Q1, 2025 News & Reports – January to March

MARCH

National Juvenile Indoors

The indoor season concluded for Mullingar Harriers at the National Juvenile Indoors in Athlone on 29th & 30th March, where our squad of 15 athletes won 4 medals, 5 of them recorded PBs and another 8 bettered their performance in the Leinster Indoors, a testament to the hard work put in over many months under the watchful eyes of their coaches.

Early on Saturday morning, Kyle Faherty blasted from the blocks in his heat of the u/19 boys 200m, finishing 3rd in a new PB of 22.79 seconds. Unfortunately it wasn’t enough to advance to the final and he missed a place in the final by just seven hundredths of a second, but can be very proud of his performance.

The medals for the u/12 boys 600m were decided on the fastest times over two races. Mel Bohan raced to a fine 3rd place in his timed race in 1:47:89, quicker than he ran in the Leinsters, to place 7th overall. It wasn’t fast enough to win a medal, but 7th place in a National final is a very good result.

Lily Walsh competed in the u/15 girls 800m where again the medals were decided on the fastest times over two races. In Lily’s race, the top three girls had to run personal bests to secure a place on the podium, Lily crossing the finish line in second place with a two second PB of 2:17.69, to win National silver and finish a big month of racing.

Despite running faster than in the Leinsters, Gareth Glennon finished out of the medal places in the u/14 boys 800m but gave it every effort in a good race. It was similar for Oisin Clarke in the u/15 boys 800m where he finished out of the medal places but was delighted to set a new PB of 2:14.65 in his race. As a measure of the competition, the eventual winner broke the Championship record by over 3 seconds.

Conor Liston ran a very smart race in the u/19 boys 800m where after a very quick first lap by the leader, a gap developed back to the chasing pack, led by Conor. The race order didn’t change much until the final lap where Conor started chasing down the leader but ultimately it wasn’t enough in the end to catch the leader but it won Conor the silver medal in a new PB of 1:54.99, in fact all three medal winners ran personal bests, such was the quality of the race.

On Sunday morning, it was the turn of our 1,500m athletes where, like the 800m the day before, the medals were decided on the fastest times over two races. Even though Eleanor Kiernan placed 4th in her timed race of the u/17 girls 1,500m in a quicker time than she ran in Leinster, she finished out of the medals, but gave a very good performance. Conor Walsh also ran quicker in the u/17 boys 1,500m but it wasn’t enough to get in the medal places. Matthew Molloy ran only marginally slower in the u/18 boys 1,500m than in Leinster, but finished out of the medals, and even though Ailbhe O’Farrell ran quicker in the u/19 girls 1,500m, she finished out of the medals too. On to the u/19 boys 1,500m where Donagh Carey improved by 7 seconds and Jamie Wallace by nearly 5 seconds, finishing 3rd in his timed race, 5th overall, unfortunately not enough to see either on the podium.

A super set of jumps by Chloe Bell in the u/14 girls long jump saw her better her PB several times during the event, finally finishing 6th with 4.71m, only a mere 5 centimetres away from the medals, a great result in a National final. Chloe also bettered her Leinster standing, finishing second Leinster long jumper on the day, after picking up bronze in Leinster.

Mullingar has a fine reputation in race walk where we had three Glennon brothers in action seeking National honours. Gareth Glennon latched on to the early breakaway group in the u/14 boys 1,000m walk. Moving between fourth and third throughout, with a terrific last lap that came down to a furious sprint on the home straight, Gareth chased the leader hard but had to settle for silver in a photo finish, missing victory by just over a tenth of a second. Daniel Glennon made it look easy in the u/17 boys 1,500m walk where he cruised to victory to take gold and the National title, improving on his time in Leinster too.

The final race of the day was the u/19 boys 1,500m walk where John Glennon was always in contention for honours and after a great battle with the eventual winner, he crossed the line in second place, but just as we beginning to celebrate another medal for Mullingar, he was disqualified for an infringement, which is always a risk in this very technical event where the keen-eyed judges watch every step of the way. A disappointing finish to the day for John, but he knows the risks and is experienced enough to bounce back.

Now that the indoor season has come to a close, everyone can take time to re-group and look forward to the outdoor season ahead [TW/CW/GD].

Dublin City Half Marathon

Nearly 12,000 people took part in the inaugural Dublin City Half Marathon on Sunday morning 30th March, which took runners across the city centre and the north side of the Capital. Mullingar Harriers had 5 athletes taking part and they were delighted with the race and the atmosphere. Weather conditions were near perfect, with a very light wind and sunshine all the way through a packed city centre and the north side, with the start and finish on O’Connell St. First home from Mullingar was Griffin Kearney in 1:22:39, followed by Paul Forristal (1:31:14), Mary Stuart (1:30:36) 2nd in her master category, John Long (1:40:08) and Joan Hickson (1:43:48) [MO’S].

Dundalk 10k

In sun drenched Dundalk on Sunday morning 30th March, Paul O’Reilly competed in the Dundalk 10k. Starting and finishing in the town centre, the route took the field of over 430 runners on a stunning route around the environs of the town. Paul was always in contention with the leaders and was delighted to nail down 3rd place in a new personal best of 35:23, almost 2 minutes quicker than his previous best time for the distance [PO’R/GD].

The Ten Meeting, San Juan Capistrano, California

UNREPORTED

Saturday 29th March (race 2 – Men 10,000m Run SPIKE)

Cormac Dalton – 13th of 24 in 28:33.92

Clongowes 5k

Father and son combined to make the podium in their respective categories in the annual Clongowes 5k on Saturday morning 29th March. Zack O’Leary ran very well to finish in second place in 21:21 while his dad, Michael O’Leary, went one better by winning his master category in 27:18 [MO’S].

National 10k (incorp. in Dunboyne 10k)

The National 10k was incorporated in the annual Dunboyne 10k on Sunday morning 23rd March, which added an extra element of competition to what is already a very competitive race. Starting on a narrow country road on the edge of the town, it took quite some time for the more than 1,400 runners to clear the start line, but no problem for the Mullingar squad, led by Jack O’Leary who was up at the front and charged from the gun to set a fast early pace. David McGlynn (Waterford AC) led for large parts but with 2k to go and with what looked like a commanding lead, the chasing pack led by Jack started to reel David back and finally caught him in the final kilometre to finish incredibly strong to take the National Title in a time of 29:15, ten seconds clear. Following Jack in was Andy Nevin (32:34), Kevin Moore (32:46) and Dan Morris (33:13) and the men combined to place a very creditable 6th Club.

The Mullingar women had a small but strong team on the start line, all of them in good racing form following some great results on the roads recently. Claire Fagan and Elizabeth Carr raced hard from the gun, pushing on throughout the race to finish well up in the high quality women’s field. Claire led the team home in 8th place with a very fast time of 34:06. Elizabeth was next home in 15th place, finishing strongly with a new personal best of 34:44. Sinead Whitelaw completed the Senior women team, putting in a solid performance to finish in 37:48. This Mullingar team finished a very well deserved 2nd Club in the National Senior Championships, a great result in a very competitive team race. Sinead also took home a silver medal in her master category, as did Mary Stuart who ran very well to finish in 40:21 and claim second place in her master category.

Also competing strongly in Dunboyne was Ian McCormack (33:39), Johnny Morrissey (34:31) and Kris Foster (34:48). In the “Battle of the Eddies”, finishing in 36:36 was enough for Eddie Newman to win the gold in his master category, with Eddie Lynch (37:50) winning bronze in the same category. They were followed in by Tommy Byrne (40:36), Pauric Brady (41:15) and Dean Keogh (42:59), all racing hard to the finish [SW/IMcC/GD].

Athlone AC Invitational Indoors

Mullingar had a good squad of nearly 40 underage athletes at the Athlone AC Invitational Indoors in Athlone on Sunday 23rd March. Competing against athletes from Athlone AC and Clubs from County Roscommon in a low-key very friendly event, this was ideal for newcomers and especially our members that were too young to compete in the recent Leinster Indoors. They could choose two events from sprint, middle distance, long jump, shot putt or foam javelin, and high jump and every one of them thoroughly enjoyed the competition. Very many won medals – too many to mention by name – some more than one, but medals won or not, they all competed with great enthusiasm and were delighted to compete at the state-of-the-art Indoor Arena in Athlone. Congratulations to everyone that took part and well done to their coaches for having them well prepared to give their best on the day. Thanks also to the parents for bringing their children to the event, especially those that volunteered to help on the day, because without volunteers an event like this can’t happen [GD].

SIAB International Schools XC – Memorable International Debut for Lily Walsh

Lily Walsh made her International debut on Saturday 22nd March in Falkirk, Scotland, representing Ireland and Loreto College at the SIAB International Schools Cross Country in Callendar Park. Racing with the Irish Junior girls team against teams from Scotland, Wales and England, it was a debut to remember.

The race covered two laps of an undulating 1,500m loop which, although spectator friendly, proved testing for the athletes taking in hills, soft uneven ground and even passed through a dry riverbed twice on each lap. Lily and three Irish team mates chased the English girls who took an early lead and dominated for most of the race. Into the last kilometre, the Irish quartet began catching the English athletes and opened a big gap on the Scottish and Welsh squads behind. Finishing completely exhausted in 13th place, the 4th Irish scorer in a team of eight, Lily spared nothing to help secure 2nd team place for Ireland behind eventual winners England, and ahead of Scotland and Wales, to win a team silver medal on a memorable International debut.

Making the trip to Scotland even more memorable for Lily was having the support of her grandparents there on race day, where her grandmother, Geraldine Walsh, had herself twice represented Ireland at the same venue. Now that Lily has made her International debut for Ireland, her name will be added to the International Roll of Honour in the Clubhouse, the 131st name on the marble wall plaque. Lily’s name on the plaque makes a nice bit of Club history, as she joins her father Colm and grandmother Geraldine, the first time we have three generations from one family [CW].

AON Mullingar Half Marathon

On a cool but dry St. Patrick’s Day morning, the 10th edition of the AON Mullingar Half Marathon was held. As it was sell-out some weeks before the race, it was no surprise that the biggest entry in the ten years of the race, over 1,500 runners, made their way to the start line on Pearse Street for the 10am start. Seeing the race grow year and year is a terrific boost and a fantastic fundraising success for charity partner TEAM (Temporary Emergency Accommodation Mullingar).

For Mullingar Harriers, it was our biggest participation yet, with 75 finishers, 42 of them recording best times for the distance, and a big number of the brilliant pacers were also club athletes. The race followed the usual route, out the Delvin Road past St. Loman’s Hospital and across the bypass, turning right and on to Curraghmore, then heading on through Marlinstown Bog and Wooddown before emerging from Greatdown and up “heartbreak hill” to cross over the N4, before heading on to the Canal path. Coming off the Canal just after Saunders Bridge, the final stretch took the runners along Millmount Road before turning into the town park for the finish. This was a superbly organised event, with road closures, top class stewarding and something for everyone on the roads and streets around Mullingar to enjoy on St Patrick’s Day.

First Harrier to finish was Dan Morris in a fine sixth place in 1:12:38, ahead of James Keegan seventh in 1:14:27, and with Tony Doran (1:16:23) and Paulius Patackas (1:17:18) both finishing in the top twenty, the men team finished 1st Club. Elizabeth Carr won the women’s race in 1:16:21, almost seven and a half minutes clear of the second place woman and with Mary Stuart (1:27:59) winning her master category, Orlaith Flanagan (1:29:10) and Orla McLaughlin (1:31:37) making up the women team, the Mullingar women finished 1st Club.

Also competing was Paul O’Reilly (1:19:38), Alan Crowley (1:20:03), Eddie Newman (1:20:04) first in his master category, Enda O’Carolan (1:21:10), Steven Underwood (1:23:44), Paul McCool Junior (1:25:17), Ciaran Mulkerrins (1:25:52), Kieran Nolan (1:26:03), Enda Seery (1:26:04), Darren Carroll (1:26:15), John Gallagher (1:26:33), Dara O’Shea (1:27:45), Mick Fagan (1:27:54), Joseph Doherty (1:29:16), Thomas Gilligan (1:29:19), Kieran Dodrill (1:31:07), Jason McKevitt (1:31:50, Declan Claffey (1:32:07), Aeilish McGovern (1:32:14), Aisling Corcoran (1:32:25), Aideen Tansey (1:33:27), John Long (1:33:45), Liam McGlynn (1:33:31) third in his master category, Tom Byrne (1:33:43), Colm Walsh (1:34:11), Conor Corcoran (1:34:14), Orla Gillespie (1:35:06), Mark Geoghegan (1:35:29), Brian Collentine (1:36:10), Zane Smukste (1:36:39), Sharon O’Dowd (1:37:02), John McNamara (1:37:34), Paul Ginnell (1:37:57), Joe Curley (1:38:01), Lee Bracken (1:38:01), Eva McMorrow Byrne (1:38:18), Barry White (1:38:26), Colm Brennan (1:38:27), Julie McLaughlin (1:38:29), Shaun Mills (1:39:27), Laura Fitzpatrick (1:40:00), Richard Carey (1:41:37), Caroline Mullen (1:43:35), Brendan Rice (1:43:40), Leona Behan (1:44:13), Grainne Feely (1:44:59), Jane Creevy (1:45:18), Ciara Dillon (1:48:45), Paul Plunkett (1:49:27), Elaine Scally (1:49:32), Martin Fitzpatrick (1:49:47), Martin Mullen (1:52:15), Michelle O’Halloran (1:52:34), Catherine Gavin (1:53:38), Ray Smyth (1:53:46), Kate Plunkett (1:53:47), Marie Louise Johnston (1:54:08), Matt Johnston (1:54:09), Joan Mulvihill (1:56:03), Emer Savage (1:56:48), Mairtin Savage (1:56:48), John Keane (1:56:34), Aine Kane (1:57:07), Matt Creagh (1:59:18), Declan Costello (2:05:03), Sorcha Hennessy Silke (2:08:33) and Marna Groenewald (2:10:26) [MO’S/GD].

Streets of Portlaoise 5k

Competing in a big entry of just over 1,000 for the Streets of Portlaoise 5k on St. Patrick’s Day and enjoying the fast race through the town, a small Mullingar Harriers contingent was led home by Timmy Murphy in 15:36 to place twelfth, ahead of John Ryan in fifteenth place in 15:55. Kris Foster recorded a time 16:40 and Ian McCormack was just behind Kris in 16:42. Linda Cunningham completed the course in 21:58 and Claire Lennon Gavin came home in 24:06 [MO’S/GD].

Leinster Juvenile Indoors

The Leinster Juvenile Indoors were held over two action-packed days on Saturday 15th & Sunday 16th March in TUS Athlone, where the big Mullingar squad certainly left their mark across a variety of events. Saturday morning started with the walks, where Mullingar was represented by three Glennon brothers. Gareth Glennon competed in the u/14 boys 1,000m walk and after a thrilling race that came right down to the wire, Gareth finished 2nd in a photo finish, missing the gold by just three hundredths of a second. Such was the pace of the race, the two boys were nearly 9 seconds inside the Championship Record that has held since 1998, a terrific achievement and Gareth will be looking forward to locking horns with the winner again at the National Finals in two weeks. The records continued to tumble as Daniel Glennon cruised to victory in the u/17 boys 1,500m walk in the 6:42.05, smashing the Championship Record set only last year by a whopping 15 seconds. John Glennon made it 3 medals for the Glennon brothers when he comfortably won the u/19 boys 1,500m walk to take the gold medal.

Moving to the 400m, it was great to see two Mullingar athletes trying out a new event. Daniel Horohoe competed in the u/16 boys 400m where he ran very well to place fourth in his time trial heat, out of the medal places but a great effort. There were three heats of the u/17 girls 400m, so qualification for the final was always going to be very difficult. Yves McCague put in a great effort to place fourth in her heat, not enough to advance to the final but like Daniel, this was all about trying a new event and both will have learned much from the experience.

The cross country season came to a close last week, so some of the Mullingar athletes threw their hat in the ring to compete in the 1,500m. First up was Morgan Isdell in the u/16 boys 1,500m where he competed well but found the pace and tight indoor bends not to his liking but he never let up and finished strongly over the last lap to finish in 7th place. Eleanor Kiernan put a slightly disappointing run at the All-Ireland Schools cross country finals firmly behind her when she competed strongly in the u/17 girls 1,500m to finish 5th in a blanket finish for third place, just missing out on bronze by only three tenths of a second. Conor Walsh ran a very smart race in the u/17 boys 1,500m as he sat just off the leading pack for most of the race in fourth place but when the time came to make his move on the final lap he accelerated hard to close on the leading group and with a terrific fast finish raced into third place and the bronze medal. The u/18 boys 1,500m had two Mullingar athletes toe the line and Luke Greene and Matthew Molloy set out to make the race a true test of stamina. Luke took the early lead, closely followed by Matthew. Sensing the pace was starting to drop, Matthew took over the lead followed by Luke but coming into the finish straight, after sharing the work load up front for so long, both had to give way to the eventual winner, with Matthew taking second and Luke third. Ailbhe O’Farrell contested the u/19 girls 1,500m, which was run at a blistering pace from the start, but Ailbhe wisely sat off the pace, eventually coming home in 5th place. As a measure of the pace, the winner set a new Championship Record, lowering the previous by 5 seconds, in fact all three medal winners were inside the old record, so it really was a very fast race. We finished the 1,500m races with the u/19 boys 1,500m where Mullingar was represented by Jamie Wallace and Donagh Carey. Jamie went straight to the front and keeping a steady pace he kept the race moving along, with Donagh happy to sit in fifth. The race order didn’t change until the last 200m when Jamie had to surrender the lead but had enough left to come home in second, followed by Donagh in 5th.

In all, there were 133 track races on Saturday, with a whopping 101 alone in the 60m, so the 60m programme took several hours to complete. Mullingar had an impressive squad of 17 sprinters spread across ages u/12 to u/17. There were 9 heats of the u/12 girls 60m. Lyla Lennon Currill and Lucy O’Connor comfortably won their heats to advance to the semi-finals, but no luck for Roisin Keane who didn’t qualify for the semi-finals despite a good effort in her heat. The semi-finals were obviously even quicker and Lyla and Lucy finished an excellent fourth place in their races, but not fast enough unfortunately to advance to the final, though Lucy came agonisingly close, running quicker than in her heat to match the time of the third place girl who qualified for the final, Lucy missing out by mere thousandths of a second in a photo finish. Mullingar had four in the u/12 boys 60m where Mel Bohan, Donagh Bourke and Luke Wallace ran very well in their heats but didn’t advance to the semi-finals to join Killian Hardman. Despite running even faster in his semi-final, Killian finished out of the qualification places for the final, but top marks for effort. On to the u/13 boys 60m where Conor Gavin finished 3rd in his heat but his time wasn’t enough to advance to the semi-final, Cillian Gavin placed 4th in his heat, missing a place in the semi-finals by just a tenth of a second, but 4th in his heat in a quick time saw Daniel Cummins qualify for the semi-final where he raced extremely well but missed out on a place in the final. Negotiating the 8 heats of the u/14 girl 60m, Liadan Gavin placed 3rd in her heat and Clodagh Keane 4th in hers in fast enough times to qualify for the semi-finals. The girls raced extremely well in the semi-finals but were unlucky not to advance to the final. Also competing but not advancing from the very competitive 60m heats was John McManus (u/14 boys 60m), Clodagh Doran, Aoibhe Martyn and Eden McCague (u/15 girls 60m), and Aaron Conroy (u/17 boys 60m).

Over in the field events, enjoying their competitions but finishing out of the medal places were Cillian Gavin and Conor Gavin (u/13 boys long jump), Aoibhe Martyn and Clodagh Doran (setting PBs in the u/15 girls long jump), Yves McCague (u/17 girls long jump), Gearoid Doyle (u/12 boys high jump), and Donnacha Doyle (u/14 boys high jump) who leapt to 5th on count-back, very unlucky to just miss fourth place and an automatic place in the National finals.

With seven medals won on Saturday, Mullingar was already ahead of the medal haul of five won in 2024 and early on Sunday morning, Kyle Faherty powered to third place in the u/19 boys 200m with an excellent race to add another medal to the Mullingar haul. Moving to the 600m, Roisin Keane, Kate Horohoe and Lyla Lennon Currill contested the heats of the u/12 girls 600m but didn’t advance to the final. We had a huge group of 10 boys in the u/12 boys 600m where Mel Bohan won his heat and Killian Hardman was third in his heat, to give us two in the final. Unfortunately, they weren’t to be joined by Ethan Byrne, Olly Wright, Donagh Bourke, Noah Morgan, Senan Clinton, John Geelon, John Healy and Luke Wallace. Aoife Dunne ran in the heats of the u/13 girls 600m but didn’t advance for the final. No problem for Daniel Cummins who won his heat of the u/13 boys 600m to qualify for the final, but though they raced well, Cillian Gavin and Conor Gavin didn’t advance to the final with Daniel. Mullingar also had a very big number competing in the 800m. Winning her heat of the u/14 girls 800m saw Chloe Bell qualify for the final, joined by Amelie G Kelly who was second in her heat, but unfortunately Liadan Gavin and Mina Sheridan didn’t qualify with them. In the u/14 boys 800m, Gareth Glennon and Harry Flanagan easily won their heats to qualify for the final, but unfortunately weren’t to be joined by Rian Gavin who ran well in his heat but finished out of the qualification places. Emily Tully, Muirin Dunne and Alice Geelon contested the heats of the u/15 girls 800m but didn’t advance to the final to join Lily Walsh who easily won her heat. The medals prospects continued as Oisin Clarke comfortably won his heat of the u/15 boys 800m to qualify for the final. Scott Cogan swept to victory in his heat of the u/16 boys 800m to qualify for the final along with Daniel Horohoe, but unfortunately not to be joined by Morgan Isdell.

In between the heats and finals of the 800m, we were treated to some great hurdling by the Mullingar athletes. Lucy O’Connor was fourth in her heat of the u/12 girls 60m hurdles and Daniel Cummins third in his heat of the u/13 boys 60m hurdles, but both were unlucky to just miss places in the finals. Clodagh Keane won her heat of the u/14 girls 60m hurdles, fourth for Donnacha Doyle in his heat of the u/14 boys 60m hurdles heats saw him qualify for his final but 5th for Harry Flanagan saw him miss by just one place to join Donnacha in the final. Morgan Isdell had a straight final in the u/16 boys 60m hurdles where he raced to a fine 5th place.

It wasn’t all track of course and there was plenty of action in the field events too. Chloe Bell leapt to a fantastic third place in the u/14 girls long jump with 4.48m, just 2cm away from silver. Also competing was Roisin Keane and Kate Horohoe (u/12 girls long jump), Noah Morgan, Olly Wright, Donagh Bourke, Senan Clinton and John Healy (u/12 boys long jump), Donnacha Doyle and Rian Gavin (u/14 boys long jump), Mina Sheridan (u/14 girls long jump), and Lucy O’Connor and Kate Horohoe (u/12 girls high jump) where Lucy was most unfortunate, finishing 5th with the same clearance as 3rd and 4th, but placed 5th on count-back.

Moving to the finals of the 800m and 60m hurdles, Mullingar ended the day with our own medal streak replicating the Irish team at the final day of the European Indoors. In the final of the u/12 boys 600m, Mel Bohan went out hard from the gun and took the lead, with Killian Hardman tucked into the chasing group. Mel continued to race hard but had to surrender the lead on the final lap and finished in second place, with Killian finishing fast behind but out of the medals. Daniel Cummins really battled hard in the final of the u/13 boys 600m and even though he ran faster than in the heat, had to settle for a place out of the medals in a close finish. The final of the u/14 girls 800m was run at a furious pace from the start, and Chloe Bell quickly settled into fourth place, just behind the leading group, with Amelie G Kelly close behind. As the race unfolded, the leading group slowly pulled clear and Chloe was unable to close the gap and finished in 4th place, with Amelie sprinting in fast to finish in 7th place. The final of the u/14 boys 800m was an excellent race, where Gareth Glennon and Harry Flanagan attacked it from the start, Gareth going to the front, followed closely by Harry in third. The boys held their places for much of the race but a furious fast lap saw them overtaken and they ran in Gareth in third and Harry 6th after a great effort. In the final of the u/15 girls 800m, Lily Walsh sat on the shoulder of the early leader for the opening laps but when the time came to make her move, she pulled clear effortlessly and raced home to take the Leinster title in a very swift 2:21.29, only three tenths of a second outside the Championship Record. Running faster in the final of the u/15 boys 800m, Oisin Clarke went out hard and quickly settled into the leading group. The lead continued to increase on the rest, and such was the gap by the bell that they simply couldn’t be caught and Oisin was delighted to race home in second place to win his first individual Leinster medal. Scott Cogan and Daniel Horohoe gave us plenty to cheer for in the final of the u/16 boys 800m but Scott just fell off the lead trio to finish 5th with Daniel coming home close behind. Conor Liston toed the line in the u/19 boys 800m final against a quality field. Conor knew he was going to have to be in top shape as the 400m champion from the previous day lined up against him. Conor went straight to the front and dictated the early pace. Determined to not let the race develop into a burn-up on the final lap, Conor continued to pick up the pace and when he struck for home at the bell, he quickly pulled clear and had enough in the tank to hold off a late challenge and crossed the line in a well-deserved first place in 1:55.65, setting a new Championship Record.

We ended the long day with the hurdles finals and we cheered as Clodagh Keane blasted from the blocks in the u/14 girls 60m hurdles final and with a faultless display raced to an excellent third place in a new PB of 10.09 seconds, much faster than she ran in the heat. Disaster struck on the third hurdle for Donnacha Doyle in his final of the u/14 boys 60m hurdles, as he hit it very hard, completely upsetting his rhythm but he raced on to finish anyway, happy that at least he had reached the Leinster final.

The big increase in numbers competing last week-end was certainly reflected in the excellent performances by everyone, not least the fantastic haul of fifteen medals in stark contrast to the total of five medals won in 2024. This was a huge weekend for our juvenile athletes, many competing in Leinster Indoors for the first time, with brilliant performances all around, massive experience and lots of personal bests, finalists and medals won in a wide range of events. Well done to everybody who competed. Regardless of the end result, they all did themselves proud and have something to build on for the outdoor season [TW/CW/GD].

New York Half Marathon

UNREPORTED

Sunday 16th March (28,643 finishers)

Criona Reid – 1:34:18; Joan Hickson – 1:55:37

Spanish National 35km Race Walking Championships

What a weekend for Oisin Lane as he proves that he is World class with a fifth place finish (same time as fourth place) in the Spanish National 35km Race Walking Championships in Marin (Spain) on Sunday morning 9th March. Spain is currently the best nation for racewalking in Europe and also have the toughest judges to help ensure they maintain those elite standards. With a World Championships qualifying standard of 2 hours 36 minutes 30 seconds needed, Oisin absolutely smashed this by over four and a half minutes with a final time of 2 hours 31 minutes 53 seconds.

In cold, wet and sometimes windy conditions more akin to being at home in Ireland, Oisin lined up with a strong field of 28. These tough conditions definitely took their toll on the field as in the end only 10 made it to the finish line. Oisin took complete control of his own pace, walking a strong but still conservative opening 10k in 43:55. He then gradually worked his way through the field walking the second 10k in 43:42. Feeling fresh and strong Oisin then strode out and covered the next 10k in 42:50. At this stage, many were suffering and dropping out but Oisin pushed on strongly to cover the last 5k in 21:26 and finished with a huge new personal best by over five and a half minutes and a Top 20 World ranking for the “World Athletics Road to Tokyo”, which is the official qualification system for the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo in September. While there are still five months of competitions before the final qualification date, in fact the majority of the long distance endurance events like the 35k racewalk will be held in the next 2 months, everything is looking very good for Oisin. For a thrilled Oisin the plan now is to develop his speed over the shorter 20k races at some of the big meets coming up in Europe over the next few months, while at the same time keeping an eye to the training needed to perform at a World Athletics Championship [ML].

Paris Half Marathon

Claire Fagan made her half marathon debut on Sunday morning 9th March when she competed in the Paris Half Marathon, one of the biggest half marathons in the World that attracted over 48,000 entrants. Maintaining a very consistent pace from the start but picking up the pace in the closing stages, Claire was  delighted to finish ninth in the Elite Women Race, posting a very impressive 1 hour 14 minutes 36 seconds, a terrific debut performance and a Club record too. The event also marked a landmark for Andy Nevin, as he ran his 25th half marathon in the Mullingar Harriers colours. Andy started the race strong and came home in a very impressive 1 hour 10 minutes 24 seconds, a big PB. Well done to Claire and Andy for flying the flag for Mullingar Harriers in Paris (IMcC].

Bohermeen Half Marathon

Bohermeen AC held their annual Bohermeen Half Marathon on Sunday morning 9th March. The race, which is run over two laps on a course known to be one of the fastest in Ireland, attracted an entry of nearly 1,000 runners. Run in bright sunshine with a slight breeze, conditions were ideal for the race. There were plenty of water stations on the well marshalled course, which was closed to traffic for the duration of the race, adding to the safety for athletes. Mullingar Harriers had 11 athletes participating and all were very satisfied with their respective runs, part of their longer-term targets in the coming months. First home of our runners was Griffin Kearney in 1:21:16, followed by Ciara Foy in 1:25:43. Dara O’Shea was pleased with his efforts coming home in 1:28:22, ahead of James Cribbin with an excellent 1:28:52. Mary Stuart broke the hour and a half mark again, finishing in 1:29:25 to win her master category. John Keane was next with a fine run in 1:39:51. Niamh Doherty finished in 1:40:54, while Emer O’Hanlon continued her consistent progress in the longer distances finishing in 1:42:55, followed by Conor Corcoran (1:45:34). Barry White competed in the club colours for the first time and had an excellent run to finish in 1:45:38, followed by Paula Murphy (1:56:54) [MO’S].

Tullamore 5k

Tullamore Harriers AC hosted the first round of the Healthy Offaly 5k series on the outskirts of the town on Sunday morning 9th March in perfect conditions for running. Starting near the club grounds, the race took the big entry of just over 400 athletes on a looped circuit, with a few challenging rolling hills in the first 3k, before turning back and finishing on the track in the Tullamore Harriers Stadium. As always, the event was very well organised and supported by all the Offaly clubs, with seven of them to stage subsequent rounds in the coming months. Mullingar Harriers has always had a good entry to the road series in previous years and this year was no different. Jamie Battle led the field out from the start and he came home almost a full minute clear of the second placed athlete, winning in 14:48. Kedagh Geoghegan was happy to be back running after a slight injury and had an excellent run finishing 8th in 16:39. John Glennon was an impressive winner of the u/20 men race in 17:11. Mark Ronan was next to finish in 17:54, while Enda Seery just missed out on a podium place in his master category, placing 4th in 18:01. Continuing their battles from the cross country season, there was a 1-2 in their master category for the two Eddies, Eddie Newman (1st in 18:07) and Eddie Lynch (2nd in 18:18). Maura Dervin was our only woman in action and was a clear winner in her master category finishing in an impressive 20:51. In the team event, Jamie, Kedagh, John and Mark combined to place 3rd Club. Well done to all who competed in Tullamore. [MO’S].

National u/20 and u/23 Indoors

Mullingar had just two athletes competing at the National u/20 and u/23 Indoors in Athlone on Sunday 9th March. John Ryan contested the 1,500m u/23, which went out at a strong pace and though John struggled a bit to hang on to the group in mid-race, he rallied in the final lap to finish strong, not far off his best time for the distance.

There were five heats on the 400m u/20, so qualification was going to be very tough for Kyle Faherty with just the winner of each heat and the next fastest time advancing to the final. Kyle was drawn in the difficult inside lane in the fifth heat. Driving hard from the blocks, he negotiated the tight bends well to put himself in a good position for the break and tracked the leaders around the second lap. He continued to work hard, holding his form and pace to come home strong in a very respectable time but out of the qualification places. Kyle has been focussing on the 200m up to now to improve his base speed and this was his first 400m of the season but can the result to direct where he needs to focus on in training [GD].

National Masters Indoors

The National Masters Indoors were held on a long day of competition in Athlone on Saturday 8th March. Ramona Carey competed in the Shot Putt where she improved steadily over the four rounds, with her best coming in the final round, which was enough for her to win the silver medal in her age category. On to the 1,500m where Pauric Brady battled hard but finished out of the medal places. Mullingar got back in the medals again thanks to Sean McMullin who was simply too strong for the opposition in the 3,000m Race Walk and cruised to gold in his age category. Aidan O’Donoghue had a busy schedule of three events to compete in, beginning with the 200m where he put in a great effort and despite finishing out of the medals in fourth place was still very satisfied with his performance. Aidan made amends later in the morning when he ran to third place and the bronze medal in his age category in the 60m Hurdles, and capped his day’s efforts with a fine silver medal in his age category in the Pole Vault. Kieran Nolan dropped down to the 800m and though he battled hard had to settle for a place out of the medals on this occasion. Tom Walsh rounded off the day for Mullingar where he simply dominated his age category in the 28 Pound Weight for Distance, easily winning the gold medal, and such is his class in this event, Tom would have won a medal against men 5 years his junior [GD].

UK Racewalking 20k Championships

The UK Racewalking 20k Championships were held early on Sunday morning 2nd March at the NSC Bowl on the Isle of Man, at the 800m course developed especially for racewalking. The event was a World Athletics Calendar event, so times and performance are acceptable as qualification standards for all elite Championships in 2025. The Senior Men and Senior Women 20k races commenced before the wind and rain that was forecast for the afternoon arrived, to give cool but ideal conditions for endurance racing.

As a World Calendar event, top international panel racewalking judges had been invited to ensure all International standards were met. Matthew Glennon had to pace and race within himself as the strictly judged event meant that he had to have a continuous focus on smooth rhythm and safe racewalking technique at all times. He achieved this with an excellent opening 10k of 44;40 and an all clear from the judges. With this reassurance, Matthew pushed on to complete the second 10k even faster (44:29), to give a final finishing time of 1:29:09, which is almost a minute inside the European Team Championship standard and just over 20 seconds inside the European u/23 T&F “B” qualification standards set by Athletics Ireland. Matthew was also delighted to be the second finisher overall, with only the British Champion just ahead of him.

Showing a level of maturity way above her years, young Aisling Lane set about her task with total control and measured pacing lap by lap. She reached 10k in 51:13 (her second fastest ever 10k) and then had to keep increasing her efforts to maintain her pace as the laps got tougher and tougher on weary legs. Her goal was qualification for the European Team Championships in May in the Czech Republic but at 15km with the realisation that a European u/23 qualification standard was also achievable, she dug even deeper and finished with a very fast last 5k in 25 minutes exactly to give her a fantastic 20k debut time of 1:41:51, inside the standards for the European Team Championships and the European u/23 T&F.

This was two qualifying standards achieved in the one day and now Matthew and Aisling can look forward to representing Ireland at the Senior elite level this Summer with close to three months training time until then, so that they build for even better performances [ML].

Leinster Juvenile Indoor Relays

The NIA Dublin was the venue for the Leinster Juvenile Indoor Relays on Sunday 2nd March. With five heats in the u/14 girls 4 x 200m relay, only the six fastest teams across the five heats would qualify for the final, so the competition was fierce. Clodagh Keane, Chloe Bell, Liadan Gavin and Amelie G Kelly made no mistake though and came through on the final leg to win their heat in a time that was fast enough to qualify them for the final and even though they gave it their all in the final, they finished out of the medals but top marks for effort. The u/16 boys 4 x 200m had a straight final and the Mullingar team of Daniel Horohoe, Evan Nohilly, Morgan Isdell and Scott Cogan put in a great team effort against some top class opposition but despite their efforts, finished out of the medals in fourth place [GD].

Naas 10 Mile

The annual Naas 10 Mile attracted a large field of just under 800 runners on Sunday morning 2nd March. In dry and overcast conditions with a light breeze, Timmy Murphy was always to the fore and had the finishing pace to pull away from two challengers in the final 500m to win by 6 seconds in a time of 53:24. Elizabeth Carr placed thirteenth overall and was a convincing winner of the women race in 58:33, and Mary Stuart capped the perfect outing for Mullingar when winning her master category in a time of 1:08:40 [MO’S].

Roma Ostia Half Marathon

The 50th edition of the Roma Ostia Half Marathon took place on the outskirts of Rome on Sunday morning 2nd March. Among the large field of 12,800 runners was Sharon O’Dowd, flying the flag for Mullingar Harriers. On a dry and warm morning where temperatures reached 18degC in a light breeze, runners tracked a route southeast out of the city and finished near the beaches of Ostia. With a point-to-point route, the course takes a slight downhill drop in the closing kilometre. That, added to the breeze coming off the coast, was a welcome relief to all runners. Sharon expressed herself to be very satisfied with a finishing time of 1 hour 40 minutes 6 seconds [MO’S].

Leinster u/20, Senior & Masters Indoors

The Leinster Indoor season got underway on Saturday 1st March when the Leinster u/20, Senior & Masters Indoors were held at the NIA Dublin. Mullingar had a small but enthusiastic squad in action.

Colm Walsh took it out hard in the Masters 3,000m race walk and after fifteen tough laps where he never let up the pressure he was rewarded with gold in his master category, but better, his winning time of 14:54.74 was a new PB and a new Championship Record by nearly 35 seconds, so he was naturally absolutely delighted after the race.

Aidan O’Donoghue had an incredibly busy day of competition in six events. Beginning with the Masters 60m Hurdles which he won, he followed this up with bronze in the Masters 200m later in the day, and in between won gold in the Masters Pole Vault, silver in the Masters High Jump and silver in the Masters Shot Putt. This was in addition to teaming up with Claire Lennon Gavin, Gerard Gavin and Linda Cunningham in the Masters Mixed 4x200m Relay where the team battled hard but finished out of the medal places, though fifth place was a very creditable result.

Also competing over the individual 200m was Claire Lennon Gavin who finished an excellent fourth place in her Masters 200m, and Mohammad Al Bashir who lined up in one of five heats in the Senior 200m, where the competition was fierce, but he gave a very good account to finish fourth in his heat and even though he didn’t qualify for the final he was very satisfied with his performance.

Gerard Gavin competed in the Masters 3,000m and despite his efforts in the earlier mixed relay, pushed hard throughout the race and was very unlucky to finish just out of the medal places in fourth, missing bronze by a very narrow margin. Linda Cunningham too had to shake of the efforts of the mixed relay and was very pleased to finish second in the Masters 400m and earn a Leinster silver medal.

Meanwhile, over in the field events, another Mullingar athlete that had a very busy schedule was Paddy Boyhan who was very happy to win triple Leinster gold thanks to his winning performances in the Masters High Jump, Masters Long Jump and Masters Triple Jump. Finally, rounding off a good day for Mullingar was Tom Walsh who simply dominated in the Masters Weight for Distance, winning gold in his master category by a very big margin [GD].

Napa Valley Half Marathon

While in California for work, Kris Foster took the opportunity to compete in the Napa Valley Half Marathon early on Saturday morning 1st March. Held in the Bothe-Napa Valley State Park, on a challenging course with hills, streams and rocks, in the heart of California wine country, the course was run over two loops in very pleasant conditions of mid-teen degrees Celsius. Kris was delighted to finish well up in twenty eighth place of nearly 3,000 finishers in an excellent time of 1:14:55, his best time for the distance by over 4 minutes, which will set him up very nicely for the year ahead [IMcC].

FEBRUARY

Another team World Record for Brigid McCabe

Congratulations to Brigid McCabe who was part of the Irish masters o/70 women 4 x 400m relay team that set a new World Record of 6:29.93 at the Athletics Ireland T&F Live Meet in the NIA Dublin on Wednesday evening 26th February. Brigid ran the lead leg, setting up the team of Eileen O’Brien (Lucan Harriers AC), Carmel Ni Dhomhnaill (West Limerick AC) and Mags Glavey (Mayo AC) for success in their bid to break the World Record. This is the third time that Brigid has been part of an Irish masters team that has set a new World Record, following on from the 4 x 800m o/70 outdoor record set in July 2024 and the 4 x 800m o/65 outdoor record set in May 2024. A triple World Record holder in our midst in no mean feat! [GD].

National Senior Indoors

Aisling and Oisín Lane continued 2025 where they finished 2024, recording personal best times and winning National Championship medals. On Sunday 23rd February, the National Senior Indoors in the NIA Dublin provided a break from their high winter mileage training schedules, with the shorter events held on the tight 200m indoor track. First up, Oisin Lane and Matthew Glennon lined out for the Senior Men 5,000m Racewalk. A tough fast pace pushed everyone to the limits of their technique and even beyond at times. With twelve of the best male walkers pushing to their speed limits it was a good result for Mullingar to have Oisin finish in 2nd place behind Irish Tokyo Olympian David Kenny, with almost nothing between for the entire race, and soon followed home by Matthew in an excellent 6th place. Both learned much from the experience and now have an awareness of where greater training emphasis should be placed.

Immediately following was the Senior Women 3,000m Racewalk with Aisling Lane making her debut as a full Senior athlete. Even though there was a huge field of 22 entries, Aisling found herself walking a solo effort lap by lap from the gun, as she left the majority of the field way behind in her wake and tracking the race leader to 2nd place, and she was absolutely delighted to break 14 minutes for the first time with a big new PB of 13:57.28 [ML].

Another athlete taking to the National Senior stage was John Ryan who put in a really good effort in the Senior Men 3,000m, finishing well up in the B race and will benefit hugely from the experience. The day before, Saturday, Conor Liston competed in the Senior Men 800m. There was four heats, so competition was fierce, but Conor kept himself right in the mix up to the third lap but had to let the leaders go at that stage, though he battled on well and will take the benefit of the experience to the underage Indoors in the weeks ahead [GD].

Duleek 5k

Duleek & District AC hosted their annual Duleek 5k road race on Sunday morning 23rd February. The weather conditions on the day were extremely unfavourable, with heavy rain and very strong winds, not at all conducive to good racing. Four athletes from Mullingar completed the tough race along with a strong entry of 330 others. Mark Ronan was our first competitor home in an excellent 17th place overall in a time of 18:19. Next to finish was Linda Cunningham in 22:26, 3rd in her master category, followed by Claire Lennon Gavin (24.23) and Kelly Dunne (25.37). The three ladies combined to place 4th Club, only five points away from the third place prize [LC].

The Downs Valentines 5k & 10k

Organised by The Downs GAA Club, the annual Downs Valentines 5k and 10k attracted over 200 runners in total on Sunday morning 16th February. On a damp morning with grey skies and a fresh breeze, the attraction of running part of the Mullingar Half Marathon course, especially on the 10k route, proved attractive for several Mullingar Harriers athletes.

In the 10k Race, Andy Nevin led from the gun, winning in a time of 33:42. John Glennon was always in the hunt for a podium finish and so it proved as he captured third spot in a time of 36:42. Evan McCormack (38:41) was 2nd master man, with Kieran Nolan (39:35) picking up 3rd place in the same category. In the women race, Orlaith Flanagan had an excellent run and dominated, winning in a time of 40:37. Aisling Corcoran (42:02) was 2nd master woman, with Caroline Mullen taking 3rd in the same category.

Others to compete for the Club in the 10k included Tommy Byrne (41:02), Declan Claffey (42:09), Kieran Dodrill (42:36), John Long (42:37), Colm Walsh (43:37), David Riggs (44:16), Colm Brennan (45:37), Mark Geoghegan (47:09), Brendan Rice (48:26), Martin Mullen (48:44), Lily Walsh and Conor Walsh running easy together (49:25), Philip Burke (51:58), Ray Smyth (52:34), Joanna Tyrrell (61:14), Ger Langtry (61:39) and Michelle Kavanagh (62:21).

Over 5k, there was an excellent run by Mark Ronan, winning in 18:18, just ahead of Gareth Glennon (18:20), Daniel Glennon (18:32) and Antonio Bertolo (19:06), with Gareth, Daniel and Antonio placing 1-2-3 u/18 boys. Next to finish from Mullingar Harriers was Cormac McGrath (20:02), followed by Conleth Mullen (20:47), Daniel Horohoe (21:14), Cillian Gavin (22:42), Conor Gavin (22:59), Rian Gavin (23:30), Liadan Gavin (25:07) second u/18 girls, Tiernan Smyth (25:43), Aoibhinn Smyth (25:44), Maisie Walsh (25:58), Kate Horohoe (27:11), Alice Geelon (28:49), John Geelon (28:49), Catherine Walsh (30:11) and Isabelle Smyth (41:11). Criona Reid sacrificed her own running, having spent the last 6 weeks coaching a group of locals in the area to compete in their first 5k. She was delighted with their progress and guided them home with 33:15 recorded for herself [MO’S].

Ras na hEireann XC 

UNREPORTED

Sunday 16th February, Dunleer, Co. Louth

Girls u/9 – (29 finishers) Laila Morgan (5th), Grace Cummins (6th), Alannah Spain (15th)

Boys u/9 – (46 finishers) Robert Bohan (8th), Joe Hickey (19th)

Girls u/11 – (30 finishers) Cara Hickey (5th), Cliodhna Fitzpatrick (13th)

Boys u/13 – (45 finishers) Daniel Cummins (2nd), Donagh Bourke (11th), Olly Wright (14th), Noah Morgan (15th) – 1st Club

Athletics Leinster Star Awards for 2024

The Athletics Leinster Star Awards made a very welcome return to an in-person Gala Lunch on Saturday 15th February at the Woodford Dolmen Hotel in Carlow. Held at a Gala Dinner in January 2020, the awards were cancelled in 2021 because there was no competition in 2020 due to Covid health restrictions. They were cancelled again in 2022 and 2023 due to the lack of Leinster events that could be held due to Covid health restrictions in 2021 and 2022. They returned in 2023, but in a very simple ceremony during a break in the programme at the Leinster Indoors, so it was great to see the awards return this year at a Gala Function after a 5 year gap. These prestigious awards recognise one juvenile girl, one juvenile boy and one senior athlete from each County, based on their performances in Leinster competitions in 2024. In addition to individual honours, awards were presented for best County and Club in various categories.

Winning four Leinster titles in 2024 – 800m and 1,500m u/14 on the track (the 1,500m in a Championship Record) and u/14 and u/15 titles in cross country – meant there was no contest for Lily Walsh who received the Award for Best Juvenile Girl in Westmeath. Conor Sherwin won the Leinster 1,500m and 3,000m u/19 titles on the track and was second in the u/19 cross country to receive the Award for Best Juvenile Boy in Westmeath. Winning the Leinster senior 400m title by a distance in a then personal best time was enough for Patrick Leydon to receive the Award for Best Senior Athlete in Westmeath in 2024.

Winning Club team medals in eleven of the eighteen juvenile races at Leinster cross country in 2024 meant it was little surprise that Mullingar Harriers retained the Morrissey Cup for Best Juvenile Cross Country Club in Leinster, a cup Mullingar has won every year since it was first presented in 2000. The presentations were made by Catriona Duffy, Chair of Athletics Leinster and John Cronin, President of Athletics Ireland, who commended the athletes on their achievements. Congratulations to Lily, Conor and Patrick, and to their coaches, their families and to all who contributed to their successes [GD].

Two Mile House GAA 10k

Aaron Gallagher made the trip across to Kildare and was one of 144 runners in the Two Mile House GAA 10k race on Saturday morning 15th February. On a course that included a number of sharp climbs he was well pleased with a solid run finishing in the top 30 runners in a time of 47:19 [MO’S].

David Hemery Valentine Invitational

Only a week after setting a new PB for 3,000m at Boston University, Cormac Dalton returned to the same venue on Friday evening 14th February to compete in the David Hemery Valentine Invitational, recording a huge PB for the 5,000m, finishing third in his race in a time of 13 minutes 28.29 seconds, which sees him rise to fourth on the Irish All-Time Indoor List, and take another Club record [GD].

Munster Schools XC

Competing for Ursaline Convent Thurles at the Munster Schools Cross Country in Tramore Valley Park, Cork on Friday 14th February, an excellent 15th place finish by Eleanor Kiernan over two laps of a hilly, soft and very mucky course in the Intermediate Girls 3,000m sees her advance to the All-Ireland finals and join her Mullingar clubmates in Galway in March [GD].

Armagh International Road Races

UNREPORTED

Thursday 13th February

International Men 5k – (219 finishers) 22 sub-14 mins, 152 sub-15 mins, 215 sub-16 mins

105 Vinny Connolly (105th) 14:40, Kevin Moore (197th) 15:32, Timmy Murphy (210th) 15:47

Men 3k – (208 finishers)

Ross Killalea (14th) 8:58, Kris Foster (51st) 9:28, Stephen Nea (115th) 9:58

Leinster Schools XC

Among the historic results from the Leinster Schools Cross Country held in the Phoenix Park on Wednesday 12th February, was a fantastic 3-in-a-row for the Colaiste Mhuire Senior boys team, comprising all Mullingar Harriers athletes, and the Junior girl title for Lily Walsh (Loreto College), the first individual title won by a Mullingar Harriers girl since Glynnis Lynch, way back in 1990.

As expected at Leinster, with only the top 15 individuals and first 3 teams in each race qualifying automatically for the All-Ireland finals in Galway in March, competition was fierce in every race. Weather conditions were good with the sun shining and the wind manageable, and underfoot, the going was good too. The first race with a Mullingar interest was the Minor Boys 2,000m where Antonio Bertolo (Colaiste Mhuire) raced hard to an excellent 5th place finish, with Gareth Glennon (St. Finian’s College) finishing strong in 13th place behind, both securing their places in the finals in Galway.

In the Junior Girls 2,000m race, Lily Walsh (Loreto College) ran nearly 40 seconds quicker than she had done over the same course two weeks earlier to win the title in style and make history for Mullingar Harriers as the first girl to win an individual Leinster Schools cross country title in 35 years. Oisin Clarke and Daniel Horohoe (Colaiste Mhuire) battled hard in the Junior Boys 3,000m and finished strong but out of the qualification places. In the Intermediate Boys 4,500m race, Oisin Kehoe (St. Finian’s) ran a very well judged race to come home in 12th place, followed in by fellow St. Finian’s team mates Txema Lozano, Daniel Glennon and Aaron Conroy, but a 5th place team finish means only Oisin will compete in Galway.

In the Senior Girls 3,000m race, Grace Byrne (Loreto) sat possibly a little too far off the pace on the first lap but made very good ground on the second lap to finish in 4th place, just narrowly missing 3rd by only a few seconds. Ailbhe O’Farrell (St. Finian’s) ran an excellent race and was followed home by the Loreto pair of Jessica Cunningham and not far behind her Lydia McDonnell, helping the team to 4th place, unfortunately missing team qualification to the All-Ireland finals by just one place.

While Colaiste Mhuire had won the Senior boys 6,000m team title on eight occasions since the 1970s, twice in a row in 2017 and 2018, and again twice in a row in 2023 and 2024, this year’s squad had the opportunity to make it three-in-a-row, which had never been done before by a Mullingar squad. With Pablo Lozano out with an Achilles strain, the team had little room for mistakes. The main pack in the Senior race ran conservatively for the first lap with just the leading duo pulling clear, leaving Conor Sherwin and Jamie Wallace running comfortably in the chasing pack. However, once the pace picked up, both were well positioned to respond and at the finish Conor Sherwin was 8th and Jamie Wallace just behind in 9th. Conor Liston ran a controlled race to finish well up, followed in by Luke Greene also racing well and Conor Walsh giving a fighting performance even though just back from injury. The team combined to win by a narrow margin of just two points to secure the three-in-a-row of Leinster Senior titles. In the same race, competing for St. Finian’s College, Donagh Carey put in a strong performance but finished out of the top 15 places and unfortunately won’t advance to the All-Ireland finals [GD].

National Intermediate & Masters Cross Country

The beautiful grounds of Westport House in Co. Mayo was the venue for the National Intermediate & Masters Cross Country on Sunday 9th February. A challenging course was laid out on parkland alongside the Carrowbeg River, comprising of some gradual inclines, tight turns and lots of flat but mucky ground.

Mullingar Harriers was well represented in the Masters Women 4,000m race with ten athletes on the start line. Sinead Whitelaw ran a strong race over the undulating course, finishing well up in a fine 19th place. Next home was Aisling Corcoran who worked her way through the course to finish strongly, ahead of Maura Dervan also finishing strong to place just outside the individual medals, 5th in her master age category. Next to finish was Linda Cunningham, closely followed by Caroline Mullen. Following them in was Naomi Battle, Claire Lennon Gavin, Kelly Dunne, Brigid McCabe and Pauline Troy who all worked well together during the race. Brigid put in a fantastic run to win gold in her master age category, a well-deserved victory and adding another National title to add to her already impressive collection. In the 4,000m for Masters Men o/65, Nicky McCabe had a good run and was very satisfied with his performance on the National stage. The Master Men 7,000m saw Eddie Newman take bronze in his master age category, with Paddy Daly having a good run finishing close behind.

With the masters races finished, attention turned to the Intermediate Women 5,000m where Mullingar Harriers was very well represented by Susan Glennon who was in the mix from the start. Susan worked hard throughout the race to stay in contention and finish a brilliant 6th place. Conleth Mullen rounded out the Club action when he put in a strong performance in the Intermediate Men 8,000m to round off his cross country season [SW].

Irish Universities Indoors

The Irish Universities Indoors was held at the National Indoor Arena in Dublin on Sunday 9th February where several members of Mullingar Harriers were competing.

First into action was Diarmuid Fagan (DCU) who ran in the quicker of the 3,000m races, where he finished strong in third place, finishing third place overall from the two races to win a bronze Inter-varsity medal. Aisling Lane (NUI Galway) dominated the 1,500m Race Walk to win in 6:30.60, a top-class time and a huge PB, earning maximum points for Galway. With eight heats of the men 200m, only the six fastest times would qualify for the final, so the competition was fierce. Mohammad Al Bashir (TUS Athlone) competed strongly in his heat, finishing a close fourth, unfortunately not fast enough to qualify for the final. Ross Killalea (DCU) competed in the 1,500m where the medals were decided on the fastest times over three timed heats. Ross finished well up in his timed heat, but out of the medal places overall. Andy Nevin (TUS Athlone) also competed in the 1,500m but also finished out of the medal places. Given his talent, it was no surprise that Andrew Glennon (TUS Athlone) absolutely dominated the 2,000m race walk to win a by a considerable distance and earn maximum points for DCU [GD].

Bruce Lehane Invitational Meeting

Cormac Dalton was flying the Club colours at the Bruce Lehane Invitational Meeting at Boston University on Saturday 8th February, recording a Club indoor 3,000m record of 7 minutes 50.09 seconds to move to 14th on the Irish All-Time list. This was a PB by almost ten seconds and was Cormac’s first race since leading the Irish team home at the European Cross Country in Turkey last December. Cormac spent a month in the interim in Dullstroom, South Africa, training at altitude, in preparation for the indoor season [JR].

Donadea 50k

Incorporating the 15th National 50k Championship, the Donadea 50k took place on Saturday morning 8th February through Donadea Forest Park in Co. Kildare. Conditions were cold but dry and 267 athletes made their way through a very challenge course. Competing in his first such event, Dara O’Shea was pleased that his dedicated training schedule over the past 3 months paid dividends, especially in the closing stages. He held a steady and consistent pace through the race to finish in a very creditable time of 4 hours 22 minutes 39 seconds [MO’S].

Rathcoffey 10k

The annual Rathcoffey 10k was held on Saturday morning 8th February when dry cool conditions with a stiff breeze on the home stretch back to the village greeted the 312 athletes that took part, among them a quartet from Mullingar Harriers. The race started and finished in the grounds of the GAA club. Runners were brought on a looped circuit through the village and out into the countryside and the local roads, resplendent with the new 60 kph speed limit signs. Dan Morris was well in contention in the opening half of the race before having to settle in behind the front runners. He was satisfied with eighth place in a time of 33:18. Next home was Kedagh Geoghegan in 35:16, followed by Enda O’Carolan who was pleased with his time of 36:26, while Enda Seery set a new best time for the distance, easing home in 37:47 [MO’S].

Munster Master Indoors

Sunday 3rd February

UNREPORTED

Colm Walsh  (Masters 3,000m Race Walk), 2nd overall, 1st in master category (15:07, CBP)

OWL Indoors

When Athletics Offaly invited Westmeath and Laois to join them in a three-way indoor event in Athlone on Sunday 2nd February, dubbed the OWL Indoors (for Offaly, Westmeath and Laois) it was definitely an experiment. By pooling officials from the three Counties, each County could hold its Indoor Championships and while we thought it would be popular, we really didn’t really expect the massive entries from each County, which meant the day was very long and left everyone waiting around a lot longer than expected. That said, from first race to last, everyone had a brilliant time, an absolute “hoot” to borrow from the OWL name for the event, and it was great to see so many Mullingar athletes participating in so many events, with some taking the opportunity to try new events too. Westmeath was represented by Mullingar and Athlone AC and it was great to see the rivalry in each event and Mullingar certainly didn’t have it all its own way, with fierce competition between the two Clubs. The juvenile programme ran on so long that the 4x200m relays had to be completed on the outdoor track to free up the indoor stadium for the adult races in the afternoon.

Of the more than 120 medals to be won in individual events from u/9 to u/16, Mullingar athletes won nearly 90 of them, in addition to 13 medals in the relays, a very impressive medal haul by our juveniles. Hopefully they will use this success to spur them on for the rest of the indoor season. With so many medals won by our juveniles, we couldn’t possibly list them all here but very well done each and every one of them for giving their parents and coaches such entertainment.

Moving to the afternoon programme for u/20, Senior and Masters, we got underway with the long jump where Colm Walsh competed and was very pleased to win gold, and Aidan O’Donoghue also won gold in the master men shot putt. On to the 200m where Kyle Faherty won his u/20 race, Mohammad Al Bashir won the senior 200m, Claire Lennon Gavin and Linda Cunningham were first and second in the master women 200m, and Aidan O’Donoghue won the master men 200m. Conor Liston dropped down to the u/20 men 400, a distance he hadn’t run previously indoors and after a crash course last week on starting blocks, he showed blistering pace over the first 200m and drew clear of his rivals to win. Not having much rest after the 200m, Linda Cunningham returned to the track for the master women 400m and was delighted to win gold, and Aidan O’Donoghue also returned for the master men 400m where despite the fatigue he was happy to win another gold medal.

Ailbhe O’Farrell tried a new distance on the indoor track, running a good race in the u/20 women 800m, coming home in second place. Jamie Wallace and Conleth Mullen also dropped down to 800m, a distance they hadn’t run in a few years, but that didn’t have any effect on them as Jamie went straight to the front from the off and came home in first place in the u/20 men 800m in 1:57.23, a massive personal best, and he was followed home by Conleth who wisely decided not to go with the early pace. In the master men 800m, Pauric Brady (gold) and Nicky McCabe were very satisfied with their efforts too.

The men’s 3,000m had the most Mullingar athletes taking part in any adult event. The pace was hot from the start but the Mullingar men got themselves in a train early on with Ross Killea, Pablo Lozano, Mathew Molloy and Oisin Kehoe tracking the leader and it stayed that way for most of the race with Ross going after the leader closely followed by Matthew, Pablo and Oisin finishing in that order behind him. In the master men 3,000m, victory went to Gerard Gavin.

We ended a very long day of competition with the mixed 4x200m relay where Aidan O’Donoghue, Claire Lennon Gavin, Gerard Gavin and Linda Cunningham combined in style to with the master event and send everyone home tired but in hight spirits.

A really big thank you to all the parents and coaches for being so patient and hanging around a lot later than expected to let the Mullingar athletes get the most from the day [GD].

Trim 10 Mile

Given the strong and increasing adult membership, among the 1,800 finishers who raced the Trim 10 Mile road race on Sunday afternoon 2nd February was a very squad of 40 athletes from Mullingar Harriers. The early morning drizzle cleared, resulting in good running conditions with cool weather, a gentle breeze and some brights spells of sunshine.  The route was unchanged from previous years, heading out from Trim along country roads before finishing back on the outskirts of the town.

Andy Nevin was our first athlete home in 5th place overall, finishing in 53:19, a great time on the challenging hilly course. Alan Crowley was the second Mullingar athlete home, finishing well under the coveted hour in 59:43. Enda O’Carolan (60:31), Griffin Kearney (60:54), Eddie Newman (winning his master category with 60:55) and Andy Boyhan (60:56) had worked well together during the race and they all finished well up the field of competitors.

Our ladies were lead home by Sinead Whitelaw in 4th place, finishing in 61:30. Ciara Foy was just behind her, finishing in 6th place while achieving a new best time of 61:55. With two ladies in the top 6, Mullingar Harriers were always in contention for the team prizes. Criona Reid ran 68:06 (third in her master category) and Aeilish McGovern finished in 69:10 to complete the ladies team and they finished a brilliant 2nd Club.

Enda Seery (64:09), James Cribbin (64:42), Darren Carroll (64:48) and Mick Fagan (66:17) were the next finishers for Mullingar, all putting in strong performances to finish well under 70 minutes. Mullingar Harrier’s athletes continued to run across the finish line, all putting in big efforts along the finish straight. These included Kieran Dodrill (70:28), Therese Glynn (71:34), John Long (71:16), Aisling Corcoran (71:52), Orla Gillespie (72:12), John McNamara (74:39), Joseph Curley (75:17), Niamh Doherty (75:23), Joe Doherty (75:23), Marie Louise Johnston (75:56), Shaun Mills (76:12), Laura Fitzpatrick (76:15), Grainne Feely (76:12), Mairtin Savage (77:14), Aaron Gallagher (78:06), Jane Creevy (79:18), Brendan Rice (79:15), Naomi Battle (79:48), Paul Ginnell (80:58), Eva McMorrow Byrne (81:31), Michael Purdue (82:05), Michelle O’Halloran (83:53), Leona Behan (84:45), Eamonn O’Reilly (86:17), Emer Savage (86:58) and Joanna Tyrell (90:32) [SW].

JANUARY

North Leinster Schools XC

Postponed the previous week due to Storm Eowyn, the North Leinster Schools Cross Country took place in a very cold but dry Phoenix Park on Wednesday 29th January and by the end of the day, it was little surprise that a large number of Club members competing for their schools and colleges has qualified by virtue of individual placing or team results for the Leinster Schools finals on 12th February.

Antonio Bertolo (Colaiste Mhuire) raced to 2nd place in the Minor boys 1,600m, just ahead of Gareth Glennon (St. Finian’s College) in 3rd, to secure their places in the next round. Lily Walsh (Loreto Mullingar) made it look easy in the Junior girls 2,000m where she cruised to 2nd place. In the Junior boys 2,000m, among the Colaiste Mhuire team that placed 3rd was Oisin Clarke (5th) and Daniel Horohoe to secure their places in the next round.

Blathnaid Peters, Yves McCague and Emma Lagan (St. Finian’s College) contested the Intermediate girls 2,200m but were unlucky to finish out of the individual or team qualification places despite great efforts. In the Intermediate boys 3,800m the St. Finian’s team that came 3rd  included Oisin Kehoe (3rd), Txema Lozano, Daniel Glennon and Aaron Conroy. Unlucky though were Colaiste Mhuire’s Morgan Isdell, Cormac McGrath and Cian Hyland.

Red hot pre-race favourites in the Senior girls 2,200m, the Loreto College team didn’t disappoint and won easily, led home by Grace Byrne (2nd) and great team support from Jessica Cunningham (6th) and Shauna Callaghan. Colaiste Mhuire was also the hot pre-race favourite in the Senior boys 4,200m and with Jamie Wallace (1st), Conor Sherwin (2nd), Pablo Lozano (12th) and support from Conor Liston and Luke Greene, team gold was assured. The St. Finian’s College team was unlucky to finish 4th, missing team qualification, but individual top-15 places for Matthew Molloy (7th) and Donagh Carey (14th) sees them through to the Leinsters, but unfortunately won’t be joined by John Glennon [GD].

Raheny 5 Mile

The Raheny 5 Mile Road Race took place on Sunday 26th January. The popular event, which is one of the most eagerly awaited races on the athletics calendar, had sold out weeks previously and on day there were 3,754 finishers with runners from Clubs throughout the country represented. It was wet and windy in Dublin from early in the day and while it eased off in the afternoon approaching the race start time of 3pm, conditions were not ideal and competitors had to brave the wet and wintry conditions throughout the out and back course which ran along the perimeter of Saint Anne’s Park and included a welcome stretch along the seafront with tailwinds in the latter part of the race.

Mullingar Harriers had a small contingent of five athletes taking part, two seniors and three masters and all finished well up in the huge field of runners. One of our strongest senior athletes at present, Vinny Connolly, ran a great race, mixing it with the leaders from the early stages and he finished well in a highly creditable seventh position in a very fast time 24:32. Vinny was quickly followed into the finish by Timmy Murphy who also had an outstanding run finishing in an excellent time of 25:52. Patrick Muldoon (33:42), Liam McGlynn (34:47) and Michael Purdue (38:09) completed the Mullingar contingent and all three were happy with their performances. The team of Vinny, Timmy and Patrick finished a very respectable 18th team of the 74 teams that competed in an extremely competitive race [PM].

Moylurg 4k XC Challenge

Kelly Dunne and Sharon O’Dowd flew the flag for Mullingar Harriers at the inaugural Moylurg 4k Cross Country Challenge held in the grounds of Lough Key Forest Park in Boyle, Co. Roscommon on Sunday morning 26th January. Conditions were very cold with sleet, frost and ice, as well as a strong wind to cope with. Added to that were several muddy sections on a very challenging course. Organised by Tribal Running and part of the Galway and Roscommon GOAL Cross Country series, the event was billed as ideal preparation for the National Intermediate and Masters Cross Country in Westport in two weeks. Battling hard all the way, Sharon was very pleased to come home in 19 minutes even, with Kelly achieving a best time for the distance despite the conditions, delighted to finish in 22 minutes [MO’S].

2025 Annual General Meeting

Scheduled for Friday evening, our Annual General Meeting had to be postponed at short notice to Saturday evening 25th January because of Storm Eowyn. Despite the very short notice, attendance was actually very good and we must express our thanks to our members and to the Greville Arms Hotel for accommodating the change at very short notice.

Now in its 50th year and approaching the anniversary of its founding in December 1975, the Club’s membership is nearly 600, and while there should have more at the AGM, it was still well attended, which shows the interest among members on how the Club is managed and organised on their behalf.

Chairperson, Margaret Daly opened the meeting by welcoming everyone and introduced the Secretary’s report by Patrick Muldoon, Greg Duggan’s report on registrations, competitions and public relations, and Greg also deputised for the Treasurer, Joanna Tyrrell, and presented her report as she was away. These reports were followed by Margaret’s own Chairperson’s Address and the President’s Address by Seamus Gibney.

In a wide-ranging report, Patrick detailed the many activities and undertakings needed to manage the Club on a day to day basis, and on the events that the Club organised itself during the year, focussed in on the Pat Finnerty Memorial 5k held in Belvedere in May, the proceeds of which were presented to local charity Tanzanian Heavenly Homes at the end of the meeting, when founder John McCauley gave a very moving account of why and how with others he formed the charity in 2013 and how it has grown over the years, expressing his appreciation for the donation and outlining how it would be used to better the lives of some of the poorest people in Tanzania.

Among the highlights from the other reports was International debuts in 2024 by four members – Jessica Cunningham (World Deaf Youth Games in Brazil), John Glennon (SIAB Schools T&F International in Wales), Eddie Lynch (British and Irish Masters International Cross Country in Belfast) and Ian McCormack (CISM World Military Cross Country in Belgium). Eight other members also represented Ireland last year – Sean McMullin (4 times), Aidan O’Donoghue, Brigid McCabe (3 times), Colm Walsh, Maura Dervin and Eddie Newman. Pride of place though must go to Oisin Lane and Cormac Dalton, Oisin competed at the European T&F in Rome and Cormac at the European Cross Country in Turkey, his fifth consecutive year to compete in this event.

In a year when Athletics Ireland recorded record registrations, breaking through the 70,000 member barrier for the first time, 2024 was also the year when Mullingar Harriers had a record membership of 584 at the end of December and interest in joining continues to be very strong. However, the Club continues to face challenges in managing the increase in membership but the lack of interest in competing in events, particularly among the younger ages is a big concern. We now have excellent training facilities at the Club Grounds and a renewed call was made for more help for coaches, particularly with the younger underage members that train at the 6pm sessions.

A very noteworthy success came in the recent Leinster Intermediate Cross Country in Kilcormac, Co. Offaly, when the Intermediate men won the Club team title, and when taken with the Leinster Novice and Senior men team titles won in the Autumn of 2024, means that for the first time Mullingar Harriers has won every men’s cross country team title in the same season, which is a nice achievement as the Club approaches its fiftieth anniversary this year.

The following were elected as officers and committee members for the coming year: Seamus Gibney (President), John Mulvihill (Vice-President), Bobbie Begley (Chair), Catriona Duffy (Vice-Chair), Joanna Tyrrell (Treasurer), Cormac Finnerty (Secretary, Ian McCormack (Assistant Secretary), Greg Duggan (PRO coordinator), Tom Wallace (Juvenile Training Officer), Tom McGrath (Minute Secretary), Pauline Gaffney, Margaret Daly and Greg Duggan (Child Officers), Eoin Clarke, Margaret Daly, Michael Lane and Michael O’Sullivan (Trustees). The officers and trustees are automatically on the new committee, as are Life Vice-presidents including Cormac Finnerty, Martin Fagan, Bobbie Begley, Christy Creagh and Mark Christie, and will be joined by Andrew Nevin, Declan Costello, Amanda Dalton, Kris Foster, Susan Glennon, Sean Liston, Aine O’Reilly, Alan Sherwin and Sinead Whitelaw, who were elected to the committee.

Several important issues were discussed and debated with plenty of lively contributions from those in attendance. Concluding the meeting, Margaret Daly thanked all present for their attendance and input, closed a successful AGM and invited everyone to stay for the presentation of the cheque to John McCauley and some light refreshments that were served after the meeting, which gave everyone a nice chance to stay and chat for a while [GD].

Galway Indoors

Although the Galway Indoors in Athlone on Saturday 25th January was the Galway Indoor Championships, guest athletes were allowed to compete. Such was the high number of entries though, the event always ran the risk not being able to keep to the schedule and this unfortunately is exactly what transpired, meaning warming up presented a big challenge as start times kept changing.

The North Leinster Schools Cross Country scheduled for Friday was postponed to the following Wednesday due to the red weather warnings for Storm Eowyn, which gave Jamie Wallace an opportunity to complete in the Men’s 1,500m. Jamie knew it was going to be a very competitive race as there was eight men in the race that had run under four minutes. Jamie tacked on to the back of the field from the start and allowed the race to develop up front. At the half-way point, Jamie started to make his move and slowly started to make ground through the field to eventually came home in a fine 7th place in 4:03.73, just outside his best for the distance but he was happy to finish ahead of some top-class athletes [TW].

National Indoor League – Open Guest Events

Competing in the open guest events at the National Indoor League in the NIA, Dublin on Sunday 19th January, Grace Byrne competed in the Women 1,500m but unfortunately was drawn in the slower of the two heats. She took it out hard but despite making all the running she was pipped on the line to finish second in a close finish in 4:40.66, a little off on her personal best from last week but it’s still early in the season. Conor Sherwin ran in a field of 15 athletes in a very competitive Men 1,500m. He stayed in touch with the leaders throughout and was delighted to break 4 minutes with a new personal best of 3:58.60 [TW].

Great Health Run – 10k

UNREPORTED

Sunday 19th January, Portlaoise

Kieran Nolan (15th of 251 finishers) 40:51

Leinster Intermediate & Masters XC & Juvenile XC Relays

The Leinster Intermediate & Masters Cross Country & Juvenile Cross Country Relays were held at The Faithful Field in Kilcormac, Co. Offaly on Saturday 18th January. Athletics Offaly laid out an excellent course with several tight turns that provided a good test, but the day was mild dry and sunny, but windy, which made underfoot conditions perfect for running.

The relays were first on the programme and the first Mullingar team into action was Amelie G Kelly, Siomha Leonard, Liadan Gavin and Clodagh Keane in the u/14 girls 4 x 500m where each played a valuable part in steering the team to 2nd place and the silver medals. The u/14 boys 4 x 500m followed where despite great team effort and running by Cillian Gavin, Harry Flanagan, Conor Gavin and Daniel Cummins the boys were very unlucky to finish just out the medals in 4th place in a close race. We finished in the medals again though thanks to Oisin Clarke, Antonio Bertolo, Daniel Horohoe and Cormac McGrath in the u/16 boys 4 x 500m where they each put in terrific efforts and were rewarded with 2nd place and the silver medals.

After the relays, the programme moved to the adult races, and the first race was the 4,000m for Master Women & o/65 Masters Men. With 16 Mullingar athletes on the start line, it was always going to be an exciting race to watch. In the Women’s race, the Mullingar women packed very well, led home by Aisling Corcoran finishing well up, with Criona Reid on her heels, and followed right behind by Maura Dervin who won her master category. Marie Louise Johnston ran a strong race to finish next, just ahead of Claire Ross. Criona, Maura and Marie Louise provided the vital scores for the o/50 master women team that finished a very well deserved 2nd Club. Criona won another silver team medal, as she was part of the strong o/50 Westmeath team that placed 2nd County, thanks to great running by Anna Marie O’Dowd (Athlone AC) who finished a few places ahead of Aisling and Triona Kinnane (Athlone AC) who finished between Maura and Marie Louise.

The next Mullingar woman after Claire was Caroline Mullen, finishing very well up the field to win the individual bronze in her master category. Naomi Battle and Catherine Gavin were the next two Harriers to cross the line, followed by Brigid McCabe, Terri Greene, Nuala Moran, Claire Lennon Gavin and Pauline Troy. The Mullingar o/35 team of Aisling Corcoran, Claire Ross and Naomi Battle placed 3rd Club in a very close contest, and they finished a very creditable 5th County. Brigid McCabe, Maura Dervin and Nuala Moran combined to place 2nd County in the o/60 Women County category.

In the o/65 Men race combined with the master women, Mullingar had three men in the mix with John Bannon finishing well up, followed by Nicky McCabe and Paddy Boyhan. John and Nicky combined with Charles Lawn (Athlone AC) on the Westmeath team to finish 2nd o/65 Men County.

The 7,000m Masters Men race was next up and after a really fine race by all the Mullingar men in an extremely competitive race, they were led home by Gerard Gavin, followed by Steven Underwood, Eddie Newman (winning the individual silver in his master category), Eddie Lynch (winning the individual bronze in his master category), James Carton, Jason McKevitt, Patrick Muldoon, Liam McGlynn and Paul Ginnell. Such is the level of competition in Leinster masters, team honours are always very difficult to win, though Gerard Gavin, Eddie Newman, Eddie Lynch, James Carton, Jason McKevitt, Liam McGlynn and Paul Ginnell came closest with the o/50 men team finishing a very creditable 5th Club and 4th County.

The Intermediate Women 5,000m race got off to a fast start and the Mullingar team were to the front of the field from the early stages with Susan Glennon pushing the pace with the leaders. Susan continued to race hard and finished in a very well deserved 3rd place. Sinead Whitelaw worked hard through the race to hold on to her place and she came home in 8th position. Orlaith Flanagan ran a very strong race and fought hard all the way to the finish. All the attention was then on Linda Cunningham, passing several in the closing stages, to provide that vital fourth score that saw the Mullingar women finish 2nd Club and 2nd County, winning double silver team medals in what was a very competitive event.

In the final race of the day, the Intermediate Men 8,000m, the Mullingar men were looking to improve on last year’s results, which they certainly did in style. Going out hard with the leaders, James Keegan and Dan Morris kept themselves in contention for honours. As the race progressed, the lead group began to split but James kept in the top three, with Dan in the chasing group. The pace really picked up in the final kilometre but James kept to his task and was rewarded with a fantastic 3rd place finish, followed in by Dan in a brilliant 5th place in his first race for Mullingar, in fact, his ever first cross country race. With brilliant support running and team packing by Kris Foster, Ian McCormack, Kedagh Geoghegan, Andy Boyhan, Stephen Nea, Conleth Mullen, Mark Ronan, Padraig Beglin and Brian Martin leaving nothing behind, the men were delighted to finish 1st Club. The men also finished 4th County, missing bronze by just 4 points. Winning the Intermediate men title made a bit of Club history, as adding it to the Novice and Senior men Club titles won last Autumn, this is the first time Mullingar has had a clean sweep of all the men team cross country titles in a season, rounding off a great day for Mullingar [GD].

Track & Field Live – Meeting #4

Conor Liston got his indoor season underway at the Track & Field Live Meeting in the NIA, Dublin on Wednesday night 15th January. There were three heats of the Men’s 800m and having had a good year last year it was no surprise that Conor was placed in the fastest heat on the night. Conor’s clubman, Jamie Wallace, was called on to do the pace making duties on the night and brought the field through 400m in a quick 55 seconds, with Conor sitting a little off the quick pace, which ultimately proved to be a wise move as he closed on the leaders over the last 200m and was catching them with every stride, eventually finishing a close third in 1:57.68, which is a new indoor personal best [TW].

National Indoor Combined Events

The National Indoor Combined Events were held on Sunday 12th January at the NIA in Dublin where Aidan O’Donoghue competed in the Master Men Pentathlon. When he submitted his entry, Aidan wasn’t expecting much in the way of results and was simply using the event to blow off the cobwebs for future events. However, always the competitor, despite less than great performances by his standards in the 60m hurdles and long jump, Aidan continued to compete with determination and improved his overall standing in the high jump, shot putt and 1,000m to end the competition in third place in his master category, delighted to win the National bronze medal [AO’D].

World Half Marathon Festival 2025

UNREPORTED

Sunday 12th January, Donadea Forest Park

John Long (21st of 159 finishers) 1:41:55

AAI Indoor Games

Four Mullingar athletics took part in the AAI Indoor Games at the NIA in Dublin on Saturday 11th January. First up was the Women’s 1,500m where Grace Byrne and Jessica Cunninghan toed the line in a quality field. Unfortunately, Jessica had to stop midway as she was feeling the effects of a recent heavy head cold, but Grace was determined to get a good opening to her track season following on from an excellent cross country season and stuck with the early pace throughout and came home in fourth place in a new personal best of 4:35.89.

Moving on to the Men’s 1,500m Conor Sherwin and Jamie Wallace ran very good races to open up their 2025 season. With their attention more focused on upcoming schools cross country at the moment, they took the opportunity to get some speed into their legs but the race didn’t develop as they were expecting and it turned out to be a very tactical race, but both were very still happy to get racing indoors after the cold spell.

Colm Walsh competed in the Men’s 3,000m Race Walk, which set out at a very fast pace. Colm is very experienced and knew the pace was too fast and couldn’t be sustained, so rather than give chase he wisely ran his own race and settled into second place behind. The leader inevitably had to ease back in the closing stages, allowing Colm to start closing the gap, which spurred him on and while he still finished in second place, he was very pleased with his time of 15:17.18 so early in the year [TW/CW].

Tom Brennan Memorial 5k

The Tom Brennan Memorial 5k Road Race took place in the Phoenix Park on New Year’s Day. A well-established fixture on the road-racing calendar, organised by Liffey Valley AC, this year the host club were proud to be celebrating the 50th anniversary of Tom Brennan’s 1975 National Cross Country triumph, which took place in the founding year of Liffey Valley AC.

The race, which was sold out well in advance of Christmas, took place over a flat two lap circuit in the park and weather conditions were ideal, apart from some light gusty winds. Three Mullingar Harriers athletes competed in the field of 569 finishers. Jack Moran continued his recent excellent form with a very impressive run finishing in 2nd place in a time of 15:04, just holding off the third place finisher in a tight finish. Meanwhile Orlaith Flanagan also kept up her great running form of late, having a fine run in a very competitive women’s race, finishing in 8th place in a time of 19:23. Patrick Muldoon was our final representative and he too was pleased to finish strongly in a time of 20:34 in his second race of the Christmas season [PM].