Q1, 2020 News & Reports – January to March

MARCH

Stay home, stay safe (29th March)

Many younger members of the club and wider community might be under the false impression that they are somehow immune from COVID-19 but the RTE 6 o’clock news on Friday evening 27th March showed hospital staff in Italy treating an 18 year old in intensive care, so our younger members need to take just as much care of themselves as older adults. Abide by the public health message of washing hands, cough or sneeze into your elbow, avoid touching eyes nose and mouth with unwashed hands, and especially important, distance yourself from other people by at least two metres; stay home, only go out if necessary or to exercise within 2km of home.

The community notice boards around Mullingar are empty, as is the athletics fixture list for the foreseeable future. The latest fixture casualties include the All-Ireland Juvenile Indoors, which are now cancelled, not just postponed, and will not be held in 2020, the World Race Walking Championships in Belarus are postponed, the World u/20 T&F in Kenya is postponed, and the European u/18 T&F in Italy will not be held this year, but no decision has been made if it will be held in 2021. We still can’t say at this point how many more events will be either postponed or cancelled and it remains a very fluid situation and we just don’t know what the fixture list is going to look like in the weeks and months ahead, so everyone should be on a maintenance type of training plan.

The club grounds and clubhouse remain closed until after Easter, though that could be extended, so listen to announcements from Government on whether the period of closure is to be extended or not. Our website www.mullingarharriers.com and Facebook page will also have updates. There is also plenty that can be done indoors, so check the club and the Athletics Ireland website or Facebook pages for ideas on indoor exercises, strength and conditioning routines etc. If training outdoors, remember that you must now keep within 2km of home, train alone (unless with other household members) and please remember to respect the social distancing guidelines and keep at least two metres apart from other walkers or runners you might meet on your run.

It’s interesting to see how some of Ireland’s elite athletes are adapting their training to the new reality. Thomas Barr can no longer train at the University of Limerick, as the track is closed, so had to find alternative places to train and Phil Healy has taken up residence in Curracloe, Co. Wexford and trains on the beach! Just use your imagination. Perhaps you can train on a local field or pitch (if open), the Old Rail Trail, Royal Canal towpath, or the open space in a housing estate, if any of these are close to home.

With obviously no reports on competitions this week, we can look back to this time last year and see what was in the news for Mullingar Harriers. Sadly there’ll be no All-Ireland Juvenile Indoors this year, but last year our juveniles were in brilliant form winning 13 medals – 4 gold, 6 silver and 3 bronze, and another 3 finished just out of the medals in fourth place. All-Ireland titles were won by Matthew Glennon (1,500m walk u/17), Sarah Glennon (1,500m walk u/19), Matthew Molloy (600m u/12) and Conor Liston (600m u/13). At the inaugural Dunboyne 10k, our adult women team of Aine O’Reilly, Elizabeth Carr, Michelle Bohan, Michelle O’Halloran and Emer Foley finished first Club, building on excellent form shown during the earlier cross country season.

Finally, remember to please heed the public health messages about hand washing, cough or sneeze into your elbow, avoid touching eyes nose and mouth with unwashed hands, and distance yourself from other people by at least two metres. Stay safe, and stay home.

All Club activities suspended (13th March)

Athletics Ireland, as guided by HSE advice, has instructed that all athletic competitions and events are to be suspended. See HERE.

Therefore, all training at the Club Grounds and Gym is suspended until 29th March.

However, we encourage all our members to stay fit over this period by training at home. Guidance on training is available from your coach, so please get in touch with your coach if you have not done so already.

We are aware that many members were targeting races that are now cancelled. However, they will be rescheduled in due course and the fitness that you retain over the coming weeks will benefit you greatly on your return to racing.

We encourage all members to look out for each other over the coming days and weeks as the wonderful sense of community that exists in the Club can be a real help to all members.

National Masters Indoors

The trip to the AIT Arena was short but the journey to the National Indoor Masters T&F was long with many months of preparation for the Harriers who competed on Sunday 8th March.

In the Master Men Race Walk, Colm Walsh was the first Mullingar Harrier across the finish line winning his category and with that his first National victory. Showing no sign of having raced the National Senior 20k Race Walking Championships on Saturday where he finished fifth overall, Sean McMullin toed the line for the 3,000m Walk on Sunday with plenty of expectations, and duly delivered, winning his category and adding to his vast collection of National titles.

Gerard Gavin was fully focussed this time round for the 3,000m event and, keeping an eye closely on how the race unfolded, timed his finish perfectly moving in to third place with three laps to take home a National bronze medal. Pauric Brady was bolstered with confidence from his success at the Provincial championships in the 1,500m race but was unfortunate to finish outside the medals on this occasion.

Inter-Varsity Cross Country

The IUAA Inter-Varsity Cross Country Championships were hosted by University College Cork on Saturday 7th March and Mullingar Harriers were well represented in both races. The course was quite flat, but the windy conditions tested the resolve of the athletes.

In the girls 5,000m event, Claire Fagan ran an excellent race to finish second and lead her team Dublin City University to second place. Next club finisher was Andrea Brady in the colours of AIT closely followed by Aoife Darby for DCU. On the men’s side, Cormac Dalton ran a very strong and controlled race to finish sixth for DCU. His teammate, Euan Lagan also had his strongest cross country race to date and both can take great satisfaction in being part of the winning team.

This is the final cross country race of the season so all will now focus on the upcoming track season and some road races.

All-Ireland Schools Cross Country

Mullingar Harriers AC had a total of 25 athletes running in the Schools All-Ireland Cross Country on Saturday 7th March in Santry Park, Dublin, on a dry day with strong headwind and good underfoot conditions considering the recent rain.

First race of the day was the Minor Girls where the club had eight athletes making up two teams from two secondary schools; Mercy Kilbeggan with club members Adele Geoghegan, Leah Geoghegan, Morgan Corcoran and Ellen Daly plus Emma Murphy and Emma O’Brien making up the team; and Loreto College, Mullingar, with club members Grace Byrne, Jessica Cunningham, Síofra O’Halloran and Muireann Donohue. The race unfolded with Grace Byrne leading the charge, as she came home in a very strong third place finish for a place on the podium. The strong team running by each athlete resulted in history being made by Mercy Kilbeggan, as this was their first team to get to an All-Ireland Cross Country. To top off the day, the school won first team with Loreto Mullingar claiming the second team place. Second race of the day was the Minor Boys and the club had one athlete in Conor Sherwin, running for Coláiste Mhuire, Mullingar. Conor gave it his best, and while it was not to be for Conor on the day, he will have gained from the experience.

The Junior Girls category had club member Aisling Lane representing Mercy Ballymahon. Aisling had a solid run on the day and gained valuable experience. The Junior Boys category had five boys from the club representing Coláiste Mhuire, Mullingar with Ross Killalea, Adam Brady, John Ryan, Daire McDonald and Callum Costello together with Ben McGrath, Daire Hanna and Daniel Sweeney making up the team. The strong team running resulted in a fourth team place for Coláiste Mhuire, just outside the medals. Notably, only 20 points separated the top four teams.

The Intermediate Girls race had eight club members represented, with the Loreto, Mullingar team of Phoebe Bate, Meabh Killalea, Aoife McGouran, Caoimhe Donohue, Lucy Donnelly and Shauna Traynor taking part. Mercy Kilbeggan had Amy Geoghegan and Athlone CC had Bea Drummond. The race was very competitive from start to finish. Amy Geoghegan finished 12th and had a huge race but just missed a spot on the international team, and while disappointed, was happy with her run. Loreto Mullingar team were initially awarded 3rd Team then upgraded to 2nd Team, just one point ahead of 3rd Team. Phoebe Bate led Loreto, Mullingar home in 16th place with team mate Meabh Killalea storming home in 21st with Caoimhe Donohue in 47th. Lucy Donnelly, Shauna Traynor and Aoife McGouran also pushed through for the team. Bea Drummond for Athlone CC also had to dig deep and pushed through to finish in a very fast race.

Last race of the day was the Intermediate Boys, where club runner Diarmuid Fagan was running solo for Coláiste Mhuire. Diarmuid, who is young for the Intermediate Boys grade and has next year to compete again, stuck to his game plan from the start, putting himself in contention to gain a place in the Schools International Cross Country in Falkirk, Scotland. As the race unfolded, Diarmuid’s strong running throughout the race resulted in an 11th place finish (four were over age), which secured him a place on the Irish team. Also racing in Intermediate Boys was club member Lorcan Mullen, running for Cistercian College. Lorcan had a strong run and finished well; he’s improving in each race and growing in strength.

AAI National Senior Indoors

Taking place over two days on Saturday 29th February and Sunday 1st March, the AAI Senior Indoors at the National Indoor Arena in Abbotstown provided an excellent opportunity to see some of the best athletes in Ireland in action, among them a small number from Mullingar. As expected, winning medals at this level is extremely difficult but the Mullingar athletes competed with great determination.

With two heats of the men’s 3,000m on Saturday morning and only the first four and next four fastest finishers advancing to the final, Padraig Moran knew he had his work cut out, but going in the second heat, he knew what he had to do. He kept right in contention from the start and even though he had to drop back a bit over the final stages, he had enough done and enough left in the tank to secure a place in Sunday’s final. It is tough to run two 3,000m races in two days and Padraig gave it his best effort in the final on Sunday but despite a good race he finished out of the medal places but has to be happy to have qualified for a National Senior track final and the experience will stand to him.

There were seven heats of the men’s 200m where the six fastest times would advance to the final. Charles Okafor ran a terrific race, finishing a close second in his heat, not far off his personal best for the distance, and only missed a place in the final by one place. This was his first Senior competition and the experience will stand to him.

Sarah Glennon gave a gutsy effort in the women’s 3,000m race walk, tracking the pre-race favourite and eventual winner Kate Veale (West Waterford) for much of the way but when the pressure increased, Sarah had to drop back and was eventually caught and relegated to third place with three laps to go. A late rally saw her closing hard on the silver medal in the final lap but the finish line came too soon and she had to settle for bronze, though was still very happy to win a National senior medal.

Despite an early break from the pack by one athlete who built so big a lead that she could not be caught and eventually ran out the winner, there was still a dozen in the closely bunched chasing pack of the women’s 3,000m, among them Claire Fagan working determinately to keep in contention. With four laps to go, a surge in the pace saw Claire forced to drop off the pack but she continued to work hard and finished strongly but out of the medal places.

Only the winner and next four fastest times of the extremely competitive heats of the men’s 800m would advance to Sunday’s final. Running in the final heat, Colin Smith ran a very solid race and put himself in an excellent position to qualify with a strong third place finish but he was extremely unlucky to miss a place in the final by one spot, only one tenth of a second away.

Naas 10 Mile

After Storm Jorge crossed the Country bringing high winds and sleet on Saturday night, conditions were a lot better on Sunday afternoon 1st March for the inaugural Naas 10 Mile. While there was no rain or sleet, the stiff breeze made it feel very cold, but there was an excellent entry of 630, which is terrific for an inaugural event. Leading the Mullingar group home in 22nd place was Kieran Nolan (63:43), followed only two places behind by James Cribbin (63:52). Then Alan Crowley (65:09) making a welcome return to racing, Joan Hickson (76:14), Siobhan Farry (80:07), Miriam Walsh (80:46) and Michael O’Sullivan (86:52) followed them in, glad to finish the long race in tough conditions and get indoors to warm up and have something to eat and something hot to drink to help them recover.

Longford AC 5k and 10k

Fortunately, the very high winds and the snow showers of Storm Jorge had passed across the Country overnight but despite the blue skies on Sunday morning 1st March, it was still very cold with a stiff breeze and the odd shower of sleet. This might have put some off from taking part in the Longford AC 5k and 10k road races in Longford Town, but not the hardy group from Mullingar. Best of the 103 finishers of the 5k race was Andrew Nevin, winning in 16:55, comfortably clear of second place by nearly half a minute. The longer 10k race was two laps of the fast 5k course where 96 runners took part. First home for Mullingar was Patrick Muldoon, finishing 6th place in 37:54. It was a one-two for Mullingar in the women’s race thanks to Sinead Whitelaw (9th overall) in 38:12 and Aine O’Reilly (11th overall) in 39:07. Also competing was John Bannon (1st in his master category), Vera McCool (1st in her master category) and Paul McCool, all glad to finish and get out of the cold to enjoy the post-race refreshments and prize giving.

FEBRUARY

AAI National Juvenile Star Awards

At a Gala Function in the Bridge House Hotel in Tullamore on Saturday evening 29th February, Charles Okafor was presented with the National Juvenile Star Award for Westmeath for 2019 and Oisin Lane was presented with the Roisin O’Callaghan Special Award for Walks.

Charles won All-Ireland silver medals for the indoor 60m and 200m and double gold for the outdoor 100m and 200m but the highlight of 2019 was making his International debut for Ireland at the European Youth Olympic Festival in Baku (Azerbaijan) where he competed in the 200m and in the medley relay. Oisin’s award is in recognition of the outstanding year he had in 2019. He won the All-Ireland Junior Indoor 3,000m race walk and the u/18 Outdoor 5,000m race walk. The highlights though were an excellent fourteenth place at the Junior European Cup of Race Walking in Lithuania, which is a Major event and is the race walking equivalent of the European Cross Country, and finishing fourth in the 10,000m race walk at the European Youth Olympic Festival in Azerbaijan.

Leinster also retained the Bishop McFeeley Cup for Best Juvenile Cross Country Region and with Mullingar athletes scoring on seven of the thirteen Leinster teams that won medals, they can take some of the credit for helping Leinster to win this cup. This is great testament to the hard work put in by our outstanding juvenile cross country athletes and their coaches. Congratulations to them all, they can be very proud of themselves and their achievements.

Boston University Last Chance Meeting

Jack O’Leary continued his excellent current form in the US Collegiate Indoor circuit with another terrific personal best time in Boston on Friday night 28th February when he took part in the 5,000m at the Boston University Last Chance Meeting. With a superb performance, he finished 12th in his race in 13:44.12, improving on his previous personal best by a huge 27 seconds. He now leads the Irish 2020 indoor ranking list in the 5,000m and 3,000m in what has been a very well deserved breakthrough indoor season. Jack is now 17th in the USA Collegiate ranking and he awaits the release of the official NCAA Indoor T&F Championship qualifying list in the coming week with added confidence.

Leinster Juvenile Indoors – Day 3

At the final day of the Leinster Juvenile Indoors at the National Indoor Arena in Dublin on Sunday 23rd February, despite some understandable stiffness in her legs from competing the day before, Shauna Leydon proved her competitive mettle by jumping to the silver medal in the u/19 Triple Jump and qualifying for the All-Ireland finals in March.

Having won the Leinster and All-Ireland u/13 titles last year, all eyes were on the Mullingar team of Kyle Faherty, Jamie Wallace, Matthew Molloy and Criostoir Ormsby in the u/14 Boys 4x200m Relay and they certainly did not disappoint! Leading all the way in their heat to win by a distance, they reprised the performance in the final and thanks to a blinding start by Kyle that opened a sizeable gap on the opposition, Jamie and Matthew dug deep and reinforced the lead so that when Criostoir got the baton for the final leg, it was all over and he was never going to be caught and he gave it every last ounce of effort to bring the team home to win the Leinster title in style and will be a team to watch in the All-Ireland finals.

Kinsale 10 Mile

Patrick Muldoon made a trip to Cork to take part in the second edition of the Kinsale 10 Mile on Sunday 23rd February, which took place in very nice sunny conditions over a lovely picturesque course with a few hills and finishing on the recently laid all-weather track in Kinsale. Hosted by Riverstick Kinsale AC, The event attracted a huge entry with 723 finishing the race and Patrick was happy to finish well up in 18th place in 62:44, about 20 seconds slower than last year, but he was still happy with his performance.

Murray Lambden Memorial Open Walks Meeting

Organised by Manx Harriers AC, the Murray Lambden Memorial Open Walks Meeting on Saturday morning 22nd February at the National Sports Centre in Douglas, Isle of Man took place in very cold and very blustery conditions but the Mullingar race walkers were more than able for the challenging tough conditions in what has become a regular early year competition opportunity for them.

Oisin Lane won the 10k race walk in 44:26, a big PB, with Matthew Glennon in 2nd place in 45:09, which is a huge PB for him, but more importantly both times are inside the qualifying standard of 45:30 set by Athletics Ireland for the World Cup of Race Walking that takes place in Minsk, Belarus in May. Matthew’s time is also inside the AAI standard of 48 minutes for the European u/18 T&F that takes place in Rieti, Italy in July.

Continuing the successes for Mullingar, Andrew Glennon took 3rd place in the u/17 boys 5k race walk in 26:19 and Aisling Lane won the u/15 girls 3k race walk in 15:33. Congratulations to our race walkers, especially Oisin and Matthew for achieving the tough International standards.

Leinster Junior, Senior & Masters Indoors

The National Indoor Arena in Dublin was the venue for the Leinster Junior, Senior and Masters Indoors on Saturday 22nd February. First into action was Pauric Brady in the Master Men 1,500m and though he is not back to full racing form he dug deep and raced hard, only narrowly missing a podium place, coming fourth in a very competitive race. Not content to settle for that, Pauric made the brave decision to return to the track later in the day and was rewarded with the bronze medal in the Master Men 800m, perhaps taking inspiration from, and proving, the wise saying that training alone isn’t always enough and you need to race yourself fit. Mullingar’s well established reputation for excellence in race walking was confirmed by victories for Sean McMullin and Colm Walsh in their respective categories in the Master Men 3,000m race walk, with Colm setting a new Championship Record of 15:23.69, a huge improvement of nearly two minutes on the previous record.

The Junior Men 200m heats were a mere formality for Charles Okafor where he cruised to victory and set himself up as the clear pre-race favourite. Powering from the blocks in the final, Charles ran to a clear-cut victory in a new PB and Championship Record of 22.04 seconds and he continues to improve with every race. Shauna Leydon put a good series of jumps together in the Junior Women Triple Jump, her best effort being 10.53m, which is her best in a couple of years and was good enough to win the bronze medal.

Making her debut in a Leinster senior track event, Andrea Brady competed well in the senior women 3,000m and though she finished out of the medals in fourth place, after the race she expressed satisfaction with her efforts. Being more accustomed to longer distances in cross country or road races in recent months, Gerard Gavin was very pleased to bring home the silver medal in the Master Men 3,000m despite his race not quite going to plan. Gerard’s race was over before he knew it, literally, but he did not know it and he believes he ran an extra lap, though it probably would not have altered the result.

Linda Cunningham made her debut in track racing in the Senior Women 400m. Her gamble not to race as a master but as a senior athlete certainly paid off handsomely and fighting all the way to the finish line she placed third to win her first Championship track medal. Linda would actually have won a medal in the master women 400m but a senior medal is more satisfying!

David Hemery Valentine Invitational

Competing for Iona College at the David Hemery Valentine Invitational at Boston University on Saturday evening 15th February, Jack O’Leary recorded a truly huge breakthrough run over 3,000m. Racing in the second of eleven 3,000m races on the night, Jack finished fourth in 7:53.47 in a very close finish, his first time under the 8 minute barrier and a huge PB. It is the fastest indoor 3,000m recorded by a Mullingar Harriers athlete in the Club’s history and places Jack 13th on the Irish all-time list. Interestingly it is also the fastest 3,000m indoors recorded by an Irish athlete since 2013.

Presentation of Athletics Leinster Star Awards for 2019

Vicky Harris, Shauna Leydon, Charles Okafor and Oisin Lane were presented with their Athletics Leinster Star Awards for 2019 at a Gala Dinner in the Radisson Blu Hotel in Athlone on Saturday evening 15th February. They earned their awards based on their performances in Leinster Championships in 2019.

Vicky won gold in the 100m and 200m outdoors to earn the Senior Award; this is the seventh time in eight years that Vicky has won this award, a testament to her consistency. Shauna won gold in the indoor triple jump, silver in the outdoor triple jump, and bronze in the indoor hurdles and outdoor shot putt to earn the Female Juvenile Award. In his first competing with Mullingar Harriers, Charles had a clean sweep of the short sprint titles by winning 60m and 200m indoors and 100m and 200m outdoors and made his International debut at the European Youth Olympics in Baku, Azerbaijan to earn the Male Juvenile Award. Oisin won both indoor and outdoor walks in new Championship Records, improved his personal best for 10k at the European Junior Cup (placing third youth overall), and finished a fantastic fourth place in the 10k race walk at the European Youth Olympics to earn the Race Walk Award.

Mullingar Harriers was also honoured. After a very successful cross country season where Mullingar won Club team medals in fourteen of the eighteen underage races in Leinster cross country, there’s no surprise that Mullingar retained the Morrissey Cup for Best Juvenile Club in Cross Country. Mullingar has won this trophy every year since it was first presented in 2001. Reflecting the very big haul of 32 medals won by Mullingar athletes at the Leinster Juvenile Indoors in 2019, including 5 Championship Best Performances, Mullingar won the Mick Byrne Cup for Leinster Juvenile Individual Indoor Championships.

Congratulations to Vicky, Shauna, Charles and Oisin, and to all the juvenile cross country and track and field athletes that contributed towards helping Mullingar Harriers win the Morrissey Cup and the Mick Byrne Cup.

Irish University Indoors

Six Club athletes competed for their Colleges at the Irish University Indoors in Athlone IT on Saturday 15th February and as usual, the competition was intense.

Qualification for the final of the Men 400m was the six fastest times over four heats. Patrick Leydon (NUI Maynooth) finished third in his heat, narrowly missing a place in the final but there consolation in that his time of 51.91 seconds is a new NUIM record. The medals in the Men 3,000 were decided on the fastest times over two races. Euan Lagan (DCU) competed well and finished strongly in third place in his race, out of the medals on time, but in a very creditable 13th place overall. The Women 1,500m Race Walk is a short and very fast race but Sarah Glennon (DCU) is too experienced and was just too good for the opposition and she pulled clear effortlessly when she needed to and won the Intervarsity title with ease in 6 minutes 49.29 seconds.

Colin Smith (DCU) qualified comfortably from his heat of the Men 800m and drew the outside lane in the final. Andrew Daly (TUD) was fourth in his heat and missed a place in the final but a consolation is that his time of 2:02.47 is a new TUD record. As expected, the final was run at a fast pace from the gun. Colin kept right in contention throughout but coming into the final straight, he was one of three men chasing the silver and bronze medals. In a very close and dramatic finish where just one tenth of a second separated the three men, Colin was narrowly beaten into 4th place, missing the bronze by an agonising two hundredths of a second.

Given her recent form, Claire Fagan (DCU) was always going to be the one to beat in the Women 3,000m and she set the pace from early on. As the lap numbers wound down, it gradually reduced to a two-woman race in the closing stages, but Claire has too much pace for most, and finding an extra gear when she needed it, she pulled clear on the final lap to win with over seven seconds to spare in 9 minutes 58.09 seconds and take the Intervarsity title. Andrea Brady (Athlone IT) also competed in the race, making her Intervarsity debut, and she expressed satisfaction afterwards with her time in what was actually also her first foray into senior track competition.

Congratulations to our Club members that competed with distinction for their Colleges.

Munster Indoors

Looking for some competition to monitor his progress in training, Sean McMullin competed as a guest on Saturday 15th February at the Munster Indoors in the Nenagh Indoor Arena where he comfortably won the Masters 3,000m Race Walk in his category. This will give Sean added confidence ahead of the Leinster Indoors this coming Saturday, the All-Ireland Masters Indoors in early March and the European Masters Indoors in Portugal in late March.

Armagh AC Road Races

On a flat fast course of 1km laps of the Mall in Armagh, under floodlighting and encouraged all the way by the commentator and the cheering crowds, the Armagh Road Races on Thursday evening 13th February created a fantastic atmosphere. The Men 5k race attracted 253 quality athletes looking for fast times on the fast course, among them Padraig Moran who finished well up in 48th place in an excellent 14:21. Padraig was one of 135 men to run under 15 minutes, in fact 21 men ran faster than 14 minutes, proving how fast the course is. There was also a Men 3k race where Jack Moran finished in a swift 9:17 to place 37th of 199 finishers. Congratulations to Padraig and Jack on these excellent performances.

Leinster Schools Cross Country

A sharp overnight frost meant underfoot conditions were treacherous early on Wednesday morning 12th February in Santry Demesne where a good number of the Club’s athletes were competing for their schools and colleges in the Leinster Schools Cross Country, looking for qualification to the All-Ireland Schools Cross Country Finals at the same Santry Demesne venue in March. Thankfully, there was a thaw before the first race, but it meant the course became very muddy and slippery, though the Mullingar athletes were more than up to the challenge. The top 15 individuals and top 3 teams qualified for the All-Ireland finals, so competition was very keen.

Grace Byrne (Loreto Mullingar) continued her recent good form with an excellent 2nd place finish in the Minor Girls 1,500m to secure her place at the finals. Close behind her came the Mercy Kilbeggan trio of Adele Geoghegan (5th), Morgan Corcoran (11th) and Leah Geoghegan (15th), followed by the rest of the Loreto Mullingar team, Jessica Cunningham, Caoimhe Kilmurray, Muireann Donohue, then Ellen Daly (Mercy Kilbeggan), who recovered well from an early fall. Mercy Kilbeggan finished 1st team and Loreto Mullingar was 3rd team, ensuring strong representation for Mullingar in the finals. In the Minor Boys 2,000m, Conor Sherwin (Colaiste Mhuire) raced to a fine 7th place to secure his place in the finals. Luke O’Leary (Clongowes Wood College) was very unlucky to finish just outside the top fifteen and automatic qualification by only a few seconds, followed in by Pablo Lozano (St. Finian’s College) finishing strongly.

Caoimhe Donohue, Shauna Traynor, Lucy Donnelly and Robyn Bates (Loreto Mullingar) competed in the Junior Girls 2,000m but were unlucky to finish out of the qualification places. Ross Killalea (Colaiste Mhuire) finished 6th in the Junior Boys 3,000m and with great support from Tadhg Sheridan and Callum Costello, led the Colaiste Mhuire team to victory and a place in the finals. Phoebe Bate (Loreto Mullingar) was delighted with her 3rd place finish in the Intermediate Girls 3,500m, followed by Meabh Killalea (Loreto) in 6th, Amy Geoghegan (Mercy Kilbeggan) in 13th and Aoife McGouran (Loreto) providing the vital third score to see Loreto finish 1st team. In the corresponding Intermediate Boys 4,500m despite giving away a year, Diarmuid Fagan (Colaiste Mhuire) proved his competitive spirit with a 5th place finish and Lorcan Mullen (Cistercian College Roscrea) in 10th place also secured qualification for the finals. In the final race of the day, the Senior Boys 6,000m, Ruairi Fagan and Tadhg Hunwick (Colaiste Mhuire) competed well but finished out of the medals.

AAI Indoor Games

Coming on the back of medal success at the AAI u/23 Indoors, Claire Fagan competed in the 1,500m at the AAI Indoor Games on Sunday afternoon 9th February at the National Indoor Arena in Abbotstown, Co. Dublin. There was a large field of 17 runners and the fast early pace suited Claire and she quickly settled into a place in the main group. There was no let up in the pace but the main group still remained big throughout and with three laps to go there was some contact between athletes as they vied for position, always a risk when running indoors in large groups. Slightly impeded, Claire lost some ground but recovered well to finish very strongly in the closing laps to finish in 4:32.67, a strong performance and one to build on in her next indoor race.

AAI National Masters, Intermediate and Juvenile “B” XC

This year, like the General Election, the AAI National Masters, Intermediate and Juvenile “B” Cross Country Championships moved to a Saturday, 8th February, but that did not deter a large attendance. Held in the picturesque grounds of Avondale House, Rathdrum, Co. Wicklow, race participants were greeted with a tough 2k looped course, which contained a very long steep climb and equally technical descent. To add to the challenge, there was also a very strong wind.

First into action was young Jack Geoghegan in the u/11 boys 1,000m where despite an early fall in the race and cutting both his knees, he got up and finished anyway and being underage again next year, the experience will certainly stand to him. Mullingar had a very strong team in the u/15 girls 2,500m. Illness robbed the team of a chance to show their talents at the AAI Juvenile Uneven Ages Cross Country before Christmas, so they were always going to feature strongly in the “B” Championship. With a fantastic surge in the finish straight, Grace Byrne gained significant ground to finish an excellent 3rd place. With great support from Jessica Cunningham, who stuck to her task and maintained 9th place throughout the race, and strong performances from Adele Geoghegan and Leah Geoghegan despite both being a little under the weather, the team packed well and the girls were delighted to finish 1st Club.

Taking on the challenging terrain, Aine O’Reilly led the Mullingar team home in the Master Women 4,000m finishing to the fore of a large field of more than 200 competitors. Áine was followed in by Breda Daly, Michelle O’Halloran, Maura Dervin, Emer O’Hanlon, Linda Cunningham, Patricia Broderick, Brigid McCabe, Eileen Kenny, and Caroline Mullen. The younger master women team of Aine, Breda, Michelle and Linda were unlucky to finish out of the medals in a very competitive race. Having come up just short of a podium finish in each of the last four years the older master women team was determined to bring home medals this year. Running together for much of the race Maura and Emer put in very strong performances, and backed up by Patricia, Brigid, Eileen and Caroline, the team accomplished its winter-long plan by finishing 3rd Club. To top off the success, Brigid and Eileen won their respective categories earning National gold medals.

The 4,000m race incorporated the Master Men 4,000m for the older master men where for the first time ever Mullingar fielded a team and they did us proud. Nicky McCabe, Sean McMullin and Pat Boyhan combined to finish 5th Club in a race that proved to be very popular attracting much larger than anticipated numbers.

There was a huge field of nearly 260 in the Master Men 7,000m where Patrick Muldoon led the large Mullingar team home to finish well up in the individual rankings in his category. The same quartet who were third in last year’s competition were back in search of more National glory and some very strong running by Tom McGrath and Eddie Newman with surging finishes from David Fagan and Paul Ginnell ensured the Mullingar men a place on the podium again, repeating last year’s accomplishment of finishing 3rd Club. Determinedly working his way through the field after a tough start paid off for Eddie Newman, as he finished 3rd in his category.

The last race of the day was the Intermediate Men 8,000m where Andrew Nevin put in a very spirited race to bag a top ten finish. Supported by great efforts from James Keegan, Gerard Gavin, Pauric Brady, Hans De Raeymaeker and James Cribbin the Mullingar team finished a very respectable 5th Club in a race which this year had some tough competition from the Dublin Clubs. It is unfortunate that Mullingar is the only Club in Westmeath that put forward athletes to represent the county team but even with that disadvantage, the Mullingar men brought Westmeath home as 4th County overall, just outside the National medals.

We were unable to field a team in the Intermediate Women 5,000m race due to much of the senior women team being ineligible, having won the title last year. The Club hopes to grow the squad and anybody interested in running with the Club should make contact or make further inquiries at our training nights.

Donadea 50k

The 10th anniversary of the Donadea 50k hosted by Donadea Running Club on Saturday morning 8th February incorporated the Irish 50k Championships. The course was ten laps of Donadea Forest Park, Co. Kildare, so it was difficult for the 224 finishers to maintain concentration and focus as the laps unwound, even remembering what lap they were on posed a challenge!

Concerns that he was running too fast in the first few laps and that he might pay for it later proved unfounded for Maurice Looby. He had enough strength to drop very little time in the final three laps, even overtaking fourth place half way through lap eight, and held on to finish third in a new PB of 3:16:54 and win a National bronze medal.

Being a National Championship, one expects Club colours to be worn, and it was good to see Evan McCormack in maroon and white fulfilling a long time wish to compete over 50k and he finished 17th in 3:46:51. Though a good result on his debut, this is not as quick as he had hoped for when he entered the race some time ago. Not long back from injury, Evan really had to dig deep to keep going to the finish, particularly from the 30k mark, but he proved his endurance mettle and was happy to battle on and complete the tough course. Time will tell if he will have another attempt next year.

Leinster Juvenile Indoors – Days 1 & 2

Saturday 1st February heralded not only the first day of spring but also day one of the Leinster Juvenile Indoors in Athlone IT. Mullingar athletes were entered in nearly 90 events, and even though some could not compete in some or all events due to injury or illness, those that did compete ensured that Mullingar’s presence was keenly felt across two days of competition. The tone for the weekend was set early on Saturday morning when our race walkers powered their way to podium finishes followed by victories mid-afternoon in the middle distance races and some explosive speed shown by all of our sprinters late on Saturday afternoon. By Sunday evening, Mullingar had multiple podium visits across numerous disciplines. The hard work on the training ground over the winter months was paying off and none of this would be possible without the tireless work put in by all coaches, athletes and parents.

As we have come to expect, Mullingar’s race walkers continue to be the standard-bearers for this event and got us off to a great start on Saturday morning. John Glennon took to competing in his first Leinster Championship like a duck to water and was the clear winner of the u/14 boys 1,000m race walk. Andrew Glennon followed suit in the u/16 boys 1,500m walk with a clear win too. We finished with the u/18 boys 1,500m race walk where Matthew Glennon was simply in a league of his own and he stormed to victory in a new Championship Best Performance of 6:02.32, followed home in second place by Colin McGee making his debut in the event. Colin was very pleased to win a Leinster medal, though the very sore legs he felt after reminded him that it did not come easy! These were stellar performances by our race walkers, all performing superbly under the watchful eye of event judge and Club coach Michael Lane.

A new event added this year was the u/16 boys 400m, which were time trial heats. Adam Smyth performed very well but finished out of the medals. Shauna Leydon competing in the u/19 girls 400m led from the gun and did all the work on her own winning her heat, but just edged into fourth place when including all the times over the two heats. Shauna would surely have medalled had she been in the other heat where she would have had the benefit of other athletes in close proximity to run off.

Diarmuid Fagan continued his recent vein of good form when he positioned himself just behind the leading runners and showed great strength when he made his move at the bell and kicked for home holding the inside line and powered down the home straight to win gold in the u/16 boys 1,500m. Ross Killalea tracked Diarmuid all the way and was very unlucky to finish just out of the medals. Having recently represented Ireland in the Celtic Games Cross Country in Scotland, Phoebe Bate and Amy Geoghegan took to the line in the u/17 girls 1,500m. A fast pace was set straight from the gun and both girls kept on the shoulder of the leading girl until the bell but were unable to reel her in, with Phoebe just beaten into second place and Amy finishing very strong  close behind in fourth. Both will have benefitted from this tough race and both will be confident heading into the All-Ireland finals. In the u/18 boys 1,500m Colin Smith recovered well from a very fast first lap to settle into the race and was very unlucky to miss the bronze medal right on the line, finishing fourth only two tenths of a seconds away from a medal. With the top four qualifying for the All-Ireland finals, Colin will get another chance then.

Having watched our walkers and middle distance athletes impress in the morning session, it was time for the sprinters in the afternoon. Aiveen Lynch and Katie Glennon powered down the track in their respective heats of the u/12 girls 60m but with six heats and only two guaranteed to qualify per heat, it was not to be the girls’ day but both were delighted with the experience of running against top class young athletes. Having watched his sister Aiveen in her sprint, Oliver Lynch gave it his all in the u/12 boys 60m to finish fourth in his heat, one of five heats, but was unfortunate not to progress to the semi-final, missing out by a narrow margin.

In the u/13 girls 60m, Katie Kilmurray, Eileen Farrell and Lydia McDonnell took to the line in a huge field divided into eight heats. Katie got off to a flyer in her heat and finished second, while Eileen and Lydia were unlucky not to progress to the semi-finals, but will have gained invaluable experience from running at this level. In her semi-final, Katie was third, pipped by just two hundredths of a second and just missing a place in the final. All three girls can be very proud of their performances. Kyle Faherty, Criostoir Ormsby and Charlie Foy took to the line for Mullingar in the u/14 boys 60m. Kyle and Criostoir progressed from their heats to the final but Charlie was unlucky not to, though he was delighted with his run. In the final, Kyle blasted away from the start leaving everyone trailing to win by a big margin. Criostoir was delighted in reaching the final and performed extremely well having just recently returned from injury.

One of three female sprinters making their competitive debuts for Mullingar, Faith Okafor finished second in her heat of the u/15 girls 60m to advance to the final where she found an extra gear running faster to finish third and win her first Leinster medal. On to the u/16 girls 60m where Aoife O’Connor was unlucky not to advance from her heat but better fortune for Mullingar’s second sprint debutante, Patricia Odunjo, who finished third in her heat of the u/17 girls 60m to qualify for the final. Running faster in the final, Patricia was involved in what was the closest finish of the day when the five girls from third to seventh hit the line in a blanket finish, only two hundredths of a second separating them. It took some time, but the result was Patricia in sixth, but being such a tight race this was a fantastic debut and she has a bright future in sprints. Our third and final sprint debutante was Mariam Ogunleye who had a straight final in the u/18 girls 60m and with an excellent display finished third and she was delighted to win her first Leinster medal. We finished with the u/18 boys 60m where there were two heats. Charles Okafor won his heat and Eta Oviahon was second in his heat to advance to the final. Blasting from the blocks it was great to see two Mullingar sprinters go head in to head in a Leinster final, Charles winning and Eta close behind in third to win his first Leinster medal.

Charles Okafor had an early start on Sunday morning for his heat of the u/18 boys 200m, which he won with ease and in the later final, he simply dominated from the gun and led all the way to win in a new Championship Best Performance of 22.10 seconds to earn a fine Leinster sprint double.

Illness hit some of our u/12 girls 600m entrants, so Katie Glennon was our sole entry and was with the leading pack on the home straight in her heat but was very unlucky not to qualify for the final. In the u/12 boys 600m, Jake Bell ran very well in his heat coming third and qualifying for the final. Oliver Lynch hit the front on the second lap of his heat but was narrowly beaten for a qualifying spot in the final. Conor Walsh also ran a very good heat and was unlucky not to progress to the final. Despite running very well in the final Jake had to settle for a place out of the medals. This was the first time that these u/12 athletes competed in Leinster indoors and they will benefit greatly from the experience.

Jayne Charles, Lydia McDonnell, Síofra O’Reilly and Katie Kilmurray all competed in the u/13 girls 600m and despite all running very well, they were unfortunate not to progress to the final. In his heat of the u/13 boys 600m, Cian Corcoran looked very strong throughout and powered up the home straight to win. Matthew Molloy led from the gun in his heat and was a comfortable winner. Luke Greene was well up with the leading bunch in his heat but had to settle for fifth and did not advance to the final with Cian and Matthew. In the final, Matthew led from the gun with the current National cross country champion breathing down his neck but he showed all his strength in the final 100m and was determined not to relinquish and held on to clinch gold. Cian ran quicker than in the heat and finished fast but just out of the medals in fifth place. Orla Manning and Muireann Donoghue were unlucky not to progress from their heats of the u/14 girls 800m. Morgan Corcoran ran an excellent race in her heat to advance to the final but was unable to compete in the final. In the u/14 boys 800m Alex Lynch, Charlie Foy and James Flynn ran gallantly but did not progress to the final. With Luke O’Leary, Jamie Wallace and Conor Liston winning their heats, the afternoon final was set for a cracking race. Unfortunately, Conor, feeling discomfort in his ankle after his heat, had to make the tough decision to sit out the final. Jamie made all the running in the final followed closely behind by Luke and showed all his class to kick for home with 100m to go and having a bit extra to tackle a late challenge on the home straight, pushed on to win. Luke stormed to third place to win his first individual Leinster track medal and this was Jamie’s first individual track gold medal.

Grace Byrne and Jessica Cunningham made it through to the final of the u/15 girls 800m but unfortunately Shauna Traynor, Katie Kilmurray, Caoimhe Donoghue and Caoimhe Kilmurray did not progress to the final despite very good running. Showing the fighting qualities she showed in the Stirling cross country in January, Grace got on the tail of the leading bunch from the start and showed great strength in holding on to fourth place and qualify for the All-Ireland finals, followed closely behind by Jessica who ran a very strong race and was very happy with her performance. Mullingar athletes continued their winning ways in the u/15 boys 800m. Callum Costello and Philip McCartan won their heats with ease and Daire McDonald was just outside the qualifying time to reach the final. Philip and Callum ran shoulder to shoulder from the gun and holding off a late surge from a competitor, Philip hung on to claim the bronze medal followed closely on his heels by Callum. Ross Killalea was our sole entrant in the u/16 boys 800m, tracking the leading group from the gun and was delighted to claim the fourth position and qualify for the All-Ireland finals. Colin Smith was looking to make amends for missing a medal in the 1,500m the day before but he was very unlucky to finish just of the medals in fifth place in the u/18 boys 800m.

Over in the field events, Criostoir Ormsby and James Flynn competed in the u/14 boys long jump where both put together excellent series of jumps and Criostoir was very unlucky to miss a medal by just three centimetres to finish fourth, just ahead of James in fifth.

The long track programme finished with the sprint hurdles where Katie Glennon (u/12 girls 60m hurdles), Jayne Charles and Eve Medforth (u/13 girls 60m hurdles) and James Flynn (u/14 boys 60m hurdles) raced very well but did not advance from the tough heats. Criostoir Ormsby did qualify from his heat of the u/14 boys 60m hurdles and stormed up the track in the final to finish just out of the medals in fourth place by a very narrow margin.

By any measure, this was one of the best Leinster indoors for Mullingar. Mullingar won 9 gold medals (two in new Championship Records), 2 silver and 5 bronze medals and 7 more Mullingar athletes came close in fourth place, but more importantly, every one of the Mullingar squad gave one hundred percent effort in tough competition against the best in Leinster.

Trim 10 Mile

Over 1,500 competed in the Trim 10 Mile on Sunday 2nd February, among them 17 Mullingar athletes battling the cool but very windy conditions. First in for Mullingar was Andrew Nevin finishing strongly in 14th place in 54:58, followed by Joan Flynn (63:59), James Cribbin (64:21), Barry McDonald (66:44), Paul Ginnell (69:46), Enda Seery (70:59), Amy Mahony (72:08), Robin Jackson (72:39), Michelle Bohan (75:17), Criona Reid (77:09), Mary Stuart (77:14), Joan Hickson (78:06), Brian Boyle (78:43), Emer O’Hanlon (78:49), Siobhan McCarthy (82:14), Linda O’Driscoll (85:06) and Tommy Byrne (89:13) completing the Mullingar group. The combined results for Joan, Amy, Michelle and Criona saw them finish 3rd women Club team.

This race continues to go from strength to strength and it was great to see so many from the Club supporting it and running so well into the bargain.

JANUARY

Raheny 5 Mile

Enjoying cool but excellent weather for running and thanks to the customary high standard of organisation by Raheny Shamrocks AC, rightly regarded as one of the very best road races in the Country and the first big road race of the year, the Raheny 5 Mile drew over 4,000 runners, joggers and walkers to the roads around Raheny in Dublin on Sunday afternoon 26th January. Only two from Mullingar took part, Eddie Newman finishing well up in 29:14 to win his master category by over a minute and a half and Ger Brady finishing strongly in 30:45, both happy with their performances.

AAI Junior & u/23 Indoors

There was a long day of competition in Athlone IT on Saturday 25th January where the AAI Junior and u/23 Indoor Championships took place. In her first year competing in the Junior ranks, Eve Wallace contested the extremely competitive Junior women 60m heats and though she ran well did not advance to the final. Charles Okafor made short work of his heat of the Junior men 60m, winning comfortably to advance to the final where he stormed through the field with a late surge to finish in a new PB of 7.00 seconds, placing fourth, only three hundredths of a second off third place and the bronze medal. Charles was back on track later in the day for the heats of the Junior men 200m, and showed why it is his favoured event. Winning his heat with ease he advanced to the final where he powered around the tight indoor bends to take third place in a new PB of 22.11 seconds. This is Charles’ first All-Ireland Junior medal, which is a terrific result, as he is eligible for two more years. Patrick Leydon contested the u/23 men 400m and turned in a solid performance in his heat but did not advance to the final, but gave it every effort and he left nothing on the track.

Moving to the u/23 women 1,500m where the early laps were run at a very cautious pace, Claire Fagan bided her time in the pack but when the surge came was dropped to fourth place and by the final lap it looked like that’s where she would finish. However, she found an extra gear on the back straight and began to close the gap, and with a terrific sprint finish, moved into third on the home straight and held it to the finish to win the bronze medal. Buoyed up by this performance, Claire returned to the track in mid-afternoon for the u/23 women 800m. Wishing to avoid a repeat of the slow early pace of the 1,500m, Claire took the race out hard from the gun and led from start to finish, holding off a late challenge on the home straight, to win the All-Ireland title and get her indoor season off to a great start.

Taking the race out hard from the start of the Junior men 3,000m race walk, Matthew Glennon was just too good for the opposition and pulled further and further ahead with every lap to win by a big margin in a new PB of 12:55.20 and will be someone to watch in the season ahead. Mullingar’s race walkers continue to make their mark thanks to expert coaching by Michael Lane.

As expected, the 800m races were extremely competitive and though Aoife Darby raced hard in the final of the Junior women 800m, she had to settle for a place out of the medals. It was the same fate for Colin Smith in the final of the Junior men 800m but he will take a lot from his first race in the Junior ranks and is eligible for two more years. Advancing from a tough heat of the u/23 men 800m, Colin Smith (the other one!) lined up as a real medal prospect in the final. Run at a ferocious pace from the start but keeping in contention throughout, it was only in the final 100m that a gap began to open on the leaders that Colin just couldn’t close and he finished in fourth place, just out of the medals but he gave a great account nonetheless.

Congratulations to the Mullingar athletes that competed with great determination, winning three medals and recording three personal bests. They can look forward with confidence to further competition indoors in the coming weeks and months.

Westmeath Juvenile Indoors

Mullingar had a very big squad of over 90 young athletes in action at the Westmeath Juvenile Indoors on Friday evening 24th January, held in the magnificent AIT indoor stadium. This was the first time many of the younger 8, 9 and 10 years old boys and girls in particular had the opportunity to compete there and they really made the most of it and thoroughly enjoyed themselves at what is one of the most eagerly awaited fixtures for our youngest athletes in particular.

Thanks to great organisation by AIT AC, hundreds of boys and girls from AIT AC, North Westmeath AC and Mullingar Harriers, aged 8 years to 15, competed in a range of events. Even though every event was competitive, the atmosphere was still relatively relaxed compared to a Leinster indoors and our youngest athletes in particular made the most of the chance to compete in the state-of-the-art facility, giving them a taste of what’s to come in a few years when they can compete at a Leinster indoors. Everyone could compete in two events each, so there was plenty of action on the track and in the field events to keep the big crowd of parents, supporters and coaches occupied following proceedings. Mullingar athletes were regular visitors to the medal podium throughout the evening, so many in fact, that it was impossible to keep track, so we will have to wait until later to see how medals they won. It wasn’t all about medals of course and it was obvious everyone had a great time whether they won medals or not.

Many thanks to the parents for bringing the children to Athlone or they wouldn’t have been able to take part in such numbers. Thanks also to the very many who also helped on the night providing encouragement, making sure everyone got to their event in time, or volunteering as officials at the various events.

Annual General Meeting 2020

Attendance for the Club’s Annual General Meeting on Friday evening 17th January in the Annebrook House Hotel was well up on previous years, which is great to see and shows increased interest among adult members and the parents of underage members on how the Club is managed and organised on their behalf. It gave everyone present an opportunity to be reminded of the many successes enjoyed by the Club over the last year on the road, at indoor and outdoor track and field and in cross country thanks to the performances of members from the very youngest juveniles up to our most senior master athletes.

There were many highlights during 2019, really too many to list them all but seeing four Mullingar athletes competing for Ireland at the European Cross Country in Lisbon has to take pride of place. Jamie Battle, Jack O’Leary, Cormac Dalton and Claire Fagan competed with distinction, and for Claire Fagan it was particularly memorable as she was part of the Irish team that took silver medals in the u/23 race. Another notable highlight was Oisin Lane placing fourteenth in the Junior European Cup of Race Walking in Lithuania, which is a Major event and is the race walking equivalent of the European Cross Country. His time of 45 minutes 17 seconds was a new personal best and is inside the qualifying standard for the World Cup of Race Walking in Minsk in 2020.

In all, 17 Mullingar athletes competed on Irish teams in 2019. We know Jack O’Leary competed at the European XC. Cormac Dalton also represented Ireland at the Celtic International XC at the beginning of 2019, Claire Fagan represented Ireland at the European u/23 T&F, Jamie Battle at the European Junior T&F, and Oisin Lane at the EYOF and at the Youth Nations Cup. There was an International debut for Diarmuid Fagan (Schools International XC), Eoin Quinn (Youth Nations Cup), Charles Okafor (EYOF) and Gerard Gavin (British & Irish Masters XC). The others were Sean McMullin (World Masters Indoors and European Masters T&F), Eileen Kenny (World Masters Indoors, European Masters T&F and British & Irish Masters XC), Sarah Glennon (CSIT Games), Awa Fane (IFAM), Vicky Harris (European Games), Matthew Glennon (Schools International T&F and Youth Nations Cup), Brigid McCabe and Aine O’Reilly (British & Irish Masters XC).

Chairperson, Margaret Daly opened the meeting by welcoming everyone and introduced the Secretary’s report by Colm Walsh, the Treasurer’s report by Joanna Tyrrell and Competition Report by Greg Duggan. These were followed by Margaret’s own Chairperson’s Address and finally the President’s Address by Sean McMullin. Club membership remains very strong and the Club’s finances are in a healthy state. Some important issues and motions were discussed and debated, including the major track development works planned at the Club grounds, a change to the Club’s Constitution, and the increasing pressure on the coaches due to increased membership and an appeal was made for more parents to step forward and assist the existing coaches, even if only occasionally. An extra pair of hands and eyes is really all that is asked for and no coaching experience is required, as they’ll be working alongside experienced coaches, though any that wish to gain a coaching qualification will be gladly assisted.

The following were elected as officers and committee members for the coming year:

Sean McMullin (President), Breda McDonnell (Vice-President), Margaret Daly (Chairperson), Greg Duggan (Vice-Chairperson, and will take on the roles of PRO coordinator, Registrar and Competition entries), Joanna Tyrrell (Treasurer), Colm Walsh (Secretary), James Cribbin (Assistant Secretary), Tom McGrath (Minute Secretary), Pauline Quinn, Margaret Daly and Greg Duggan (Child Officers), Cormac Finnerty, Pat Muldoon Senior, Vera McCool and John Shaw (Trustees). The officers and trustees are automatically on the new committee, as are Life Vice-presidents Seamus Gibney, Cormac Finnerty, Martin Fagan, Bobbie Begley, John Mulvihill, George Bell and Christy Creagh, and will be joined by Mark Bate, Philip Burke, Declan Costello, Amanda Dalton, Catriona Duffy, Joan Flynn, Gerard Gavin, Sean Liston, Joe Ryan and Tom Wallace who were elected to the committee, and by Club Captains Aine O’Reilly and Tom McGrath.

Concluding the meeting, Margaret Daly thanked all present for their attendance and input and closed a successful AGM.

Leinster Intermediate and Masters Cross Country

The Leinster Intermediate and Masters Cross Country took place in Gowran, Co. Kilkenny on Sunday 12th January in cool but dry and at times sunny conditions. Despite the terrible rain in the days leading up to the event, the course held up remarkably well, though it was still very muddy and slippery in many places and great care was required on corners to maintain footing. Congratulations to Gowran AC for setting up an excellent course in very tough weather conditions. The stand out performance of the day for Mullingar was Padraig Moran winning the intermediate men race, delighted to take a Leinster title, but we had lots more individual and team medals to bring back to Mullingar by the end of the day.

Still a relative newcomer to cross country racing, Aisling Corcoran worked hard all the way through the challenging course and was delighted to finish well up and lead the Mullingar team home in the master women 4,000m. Following in with determined efforts and giving great support was Emer O’Hanlon (fourth in her age category, just missing a medal by three seconds), Patricia Broderick (first in her age category), Brigid McCabe (first in her age category), Linda Cunningham, Terri Greene and Caroline Mullen. After sorting the various age categories and team results, it was double team gold for the Emer, Patricia and Brigid by winning first Club and first County in their master age category, to add to the long list of titles this team has amassed in the last couple of years.

Powering up the home straight, Gerard Gavin finished a close fifth in his age category and had the signal honour of leading the big Mullingar team home in the master men 6,000m. Working hard all the way and packing well in support was Eddie Newman (second in his age category), Tom McGrath, Patrick Muldoon, James Cribbin, David Fagan, Pauric Brady, Paul Ginnell, Nicky McCabe (second in his age category) and Pat Boyhan (first in his age category) on his debut in Leinster as a master athlete. The team of Gerard, Patrick, James and Pauric finished a very creditable fifth Club in their age category, but better news with double honours for Eddie, Tom, David and Paul as they finished first Club and third County in their age category.

Master individual and team honours had the Mullingar contingent in high spirits, but we definitely left the best to last with the Intermediate Men 8,000m. Taking control early in the race, Padraig Moran really showed his class and with a faultless effort on what was now a very mucky and slippery course. Tracked by Andrew Nevin, the Mullingar duo never left off the pressure and raced hard to the finish, Padraig delighted to win the Leinster title, Andrew a few seconds behind. All eyes were on the rest of the team and with James Keegan (sixth) and master athletes Kieran Nolan, Barry McDonald and Gerard Brady selflessly running in the intermediate race to make up a team rather that run in the master race leaving nothing behind, they were all rewarded for their fantastic efforts by finishing first Club and third County.

Congratulations to the master men, master women and Intermediate men on their individual and team successes and they can look forward with confidence to the All-Ireland Intermediate and Masters Cross Country in Avondale, Co. Wicklow in February.

Stirling Cross Country

Set against the iconic background of Stirling Castle and spread across the grounds of Stirling Golf Club and the historic King’s Park, in excess of 7,000 athletes gathered early on Saturday morning 11th January for a feast of cross country racing. Some of the best athletes across Britain and Ireland were competing for honours in a series of races including the Home Countries International and the Celtic International. Twenty eight athletes from Mullingar made the trip to Scotland, including Claire Fagan (no stranger to running in an Irish singlet), Amy Geoghegan, and Phoebe Bates who were representing Ireland for the first time following superb displays at the National Cross Country Championships in Abbottstown last November.

Flying into Edinburgh on Friday afternoon to lovely mild weather, all changed over the next 24 hours when up on two inches of rain fell resulting in some of our younger athletes running in appalling conditions both underfoot and overhead. However, by sticking to their training programmes over the Christmas holiday period they were in excellent shape and determined not to allow the atrocious conditions dictate matters.

Lining out in their Irish singlets for the first time, Amy and Phoebe (representing Ireland in the Celtic International) were accompanied by their club mates Meabh Killalea, Bea Drummond and Karla Cunningham running as individuals in the u/17 girls 6,000m. Running on a course classed as technically difficult with numerous sharp corners and terrible underfoot conditions, these girls were determined to wear their Irish and Mullingar singlets with pride. Competing on stamina sapping mud and sodden turf, Phoebe finished in twenty seventh place overall, and hot on her heels was Amy in twenty ninth, helping Ireland to finish second team, delighted to win medals on their International debuts. Although there were no honours at stake for Meabh, Bea and Karla, they can be very proud of their displays in a very competitive race.

Silver team medallist in the u/23 European Cross Country Championships in Portugal before Christmas, Claire Fagan lined out alongside some of the best UK athletes in her age group and she did not disappoint. Battling all the way from gun to tape in the u/23 women 8,000m she showed all her fighting qualities holding off a Scottish athlete in a race to the line and in doing so winning the u/23 race and was first Irish athlete home, leading the Irish team to second place.

A few hours before the u/17 and u/23 women races, some of the younger members of the Club were competing for the first time against International competition and were eager to show their talents. The u/13 girls competed over 3,000m and all the signs in training were that they were in superb form and they did not disappoint. Undeterred by the conditions the girls ran with the leading bunch all the way. When the leaders returned back into the main field for the final time, there was great excitement when the maroon and white of Mullingar were visible not far behind the leaders. Superb performances from Adele Geoghegan (tenth), Leah Geoghegan (twelfth) and Grace Byrne (sixteenth) laid down a marker to all that Mullingar was a club that could mix it with the best of them. After watching the u/13 girls run superbly, the Mullingar boys in the u/13 boys 3,000m were determined to match the fighting spirit displayed by the girls. A blistering start right from the gun by some of the Scottish athletes left our boys in no doubt that they were in a race. Once the race settled down, they got into their rhythm and ran as a team all the way to the end with Jamie Wallace showing all his fighting qualities finishing in eighteenth place, followed a few yards behind by Conor Sherwin (twentieth), Conor Liston (twenty first) and Luke O’Leary (twenty second) with only eight seconds separating Jamie from Luke.

Next up was the u/15 girls 4,000m and with the rain now pelting down and the ground turning into a mud bath the girls had to dig deep to complete the course. Jessica Cunningham ran a superb race followed closely behind by Caoimhe Donohue, Ellen Foran, Lucy Donnelly and Shauna Traynor. The u/15 boys 4,000m followed and like all the previous races staying vertical was a now a real challenge such were the conditions. Very fast starts were the norm in all the previous races and this race was no different. Diarmuid Fagan showed his class and with true grit and determination, he tracked the leaders all the way and was delighted with his race, finishing seventh in a blanket finish, just one second separating fourth from seventh. The zigzag nature of the course allowed competitors to see the front runners and seeing one of their teammates running with the leading group drove on the rest of the team. Ross Killalea, Philip McCartan, Callum Costello and Conleth Mullen ran superbly and all were delighted with the experience of running against some top class international competition. Finally, was the u/17 boys 6,000m. Running in a huge field and rapidly deteriorating conditions, Colin Smith, Lorcan Mullen and Ruairi Fagan were all happy with their performances in very testing conditions.

With medals for Amy, Phoebe and Claire and so many excellent performances from the rest of the Mullingar group, it was a great experience for all our Club members and most are now looking forward to packing away the long spikes and preparing for the indoor track season ahead. To travel with such a large number of underage athletes is a big undertaking for the Club and it would not have been possible without the coaches and parents that travelled with them, so they are to be congratulated and thanked for their support.

AAI National Indoor League – Round 1

Round one of the AAI National Indoor League took place at the NIA in Abbotstown on Saturday 11th January and included a number of guest events for Clubs that didn’t enter teams. A number of Mullingar athletes ran in these guest events to get some early season competition, Charles Okafor and Eta Oviahon in the 60m and Shauna Leydon and Patrick Leydon in the 400m.

Charles finished third in his 60m race in 7.18 seconds, placing him seventh overall of the 27 entrants, and Eta finished fourth in his race in 7.49 seconds, tenth quickest time. There was a further opportunity to run 60m later in the afternoon, which Charles availed of, and leading from the gun he won his race with ease in 7.20 seconds. Both ran extremely well against older more experienced opposition and the will stand them in training in the coming weeks.

Shauna Leydon ran a strong opening lap in the 400m, leading at the bell and looking strong and composed. Moving well down the back straight it was only in the final 100m that she had to surrender the lead but she came home strong narrowly beaten into third place and can take much satisfaction from a very good performance in what is still a new event for her. Patrick Leydon also impressed in his 400m where he always looked strong and relaxed tracking the early leader throughout and having the strength to hold his form in the final straight to hold off a late challenge to stay in second place.

Westmeath Examiner Sports Awards for 2019 presented

At a magnificent Gala Function in the Mullingar Park Hotel on Friday evening 10th January, the Westmeath Examiner Sports Awards for 2019 were presented. Claire Fagan had an outstanding year, qualifying for the European u/23 T&F in Sweden in July, leading the Mullingar senior women team to the Leinster cross country senior women team title in November, and capped the year by winning a silver medal with the Irish team at the European Cross Country in Lisbon in December. These performances earned Claire the Award for June. In November, the Mullingar senior women cross country team of Claire Fagan, Aine O’Reilly, Sinead Whitelaw and Elizabeth Carr won the Club’s first Leinster senior cross country title since 1995, and later in November placed third in the All-Ireland senior cross country, which earned them the joint Award for November. Claire could not attend, as she was competing in Stirling the following day, so her father, Patsy, accepted the Award on her behalf, and Aine accepted the Award on behalf of the Mullingar senior women team. Host Robbie Irwin of RTE interviewed Patsy and Aine, watched by proud family and friends and a group of supporters from the Club. Congratulations to Claire, Aine, Sinead and Elizabeth on their Awards.

Athletics Leinster Star Awards for 2019 announced

Athletics Leinster announced on 8th January the winners of the Athletics Leinster Star Awards for 2019. Based on the results in Leinster Championships in 2019, the award winners for Westmeath are Mullingar’s Vicky Harris (senior athlete), Shauna Leydon (juvenile girl), Charles Okafor (juvenile boy), and Oisin Lane who will receive the race walk Award for Leinster. Vicky won gold in the 100m and 200m outdoors; Shauna won gold in the indoor triple jump, silver in the outdoor triple jump, and bronze in the indoor hurdles and outdoor shot putt; Charles had a clean sweep of the short sprint titles by winning 60m and 200m indoors and 100m and 200m outdoors; Oisin won both indoor and outdoor walks in new Championship Records and capped of a memorable season with a fantastic fourth place finish in the 10k race walk at the European Youth Olympics in Baku, Azerbaijan. Congratulations to Vicky, Shauna, Charles and Oisin and they will be presented with their Awards at a Gala Dinner in February.