Q3, 2022 News & Reports – July to September

SEPTEMBER

European Masters T&F Championships

The European Masters T&F Championships were held in Pescara from 22nd to 30th September, Italy and among the very large Irish team was Sean McMullin and Aidan O’Donoghue.

Sean was entered in three events over the week, so it was a punishing schedule, but Sean has trained hard and was able to draw on his considerable experience of competing at this level. He got his campaign underway on Saturday 23rd with the 5,000m race walk on the track where competition was very stiff but Sean came through, holding off a late challenge, to take bronze. Sean was back in action on Tuesday morning 26th in the 10k road walk. Starting at 7am, the temperature was already 22degC and rose to 24degC by the end, so tough conditions for all the competitors. The race was held on a 1k looped course on a tree-lined avenue, giving some shade from the sun. Sean raced very well and sat in between two Italian competitors. As the laps unfolded, Sean consolidated his position, always looking comfortable and was delighted to finish in second place and win his second medal, a silver. The toughest race was left to last, the 20k race walk on Saturday morning 30th and Sean dug deep and with a polished performance came home in second place to round off his Championships with another silver medal, his third medal from three races.

Aidan competed in the Decathlon on Friday 22nd and Saturday 23rd. Friday was very hot with temperatures in the low 30degC, but he was very happy with his performances on day one, with a personal best in the 100m, good results in the long jump and shot, very happy with his high jump, clearing 1.40m, despite the heat and tiredness. In the final event on day one, the 400m, he admits to going out too hard and paid for it on the home straight but clung on to finish day one very tired but happy. Saturday was a little cooler, but still in the high 20degC. Aidan had a good run in the 100m hurdles, admits to being below par in the discus, but was delighted with his pole vault, breaking his personal best twice. He set another personal best in the javelin and when the 1,500m came around, was near exhausted after two long days of competition in the heat, but settled in well and soaked up the atmosphere and was delighted to finish his first European masters decathlon. No medal won, but a massive and enjoyable experience.

Star of the Sea AC Cross Country

Despite the terrible yellow warning weather forecast of heavy rain and strong winds, the Star of the Sea AC Cross Country in Meath on Sunday 24th September was held in near ideal conditions, certainly for the younger ages, and though the wind picked up a bit later in the day, the rain mostly held off and there was only the occasional light rain shower that didn’t last long, so we didn’t drenched like we expected. This has been the opening fixture for Mullingar Harriers for many years, and we had competitors in 14 of the 16 juvenile races and competitors in the women and men races too, so it was evident that Mullingar was there in force.

In the juvenile races there was individual medals for the top six finishers in each race and team medals for the top three teams. Mullingar juveniles won 14 individual top-6 medals, including first place for Chloe Bell and Cillian Galvin, and team medals in nine juvenile races. Vinny Connolly won the men’s race, leading the Mullingar team to second place. Our masters were also in great form, as Claire Lennon and James Carton won prizes in their master categories.

The first race of the day was the u/9 girls 500m where Heather Kelly finished very fast to take 3rd place and with Rachel Robinson also finishing very well, it was a pity we didn’t have a third girl to make up a team. Having just missed a medal last year, Helen McGrath made no mistake this year in the u/10 girls 500m and came through for 5th place, and with great support from Roisin Keane, Lyla Lennon Currill and Rose Harte, the girls placed 2nd Club. We didn’t win any individual medals in the u/10 boys 500m but Donagh Bourke, Daniel Brady and Olly Wright put in great efforts, finishing well up and were rewarded for their efforts with bronze medals for 3rd Club.

Amelie Downes was our sole representative in the u/11 girls 1,000m and even though she finished out of the medal places can be very satisfied with her efforts. We had no problem fielding a team in the u/11 boys 1,000m where Cillian Gavin sprinted hard in the final stages to finish 2nd, just ahead of his brother Conor Gavin in 3rd, and with terrific team running from Aaron Robinson and Fintan Harte, the boys were delighted to finish 1st Club.

Our first individual victory came from Chloe Bell in the u/12 girls 1,500m where she raced clear of the field to win by a distance and with Clodagh Keane (3rd), Amelie Kelly and Liadan Gavin providing the vital scores, the girls finished 1st Club by a very comfortable margin and richly deserved their gold medals. Being Mullingar’s only representative in the u/12 boys 1,500m meant that Harry Flanagan knew it was up to himself if he wanted to win a medal, and after a great race over the tough hilly course he was delighted to finish in 4th place and secure an individual medal. Also running over one lap, Aoibhe Martyn led the Mullingar team home in the u/13 girls  1,500m and with great support and team packing from Emily Tully and Lucy Mulvany, the girls finished 2nd Club to add to Mullingar’s medal haul.

Our second individual victory came in the u/13 boys 1,800m where Cillian Galvin romped home in first place and with Antonio Bertolo (2nd), and Louis Kiernan, Aonghus O’Reilly and Joel Kelly finishing strongly, the team finished a well-deserved 1st Club. No individual medals in the u/14 girls 2,000m, but seeing Beibhinn O’Reilly, Lisa O’Brien and Chloe Duggan finishing very fast in prominent positions we were confident of team medals, and that’s exactly how it transpired as the girls finished 3rd Club and were delighted with their bronze medals. Cormac McGrath and Ciaran Mulvany finished well up in the u/14 boys 2,200m and only for a third runner, would have won team medals, but can still be very pleased with their performances.

Tianna O’Leary led for most of the u/15 girls 2,200m and though she was passed in the closing stages continued to race hard to the finish, crossing the line in 3rd place and with strong finishes from Blathnaid Peters and Emma Lagan, led the team to 2nd Club and the silver medals. Daniel Boyle was our only representative in the u/15 boys 2,500m and though he finished out of the medal places can be very satisfied with his efforts on the tough hills. The juvenile programme ended with the u/17 boys 4,500m where Mullingar fielded a very strong team. Running strong throughout, it was great to see Matthew Molloy race home in 2nd place, and with Donagh Carey in 3rd, Luke Greene 4th, Oisin Kehoe 5th and Conor Mulvany finishing well too, it was surprise that the Mullingar boys placed 1st Club by a huge margin.

The women’s 3,000m was a combined race for u/20, senior and master women and taking part in her first cross country race, Claire Lennon made short work of the tough hilly course and was delighted to place 3rd in her master category and win a prize. The final race of the day was the men’s 6,000m, which was a combined race for u/20, senior and master men. With four laps to complete, Vinny Connolly bided his time in the opening laps but when he decided to move ahead, he did so with ease, opening up a big gap and came home victorious. With great team support from John Whitelaw, Ian McCormack, Kris Foster, James Carton (3rd in his master category) and Kevin O’Brien, the Mullingar men finished 2nd Club. Conor McHugh had been having a very good race but suffered a severe stitch on the final lap and had to stop. A wise decision and we’ll see him in future competitions.

This was an excellent opening fixture for Mullingar Harriers and everyone that took part will gain from the experience and bring it into the season ahead.

Rathfarnham 5k

The Rathfarnham 5k on Sunday morning 24th September saw nearly 1,000 athletes toe the line for what is regarded as one of the fastest 5k races in the country. The first and final kilometre are downhill and fast, the middle section is flat and fast, and there is only one short 400m uphill section, and with a strong field of club runners, everyone can look to be dragged along to fast times. This was certainly the case for Claire Fagan who demonstrated that she is in terrific racing shape at the moment by finishing well up overall in 16 minutes 19 seconds and winning the women’s race with a comfortable gap.

Also competing was James Keegan (15:48), Alan Crowley (16:49) Enda O’Carolan (17:34) and Ann Hall (19:24) third in her master category and everyone was very pleased with their performances in a quality race and showing that the Rathfarnham course is indeed very quick.

Athlone Half Marathon and 10k

A new venture by Athlone AC, the Athlone Half Marathon and 10k 0n Sunday 24th September started and finished on the track at the TUS Athlone Campus. Run on a very flat course and taking in part of the greenway, several Mullingar Harriers athletes took in the half marathon as part of their training for the Dublin City Marathon at the end of October, which is now clearly in their sights.

In a field of just under 200 athletes in the Half Marathon, Kieran Nolan was first home for Mullingar, finishing third in his master category with a time of 1 hour 20 minutes 42 seconds. Mary Stuart had an excellent run to finish third woman overall, first in her master category. Mary’s time of 1:31:24 is a little outside of her best, but she was focused on getting the distance in at her marathon pace. Martin Fitzpatrick is preparing for the New York marathon and was pleased with a time of 1:34:03. Therese Glynn and Paul Byrne both finished together with identical times of 1:43:25 and while John McNamara ran with them for the first 16k he found the final 5k demanding and eased back to finish in 1:47:23.

In the supporting 10k Race, Enda Seery was very pleased with his second place overall finish in a time of 39:41.

Berlin Marathon

Andrew Nevin has been improving steadily over the half marathon distance in recent times, slowly improving his best times with each outing, so it was only a matter of time that that he would produce a big step improvement in the marathon, if he found the right race and right conditions. He chose the Berlin Marathon on Sunday morning 24th September where he was joined by a huge field of nearly 44,000 to deliver a big performance. Andrew was careful in the opening stages and he reached the halfway mark in a swift 1 hour 15 minutes 33 seconds. He continued to run strong and was even able to increase his pace slightly in the second half, to produce a negative split and came home in a fantastic 2 hours 30 minutes 43 seconds, a huge personal best and a real breakthrough performance. It’s been a long time since a Mullingar athlete went close to 2 hours 30 minutes, making this a noteworthy performance.

Also in Berlin, Joan Flynn had been targeting a finish time close to 3 hours and while her early splits were spot on, taking her through the halfway point just outside 1 hour 30 minutes, she suffered a little from the 30k mark and finished in 3 hours 7 minutes 42 seconds, a bit off her pre-race target but an excellent performance nevertheless.

Grey Lake 10k

Loughrea AC hosted the Grey Lake 10k on Sunday morning 24th September, where conditions were very wet and windy, not at all conducive to racing. Gerard Gavin used the race to test himself against the hills and was not disappointed and was very pleased to finish in second place. Linda Cunningham was more than happy on how she held up against the tough hills, finishing fourth woman and first in her master category.

Charleville Half Marathon

Well done to Andrew Nevin who placed an excellent fifth place in the Charleville Half Marathon on Sunday morning 17th September. Running in a field of just over 1,000 runners, Andrew was always in the leading group of runners on a flat and pacy course and completed the event in a very impressive 1 hour 11 minutes 18 seconds, which is a personal best for the distance.

Official opening of the new track (14th Sept)

There was a great attendance at the Club on Thursday evening 14th September for the official opening of the new all-weather track, We were very lucky with the weather and everything could take place outdoors, right beside the new track. Club Secretary, Greg Duggan, was MC for the evening and got proceedings got underway by welcoming the many invited guests including our local elected representative from the Dail and Westmeath County Council, our near neighbours Mullingar Educate Together National School and Reverend Daniel Martin, Brian Collentine and Adam Price of O’Reilly Stuart Consulting Engineers who designed the track, Colin Delaney of Midland Sports Surfaces who built the track, Conor Isdell the Chair of North Midlands Credit Union, representatives from other athletics clubs in Westmeath, the editors of the local print media, Catriona Duffy the Chair of Athletics Leinster and of course the guest of honour, John Cronin, the President of Athletics Ireland.

Margaret Daly, Chair of Mullingar Harriers then addressed the crowd by giving a quick history of developments carried out at the grounds since Westmeath County Council first granted a lease for a site on a sloping field in 1985. A clubhouse was built first, the field was levelled to lay a grass track, then followed further developments such as fencing and floodlights, all-weather sprint lanes, a gravel track around the perimeter of the grounds, and coming right up to date with a massive leap forward when the decision was made to develop an all-weather track, the most significant step taken by the Club in its history. Margaret paid tribute to the support of the Department of Sport through the very significant grant allocated under the Sports Capital Programme and the work of our politicians, both in the Oireachtas and in the Council, in supporting the application, the generosity of Club members and sponsors to raise our own funds towards the cost, and the invaluable input from Athletics Ireland who supported the application for Capital Funding.

John Cronin, the President of Athletics Ireland, was then invited to say a few words and then he unveiled the commemorative wall plaque and cut the tape on the track to officially declare the track open, a huge milestone in the development of Mullingar Harriers. Everyone was then invited to enjoy some refreshments in the Clubhouse, where the evening concluded with a presentation on behalf the Club by Joanna Tyrrell and Sinead Whitelaw to John Cronin to thank him for coming to open the track.

Craughwell 10 Mile

Craughwell AC in Co. Galway hosted the thirteenth edition of the Craughwell 10 Mile on Sunday morning 3rd September. The popularity of the race was evident with over 1,100 taking part, attracted by a relatively flat and therefore a fast course. Enda Seery was very happy with his race, finishing well up in twenty second place overall in an excellent 67 minutes 46 seconds.

Dingle Half Marathon

The spectacularly scenic Dingle Peninsula played host on Saturday morning 2nd September to both a half marathon and a full marathon. Four of our club athletes made the long trip on Friday to Dingle and were among a very big entry of 1,462 runners in the Dingle Half Marathon. The Slea Head coastline route out of Dingle was closed to traffic for the day, and glorious morning sunshine greeted the runners as they traversed the peninsula around the roads to and from the west Kerry town. The breathtaking scenery and rugged coastline were at their most appealing as the athletes set out in perfect weather conditions with clear blue skies, a very light wind and temperatures quickly rising towards the 20degC mark just before the 9am start time.

First home was John Meade (St. Finbarr’s AC) in 1:13:17 with Olympian Aoife Cooke (Eagle AC) winning the ladies race in 1:24:51. All four Mullingar Harriers athletes were treating the half marathon as their weekly “long slow run” in preparation for the Dublin City Marathon at the end of October. First home was Mary Stuart in 1:35:44, with Criona Reid continuing her very good form of recent months with a time of 1:42:07. John McNamara (1:52:46) and Joan Hickson, running in her own backyard (she is a native of nearby Lispole) with 1:55:55 were equally satisfied with their races. Indeed all four were seen to head off for an extra 9k run along by Slea Head after the race to clock up some extra mileage in preparation for their marathon challenge in 8 weeks.

AUGUST

Tullamore Half Marathon (incorp. National & Leinster Half)

National and Leinster Championship medals were on offer at the annual Bord Na Mona Tullamore Harriers Half Marathon, which incorporated the National Half and the Athletics Leinster Half, held on Saturday morning 26th August. Early morning rain cleared to leave largely dry if somewhat windy conditions for the 1,175 athletes who took to the roads around the Offaly town. While it was into the wind in the opening 5 miles, turning back towards the town outside Mucklagh, shelter was provided on country roads, and it was with the wind at their backs that all headed towards the Tullamore Harriers club grounds. A lap of the track tested the resilience for the final push to the finish line.

Ryan Creech (Leevale AC) was the overall winner in a new course record of 1 hour 5 minutes 47 seconds, with Natasha Adams (Letterkenny AC) winning the women race in 1 hour 18 minutes 15 seconds. Mullingar Harriers had 31 athletes participating. Johnny Morrissey was first home in a very fine 1:17:31 and showing his preparation for the Dublin City Marathon is well on track. There was success for Mullingar individuals and teams in both the National and Leinster competitions. In the National competition, Jacintha Reilly (1:27:23) won bronze in the senior category, master bronze went to Sinead Whitelaw (1:21:39), it was gold for Mary Stuart (1:30:41) and bronze for Maura Dervin (1:33:33) in their master age category. In the Leinster competition, Sinead won senior bronze, Mary master gold, Maura master bronze and Eddie Newman (1:20:14) won silver in his master age category. The senior women team of Sinead, Jacintha and Mary won silver in both the National and Leinster Club team events, as did the master women team of Maura, Criona Reid (1:37:21) and Caroline Mullen (1:43:49). The team of Sinead, Jacintha, Mary and Maura finished an excellent 2nd Club in the open race where it was teams of four to score, rather than three to score as in the National and Leinster team competitions.

In the Leinster competition, where Mullingar athletes were competing alongside athletes from Athlone AC and Coralstown Kinnegad AC who had a good number of athletes competing. Sinead, Jacintha, Mary and Maura (together with Theresa Hughes and Monika De Almeida from Athlone AC) finished 2nd senior County. Criona and Caroline (together with Lisa O’Rourke and Eileen Kenny from Athlone AC) finished 2nd master County. Finally, Eddie and Gerard Gavin (1:21:15), together with David Watson (Athlone AC) and Andrew Bracken from Coralstown Kinnegad AC, finished 2nd master County.

The other Mullingar Harriers who took part were Ken Whitelaw (1:18:48), Evan McCormack (1:23:20), Andy Boyhan (1:28:27), Tommy Byrne (1:28:26), Murty Hanly (1:33;56), Darren Carroll (1:34:22), Niamh McEntegart (1:34:58), Aisling Corcoran (1:36:04), Aeilish McGovern (1:37:30), Paul Ginnell (1:39:06), Mark Dunne (1:42:44), Linda Cunningham with a whopping 10 minute personal best (1:43:46), Marie Louise Johnson (1:43:42), Gemma Kelly (1:46:31), Eithne Spellman (1:46:28), Richie Kelly (1:47:28), John Bannon (1:52:17), Brendan Rice (1:55:31), Ray Smyth (1:59:06), Martin Mullen (2:03:14), Kelly Dunne (2:05:29) and Joan Mulvihill (2:06:18).

Tara 5k

Tara AC held their annual Tara 5k on quiet county roads around the village of Skryne, near Navan, on Friday evening 25th August. The course took in Skryne Castle and the Hill of Skryne that overlooks the Hill of Tara. It was a hilly enough course and the race was held in showery and windy conditions. John Glennon and Susan Glennon were among the 243 finishers, Susan taking third place in the senior women race in a time of 19 minutes 46 seconds, while John just missed a podium place when finishing fourth in the Junior men race in a time of 18 minutes 26 seconds.

Celbridge 5k

Run on a fast course around the roads of Celbridge on Thursday evening 24th August, the Celbridge 5k attracted a field of 430 athletes. Mullingar Harriers was represented by three athletes. Training partners Glenda Shaw and Ann Hall had impressive times of 19 minutes 12 seconds and 19 minutes 27 seconds respectively to place them second and third in their master age categories. Enda Seery was happy to be back to racing after a busy recent schedule, including a significant role in the Fleadh. He came home in a very steady time of 18 minutes 19 seconds.

Kilcock 10 Mile

The Kilcock 10 Mile on Sunday morning 20th August was another superb race hosted by St. Coca’s AC. Events like this, hosted by strong traditional Clubs with the know-how and experience to give runners the best experience possible, attract great support from other Clubs with over 400 taking part and show that good Club events are thriving this year.

Nearly 400 finished the race, with James Keegan continuing his excellent recent form with an eleventh place finish in 56 minutes 9 seconds. Following in behind and delighted to finish well under the hour mark was Alan Crowley in 59:07, with Claire Lennon pleased to cover the distance in 89:16. Well done to St. Coca’s AC for another fast race and a very high level of organisation.

Peugeot Race Series

The Peugeot Race Series is a series of eight road races, which took place across the Country since March and it concluded on Sunday 20th August with a 10 mile race in Cork. The race series has both individual and team competitions; the team competition varying from the norm, with mixed teams of three men and three woman to score in each race.

Mullingar Harriers have once again taken third place in the series, to back up their third place from 2022. This is a wonderful result for the club and a testament to all our athletes who put themselves forward to compete in each of the races.

The Mullingar athletes started their series with a very fast evening 5k race in Kilkenny in April, with a solid showing from Vinny Connolly, Ian McCormack, Kris Foster, Sinéad Whitelaw, Aine O’Reilly and Susan Glennon. This team finished in fourth position, behind strong teams from Dundrum South Dublin AC, Leevale AC and Kilkenny City Harriers AC.

The series then moved into May, with two races within six days of each other, in Johnstownbridge and Tullamore. The Bob Heffernan-Mary Hanley 5k race in Johnstownbridge is always a very competitive road race and the Harriers team was delighted to finish second, led home by Vinny Connolly in third place with a swift 14:51. He was backed up by Andrew Nevin, James Keegan, Sinéad Whitelaw, Jenny Algar and Aine O’Reilly. Another team of six athletes, namely Andrew Nevin, Ken Whitelaw, Andy Boyhan, Sinéad Whitelaw, Susan Glennon and Jacintha Reilly acquitted themselves well in the Ashling Murphy 4 mile race in Tullamore to finish fourth team. At this stage in the series, at the halfway point, Mullingar Harriers was delighted to be lying in third position.

The Michael Manning 10k race in Dunshaughlin in June was the next race, and the Mullingar team finished well in third position, with nice running by Andrew Nevin, James Keegan, Kris Foster, Sinéad Whitelaw, Susan Glennon and Joan Flynn. There was then two 10 mile races within a couple of weeks, in Roscommon and Edenderry, which Mullingar fielded strong teams in. Andrew Nevin, James Keegan, Kris Foster, Sinéad Whitelaw, Joan Flynn and Jacintha Reilly ran well to get second team in Roscommon, while in Edenderry the team line up changed a little again, with Alan Crowley and Kieran Nolan joining Andrew Nevin, Sinéad Whitelaw, Joan Flynn and Jacintha Reilly to finish in fourth place.

Following the seventh race in Edenderry, Mullingar had secured an overall third team place in the series and opted not to field a team for the final race in Cork city last weekend. The club should be very proud of the fifteen athletes who made up the various teams, with nine different men and six different woman scoring on the teams, a testament to the depth of strong athletes in the club. The team race series was won by DSD AC and Clane AC finished in second position.

Northern Ireland Masters T&F

Aidan O’Donoghue finished off his domestic T&F season in style on Saturday 19th August at the Mary Peters Track in Belfast, winning three gold medals and a bronze in his master age category at the Northern Ireland Masters T&F. Aidan won the javelin, high jump and 100m hurdles and placed third in the hammer. This adds to the medals he won in the javelin and high jump at the AAI National Masters T&F the week before, as he continues his preparations for the Europeans Masters T&F in Italy in September.

Frank Duffy 10 Mile

The tail end of high winds from Storm Betty and occasional heavy showers meant that conditions in the Phoenix Park the annual Frank Duffy 10 Mile on Saturday morning 19th August were not for the faint hearted. As well as tough weather conditions, the 2,800 athletes had to tackle a tricky winding circuit, which included a mixture of flat stretches and rolling hills. Undaunted, Enda O’Carolan continued his preparation for the Dublin Marathon in October, with a steady run in the testing conditions and was happy with his time of 1 hour 3 minutes 14 seconds, finishing twelfth in his master age category. Martin Fitzpatrick also had a steady run and while a little disappointed with his time of 1 hour 13 minutes 21 seconds, he can look forward to further distance races in the coming weeks to fully prepare for his first marathon in October. Another preparing for Dublin was Joan Hickson, who was happy with her time of 1 hour 19 minutes and 15 seconds.

Isle of Man Half Marathon

Patrick Muldoon travelled to the Isle of Man to take part in the annual Isle of Man Half Marathon on Sunday 13th August. This race has regularly attracted runners from Ireland, the UK and across Europe. On race day, conditions were warm and windy for the field of 341 competitors. Starting and finishing in the picturesque town of Ramsey in the North of the island, the route was a one lap winding circuit that included a challenging hill to the high point approaching the 4 mile mark. Patrick finished 25th overall of 341 competitors in 1 hour 29 minutes 27 seconds, which placed him fifth in his master age category.

National Masters T&F

The National Masters T&F was held in Tullamore on Saturday 12th August. While the day was quite mild, it was very windy, and the athletes had the additional challenge of having to cope with some very heavy rain showers, but that didn’t dampen the spirits of the five Mullingar master members, with each of them winning National medals.

Mullingar’s reputation in race walks was reinforced by the sterling performances of Colm Walsh and Sean McMullin in the 5,000m walk. Colm set off with purpose from the gun and worked hard to keep in touch with the leading pair who were in a younger age category, with a third younger master on his shoulder for much of the race spurring him on. He maintained the effort throughout and despite a later challenge he was rewarded with a third place overall finish, winning his age category by a distance and claiming the National title. Meanwhile, Sean McMullin was doing similar in his age category, putting in a great effort to win convincingly and add to his collection of National titles.

Maura Dervin competed in the 3,000m run and was delighted to win her age category in a close finish after a fast final lap. While her finish time was a few seconds slower than last year she was still more than happy considering the windy and showery conditions and was delighted to finish and get in out of the heavy rain.

Aidan O’Donoghue had a very busy day, competing in three events. He started with the discus, a relatively new event for him, and was happy to throw 28.06m, a new personal best by 2.5m that saw him finish in fifth place. He secured the silver medal in the javelin with a 31.05m effort, and rounded off his day with a bronze medal in the high jump, clearing 1.40m to win his second National medal of the day.

Leaving the best to last, in the 28 pound weight for distance event, Tom Walsh wasted no time and went straight into a commanding lead in the first round. He increased his lead in the second round but saved his best for the fourth and final round, launching the weight out to 9.17m to win the National title in his age category.

Five athletes winning four National titles and a silver and a bronze medal made this a memorable day for the mighty Mullingar masters.

Kilbeggan 10 Mile

The Kilbeggan 10 Mile was run on Sunday morning 6th August on part of the old Dublin to Galway Road, from Kilbeggan to Horseleap, where it turns left along country roads to Clara before turning left at the outskirts of the Offaly town and the runners have just under 3k to home, which includes a 200m grass surface finish area in the grounds of Kilbeggan GAA. On a dry overcast morning the conditions proved ideal for distance running as over 200 toed the line. In the senior ladies’ race, Amy Mahony who is home on a short holiday from Canada showed that she is maintaining good running form when finishing third in 1 hour 8 minutes 46 seconds. The other Mullingar Harriers athletes who took part did not achieve a podium finish, but all were pleased with their run as they prepare for Championship races in the coming weeks. Joan Flynn returned in 1:10:03, Kieran Nolan running his third race in 5 days had a fine run coming home in 1:02:37, Alan Crowley ran 1:04:20 and James Cribbin finished in 1:08:46. Martin Fitzpatrick ran 1:14:29, Michelle Bohan 1:16:51, Jenny Algar 1:16:52, Nollaig McEntegart 1:17:23, John Bannon 1:24:43, Catherine Gavin 1:32:20 and Ian Gavin 1:38:59.

Birr 5k

The final race in the Offaly 5k series, the Birr 5k, was held on Friday evening 4th August. Mullingar Harriers were in contention for a team prize going into the race. On the night we had 6 athletes taking part. The race around the historical town of Birr just finished ahead of some very heavy rain, in overcast and humid conditions. First home for Mullingar Harriers was Kieran Nolan in 17 minutes 59 seconds, which gave him third place in his master category. Linda Cunningham led the ladies team home in 21 minutes 56 seconds and with Caroline Mullen finishing fourth in her master category with 22:13 and Brigid McCabe winning her master category with a time of 23:26, the team of Linda, Caroline and Brigid secured 3rd team in the team event. Patricia Broderick (23:53) and Joanna Tyrell (24:10) completed the Mullingar contingent.

Streets of Athboy 5k

In Athboy on Friday evening 4th August, four Mullingar Harriers joined 375 others and took part in the Streets of Athboy 5k race staged around the town and its surrounding roads. It was a flat and fast course with conditions overcast but dry and with a light breeze. James Keegan was second overall in 15 minutes 57 seconds, with Alan Crowley coming home in the top 10 with a fine time of 16:27. This was an agonising 4 seconds behind his master category winner and 2 other athletes just got in ahead of Alan to push him back to fourth by the narrowest of margins. Glenda Shaw ran 18:53 and finished fourth in her master category, with Ann Hall coming home in 19:49, which earned her third place in her master category.

Westmeath Road Championships

The 2023 Westmeath Road Championships took place in overcast conditions at Grange on Wednesday evening 2nd August. A day of showers gave way before the start, and while a tricky head wind added to the challenge for athletes, particularly on the C-Link Road section, a competitive race saw some regular podium finishers mix in with newcomers to honours. In the ladies’ 6k race Sinead Whitelaw led from start to finish and powered home in an impressive 22 minutes 24 seconds to take gold. Jacintha Reilly ran a very controlled pace and was rewarded with her first Championship medal, taking silver in 23:53. Mary Stuart continued her excellent form across a range of distances winning bronze in 25:02.

The senior men’s 6k race saw James Keegan stretch out into a commanding lead over the first circuit before being reined in gradually by Vinny Connolly at the 5k mark. Vinny pushed on in the closing stages opening a gap of 11 seconds by the finish to claim gold in 19 minutes 58 seconds, with James taking silver in a time of 20:09, and Kris Foster was a worthy winner of the bronze medal in 20:58.

In the master categories, it was master women o/35 gold for Michelle Bohan in 25:09, with silver going to Clare Gavin in 30:24. The o/40 category was won by Aeilish McGovern in 26:38, silver going to Ciara Dillon (22:23) and bronze to Eva Ross (29:24). Linda Cunningham was the gold medallist in the o/45 category in 27:27, silver going to Marie Louise Johnston and bronze to Naomi Battle with a finishing time of 29:15. Criona Reid continued her excellent recent form taking gold in the o/50 category in 26:45. Aisling Lane combined race walking and some running to win gold in the Junior category.

The master men categories saw Enda Seery take the honours in o/35 with 22:58, followed by Tommy Byrne on 23:40 for silver and bronze to John McNamara with a time of 28:24. In the o/40 category Alan Crowley came home for gold with 21:15, silver went to Patrick Muldoon in 23:34 with Darren Carroll earning a bronze with 24:17. The o/45 gold went to Enda O’Carolan on 21:53, silver to Kieran Nolan with a time of 22:33 and bronze to Colm Walsh with 24:56. Gerry Gavin picked up gold in the o/50 category with a time of 21:39. The o/55 category was won by Eddie Newman in 22:29, silver went to Tom McGrath (23:01) and bronze to Liam McGlynn (25:53). John Bannon struck gold in the o/60 category with a time of 27:53, the o/65 winner was Nollaig McEntegart in 27:26, with silver to Pat Muldoon (30:05). Sean McMullin was the gold medal winner in the o/70 category with a time of 32:48 and Jim Langan took silver with 42:50.

The other finishers on Wednesday evening were John Whitelaw (21:24), Padraig Beglin (23:23), Martin O’Donnell (23:48), Murty Hanly (24:45), Dara O’Shea (25:16), Niamh McEntegart (25:43), JP O’Brien (25:46), Paul Ginnell (26:41), Orla McLoughlin (26:43), Laura Geoghegan (26:54), Ciaran Muldowney (26:54), Martin Fitzpatrick (26:56), Mark Dunne (27:25), Therese Glynn (27:37), John Meagher (27:39), Aisling Farrell (28:48), Brendan Rice (28:52), John Donohoe (28:58), Eoin Clarke (29:17), Kevin O’Brien (31:08), Richard Ferris (32:10) and Shilpa Finnegan (37:40).

Medal presentations took place after the race in the Clubhouse, with refreshments provided by the athletes. Some excellent baking skills were evident and a most enjoyable after race get together was enjoyed by all present.

JULY

National Senior T&F

The 151st National Senior T&F Championships took place in Morton Stadium on Saturday 29th and Sunday 30th July. Cormac Dalton took his place in the 5,000m and immediately showed his intentions by positioning himself prominently in the lead group. In the final mile, Cormac moved into the lead and make a brave bid to take the title. In the end he was narrowly beaten in one of the races of the Championship and was rewarded with a silver medal in a time of 13 minutes 44.43 seconds. This was an excellent run by Cormac and was his second National senior track medal, adding to his 10,000m bronze from 2021. Andrew Nevin was very competitive in his 5,000m heat finishing in a time of 15 minutes 54.50 seconds.

In the 10,000m Walk Oisin Lane produced an excellent display of racewalking to take third place in a time of 41 minutes 53.45 seconds. Oisin featured prominently from the early stages of the race and can be very proud of his performance, which was a personal best time by almost two minutes. In the end a mere 4 seconds separated him from second place. Matthew Glennon claimed fifth place in a time of 45 minutes 36.29 seconds and he can be very satisfied with his race.

Claire Fagan was in action in a very strong women’s 5,000m and finished an excellent ninth place. Claire was rewarded with a personal best time of 16 minutes 23.41 seconds, which was a five second improvement on her previous best time.

AAI National Juvenile T&F – Days 2 & 3

It was mild but very wet in Tullamore on Saturday 22nd and Sunday 23rd July for the conclusion of the AAI National Juvenile T&F. However, the rain didn’t dampen the determination of the Mullingar athletes in action.

Aisling Lane started the u/19 girls 3,000m walk with her customary determination, setting the early pace and looked good for the victory, but started to suffer breathing problems mid-race. Battling on bravely, she finished the race and crossed the line in third place. A rare defeat but we know she is made of stern stuff and will bounce back.

Moving to the sprints, Finn Roddy was in a good position in his heat of u/16 boys 100m and looked certain to qualify for the final when disaster struck and he had to pull up suddenly with a hamstring injury. We wish Finn a speedy recovery. Barry Walsh contested the u/17 boys 100m where he battled well in his heat but didn’t advance to the final.

Mullingar got back on track courtesy of the Glennon brothers in the boys race walks. Daniel Glennon was always in contention throughout the u/15 boys 2,000m walk, effectively controlling the race from the front and when the time came to strike for home he pulled clear with ease to win by a margin. In the u/17 boys 3,000m walk, John Glennon dug deep and was rewarded with a bronze medal for his efforts. Andrew Glennon was never really troubled in the u/19 boys 5,000m walk and with his usual polished technique cruised to victory and the National gold medal, to give the Glennon brothers three National medals from three races.

The rain was relentless when the programme turned to the 3,000m races. Grace Byrne put in an excellent effort in the u/18 girls 3,000m but an early surge in pace split the field and Grace was left in the following pack. She pushed on and with a good last lap consolidated her place in fifth, a great result in a National final. Conor Sherwin was full of running in the u/18 boys 3,000m, looking good for a medal as the laps wound down but unfortunately he was pushed out of the medal places in the closing laps and finished seventh, still a good result. We finished the day with Ross Killalea in the u/19 boys 3,000m where he put in a good shift but ultimately had to settle for a place out of the medals.

Barry Walsh returned to the track on Sunday morning for the u/17 boys 200m where he put in a good effort in his heat but didn’t advance to the final. The attention for Mullingar then turned to the 1,500m races. Scott Cogan had a really great run in the u/14 boys 1,500m where he finished fourth after running with the leaders all the way. Scott went to the front at the beginning of the last lap but was outpaced by two other runners on the back straight. He fought very hard to hold on to third place with a furious sprint, even closing on second place, but was edged into fourth place before the finish line. That was the nearest Mullingar came to a medal however, despite excellent efforts by Grace Byrne (u/18 girls 1,500m), Conor Sherwin (u/18 boys 1,500m) and Ross Killalea (u/19 boys 1,500m), all running hard and giving themselves every chance but unable to hold on to the leaders when the final surge in pace came for the final push to the finish, but they never stopped running hard and while they finished out of the medal places, can be satisfied with their efforts at the end of a long track season.

National 10 Mile

The National 10 Mile Road Championship took place in the Phoenix Park on Sunday morning 23rd July. Eleven athletes from Mullingar Harriers went to the start line and it proved a most successful day.

Pride of place goes to Mary Stuart, gold medallist in her master category in an excellent time of 68 minutes 49 seconds, followed closely home in the silver medal position by Maura Dervin in 69:13. Eddie Newman took bronze in his master category with a time of 61;17.

In the team event, our master women team of Mary Stuart, Maura Dervin and Emer O’Hanlon (75:16) took silver and our master men team of Eddie Newman, Gerard Gavin (62;17) and James Cribbin (63:05) took bronze.

Also taking part in the maroon and white of Mullingar Harriers was Tom McGrath (63;15), Patrick Muldoon (65:43), Paul Byrne (72:54), Paul Ginnell (74:23), Criona Reid (76:55) and Linda Cunningham (79:40).

Brandon Bay Half Marathon

Running a half marathon is always a challenging undertaking. Doing it entirely on a sandy beach in the wet and sometimes windy conditions is a much greater measure of fitness and resilience. Padraig Beglin joined 195 other brave hearts for the Brandon Bay Half Marathon on Saturday morning 22nd July. The Saturday morning Kerry skies were dark and overcast but thankfully for the athletes only light drizzle and a light breeze was what they faced during the race. Held entirely on the sandy beach around Brandon Bay on the Dingle Peninsula in Co. Kerry on an out and back course along the beach, Padraig came home in an excellent time of 1 hour 35 minutes and 46 seconds on a flat but very demanding beach surface, which proved even more demanding after a week of heavy rain.

Rhode 5k

The penultimate round of the 2023 Offaly Race Series, the Rhode 5k, was staged on Friday evening 21st July. It proved a bit of an adventure to even get to the venue given the temporary closure of the R400 from Rochfortbridge which is the main artery of travel from Mullingar and North Westmeath to the Offaly village. Undeterred and conscious of their podium place in the overall series a strong contingent from Mullingar Harriers made their way to the start line outside the local Primary School. On a wet and sometimes breezy evening, the big field of 304 runners took in sections of the main road towards Daingean as well as country roads and part of the Grand Canal Greenway on a circular route to the east of the village.

Jack Moran showed that he is getting back to his best, holding off clubmate Vinny Connolly over the last kilometre to win in 14 minutes 58 seconds, with Vinny taking second spot in 15:02. Alan Crowley continued his recent good form finishing second in his master category in 16:43, with Kieran Nolan also achieving second place in his master category, completing the course in 18:06.

Aisling Corcoran was third in her master category with 20:14, with Linda Cunningham (22:27) and Caroline Mullen close behind (22:35). The ageless Brigid McCabe proved superior yet again in her master category by winning in 23:39. Patricia Broderick on her second outing in 48 hours was pleased to knock over a minute off her mid-week time by finishing in 24:19. Ray Smith was also delighted to cut almost a minute off his mid-week time, this time recording 24:29. Nuala Moran was a happy finisher as word had filtered through to her of her son Jack’s success in the race, recording 24:33. Nicky McCabe finished second in his category (24:38) with Martin Mullen also improving and dipping under 25 minutes with a time of 24:51.

In the team event for non-Offaly teams our women team of Aisling, Linda and Caroline secured 2nd Club ahead of our men team of Jack, Alan and Ray who made the podium with a 3rd Club place.

Donadea 10k

The beautiful Donedea Forest in Co. Kildare was the venue for the popular annual Donadea 10k race organised by Donedea AC on Friday evening 21st July. In wet and windy conditions Richie Kelly was the sole Mullingar Harriers entry among 113 others taking part on a 5k loop in the forest and he was satisfied with his time of 46:12 in the difficult conditions.

Kinnegad 5k

Coralstown-Kinnegad GAA Club staged their annual Kinnegad 5k on Wednesday evening 19th July. It was an overcast evening with a stiff breeze to contend with as the runners made their way around a looped course, which stretched for over a kilometre along the main street before taking in winding country roads on the eastern side of the town before emerging off the Trim Road for a 400m dash to the finish line in the centre of town. Vinny Connolly showed his class, leading from start to finish, crossing the line in a very solid 15 minutes 24 seconds. Ciaran Leech (Na Fianna AC) held off the fast-finishing James Keegan, who finished third, dipping under 16 minutes with a time of 15:58. Other Mullingar Harriers in the large field of 193 finishers included Kris Foster (16:37), Andy Boyhan (17:04), Enda O’Carolan (17:36), which earned him fourth place in his master category, Kieran Nolan (18:00), Enda Seery (18:09), Criona Reid with an excellent 21:54 to comfortably win her master category, John Donohoe (23:10), Ray Smith (25:27) and training partner Martin Mullen (25:33), and Patricia Broderick returned to competitive action after a short lay off and came home in 25:36.

Edenderry 10 Mile

The 2023 Peugeot Race Series reached its penultimate event at the Edenderry 10 Mile on Sunday morning 16th July. Mullingar Harriers was well represented by 12 athletes among the big field of nearly 350, as they continue to push for an overall podium finish in the mixed team race of 3 men and 3 women finishers from each club.

Despite the dark grey clouds over the start line, the sun burst through and shone for the entire race. Heat, along with a very strong headwind for the first four miles, made for some tough running conditions along the rolling course, which is run mainly on country roads, finishing over 250m on the track where there was lots of local support to cheer the runners home. As expected, the Mullingar contingent had excellent performances. Andrew Nevin finished an excellent third place in 56 minutes 17 seconds, followed by Alan Crowley in 60:15 taking third prize in his master category. Sinead Whitelaw led our women home, finishing an excellent fourth in 63 minutes 42 seconds, with Joan Flynn winning her master category in a time of 68:29. Kieran Nolan was our third man finisher for the team with a time of 64:12 and Jacintha Reilly completed the team of six with a time of 69:09. This was sufficient to earn 4th place on the day in the team event, and should ensure that Mullingar holds on to third place overall in the series heading into the final race in Cork in August.

Our other competitors in Edenderry were James Cribbin (67:12), Tony Doran (68:29), Tommy Byrne (68:28), Enda Seery (69:40), Aisling Corcoran (71:53) and John McNamara making a welcome return to competition after a number of months sidelined with injury, very pleased to cover the distance in 86:26.

SIAB Schools International T&F

The Irish schools team competed at the SIAB Schools International T&F in Grangemouth Stadium, Scotland on Saturday 15th July against the best schools athletes from England, Scotland and Wales. The Irish team woke to dry pleasant conditions, in contrast to the driving rain when they left Dublin Airport the day before.

Taking his place on the Irish team was Conor Sherwin, who was competing in the 1,500m in a very competitive field. The pace was steady for the first 800m with the two English, two Scottish and two Irish boys making up the first six. There was then an injection of pace that stretched the field and Conor worked hard to stay in contention. He moved into fourth place and then with 300m to go, he passed the Scottish athlete to go into third place and then fought hard to the line to secure the bronze medal for himself and the Irish team. He also set a new personal best of 4 minutes 2.51 seconds, which he was also very happy with. The Irish team performed excellently, securing 26 medals and Conor thoroughly being part of this success.

AAI Games, incorporating National 10,000m

The AAI Games on Saturday 15th July incorporated the AAI National 10,000m. Among those toeing the line on the hunt for National honours was Claire Fagan. Maintaining a consistent strong pace over the long 25 lap distance, and finding a bit extra in the closing stages, Claire was rewarded for her efforts with an excellent third place finish in 34:49.03, a new personal best by nearly 20 seconds.

Morton Games

As the meeting had been awarded the status of a bronze meeting on the World Athletics Continental Tour, high quality fields were guaranteed at the  Morton Games on Friday evening 14th July and there was significant attraction for International athletes in all events. Cormac Dalton was in action in a high class 5,000m race after a very successful final collegiate season in the USA. Conditions were challenging but Cormac delivered a real breakthrough performance. He finished in a superb second place in a time of 13 minutes 27.81 seconds and was the leading Irish athlete in the race. This was a personal best time by over 12 seconds and the second fastest time by an Irish athlete this season. Interestingly, it is also the second fastest time by a Mullingar Harriers athlete, bettered only  by Cormac Finnerty’s Olympic qualification run in 1995 for the Atlanta Games in 1996. Cormac will now focus on the National 5,000m in two weeks.

In the pre-programme to the Morton Games, Grace Byrne competed in the u/20 women mile. Grace worked hard from the gun, keeping in the pack but always in contention throughout the early laps and looking strong. With 100m to go, Grace was in sixth place but with a terrific fast finish she moved through the field on the home straight to cross the line in fourth place in 5 minutes 6.36 seconds, a personal best for the distance.

Midland Inter-County Juvenile T&F Match

There are limited opportunities for our younger members to take part in competition but on Friday evening 14th July nearly 50 boys and girls from Mullingar Harriers aged 8 to 13 years competed at the second edition this summer of the Midland Inter-County Juvenile T&F Match between Laois, Offaly and Westmeath in Tullamore Harriers Stadium. This was a follow up to the earlier very successful similar event held in May. The weather during the day on Friday was dreadful, with heavy thundery showers and many must have been thinking the event would be cancelled, but the forecast had the rain to clear, and thankfully by evening it was cool but mostly dry, with only the occasional fall of drizzle, which certainly wasn’t enough to dampen the enthusiasm of our youngsters. For some of the Mullingar boys and girls, this was their first time to compete in Tullamore, while for others it was nice to return to Tullamore for a lovely relaxed event away from the red hot competition of the Leinster Juvenile T&F in June.

The young Mullingar athletes certainly enjoyed it and most took part in multiple events. Many of them visited the medal podium during the evening and lots of them more than once. The emphasis was very much on fun and participation and just having a go at different events, and less on competition. A big thanks to Athletics Offaly and to Tullamore Harriers AC for organising and hosting another brilliant event, and to the Mullingar parents and coaches that attended to ensure our youngsters could take part and enjoy themselves.

AAI National “B” T&F

Well done to Chloe Duggan, Lily Walsh and Conor Walsh who raced at the AAI National “B” T&F Championships in Tullamore on Sunday 9th July. The “Bs” have become very popular and many of the winning times were good enough to be in the mix at the A Nationals themselves.

Lily and Chloe faced over thirty in their respective competitions, but undeterred, they approached the races confidently. Lily ran in the first of three heats in the 600m u/13 and finished third in her race in a new personal best time, and her time placed her an excellent seventh overall.

Chloe had two events and in the morning ran the fifth of five heats of the 80m sprint, which was the fastest of the heats by a long way, producing the winner in the subsequent final. Chloe was unlucky to be drawn in the fastest heat and just missed a place in the final after a great run. She then raced in the third of three heats of the 800m u/14 in the afternoon and ran a great race to finish seventh in a new personal best time.

We finished the day with the 800m u/15 where Conor Walsh ran an excellent race, going with the pace right from the gun and after a determined race finishing an excellent sixth place in a time close to his best, a good way to round off his season.

Lily and Chloe recording personal best times is a great sign that the training and racing experience gained over the T&F season are returning the expected rewards.

International Assoc. for Ultra Multi-events (IUAM) World Champs

Most are familiar with the Pentathlon (5 events in one day) and the Heptathlon and Decathlon (7 events and 10 events respectively over two days), which are the usual multi-event competitions but we’re sure not many will have heard of the Icosathlon, which is an ultra multi-event competition with 20 events over two days. It’s also called a double decathlon. Aidan O’Donoghue completed his first Icosathlon at the International Association for Ultra Multi-events (IUAM) in Turnhout, Belgium on Sunday 9th July. This was the World Championships and Aidan was competing in his master age category.

The Championships opened on the Friday evening with an athletes’ parade, which was also a good opportunity for Aidan to get familiar with the surroundings. There was an early start on Saturday, arriving to the track at 6.30am when the temperature was already above 20degC. First event was the 100m followed quickly by the long jump and 200m hurdles. Temperatures were soaring during the shot putt and reached 34degC by midday, which coincided with the 5,000m. Conditions were cruel and water sponges were a necessity on every lap. There was a break of one hour and then the 800m, high jump and 400m followed. He performed well in the 800m and executed the maximum number of jumps in the high jump but paid for this effort in the 400m where he felt his legs were nearly dead. The day was beginning to cool slightly to 27degC as he was throwing the hammer in preparation for the final event of day one, and definite milestone, his first time to run 3,000m steeplechase. A baptism of fire awaited him, as on his first attempt at the water jump he fell in neck deep, but on reflection it was a blessing because it kept him cool for the remaining laps. He survived day one, but was exhausted.

A 5.30am rise on Sunday and his only focus was to survive the day and get to the start line of the final event, the 10,000m in the evening. He had a relatively easy start to the day with the 110m hurdles, then pole vault, 200m and discus. Midday approached and the temperature was matching Saturday’s as he toed the line for the 3,000m. Completely exhausted crossing the finish line with only a short break before the 400m hurdles, truly one of the toughest track events. Blisters on his toes needed attention and he also arranged a physio session for later in the day. The javelin gave some respite before the 1,500m and he was delighted that a technical fault with the starting gun and a thunder and lightning storm delayed the start by 10 minutes. A small but welcome rest! His legs were gone at this stage and he was dreading the 10,000m. Triple jump followed, then the visit to the physio. The physio worked a miracle and in the 10,000m he cruised through the first 5,000m but the second 5,000m was torture. The thunderstorm had cleared the air and it was much easier to breathe but fatigue was setting in rapidly. However, the support from his wife and the Irish team who were on hand to give water and encouragement and the applause from the crowd and fellow competitors was invaluable to see him to the finish line and the completion of the Icosathlon.

AAI National Juvenile T&F – Day 1

Day one of the AAI National Juvenile T&F took place in Tullamore on Saturday 8th July where Ailbhe O’Farrell was Mullingar’s sole representative, competing in the u/17 girls 2,000m steeplechase. Ailbhe went out hard with the early pace and put herself in contention for a medal. A mid-race surge saw her drop to third, a place she held until two laps to go when she was passed and pushed into fourth. Despite a terrific sprint finish in the closing stages of the final lap, which saw her close hard on third place, she finished fourth, missing a medal by a small margin. Ailbhe only took up the tough steeplechase event this year and has made great progress, so fourth place in her first National final in the event will give her confidence for the years ahead.

Oldcastle 5k

On Wednesday evening 5th July, Stephen Naughton returned to his hometown for the annual Oldcastle 5k held on a dry but humid evening. Organised by St. Brigid’s AC, the race started and finished on the main street and the route was on a circular route with a mixture of residential areas and country roads and a number of rolling hills and long straights. 177 athletes finished the race and Stephen was pleased to come home in 21 minutes 44 seconds, as he continues his preparation for an ultra-marathon next spring.

AAI National u/20 and u/23 T&F

It was cool and windy in Tullamore on Sunday 2nd July for the AAI National u/20 and u/23 T&F where Mullingar Harriers had a number of athletes in action.

We got off to a winning start courtesy of Aisling Lane who simply dominated the 3,000m u/20 walk right from the start, going straight into the lead and heading the field throughout, slowly increasing her lead with every lap with a faultless display to win by over 100m. The men 5,000m walk was a combined u/20 and u/23 race, where our u/23 duo Oisin Lane and Matthew Glennon raced to the front from the start and quickly pulled clear of the field. Oisin replicated the dominance of his sister Aisling in her walk by racing ahead to win in 20 minutes 23 seconds, breaking his own Championship Record set last year, with Matthew having a great race behind him to finish second. Meanwhile, in the u/20 race, Andrew was locked in a great battle from the start. Pushed all the way, he led up to the 3k mark at which point he had to surrender the lead but he drove on, chasing hard, to finish in second place with a solid competitive performance.

Grace Byrne competed in the 1,500m u/20 which was a typically cagey tactical Championship race but she competed well and even though she finished down the field in a time outside her best, the experience will stand to her. Possibly the youngest in his race, as he doesn’t turn 17 years of age until later in the year, Conor Sherwin made a big step up to run the 1,500m u/20 for the experience. If the weather had been better he might have targeted a time too, but the wind was difficult and he finished down the field in 4:11.98, which was good considering the conditions, but the experience was invaluable.

AAI National Juvenile T&F – day 1 (Children’s Games and u/12 & u/13 T&F)

The first day of the AAI National Juvenile T&F took place in Tullamore on Saturday 1st July. Competition was for u/9 to u/13 and Mullingar had three athletes in action.

First on the track was Cillian Galvin in the 600m u/13 where he kept nicely in touch with the leading group from the start. Cillian worked hard and put in a great effort, but the leaders began to pull clear with about 200m to go and Cillian was unable to close the gap and had to settle for a place out of the medals in seventh place, which is still a great result in a competitive National final. Some consolation was that he finished ahead of the boy that had beaten him in the Leinster T&F a month before, showing that Cillian continues to improve.

While the u/12 and u/13 athletes competed as individuals, the younger age groups competed as a team of two, or a “pair”, with the time run by each athlete added together to give a team score, which decided the medal places. Daniel Cummins and Conor Gavin had won the Leinster title in the 600m u/11 pairs but it’s a big step up to National. Daniel stormed to the front in his race and it was only in the closing stages that he was overtaken but he pushed on and finished very strong in fourth in a quicker time than he ran in Leinster to keep Mullingar’s medal hopes alive. In the second race, Conor settled in quickly to his running and even though he ran nearly as quick as in Leinster and finished well up, when the two times were added, the Mullingar boys finished in sixth place overall, only as few seconds off the medal places, but top marks for effort.

Roscommon 10 Mile

The Roscommon 10 Mile road race is always a popular event in the summer racing calendar and this year’s edition took place on Saturday morning 1st July. Among the big entry of over 460 was a great team of 19 athletes from Mullingar Harriers making the journey to compete in conditions that were warm and windy. The race is part of the Peugeot Race Series and with Mullingar Harriers showing excellent form over the series and lying in third place overall in the team standings coming into the race, another solid showing was the order of the day for our athletes.

The Mullingar team performed very well with their mixed team of three men and three women, finishing 2nd Club in a very competitive team event. The team was led home by Andrew Nevin in fifth place with a new best time of 55 minutes 57 seconds.  James Keegan continued his good form this year on the road race circuit finishing in tenth place in 57:58, followed by Kris Foster (58:38) our third scorer on the mixed team. The top three women to finish and make up the mixed team were Sinead Whitelaw in 64 minutes 21 seconds, Joan Flynn (66:22) and Jacintha Reilly (69:28). Joan also secured third place in her age master category.

Many more of the Mullingar athletes put in strong performances and finished with great times, including Kedagh Geoghegan (61:04), Enda O’Carolan (61:17), James Cribbin (63:28), Kieran Nolan (64:04), fresh from a 5k the previous night ran a very solid 64:04, then came Tommy Byrne (68:55) and Mary Stuart who finished a first in her master category with a fast time of 69:32. Also competing in the maroon and white of Mullingar Harriers was Darren Carroll (72:35), John Meehan (72:42), Aisling Corcoran (73:26), Emer O’Hanlon (74:33), Nollaig McEntegart (75:38), Naomi Battle (75:12) and John Bannon (75:23).

Fielding nineteen runners is a great turnout from the Club and attention now turns to the penultimate race in the series in Edenderry.