events. Also thanks to My Run Results for looking after results in a professional manner, the Westmeath Civil Defence for providing first aid and ambulance cover, to Hyundai Mullingar for their generous sponsorship of the event, but especially to everyone who took part. The next big event for the Club will be the Mullingar 10 Mile road race in July.

5k Prize Winners:

Full results of the 5k race HERE.

1,500m Results: