Pat Finnerty Memorial 5k League 2023 – Round 3 (17th May)
Pat Finnerty Memorial 5k concludes
We couldn’t have asked for a lovelier summer evening on Wednesday 17th May for the final round of the Pat Finnerty Memorial 5k with clear blue skies and sunshine greeting the runners that arrived in Belvedere. Over the three evenings, well over 200 registered to run, which is a great start in rebuilding an event that had lapsed for several years and we’re confident that we can grow the event next year. Over the three nights we saw that entries were nearly evenly split between men and women, that about two thirds came from Westmeath but a third came from neighbouring and nearby Counties including Longford, Cavan, Offaly, Meath, Kildare and Dublin, and it’s great to see such interest far and wide in the event.
With the best two of three times to score in the league, Vinny Connolly (Mullingar Harriers) had to run the final night, having skipped round two, and with the winner of round two (Kevin Baker) also running the final round, and James Keegan (Mullingar Harriers) in the mix for prizes too, it was going to be interesting battle up front in the men’s race. Everyone kept their powder dry early on and the three men kept close to each other, waiting for someone to make a move. They were still locked together with one kilometre to go, but going up the final hill Vinny made his move and it proved decisive. Kevin and James chased hard but Vinny had enough in reserve to take the win and secure the overall top place, and in a great battle to the line, James just managed to get in front of Kevin to take second place in a very close finish.
As Fiona Gettings (Longford AC) had won rounds one and two comfortably, it was a foregone conclusion that she would finish in top place and secure the trophy for best woman. Sinead Whitelaw (Mullingar Harriers) had battled well with Emily Grennan (Tullamore Harriers AC) in the first two rounds but decided to rest out the third round, which meant Emily cruised to an excellent win on the night, with Susan Glennon in second place and Jennifer Algar in third.
Top men and women aside, of course there was great competition right through the field in the various master categories. Full results of the race are available on www.myrunresults.com. After the race, everyone moved to the nearby Mullingar Golf Club for refreshments and food and the all-important prize giving.
The top three men in the league were Vinny Connolly, Kevin Baker and James Keegan and the top three women were Fiona Gettings, Sinead Whitelaw and Emily Grennan. The perpetual trophy for first man was presented to Vinny Connolly and the trophy for first woman was presented to Fiona Gettings by Susan Finnerty.
Many thanks to everyone who gave up their free time and helped out with car parking, registrations, course building, stewarding, start officials, finish line officials, Ger Flynn for leading the race on his bike to make sure no one went astray, Declan Costello for his photographs, Tom Cully for his drone footage, but most importantly to everyone who took part in the series. Finally, a big thank you to Westmeath Civil Defence for providing first aid and ambulance cover, to the staff of Belvedere House and Gardens, to Susan Finnerty for presenting the trophies, and finally to Mullingar Golf Club for hosting the prize giving. The category prize winners were:
Senior Female
- Fiona Gettings Longford AC
- Sinead Whitelaw
- Emily Grennan Tullamore Harriers
Senior Men
- Vinny Connolly
- Kevin Baker
- James Keegan
F40
- Aine O’Reilly
- Charlotte Kearney Donadea AC
- Sinead Nolan Longford AC
M40
- Alan Crowley
- Eoin Clarke
- Enda O’Carolan
F50
- Mary Stuart
- Caroline Mullen
- Criona Reid
M50
- James Cribbin
- Tom McGrath
- Mick Fagan
F60
- Vera McCool
- Juliann Ryan
- Eela Clarke Athlone AC
M60
- Brian O’Reilly
- Brian Balfe Ultimate Fitness
- William Tooher Coralstown Kinnegad AC
M70
- Michael Smith
- Sean McMullin
- Martin Buckley
