Q2, 2025 News & Reports – April to June

JUNE

National Juvenile T&F – Days 1 & 2

The first two days of this year’s National Juvenile T&F Championships were held in Tullamore on Saturday 28th and Sunday 29th June where conditions couldn’t have been more different on both days. While Saturday was very mild, it was wet and miserable for most of the day with a very steady drizzle that soaked everyone through. It only picked up in the late afternoon, for the walks, so the walkers could enjoy dry sunny conditions. In contrast, Sunday was cloudy but dry and warm from early morning, getting warmer and more humid as the sun broke through over the day, great for the sprinters but tough for the middle distance athletes.

First in action on Saturday was Donnacha Doyle in the u/14 boys High Jump and maybe it was the miserable conditions and the wet high jump runway that officials were pushed to keep the pools of water swept clear, but Donnacha just couldn’t find his customary rhythm, absolutely key in a technical field event, and conceded after that it just wasn’t his day, but the experience of competing in a National final will stand to him in future competitions.

On the track, we started with Conor Walsh in the u/17 boys 3,000m where the medals were decided on the fastest times over two races. Conor was drawn in the faster race and put in an excellent effort in a tight race, just dropping off the back of the leading pack but worked hard to finish an excellent 8th place overall, a great result in a National final. Luke Greene struggled to find his form in the u/18 boys 3,000m and he just never got into his running, pushing hard in the faster A race but finishing out of the medals. There was no such problem for Jamie Wallace in the u/19 boys 3,000m where he produced a superb 57 second last lap to win. In a tactical race, Jamie remained patient over the opening laps, just keeping himself in contention. As the race unfolded in the final kilometre, Jamie ran with confidence and unleashed a great turn of pace to move clear of the field over the final lap. Despite having many National medals, Jamie has never previously won a National title, so this was definitely a day to remember for him. Finishing behind him in an excellent 9th place was Donagh Carey in 9:26.96. This was just outside his personal best but given the tactical nature of the race it was a strong performance.

Kyle Faherty drew a tough inside lane in his heat of the u/19 boys 400m but ran a very aggressive race from the gun to place second in his heat and advance to the final. Drawing a more favourable middle lane in the final, Kyle again quickly got into his running and with a fantastic effort, running even quicker than in the heat, a true sign of a Championship performer, he finished very strong, out of the medals in 4th place but he can be very proud of his performance.

Moving to the short sprints, Joel Kelly also showed true Championship attitude in his heat of the u/15 boys 100m where he ran a quicker than in Leinster, which was enough to advance to the final. Unfortunately, a less than ideal start in the final hampered him but when he recovered and found his rhythm he finished very strong and fast, out of the medals. This was Joel’s first National Championships, so to make the final was a great achievement and a huge learning experience.

Back to the field events again, Seth Walsh competed in the u/15 boys Javelin where he was only about half a metre off his Leinster performance, but that was enough for him to just miss a place in the final eight, but he still gave a spirited performance in difficult conditions.

We ended the day with another gold for Mullingar when Daniel Glennon went out with intent from the very start of the u/17 boys 3,000m walk and never let up the effort, pushing on and slowly opening an unassailable gap to win comfortably and take the National title. It’s been quite a week for Daniel, earning International selection for the SIAB Schools T&F and winning a National title.

Sunday started with the sprint hurdles where Morgan Isdell lined up in the u/16 boys 100m hurdles heats, a new event for Morgan, so he was delighted to be competing at his first National finals, but it proved a step too far this time and despite running quicker than in Leinster it wasn’t enough to qualify from the very competitive heats.

Disaster struck for our Leinster Champion, Chloe Bell, when she developed a stitch during her heat of the u/14 girls 800m that completely ruined her race and she didn’t advance to the final, but will learn from the experience. Oisin Clarke ran strong from the start of the u/15 boys 800m and moved into fourth place by the bell. Surging forward on the back straight moved him into third place, holding his place into the finish straight but unfortunately he was run down in the closing stages and just squeezed out of a medal in a close finish, very disappointed to finish in 4th place. Hopes were high of another medal in the u/19 boys 800m where Conor Liston was in a strong position at the bell but at 500m it was evident that something was wrong as Conor began to drift back and coming up to 600m he pulled up sharply with a hamstring injury. This is a terrible blow for Conor and we wish him well in his recovery.

The last race of the day with a Mullingar interest was the u/19 girls 3,000m steeplechase where Ailbhe O’Farrell looked good in the early stages, negotiating the barriers with ease and staying right in the mix for a medal but with two laps to go she suddenly pulled up. She doesn’t really know what happened but she said after that she just felt drained and ran out steam and simply unable to go on. It might have the oppressive heat and humidity, but it was a disappointing end to what has been a great season for Ailbhe this year. We ended the week-end with two gold medals, two fourth places, but well done to everyone that competed, some in their first National T&F [JR/TW/GD].

National 5 Mile Championships

The Irish Runner 5 Mile, incorporating the National 5 Mile Championships, took place on Sunday morning 29th June in the Phoenix Park. The race attracted a large number of nearly 1,900 finishers, with clubs from all over Ireland vying for individual and team National medals. There was a large entry from Mullingar Harriers this year, with plans to take home some of those medals. Vinny Connolly had the honour of leading them home in 25:02, 5th place. Next home were Kevin Moore (26:39) and Andy Nevin (26:47), with Ian McCormack and James Keegan battling all the way to the finish line, both recording 26:57. Running well were James Cribbin (30:54) and Eddie Newman (31:13), with Eddie winning the National bronze medal in his master category. Sharon O’Dowd led the women team home in a fast 32:47, delighted to win a National bronze medal in her master category. Mary Stuart (32:59) won the National silver medal in her master category, Criona Reid (33:52) won bronze in hers, Aine O’Reilly (34:38) also won bronze in her master category, as did Maura Dervin (34:59) bronze in hers. Also running strongly were Liam McGlynn (35:39), Linda Cunningham (36:17), Emer O’Hanlon (36:21), Patrick Muldoon (36:38) and Marie Louise Johnston (36:39). Brigid McCabe (41:38) won another National medal in her master category, a bronze, with Nicky McCabe (43:08) and Lisa McEntee (52:50) completing the Mullingar group.

In the team competition, in a very competitive field, the men team of Vinny, Kevin, Andy and Ian placed 3rd Senior Club, the master women team of Sharon, Aine and Linda were 2nd Club and the master women team of Mary, Criona and Maura took gold for 1st Club, a perfect finish to a very successful day for Mullingar Harriers at National level [LC].

Irish Milers Club Meeting

At the Irish Milers Club Meeting in Santry on Saturday afternoon 28th June, Aimee Wallace completed the 1,500m A Race in a time of 4:21.44, which is inside the B standard for the European u/20 T&F. Aimee was always in the lead pack, running a tactically astute race and produced an excellent last lap securing a personal best time and the qualification standard. As well as a European standard, this time is also  Mullingar Harriers club record, eclipsing the previous by over two seconds. Aimee is a scholarship athlete at Dublin City University and is the first female athlete in the club’s history to secure a qualification standard for the European u/20 T&F. Aimee has been a juvenile and schools National champion in the past and is continuing to progress as an u/20 and Collegiate athlete.

Eoin Quinn finished second in the Men 800m A Race in a season’s best time of 1: 50.67. Eoin finished strongly to move from sixth place to second over the final 200m, so can expect further improvement over the coming weeks [JR].

Roscommon 10 Mile

The 10th anniversary Roscommon 10 Mile, hosted by Roscommon Harriers AC, was held on Saturday morning 28th June in humid conditions with intermittent showers helping to cool down the runners. Among the 490 runner, six members of Mullingar Harriers took part, led home by Susan Glennon in 1:04:39, followed home by Mick Fagan (1:07:26), Andrew Glennon (1:09:05), Darren Carroll (1:12:28) just ahead of Jacintha Reilly (1:12:29), and Padraig Beglin (1:12:53) [MO’S].

Kilcock 5k

The annual St. Coca’s AC Kilcock 5k on Friday 27th June attracted just over 600 runners, including two from Mullingar, on a very warm and humid evening. After several near misses, Kris Foster was delighted to finally come home under 16 minutes for the first time, running 15:55. Orlaith Flanagan continued her very strong season with another fine run finishing in 19:12 [MO’S].

Clonee 10k

UNREPORTED

Clonee, Co. Meath, Thursday 26th June

Aideen Tansey (41:11) 124th of 527 finishers, 8th woman

Track & Field Live Meet

Navan, Wednesday 25th June

UNREPORTED

Lily Walsh 1,500m PB

Maisie Walsh 600m

National Children’s Games & u/12 T&F

The weather was mild but very mixed in Tullamore on Sunday 22nd June for the National Children’s Games & u/12 T&F but the five girls from Mullingar that competed were very lucky to only have to run in intermittent light rain or drizzle and they avoided the very heavy thundery showers that came later in the afternoon, long after they were finished.

First in action was Lucy O’Connor in the u/12 girls 60m heats where she ran extremely well and despite running nearly as fast as in the Leinsters, unfortunately it wasn’t enough to advance from the extremely competitive heats, but Lucy will have gained great experience from competing in her first National T&F finals.

Running as a “pair” in the u/9 girls 60m, with the medals decided on their combined times, Alana Spain and Tara Coyne ran quicker than in the Leinsters, especially Alana, and when their times were added, the girls finished an excellent fourth place, not far off the medals. Also running as a “pair” in the u/10 girls 60m and running a lot quicker too than in the Leinsters, Cara Hickey and Mia Barry looked very strong and when their times were added, the girls also finished just out of the medals in fourth place, missing bronze by just over one tenth of a second. Brilliant sprinting by all four girls.

Returning for the u/9 girls 300m, our “pair” of Tara Coyne and Alana Spain ran quicker again than in Leinster, this time especially Tara, but when their times were added, the girls finished just out of the medals in fourth place, missing bronze by just eight hundredths of a second in a very tight competition but top marks for effort. We finally got in the medals in the u/10 girls 500m when Mia Barry and Cara Hickey put in terrific performances in their races, again running quicker than in Leinster, and when their times were added they were delighted to finish in second place and win the National silver medals.

Very well done to all five Mullingar girls for competing with such great enthusiasm and skill on the National stage and we’re sure to see these girls excel in future competitions [GD].

Derravarragh 5 & 10 Miles

UNREPORTED

Multyfarnham, Sunday 22nd June

10 Mile (82 finishers)

Paul O’Reilly 1st (1:00:37), Mark Dunne (1:16:49), Colm Brennan (1:16:50), Michael Purdue (1:22:07) 2nd in master category, Joan Hickson (1:24:11), John Keane (1:27:11), Catherine Gavin (1:33:12), Kevin O’Brien (1:33:23), Matt Creagh (1:34:23)

5 Mile (130 finishers)

Andy Nevin 2nd (27:31), Mick Fagan 5th (32:54), Timmy Mescall 6th (34:07), Jacintha Reilly 7th overall, 1st woman (34:31), Ciara Dillon (42:16)

Kilcormac 10k

UNREPORTED

Kilcormac, Co. Offaly, Sunday 22nd June

661 finishers

Kedagh Geoghegan (11th) 36:25

Joan Flynn (37th overall, 3rd woman) 41:16, 1st in master category

Tailteann Inter-Provincial T&F

It was very sunny and very hot with temperatures in the mid-20degC in SETU Carlow on Saturday afternoon 21st June for the Tailteann Inter-Provincial T&F but it wasn’t just the weather that was hot, we had two Mullingar athletes in red hot form too competing with the Leinster Schools team. This competition is the trial for the Irish Schools team to compete in the SIAB Schools International T&F, which will be held in Derby, England in July. The top 2 in each event would be selected, so with so much at stake, the standard of competition was understandably very high.

First on the track was Daniel Glennon (St. Finian’s College) in the Intermediate 3,000m walk. Starting fast, the field quickly reduced to three serious contenders, including Daniel. The fast pace was maintained throughout the race, with repeated surges as each of the athletes sought to get the lead over each other. Eventually, Daniel got a little clear space between himself and the third placed walker with two laps to go, as the eventual winner also managed to obtain a definite lead. Over the final two laps each gave it their all and order remained close but the same all the way to the finish line, with Daniel finishing in second place. This result means that Daniel has earned selection on the Irish Schools team, a tremendous reward for his hard work and determination over many months. Congratulations to Daniel, his school, family and of course Mullingar Harriers on this achievement.

The pace of the Intermediate 3,000m went out faster than at the All-Ireland Schools but Conor Walsh (Colaiste Mhuire) was motivated by the fact he was making his first appearance with the Leinster Schools team and by the teams scoring element of the competition. He positioned himself well, running with his Leinster teammates, and as the race progressed he continued to fight for position. He eventually finished seventh, the second Leinster boy, with a new personal best of 9:08, ahead of several athletes he had finished behind at the All-Ireland Schools and his improved performance should give him confidence heading into the National Juvenile T&F this coming weekend where he’ll race 3,000m again [ML/CW].

Dunshaughlin 10k

The Michael Manning Memorial 10k in Dunshaughlin is noted as one of the fastest courses in the country and always attracts a huge entry. This year was no exception when on a very warm and sunny evening on Saturday 21st June, over 960 took part, and Mullingar Harriers were represented by 27 runners. Led home by Dan Morris finishing well up in seventeenth place in 32:58, he was followed home by James Keegan (34:07), Kris Foster (34:29), Enda Seery (38:18), James Cribben (38:56), Darren Carroll (38:58), Eddie Newman (39:44) third in his master category, Evan McCormack (41:30), Dara O’Shea (41:33), Declan Claffey (41:43), Thomas Gilligan (41:46), Aideen Tansey (42:06), Aeilish McGovern (42:52), Criona Reid (43:11) second in her master category, Aisling Corcoran (44:12) third in her master category, Aine O’Reilly (44:21), Barry White (44:29), Joe Curley (44:30), Robin Jackson (45:04), Paul Ginell (45:49), John McNamara (45:54), Emer O’Hanlon (46:07) third in her master category, Marie Louise Johnson (46:42), Gemma Kelly (49:21), Brendan Rice (52:20), Eamon O’Reilly (55:47) and Frank Lynam (56:21). Individual category prizes aside, with three men and three women to score in the Peugeot Race Series, the Mullingar team of Dan, Aideen, Aeilish, James, Criona and Kris finished 2nd Club [MO’S].

Northern Ireland Masters T&F

UNREPORTED

Mary Peters Track, Belfast, Saturday 21st June

Ramona Carey, SP (w60) Silver, Discus (w60) Gold, Javelin (w60) Silver

Aidan O’Donoghue, SP (m55) Silver, Discus (m55) Silver, Javelin (m55) Bronze, 200m (m55) 4th

Sean McMullin, 2000m Walk (m75) Gold, 1500 run (m75) Gold

UCD Athletics Meet

UNREPORTED

UCD Belfield, Wednesday 18th June

John Ryan 3,000m 4th, 8:41.49

Colin P Smith 800m 4th 1:49.97

Conor Liston 800m 9th 1:54.54

Leinster Juvenile T&F

To say conditions were tough at the Leinster Juvenile T&F in Tullamore on Saturday 14th and Sunday 15th June, especially on Saturday, would be a serious understatement. Competitors had to endure frequent very heavy prolonged thundery showers for most of the day on Saturday that at times nearly flooded the track in places. Sunday started very wet, but thankfully the rain finally cleared to give a warm and sunny afternoon. Despite the challenging conditions at times, the Mullingar athletes performed brilliantly and always to the best of their abilities.

We started Saturday with the race walks where Daniel Glennon was simply too good in the u/17 boys 3,000m walk, winning comfortably in 14:10.47, a new PB. Moving to the sprints, Liadan Gavin competed in the u/14 girls 80m where she finished fifth in her heat but didn’t advance to the final. In the u/14 boys 80m, John McManus raced to second place in his heat to qualify for the final where despite running even faster, he finished out of the medals but gave a great account. Our first sprint medal came courtesy of Joel Kelly who finished second in his heat of the u/15 boys 100m in a PB of 12.72 seconds, and in the final he equalled this time to finish third and win the bronze medal. Cian Hyland and Aaron Conroy contested the very competitive heats of the u/17 boys 100m where they ran well but didn’t advance to the final.

Over at the javelin runway, Blathnaid Peters threw her best throw in the fifth round of six of the u/17 girls javelin, launching the javelin out to 16.27m which was enough to win the bronze medal, her first Leinster field event medal. Seth Walsh had to face very tough conditions with some heavy rain in the u/15 boys javelin but had a solid set of throws to finish fourth, which will see him advance to the National finals. Staying with the field events, competing in the long jump but finishing out of the medals was Saoirse Peters (u/13 girls), Conor Gavin (u/13 boys), Evan Nohilly (u/16 boys), and Donnacha Doyle and Rian Gavin (u/14 boys).

Illness during the week robbed Amelie G Kelly of her best but she still gave a good effort in the u/14 girls 1,500m. Gareth Glennon ran extremely well in the u/14 boys 1,500m and was unlucky to finish just of the medals in fourth place by a narrow margin. Rian Gavin doubled up in the u/14 boys 1,500m, which ran at the same time as the long jump, not ideal, joining Harry Flanagan who raced to a fine sixth place, followed in by Rian. In the u/15 girls 1,500m Lily Walsh set a fast pace leading from gun to tape to win another Leinster title, setting a Championship Record of 4:41.10 while doing so, bettering the previous by just over 4 seconds. More success followed when Oisin Clarke continued the excellent form he had shown in the schools T&F, racing to silver in the u/15 boys 1,500m, where Antonio Bertolo finished fourth, missing a medal by just six hundredths of a second. Daniel Horohoe had a very solid run in the u/16 boys 1,500m and we wrapped up with the u/17 girls 1,500m where Eleanor Kiernan finished strong and was delighted to win the bronze medal.

The weather finally picked up in time for the 400m and 300m races. The u/16 boys 400m was a straight final where Scott Cogan put in a powerful display of sprinting in a new event for him, racing hard to an excellent third place and to secure the bronze medal. Liadan Gavin was back on track for the u/14 girls 300m where the medals were awarded to the best three times over the two time trial races. Liadan was drawn in the faster of the two races where she raced hard from the gun, always in contention, to finish an excellent third place. Unfortunately she was narrowly beaten into fourth place overall on times, but can be very proud of her efforts in a new event for her. In the u/15 girls 300m, Aoibhe Martyn was drawn in the faster of the two time trial races against the top seeded girls, running a fine race but finishing out of the medals on this occasion.

We finished the day with the steeplechase, run in dry sunny conditions. Ailbhe O’Farrell was always in contention from the start of the u/19 girls 3,000m steeplechase, attacking each barrier with purpose, especially proficient over the difficult water jump, and with a strong finish on the home straight, finding a bit extra to hold off a late challenge she crossed the line in third place to win the bronze medal by a very narrow margin of just two hundredths of a second. We finished the day with the u/18 boys 2,000m steeplechase where Oisin Kehoe ran a very good solid race, negotiating the barriers with ease, and was very pleased to win a Leinster medal for his efforts, the bronze medal for a fine third place.

Sunday was another super day for Mullingar, with lots of medals won and great performances by all. Morgan Isdell started with his debut over the hurdles, first over the “long” hurdles and then the shorter sprint hurdles. Starting with the u/16 boys 250m hurdles in the morning, he finished sixth, and later in the day in the u/16 boys 100m hurdles he finished fourth to qualify for the National finals. Clodagh Keane also competed in the sprint hurdles in the afternoon, racing in the u/14 girls 75m hurdles and was very unlucky hit the final hurdle in her heat while in a good position, which saw her drop out of the qualifying places and so didn’t advance to the final, which is always the peril with the sprint hurdles.

Chloe Bell won her heat of the u/14 girls 800m where Siomha Leonard had the misfortune of being disqualified for a lane infringement. In the later final, Chloe ran a tactically clever race to pass and pull clear of the leading group on the last lap and pushing on to win the Leinster title. The u/14 boys 800m was a straight final where Harry Flanagan ran a PB of 2:27.12 to finish a very creditable sixth, and was followed home by Rian Gavin. The u/15 boys 800m was also a straight final and Oisin Clarke picked up his second silver medal of the weekend, with Antonio Bertolo racing hard, close behind finishing fifth overall but in a PB of 2:18.37. Conor Liston reprised the tactical intelligence and blistering finishing pace he showed in the Leinster Indoors to win the u/19 boys 800m and add another Leinster title to his collection.

Liadan Gavin made her debut over 200m to finish second in her heat of the u/14 girls 200m to qualify for the final, but unfortunately Siomha Leonard wasn’t to join her as she didn’t advance from her very competitive heat. In the later final, Liadan ran well in a very fast race but finished out of the medal places. Aoibhe Martyn was fourth in her heat of the u/15 girls 200m but unfortunately it wasn’t enough to qualify for the final. Also making his debut over the distance, Scott Cogan lined up in the u/16 boys 200m where he ran well but finished out of the medal places in sixth. We finally secured a 200m sprint medal when Kyle Faherty blasted from the blocks in the u/19 boys 200m to come into the home straight in a great position. Holding his form and pace, Kyle raced on to finish in second place in a close finish to win the silver medal.

In the field events, Donnacha Doyle leaped to silver in a very close and exciting u/14 boys high jump, and added to his medal tally when he made his debut in the u/14 boys triple jump and won the silver medal, just one centimetre away from gold. Noteworthy was that Donnacha matched his best jump in three of his six jumps, which shows great consistency.

Alice Hyland made the final eight in the u/14 girls shot putt to earn a further three attempts, finishing an excellent seventh. Also making the final eight was Clodagh Doran in the u/15 girls shot putt, finishing a very creditable eighth place after a long competition. Alice also competed in the u/14 girls long jump and Clodagh in the u/15 girls long jump where they enjoyed the thrill of competition despite finishing out of the medal places. Finally, Aoibhe Martyn finished her day with the u/15 girls long jump, making the final eight and finishing a fine eighth place after a very good competition.

We finished an excellent weekend of competition with another bundle of medals and great performances in the 3,000m. Daniel Horohoe completed a weekend double of distance running and after racing in the 1,500m on Saturday, returned for the u/16 boys 3,000m where he finished a very respectable sixth place. Conor Walsh stuck to his task in the u/17 boys 3,000m and was rewarded for a fine effort with the bronze medal. Matthew Molloy and Luke Greene contested the u/18 boys 3,000m and after a tough battle all the way, Matthew finished third, ahead of Luke in fourth, just out of the medals. The final event with a Mullingar interest was the u/19 boys 3,000m where Jamie Wallace set out at a furious pace to split the field wide open, going on to win by a margin and take the Leinster title in a new Championship Record of 8:50.08, bettering a record that has stood since 1996. Running a more conservative pace behind, Donagh Carey timed his final effort perfectly to finish third and secure the bronze medal to round off a medal filled weekend for Mullingar Harriers, where we saw lots of debuts in a wide range of new events, lots of medals and fourth place finishes that will see Mullingar well represented in the National finals in a few weeks, but also lots and lots of great performances by everyone, medals won or not [GD].

Dutch National Road Racewalking Championships

Matthew Glennon made the trip to the Dutch National Road Racewalking Championships in Tilburg on Sunday 15th June with the sole objective of walking fast enough to achieve the Athletics Ireland qualification standard for 10k at the European u/23 Championships. While temperatures in the Netherlands had recently reached over 30degC, fortunately on Sunday they dropped a bit to the mid to high 20degC. On an unusually designed course used primarily by racing cyclists, Matthew set off at his pre-planned pace and soon eased into an even stronger rhythm to reach 5k ahead of schedule. However, with no shelter from the direct midday sun he began to suffer and fell marginally behind target. However with 2k to go he really dug deep and drove as hard as possible to reach the finish line in 43:09, which was mission accomplished with a mere 6 seconds to spare. This was a truly superb performance by Matthew, as there was no one who could in any way match his pace so it was an entirely solo effort from gun to tape. With two qualification standards now required for selection, Matthew has now achieved that goal and can now focus on being at his best for the Euro u/23 in Bergen, Norway in July.

Aisling Lane was on the same mission, as she had already achieved one qualification standard. Aisling set off at a very controlled pace and was on schedule at 5k, with her second fastest 5k ever, when the heat began to take its toll. She lost some precious seconds on each lap but still had a personal best of 50:26 for the win over 10k. She had almost a minute to spare over the second placed finisher, so she can be content in the knowledge that she can travel to European countries and dominate their National Championships [ML].

Oresund Bridge Half Marathon

Caroline Mullen, Martin Mullen and Ray Smyth took part in the 25th anniversary celebration of the opening of the Oresund Bridge that connects Denmark with Sweden. Opened in 2000, the route includes 4k of tunnel, a further 4k across the man-made island Peberholm and 8k across the bridge, which is off limits to all but vehicular traffic. Closed on Sunday morning 15th June to all but 40,000 runners, this spectacular event captured the attention of both nations for a few hours. The Oresund Bridge Half Marathon started in Tarnby on the Danish side, before entering the tunnel after 3k and then on through the island and up and along the bridge, before entering Sweden and finishing in Sibbarp, on the outskirts of Malmo. Caroline, Martin and Ray described the event as mind blowing and were delighted to carry the Mullingar Harriers singlets across two countries [MO’S].

Track Night Vienna

LAZ Wien Stadium, Vienna, Saturday 14th June

UNREPORTED

Cormac Dalton 5,000m 13:26.48 PB

UK 10,000m Championships

UNREPORTED

Birmingham, Saturday 14th June

Jack O’Leary 4th, 28:23.64, Personal Best

Braveheart 5k

The Braveheart 5k trail race, held by Trim AC, took place on a warm evening on Friday 13th June at the Porchfields in Trim. The off-road course took nearly 500 athletes on a trip through history at the beautiful setting of Trim Castle, Newtown Abbey and along the banks of the River Boyne. The Yellow Steeple provided a scenic uphill finish to a tough race. First home from Mullingar Harriers was John Glennon in an impressive time for this course of 17:01, fourth overall and 1st u/20 man, followed closely by Andrew Glennon in 17:30, 2nd u/20 man. Susan Glennon repeated her placing of last year and was a convincing winner in a fast time of 19:15. Also battling hard were Barry White (21:43) and Linda Cunningham (23:22) third in her master category [LC].

Daingean 5k

Naomh Mhuire AC hosted the latest 5k in the Healthy Offaly series, the Daingean 5k, on Friday evening 13th June. It was a dry evening with high humidity proving a challenge to the 379 participants. The course took in a section of roads off the main street before emerging at the Town Hall just after the 1k mark, then headed out towards Tullamore and taking a right back towards the town at the midpoint, with the remainder of the course on testing country roads back to the town centre. Mullingar Harriers had 22 competing.

The leading athletes included 5 from Mullingar as the early kilometres were covered. As the field broke up, it was Dan Morris who battled with two others before having to settle for third place in 15:42. He was closely followed in fifth place by Kris Foster who came home in 16:02, with James Keegan next to finish in sixth in 16:13. Kedagh Geoghegan (16:44) just got the better of Paulius Patackas (16:45) helping him to third place in his master category. Alan Crowley (17:13) and Mark Ronan (17:30) were both pleased with their performances, as was Sinead Whitelaw who finished second woman in 18:09. Kieran Nolan finished in 18:30, while Orlaith Flanagan continued her sub-19 minute runs over the distance, recording 18:42. Also competing was Jason McKevitt (19:14), Sharon O’Dowd (19:26), Conor Collison (19:38) and Mary Stuart (19:45) first in her master category, Joe Curley (20:10), Aisling Corcoran (20:06) first in her master category, Padraig Beglin (20:37), Robin Jackson (21:03), Gemma Kelly (23:06), Claire Lennon Gavin (23:33), Michael O’Sullivan (25:49) and Nicky McCabe (26:19) second in his master category.

In the team events, the Mullingar women team of Sinead Whitelaw, Orlaith Flanagan, Sharon O’Dowd and Mary Stuart finished 1st Club, and the men team of Dan Morris, Kris Foster, James Keegan and Kedagh Geoghegan were 2nd Club [MO’S].

Leinster u/20, Senior & Masters T&F

Mullingar had a small group of twelve athletes competing at the Leinster u/20, Senior & Masters T&F held in SETU Carlow on Saturday 7th and Sunday 8th June and by the end of two action-packed days had amassed a total of 12 medals, another 2 finished in fourth place, and if that wasn’t enough, they also recorded 2 personal bests and 3 Championship Records.

On Saturday morning, Ramona Carey was delighted to win gold in the Master Shot, adding another gold later in the day in the Master Discus. Aidan O’Donoghue was equally busy, winning silver in his Master Shot and adding silver in the Master Javelin in the afternoon with a very consistent set of throws. Our final medal in the field events came in the Master 28 Pound Weight for Distance where the ever-consistent Tom Walsh put together a great series of throws to win by a distance.

On the track, Donagh Carey competed in the 1,500m u/20 where he put in a great effort, keeping with the lead group and always in the mix for a medal, but in a very close finish crossed the line in 4th place, narrowly missing a medal by barely one second. Kyle Faherty competed in the very competitive 400m u/20 where the medals were decided on the fastest times over three timed races. Kyle finished very strong to win his race with ease, a very creditable 8th place overall on time, and though out of the medal places was happy with his race and with a win in less than ideal cool and windy conditions, particularly a noticeable headwind on the finish straight.

Success continued to come on Sunday when Sean McMullin comfortably won the Master 3,000m walk, adding to his considerable collection of Leinster titles. Aisling Lane was just too strong in the Senior 3,000m walk and won in 13:55.90, a new PB and a new Championship Record into the bargain, smashing the old record set in 2018 by a massive 44 seconds. Patrick Leydon placed second in his heat of the senior 200m with a new PB of 22.47 seconds to qualify automatically for the final. In the final, he powered from the blocks and swept into the home straight in a strong position but in a close race he finished just of the medal places in 4th, but was happy to improve his PB to 22.41 seconds.

Orlaith Flanagan ran her first ever race on the track in the Senior 3,000m and was joined by Susan Glennon who ran her first race on the track in 10 years. Right from the gun, Orlaith and Susan quickly settled into their running and by the mid-point were comfortably clear in the leading group of three. The group began to break up in the closing stages but Orlaith and Susan continued to work hard and Orlaith pushed on to finish in second place, followed in by Susan in third. We had two men in the Senior 5,000m where Ian McCormack and Kris Foster settled well in the chasing pack on the early leader. At about 2k, Ian pushed on and slowly opened a gap, with Kris in the chasing group. Unfortunately Kris had to stop after 3k due to illness but by then Ian was well clear in second place and despite a great effort by the chasing group with two laps to go, Ian was too strong and pushed on to win the silver medal in 16:19.02.

Also known as the “heavy hammer”, Tom Walsh made light work of the Master 16 Pound Weight Throw and added to his medal collection with gold, winning with 9.65m, which was a Championship Record, eclipsing the record of 7.79m set in 2024. Tom rounded off his Championships with a third title, winning the Master 28lb Weight for Height with 3.90m. As this is the first year this event has been held for masters, Tom’s winning throw is a Championship Record, his second of the week-end to round off a very successful Leinsters for Mullingar Harriers. [GD].

Bohermeen 5k

The Patrick Bell & Nicky Philips Bohermeen 5k was staged in overcast and blustery conditions on Saturday evening 7th June when a field of over 330 athletes participated. The course followed a looped circuit through local roads with the finish on the track at Bohermeen AC. John Ryan had an excellent run and despite his relative youth, was well able to mix it with more experienced senior athletes at the front of the field. It was only in the last 500m that the first three pulled clear, but John was still very pleased to hold 4th place overall in a time of 15:54, comfortably winning the u/20 race. Aeilish McGovern was also to the fore in her master category and was pleased with a fourth place finish in 20:38, while Senan Clinton came home in 22:42, expressing satisfaction with his run [MO’S].

Portumna Forest Half Marathon

The annual Portumna Forest festival of races, included 50k, marathon, half marathon and 10k on Saturday afternoon 7th June, which attracted over 600 runners across all four the events. With plenty of showers and breezy conditions adding to the difficulty, it was certainly a great physical test. Ger Heraty took part in the Half Marathon, which drew an excellent entry of 230, where the conditions and the terrain were very challenging but Ger saw the event as a good challenge to test his endurance and resilience and was very pleased to finish in a time of 2:05:53 [MO’S].

Newtowncashel 5k

Enda Seery made the short trip over the county boundary to Longford to run in the Newtowncashel 5k on Thursday evening 5th June. On a course which he described as having a very fast, downhill start but contrasted with a steady final kilometre to the finish line, Enda was pleased to take third place of 100 finishers in 18:18 [MO’S].

CSIT World Sports Games

Competing with the Athletics Leinster team at the CSIT World Sports Games in a sunny and very warm Loutraki, situated between Olympia and Athens in Greece, on Thursday morning 5th June, Aimee Wallace competed in the 1,500m where she showed her class with a polished performance, always in command from the off and controlling the pace from the front. She made her final move with 300m to go, effortlessly pulling clear and over the final 200m put a good distance on the rest of the field to win by a good distance and earn maximum points for Leinster in the team competition. Aimee was back on the track the next day and anchored the 4x400m Relay team to 2nd place, gaining more valuable team points.

When the points won over the two days of competition were totalled, the Leinster women team won their competition, and with the men winning their competition too, it was overall victory for Leinster too to round off an extremely successful individual and team performance by Aimee and the entire Leinster team. Aimee returned home on Sunday to much cooler weather than she had become accustomed to in Greece but certainly won’t rest on her laurels and now gets down to some serious training in preparation for the rest of what has been a memorable season so far [GD].

VHI Women’s Mini-Marathon

UNREPORTED

Dublin, Sunday 1st June

Claire Fagan 2nd in 34 minutes 35 seconds

Leinster Children’s Games and u/12 & u/13 T&F

The Leinster Children’s Games and u/12 & u/13 T&F were held in Tullamore on Sunday 1st June and it was great to see a big Mullingar squad of nearly 50 taking part, well up on the 29 that competed last year. The day was mild but breezy at times, and we had intermittent very heavy thundery showers, but our athletes coped admirably with the conditions. The younger u/9, 10 and 11 year olds competed as a “pair”, meaning that the best two times by our athletes in a race or throws in the turbo javelin or shot putt or jumps in the long jump were added together to give a team total or score, while the older u/12 and u/13 year olds competed as individuals. The level of competition was fierce and medals were very hard to win but all our young athletes competed to the very best of their ability and medals won or not they all thoroughly enjoyed the day and the fun of competition.

The first track event was the u/12 girls 600m where Helen McGrath ran very well to finish well up in her heat but just missed a place in the final. In the u/12 boys 600m, Olly Wright and Killian Hardman finished second and third in their heat to advance to the final, to join Mel Bohan who was second in his heat, but unfortunately they weren’t to be joined by Senan Clinton who finished out of the qualification places in his tough heat. In the later final, Mel, Olly and Killian ran very well but finished out of the medal places, but top marks for making a Leinster track final. Daniel Cummins won his heat of the u/13 boys 600m to book his place in the final but unfortunately wasn’t to be joined by Cillian Gavin or Cillian Martyn despite the two boys running well in their heats. In the final, Daniel was unlucky to finish out of the medals but no fault for effort. Emily Rose Coyne, Leah Flynn and Elsie Hegarty ran very well in the u/11 girls 600m, but finished out of the medal places.

Tara Coyne, Alana Spain, Laila Morgan, Grace Cummins, Ruby Johnson and Ciara Beirne competed in the u/9 girls 300m and all gave great accounts. When the times were added for the pairs from each Club, it was silver medals for Tara and Alana to win Mullingar’s first medals of the day. The other Mullingar girls also scored well but finished out of the medals. In the u/9 boys 300m we saw great running from Tiernan Clinton, Robert Bohan, Joe Hickey and Senan Byrne but unfortunately they finished out of the pairs medal places. With the second and third fastest times overall in the u/10 girls 500m, Cara Hickey and Mia Barry easily won the gold medals for their fine efforts. Also competing really well was Sarah Cummins, Zoe O’Donoghue, Meabh Doyle, Cliodhna Fitzpatrick and Isobel O’Brien but they finished out of the medals. We finished the middle-distance events with the u/10 boys 500m where Shay Gavigan and Tiernan Martyn gave good accounts but finished out of the medal places.

Of course it wasn’t all track events and Mullingar athletes were very busy in the various field events and while there were no medals won, they all thoroughly enjoyed themselves. In action was Lucy O’Connor, Helen McGrath, Roisin Keane and Ellen Cummins (u/12 girls high jump), Senan Clinton (u/12 boys high jump), Daniel Cummins, Aaron Robinson, Conor Gavin, Cillian Martyn and Cillian Gavin (u/13 boys high jump), Senan Clinton (u/12 boys shot putt), Ellen Cummins (u/12 girls shot putt), Meabh Doyle and Fodhla Hughes (u/10 girls long jump), Shay Gavigan (u/10 boys long jump), Rachel Robinson, Leah Flynn and Sophie Doran (u/11 girls long jump), Tiernan Clinton (u/9 boys long jump), Nuada Algar Quinn and Arthur Hegarty (u/9 boys turbo javelin). Finally, special mention to Adele Bertolo who threw really well in the u/10 girls turbo javelin, finishing well up overall and it’s a a shame she didn’t have a club mate to pair with as they might have challenged for medals.

Moving back to the track for the sprints, in the u/9 girls 60m, Alana Spain and Tara Coyne finished well up overall and combined to win the silver medals, their second set of medals of the day. Also competing was Grace Cummins, Ruby Johnson, Laila Morgan and Ciara Beirne who ran well but didn’t win any medals. Lucy O’Connor won her heat of the u/12 girls 60m to qualify for the semi-final. Roisin Keane and Ellen Cummins ran well in their heats but didn’t advance to join Lucy, Lucy won her semi-final too and blasted from the blocks in the hotly contested final to finish third and win the bronze medal in a very close finish with mere hundredths of a second separating the medal places.

Cillian Martyn was unlucky in his heat of the u/13 boys 80m not to advance to the semi-finals with Daniel Cummins and Aaron Robinson who did. Despite running quicker in the semi-finals, Daniel and Aaron were unlucky not to qualify for the final. With Cara Hickey and Mia Barry finishing well up overall in the u/10 girls 60m, when their times were combined the girls were delighted to win the silver medals. Also competing very well in their 60m races were Adele Bertolo, Sarah Cummins, Fodhla Hughes, Cliodhna Fitzpatrick and Isobel O’Brien but they didn’t finish in the medal places.

Also competing extremely well in the fast and furious 60m sprints but not winning medals was Mel Bohan, Killian Hardman, Luke Wallace and Olly Wright (u/12 boys 60m), Joe Hickey, Senan Byrne, Robert Bohan, Nuada Algar Quinn and Arthur Hegarty (u/9 boys 60m), Aaron Crowley and Tiernan Martyn (u/10 boys 60m), and Emily Rose Coyne (a brilliant 4th quickest time overall), Eimear Wakefield, Rachel Robinson, Sophie Doran and Elsie Hegarty (u/11 girls 60m).

The day finished with the excitement of the Inter-County sprint relays where Mullingar fielded two teams. Emily Rose Coyne, Rachel Robinson, Eimear Wakefield and Holly Walshe ran extremely well in the u/11 girls 4x100m relay but finished out of the medals. Daniel Cummins, Aaron Robinson, Conor Gavin and Cillian Gavin combined brilliantly in the u/13 boys 4x100m relay where they battled well to finish 6th, out of the medals, but the experience will stand to them [GD].

Cork City Marathon & 10k

Dara O’Shea was one of almost 2,000 runners that took part in the Cork City Marathon on Sunday morning 1st June. In dry windy conditions, the race took a wide loop through the streets and suburbs of the city. It was warm and humid throughout, but satisfied with a very strong training block for the past 3 months, Dara was always able to maintain his pre-race planned pace. He finished in a very good time of 3:12:30. In the 10k event, run in conjunction with the marathon and half marathon, in a field of over 600 runners, Niamh Doherty was delighted with a new personal best of 45:00, placing 8th in her category [MO’S].

MAY

All-Ireland Schools T&F

One of the toughest underage T&F Championships in Ireland, the All-Ireland Schools T&F, took place on Friday 30th and Saturday 31st May in Tullamore. Top billing goes to Lily Walsh (Loreto Mullingar) who stormed to victory in the Junior 1,500m. Congratulations also to Gareth Glennon (St. Finian’s College) who took silver in the Junior 1,200m Walk, and to all the Mullingar athletes competing with great spirit for their schools and colleges, several fine recording personal bests too.

With such a big programme of events, to avoid a very long day for athletes and officials on the Saturday, some events were held on the Friday evening, including the race walks and steeplechase. First into action on Friday evening was Gareth Glennon (St. Finian’s College) in the Junior boys 1,200m walk. Gareth went with the leading group from the gun and by the bell it had reduced to two as he closely tracked his training partner Conor Brennan (Moyne SC, Longford). Conor made his move with 300m to go and opened a gap that despite his best efforts Gareth was unable to close and had to concede on the home straight and finished in second place in 5:58.87, just outside his personal best. As a measure of the quality of the competition, Conor had to produce a big 7 second personal best to beat Gareth. Next up was Daniel Glennon (St. Finian’s College) in the Intermediate boys 2,000m walk. Daniel slowly moved into second place and pulled clear of third with two laps to go. Still in second place at the bell and looking good for a big personal best, disaster struck when Daniel was stopped and had to incur a time penalty. The time lost cost him a place and he emerged to finish third but unfortunately was subsequently disqualified, always a risk in this very taxing and technical event. There was bad fortune too for John Glennon (St. Finian’s College) in the Senior boys 3,000m walk where he tried very hard and was locked in a battle for the bronze medal from early on, but had to concede over the closing laps and came in strong but out of the medals in fourth place, but he too was subsequently disqualified. It took Ailbhe O’Farrell (St. Finian’s College) to lift our spirits in the Senior girls 1,500m steeplechase, a very tough energy-sapping event, but Ailbhe ran a terrific race and battled all the way and though she finished out of the medals in fifth place, was delighted to record a new personal best of 5:30.95, a big 10 second improvement.

Saturday was the turn of our middle-distance runners to challenge for honours. Competing in his first All-Ireland final, Oisin Clarke (Colaiste Mhuire) showed no fear in the Junior boys 800m and competed brilliantly to finish fifth, out of the medal places but was very happy to run 2:07.02, a new personal best by 2 seconds. Conor Walsh (Colaiste Mhuire) contested the Intermediate boys 3,000m and was right in the mix for nearly 2k but just couldn’t recreate the form he found in the Leinsters and finished out of the medal places but the experience of competing at this level will surely stand to him in the season ahead.

Eleanor Kiernan (Ursuline Thurles) led the field in the u/16 girls mile over the first two laps until she was passed. She led the chasing group and was in the mix for silver and bronze until the final stages of the last lap but couldn’t sustain the effort and ran in fifth, but this was a brilliant performance all the same and she has to be very proud of her efforts.

Keeping the best for last, Lily Walsh (Loreto College) ran a very clever race in the Junior girls 1,500m always staying right up with the early leaders and covering every move up front. With 200m to go Lily swept to the front and began to pull away, rounding the final bend into the home straight with an ever-widening gap and stormed to the finish to win well clear in 4:35.49, a big 6 second improvement on her personal best to claim the All-Ireland Schools Title [GD].

Ballyskenach 5k

The Healthy Offaly 5k series had its latest staging, the Ballyskenach 5k, on Friday evening 30th May. With showery conditions ever present, it was at times a challenging course for the 410 runners. The race took runners through the picturesque grounds of Cistercian College, Roscrea. Among them were Orlaith Flanagan who was very pleased with another sub-19 minute run giving her 2nd place in the women’s race in a time of 18:54. Eddie Lynch was always to the fore in his master category and came home a winner in 18:40, almost a minute clear of second place [MO’S].

Coralstown NS 5k

The Coralstown NS 5k was held on Wednesday 28th May on a breezy but cool and dry evening. Almost 300 took part, a record for the event which continues to grow year on year thanks to all the hard work put in by the local organising committee. Being so local, it’s no surprise that Mullingar Harriers was out in force and nearly 60 club members took part. Having placed well up but never winning in previous years, James Keegan put that right this year and was a clear winner of the race in 16:14. In the women’s race, Sinead Whitelaw finished very strong to place second woman in 18:42, just ahead of Susan Glennon third in 18:43. Mullingar athletes were prominent in the results, filling 6 of the top 10 places and winning category prizes from u/16 to master men and women, including Alan Crowley (17:39), Jason McKevitt (19:39), Mary Stuart (20:06), Criona Reid (20:29) and Paul Ginnell (21:33) all winning first prize in their master categories, and Scott Cogan (18:09) first u/16 boy and Liadan Gavin (23:32) first u/16 girl.

Also competing was Andrew Glennon (17:09), Oisin Kehoe (17:16), Luke Greene (17:17), Matthew Glennon (17:49), Kieran Nolan (18:45), Darren Carroll (18:46), Aideen Tansey (19:14), Orlaith Flanagan (19:35), Dean Keogh (19:45), Cillian Gavin (19:48), Mick Fagan (19:50), Conleth Mullen (19:51), Sharon O’Dowd (20:02), Dara O’Shea (20:19), Cormac Finnerty (20:25), Joe Curley (20:26), Aeilish McGovern (20:28), Kieran Dodrill (20:31), Mark Dunne (20:34), Brian Collentine (20:50), Patrick Finnerty (20:52), Patrick Muldoon (21:18), Robin Jackson (21:23), John McNamara (21:28), Senan Clinton (21:58), Shaun Mills (22:04), Brendan Rice (22:19), Michael Purdue (22:27), Claire Ross (22:33), Philip Burke (22:36), Gerard Flynn (22:51), Claire Lennon Gavin (23:27), Muirin Dunne (23:33), Gareth Glennon (24:19), Brigid McCabe (24:21), Gerard Heraty (24:23), Kevin O’Brien (24:44), Richie Clinton (24:52), Barry McDonald (25:23), Nicky McCabe (26:13), Ray Smyth (26:34), Pauline Troy (27:08), Marna Groenewald (29:43), Bernard Groenewald (34:23) and Senan Whelehan (40:32) [GD].

IFAM (International Flanders Athletics Meeting)

UNREPORTED

Oordegem, (Belgium), Saturday 24th May

Cormac Dalton 5,000m Final 1 (13:44.29) 15th of 26

Jack O’Leary 5,000m Final 2 (13:39.04) 3rd of 28

Diarmuid Fagan 5,000m [after programme, final 1] (14:07.62) 17th of 25

Patrick Leydon 400m [pre-programme, final 9] (49.36) 2nd of 6

Colin P Smith 800m [pre-programme, final 2] (1:52.49) 11th of 13

Aimee Wallace 1,500m Final 3 (4:26.88) 11th of 15

Colin D Smith 1,500m [after programme, final 4] (3:54.73) 12th of 17

Munster Masters T&F

Using it as a warm-up for the upcoming Leinster Masters and the National Masters later in the summer, Sean McMullin competed in the 3,000m race walk at the Munster Masters T&F in Templemore on Saturday morning 24th May. Conditions were good, not too warm, and luckily the rain held off until after his race. Sean won his master category in 19:25.82, which he was satisfied with for the time of year [SMcM/GD].

Naas 5 Mile

The Naas 5 Mile took place on Friday evening 23rd May. The course consisted of two laps with the start and finish at Naas Racecourse. It was described as consisting of rolling hills and a few drags, but what went up came down. Very heavy rain before the start cooled temperatures but left the road surface greasy after the recent long dry spell. The finishing straight came past the main stand, which added to the post-race atmosphere with plenty of refreshments for the 340 finishers at the prize presentation in the main function room afterwards. Three athletes from Mullingar Harriers made the trip. The ever-consistent Mary Stuart had another accomplished run, winning her category by several minutes in a very good time of 33:06. Marie Louise Johnston had a very competitive race in her category, holding off stiff opposition to come home first in her category with a time of 37:03. Joan Hickson used the race as a tempo run, helping her preparation for a number of longer races in the next few months, and was pleased with a finishing time of 37:53 [MO’S].

Bob Heffernan & Mary Hanley 5k

The annual Bob Heffernan & Mary Hanley 5k road race took place on Tuesday 20th May, on a warm but wet evening over a fast flat course on roads around the Kildare village of Johnstownbridge. This race always attracts a quality field and this year was no exception as nearly 700 athletes chased fast times. Mullingar Harriers had 20 participants in the race and they were led home by Vinny Connolly who was always in contention throughout the race, finishing in sixth place overall with a time of 14:49.

Dan Morris and Ian McCormack were the next two Mullingar athletes home, both running strongly to finish in 15:29 and 15:37, respectively. They were followed by James Keegan who clocked 16:00, Kris Foster (16:06), Kedagh Geoghegan (16:43) and Enda Seery (17:40).

Sinead Whitelaw was Mullingar’s first woman, finishing in 18:04. Thomas Gilligan (19:12), Dara O’Shea (19:23), Tom Byrne (19:37), Padraig Beglin (19:46) and Dean Keogh (19:49) all ran well throughout the course to finish in under 20 minutes. Other Mullingar athletes who ran on the evening included Aeilish McGovern (20:11), Fiona Fagan (21:11), Niamh Doherty (21:12), Joseph Doherty (21:13), Conor Corcoran (21:22), Linda Cunningham (21:23) and Laura Fitzpatrick (21:45) [SW].

European Race Walking Team Championships

The bi-annual European Team Racewalking Championships were held in the beautiful spa town of Podebrady, close to Prague in Czechia on Sunday 18th May.

Starting at 7am with the Senior 35k, it was a long day of non-stop racewalking with the elite of Europe pushing to the limit with one eye on World Championship qualification in September. In the Senior Men 35k we witnessed the unique experience of a new World record and in the Senior Women equivalent there was a great battle between the current Champion and a previous Champion.

Aisling Lane made her Senior International Debut in the Senior Women 20k. At 19 years old of age, Aisling was facing the tough challenge of competing in an event where athletes tend to reach their peak from their mid-twenties onwards. Aisling competed hard and held a very respectable pace to 5k. At 10k she still had several International athletes behind her but found the going extremely tough from there on. However, she showed true determination and battled on to the finish and had the satisfaction of finishing 31st of 34 starters. In this, the 50th anniversary year of Mullingar Harriers, Aisling has the satisfaction of becoming the 7th female Club member to progress all the way up to Senior International level, having worn the green of Ireland multiple times at underage level. Once she has recovered from this almost twelve and half mile ordeal, she can then focus on completing her qualification for the European u/23 Championships in Norway in July.

The Senior Men 20k included the youthful but experienced Matthew Glennon. Matthew held a consistent pace through 5k and on to 10k, which he reached in a little over 45 minutes. However, recent hamstring trouble came back to haunt him and so his technique suffered. The top tier International judges noted this and unfortunately this resulted in him being shown the feared red disc and he was forced to retire. Being positive, Matthew has immediately turned his attention to getting this problem cleared so that he too can focus on achieving the second qualification time that he needs for the European u/23 Championships at 10k.

In addition to the Team Championship races, the day before there was a series of open support events also held on the same course. At his own expense Matthew’s younger brother Andrew Glennon made the long journey to Podebrady under his own steam; a great example of commitment and dedication. Despite having some recent injury setbacks, Andrew gave a great account of himself and finished well up in 6th place in the u/23 Men 10k in a time of 45:50 and was delighted to also get the all clear from the judges. Well done Andrew [ML].

Fastlane Half Marathon

The Fastlane Half Marathon was held on Sunday 18th May on the banks of the Grand Canal in Dublin. Among the 962 runners, Mullingar Harriers was represented by Aideen Tansey, who described the conditions as very difficult with high temperatures and its impact on the ability of the runners to keep hydrated and able to manage their pace. Aideen eased off after the opening 3k but held her pace well overall to come home 3rd woman in a time of 1:37:13 [MO’S].

Ferbane 5k

Ferbane AC hosted the fifth round of the Healthy Offaly 5k series, the Ferbane 5k, on Sunday morning 18th May. It was a glorious day of sunshine and the temperature was already heading towards 20degC as the 271 runners headed out towards Ballycumber on a looped course. A few testing rolling hills had to be negotiated in the opening kilometre or so before the runners took a left down a tight country road where locals provided not only water stations, but one enthusiast had his power hose directed across the road to give some welcome cooling for the athletes. At the mid-point the race turned left again for the run back to the finish. A few more gentle hills ensured everyone had to battle to keep their time targets in check, before an 800m dash to the finish. Mullingar Harriers were represented by three runners. Aisling Corcoran, fresh from her exploits in the National 5k the morning before, was a clear winner of her master category in 19:56, Lorraine Claffey was pleased with her run, finishing in 23:30, with Michael O’Sullivan home in 25:27 [MO’S].

Athlone 10 Mile

UNREPORTED

Saturday 17th May

203 finishers

Steven Underwood 8th man (1:01:35), Kieran Dodrill 1st in master category (1:09:24), Orla Gillespie 4th woman, 1st in master category (1:13:37), John Long (1:13:38), Nollaig McEntegart (1:16:02), John McNamara (1:17:43), Dean Keogh (1:19:23)

National 5k

The first instalment of the Athletics Ireland Race Series 2025, the National 5k, was held in the Phoenix Park early on Saturday morning 17th May where Mullingar Harriers had a fine representation of 12 athletes ready to compete alongside just over 2,100 others. In very hot and balmy conditions, Andrew Nevin had the honour of leading the Mullingar squad home and powered to a fine time of 16:01. Next to finish was Eddie Lynch with a strong run in 18:26, securing himself a National silver medal in his master category. Aisling Corcoran, capitalising on her recent impressive racing form, led the ladies team home in a fast 19:50 and was delighted to take her first individual National medal, a bronze, in her master category. Battling hard together for the team placings were Mary Stuart (20:22), silver in her master category and Criona Reid (20:23) so close to the medals in fourth place. Also running well were Aeilish McGovern (20:44) fourth place in her category, missing bronze by just six seconds, Patrick Muldoon (21:43) and Linda Cunningham (22:13). Brigid McCabe (24:22) brought home the National bronze medal in her master category and Michelle O’Halloran battled hard in the sweltering heat to finish in 25:21. Nicky McCabe (25.49) had a top five placing in his master category, with Lisa McEntee (27:08) completing the Mullingar group. When the team results were announced, the very strong master women team of Aisling, Mary and Criona placed 1st Club, and can be very proud of their performances [LC].

Leinster & Munster Schools T&F

Mullingar Harriers will have eight athletes competing at the All-Ireland Schools T&F Finals in Tullamore in two weeks following some excellent performances at the Leinster Schools T&F held in Tullamore on Monday 12th and Tuesday 13th May and at the Munster Schools T&F held in MTU Cork on Saturday 17th May.

In the Leinsters, successfully qualifying was Ailbhe O’Farrell (St. Finian’s College) who placed third in the Senior 1,500m steeplechase, Conor Walsh (Colaiste Mhuire) with a brilliant run in the Intermediate 3,000m to finish second, and the Glennon brothers representing St. Finian’s College showed their class in the walks, as Gareth came second in a close finish in the Junior 1,200m walk, Daniel finished second in the Intermediate 2,000m walk and John simply dominated the Senior 3,000m walk to win by a long way. Oisin Clarke (Colaiste Mhuire) kept with the leading pack right from the start of the Junior 800m and with 300m to go surged to the front and made his long run for home. Even though he was caught and passed on the home straight, he had done more than enough to finish comfortably second in a new personal best of 2:09. Lily Walsh (Loreto College) was never really troubled and secured a terrific Leinster double, adding the Junior 1,500m title to the cross country title she won earlier this year. Our final qualifier was Eleanor Kiernan (Ursuline Thurles) who led the u/16 mile for three laps at the Munsters and though overtaken on the final lap, she battled back to win by almost two seconds in a new Championship record of 5:14.44.

Also competing in Leinster but not advancing to the All-Ireland finals was Oisin Kehoe (St. Finian’s College) who was very unfortunate to hit a barrier in the Intermediate 1,500m steeplechase, injuring himself and though he bravely carried on he was clearly hampered and finished out of the top three places. With only two to qualify in the sprints, Kyle Faherty (Colaiste Mhuire) just missed out in the Senior 200m with third place in a very close finish. Conor Liston and Jamie Wallace (Colaiste Mhuire) contested the Senior 800m, Matthew Molloy (St. Finian’s College) the Senior 5,000m, Liadan Gavin (St. Joseph’s Rochfortbridge) the Minor 500m but finished out of the qualifying places. Donnacha Doyle (Colaiste Mhuire) recorded a PB of 1.40m in the Minor high jump but it wasn’t enough to finish in the top three. Aoibhe Martyn (Loreto College) just missed out in the Minor long jump with a fourth place finish, and finally, Kyle Faherty, Conor Liston and Jamie Wallace were part of the Colaiste Mhuire that placed third in the Senior 4x400m relay [GD].

Midland Inter-County Juvenile T&F Match

There’s only a few opportunities for our younger members to take part in T&F competitions, so on Friday evening 16th May the Midland Inter-County Juvenile T&F Match between Laois, Offaly, Westmeath and Longford in Tullamore was an ideal event, particularly for our youngest members. A big squad of over 60 girls and boys from Mullingar Harriers aged 8 to 13 years joined over 350 other girls and boys drawn from Clubs across the midland counties and competed in brilliant sunshine on a lovely warm evening. For many of the Mullingar squad, this was their first time to compete in Tullamore, where we hope many will return in June to compete in the Leinster Juvenile T&F.

This is always a very popular event and we were delighted to see so many compete for Mullingar and maroon and white was very prominent throughout the evening. The young Mullingar athletes certainly enjoyed it and gave great accounts with lots of them visiting the medal podium during the evening, some more than once, winning lots of medals between them. This was a step up from the event we held at our own track the week before that was confined to our own members, but in Tullamore even though the standard of competition was higher the emphasis was still very much on fun and participation and just having a go at different events such as sprint, middle distance, shot put and javelin. As an indication of the fun element of the event, the evening started with the relays and if a Club didn’t have enough in an age group for a team of 4, they could simply join in with athletes from other Clubs to make up a team, which several from Mullingar did and many were delighted to win medals too. We hope it encourages everyone to compete in the Leinster T&F at the same Tullamore venue in June.

Thanks to the Offaly Athletics and to Tullamore Harriers for organising and hosting the event, and to the parents and coaches that attended to ensure our youngsters could take part and enjoy themselves. Particular thanks also to our own coaches and parents that volunteered to help on the night as officials. Without such help, an event like this just can’t happen. As a measure of the success of the evening, Offaly Athletics is already planning another event in July [GD].

MHAC Spring Juvenile T&F Meeting

We were absolutely blessed with perfect weather on Sunday morning 11th May when we held the third edition of the Mullingar Harriers Juvenile Spring T&F Meeting. In glorious sunshine, our younger members aged 8 to 15 years had an ideal opportunity to compete in a sprint, middle distance, long jump, turbo javelin, or javelin, and we also had an u/16 girls mile and u/16 boys mile, with trophies to be won, which should give our younger members something to aspire to competing for in the years ahead.

About 160 youngsters competed in 50 events, so it was very busy from the start, but thanks to great assistance from a big team of coaches and parents, everything went to plan and everyone got to compete in the events they wished to do. This was a great opportunity for our younger members to take part in track and field competition and introduce newcomers in particular to the ins and outs of competition, including assembly and check in at the start line, waiting in lane or in line at the finish for results to be recorded, and even attending a medal ceremony when called. We hope they gained from the experience and also learned that the officials at any competition, not just this one, are there to help the athletes to take part and enjoy the event and there is nothing to fear in taking part.

Medals won or not, the youngsters had fun and will have learned a lot about T&F competitions, which we hope will encourage them to compete over the coming season. Thanks to those that brought buns, cakes and other goodies and of course to Carol Liston and Emily Wallace who manned the refreshment table and looked after the catering needs of the thirsty and hungry athletes, coaches, officials and parents.

A big thank you to the parents for taking the time to bring their children to the event and staying to provide great vocal support and encouragement, to Michael Lane for arranging the medals, to all the children for taking part, but a very special thanks to Colm Walsh who put in many hours of preparation in the days leading up to the event to make it a success [GD].

Ashling Murphy 4 Mile

The town of Tullamore provided a tremendous atmosphere with the running of the Ashling Murphy 4 Mile race on Sunday morning 11th May, when just under 900 runners completed the course, in addition to well over 100 walkers. There was musical entertainment at the start and finish, as well as at each of the mile markers, and a huge crowd lined the route, adding to the festive occasion.

The race took runners from the centre of the town out past O’Connor Park and the Hospital, with a stiff climb to get past the first half mile before levelling off and turning into and through the roads parallel to the industrial parks, and on past 2 miles before heading across residential areas where large crowds and music playing adding to the atmosphere. The 3 mile mark was reached and the traditional musicians off the roundabout gave of their best and encouraged the runners as the course headed steeply upwards towards and past the rail station, before turning left back towards the town. A nice downward final 400m gave runners an opportunity to pick off places in the race for category prizes.

Kieran Nolan was the first Mullingar runner home in 24:38, followed by Eddie Lynch in 24:40, taking first place in his category. Orlaith Flanagan had a superb race and was delighted to place third woman in a time of 25:05, with her training partner Jason McKevitt holding on to come in with 25:18. Aisling Corcoran took the top prize in her category with 25:50, as did Mary Stuart in her category with 26:25. John Long finished in 26:37, Zane Smukste in 28:33, Caroline Mullen in 29:12, with Claire Lennon Gavin home in 31:32. Brigid McCabe had a very steady run to take second in her category in 31:59, and Kelly Dunne ran a fine time of 32:18. Michael O’Sullivan finished in 34:12, and Nicky McCabe won his category with 34:52 [MO’S].

Donegal Masters T&F

UNREPORTED

Lifford Strabane AC, Sunday 11th May

Aidan O’Donoghue (Javelin) Silver

Irish Milers Club

UNREPORTED

Mary Peters Track, Belfast, Saturday 10th May

1,500m International – Cormac Dalton 3:42.38; Jack O’Leary 3:45.12

800m A – Colin P Smith 1:50.52; Eoin Quinn 1:51.51

1,500m A – Colin D Smith 3:51.85; Jamie Wallace 4:00.49

1,500m B – John Ryan 4:00.80

3,000m B – Ross Killalea 8:55.56

3,000m Women – Claire Fagan 9:29.25

Leixlip 5k

A small number of Harriers athletes made their way to Leixlip on Friday evening 9th May to join nearly 290 others for the Leixlip 5k road race, hosted by Le Cheile AC. The race took place in warm and sunny conditions, and the course looped around the town, with the finish on the club’s excellent all-weather track, followed by a fine spread of refreshments in the club house after the race, where the prizes were presented.

Alan Crowley was very competitive in his category and only in the final run in on the track had to forego a podium place, finishing fourth in his category, but very pleased to get under the 17 minute mark, with a time of 16:50. Sinead Whitelaw and Susan Glennon were always in contention in the ladies race from the gun and pushed each other on throughout the race, eventually just missing out on podium places, finishing in fourth and fifth place respectively, Sinead clocking 17:51 and Susan achieving a great new PB of 18:02. Michelle O’Halloran continued her steady progress back to full fitness and was pleased with her finishing time of 24:11 [SW/MO’S].

West of Ireland Women’s Mini Marathon

The annual West of Ireland Women’s Mini Marathon took place in Castlebar, Co Mayo on Sunday morning 4th May with over 2,200 ladies taking to the streets in this 10k female-only event. Sinead Whitelaw was delighted to be back home in Mayo for the event, along with her daughter Sophie Whitelaw. Sophie completed the “Mini-mini marathon”, a 2k fun run in which 800 children ran through the town. The main 10k race went out very fast, with top Irish juvenile athlete, Freya Renton from Westport AC, leading from the gun and she continued with this pace to cruise home to victory. Sinead put in a good performance, running with a chasing pack of 5 athletes for the first 5k along the hilly route, eventually finishing in sixth position in 39:20 [SW].

Leinster Novice & Masters Road Championships

A squad of 22 athletes from Mullingar Harriers travelled to Gowran, Co. Kilkenny on Saturday afternoon 3rd May for the Leinster Novice & Masters Road Championships. The weather was absolutely perfect for racing and everyone could stay outside near the finish area in the lovely afternoon sunshine to cheer others on in every race. The course in Gowran is made up of 1,500m laps, with a downhill start followed by a gradual long climb, an excellent course for a Championship race. Gowran AC again proved excellent hosts for the event with every facility provided, including a large hall for registration, bag drop and medal presentation, toilets, public address, lead car, lots of race marshals and stewards, and plenty of refreshments after. After four excellent competitive races, Mullingar won 4 individual masters medals, 1 individual novice medal, 3 sets of Club team medals and 3 sets of County team medals, excellent results for the Club.

The first race was the Master Women 3,000m, covering two laps. Finishing well up overall to lead the Mullingar team home was Aisling Corcoran (winning bronze in her category), followed by Caroline Mullen (4th in her category, narrowly missing a medal) and Brigid McCabe (winning her category). The team was delighted to finish 3rd Club. Thanks to a great performance by Anna Marie O’Dowd (Athlone AC) finishing between Aisling and Caroline, the icing on the cake was that Westmeath finished 1st County too.

Always the biggest race of these Championships, over 80 men lined up for the Master Men 6,000m. With 4 laps of the course, everyone got plenty of encouragement as they passed the finish area. Having the honour of leading the Mullingar men home was James Keegan (winning silver in his category), followed by Steven Underwood, Eddie Lynch (winning bronze his category), Kieran Nolan (4th in his category, narrowly missing a medal), Jason McKevitt and Nicky McCabe (4th in his category, narrowly missing a medal). Great racing by all but unfortunately no team medals were won.

Sharon O’Dowd and Linda Cunningham had entered the master women race but knowing they had no team in their age group, they selflessly opted to run the Novice Women 3,000m race instead, which gave Mullingar a team. Always in touch with the leading group, Susan Glennon went into the second lap in third place. Digging deep in the closing stages she pulled clear of the chasing pack and stormed through to a terrific third place finish to win the individual Leinster novice bronze. Attention then turned to her team mates and with strong finishes from Orlaith Flanagan and Sharon O’Dowd, and with Linda Cunningham working hard all the way and providing the vital fourth score for the team, the women were absolutely delighted to finish 3rd Club and 3rd County, adding nicely to the team medal haul for Mullingar.

The final race of the afternoon was the Novice Men 6,000m where Mullingar was always to the fore throughout the four lap race. The lead group gradually whittled down but Mullingar remained in good numbers. With a terrific last lap and sprint finish Dan Morris raced to an excellent 5th place, and with Ian McCormack close behind in 7th, Kris Foster (9th) and Paul O’Reilly finishing strongly to provide the vital fourth score, it was little surprise that the Mullingar men finished 1st Club by a good margin, winning the Club title that Mullingar has now won for four years in a row. With great team support and packing from Kedagh Geoghegan, Mark Ronan, Kieran Dodrill,  Conleth Mullen and Barry White, the men finished 2nd County, nicely capping off a great afternoon for Mullingar, and leaving everyone in high spirits for the long journey home [GD].

Irish Milers Club

UNREPORTED

TU Clonmel, Saturday 3rd May

3,000m B – Ross Killalea 9:07.19 (7th of 10)

800m A – Eoin Quinn 1:52.61 (4th of 9); Colin P Smith 1:53.14 (5th of 9)

1,500m B – Jamie Wallace 3:57.07 (8th of 14)

1,500m A – Colin D Smith 3:53.21 (10th of 14)

Dublin Graded Meeting #1

UNREPORTED

Santry, Saturday 3rd May

Jessica Cunningham 800m (C) 2:29.73

APRIL

Westmeath Road Championships

This year, the Westmeath Road Championships were staged on the Greenway, utilising the Park Run route. In splendid sunshine on Wednesday evening 30th April, over 70 athletes took part. The organisers, led by Philip Burke and Joanna Tyrrell, made excellent provision for the warm conditions, with plenty of water stations throughout the course and at the finish area. All the runners remarked afterwards on the intensity of the heat, so plenty of water was taken on board during the race and again at the finish.

In the race itself, Kevin Moore stamped his authority on proceedings from the early stages and coming around to the finish area for the first time he had opened a gap of more than 30 seconds on the chasing pack. Heading out on the longer 5k loop, he continued to increase his lead. Just Eoin Clarke and Alan Crowley from the chasing pack could keep him in their sights. Kevin came home in a fine time of 27:25 to take the gold medal in the senior men race. Eoin got the better of Alan in a tight finish securing silver in 28:58, with Alan taking the bronze in 29:03. The ladies race saw Orlaith Flanagan continue her impressive season taking the ladies’ title. Criona Reid took silver, and the bronze medal went to Aisling Corcoran.

In the master categories, there were many intriguing battles for Championship honours. In the M35 category, Stephen Underwood took gold, James Keegan, who held back a little given the Leinster Championship’s in Gowran were a priority, still had enough to pick up silver. Leona Behan won the F35 category, finishing strongly and very satisfied with a best for the 8k distance. In the F40 category, Fiona Fagan held off the strong finish of Laura Fitzpatrick to take top spot with Kate Plunkett delighted to be heading home with the bronze medal. The M40 category saw gold going to Enda Seery, recording a best for the distance. Darren Carroll picked up the silver medal with Thomas Gilligan taking bronze. Orla Gillespie took gold in the F45 event, where in a great battle for the second spot, Linda Cunningham held off Aine O’Reilly for the silver medal. Kieran Nolan was a clear winner of the M45 race followed home by Brian Collentine with Mark Dunne picking up his first Westmeath Championship medal with bronze. Mary Goldsberry (Coralstown Kinnegad AC) pushed the pace strongly and was rewarded with gold in the F50 category, and in the men’s equivalent, Gerard Gavin was an impressive winner, followed home by James Cribben with Mick Fagan picking up bronze. Emer O’Hanlon took gold in the F55 category with Caroline Mullen picking up silver. In the men’s equivalent, Mel Carty (Coralstown Kinnegad AC) showed well throughout the race to take gold, it was silver for Michael Purdue and Mark Cunningham (Lakeside Wheelers) was delighted to take home the bronze medal. We had a strong field in the M60 race, where Eddie Lynch took gold from Jim Whelehan (Coralstown Kinnegad AC) in second and Paul Ginnell came through for bronze. John Bannon in M65 and the timeless Sean McMullin in the M70 category won gold in their respective categories, both adding to a long list of Westmeath Championship medals over the years.

The full results are available HERE, where athletes can compare times, especially between training partners, given the large number of masters who took part and who on most Wednesday evenings are training together at the Club grounds. A special word for Kieran Dodrill, who swapped his runners for a role as timekeeper and results co-ordinator on the evening. With Kieran’s work, we were able to quickly compile results at the end to allow delighted winners head home with their medals.

Westmeath Civil Defence provided very valuable assistance and while their expertise was not called into action on the evening, they are always available to Mullingar Harriers when we stage events, and are ever helpful to athletes, stewards and spectators in ensuring a safe event [MO’S].

Rhode 5k

The Rhode 5k, the fourth round of the Healthy Offaly 5k series was held on Sunday morning 27th April. A field of 334 runners descended on the Offaly town in overcast but dry conditions. The runners faced a stiff headwind over the opening 2k or so, before turning right to run parallel with the Grand Canal for just over 1k and then turning back on to the well packed gravel canal path. The changing landscape to the left showing the emerging wind turbines on the cutaway bogs in contrast to the stillness of the canal, but not too many runners could really enjoy the scenery before emerging back onto the road with just 800m to run. Seven of the 19 strong Mullingar Harriers contingent were up front all through the race and in the final push for the finish line it was Vinny Connolly who showed his class coming home a clear winner in 15:28, with Dan Morris 3rd in 15:44, Kevin Moore 5th in 16:12 and the men’s Club Captain Ian McCormack 6th in 16:17 to complete the Mullingar men team that comfortably finished 1st Club.

James Keegan was next home in 16:18, followed by Kris Foster (16:47), just ahead of Paul O’Reilly (16:49) 2nd in his master category. Mark Ronan ran 17:37 with Enda Seery coming home in 18:16. Unfortunately Eddie Newman had to pull up with a muscle twinge mid-way through the race, Eddie Lynch was a clear winner in his master category in 18:49, but Jason McKevitt just missed a podium finish in his master category coming home in 19:13, as did Kieran Nolan with a finishing time of 19:28. Conleth Mullen with 19:57 was the 14th runner from Mullingar Harriers to come home in sub-20 minutes. Aisling Corcoran won her master category with 20:07, followed by Dean Keogh (20:12), Joe Curley (20:36) and Maura Dervin (21:02) winning her master category, followed by Michael O’Sullivan finishing in 26:46 [MO’S].

Connemara Ultra & Half Marathon

The annual Connemara Half Marathon on Sunday morning 27th April took place along with an Ultra Marathon and a Marathon. Staged in the dramatic setting of mountains, glacier lakes and a rugged green-brown landscape in wind and rain around the challenging mountain wilderness of Connemara, it was not for the faint hearted. The course meandered past bogs, hills, lakes, and the Twelve Pin mountains rising up over the great expanse of Killary Lough, through the quiet village of Leenane, around the Maam Turk Mountains and all the way back up to Maam Cross.

Ciaran Mulkerrins and Brendan Rice braved the elements first as they took part in the Ultramarathon, in a total field of 167 runners. 64k through hills, valleys and varying terrain in wind and constant rain, 150 saw it through to the finish. Ciaran had a terrific effort holding a top 10 position for much of the race and eventually finishing 13th in an excellent time of 5 hours 39 minutes 5 seconds, having gone through the marathon distance in 3 hours 40 minutes. Brendan battled through, finishing in 7 hours 27 minutes 47 seconds, averaging 7 minutes per kilometre in the most difficult conditions imaginable and while exhausted, was very pleased with his run.

Eight athletes from Mullingar Harriers toed the line for the Half Marathon among over 1,400 others. Despite the very difficult weather conditions, all expressed satisfaction in braving the difficult elements. First home was Caroline Mullen in 1:54:00, followed by Martin Mullen (1:56:57). Terri Greene came through the finish line in 2:04:27 with Ray Smyth home in 2:10:23, followed by Joanna Tyrrell (2:12:57), Pauline Troy (2:14:38), Sorcha Hennessy Silke (2:16:37) and Michelle Kavanagh (2:30:21) [MO’S].

London Marathon

The 45th staging of the London Marathon on Sunday morning 27th April saw a huge field of over 57,000 runners take to the city streets and roads around central London, a record number in any city marathon in the World. Among them was Declan Costello who had endure very warm conditions and was very pleased to finish in 4:35:10 [MO’S].

Longford Royal Canal Festival of Running

The Royal Canal at Longford was the venue for a Festival of Running on Saturday morning 26th April. On a 5.2k loop with a combination of tarmac and gravel surfaces along the canal banks, an 53k Ultramarathon, a traditional Marathon, a Half Marathon and a 10k were held. It was a dry but overcast morning, and with little breeze, temperatures rose as the morning progressed. The well stocked feeding stations with water and fruit were a great support for the athletes.

In the Half Marathon, wife and husband partnership of Niamh Doherty and Joe Doherty ran steadily together throughout. In a field of 221 runners, Niamh was aiming for a sub 1 hour 40 minutes, and with the support of Joe was pleased to come home in 1:39:26, with Joe finishing in 1:39:34.

In the 10k race, 340 runners took part. Among them were Evan McCormack who was always in the leading group and while having to let two of those move away from him in the last kilometre, he was pleased with 3rd place in 38:23. Mick Fagan had a fine run just off the leaders and came through for 5th place in 40:09. Mary Stuart continued her regular racing schedule and came home 15th overall, 4th woman to finish, in 43:16. Grainne Feely was next home for Mullingar Harriers in 46:31, and Aisling Farrell (46:47) and Joan Hickson (48:02) were also pleased with their performances [MO’S].

“Battle of Clontarf” 10 Mile (incorp. Athletics Leinster 10 Mile)

The “Battle of Clontarf” 10 Mile Race, which incorporated the Athletics Leinster 10 Mile Championship, took place on Easter Monday, 21st April. Hosted by Raheny Shamrock AC, St. Anne’s Park was once again the scenic location for this annual event. Over 360 competitors took to the start line in ideal racing conditions and Mullingar Harriers had a fine representation of 12 athletes in contention for medals. Alan Crowley had the signal honour of leading the Mullingar squad home in a time of 61:28, followed by Eddie Newman in 61:43, winning the Leinster gold medal in his master category, then Eoin Clarke in 61:59 and Evan McCormack recording 64:46. Criona Reid led the women’s team home in 69:24, earning herself a Leinster silver medal in her master category. Following closely was Patrick Muldoon (69:42), Aideen Tansey making her 10 mile debut in a fine time of 69:52 and Eva McMorrow Byrne (72:28) delighted with a huge personal best for the distance. Providing what would prove to be a crucial score for the men’s team, Barry White finished strong in 75:15. Next to finish was Linda Cunningham (77:49), followed by Caroline Mullen (79:43) and Gemma Kelly (80: 22) providing a vital scorer for the women’s team. While we could celebrate the individual medals won by Eddie and Criona, it was very close for Eoin, Aideen and Eva who all placed fourth in their respective master categories.

When the team scores were sorted, the master women team of Criona, Eva and Linda finished 1st Club and the master men team of Alan, Eddie and Eoin came close, finishing 4th Club, just out of the medals places. With strength in numbers and six to score on County teams, when all our athlete’s scores were combined, both the women team and the men team finished a very impressive 3rd Senior County, so everyone from Mullingar earned Leinster medals for their efforts. These were superb results over a demanding, twisting course and we look forward to the Leinster Novice and Masters Road Championships in Gowran on the upcoming May Bank Holiday week-end [LC].

Roscommon Harriers 5k Series – Night 3

The annual Roscommon Harriers 5k series taking place each Friday evening in April, reached the third night on Good Friday 18th April when 80 runners participated in the race run around the town, starting and finishing in the town centre. Kedagh Geoghegan was in the leading group of runners all the way through and pushed on in the final kilometre to earn top podium position, winning in a time of 17:25. Maura Dervin had a very solid race and finished 16th overall in 21:18, winning her masters category.

Streets of Kilkenny 5k

The marble city hosted almost 900 runners in the annual Streets of Kilkenny 5k on Holy Thursday evening 17th April. The event is run over two laps through the streets of the city on a flat course noted for fast times, and Kris Foster was happy with his run, finishing in a time of 16:18. A mark of the competitiveness of the race was to see 9 athletes finishing in sub-15 minutes and a further 26 coming in under the 16 minute mark.

European Running Championships

The inaugural European Running Championships were held in Belgium on Saturday 12th & Sunday 13th April and in a novel idea, recreational runners competed alongside the top athletes in combination mass participation and Championship races.

On Saturday morning, Jack O’Leary ran in the Open Half Marathon, where just over 8,600 runners lined up alongside the elite men and women of Europe. The race started very fast, and Jack went with the early pace, going through 5k in a swift 15:07. However, this proved too quick and as conditions got warmer and warmer, Jack wisely eased back a bit but still kept up a good pace and finishing strong in the closing stages, overtaking several others in the final kilometres, crossed the line in an excellent 29th place in an impressive 1:04:57. Of note is that most of those ahead of him were in the elite men race, so he more than showed he is at home at this level.

Cormac Dalton is no stranger to International competition and he was part of the Irish team in the Elite Men 10,000m where the elite men and women were joined by just over 4,600 recreation runners. Putting in a great performance, Cormac was the top Irish finisher, 24th place in 28:49, not as quick as his 28:33.92 on the track in California two weeks before, but an excellent time on the road [GD].

Clara 5k

The third race in the Healthy Offaly 5k series, the Clara 5k, was held around the town on Sunday morning 13th April. The event was held in bright sunshine, and while cooler than in the days leading up to the race, the light breeze gave perfect race conditions. The course took athletes on local roads around the outskirts of the town with the start and finish in the town centre and included a few testing hills. Among the 329 entrants was a strong contingent of 13 from Mullingar Harriers.

With our first four finishers placed 3rd, 4th, 5th and 6th, led home by with Dan Morris in third in 15:52, followed by James Keegan (16:25), Ian McCormack (16:28) and Johnny Morrissey (16:40), it was no surprise that the Mullingar quartet were winners of the men team prize for 1st Club. John Glennon ran a very strong race and was just pipped in the finishing straight but satisfied with second place in the u/20 men race in 17:45, just ahead of Enda O’Carolan in 17:47 to take third in his master category. Eddie Newman returned to winning ways with 18:01 to secure victory in his master category. Next in was Enda Seery in 18:03, showing great consistency in recent races, and is sure to dip under eighteen minutes very soon. Jason McKevitt had a fine run coming home in 18:50, just ahead of Orlaith Flanagan in 18:56, second senior woman. Kieran Nolan (19:00), Declan Claffey (19:13) and Sharon O’Dowd (20:18), third senior woman, were the other participants from Mullingar Harriers [MO’S].

Great Ireland Run 10k

At the Great Ireland Run 10k in the Phoenix Park on Sunday morning 13th April, Michelle O’Halloran was our only competitor in a field of over 2,400 runners. The race was run in bright but cool conditions across a relatively flat course and Michelle was very satisfied with her time of 51:57 [MO’S].

Wexford Half Marathon

UNREPORTED

Sunday 13th April

Lisa McEntee 2:13:36, (nearly 1,500 finishers)

Irish Universities T&F, Santry

UNREPORTED

Friday 11th April

10,000m final – Ross Killalea (DCU) 7th, Andy Nevin (TUS) 8th

Saturday 12th April

1,500m walk – Aisling Lane (UG) Gold

3,000m walk – Matthew Glennon (DCU) Gold, Andrew Glennon (TUS) Bronze

3,000m steeplechase – Andy Nevin (TUS) 11th

5,000m – Andy Nevin (TUS) 20th

Roscommon Harriers AC 5k Series – Race 2

UNREPORTED

Friday 11th April

Eddie Lynch  18:49 (7th of 116 finishers), 1st in master category

Berlin Half Marathon

Andy Nevin went to Berlin on Sunday 6th April in the hope of breaking the 70 minute barrier at the Berlin Half Marathon. Andy went out right on pace, going through 10k in 33:10, but just couldn’t sustain the effort in the closing stages and he slowly drifted off pace to finish in 1:11:11, well up in 113th place of the huge entry of nearly 41,000 in the race. Although he fell short of his pre-race target, he was delighted to bank another impressive half marathon. Andy said that the atmosphere in the race was brilliant and it has spurred him on for the summer ahead and he is looking forward to further races [IMcC].

Banagher 5k

The second race in the Healthy Offaly 5k series, the Banagher 5k, was held around the town on Sunday morning 6th April. Nearly 500 completed the event in bright sunshine with Mullingar Harriers well represented by John Glennon seventh overall in 16:18, first u/20 man, Enda O’Carolan (17:05), Mark Ronan (17:15), Eddie Lynch (17:52) first in his master category, Eddie Newman (17:56) second in his master category and Orlaith Flanagan with a significant personal best of 18:41 for the distance, first senior woman to finish. In the team results, John, Enda, Mark and Eddie Lynch combined to finish 3rd Club [MO’S].

Westport Half Marathon

The annual Westport road races over the marathon, half marathon and 10k distances took place in the county Mayo town on Saturday 5th April. On a wonderful bright and sunny morning, a total field of 2,500 athletes were signalled off together, which made for a spectacular scene in the town centre. Athletes were brought on a looped route out of the town before the different races split into alternative routes on the local roads. The Half Marathon had nearly 1,400 finishers including three from Mullingar Harriers, Paul McCool Junior (1:29:18), Kieran Dodrill (1:38:56) and Rachel Killalea (1:41:53), all expressing satisfaction with the course and the organisation, with plenty of water stations and a variety of refreshments at the end of the race [MO’S].