Q4, 2021 News & Reports – October to December

DECEMBER

Mullingar Ekiden

Following the success of last year’s preliminary edition of the Mullingar Ekiden there was big demand in the club for the competition to be reincluded in the race calendar, so it was held on Tuesday 28th December. The Ekiden, a long-distance running multi-stage relay, had eleven teams of six runners, all Mullingar Harriers club members, covering the marathon distance of 42.195km. The race both started and finished on the club’s new all-weather running track, taking in a large loop of the Mullingar environs along the way.

Stage one saw the first group of runners race from the club grounds along the Old Rail Trail to the Ballinea car park. Jenny Algar was first to arrive at the changeover giving team 9 a commanding lead, but Aisling Corcoran, Mary Stuart and Máirtín Savage arrived together keeping teams 4, 5 and 3 in contention.

The second stage took the next set of runners along an 8.5km route and over a long distance it was no surprise the race lead changed before arriving at Belvedere House and Gardens. John Whitelaw put down a massive charge bringing team 10 from sixth to first, but JP O’Brien, James Cribbin, Patrick Muldoon and Michelle Bohan kept teams 9, 6, 4 and 3 in close contention.

The Queen stage, stage three, brought the next batch of runners 12km across Gaybrook to The Downs carpark on the Royal Canal. Once again, the order of teams was altered and this time it was James Keegan who had the biggest impact propelling team 3 to the front of the race. Lorcan Mullen also had an impressive leg putting team 4 in to second place with Evan McCormack keeping team 6 in third.

Travelling along the canal from The Downs through Baltrasna and in to Marlinstown for the fourth stage, team 4 eventually made their way into the lead thanks to Jane Creevy’s determined run. Gemma Kelly held on to second from a fast-closing Gordan Ward of team 6 and team 9’s Kieran Morris Roe.

Stage five, the shortest stage at just 5km, saw the lead change once again when Shaun Mills brought team 3 back to the front of the race and handed them what could be a winning margin. But arriving at the Cullionbeg change-over together for teams 6, 4 and 9 were Caroline Mullen, Michael O’Sullivan and Brian Boyle, all determined to keep their teams in the race.

There was no time to ease up for any of the runners in the final stage as they raced through Robinstown. That once comfortable gap was closing on Tommy Byrne and the pressure was building with every step. As the runners entered the club grounds, Brian Collentine was within striking distance and eventually took the lead with just 500m to run. After a lap of the new all-weather running track, Brian crossed the finish line victoriously for team 9, their first time back in the lead since Jenny Algar’s run in stage one. Tommy Byrne held on to give team 3 second place and Stephen Bell was close behind in third for team 6.

Teams for the Ekiden were drafted in a purposeful manner to ensure all teams were as equal as possible and after almost three hours of running there was less than 15 minutes from first to eleventh place. The lead changed during every stage, often more than once per stage, making for a very exciting event for both participants and spectators. Although only in its second year, the Ekiden has become a highly popular event at Mullingar Harriers and many members are already looking forward to the next edition.

Kilbeggan 6k

Fortunately the persistent rain on Christmas Day had mostly cleared on St. Stephen’s Day and the Kilbeggan 6k took place in good conditions for running, much to the relief of the nearly 200 that toed the line looking to burn off the excesses of Christmas dinner and raise money for the Crumlin Children’s Medical and Research Foundation. The race was well supported by athletic clubs from near and far, including Mullingar Harriers of course. As well as those just looking to enjoy the mild weather and soak up the great atmosphere, there was a competitive edge too. The winners of the men’s and women’s races were both from Tullamore Harriers, Paul Mitchell in 18 minutes 53 seconds and Nadine Donegan in exactly 22 minutes.

As expected, a good number from Mullingar Harriers took part, led home by Matthew Glennon in second place (19:05), followed by Brian Martin seventh (20:17), John Whitelaw eighth (20:28), Vinny Connolly tenth (20:41), Philip McCartan (22:38) second junior men, Joan Flynn twentieth (22:44) first in her master age category, Enda Seery (23:01), Lorcan Mullen (23:05) third junior man, Caoimhe Kilmurray (23:06) first junior woman, Susan Glennon (23:21) second senior woman, Andrew Glennon (23:50), Kieran Nolan (24:05), Amy Mahony (24:10), Conor Walsh (25:40), Lily Walsh (26:15) second junior woman running with her father Colm Walsh (26:15), Annie Kilmurray (26:30) third junior woman, Caroline Mullen (28:06) second in her master age category and John Bannon (28:24) third in his master age category.

It was good to see members of Mullingar Harriers out in good numbers to support a local race and also to support a great cause.

Fields of Athenry 10k

Organised by local club Athenry AC in Galway, the Fields of Athenry 10k on St. Stephen’s Day is regarded as one of the top road races in the country. The race had to be cancelled in 2020 due to Covid restrictions, but returned very strong this year when more than 1,000 took part. The race started behind the train station and finished in the heart of the town. The course was reasonably flat up to 3k, then there was a long drag up to the 5k mark, followed by a few more ups and downs along the way but it still can’t be considered a hilly course. The final kilometre is downhill, so everyone gained a bit of time with a very fast finish over the last kilometre. Running in very good conditions, Eddie Newman finished well up in 25th place in 36:02 to comfortably win his master category. Also competing was James Tierney (38:21) and Anna Broderick who finished strongly in 41:14, just outside the top 20 women finishers.

AAI National Race Walk Championships

St. Anne’s Park, Raheny hosted the World Athletic Race Walking tour on Sunday 19th December. The main event was the 35k race walk and incorporated the AAI National Race Walk Championships. There were also 20k and 10k races on the programme for athletes looking to try a longer distance ahead of the 2022 season or seeking an early qualification for forthcoming championships, including a number from Mullingar Harriers.

For Mullingar Harriers the standout performance was the brilliant personal best by Matthew Glennon of 43:58 in the Open 10k held in conjunction with these Championships. This gave Matthew a clear victory by over three quarters of a minute from his nearest rival from the UK. Matthew’s target was to qualify for the World Cup of Racewalking and this he did comfortably by over a minute and a half. He can now look forward to competing in this event in Muscat, Oman in early March next year. Andrew Glennon, his younger brother, also had a big personal best when finishing fifth in 48:53 and this time puts him within striking distance of the 2022 European Youths (u/18) qualifying standard.

Also having her first attempt at the 10k distance was Aisling Lane who walked 52:53, which is an excellent debut for a 15 year old at this challenging distance. In fact each of Aisling’s 5km splits were faster than all of the athletes who walked just a 5km itself, and augurs very well for her main competitions in a few months. Also making a big jump in competitive distance was Oisín Lane who attempted his first ever 20k. Oisín achieved his goal with an 89:51 performance and the third fastest 20k time ever by an Irish Junior Racewalker. He too can look forward to the 2022 competitive year.

As well as our Junior and Youth walkers displaying excellent form, the evergreen Sean McMullin proved once again that with focus and determination, age is not a barrier to performance or achievement as he finished third Master overall in the Masters 10k event in 64:47, and a clear winner in his own age category to achieve another podium performance for Mullingar Harriers. He too can look forward with confidence to the 2022 top international Masters competitions.

Drogheda & District AC Christmas 5k

Drogheda & District AC hosted their Christmas 5k at the Lourdes Stadium on Sunday 19th December. The race started on the track and then the course took the large entry of more than 530 out through the streets of Drogheda, with some sharp turns and gentle hills, turning half way to come back to finish the last 500m on the track. Mullingar was represented by Gerard Gavin, whose finish time of 16:48 secured him a prize for second place in his master age category. Linda Cunningham expressed her delight when a fast finish brought her a PB time of 22:17.

European Cross Country

Postponed from 2020 due to the Covid pandemic, the European Cross Country Championships finally rolled in to the Sport Ireland Campus in Abbottstown, Co. Dublin on Sunday 12th December and before a sell-out crowd in a thrilling day of competition, Ireland won three medals, two team (u/20 men silver, u/23 men gold) and one individual (Darragh McElhinney, silver), on an historic occasion for Irish athletics. Buoyed up by the enthusiastic vocal home support, the Irish athletes rose to the occasion and with fantastic performances from the first race to the last, Ireland finished third Country overall on the points table behind Great Britain and France and fifth Country overall on the medal table. Playing a valuable part in the memorable day was two of Mullingar’s finest athletes – Jamie Battle and Cormac Dalton.

Jamie Battle was a late call up for the u/23 men team but having missed a team medal on count back in the under 20 race in Lisbon in 2019, he was determined to make amends this year. Competing with great determination over the tough 8,000m course he put in a strong performance to finish fifth man for the Ireland team that placed first in great style and Jamie was absolutely delighted to receive a European gold team medal for his efforts.

Jacob Ingebrigsten of Norway was the big ticket attraction and red hot favourite in the senior men 10,000m race and he didn’t disappoint with a memorable performance to win the European senior title with ease. Cormac Dalton was part of a strong Irish team and negotiating the tough mucky course with his customary determination and drawing on his growing International experience ran an absolutely brilliant race to finish in a fantastic twenty eighth place, the third finisher for Ireland, helping the team to an excellent fourth place behind France, Spain and Norway, only four points away from the bronze medals. Very well done to Jamie and Cormac on their excellent performances for Ireland, helping to make the day so memorable for Ireland.

Hosting an event like this was a massive undertaking for Athletics Ireland and required significant time and energy from every quarter to make it such a success. Mullingar was happy to help play its part behind the scenes, with Joe Ryan as the junior team coach, and the 400-strong army of volunteers included Catriona Duffy, Greg Duggan, Margaret Daly and Aisling Lane who were part of the call room team.

AAI National Novice and Juvenile Uneven Ages XC

The domestic cross country season concluded with the AAI National Novice and Juvenile Uneven Ages Cross Country in Gowran, Co. Kilkenny on Sunday 5th December. The early morning sharp frost gave way to clear sunny skies, though it remained very cold throughout the long day of competition but at least it stayed dry. This was in contrast to the heavy rain in the week leading up to the event, which meant the course soon broke up and became very soft and sticky in places, making for real cross country conditions, especially for the later races. Most of the Mullingar underage athletes competed, though a few were sick and unable to compete, but the adult teams were very badly hit by absence due to illness, which meant the women couldn’t field a team and the men had the bare four minimum needed for a team, but despite this, all the Mullingar athletes performed to the very best of their abilities and can be proud of their exploits competing against the very best in Ireland. Mullingar came home with two sets of team medals, one team missed medals by the narrowest of margins, they missed bronze on count back, we had 3 individual top-12 finishes and 6 medals were won with Leinster teams, so it was an excellent day of competition for Mullingar Harriers.

The competition started with the 1,500m for girls u/11 where Lily Walsh had the honour of leading the Mullingar team home in 11th place, earning an individual top-12 finisher’s medal. Despite great support from Chloe Bell finishing very strongly in 16th place, followed by Grace Murphy, Shaynah Mitchell, Aoife Gouldsbury and Lucy Kilmurray the team finished out of the medals though Lily won a gold medal with the Leinster team in the Inte-Provincial competition. We had another individual top-12 medal winner when Cillian Galvin stormed through to 8th place in the 1,500m for boys u/11, leading the Leinster team to third place and the bronze medals, but though Antonio Bertolo, Louis Kiernan, Adam O’Connor and Aonghus O’Reilly battled hard, the boys finished out of the team medal places.

Team medals continued to elude Mullingar in the 2,500m for boys u/13 where Conor Walsh, Conor Geoghegan, Scott Cogan, Darren Corcoran, Greg McDonnell and David Reilly gave it their all, leaving nothing on the track, but finished out of the team medals. Seeing Jamie Wallace power up the finish straight to a magnificent 3rd place in the 4,000m for boys u/15, leading the Leinster team to gold, and with fantastic support from Conor Liston, Donagh Carey, Luke Greene, Niall Brady and Barry Walsh we finally saw team success as the Mullingar boys placed 2nd Club to win richly deserved All-Ireland team silver medals. We were sure we would win another set of team medals when Caoimhe Kilmurray finished well up in 15th place in the 4,000m for u/17 girls, just missing an individual medal, but with Adele Geoghegan, Grace Byrne, Leah Geoghegan, Caoimhe Donohue, Aisling Lane, Siofra O’Halloran and Aine Gilhooly (Athlone IT) packing really well in support, the disappointment was palpable when it was announced that the girls finished 4th Club, on the same points as third, but missing the medals on count back, the narrowest of margins. A consolation of sorts for Caoimhe was a silver medal with the Leinster team.

On to the 5,000m for boys u/17 where Ross Killalea led the Mullingar team to 3rd Club, thanks to fantastic team support and packing by David Burke, Conor Sherwin, Pablo Lozano and Conleth Mullen. We had no team in the 4,000m for girls u/19 but Phoebe Bate and Meabh Killalea ran fantastic races, finishing well up and delighted to win bronze medals with the Leinster team. Meabh moves up to the junior ranks next year, so it was lovely for her to win a medal in her final juvenile race. The juvenile programme finished with the 6,000m for boys u/19 where Lorcan Mullen was the sole representative from Mullingar and he put in a very solid performance in his final juvenile race and can look forward to competing as a junior athlete next year.

Moving to the adult races, the Mullingar women’s team in the Novice Women 4,000m was very badly hit by illness and only half of the team could compete on the day. Undeterred, Anna Broderick, Laura Geoghegan and Michelle O’Halloran gave it their best and can be very satisfied with their performances. The day ended with the biggest race of the day by far, as 222 men charged from the start of the Novice Men 6,000m including Andrew Nevin, Vinny Connolly having his first cross country race in ten years, Alan Crowley and John Whitelaw. Despite the tough conditions on the rapidly deteriorating course, and missing half their team too, the Mullingar men left nothing behind and though they finished out of the team medals can be very proud of their efforts in one of the most competitive cross country races in Ireland. Of note is that from early analysis of the results, Mullingar Harriers finished 4th Club in Ireland overall and Mullingar athletes were on 9 of the 16 Leinster teams that won medals over the two days of All-Ireland cross country competition, helping Leinster to 2nd Province, so very well done to all our underage members.

That concluded the competition and most of our juveniles can now take a well-earned rest up to Christmas before they regroup and prepare for the indoor season in the New Year. There’s no rest for Caoimhe Kilmurray and Conor Sherwin though, as they have the Celtic International Cross Country in January to look forward to.

NOVEMBER

Clonakilty Marathon

Despite the bitter cold on Saturday morning 27th November, over 1,600 runners, joggers and walkers gathered in Clonakilty for a variety of distances from 10k to half marathon to marathon. A massed start saw the big crowd make their way through Clonakilty and out on to their respective routes before returning to the finish in Clonakilty. After the 10k and half marathon runners had finished, focus was on the marathon runners and after completing the hilly 42.2km route and finishing well up in seventh place was James Keegan in 2:53:05. James was very pleased with this excellent result. Also pleased with his race was Kedagh Geoghegan, finishing in 3:14:46, getting closer to the 3 hour mark with every competition.

European XC selection for Cormac Dalton

Congratulations to Cormac Dalton on being named on the Irish senior men team to compete at the European Cross Country in Dublin on 12th December. The National Senior Cross Country on 21st November was the trial for the Europeans but only guaranteed the first three finishers a place on the team, with the selectors free to consider three others, such as US based student-athletes like Cormac, who secured his place on the team thanks to a magnificent showing in the NCAA Cross Country Championship in Florida only days before.

Cormac made his debut in a Major Championship at the corresponding event in Lisbon in 2019 when he competed on the u/23 team, finishing in an excellent 49th place, the fourth finisher for Ireland to help the team to a very creditable 7th place. He can draw on that invaluable experience this year and everyone at Mullingar Harriers wishes him the very best of luck.

AAI Senior, Junior and Juvenile Even Ages XC

With the women and men races at the AAI Senior, Junior and Juvenile Even Ages Cross Country on Sunday 21st November at Santry Demesne, Dublin being trials for the European Cross Country Championships to be held in Dublin in December and the u/16 girls and boys races being trials for the Celtic International Cross Country in Belfast in January, there was a lot at stake for some Mullingar athletes, in addition to the chase for individual and team honours. By the end of the day, Conor Sherwin and Caoimhe Kilmurray earned selection for the Irish Development teams at the Celtic International and Jamie Battle put himself in the mix for selection for the European Cross Country. This was in addition to three sets of team medals for Mullingar underage teams, two top-12 finish places, and six medals won with Leinster teams, making for an excellent and thrilling day of competition for Mullingar Harriers.

Conditions on the day were ideal for running, cool but dry, and the course while challenging in places was perfect underfoot and therefore very fast. The first race with a Mullingar interest was the 2,000m for boys u/12, where Cillian Galvin, Darren Corcoran, Aaron Wallace, James O’Connor and Greg McDonnell battled hard but finished out of the team medals against quality opposition, but will benefit from competing at this level. It was the same for the Mullingar team in the 3,000m for girls u/14, led home by Tianna O’Leary and despite good support from Eleanor Kiernan, Lydia McDonnell, Muireann Reihill and Blathnaid Peters, the girls finished out of the medals. We got in the medals in the 3,000m for boys u/14 thanks to the brilliant efforts of Luke Greene, Cian Corcoran, Niall Brady, Conor Walsh, Matthew Molloy and Conor Geoghegan, combining to finish 3rd Club and winning All-Ireland bronze medals.

Caoimhe Kilmurray battled all the way to finish 9th in the 4,000m for girls u/16. Her initial disappointment not to finish in the top eight and earn automatic selection for the Celtic International evaporated when she learned that one of the girls ahead of her is from Ulster and will compete on the Northern Ireland team, so Caoimhe will take her place in Belfast with the Irish Development team. With terrific support and team packing by Adele Geoghegan, Grace Byrne, Jessica Cunningham, Leah Geoghegan, Rachel Murphy, Caoimhe Donohue, Ellen Foran, Siofra O’Halloran and Muireann Donohue, the girls placed 3rd Club to win All-Ireland bronze medals for their efforts. Caoimhe and Adele helped Leinster to second place in the Inter-Provincial competition to earn silver Inter-Provincial team medals in addition to their bronze Club team medals.

Seeing their dominance at Leinster, it was no surprise that the Mullingar team in the 4,000m for boys u/16 were easy winners and finished 1st Club. Led home by Conor Sherwin in 8ht place to earn selection on the Irish Development team at the Celtic International, supported by David Burke having an absolutely huge race, his best race of the season by far, then Jamie Wallace fighting all the way despite feeling unwell but still running so as not to let the team down, and with Philip McCartan, Pablo Lozano and Donagh Carey finishing well up providing the vital team scores in spades, team victory was assured. Conor and Jamie also helped Leinster to third place to earn bronze Inter-Provincial team medals in addition to their gold Club team medals.

The 4,000m for junior women and u/18 girls was a combined race and while we had no teams, Phoebe Bate finished well up in the u/18 race and won a bronze medal with the Leinster team, followed home by Meabh Killalea (Junior) and Aisling Lane (u/18) finishing strongly and can look forward with confidence to their u/19 and u/17 races respectively in two weeks.

The final underage race was the 6,000m for junior men and u/18 boys where Ross Killalea and Andrew Glennon competed in the u/18 race, and joined Matthew Glennon, Lorcan Mullen and Oisin Lane on the junior team. Leading home for Mullingar was Matthew Glennon (Junior), supported by Lorcan Mullen (Junior), Ross Killalea (u/18), Oisin Lane (Junior) and Andrew Glennon (u/18), all running well but finishing out of the team prizes in an extremely competitive race because it was the trail for Junior Irish teams for the European Cross Country, so attracted the very best in Ireland. A good consolation for Ross was a silver medal with the Leinster u/18 team.

Moving to the senior programme, Jenny Algar and Michelle Bohan gave it their all and were pleased with their performances in the 8,000m for senior women against the cream of Irish women cross country talent. The day finished with the 10,000m for senior and under 23 men where Jamie Battle put in a great shift to finish an excellent 14th place overall, the 6th u/23 man. There will be a team of six u/23 men selected for the European Cross Country, but only the top three from Santry are guaranteed and the selectors may consider up to three US based student-athletes, so Jamie faces an anxious wait for the decision of the team selectors.

NCAA Cross Country Championship

The NCAA Cross Country Championship took place on Saturday morning 20th November at the Apalachee Regional Park cross country course in Tallahassee, Florida, where the men competed over 10,000m. The very large field of over 250 runners kept the pressure on right from the gun to make it a very fast race. Building on his brilliant recent form, in his first appearance at the NCAA Championships, Cormac Dalton really dug deep and had a fantastic race to finish very strongly in 29:28.5  to place an excellent 34th place, leading the Tulsa team home to 6th place out of 31 teams, and earning himself an All-American honour into the bargain. With the European Cross Country taking place in Dublin in December, this performance comes at the perfect time for Cormac and should put him in the frame for selection on the Irish senior men team.

Northern Ireland Masters North-South XC Challenge

The annual British and Irish Masters International Cross Country generally takes place in November however, due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the event was cancelled again this year but on Saturday 13th November the inaugural Northern Ireland Masters North-South Cross Country Challenge was held in Belfast at the Queen’s University Sports Campus, which proved to be a relatively flat but still a challenging course. The tight course made it easy for spectators to follow the action and give their support to the athletes.

Among the Irish athletes were five Mullingar Harriers, including two seasoned international athletes, Brigid McCabe and Sean McMullin who were delighted to be back representing their country again, and three new international competitors, Sinéad Whitelaw, Maura Dervin and Nicky McCabe. Although there were two races on the day, all the Mullingar athletes competed in the first race, the 6,000m for all the ladies and the men aged over 65 years.

The race was led out by a strong group of Irish athletes and finished in a similar pattern with nine of the top ten ladies from Ireland, among them Sinéad Whitelaw who finished in tenth place, and third in her master category. Maura Dervin ran a strong race to finish third in her master category, in her first international event. Brigid McCabe sprinted to the finish and claimed third place in her master category.  Following closely behind was Sean McMullin who was second in his master category. Nicky McCabe enjoyed his race, finishing out of the medals but well up in his master category and crossing the finish line with a smile.

There was an overall team event for the men and ladies, which was based on the total finish times of all the team athletes, not their finishing positions as typically used for cross country team events. The Irish ladies won the team event and took home the inaugural trophy. There was some talk that this event could become an annual event and that would certainly be something for all Irish athletes to look forward to and aspire to compete it.

Congratulations to all five Mullingar athletes that competed with distinction in Belfast, especially to Sinead, Maura and Nicky who made their International debuts and now that they have done so, their names will be added to the International Roll of Honour in the Clubhouse.

Lough Boora 10k

We’re continuing to see a steady return of live road races, and on Saturday morning 13th November the Ferbane AC “Lough Boora 10k” proved particularly fruitful for the Mullingar quartet that made the short journey to Co. Offaly. Taking advantage of the relatively flat course to finish strongly in 5th place in 35:47, Eddie Newman won his master age category, ahead of Stephen Naughton 14th in 39:20, which placed him third in his master age category, with Jenny Algar only a few places behind in 18th overall in 39:56, taking the top prize for first woman. Finally, making up the Mullingar group was Lee Anne Maye finishing in 45:15, taking third prize in her master age category to see all the Mullingar athletes heading home with prizes for their excellent efforts.

Leinster Senior & Juvenile Uneven Ages XC (Avondale)

Leinster cross country concluded on Sunday 7th November when the Leinster Senior and Juvenile Uneven Ages Cross Country Championships was held in the beautiful surroundings of Avondale Forest Park in Rathdrum, Co. Wicklow. Thankfully, while it was a bit chilly at times, the weather stayed dry for the day so the course stayed in excellent condition throughout the long 12-race programme. Athletics Wicklow is to be congratulated for putting everything in place and left no stone unturned in ensuring the course and facilities were up to the highest standards. Avondale is a hilly place, and after every race bodies were strewn around the finish area as exhausted runners gave every last effort in the final uphill stretch to the finish line, but while the course was challenging it was still fair and a great test of strength and fitness that suited the stronger athletes.

In contrast to the attendance in Kilkenny two weeks previously, nearly all the Mullingar athletes that were entered competed on the day, with only a few missing due to illness, so we had our strongest teams in most events. We had reason to be concerned after the first day that Mullingar’s dominance in  underage cross country was under challenge, and some other Clubs in Leinster are definitely snapping at our heels, but 2 Club gold, 2 Club silver and a Club bronze pushed us clear on the points table and we should retain the cup for best club in juvenile cross country in Leinster. Club team success aside, we also had a County bronze and 12 Mullingar athletes won individual medals by finishing in top-12 places, including Tianna O’Leary who powered to victory in the under 13 girls race to take the Leinster title.

Before the Championships proper, there were open races for boys and girls under 9 years of age where Penny Bohan and Katie Bohan ran in the girls race and Mel Bohan ran in the boys and they all thoroughly enjoyed the experience. We are sure to see these youngsters in the coming years racing in Championships proper.

The Championships proper began with the 1,500m for girls u/11 where Mullingar had a big team, led home by Lily Walsh in 8th place, followed by Chloe Bell in 13th, just missing an individual medal by one place, but cross country racing is also about the team and with great support from Clodagh Conlon (Athlone IT), Shaynah Mitchell, Grace Murphy, Aoife Gouldsbury, Lucy Kilmurray, Aoibhe Martyn, Amelie Kelly, Alannah Reihill and Maria Gouldsbury, the girls were unlucky to finish 4th Club, just missing the medals by  a few points in a close finish. Seeing Cillian Galvin 10th, Niklas Santin 11th and Antonio Bertolo 13th, just missing an individual medal by one place, in the 1,500m for boys u/11, we knew Mullingar was in the hunt for team medals and thanks to excellent support from Louis Kiernan, Oisin Clarke, Adam O’Connor, Aonghus O’Reilly, Cian Sheerin and Joel Kelly leaving nothing on the track, the boys finished 2nd Club and were rewarded for their efforts with team silver medals.

Taking the early lead in the 2,500m for girls u/13, the race commentator kept us all updated with the progress of Tianna O’Leary throughout and we were delighted to see her sprint up the finish straight to win by a big margin, her first Leinster title. Despite great efforts by Eleanor Kiernan, Kirstin So (Athlone IT), Emma Lagan, Blathnaid Peters, Muireann Galvin, Lisa O’Brien, Sadhbh Carey, Roisin Flynn and Rachel Gouldsbury, the girls were unlucky to finish out of the team medals in a very competitive race. On to the 2,500m for boys u/13 where Conor Walsh was in fantastic form and running very strongly throughout and keeping enough in reserve for a big sprint finish, came home in an excellent 8th place, leading the very large Mullingar team to 3rd Club, thanks to great support from Conor Geoghegan, Darren Corcoran, Scott Cogan, David Reilly, Greg McDonnell, Zack O’Leary, Oliver Lynch, James O’Connor and Aaron Conroy.

The 3,500m for girls u/15 was a tough test for Rachel Murphy, Lydia McDonnell, Muireann Reihill, Caoimhe Clarke, Muireann Donohue, Rosie O’Grady and Siofra O’Reilly and despite their best efforts, they finished out of the team medal places, but top marks to the team for effort. Jamie Wallace was always in contention from the start of the 3,500m for boys u/15 and it was only in the closing stages that the eventual winner opened a gap that Jamie couldn’t close, but fighting hard all the way he finished in an excellent 2nd place. With Donagh Carey in 13th, just missing an individual medal by one place, and strong running from Matthew Molloy, Conor Liston, Luke Greene, Niall Brady, Darragh Bennett and Barry Walsh, the boys thoroughly deserved their gold medals for 1st Club. They finished 4th County, just missing medals by a narrow margin, but 4th County means they still qualify for the All-Ireland finals.

Caoimhe Kilmurray looked strong and smooth in the 4,000m for girls u/17, keeping right up with the leaders throughout, and with a very strong finish came home in 3rd place to win an individual medal. Adele Geoghegan left nothing behind and collapsed over the line in 7th place, and with Grace Byrne not far outside the top twelve, and fantastic team support and packing from the fast finishing Jessica Cunningham, Aisling Lane, Leah Geoghegan, Caoimhe Donohue, Siofra O’Halloran, Aine Gilhooly (Athlone IT) and Ellen Foran, the girls richly deserved their medals for 1st Club and 3rd County. It’s often said in cross country racing that the team is only as good as the fourth score, and we got a great example of that in the 5,000m for boys u/17. First to finish in 8th place was Ross Killalea, ahead of Conor Sherwin just outside the top twelve place, followed by Pablo Lozano and then all eyes were on Conleth Mullen who dug deep and battled to the finish to provide the vital fourth score that saw the team finish 2nd Club, a rich reward for great effort.

Mullingar had no team in the 4,000m for girls u/19 but had excellent representation in Phoebe Bate who finished 6th, and Meabh Killalea in 9th, securing their places on the Leinster team in the All-Ireland finals. Lorcan Mullen was our sole representative in the 6,000m for boys u/19 where he put in an excellent shift and was delighted to finish in 5th place and secure his place on the Leinster team in the All-Ireland finals.

That concluded an exciting underage programme and proceedings then moved to the adult races, beginning with the 5,000m for Senior Women. Finishing well up in 14th place, the Mullingar and Westmeath teams were led home by Aine O’Reilly, followed in by Michelle Bohan, Anna Broderick, Amy Mahony, Treasa Gibney (North Westmeath AC), Aisling Corcoran, Michelle O’Halloran and Linda Cunningham all working very hard in support. The women finished a very creditable 5th Club and 5th County in an extremely competitive race. The final race of the day was the grueling 10,000m for Senior Men, a long testing race on the tough hills in Avondale but the Mullingar men were up to the task, led home by Ian McCormack, followed by Gerard Gavin, John Whitelaw (3rd u/23 man), Alan Crowley and Eoin Clarke. The team finished out of the Club medals but they were delighted for John Whitelaw on his individual bronze medal.

A Leinster title for Tianna O’Leary, another 11 top-12 finishers, 5 Club team medals, 1 Club team in 4th place, 1 County team medal and 1 County team in 4th place, means that Mullingar and Westmeath will have a big squad at the All-Ireland finals in Gowran, Co. Kilkenny in mid-December. The All-Ireland finals are a step up though and everyone that has qualified for the even ages in Santry in two weeks and for the uneven ages in Gowran two weeks after that needs to continue to apply themselves fully in training, at the Club on Tuesdays and Thursdays but especially in Belvedere at the week-ends.

Corofin 10 Mile

While many Mullingar athletes were pounding the cross country hill in Avondale, Siobhan Farry was competing in the Corofin 10 Mile in Co. Galway on Sunday morning 7th November. Siobhan reported that weather conditions were ideal but though advertised as a challenging course but not too steep or taxing, Siobhan reported that it was actually extremely hilly. Despite this, she still finished in 1 hour 16 minutes and 27 seconds, which is a new personal best time, so she has to be very pleased with that.

Clondalkin Half Marathon

A Mullingar athlete in great form on Sunday morning 7th November was Emer O’Hanlon who completed the Clondalkin Half Marathon. Running on a flat course with long straight lines, including parts of it on the banks of the Grand Canal, Emer finished in 1 hour 40 minutes 51 seconds, a new personal best, so a Mullingar athlete very happy with her race.

OCTOBER

Leinster Novice, Junior & Juvenile Even Ages XC (Mountain View)

After two long years waiting, Leinster cross country finally returned on Saturday 23rd October when the Leinster Novice, Junior and Juvenile Even Ages Cross Country Championships were held at a new venue, at Mountain View in Ballyhale, Co. Kilkenny. A former golf course, it proved an exceptional venue with great onsite facilities, parking and a great undulating course that was hilly enough to separate the best from the rest but not too hilly to unduly stress the weaker runners, so a very fair test for everyone. Very well done to the host club, St. Senan’s AC, who put in a lot of hard work preparing the course for the event and they came in for a lot of well deserved praise for their fine work. The weather forecast was for wind and rain, but while we had the wind, the rain only came in infrequent showers and wasn’t enough to spoil the day.

Three Mullingar underage Club teams won their races and two of them added County medals too, in addition to another two 4th place Club team finishes. Added to this medal haul were 11 individual underage medals, for finishing in the top-12 in their races. Our adult athletes weren’t to be outshone by the juveniles and the novice women finished 3rd Club and 4th County and the novice men 5th Club and 6th County in extremely competitive races.

Three underage Club team gold medals, medals for two County teams and 11 individual underage medals might seem like excellent juvenile results, but before we get too excited, at the corresponding events in 2019 and 2018, we won nearly twice as many team medals as we did this year. Dare we mention 2017 when every underage team won Club medals and it’s a long time since at least one Mullingar athlete hasn’t won an individual title at a Leinster cross country? The results from previous years should be a sufficient reality check and a wake-up call to show that we have an awful lot to do in Avondale in two weeks time if we want to retain the cup for best club in juvenile cross country in Leinster.

Getting back to this year, we were hit with a number of no shows, 17 in total. Some were due to illness or injury, which is perfectly understandable, but 9 just didn’t show up on the day, which is extremely disappointing, especially for the u/14 boys team that was missing 4 athletes. They finished 1st Club and would surely have won County medals too but for the want of a 6th runner.

The day began with non-Championship races over 1,000m for boys and girls u/10 years of age, and athletes as young as 7, 8 and 9 years of age from Clubs across Leinster competed with great enthusiasm. Aoife Gouldsbury and Maria Gouldsbury ran in the u/10 girls 1,000m race and both ran extremely well and were delighted to take part and thoroughly enjoyed the run.

After the excitement of the u/10 races, it was over to the first race of the Championships, the 2,000m for girls u/12 where Lisa O’Brien, Roisin Flynn, Aoibhe Martyn and Lucy Kilmurray battled throughout, finishing strongly, but out of the medal places. Mullingar had a big team in the 2,000m for boys u/12, where Cillian Galvin cut his teeth in his first Leinster with a fine 7th place finish, followed by Darren Corcoran, Aaron Wallace, Zack O’Leary, Greg McDonnell, James O’Connor, Jack Geoghegan, Oisin Kilmurray and Cormac McGrath packing well to finish 4th Club, just out of the medal places, and a very respectable 5th County team too. Fourth Club means Mullingar will still have a Club team in the All-Ireland finals though and with a top-12 finish place, Cillian will also be running on the Leinster team.

A big Mullingar team in the 3,000m for girls u/14 was led home by Tianna O’Leary in 9th place, and with great team support from Eleanor Kiernan, Lydia McDonnell, Muireann Reihill, Blathnaid Peters, Muireann Galvin, Sadhbh Carey, Síofra O’Reilly and Rachel Gouldsbury, the girls were very unlucky to finish out of the medals as 4th Club, but a team still qualifies for the All-Ireland finals. Seeing Matthew Molloy taking 12th place in the 3,000m for boys u/14, and Luke Greene, Conor Walsh and Niall Brady following him home in close order only a few places behind, with Conor Geoghegan in support, gave the Mullingar spectators plenty to be hopeful for and that was hope was realised when it was announced the boys finished 1st Club by a very big margin. Only for one more runner, the team would surely have won County medals too.

Another big Mullingar team took to the line in the 4,000m for girls u/16, and with Caoimhe Kilmurray storming through the finish in 7th place, followed by Adele Geoghegan in 11th, and great team support from Grace Byrne, Leah Geoghegan, Jessica Cunningham, Rachel Murphy, Caoimhe Donohue, Ellen Foran, Síofra O’Halloran and Muireann Donohue packing brilliantly, it was no surprise that the girls finished 1st Club and 1st County. Four in the top-12 and a fifth just outside, saw Mullingar and Westmeath absolutely dominate in the 4,000m u/16 boys. Conor Sherwin 2nd, Jamie Wallace 3rd, Philip McCartan 9th and Donagh Carey 11th combined to finish 1st Club by a huge margin, and with Pablo Lozano just outside the top-12 and thanks to David Burke battling all the way and providing the vital 6th score, the boys finished 2nd County, missing gold by just 2 points. We’ll surely see this team competing for National honours in a month’s time.

The 4,000m for girls u/18 and Junior Women was a combined race where the u/18 girls could win medals in both the u/18 race and as members of junior teams. We hadn’t enough for u/18 teams, but did for a Junior Westmeath team. Leading the team home in 11th place overall was Phoebe Bate (u/18), followed by Meabh Killalea (Junior), Aisling Lane (u/18) and Aine Gilhooley (Athlone IT, u/18). Phoebe finished 7th in the u/18 race, so received an individual medal. When the u/18 and Junior results were separated, the Junior women team finished a very creditable 5th County. The final underage race on the programme was another combined race, the 6,000m for boys u/18 and Junior Men, where like the corresponding women’s race, medals could be won in the u/18 race and as members of Junior teams. Unfortunately, we couldn’t field any teams on the day, so the Mullingar trio had to run as individuals. Matthew Glennon (Junior) led the Mullingar men home by with an excellent 9th place finish overall, the 8th junior man, followed by Ross Killalea (u/18) and Andrew Glennon (u/18). When the u/18 and Junior results were separated, Ross finished 7th in the u/18 race.

Moving to the adult races, there was a big field for the Novice Women 4,000m including a team of eight from Mullingar, and with supported North Westmeath AC, a Westmeath team of twelve. The Mullingar women were led home by Sinead Whitelaw in an excellent 9th place, followed by Michelle Bohan, Jenny Algar, Amy Mahony, Anna Broderick, Susan Glennon,  Aisling Corcoran and Michelle O’Halloran to finish 3rd Club and with support from Treasa Gibney, Marie Masterson (NWAC), Karen Crean and Rosie Grall of North Westmeath AC, the women finished 4th County team in a close finish.

The day ended with the Novice Men 6,000m, which as usual was one of the biggest fields of the day. The Mullingar men left nothing behind them, driving through the line, and falling with exhaustion, led by James Keegan in an excellent 10th place, Ian McCormack only a few places behind and with support from Stephen Campbell, Brian Martin, John Whitelaw, Alan Crowley, Evan McCormack and Enda Seery, the team finished a very creditable 5th Club and 6th County in what is regarded as one of the most competitive races in Leinster cross country.

That rounded off a good day for Mullingar with plenty of individual and team successes and excellent running by everyone. The second round, for Senior and juvenile uneven ages will take place in Avondale, Co. Wicklow in two weeks time. The juvenile even age teams that qualified from Mountain View will go forward to the All-Ireland Finals in Santry Demesne, Dublin in four weeks time. Juvenile uneven teams for Avondale will be finalized by Club officials this week but in the meantime it is vital that everyone continues to train hard and be in the best possible condition for the next round of the Leinsters and for the All-Ireland Finals beyond, so we expect everyone to keep in full training over the coming weeks, especially in Belvedere this week-end.

International Selection for Mullingar Quintet (21st Oct)

As reported, the Mullingar masters were in sparkling form at the AAI Autumn Open Cross Country and as a result five of them, including three who will make their International debuts, have been selected on the Irish Masters team to compete against their Northern Ireland counterparts at the Queen’s University Belfast Playing Fields on 13th November. Selected are Sinead Whitelaw, Brigid McCabe, Maura Dervin, Nicky McCabe and Sean McMullin. We could even consider it six if we include Pat Muldoon senior, as he is the reserve in his master category.

Brigid, Sean (and Pat) have represented Ireland before, but for Sinead, Maura and Nicky, this will be their International debuts, which is a great honour for them, their families, and of course for the Club.

We already have a number of siblings on our record of International athletes, and some mother/son, father/son, father/daughter and even aunt/nephew combinations, but Nicky and Brigid are the first husband and wife from Mullingar Harriers to run for Ireland. Congratulations to Sinead, Maura, Brigid, Nicky and Sean from everyone at the Club.

AAI Autumn Open XC

On its final day of competition before the European Cross-Country Championships in December, the purpose-built cross country course at the National Sports Campus in Abbotstown, Co. Dublin was in fantastic condition on Sunday afternoon 17th October for the first big cross country fixture of the season, the AAI Autumn Open Cross Country. Being the build up to the European Cross Country, many of Ireland’s leading runners were in action, including a number from Mullingar. The races incorporated the trials for the Irish Masters team to compete against Northern Ireland in November and Mullingar had a number of its master athletes in action vying for selection on the Irish masters team.

The programme consisted of two races. The first race was the 6,000m for senior and master women, which was combined with the 4,500m for junior women and the older master women and they ran a lap less. In the 6,000m Master Women race, Sinead Whitelaw finished very strongly in 15th place overall, 6th in her master category. Maura Dervin also had a terrific race to finish 2nd in her master category, which should secure her selection on the Irish masters team. In the Junior Women 4,500m race, Phoebe Bate and Meabh Killalea had solid runs in a field of top Irish senior and juniors athletes and gained valuable experience that will stand to them and they are eager for the next race. Brigid McCabe competed in the Master Women 4,500m where she finished third overall and 3rd in her master category, which should secure a place on the Irish masters team.

The second race was the 7,500m for senior and master men, which was combined with the 6,000m for junior men and the older master men and they ran a lap less. A huge entry of men took at a furious pace, including Andrew Nevin who finished well in the Senior Men 7,500m race and will be satisfied with his performance against quality opposition. Competing in the Junior Men 6,000m race, Matthew Glennon had the best run of the day by a Mullingar athlete, though he went out too hard with the top group and paid for it in the finish, coming home in tenth place, an excellent performance but he has the potential to finish top six with a more controlled effort. Lorcan Mullen also competed in the junior race and will look to build on his performance in the upcoming Leinsters. In the Master Men 6,000m, Pat Muldoon senior finished 4th in his category, Sean McMullin 1st in his category and Nicky McCabe 4th in his category, which means that Sean will definitely be selected for the Irish masters team.

Nuttycombe Wisconsin Invitational XC

The prestigious Nuttycombe Wisconsin Invitational Cross Country acts as trials for the NCAA. Competing with Tulsa University against 30 other College teams in a huge entry of 245 men on Friday afternoon 15th October, Cormac Dalton put in a great shift to place an excellent 26th overall, 3rd scorer for Tulsa, just behind fellow Irish man and Tulsa team mate Peter Lynch (Kilkenny), helping Tulsa to place third team. This was a great result, as they beat some top quality opposition and it secures valuable points towards qualification for the NCAA finals, which is the main aim for any College team, and it looks like Cormac is well on his way to fulfilling his dream of competing at that level.

Westmeath AAI Cross Country – Day 2

Early morning fog gave way to beautiful sunshine in Belvedere on Sunday 10th October for Day 2 of the Athletics Westmeath Cross Country Championships. Competition was for girls and boys under 9, 11, 13, 15, 17 and 19 years and for novice, junior, senior and master women and men. Belvedere proved itself yet again as an excellent cross country venue and underfoot conditions were absolutely perfect, under bright sunny skies and with no wind, it was a fabulous autumn morning, which helped to attract a large entry, especially in the adult races where there were teams from Athlone, Coralstown-Kinnegad, Mullingar and North Westmeath.

Many of the juveniles who took part on day one the previous week were back in action again either running in their own age or moving up an age group to get in some race experience. As on day one, the competitors on day two came from all across the County and included a number of welcome newcomers, with everyone keen to perform well. All the underage races were keenly contested and the last race of the day was a combined race for girls and boys under 17 and under 19 years, and for Novice, Senior and Master women and men. All the women ran 4,000m, the older master men also ran 4,000m, the senior men ran 8,000m and the rest of the men ran 6,000m, everyone starting together and running over the same course but with different numbers of laps, and with nearly ninety runners racing out from the start, it was quite a spectacle to watch the early stages of the race as the large field snaked its way around the rolling hills of Belvedere.

Thanks to all who helped last Sunday recording the results and stewarding on the course, to the many parents who came and supported the competitors, and to the Management and staff of Belvedere for the use of the excellent grounds, but especially to the athletes who provided great competition.

Selection for juvenile Club and County teams for the Leinster Championships will be based on the results from both days and on application in training. A few juveniles unavoidably missed one day or the other, or were ill, but they can still be considered for team selection if officials are happy that they are fit and able to train. The Club has a great reputation in underage cross country running, due in no small part to athletes running in their own age group but also moving up an age group to make up Club and County teams. Therefore, in line with the long time practice and what is effectively Club policy we expect everyone selected on teams to compete.

The results from day two are HERE.

Westmeath AAI Cross Country – Day 1

Heavy overnight rain gave way to a clear dry bright morning with perfect conditions for Day 1 of the Athletics Westmeath Cross Country Championships in Belvedere on Sunday 3rd October. Competition was for boys and girls u/8, 10, 12, 14, 16 and 18 years. In contrast to the recent Westmeath Schools Cross Country, which attracted a larger number of runners and spectators, the Athletics Westmeath cross country was a very much quieter affair though the numbers taking part were up on last year, including some from AIT AC and some guest runners from Longford AC, in fact, numbers were back on a par with the years before Covid-19, which is an encouraging sign. There was great competition in each race and performances were very encouraging in the older age groups in particular, where the focus was on places on Club and County teams at the Leinster Cross Country Championships.

There were a good number of newcomers that had run in the Westmeath Schools Cross Country and if not members of a Club they’re strongly encouraged to join their nearest Club. The boys and girls that ran in the non-Championship under 8 and under 10 races really enjoyed themselves and were delighted with their medals, one for everyone that finished. Moving to the Championships proper, the race distances were longer than in the Westmeath Schools but that was no problem for those that have been training regularly. The course in Belvedere is a great test of cross country endurance and those that train there regularly will have no problem with any course at the Leinsters.

There were some very good individual performances but Championship cross country is also about team running, so everyone was being closely watched by Club officials, particularly the newcomers. The results of both days will be used to select teams to represent the Club and Westmeath in the upcoming Leinster Championships. The results of the men and women races this Sunday will also be used to select Club and County teams for the Leinster Championships, so all adult members that want to run in the Leinster Championships must run this Sunday.

Competition on Day 2 on Sunday 10th October will be for boys and girls u/9, 11, 13, 15, 17 and 19 years of age, and for men and women junior, novice, senior and master. The first race will be at 11am so the younger runners should be in Belvedere before 10.30am to get ready and know where they have to run. The Athletics Westmeath Cross Country is an open competition and you don’t have to be a member of a Club to take part, so everyone who took part in the schools cross country is very welcome to compete.

The Leinster Championships take place over two days, with two weeks between each, so juvenile athletes can run in their own age group and can move up an age group to make up teams. Therefore, we expect all juveniles to compete on both days of the Westmeath Championships unless ill or injured or they might be disappointed if not selected.

Thanks to all who helped recording the results and stewarding on the course, to the many parents who came and supported the competitors, and to the Management and staff of Belvedere for the use of the excellent grounds.

The results of day one are HERE.

Belfast Marathon

After a two year absence, the Belfast City Marathon returned on Sunday 3rd October with a big entry of nearly 6,000 taking part. The AAI National Marathon Championship is normally run in conjunction with the Dublin City Marathon, but as Dublin was cancelled this year, the Nationals were incorporated into the Belfast Marathon. Nearly 800 were entered in the National event, among them Joan Flynn, the sole representative from Mullingar Harriers. Because entry was limited in the National event, it was a Senior Championship only, with no master categories, but that didn’t deter Joan and she focussed on simply running as well as possible, medals or not.

Starting at Stormont Estate and finishing in Ormeau Park, the route took in North, South, East and West Belfast and the weather stayed clear for the duration, which is always a welcome bonus when undertaking the 26.2 miles classic distance. Joan put in a great effort and stuck to her pre-race plan to finish 188th place overall in 2:58:53, yet another terrific sub-3 hour result. Considering that the women’s National senior title was won in 2:43, Joan has to be very satisfied with her performance.

Also competing in Belfast was Stephen Bell, who reported that it was a difficult twisting and turning route, and he even had to stop for a few minutes along the way because one runner had collapsed with a heart attack, though thankfully he was resuscitated by paramedics before being air lifted out and reported as recovered in hospital. Despite this unfortunate excitement, Stephen was still satisfied enough to finish in 3:51:10, under his pre-race target of four hours.

Run Galway Bay 10k

One of the most scenic races in Ireland, Run Galway Bay made a very welcome return to the race calendar on Saturday morning 2nd October, with a marathon, half marathon and 10k on offer. The 10k course started at Nimmo’s Pier at the Claddagh, headed along closed road through the heart of Salthill as far as the camping park, turned down towards the sea and returned via the back of the Golf Club and along the promenade, out and back a stretch of the Causeway, and back to the Claddagh again, a flat fast course. Delighted to take part with nearly 800 others was Linda Cunningham, and with a strong sprint finish, covered the distance in 46:15, a new personal best.