Leinster Intermediate & Masters XC and Juvenile XC Relays 2024 (21st Jan)
The Leinster Intermediate & Masters Cross Country and Juvenile Cross Country Relays were held in a windy and eventually very wet Avondale Forest Park, Co. Wicklow on Sunday 21st January. All the talk in the days leading up to the event, especially on the eve, was of Storm Isha and forecasts of yellow and orange warnings for very high winds. The high winds were forecast to hit the east coast by evening, well after the event was to be finished, so the event went ahead as planned. Huge credit must go to Athletics Wicklow for hosting the event and putting everything in place in difficult conditions, all the time worrying that the event might have to be cancelled and all their hard work would be for nothing. As it turned out while the winds were quite strong and gusting, they weren’t too bad and it was only in the later races that the rain came, drenching runners, spectators and officials alike. Everything was finished and everyone had left for home before 3pm, well before Storm Isha struck.
We had one relay team, Mel Bohan, Michael Kiernan, Noah Morgan and Rory McDonnell, in the u/12 boys 4 x 250m Relay. Despite all being u/11, they stepped up to u/12 and though the team finished out of the medals they worked very well as a team and gave a great account and you can’t ask for more than that.
Better known for his prowess as a race walker, Sean McMullin competed in the 4,000m for Master Men o/65 and though he finished out of the medals in his age category he was still very satisfied with his effort on the tough Avondale course. The Master Women 4,000m had a very big entry and running hard over two laps with a long steep uphill section on each lap, thankfully with the wind on their backs, the Mullingar women were led home by Aine O’Reilly. Following Aine in and providing great team support was Maura Dervin who won her master age category, Michelle Bohan, Ciara Dillon, Linda Cunningham, Caroline Mullen, Eithne Spellman, Terri Greene, Nuala Moran, Pauline Troy and Kelly Dunne. No team medals for the younger master women, but thanks to Maura, Caroline, Terri, Nuala and Pauline, it was gold for Mullingar as 1st Club in the o/50 category and with Anna Marie Dowd (Athlone) finishing between Maura and Caroline adding to the County score, it was gold for Westmeath as 1st County in the o/50 category.
The Master Men raced over 7,000m and first home for Mullingar with a great run was Patrick Muldoon, but despite great support from Eddie Newman who won his master age category, Pauric Brady, James Carton, Paul Ginnell and Mark Dunne, there was no team honours for Mullingar, but well done to all on giving one hundred percent effort on a very tough course that was starting to get muddy underfoot as the rain fell.
By the time the Intermediate Men 8,000m was called to the start, the rain was falling heavily. Negotiating the tough hilly course over four energy sapping laps really tested the mettle of all the runners. Working hard all the way and finishing strongly in a terrific fourth place was James Keegan, followed in by Ian McCormack who despite suffering a bad stitch on the final lap as he was closing on James, which forced him to lose a few places, he rallied at the end and pushed home to finish well up in eleventh place, and with terrific team support and packing by Kedagh Geoghegan, Andy Boyhan, Stephen Campbell, Brian Martin and Robert Yorke all digging deep and leaving nothing behind, the men were delighted to finish 3rd Club and 3rd County, the set of bronze medals being great rewards for their valiant efforts.
Leaving home windswept and wet after the final race, Mullingar had won two individual medals, two sets of Club team medals and two sets of County team medals, making it an excellent day’s work for the Mullingar squads.
