Q4, 2023 News & Reports – October to December

DECEMBER

MHAC Heptathlon

An end of year modified Heptathlon took place at the club grounds on Saturday morning 30th December. Early morning heavy rain eased off and participants had dry but blustery conditions to contend with. Teams of 2 participated over the 7 events of paired baton 800m, standing long jump, foam javelin, standing high jump, 600m relay, speed bounce and a “beep” test.

The paired baton 800m on the track was very competitive with little separating the teams. The standing long jump was an evenly matched event with still nothing separating the teams. On the third event, the foam javelin, all teams took advantage of a strong following wind to reach out to some very impressive distances. The standing high jump was next up and again it was impossible to separate the teams with all performing very well. It was in the 600m relay that the top 3 teams started to open a gap on the rest of the field. The speed bounce was a very tactical event and it proved an important element in separating the teams. In the final event, the “beep” test, Eoin Clarke proved the fittest to finish first and this result combined with a competitive effort from his team colleague, Therese Glynn, proved crucial as they took top honours. While their winning margin was 6 points, the remaining teams were separated by just 15 points overall.

Following the final event there was a very enjoyable get together in the Clubhouse with plenty of home baking and goodies for all to savour. It was a first such event to be organised by the club for the masters group and the feedback leaves us to consider a repeat of the event in the future.

Ardagh 10 Mile

Over 140 took on the challenging hilly course in the Ardagh 10 Mile around the picturesque Longford village on Saturday morning 30th December. The course included a significant very tough uphill climb at the 2 mile mark that stretched for over a half mile, followed by some fast downhills before another uphill climb to the finish. It certainly wasn’t a course for the faint-hearted but up for the challenge was Enda O’Carolan who finished an excellent third place in 61 minutes 55 seconds. He was followed home by Enda Seery in twelfth place (66:24), first in his master category and Mark Dunne (78:32) battled all the way to finish well up the field of runners. In the women’s race, Mullingar Harriers had excellent performances from Maura Dervin, fourth woman (72:32), first in her master category and Michelle Bohan (73:33) fifth woman,, also first in her master category.

Navan AC Robbie & Rita 5k

It was cold and windy and the clouds were heavy and dark and very threatening over Navan on Wednesday morning 27th December as nearly 450 toed the line for the extremely popular annual Navan AC Robbie & Rita 5k. The Mullingar men team was led home by Conor Sherwin, finishing fourth in an excellent 15 minutes 30 seconds, and with great support from Ross Killalea seventh (16:14) and Enda Seery (18:29), the men were delighted to finish 2nd Club and win a prize. Alex Sheridan had a very good race to finish in 20:54, well up in the u/20 category but outside the prizes this time. All were very happy to finish just in time to avoid the downpour of rain and they could enjoy the post-race goodies and treats as they sheltered in the hall out of the rain.

Kilbeggan 6k

A large contingent of nearly 40 Club members took part in the annual Kilbeggan 6k on St Stephen’s Day. A bright, dry and mild day with little wind greeted the more than 340 participants. Continuing his excellent form seen all year, Vinny Connolly defended his title by winning the race in a quick 18 minutes 30 seconds. Andrew Nevin was fourth (19:30) and John Ryan was sixth (19:51) with John placing first u/20 man. Chasing in closely behind was James Keegan seventh (19:55), Ian McCormack ninth (20:06) and Andy Boyhan tenth (20:13). Philip McCartan (21:25) placed second u/20 man, Enda O’Carolan (21:34) was third in his master category, followed by John Whitelaw (21:43) and Kieran Nolan (22:29). First woman from Mullingar was Joan Flynn in 22 minutes 56 seconds, the third woman overall to finish and second in her master category, ahead of Conor Walsh (23:09) placing third u/20 man to give Mullingar a clean sweep 1-2-3 in the u/20 men race. Lily Walsh finished first u/20 woman with a brilliant 23:10. Others competing were Paddy Daly (23:15), James Cribbin (23:48), Dara O’Shea (24:15), Amy Mahony (24:22) home from Canada for Christmas, Ann Hall (24:27) third in her master category, Declan Claffey (24:47), Murty Hanly (24:59), Orlaith Flanagan (25:21), Isabel Tynan Daly (25:27), Conor Gavin (25:35), Caroline Mullen (27:15) first in her master category, Cillian Gavin (27:39), Thomas Tynan Daly (27:53), Aidan O’Donoghue (28:46), Aaron Robinson (28:50), Claire Lennon (28:57), Liadan Gavin (28:59), Martin Mullen (29:47), Raymond Smyth (29:55), Cadhla Smyth (29:55), Tiernan Smyth, Aoibhinn Smyth, Kelly Dunne, Isabelle Smyth, Harry Flanagan and Geraldine Walsh first in her master category. The race is a fundraiser for the Crumlin Children’s Medical and Research Foundation and it was great to see members of Mullingar Harriers out in good numbers to support a local race and support a great cause, as they worked off the Christmas excesses in Kilbeggan.

Cavan Christmas 5k

On St. Stephen’s Day, Kris Foster and Pauric Brady joined nearly 500 others for the Cavan Christmas 5k, helping to raise funds for Cavan Cuan Cancer Care. Kris was making a welcome return to racing after a lay off due to injury and he was very happy to finish well up in 13th place in 17 minutes 55 seconds, one place ahead of Pauric who has to be very happy to finish strong in 18 minutes 14 seconds.

Newtownforbes 5k

A regular favourite of Mullingar athletes and a great way to run off the Christmas turkey and pudding, the annual Shane Brennan 5k in Newtownforbes, Co. Longford on St. Stephen’s Day, attracted an excellent entry of nearly 340 runners, joggers and walkers. Ably representing Mullingar was Patrick Muldoon finishing in 18 minutes 42 seconds to place a very creditable 5th in his master category and Brigid McCabe in 23 minutes 58 seconds to easily win her master category by over 6 minutes.

Fields of Athenry 10k

Very much a personal favourite of his, Eddie Newman ran his eleventh consecutive Fields of Athenry 10k on St. Stephen’s Day, an annual and very popular event organised by Athenry AC that is widely regarded as one of the top road races in the country, attracting a huge entry of nearly 1,500, the largest entry since the inaugural event in 2002. Eddie was very pleased to finish in 36 minutes 21 seconds, well up in 53rd place overall and easily winning his master category. Also competing and enjoying the race in Athenry was Patricia Broderick (55:26).

World Racewalking Tour (incorp. National Champs)

The World Athletics Tour arrived in Dublin on Sunday 17th December with racewalkers from 3 continents representing 18 different countries all aiming for World Ranking points. Prior to the race Oisin Lane ranked about twentieth on the Senior Men 20k entry list but he did not let this distract him as he stuck to his planned strategy of graduated progression over the duration of the event. A steady breeze with strong gusts prevailed in the scenic St. Anne’s Park in Raheny, so this proved a wise strategy, especially as it was his first race since winning a medal in the National Senior Championships five months ago. With an opening 5k of 21:13, followed by 21:10 to reach 10k in 42:23, Oisin then gradually increased the tempo over the next 5k, covering it in 21:03. He then drove hard for home covering the last 5k in 20:43 and a second 10k of 41:50, which was technically a personal best for 10k. His finishing time of 1 hour 24 minutes 13 seconds gave him a magnificent sixth place and comfortably qualified Oisin for the World Team Racewalking Championships to be held in Turkey at the end of April 2024. This result also earned him valuable Ranking Points for the T&F Majors next summer and also got him inside the AAI Qualifying Standard for the European Senior T&F Championships in Rome next June. Oisin can now work on continuing to build his winter base in anticipation of the taking on the World’s best in 2024.

Also, in the Senior Men 20k, Clubmate Matthew Glennon was delighted to get back racing having had some training setbacks in recent months and put in a solid effort to finish in 1 hour 32 minutes 27 seconds, and more importantly finish healthy and now ready to progress with some much-needed warm weather training in early January. Racewalking can sometimes be classed as a “family affair” and this was very evident in Raheny because while the Club’s senior walkers were facing the challenges of a 20k, their younger underage siblings were making it known that they are waiting to take them and the World on as Oisin’s sister Aisling Lane and Matthew’s younger brother Andrew Glennon each comfortably won their respective 10k u/20 races. As the competitions incorporated the u/20 National 10k Road Racewalking Championship, then Aisling (with a new PB of 52 minutes 52 seconds) and Andrew can be happy to finish the year with each being crowned National u/20 Road Racewalk Champions.

Mullingar Harriers was also well represented in the 10k Masters Championships by both Colm Walsh and Sean McMullin. Club coach Colm clearly demonstrated that his coaching strategies are a winner by taking first place in his age category. Not to be out-done, the greatly experienced Sean showed his experience by also finishing a comfortable first in his age category. The club was also ably represented in the Open Juvenile events held in conjunction with the big International by first young Daniel Glennon who had an emphatic win in the u/16 boys 3k in a really fast time of 14 minutes 40 seconds. Well done Daniel, this is a really excellent result. Then finally young Maisie Walsh made her debut in open racewalking competition in the u/10 girls 500m where she was a most impressive second. The family traditions definitely look set to keep continuing!

European Cross Country

Everyone in Mullingar Harriers congratulates Cormac Dalton on his superb eighth place finish at the European Cross Country in Brussels on Sunday afternoon 10th December, leading the Irish senior men team to fourth place, their best finish place in many years. This capped a real breakthrough year for Cormac, coming quickly on the heels of his senior men cross country title three weeks before, his first National title since he was 11 years of age. Cormac really stepped up and announced his arrival on the big stage and looked completely at home as he mixed it with some of the biggest stars of European distance running.

After a week of rain and snow in Brussels, the ground was saturated and quickly broke down during the early races on the programme and by the time it came to the Senior Men 9,000m. the final race of the afternoon, the runners had to navigate long stretches of soft muddy ground and tricky slippery corners. In fact, underfoot conditions were rather reminiscent of Gowran for the National cross country where we saw Cormac more than equal to the muddy challenge, which must have given him huge confidence for the conditions in Brussels.

After a relatively conservative start, Cormac quickly settled into his running in the leading group, conserving as much energy as possible and staying inside the top ten places, a perfect place from which to gauge how the race is unfolding. The leading group began to slowly stretch out but Cormac stuck to his task and looked comfortable and strong as the laps counted down. Going into the final lap, Cormac was still in tenth place, but right on the heels of ninth, and the Irish team was in third. As expected, the final lap was a furious burn-up and while Cormac had enough in the tank to take him into eighth place, unfortunately the team was pushed into fourth place, just missing the bronze medals but top marks for effort by all. Just to emphasise how good eighth place is, this is the third best finish by an Irish man since the first European Cross Country was held in 1994, only Joe Sweeney (DSD) fifth in 2011 and Martin Fagan (Mullingar Harriers) seventh in 2007 have bettered Cormac’s performance.

In last year’s edition in Italy, Cormac finished in thirty sixth place and the Irish team in eighth, so this was a really significant improvement and augers well for the months ahead he heads into 2024, an Olympic year.

National Novice & Juvenile Uneven Ages XC

Among the highlights of the National Novice & Juvenile Uneven Ages Cross Country in Navan on Sunday 3rd December was victory for Cillian Galvin (u/13), third place for Lily Walsh (u/13), another two top twelve places, three medals won with Leinster teams, team bronze  for the u/19 boys, and for another four of our teams, despite finishing out of the medal places, they were the leading Club in Leinster. Combining all the results over the day, our juveniles reinforced Mullingar’s strong reputation in juvenile cross country. Our adults too gave spirited performances and though they won no medals all were more than satisfied with their efforts in what are regarded as the most competitive races in national cross country.

In contrast to the mud-fest of Gowran two weeks before, because of the recent cold snap, the course in Navan was in very good condition and it only slowly deteriorated over the day as a slight thaw set in, but it still remained generally very good even if the corners were a bit tricky and everyone had to watch their footing in the soft ground. Very well done to Athletics Meath for leaving no stone unturned to put everything in place to make the whole day a thoroughly enjoyable experience.

We started the day with the u/11 boys 1,500m where Daniel Cummins got away well and stayed well up throughout. Rounding the final corner just outside the top twenty, Daniel put in a determined effort and with a great turn of pace he hauled himself into a terrific fifteenth place, just outside the individual medals. Also running a great race was Cillian McManus (Athlone AC) finishing just outside the top twenty and with support from Mel Bohan, Conor Gavin, Cian Gavin, Cillian Gavin, Aaron Robinson, Noah Morgan and Michael Kiernan the boys finished a very creditable 6th Club and 7th County, the first Leinster Club and first Leinster County to reinforce just how good these young boys are.

Lily Walsh attacked the u/13 girls 2,500m from the gun, always staying in contention throughout and with a brilliant finish was absolutely delighted with her 3rd place and an individual National medal. With support from Chloe Bell, Shaynah Mitchell, Lucy Kilmurray, Aoibhe Martyn and Liadan Gavin all running hard to the finish, the team finished 7th Club, the first Leinster team to finish, which was a terrific result. Lily also led the Leinster team to silver medals in the Inter-Provincial team competition, to add another medal to her take for the day. Another athlete running with purpose and focus was Cillian Galvin who never put a foot wrong in the u/13 boys 2,500m and when he made his move to the front pulled clear to win well and take the National title, repeating his victory in u/12 last year. The team was hit by illness but running well in support was Antonio Bertolo, Louis Kiernan and Aonghus O’Reilly to place 10th Club, the first Leinster team to finish, which was a great result for the boys.

Tianna O’Leary and Eleanor Kiernan led the Mullingar team home in the u/15 girls 3,500m and despite the very best efforts by Isabel Tynan Daly, Beibhinn O’Reilly and Blathnaid Peters the girls finished out of the team medals. Our team in the u/15 boys 3,500m was wiped out by illness and we could only field three runners but Conor Walsh, Daniel Horohoe and Morgan Isdell put in spirited performances anyway. Great credit must go to Daniel and Morgan who were stepping up an age to compete.

Ailbhe O’Farrell was our sole representative in the u/17 girls 4,500m where she out in a solid performance to finish well up in the very big entry of girls. On to the u/17 boys 4,500m where Matthew Molloy, Oisin Kehoe, Donagh Carey, Jamie Wallace and Luke Greene were not found wanting for effort, especially Jamie who had a heavy fall at the first corner which set him back and it took a lot of effort to regain his position. The team finished a very good 7th Club, the first Leinster Club to again show Mullingar in a very good light.

Grace Byrne was very happy with her strong showing in the u/19 girls 5,000m, finishing just outside the top twenty, missing a gold medal with the Leinster team by just one place. Hopes were high of finally breaking into the team medals in the u/19 boys 5,000m and the Mullingar team didn’t disappoint. Led home by Diarmuid Fagan in 11th followed by John Ryan on his heels in 12th to take individual National medals, and with brilliant support and team packing by Conor Sherwin, Ross Killalea, Pablo Lozano and Conleth Mullen the team finished 3rd Club and 4th County. John and Conor also added to their medal haul by winning bronze medals with the Leinster team.

With the conclusion of the juvenile programme, attention turned to the novice races, which with over 100 women and nearly 160 men, are justifiably regarded as the most competitive races in national cross country. Michelle Bohan led the Mullingar team home in the Novice Women 4,000m and despite the efforts of Aisling Corcoran, Ciara Dillon, Linda Cunningham and Aisling Farrell (making her cross country debut), the team placed out of the medals but were still more than happy with their efforts. We finished the day with the Novice Men 6,000m where James Keegan, Andy Boyhan, Ian McCormack, Alan Crowley, Tony Doran, Brian Martin and Gerard Gavin left nothing behind to place a very creditable 10th Club and an even better 7th County.

Well done to everyone that competed in Navan and special thanks to the parents and coaches that attended in number to cheer all our athletes on.

Jingle Bells 5k

Claire Fagan was delighted to swop the mud of Gowran for the roads of the Phoenix Park on Saturday morning 2nd December when she toed the line with a huge entry of 1,265 for the 32nd edition of the annual Donore Harriers AC “Jingle Bells” 5k. Clearly relishing the firm footing of the road and putting the experience of Gowran firmly behind her, Claire really showed her class and with a scintillating run she finished in a very impressive 15 minutes 57 seconds to place 2nd woman by just one second in a very close contest.

Also taking advantage of the course in one of Ireland’s fastest 5k races, Vinny Connolly placed an excellent 7th in 14 minutes 34 seconds in a quality field, ahead of Kevin Moore (11th) in 14:56, Ann Hall (19:12) and Breda Daly (20:12) placing a very creditable 5th in her master category.

NOVEMBER

Cormac Dalton selected for Euro XC (21st Nov)

Congratulations to Cormac Dalton on being named on the Irish team to compete at the European Cross Country in Brussels in December. The National Senior Cross Country in Gowran was the trial for the Europeans but only guaranteed the first three finishers a place on the team, but of course Cormac’s magnificent victory assured his place and he’ll lead a strong senior men team.

This will be Cormac’s fourth consecutive appearance at the European Cross Country, a fine record in itself, and will be his final race of what has been an excellent season so far. Cormac will be looking to improve on his performance in the Euro Cross in Turin in 2022 where he ran a brave race on a tough hilly course to finish in thirty sixth place, fifth finisher for the Irish team that finished in eighth place. Everyone at Mullingar Harriers wishes Cormac the very best of luck.

National Senior, u/23 & Juvenile Even Ages XC

It took the final race of the day, the Senior and u/23 Men 9,000m, at the National Senior, u/23 & Juvenile Even Ages Cross Country on Sunday 19th November in Gowran, Co. Kilkenny to get the Mullingar supporters in full voice as Cormac Dalton powered up the finish straight to win the senior men title after a thrilling race. From the start, Cormac kept the early leaders in sight on a tough sticky muddy energy sapping course. He showed his true strength and mettle on the rapidly deteriorating course with a perfectly timed surge in the closing stages that saw him close up to the leading pair and he waited patiently before making his final decisive move to the front and with a tremendous sprint over the last 150m he pulled clear to cross the line first, punching the air with delight to secure the National senior cross country title and he will now lead the Irish men team at the European Cross Country in Brussels in December. Cormac has come a long way from winning his first National medal, in 600m u/12, to being crowned National senior cross country champion, but it hasn’t come easy and only after a long time of dedication and effort. Cormac as an excellent role model and his win in Gowran will inspire many of our younger members to double down in their efforts and try to emulate Cormac in the years to come.

Cormac led a very strong Mullingar team that had realistic ambitions of winning the Club title but unfortunately it wasn’t to be, despite the terrific efforts of Jamie Battle, Jack O’Leary (who was seriously hampered when he lost a spiked shoe and had to run the last 4k with only one shoe in the slippery mud that was ankle deep in places), Vinny Connolly (providing the vital fourth Club team score), Jack Moran, Kevin Moore, Andrew Nevin, Ray Hynes, James Keegan, Andy Boyhan and Alan Crowley as they battled hard for every place all the way to the finish only to see them lose out on team medals as they finished 4th Club and a very creditable 5th County.

We had a great warm up for the senior men race as Claire Fagan and Susan Glennon contested the Senior and u/23 Women 9,000m. Right from the gun, Claire made her intentions known and kept right in the thick of the action, working hard as the laps unfolded. However, she found the underfoot conditions extremely tough and they eventually took their toll and she lost ground on the leading group with two laps to go but she continued to work very hard and with a late rally secured her position and came over the line in an excellent fifth place overall, but 4th senior woman, so has high hopes of selection on the Irish women team for the European cross country. Meanwhile, Susan was also working hard in the tough conditions and was rewarded with an excellent top ten finish in the u/23 women race.

All this came after a long underage programme where Mullingar had teams in every age group except one. The organisation that went into hosting the event was enormous and Gowran AC has to be applauded for having everything ready on the day despite the challenges of very heavy rain in the weeks and days leading up to the event. The day itself was cool and thankfully stayed dry but the persistent rain had saturated the ground and it quickly broke up during the underage races, which hampered some more than others, but there’s no doubt it was proper cross country.

The first race with a Mullingar interest was the u/12 boys 2,000m. We had a full squad led home by Daniel Cummins, followed in by Conor Gavin, Adam O’Donoghue, Cian Gavin, Harry Flanagan, Aaron Robinson, Cillian Gavin and Fintan Harte. They all ran very well but such was the level of competition, there were no team medals won, but this is a very young team and many of them are only under 11, so this was great experience for them ahead of the u/11 race in Navan in December.

Lily Walsh led the Mullingar team home in the u/14 girls 3,000m where she finished very strongly, and despite good support from Shaynah Mitchell, Lucy Kilmurray, Lucy Hickey, Aoibhe Martyn and Clodagh Doran, the team finished out of the medals but there was some consolation for Lily as she won a silver medal with the Leinster team in the Inte-Provincial race, so she was delighted to take a National medal home with her. By now the ground was starting to break up badly, especially in the second field, but Scott Cogan dug deep to finish strong in the u/14 boys 3,000m, winning a silver medal with the Leinster team, but despite the efforts of Antonio Bertolo, Cormac McGrath, Daniel Horohoe, Oisin Clarke and Louis Kiernan, there were no team medals for the Mullingar boys.

The medal drought continued in the u/16 girls 4,000m where Tianna O’Leary, Eleanor Kiernan, Isabel Tynan Daly, Lydia McDonnell, Blathnaid Peters and Emma Lagan left nothing behind but didn’t finish in the team medals either. Seeing Matthew Molloy finish well up in the u/16 boys 4,000m and with great support and team packing from Conor Walsh, Luke Greene, Oisin Kehoe, Conor Geoghegan, Daniel Glennon, Daniel Hickey and Txema Lozano gave us hopes for medals but it wasn’t to be, though a 6th Club place is an excellent finish in a National final. A consolation for Matthew was winning a bronze medal with the Leinster team.

The u/18 & u/20 girls 5,000m was a combined race, where the u/18 girls could win medals in both the u/18 race and as members of u/18 and u/20 teams. Putting in a terrific effort in tough underfoot conditions, Ailbhe O’Farrell (u/18) led the Mullingar girls home, followed by Grace Byrne (u/18), Aisling Lane (u/20), Caoimhe Donohue (u/18) and Alanna Greene (u/18) all battling hard to the finish. Unfortunately, the girls didn’t win any team medals but Ailbhe was rewarded for her efforts by winning a silver medal with the Leinster team. It was also a combined race in the u/18 & u/20 boys 5,000m where we saw Diarmuid Fagan (u/20) sprinting hard up the finish straight to finish well up. John Ryan (u/20) finished not far behind after a brilliant race, and likewise Ross Killalea (u/20), Conor Sherwin (u/18), Pablo Lozano (u/18), Donagh Carey (u/18), Jamie Wallace (u/180, Philip McCartan (u/18) and Conleth Mullen (u/20) were not found wanting for determination and the u/18 team was extremely unlucky to finish just out of the medals in 4th place, and the u/20 team finished a very creditable 6th Club. Conor Sherwin had some consolation as he won a bronze medal with the Leinster team.

It’s been a long time since Mullingar has failed to win any underage team medals at a National cross country final, but that’s not to take from everyone who ran with great spirit in the sticky muck in Gowran, but only serves to show that nothing can be taken for granted at this level. We know many of our athletes were running out of age in Gowran and will be competing in their own age in two weeks in Navan in the uneven age finals and we’re confident they’ll bounce back and hopefully secure some National silverware.

Offaly Athletics Awards

At the Offaly Athletics Awards held in Tullamore on Friday evening 11th November, the Mullingar master women team was presented with the trophy for Best non-Offaly master women team in the Offaly Race Series held between March and July. The series was eight races and while not everyone could compete in every race, being able to pick from a big panel including Mary Stuart, Emer O’Hanlon, Brigid McCabe, Nuala Moran, Pauline Troy, Joanna Tyrrell, Caroline Mullen, Claire Lennon, Olivia Cooney, Linda Cunningham, Gemma Kelly, Susan Glennon and Aisling Corcoran meant that Mullingar could field a strong team at each of the eight races amassing valuable team points on each occasion to win the non-Offaly Club team event. Congratulations to our talented master women athletes.

British & Irish Masters International XC

Regarded by many as the highlight of the masters calendar, the British & Irish Masters International Cross Country took place on Saturday morning 11th November in Tollcross Park in Glasgow where teams from England, Scotland, Wales, Ireland and Northern Ireland battled it out on a challenging undulating course, but the crisp dry sunny day meant underfoot conditions were very good. Among the Irish team was Mullingar’s Gerard Gavin, Eddie Newman and Sean McMullin, excited to swop the maroon of Mullingar for the green of Ireland.

The event was first held in 1985 and every year since, barring the Covid related cancellations of 2020 and 2021, the overall contest was won by England until last year’s event at Dublin where Ireland won both the men’s contest and the women’s contest to take a shock overall win. Ireland was not expected to be as strong away from home and hosts Scotland were hoping to mount a challenge for overall honours but the Mullingar men were determined not to be found wanting.

Race one of four was the 6,000m for older master men where Sean McMullin faced the challenge of running along with several master men age categories. His experience in International competition came to the fore though and he remained focused on his own race to finish an excellent 10th place, the third score for the Irish team that placed 2nd to win a team silver medal and earn valuable points for Ireland.

The final race of the morning was the 8,000m for master men where Gerard Gavin and Eddie Newman competed. Both ran great races and Gerard finished strong to help the Irish team to 3rd place in his master category and win a team medal, followed in by Eddie who was delighted to finish second score for the Irish team that placed 3rd in his master category and win a team medal too.

Each country was awarded points for their placings in all the age team categories. Ireland’s women were victorious, Ireland’s men were second to England, and in the overall contest for combined men and women, Ireland finished second to England, just ahead of hosts Scotland.

Leinster Senior, u/23 & Juvenile Uneven Ages XC

Over the years, Mullingar Harriers has won, at different times, all the Leinster cross country Club titles from under 11 girls through to Novice, Intermediate and Senior women and from under 11 boys through all the underage titles to Novice and Intermediate men but never the Senior men Club title. That was put right on Saturday 4th November at the Leinster Senior, u/23 & Juvenile Uneven Ages Cross Country held in a wet and muddy Dunboyne, Co. Meath where Mullingar made a bit of memorable Club history by winning the Senior men Club title in style. So, now we can boast of having won every Leinster cross country Club title in the book! A very nice achievement as the Club approaches its fiftieth anniversary in 2025.

That wasn’t the only success in Dunboyne however, as Claire Fagan won the Senior woman title and led Mullingar to second Club and Westmeath to third County, Vinny Connolly won the Senior men title leading Mullingar to gold and Westmeath to gold, we had eighteen juvenile top-12 finish places, including Leinster titles for Daniel Cummins (under 11) and Cillian Galvin (under 13), our underage teams won five sets of Club team medals, another two Club teams placed fourth, and Westmeath won two sets of County team medals, and another team finished in fourth place, meaning Mullingar and Westmeath will have a very big squad competing at the All-Ireland finals in Navan in December.

Heavy rain on and off all week and on the night before the event meant that the course in Dunboyne was very soft before we even started but thanks to a lot of very hard work put in all week by volunteers from the host Club, Dunboyne AC, everything was ready. The forecast was bad but the weather on the day actually wasn’t that bad at all, with near calm conditions and only the occasional light shower, but the ground still got very muddy in places, especially in one part of the course where the runners had to splash thorough a long section of mud, making for proper cross country conditions!

The Leinster Championships got underway with the u/11 girls 1,500m where Katie Bohan, Aoife Dunne, Muireann Feery, Helen McGrath, Lauryn Smith, Amelie Downes, Rose Harte, Farah Fox (Athlone AC), Eve Nugent and Lily Archbold battled hard and were very unlucky to finish 5th Club, only four points off the 4th place that would have secured them a place in the All-Ireland finals. The girls also finished a very creditable 5th County. We knew the Mullingar and Westmeath teams in the u/11 boys 1,500m were very strong  and hopes were high of team success. Daniel Cummins ran a brilliant race to finish 1st and win the Leinster title, and with fantastic support and team packing from Mel Bohan, (10th), Conor Gavin (12th), Cillian McManus (Athlone AC), Adam O’Donoghue, Cillian Gavin, Aaron Robinson, Cian Gavin, Michael Kiernan, Noah Morgan, Rory McDonnell, Josh Boyhan, Andrew Bradley, Cillian Martyn and Fintan Harte it was no surprise that the boys finished 1st Club and 1st County to get Mullingar and Westmeath on the medal board.

In the u/13 girls 2,500m Lily Walsh timed her final push to the finish perfectly and she pulled clear of the pack and chased the leader hard up the finish straight and was clearly delighted to cross the line in a close 2nd place, and with Shaynah Mitchell, Chloe Bell, Lucy Kilmurray, Aoibhe Martyn, Liadan Gavin, Emily Tully, Clodagh Doran, Aaliyah Downes and Muirin Dunne working hard to the finish, led the team to 2nd Club. We had our second individual winner of the day in the u/13 boys 2,500m where Cillian Galvin simply dominated, pulling clear in the closing stages to win by a distance, and with Antonio Bertolo racing hard to 4th place, and great team support from Gareth Glennon, Louis Kiernan, Harry Flanagan, Aonghus O’Reilly and Andrew Feery the boys finished 1st Club and were delighted with their gold Leinster team medals.

Mullingar continued to gather individual medals in the u/15 girls 3,500m where Tianna O’Leary raced to 6th, followed closely by Eleanor Kiernan in 8th and with Isabel Tynan Daly, Blathnaid Peters, Emma Lagan, Beibhinn O’Reilly and Chloe Duggan fighting for every place, the team finished 4th Club, a place in the All-Ireland finals but they really deserved more from the race such was their combined team efforts. It was a close 4th Club place too in the u/15 boys 3,500m where Conor Walsh led the Mullingar team home with an excellent 5th place finish, supported by Conor Geoghegan, Daniel Glennon, Cormac McGrath, Daniel Horohoe and Morgan Isdell. Like the u/15 girls these boys really deserved team medals for their efforts.

We didn’t have a team in the u/17 girls 4,500m but that didn’t deter Ailbhe O’Farrell from giving her customary strong performance and she was rewarded with a fine 11th place finish and a place on the Leinster Provincial team at the All-Ireland finals. No problem fielding a team in the u/17 boys 4,500m and with Matthew Molloy finishing in 10th, just ahead of Donagh Carey clinching 12th in a photo finish on the line, and with terrific support from Jamie Wallace, Oisin Kehoe, Luke Greene, Txema Lozano, Conor Mulvany and John Glennon packing well to the end, the boys placed 1st Club and 4th County, to see them all qualify for the All-Ireland finals.

Grace Byrne finished an excellent 5th place and Jessica Cunningham in 11th place in the u/19 girls 5,000m and only for a third girl, Mullingar would have won the Club title and be right in the mix for County team medals too but that doesn’t detract from the excellent performances by Grace and Jessica and they qualify for the All-Ireland finals with the Leinster Provincial team. We had a wealth of talent in the u/19 boys 5,00m where John Ryan raced to 3rd, just ahead of Conor Sherwin in 4th and with Ross Killalea in 8th and Pablo Lozano in 10th. Four in the top twelve and great team support from Philip McCartan and Conleth Mullen meant there was no surprise that the team finished 1st Club and 1st County to round off the underage programme in style.

Moving to the senior races, Mullingar certainly kept the best for last. Claire Fagan lost little time stamping her authority on the Senior Women 6,000m race, pulling away effortlessly and with a  truly dominant display went on the win by a distance. Aine O’Reilly, Anna Broderick, Michelle Bohan and Linda Cunningham put in great efforts behind and were rewarded for their efforts by finishing 2nd Club and 3rd County. The nine men strong Mullingar team in the Senior Men 9,000m stormed out hard from the gun and also lost little time stamping their mark on the race. The lead eventually whittled down to three, with Vinny Connolly in control at the front and Kevin Moore in close contact. Racing on over the long mucky sticky course, Vinny pulled clear to win, with Kevin in 2nd. Following in close behind was Andrew Nevin in 5th, and with brilliant support and team packing by James Keegan, Andy Boyhan, Kedagh Geoghegan, Kris Foster, Alan Crowley and Brian Martin it was inevitable that the men placed 1st Club and 1st County. This was a terrific conclusion to a memorable day for Mullingar Harriers. Over the last year, Vinny has won the Leinster Novice and Intermediate titles and has now added the Senior title but more importantly with the support of the senior men squad led Mullingar to its first Senior men Club title.

Thanks to the many parents and coaches that attended to support our teams, especially our young u/11 teams where some of them were competing in their first Leinster Championship races, so they really needed plenty of attention and support to keep any nerves at bay. The juvenile even age teams that qualified from Dunboyne will go forward to the All-Ireland Finals in Navan, Co. Meath in December.

OCTOBER

Dublin Marathon

Twenty five members of Mullingar Harriers completed the 42nd running of the Dublin Marathon on Sunday 29th October. Held in ideal weather conditions with a light wind and temperature of 12degC, a field of just over 16,500 took to the start line in different waves. The event incorporated the National Marathon and the Athletics Leinster Marathon, and with individual and team medals to be won in both competition was keen across all age categories. Five finished in under 3 hours (one in a PB), another seven under 3 hours 30 minutes (all in PBs), another four under 3 hours 40 minutes (all in PBs too), two under 3 hours 50 minutes (one in a PB), five just under 4 hours (two of them in PBs), and finally two more making their debuts over the distance so their times can count as PBs too. Including the debut runners, that’s a total of 16 PBs from 25 members, a brilliant day’s work and testament to the hard work put in by all of them over many months.

First to finish from Mullingar was Ray Hynes in an excellent 2 hours 26 minutes 42 seconds, the fastest time for a marathon by a member of Mullingar Harriers for many years. Following him in was Johnny Morrissey (2:42:27, a PB), Ken Whitelaw (2:50:45), Eddie Newman (2:52:29) and Kieran Nolan (2:53:05) completing the quintet of sub-three hour men. Our first woman finisher was Niamh McEntegart in a fine 3 hours 11 minutes 49 seconds, a PB by over 30 minutes, then Mary Stuart (3:12:03, an improvement on her PB by 6 minutes), Tommy Byrne (3:13:04, an improvement of 20 minutes), then Jacintha Reilly (3:16:21), Paul Byrne (3:26:20), Dara O’Shea (3:29:01) and Criona Reid (3:29:25) all in PB times. Also running PBs were Aisling Corcoran (3:30:24), Darren Carroll (3:30:30), Aeilish McGovern (3:32:49) and John Meehan (3:39:50). Also delighted to cover the distance in excellent times were Joan Hickson (3:44:40, PB), Maria Doherty (3:45:54), Gemma Kelly (3:55:45), Jane Creevy (3:56:41), John Keane (3:58:14), Marie Louise Johnston (3:58:26), Cormac Murray (3:58:40), and two making their marathon debuts Ray Smyth (4:29:32) and Martin Mullen (4:36:55) completing the Mullingar group.

Winning the National title in their master categories, and of course the Leinster title too, was Ray Hynes, Eddie Newman and Mary Stuart. With great team running by Johnny Morrissey and Ken Whitelaw, Ray led the Mullingar master men o/35 team to 4th place in the National event, missing 3rd place and the bronze medals by less than 4 minutes, but they placed 3rd Club in the Leinster event to win the Leinster bronze team medals. Congratulations again to our marathon runners on their excellent performances, but especially to our medal winners Mary Stuart, Eddie Newman, Ray Hynes, Johnny Morrissey and Ken Whitelaw.

Cross Internacional de Atapuerca (Burgos, Spain)

Cormac Dalton had his first cross country race of the season and finished with a brilliant 11th place at the Cross Internacional de Atapuerca in Burgos, Spain on Sunday 29th October. The race was a Gold Level meeting on the World Athletics Cross Country Tour and this was reflected in the quality of the field, with some of the world’s leading endurance athletes present. The race was won by the 2020 Olympic 10,000m bronze medallist and current World Cross Country Champion, Uganda’s Jacob Kiplimo with Kenyan athlete Ronald Kwemoi, who has placed in the top eight at World Championships, in second place.

Cormac positioned himself in the top fifteen from the start and found himself leading the chasing group for much of the race, which was held in very windy conditions on a typical European cross country course with tight corners and a selection of man-made obstacles to be negotiated. He finished very strongly to claim eleventh place amongst a group of established international endurance athletes.

He will now turn his attention to preparing for the National Cross Country Championship in Gowran, Kilkenny on 19th November.

Leinster Novice, u/20 & Juvenile Even Ages XC

Despite missing a number of athletes due to illness and others feeling unwell on the day but still running to support their teams, Mullingar still won eleven individual medals, including a Leinster title for Lily Walsh, nine sets of Club team medals and two sets of County team medals, meaning that Mullingar certainly enjoyed great success at the Leinster Novice, u/20 & Juvenile Even Ages Cross Country held on Sunday 21st October at Mountain View Golf Club in Co. Kilkenny. Despite very heavy rain from the tail end of Storm Babet in the days leading up to the event, the ground in Mountain View simply soaked it up and underfoot conditions were excellent throughout what was otherwise a tough course that tested the mettle of everyone that competed. To demonstrate the vagaries of Irish weather, it lashed rain the day before but not a drop fell on the day of competition, in fact the sun even broke through in the mid-afternoon.

The day started with non-Championship 1,000m races for girls and boys under 10 years of age, organised by the host Club St. Senan’s AC, and athletes as young as 7, 8 and 9 years of age from Clubs across Leinster competed with great enthusiasm, including a number from Mullingar. Landryn Yonta, Roisin Keane and Rachel Robinson ran in the girls race and thoroughly enjoyed the experience, and Noah Morgan ran in the boys race where he raced to seventh place and a medal. We can expect to see these youngsters in action in future Championship races.

After the excitement of the under 10 races, the first Championship race, the u/12 girls 2,000m started bang on time at 11.30am and we watched the big team from Mullingar race from the start. After an exciting race where the Mullingar girls ran very well, they were led home by Chloe Bell, followed by Katie Bohan, Liadan Gavin, Amelie Kelly, Amelie Downes, Ellen Gallagher, Elise Buckley, Melody Kelly, Aoife Gouldsbury, Maria Gouldsbury, Robyn Kelly and Clodagh Keane. Such was the standard, despite their talent and great efforts the girls finished out of the team medals but many were moving up an age and the experience will stand to them when they run in their own age in two weeks. The u/12 boys 2,000m followed and despite giving away a year, young Daniel Cummins kept right up with the leaders and was rewarded with a fine 8th place finish and an individual medal. A star in the making, Daniel will be one to watch in the u/11 race in two weeks. With brilliant team running and support, the fast-finishing team of Conor Gavin, Adam O’Donoghue, Harry Flanagan, Cillian Gavin, Cian Gavin, Aaron Robinson and Fintan Harte, the boys were delighted to finish 3rd Club and win Leinster team medals. They also finished 4th County, so all of them can compete in the All-Ireland finals in November.

Another star rising to the top though she too was giving away a year was Lily Walsh in the u/14 girls 3,000m. Lily kept with the leaders and patiently waited to make her move and when she did, she timed it perfectly to pull clear quickly and opened a gap that couldn’t be closed to run home in first place and win the Leinster title. The icing on the cake came thanks to terrific performances by Shaynah Mitchell, Lucy Kilmurray, Lucy Hickey, Aoibhe Martyn, Clodagh Doran, Aaliyah Downes and Emily Tully running hard in support to finish 3rd Club and see another Mullingar team qualify for the All-Ireland finals. Taking a leaf from Lily’s book, Scott Cogan kept right in contention throughout a fast u/14 boys 3,000m race and though he didn’t win he was still delighted to finish 5th and lead the excellent team of Antonio Bertolo, Cormac McGrath, Daniel Horohoe, Oisin Clarke, Louis Kiernan, Greg McDonnell, Hakeem Yonta, Morgan Isdell and Joel Kelly to 2nd Club and Leinster team medals. They also finished 5th County, not far off fourth which would have seen them all qualify for the All-Ireland finals, so a great team performance.

Tianna O’Leary had the honour of leading the Mullingar team home in the u/16 girls 4,000m with a fine fifth place finish, and with Eleanor Kiernan racing home in eighth place, and great support from team mates Isabel Tynan Daly, Emma Lagan, Lydia McDonnell and Blathnaid Peters the team finished 4th Club, no team medals but still a qualification spot for the All-Ireland finals. Continuing to make a steady return to his best, Matthew Molloy fought hard and was pleased to finish 10th in the u/16 boys 4,000m and with Conor Walsh running out of his skin in 11th right behind him, and Oisin Kehoe in 13th, an agonising one place away from an individual top-twelve medal, and Luke Greene not far behind providing the vital fourth team score, it was no surprise that Mullingar finished 1st Club by a big margin. Also running hard in support was Daniel Glennon, Daniel Hickey and Conor Mulvany fighting hard for every place to see the team finish 4th County, missing bronze by just a single point to show that every place counts in cross country. A consolation is that they all qualify for the All-Ireland finals anyway.

The 5,000m for girls u/18 & women u/20 was a combined race where the u/18 girls could win medals in both the u/18 race and as members of u/18 and u/20 teams. Negotiating the course brilliantly and always in the thick of the action, Aimee Wallace finished 4th overall (3rd u/18), and with Grace Byrne (7th u/18), Ailbhe O’Farrell (11th u/18), and great support from Aisling Lane (u/20), Caoimhe Donohue (u/18) and Alanna Greene (u/18). With three in the top twelve and great support from Caoimhe and Alanna, the u/18 team finished 2nd Club. Of course, it didn’t end there, as the u/18 girls could also score on the u/20 teams, Aisling Lane provided the vital fourth team score to see the Mullingar u/20 team finish 1st Club by just two points and clinch the gold for Mullingar. The team also finished 4th u/20 County, missing the bronze medals by just two points. They won the Club gold by two points and missed County bronze by two points to also show that every place counts and everyone has to continue to run hard to the finish.

The final underage race on the programme was the combined 5,000m for boys u/18 & men u/20, where like the corresponding women’s race, u/18 boys could win medals in both the u/18 race and as members of u/20 teams. Racing hard down the finish straight and closing hard on the eventual winner, Diarmuid Fagan stormed over the line in a very close 2nd place overall and 2nd u/20 man. He was followed in by John Ryan (u/20), Ross Killalea (u/20), Conor Sherwin (5th u/18), Pablo Lozano (u/18), Donagh Carey (u/18), Jamie Wallace (u/18), Philip McCartan (u/18), John Glennon (u/18) and Conleth Mullen (u/20), and all battling hard to the finish. When the u/18 and u/20 team results were sorted after the race, the u/18 boys finished 2nd Club and 3rd County, and the u/20 team finished 1st Club and 2nd County.

After the underage races, the programme moved to the adult races and by now the sun was shining bright. The entry for Novice Women 4,000m included a big team from Mullingar led home by Susan Glennon with a terrific 10th place finish, followed by Joan Flynn also finishing well up, and with Michelle Bohan, Linda Cunningham, Ciara Dillon, Caroline Mullen and Claire Lennon giving their all, despite their efforts, the women had to settle for places out of the team medal places, 6th Club and 4th County, but only a mere five points away from the bronze medals in as very close contest.

The day ended with the Novice Men 6,000m, which as usual was one of the biggest fields of the day as over one hundred men raced away from the start of what is regarded as one of the most competitive races in Leinster cross country. One small and three big laps of the tough energy-sapping Mountain View course later, the Mullingar team was led home by Matthew Glennon in an excellent 9th place, followed in closely by James Keegan in 11th place, then Andy Boyhan, Kris Foster, Kedagh Geoghegan, Stephen Campbell, Brian Martin and Liam McGlynn, all digging deep and leaving nothing behind and packing brilliantly in support, to finish a brilliant 1st Club and a very creditable 5th County for the men.

That rounded off a great day for Mullingar with plenty of individual and team successes and excellent running by everyone.. The juvenile teams that qualified from Mountain View will go forward to the All-Ireland Finals in Gowran, Co. Kilkenny in November.

Westmeath County Council Address of Recognition (19th Oct)

Westmeath County Council honoured Mullingar Harriers on Thursday evening 19th October with an Address of Recognition for the exceptional achievement of a big number of its members in representing Ireland in International competition in the last four years. Margaret Daly, Club Chairperson accepted the Address on behalf of the Club, which was presented by Cllr. John Shaw, the Mayor of the Municipal District of Mullingar Kinnegad.

This honour comes on the back of 25 members representing Ireland, some more than once, between 2020 just as the Covid-19 pandemic was hitting Ireland and we were subject to restrictions on training and competition, right up to date in 2023 when we are thankfully fully past the Covid restrictions. Like so many other members, these athletes continued to train as best as they could, so they were ready when competition returned to normal.

The competitions they took part in were many and varied and included Celtic Cross Country, European 10,000m Cup, European Cross Country, European u/20 T&F, Franconville u/18 T&F, Schools International T&F, Masters North-South Cross Country Challenge, European Masters Indoors, Schools International Cross Country, European Race Walking International, European Masters Non-Stadia, European u/18 T&F, British & Irish Masters International Cross Country, World Masters Indoors, European Team Race Walking Championships, and the Mannheim Junioren International Gala.

Westmeath Schools Cross Country

The re-scheduled Westmeath Schools Cross Country took place in Belvedere on Wednesday 18th October. We had to postpone it due to a weather alert three weeks before. This time the forecast was for weather fronts coming from the south but Westmeath wasn’t forecast to have much rain until later in the day. Still, some schools feared the worst and decided not to attend, but as it turned out, the day was mostly dry with only occasional drizzle, so the fears were unfounded and the very large crowd that did attend thoroughly enjoyed the event.

Whatever the weather, the grounds in Belvedere always look great and underfoot conditions were not too bad for running despite the rain in the few days before. The hard work put in by volunteers from the Club in setting up the course meant that everything was ready on the day. We are indebted to the many volunteers, members and friends of Mullingar Harriers, who turned up in big numbers on the morning to help officiate and make the day a success. It was great to see the enthusiasm in the competitors from the young first class pupils to the older secondary school students, cheered on by a large number of teachers and parents. The event remains very popular and the feedback from teachers and parents was very positive, so we look forward to continued support in future years.

Sincere thanks to Westmeath Civil Defence who attended to look after any first aid needs with their customary calm and professionalism. The Management & Staff at Belvedere House and Gardens were also of great help in organising the day at a venue that is absolutely ideal for hosting such an event. Finally, our thanks to the teachers and schools for competing and ensuring that the event continues to be one of the most eagerly awaited sporting events on the calendar for those of school going age in Westmeath.

The Primary school top 20 individual finishers and team scores and the Secondary schools top 10 individual finishers are available HERE. Congratulations to all who took part and as usual, the standard of competition was extremely high and medals were hard won for all the competitors.

Autumn Open International XC Festival

Early morning frost and fog gave way to a beautiful day on Sunday 15th October for the first big cross country fixture of the season, the Autumn Open International Cross Country Festival, which was held at the National Sports Campus in Abbotstown, Co. Dublin. The races incorporated the trials for the Irish Masters team to compete at the British and Irish Masters International Cross Country in Glasgow in November, and Mullingar had a number of its master athletes in action vying for selection on the Irish teams. Even though the Dublin Cross Country Championships and the National Inter-Club Juvenile Relays were held over the same course in the morning, they had little impact on the ground and underfoot conditions were perfect for the afternoon Autumn Open races.

The programme consisted of three races. The first race was the 6,000m for senior and master women, and for master men over 65 years of age. Maura Dervin put in a great effort over the three laps and finished 6th in her master category, possibly good enough to secure a place on the Irish team, but she’ll have to await the decision of the selectors this week. No stranger to International competition, Sean McMullin was very satisfied with his performance and finished 2nd in his master category to secure automatic selection on the Irish masters team.

The second race was the 8,000m for senior men and master men up to 64 years of age. Among the huge entry was one senior man and three master men from Mullingar. Four laps of the tough Abbottstown course was a real test of strength but the Mullingar men proved up to the task and all performed really well. First home from Mullingar was Alan Crowley, finishing strongly but unfortunately not high enough in his master category to earn selection. Following just seconds behind was Gerard Gavin placing 7th in master category, which might not be enough for selection but must await the decision of the selectors. Next to finish was Kris Foster, happy with his performance in the senior race. Following him in was Eddie Newman. Eddie’s birthday at the end of the month will see him move up an age category, in time for the International in November, so while technically finishing eighth in his current master category he would have been joint 1st in his new category, which should secure his selection for the Irish team. Liam McGlynn completed the Mullingar quartet and was very satisfied with his race.

The final race of the afternoon was the Autumn Open Experience, a 4,000m race to give a taste of cross country running for newcomers, or for others who have raced cross country before, a chance to compete over the course that was used for the European Cross Country in 2022. One of these latter athletes was Linda Cunningham who finished well up and was delighted with her performance.

Toronto Half Marathon

Settled well in Toronto, Canada for over a year now, Amy Mahony has continued to keep up her training and was delighted to finish the Toronto Half Marathon on Sunday morning 15th October in 1 hour 30 minutes 49 seconds, which is a new personal best for the distance. Amy is proud of her home Club and flew the flag for Mullingar Harriers by wearing her Club vest in the race. Congratulations to Amy from everyone at Mullingar Harriers.

Amsterdam Marathon & Half Marathon

Brendan Rice ran in the Amsterdam Marathon on Sunday morning 15th October alongside 20, 000 other runners. He ran a little too fast in the first 10k and had to ease back, especially for his last 10k, but as a first marathon having just joined the Club earlier this year Brendan was happy overall with his race and his finish time of 4 hours 24 minutes 27 seconds. There was also a Half Marathon where Ray Smith finished in a good 2 hours 4 minutes 26 seconds.

An Cosantóir 10k

The An Cosantóir 10k was held in the Phoenix Park on Wednesday afternoon 11th October. An Cosantóir is the official magazine of the Defence Forces. Open to all ranks of the Permanent and Reserve Defence Forces, staff from the Department of Defence, and retired and invited personnel, the race attracted a big entry of nearly 350. Finishing strongly and well up in twelfth place overall, and first woman by over 5 minutes, was our own Elizabeth Carr with an excellent time of 36 minutes 14 seconds, a noteworthy time given the tough course in the Park. Elizabeth led her team of four, the other three were men, to 2nd team. Well done to Elizabeth on an excellent performance and also for showing that it’s possible to mix a busy military career with competitive racing.

Tarmonbarry Half marathon & 8k

As part of a series of races at Tarmonbarry, Co. Roscommon including a Three-Quarter Marathon, Half Marathon and 8k on Sunday morning 8th October, Eddie Newman placed second of nearly 80 finishers of the Half Marathon in 1 hour 21 minutes 19 seconds. The shorter 8k race attracted nearly 190 entrants, including two club members, Ann Hall and Glenda Shaw. The race was run on an 8k circuit and first home in the women race was Glenda Shaw in 32 minutes even, followed by her training partner Ann Hall just a few seconds behind in 32:05.

Fastlane Three-Quarter Marathon

In Clondalkin, Dublin on Sunday morning 8th October, Paul Byrne put the finishing touches to his long runs in advance of the Dublin City Marathon at the end of the month. Paul was one of 489 runners in the Fastlane Three-Quarter Marathon (32k) on the pedestrianised Grand Canal Greenway in West Dublin. Maintaining a steady pace throughout the race, which is practically totally flat, Paul was very pleased to complete the distance in 2 hours 46 minutes 35 seconds and sees himself well on target for about a 3 hour 30 minute marathon in Dublin.

Athletics Westmeath Cross Country – Day 2

Day 2 of the Athletics Westmeath Cross Country Championships took place in Belvedere on Sunday morning 8th October in unseasonably warm conditions for the time of year as temperatures reached the high teens. Competition was for girls and boys u/9, 11, 13, 15 & 17 years. Belvedere proved itself yet again as an excellent cross country venue and underfoot conditions were very good for running.

There were a good number of newcomers and the boys and girls that ran in the non-Championship u/9 races really enjoyed themselves and were delighted with their medals, one for everyone that finished. Moving to the Championships proper, the race distances were no problem for those that have been training regularly. The course in Belvedere is a great test of cross country endurance and those that train there regularly will have no problem with the courses chosen for the Leinsters. There were some very good individual performances but Championship cross country is also about team running, so everyone was being closely watched by Club coaches, particularly the newcomers.

Many of the juveniles who took part on day 1 the previous week were back in action again, either running in their own age or moving up an age group, to get in some race experience. As on day 1, the competitors on day 2 came from all across the County and included a number of welcome newcomers, with everyone keen to perform well.

Thanks to all who helped with parking, recording the results, marshalling and stewarding on the course, to the many parents who came and supported the competitors, and to the management and staff of Belvedere for the use of the excellent grounds, and to the athletes who provided great competition.

The Leinster Championships take place over two days, with two weeks between each, so juvenile athletes can run in their own age group and can move up an age group to make up teams. The results of both days and application in training will be used to select teams to represent Mullingar and Westmeath in the Leinster Championships.

Results of Day 2 here – JUVENILE results

Offaly Race Series 2023 (5th Oct)

Offaly Athletics ran a very successful 8-race 5k series earlier this year. Announcing the results on Thursday 5th October, Mullingar Harriers got notable mention with both our master women and men teams winning the trophies for the best non-Offaly club in the series. Run generally on Friday evenings, the 5k races attracted up to 200 athletes each night. A dedicated group of our masters was ever-present across the 8 venues of Tullamore, Banagher, Clara, Ferbane, Ballyskenach, Daingean, Rhode and Birr and are now rewarded for their efforts with the perpetual trophies for the team event. The trophies will be presented in Tullamore on 11 November and it will be a special night to celebrate consistent team performances on the roads of Offaly over the summer.

Athletics Westmeath Cross Country – Day 1

We had to cancel the schools cross country mid-week because of the heavy rain and high winds but in stark contrast, the weather in Belvedere on Sunday 1st October for Day 1 of the Athletics Westmeath Cross Country Championships was absolutely beautiful, dry and sunny, ideal for runners and spectators. Competition was for girls and boys u/8, 10, 12, 14, 16 and 18 years of age & women & men u/20 & Novice, Senior & Masters. There were more juveniles than last year, but the number of adults was down a little, but there was still a good number of adults competing, including some from Athlone AC and guest runners from Trim AC and Longford AC. There was great competition in each race and performances were very encouraging in the older age groups in particular, where the focus was on places on Club and County teams at the Leinster Cross Country Championships.

The boys and girls that ran in the non-Championship u/8 and u/10 races really enjoyed themselves and were delighted with their medals, one for everyone that finished. Moving to the Championships proper, the course in Belvedere is a great test of cross country endurance and those that train there regularly will have no problem with any course at the Leinsters. There were some very good individual performances but Championship cross country is also about team running, so everyone was being closely watched by Club coaches, particularly the newcomers.

All the underage races were keenly contested and the last race of the day was a combined race for girls and boys u/18 and 20 years, and for Novice, Senior and Master women and men. All the women ran 4,000m, the older master men also ran 4,000m, the senior men ran 8,000m and the rest of the men ran 6,000m, with everyone starting together and running over the same course but with different numbers of laps. It was some spectacle to see over forty runners racing out from the start and making their way around the rolling hills of Belvedere.

The Club’s masters group was well represented and it was great to see a number of our most recent new members compete in cross country for the very first time after just a few training sessions over the previous few Saturdays. The training continues each Saturday now so further opportunities will become available as the cross country season gets into full swing in the coming weeks.

Day 2 on Sunday morning 8th October in Belvedere will be for boys and girls u/9, 11, 13, 15 and 17 years of age. The first race will be at 11am so the younger runners should be in Belvedere before 10.30am to get ready and know where they have to run. The Athletics Westmeath Cross Country is an open competition and you don’t have to be a member of a Club to take part, so everyone is very welcome to compete.

The Leinster Championships take place over two days, with two weeks between each, so juvenile athletes can run in their own age group and can move up an age group to make up teams. Therefore, we expect all juveniles to compete on both days of the Westmeath Championships unless ill or injured or they might be disappointed if not selected. The results of both days and application in training will be used to select teams to represent the Club and Westmeath in the Leinster Championships. The results of the men and women races last Sunday will also be used to select Club and County teams for the Leinster Championships.

Thanks to all who helped to record the results, marshal and steward on the course, to the many parents who came and supported the competitors, and to the management and staff of Belvedere for the use of the excellent grounds, but especially to the athletes who provided great competition.

Results of Day 1 here – ADULT results, JUVENILE results.