Q4, 2022 News & Reports – October to December

DECEMBER

Ardagh 10 Mile & 5k

The New Year’s Eve running of the Ardagh 10 Mile & 5k, took place in cold wet and overcast conditions on the roads around the picturesque Longford village. In the 10 mile race, 126 runners braved the elements and had to tackle “heartbreak hill” at 3k, which stretched for over 1km with a significant climb to challenge the hardiest of competitors. Mullingar Harriers had excellent performances from Michelle Bohan with 67 minutes 31 seconds, placing her second in the women race, with Jenny Algar’s 70:33 leaving her just missing the podium with a fourth place finish. Maura Dervin was very pleased with 70:46 in the trying conditions and won her master category, and she was followed in by Dara O’Shea (74:00) and John Bannon (81:44), both happy to come home well up in the field of 126 runners.

Eighty took part in the 5k race around the village and Kris Foster showed everyone a clean pair of heels winning in a very good time of 17 minutes 24 seconds on a difficult climbing course. There was also good running from Aidan O’Donoghue, Brigid McCabe and Nicky McCabe.

Christmas Medley Relay

Our Christmas Medley Relay took place at the club grounds on Tuesday morning 27th December. Teams of 4 took part with over varying distances of 1200m, 400m, 800m and 1600m, a good range of distances, so the running order was important to maximise the team result. After the first round of relays the teams resumed in round two, with the slowest team from round one starting and the start time for each team was set accordingly in reducing order to the fastest team from round one setting off last and chasing everyone else.

Following a trilling finale, the team of Murty Hanly, Catriona Kennedy, Kieran Nolan and Lorcan Mullen were first home. In total 10 teams completed the relays and there was a great mix of the regular masters group supplemented by younger family members. Refreshments were enjoyed by all at the conclusion of the event, with a voluntary contribution from each person providing a nice sum that is being donated to North Westmeath Hospice.

Fields of Athenry 10k

Eddie Newman ran his tenth consecutive “Fields of Athenry” 10k on St. Stephen’s Day, an annual and very popular event organised by Athenry AC that is widely regarded as one of the top road races in the country, so it was no surprise that it attracted a big entry of over 1,100. Eddie was very pleased to finish in 36 minutes 12 seconds, thirty third place overall and easily winning his master category. Also competing and enjoying their races in Athenry were Anna Broderick (48:46) and James Tierney (55:33).

Kilbeggan 6k

Mullingar Harriers was out in good numbers at the Kilbeggan 6k on St. Stephen’s Day, an event that attracted a very respectable 263 entrants running in support of the Crumlin Children’s Medical and Research Foundation. For many taking part it was just an excuse to get away from the house for a few hours and burn off some of the Christmas dinner, but of course a race is a race and there’s always a competitive edge up at the front! The in-form Vinny Connolly won the race with a swift 18 minutes 35 seconds and was quickly followed in by Ian McCormack fourth (19:43), John Whitelaw fifth (20:02), James Keegan sixth (20:08) and Conor Sherwin seventh (20:28) with Conor placing first junior man. Packing in well behind was Enda O’Carolan (22:10) first in his master category, Kieran Nolan (22:23) second in his master category, Philip McCartan (22:42) third junior man, Enda Seery (22:50), Caoimhe Kilmurray (22:51) first junior woman, Tommy Byrne (25:53), Caroline Mullen (27:44) first in her master category, Aidan O’Donoghue (28:51), Martin Mullen (30:53), Annie Kilmurray (31:20) and Anna McCartan (33:25). It was great to see members of Mullingar Harriers out in good numbers to support a local race and also to support a great cause.

Longford AC 5k

Over one hundred runners gathered at the new Longford AC building on St. Stephen’s Day for the Longford AC 5k, which took the runners along the bypass and finished again near the start. As expected, it was a very well-organized event, everyone enjoyed it and had a lot of fun, including Patrick Muldoon who was very satisfied to finish well up in sixteenth place in 19 minutes 48 seconds. After the race, and a good cool down, he retired to the Clubhouse for some refreshments and delicious food and of course some important post-race analysis with his fellow runners!

National Racewalk Championships

In the worst weather conditions for many years, the final National Championships of 2022, the National Racewalk Championships, were held in windswept St. Anne’s Park, Raheny on Sunday morning 18th December. Normally a pleasant place to stroll through with its beautiful serene avenues and parkland, it was the opposite as flying leaves, twigs and debris created ongoing obstacles for all the racewalkers who braved the strong winds and random gusts that assailed their determined progress. However, Oisín Lane took the Senior Men 20k race by the scruff of the neck and led out the combined fields for all events straight from the gun. While his pre-race targets were definitely not to be, he still showed great physical strength and also strength of character to battle on to a big new personal best of 86 minutes for the 20k distance and a clear cut first National Senior Championship gold medal. Leaving some Olympians in his wake and still only 20 years old, Oisín can now look forward to continuing his winter build-up program in preparation for bigger events next Summer.

It was great to see his fellow Harrier, Matthew Glennon, attempt his first ever 20k, as he moves up into the Senior ranks in 2023. Matthew fought hard with the main group of racewalkers, which included several racewalkers from Europe and the USA. He was able to stay with this group at a strong pace until the last quarter, but at this stage his youth showed and he suffered over the final few kilometres but still hung on to finish just outside of the medal places in the Irish 20k Championships. Matthew will have learned a huge amount for the future from this challenging experience.

In the Men Open 10k (non-championship), his younger brother Andrew Glennon also put in a brave display to come second man overall in a respectable 48 minutes 40 seconds in the swirling winds. Well done Matthew and Andrew, and they both know that they can go minutes faster in more favourable conditions. The race also included the Irish Masters 10k Championships and that great Harriers stalwart, Sean McMullin, showed that he is still well able for the hard road as he again produced a top finish in his master category. Well done to Sean and many of the young guns could learn a lot from his controlled effort and consistent performances.

In the Women Open 10k (non-championship), the u/18 Aisling Lane was first home leaving in her wake all the ladies young and not so young from both far and near. As Aisling prefers the Summer warmth she can definitely look forward to showing even greater speed in warmer environments devoid of wind alerts.

Starting an hour after the Senior and Masters Championships were a selection of juvenile races over various distances and age groups. The club was ably represented by Daniel Glennon in the 2k and by John Glennon in the 5k. Both must have been keeping an eye on each other as they each finished ninth in their respective competitions and enjoyed the unique experience of a mass start.

European Cross Country

Ireland won a record 5 medals at the European Cross Country Championships at La Mandria Park in Turin, Italy on Sunday morning 11th December to place Ireland joint second with Spain and France on the overall medal table, bettering the 3 medals won at last year’s European Cross Country in Dublin. Taking place on a very challenging tough and undulating course, Mullingar Harriers was well represented on a memorable day with Jamie Battle on the men’s u/23 team and Cormac Dalton on the Senior team.

On a very successful day for the Irish teams, the u/23 team went in with high expectations as reigning European Champions. Once again, the team performed superbly and secured the bronze team medals. Jamie was fifth Irish finisher in 55th position in what was his fourth consecutive appearance at the European Cross Country. Such a level of consistency from Jamie  is most deserving of another European team medal.

Cormac Dalton ran a brave race in the Senior Men’s race and was also fifth Irish finisher, in 36th place. Cormac was in his third consecutive appearance at the European Cross Country and was in his final race of the season following an excellent NCAA campaign in the US with the University of Tulsa. He was a key member of the Irish team that finished in eighth place.

It is a great honour for Cormac and Jamie to represent Ireland with such regularity at International Championships and both are great role models to the younger athletes in the Club who aspire to the same level.

AAI National Novice & Juvenile Uneven Ages XC (Cork)

The highlight of the long day of competition at the AAI National Novice and Juvenile Uneven Ages Cross Country in Cork on Sunday 4th December came in the final race, the Novice Men 6,000m. Nearly two hundred men charged from the start, the biggest field of the day, among them a strong Mullingar team, buoyed up by success at the senior cross country in Donegal two weeks previously, and clearly focussed on team success, knowing anything less than a Club team win would be a disappointment for them. Three laps of the hilly, twisting course with soft sticky mud and even standing water at the lower end of the course, really tested the mettle of the runners but the Mullingar team proved up to the challenge. Going with the leading group from the start, Jack Moran, Vinny Connolly and Euan Lagan showed they meant business, and with Ian McCormack, Andrew Nevin, James Keegan, John Whitelaw, Patrick Shaw, Robert Yorke and Richie Kelly running strongly in support, it was evident from early on that the Mullingar and Westmeath teams would feature in the medals. It was only in the final lap that gaps began to open among the leaders, but continuing to work hard all the way to the finish, a long tough uphill stretch to the line, Jack Moran led the team home with a terrific 4th place finish, followed closely by Vinny Connolly in 5th and Euan Lagan in  20th place. Focus was then on the vital fourth score and in the final half lap, Andrew Nevin edged past Ian McCormack and with a very strong finish clinched the team gold for Mullingar. Next in was Ian McCormack, James Keegan, John Whitelaw, Patrick Shaw, Robert Yorke and Richie Kelly leaving nothing behind to finish 3rd County, only three points off the silver medals, to give Mullingar plenty to celebrate on the long way home.

The day started with the 1,500m for girls u/11 where Chloe Bell was right in the mix from the very start. Racing hard over the twisting hilly course, Chloe was rewarded for her efforts with an excellent 5th place finish, winning an individual All-Ireland medal and a silver medal with the Leinster team in the Inter-Provincial competition. Penny Bohan, Amelie Kelly, Aoife Gouldsbury, Katie Bohan and Liadan Gavin raced hard and even though this young team finished out of the medals, can be satisfied with their efforts in an All-Ireland final. On to the 1,500m for boys u/11 where Gareth Glennon, Harry Flanagan, Conor Gavin, Cillian Gavin, Adam O’Donoghue and Donnacha Doyle ran well and worked really hard but finished out of the medal places, but can be proud of their efforts in an All-Ireland final against top class opposition.

Having kept up with the leading group throughout, it was no surprise to see Cillian Galvin leading the Mullingar team home in the 2,500m for boys u/13 with a fantastic 10th place finish to win an individual medal and a gold medal with the Leinster team, Unfortunately he couldn’t add a Club team medal to his medal haul despite the great efforts of Scott Cogan, Greg McDonnell, Zack O’Leary, Louis Kiernan and Ciaran Mulvany who battled hard but finished out of the team medal places. Tianna O’Leary was our sole representative in the 3,500m for girls u/15, competing on the Leinster team. Though she beat some of the girls that finished ahead of her in the u/15 Leinster cross country, she just missed winning a medal with the Leinster team but can be very proud of her valiant efforts. Proving that winning the team title in Leinster and finishing the best of the Leinster teams on the day is no guarantee of success in an All-Ireland final, Niall Brady, Luke Greene, Conor Walsh, Conor Geoghegan, Daniel Glennon and Conor Mulvany worked extremely hard in the 3,500m for boys u/15 but still came up short in the team medal stakes, such is the huge standard of competition in an All-Ireland, but that doesn’t take anything from the great collective effort they put in.

Doubling up as the trial for an Irish u/17 team to compete in Scotland in January added an extra competitive edge to the 4,000m for girls u/17. Though unable to quite match her form in the Leinsters, Grace Byrne still led the Mullingar team home and despite the strong support of Caoimhe Donohue, Ailbhe O’Farrell, Jessica Cunningham and Lydia McDonnell the girls were unlucky to finish out of the medal places, though 6th Club in a competitive All-Ireland is still a very creditable result. The 5,000m for boys u/17 was also a trial for Scotland and really racing hard from the start and giving himself every chance of success, Conor Sherwin finished in 10th place to win an individual medal but this was tinged with some disappointed with missing automatic selection on the Irish team for Scotland. Absence due to illness had taken some of the strength from the team but that didn’t prevent Pablo Lozano, David Burke and John Glennon from giving themselves every chance as they competed and raced hard all the way, but unfortunately they finished out of the medal places.

The final underage race on the programme was the 6,000m for boys u/19 where Ross Killalea dug very deep on the rapidly deteriorating course and in  very close finish he crossed the line in 13th place, just outside the individual top-twelve medal places. However, Ross was a member of the Leinster team that was second, so he won a silver medal and therefore didn’t leave Cork empty handed after his last race as a juvenile athlete, as he move to the junior ranks in January.

Three Club gold and two Club silvers in Leinster meant our underage teams deserved better in Cork, but cross country running can be a very unforgiving sport and any hint of illness or feeling anything less than one hundred percent will be quickly exposed, as our underage teams discovered. However, we have to be happy with three individual top-twelve medals and three medals won with Leinster teams, and our underage athletes can collectively hold their heads high for effort on a tough course against the very best in Ireland and we know they’ll bounce back after some well needed rest and recuperation before the indoor season in the New Year.

Moving to the adult programme, over one hundred women contested the Novice Women 4,000m where the Mullingar team battled the tough sticky muck and gave every ounce of effort they could muster, but despite the best efforts of Michelle Bohan finishing well up, inside the top thirty places, and strong finishes by Aeilish McGovern, Linda Cunningham and Gemma Kelly, the Mullingar women finished out of the team medals but top marks for effort. That left us with the novice men as our last hope of team medal success and they didn’t disappoint, with a superb team effort by one and all to win the Club title and finish third County, rounding off a long day in Cork.

Waterford Half Marathon

A very late almost last minute change in the route of the Waterford Half Marathon on Saturday morning 3rd December actually resulted in a better route and capitalising on this in spades was Alan Crowley who was absolutely delighted to continue his current good form and race results to finish an excellent thirty eighth place of 1,894 finishers in a fine time of 1 hour 19 minutes 28 seconds. Paul Byrne can also be very satisfied with his time of 1 hour 38 minutes 12 seconds, placing him nicely inside the top twenty in his master category.

NOVEMBER

Winter League – Round 2

The second night of our winter league took place at the club on Wednesday evening 30th November. In dry and calm conditions, perfect for track running, a total of 53 of the club’s senior and master members took on the 1,500m challenge.

It was a first venture over 1,500m for some of them but all coped well and with the team event element, every place counted. The men’s race went off first where we saw a great battle for the top spot on the night before James Keegan opened a bit of distance to come home first in a fine 4 minutes 33 seconds, Kedagh Geoghegan finished second and Johnny Morrisey was a fast-finishing third. The Ladies race saw a gun to tape effort by Aisling Corcoran, picking up valuable points for her team in first place, with a time of 5 minutes 34 seconds. In a great race for second, Laura Geoghegan eventually got home just ahead of Niamh Farrell and Mary Stuart.

As this is a mixed team event there was keen interest in the number crunching after both races concluded. It saw a change in the order of some teams from the first night with the standings now team 8 staying in the lead on 23 points, but team 4 has moved up and is close behind on 23.5 points, closely followed by team 9 (24 points), team 1 also improved from the first night and is now on 26.5 points, but the gaps are small to team 6 (27 points), team 3 (30 points), team 2 (32.5 points), team 10 (33 points), team 7 (34 points) and team 5 (36 points), so it’s still very close and too early to call. We move on to the third event in two weeks, where the 3,000m is the challenge for everyone and this longer distance will suit others much better and so team places are sure to change again.

Clonakilty Half Marathon

The Clonakilty Half Marathon took place on Saturday 26th November and among the more than 900 finishers was Criona Reid, the sole representative from Mullingar Harriers. This was to have been a marathon, but the route was flooded just days before the race, and the tough decision was made to cancel the marathon. However, most participants were just happy to be part of this event and ran the half marathon instead. Starting and finishing at the Clonakilty showgrounds, the weather was not the kindest but this did not deter runners having fun and getting into the big race atmosphere. The race location was superb and very participant friendly. As participants came back from their half marathon route they were greeted with a wall of noise and congratulations in the showgrounds. They also completed a lap of the show grounds before finishing. Criona was very pleased to record a fine time of 1 hour 52 minutes 58 seconds in the trying conditions. She also finished fourth in her master category, just missing out on a podium place, but was delighted with the finisher medal, which celebrates local hero Michael Collins and the 100th anniversary of the formation of the State.

European XC selection for Cormac & Jamie Battle (23rd Nov)

Congratulations to Cormac Dalton and Jamie Battle on being named on the Irish team to compete at the European Cross Country in Turin, Italy on Sunday 11th December. The AAI National Senior Cross Country in Donegal on 20th 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 senior men team thanks to a magnificent fifteenth place finish at the NCAA Cross Country Championship in Stillwater, Oklahoma the day before. Jamie’s fine fourth place finish in the u/23 race in Donegal was more than enough to secure his automatic selection for the Europeans on the u/23 men team.

Cormac will be looking to improve on his performance in the Euro Cross in Dublin in 2021 where he finished a fantastic twenty eighth place, the third finisher for Ireland, helping the team to fourth place, only four points away from the bronze medals. Jamie was part of the Irish u/23 men team that won gold in Dublin in 2021 and he will be looking to replicate that memorable gold medal winning performance again in Turin. Everyone at Mullingar Harriers wishes Cormac and Jamie the very best of luck.

AAI National Senior, Junior & Juvenile Even Ages XC (Donegal)

As expected, the standard of competition at the AAI National Senior, Junior & Juvenile Even Ages Cross Country in Donegal on Sunday 20th November was extremely high and everyone had to be on the top of their game to win individual or team honours. As the senior races were also trials for the European Cross Country Championships to be held in Turin, Italy in December there was a lot at stake for our senior men in particular. The highlight performances included Jack O’Leary placing sixth senior man and Jamie Battle placing fourth u/23 man, and while these performances might see them both just miss selection for Turin, they really gave themselves every chance to qualify and they helped Mullingar to third Senior Club and first County in their grade. For our underage athletes, Cillian Galvin won an All-Ireland title, we had another top-12 finish place and a very close thirteenth place finish too, in addition to one set of team medals for Mullingar underage teams, two teams finished a close fourth place, and four medals were won with Leinster teams, making this a very good day of competition for Mullingar Harriers.

Despite very heavy rain in the days leading up to the event, underfoot conditions were absolutely perfect throughout the long programme of races because the course was laid out on a golf links so it had excellent drainage. It was very cold on the day, and there were occasional showers, but overall the weather was good for late November. The course laid out by the host club, Cranford AC, was truly excellent, being very spectator friendly and with good running throughout on a varied undulating course that proved very fast.

The first race of the day was the 2,000m for girls u/12 where Lily Walsh left nothing behind to turn in an excellent performance, finishing 13th overall, just outside the individual medal places but any disappointment soon turned to celebration when she learned that she had won a gold medal with the Leinster team in the Inter-Provincial competition. With great team packing and support from Chloe Bell, Shaynah Mitchell, Lucy Kilmurray, Amelie Kelly and Emily Tully the girls finished a very creditable 5th Club, not far off the medal places and a very good result against the best in Ireland. Sprinting out hard from the start of the 2,000m for boys u/12, Cillian Galvin took the early lead and never relinquished it to come home in first place to win a well-deserved All-Ireland title. Also running well in support was Antonio Bertolo, Harry Flanagan, Louis Kiernan, Seamus Clarke and Aonghus O’Reilly but the team finished out of the medal places, though Cillian led the Leinster team to third to win a bronze team medal.

Tianna O’Leary stormed through to a fantastic 8th place finish in the 3,000m for girls u/14, earning an individual medal and leading the Leinster team to third place to win a bronze team medal too. Also competing was Eleanor Kiernan, running strongly to the finish in a very competitive race. Mid-week illness robbed Conor Walsh of his best in the 3,000m for boys u/14 and with no Mullingar team in support it was always going to be a challenge to take something from the race. However, despite this he tried his very best but was unable to reproduce the form he showed in Leinster but we’re confident he’ll bounce back and is sure to make his mark in Cork in two weeks.

Ailbhe O’Farrell was Mullingar’s sole representative in the 4,000m for girls u/16 and even though she worked hard and put in as great effort finished out of the individual medal places and out of the medal places with the leinster team, but will have taken a lot from competing at an All-Ireland. Continuing his terrific recent surge in form, Conor Liston had the honour of leading the Mullingar boys team home in the 4,000m for boys u/16, followed by Jamie Wallace, Niall Brady and Luke Greene running strong but finishing out of the medal places.

The 4,000m for girls u/18 & 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. Leading the Mullingar girls home with a brilliant performance was Grace Byrne (u/18), winning a silver medal with the Leinster team, and with great team packing in support from Caoimhe Donohue (u/18), Meabh Killalea (junior), Jessica Cunningham (u/18) and Aisling Lane (u/18), when the u/18 and junior results were sorted, the Mullingar u/18 team finished 3rd Club to win Mullingar first set of team medals of the day. It was very close in the junior race where the Mullingar team finished 4th Club in a close contest for the bronze medals. 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. Despite the valiant efforts of Diarmuid Fagan, Conor Sherwin, Ross Killalea, David Burke, Pablo Lozano and Conleth Mullen, the u/18 team finished 4th Club, just out of the medal places and the Junior Men team finished 5th County, also narrowly missing the medal places in an extremely competitive race because it was the trail for Junior Irish teams for the European Cross Country and so attracted the very best in Ireland.

Moving to the senior programme, Aine O’Reilly gave it her all and was very pleased with her 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 & u/23 Men where Mullingar fielded a strong team. Always in contention throughout, Jack O’Leary and Jamie Battle put in great shifts and as the race unfolded over seven laps they were right in the mix for honours and it was only in the very late stages that gaps began to open but both kept pushing hard all the way and Jack finished in 9th place, ahead of Jamie (u/23), 14th overall and 4th u/23 man, followed in by Jack Moran (u/23), Vinny Connolly, Euan Lagan (u/23), Andrew Nevin, Ian McCormack and John Whitelaw (u/23) all fighting hard for every place to the end. With only the top three senior men and top three u/23 men guaranteed selection for the European Cross Country, it’s likely Jack and Jamie will just miss selection for Turin, but you couldn’t fault their determined efforts and some consolation might be that they helped the team to 3rd Senior Club and fifth County, but Counties are graded A and B, and Westmeath is a B County and placed first B County, so won County team gold medals and will be promoted to the A category next year.

Well done to all the Mullingar athletes on giving their very best efforts and thanks to the parents of our underage athletes for making the long journey to Donegal and staying overnight before the event to make sure they were as well rested and prepared as possible.

NCAA Cross Country Championship

The NCAA Cross Country Championship took place on Saturday morning 19th November at the Oklahoma University cross country course in Stillwater, Oklahoma, where the men competed over 10,000m. The very large field of nearly 260 runners kept the pressure on right from the gun to make it a very fast race. In his second appearance at the NCAA Championships, Cormac Dalton was looking to improve on his thirty fourth place finish in 2021. Building brilliantly on his excellent recent form of second place in the American Athletic Conference a month before and fourth place at the NCAA Midwest Region Cross Country two weeks ago, Cormac dug deep and running a fast aggressive race he finished very strongly in 29 minutes 16 seconds to finish in an excellent fifteenth place, leading the Tulsa team home to ninth place out of the 31 teams competing. From a Mullingar perspective, Cormac was the second Irish man to finish and this performance puts him firmly in the frame for selection on the Irish senior men team at the European Cross Country taking place in Turin, Italy in December.

British & Irish Masters International Cross Country

The British & Irish Masters International Cross Country took place in Santry Demesne on Saturday 12th November. This is an ideal course for cross country and though it was very windy, the weather was mild and dry, so the underfoot conditions were perfect for running. Contestants from Ireland, Northern Ireland, England, Scotland and Wales qualified after battling it out for a place on their National teams, in Ireland’s case this was at the Autumn Open Cross Country only a few weeks previously, and among the Irish team was Mullingar’s Maura Dervin and Sean McMullin.

The women’s 6,000m race included women from all the master age categories but Maura Dervin ignored the distraction of younger faster women and kept close attention to those in her own age group. After an excellent race Maura finished a fine fifth place in her category, the first Irishwoman to finish and leading the Irish team to third place in a very close contest with Scotland and England to earn points for the overall team trophy.

The older master men also competed over 6,000m and they ran with the master women. Sean McMullin also faced the challenge of running along with several master men age categories in his race, but he’s very experienced in International competition and remaining focused on his own race, he finished in eighth place in his category and had the signal honour of leading the Irish team to third place, also earning valuable points in the overall contest.

Each country was awarded points for their placings in all the age team categories. Ireland’s women had a narrow one point win over England, Ireland’s men had a more comfortable four point win over England, and in the overall contest for combined men and women, Ireland emerged victorious, the first time Ireland has won the overall trophy, it having been won by England every year since the first event in 1987. Congratulations to Maura and Sean for contributing to Ireland’s historic victory.

There were also Open Races for women and men. Brigid McCabe was delighted with her performance to win her age category in the women’s open race and Nicky McCabe was very satisfied to finish well up in his age category in the men’s open race.

Winter League – Round 1

To give something different for our adult members to train for, Mullingar Harriers is holding a league at the Club’s grounds over the winter months. This is a 5-event league and will be held on our all-weather track. The events scheduled are 800m, which took place on Wednesday evening 9th November, and will be followed by 1,500m in two weeks, then 3,000m two weeks after that in mid-December, then 2 miles early in the New Year, and the league will finish with a 5k at the end of January.

This is a mixed team event with ten teams involved and every athlete counting each night. The men and women go off in separate races and the scoring is based on finishing positions. The overall team winner will be the team with the lowest combined score across all 5 events.

Fifty five athletes took part last on Wednesday evening 9th November, and it proved an enjoyable and interesting challenge. Many were attempting their first ever 800m on the track. Some excellent individual efforts included a very good run by Jenny Algar in leading home the ladies race in a fine 2 minutes 36 seconds. In total 12 of the ladies dipped under 3 minutes, very creditable running. Kedagh Geoghegan led home the men’s race in 2 minutes 14 seconds, and we had a total of 27 athletes getting under 3 minutes in the men’s race.

Following from night one we have teams closely matched and the current standings are team 8 on 11.5 points, teams 9 and 6 each on 13 points, teams 7 and 1 on 14 points, team 4 is on 14.5 points, teams 3, 5 and 10 on 16 points and team 2 on 17.5 points. The standings are likely to change as we go through the different events, with athletes who are more adept at the longer distances likely to come to the fore later in the series, so it’s all very much to play for still.

Leinster Senior & Juvenile Uneven Ages XC (Mountain View)

Taking place on the 5th of November, the words of the nursey rhyme “remember, remember the fifth of November” certainly struck a chord for Mullingar Harriers on Saturday 5th November in Mountain View Golf Course, Co. Kilkenny where some memorable performances were turned in on the final day of Leinster cross country this season, the Leinster Senior & Juvenile Uneven Ages Cross Country Championships. We were in Mountain View last year and this year it proved yet again to be an excellent venue for cross country running. St. Senan’s AC, the host Club, is to be congratulated and thanked for putting everything in place to accommodate the big numbers attending and the course they laid out had enough turns and hills to test the runners but not so hard as to make it very difficult for weaker runners, so it was a very fair course. A real bonus on the day was the weather, which was dry bright and sunny, so underfoot conditions remained good throughout the long programme, in stark contrast to the conditions in Dundalk two weeks previously!

Looking to build on individual and team successes recorded on the first day two weeks earlier in a rain soaked muddy Dundalk, the Mullingar athletes dug deep to secure further honours and maintain Mullingar’s standing as the best underage cross country club in Leinster, a record it has maintained unbroken since 2000 when the award was first introduced.

Before the Championships proper, there were open races for boys and girls u/9 years of age where Rosie O’Brien ran in the girls race and Mel Bohan and Noah Morgan ran in the boys and they all thoroughly enjoyed the experience. We are sure to see these youngsters coming through and racing in the Championships in the future.

The first Championship race was the 1,500m for girls u/11 where Mullingar had a big team in action, so there was lots of maroon and white to be seen at the start line and throughout the race. Hitting the lead early on, Chloe Bell powered her way to victory and the Leinster title. Following behind in close order was Penny Bohan in 7th place, then came Amelie Kelly, Liadan Gavin, Katie Bohan, Aoife Gouldsbury, Clodagh Keane, Aoibheann Quinn (Athlone AC), Maria Gouldsbury, Hannah O’Brien and Isabelle Smyth racing hard to the end to see Mullingar finish 2nd Club and Westmeath 5th County. A great result from the young Mullingar girls.

Gareth Glennon, Harry Flanagan, Conor Gavin, Cillian Gavin, Adam O’Donoghue, Alex Sochanski, Donnacha Doyle, Emmet Devine and Peter Fitzpatrick ran themselves into the ground in the 1,500m for boys u/11 but were very unlucky to finish 4th Club, missing bronze medals by just seven points. They finished 5th County, on the same points as fourth place but losing on count-back. However, 4th Club sees the team qualify for the All-Ireland finals in Cork in early December anyway, so it is still a good team result.

Recent illness had taken the edge off some of the Mullingar girls in the 2,500m for girls u/13 but that didn’t prevent them trying their very best. Unfortunately, despite their efforts, the team of Ruby Brennan, Lucy Kilmurray, Lisa O’Brien, Aobh Smith, Lily Walsh, Isla Brennan, Chloe Duggan, Emily Tully, Beibhinn O’Reilly, Aoibhinn Smyth and Lucy Mulvany finished out of the medal places. In contrast, the Mullingar team in the 2,500m for boys u/13 was fighting fit and raring to go! Seeing Cillian Galvin finish in 8th place, with Darren Corcoran right behind in 9th, and terrific finishes and team support from Scott Cogan, Greg McDonnell, Zack O’Leary, Louis Kiernan and Cormac McGrath, the boys finished 2nd Club and 4th County to win Club team silver medals and book their places in the All-Ireland finals.

Tianna O’Leary left nothing behind and nearly collapsed over the line in 10th place in the 3,500m for girls u/15, winning an individual medal, and with Eleanor Kiernan close behind just outside the top twelve places, and good team packing and support from the fast finishing team of Lydia McDonnell, Blathnaid Peters, Emma Lagan, Muireann Reihill, Sadhbh Carey and Siofra O’Reilly, the girls were extremely unlucky to finish 5th Club, just two points behind fourth place, which have given them a place in the All-Ireland finals, but they can be proud of their efforts and know they could give no more. There was no effort spared by the Mullingar team in the 3,500m for boys u/15 either, led home by Niall Brady in 8th, and with Luke Greene and Conor Walsh close behind and great support from Conor Geoghegan, Daniel Glennon, Conor Mulvany and Ronan Kelly it came as no surprise that the boys finished 1st Club, just reward for great efforts and the first gold team medals of the day for Mullingar.

The Mullingar girls in the 4,000m for girls u/17 set off from the start with great purpose and keeping in close order throughout, always looked good for team honours. Grace Byrne led the team home in 5th place, closely followed by Caoimhe Kilmurray in 6th, and seeing Ailbhe O’Farrell, Caoimhe Donohue and Jessica Cunningham finishing very soon after them, it was no surprise that the girls finished 1st Club. Only for the want of a sixth girl, the Westmeath team would have placed 2nd County too. The medals continued to flow after that, as we saw Conor Sherwin race to 3rd place in the 5,000m for boys u/17, and with great support from Conor Liston, Donagh Carey, Pablo Lozano, David Burke and John Glennon fighting for every place right to the end, the team finished 1st Club and 3rd County, winning Mullingar’s fifth set of team medals of the day and it’s first set of County medals, rich rewards for great effort.

Mullingar had no team in the 4,000m for girls u/19 but had excellent representation in Aisling Lane who was determined to secure an individual medal. Keeping the leading group in sight throughout, Aisling was rewarded with a fine 9th place finish to earn a place on the Leinster team in the All-Ireland finals. Ross Killalea was our sole representative in the 6,000m for boys u/19 and given his recent fantastic form it was little surprise that he was more than able to put in an excellent shift and he was delighted to finish in 4th place and secure his place on the Leinster team in the All-Ireland finals.

That concluded the underage races and proceedings then moved to the adult races where Mullingar had a team in the 5,000m for Senior Women. Finishing well up,  Aine O’Reilly led the Mullingar and Westmeath teams home, followed in by Jenny Algar, Michelle Bohan and Aisling Corcoran, all working very hard in support. The women finished a very creditable 5th Club, only a few points off the bronze medals in a very close contest, and also finished 5th County in an extremely competitive race, which were excellent results for the Mullingar women team.

A Leinster title for Chloe Bell, another ten top-twelve finishers, five Club team medals, one Club team in fourth place, one County team medal and one County team in fourth place, means that Mullingar and Westmeath will have a big squad at the All-Ireland finals in Cork in early December. The All-Ireland finals are a big step up though and everyone that has qualified for the even ages in Donegal in two weeks and for the uneven ages in Cork 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.

OCTOBER

Dublin Marathon

The Dublin Marathon made a very welcome return to the streets of Dublin on Sunday morning 30th October after a two year absence due to the Covid pandemic. With 25,000 entrants, it was always going to be a massive event in the city and it certainly lived up to everyone’s expectations with large crowds lining all sections of the 26.2 mile route.   Despite the wind and rain on the days leading up to the event, the weather conditions on the day were perfect for marathon running, with mild temperatures, light breezes and only the occasional light shower. As the massive throng of athletes waited patiently in the various starting waves, temperature were rising and extra warming  layers were being discarded early. By the time runners reached the Phoenix Park in the early miles of the race, it was starting to get quite warm and plenty of fluids were being taken on board. The wind was beginning to pick up in the latter stages but luckily just stayed as a stiff breeze and didn’t gust too much. Overall, the consensus was that this was one of the warmest Dublin marathons in quite some time.

Mullingar Harriers was very well represented, both on the course and all along the route. The marathon also incorporated the National Marathon Championship and the Athletics Leinster Marathon Championship, so as well as targeting times, there were National and Leinster medals to be won, adding an extra bit of spice to the race.

James Keegan led the team home with a very impressive 2 hours 49 minutes 22 seconds, a well-deserved PB time for him. Eddie Newman finished strongly in 2:52:00 and this performance secured him third place in his master category. Kedagh Geoghegan finished very strong over the last 10km to finish in 2:54:14, a well-deserved PB. Evan McCormack was next home for Mullingar with 2:56:20, another super performance after having a tough few miles towards the end of his race. Eoin Clarke also broke his PB to finish well up the field in 2:56:59, his first time to run sub-3 hours, which is the benchmark pursued by every man completing a marathon. Sinéad Whitelaw was the first Mullingar lady home with a new PB of 2:57:16, placing her third in her master category. Alan Crowley was next over the line in 2.57.51, another big new PB by 13 minutes and another Mullingar man delighted to run sub-3 hours for the first time. Kieran Nolan (3:02:19) and Andy Boyhan (3:03:50) both finished well, just outside the magic 3 hour mark. Also having a fine race was Kris Foster, very happy to finish in 3:16:46.

Mary Stuart was the second Mullingar lady home in a very impressive 3:18:20, deservedly winning her master category. Other Mullingar finishers who all put in fine performances were Murty Hanly (3:21:55), Tommy Byrne (3:24:26), Tony Doran (3:24:48), Dara O’Shea (3:35:01), James Tierney (3:35:55), Joan Hickson (3:48:41), Criona Reid (3:50:50), Stephen Naughton (3:54:25), Richie Kelly (4:13:21), Stephen Olwell (4:17:02), Gemma Kelly (4:22:56), Declan Costello (4:48:41) and Garrett O’Brien (4:49:51).

A special word of thanks needs to go to Evan McCormack who has dedicated a lot of time to coaching many of the Mullingar athletes who completed the marathon this year.

Leinster Novice, Junior and Juvenile Even Ages XC (Bellurgan Park)

The Leinster Novice, Junior and Juvenile Even Ages Cross Country Championships took place in Bellurgan Park, Dundalk, Co. Louth on Sunday 23rd October, a beautiful venue for cross country running on rolling pasture where the entire course could be seen from any one place, making spectating very easy and enjoyable. Athletics Louth must take a bow for building a fantastic course, that was hard enough to bring out the best in the top runners but not so hard as to punish the weaker runners. Their attention to detail from the entrance, parking, stewarding the course and grounds, facilities and all the other requirements for a successful day was commendable. If only the weather had been kinder!

The highlight from a Mullingar perspective came in the final race, the Novice Men 6,000m, held in extremely challenging mucky and slippery conditions when after a terrific four-way battle for much of the race, Vinny Connolly finally broke away from the leading group and surged clear to win and clinch the Leinster title. Vinny didn’t have it all his own way though, as he was followed in close behind by Jack Moran, to give Mullingar a terrific one-two finish. This race capped what was a very good day for Mullingar Harriers despite the awful rain for the earlier underage races that resulted in the course progressively breaking up with each subsequent race until it resembled a mud bath by the end, truly testing cross country conditions but all the Mullingar athletes from the youngest to the oldest gave great accounts.

The forecast was for rain, and that’s exactly what we got! The day started with the now customary non-Championship races over 1,000m for boys and girls u/10, held by the hosts, Athletics Louth, and athletes as young as 7, 8 and 9 years of age from Clubs across Leinster competed with great enthusiasm, including a number from Mullingar who thoroughly enjoyed the experience and we can expect to see many of these in action in future Championship races.

After the excitement of the under 10 races, it was over to the first race of the Championships, the 2,000m for girls u/12. The rain began to get heavier but that didn’t bother Lily Walsh who stormed through in seventh place, followed by Chloe Bell in eleventh, earning them top-twelve individual medals, and with great support from team mates Lucy Kilmurray, Shaynah Mitchell, Clodagh Keane, Amelie Kelly, Emily Tully, Orla O’Connell, Aoibhe Martyn, Claire Murtagh, Lily McDonald and Lucy Mulvany all packing well, the team finished 3rd Club to put Mullingar on the medal board. On to the 2,000m for boys u/12, where Cillian Galvin gave Mullingar its first individual win of the day with a very convincing victory, and with Antonio Bertolo finishing ninth, and great team running from Harry Flanagan, Gareth Glennon, Louis Kiernan, Oisin Clarke, Aonghus O’Reilly, Seamus Clarke and Joel Kelly, the boys finished 2nd Club, just rewards for their fine efforts. Also having a great race was Aodhan Fallon (Athlone AC) who finished just ahead of Harry Flanagan.

Just as the 3,000m for girls u/14 took to the start line, the heavens opened and everyone except the unfortunate girls and the starters ran for cover, but the race had to go ahead. Battling thorough lashing rain and mucky ground, these girls deserve huge credit for perseverance, none more so than Tianna O’Leary who just put the foot to the floor from the gun and won by a simply huge margin to win the Leinster title, the second individual victory for Mullingar. Next in and finishing very fast was Eleanor Kiernan in seventh place to earn an individual medal. Finishing just outside the top twelve was Kirstin So (Athlone AC) running with the Westmeath team, then came Mullingar’s  Muireann Galvin, Blathnaid Peters, Aobh Smith, Lisa O’Brien, Beibhinn O’Reilly, Emma Lagan, Sadhbh Carey, Evie Kilmurray, Roisin Flynn and Chloe Duggan racing hard in the tough conditions and were very unlucky to finish 5th Club, only one point off fourth and an automatic place in the All-Ireland finals. The rain stopped in time for the 3,000m for boys u/14 where the Mullingar team put in great efforts, led home by Conor Walsh in an excellent fourth place, followed by Scott Cogan, Conor Geoghegan, Daniel Glennon, Greg McDonnell, Darragh Ryan, Zack O’Leary and Ronan Kelly who all slipped and slid across the muddy course to finish 2nd Club and put Mullingar on the medal board again.

Whatever it was about the girls races, during the 4,000m for girls u/16, the rain started again, though thankfully not too heavy. Keeping in touch with the leaders and really stepping up to the big time, Ailbhe O’Farrell put in an excellent shift and running a brilliant race she was delighted to finish in ninth place, followed in by Rachel Murphy, Siofra O’Reilly and Lydia McDonnell, but despite leaving nothing behind on the course, they finished out of the team medals. Niall Brady had the signal honour of leading the Mullingar team home in the 4,000m for boys u/16 with a very determined finish in tenth place, followed by Luke Greene just missing a top twelve individual medal, then Conor Liston, Donagh Carey and Jorge Martin running hard all the way to the finish and packing brilliantly in support to finish 1st Club and book their places in the All-Ireland final.

The 4,000m for girls u/18 & Junior Women was a combined race where the u/18 girls could win medals in both the u/18 race and as members of u/18 and Junior teams. By now the rain had eased considerably but underfoot conditions were treacherous in places and everyone had to be very careful on the corners to avoid slipping and falling. Negotiating the course brilliantly and always in the thick of the action, Caoimhe Kilmurray was delighted to finish fifth overall (third u/18), and with Grace Byrne tenth overall (eighth u/18), and great support from Aine Gilhooly (Athlone AC) on the Westmeath team and Mullingar’s Caoimhe Donohue and Jessica Cunningham, it was 1st Club u/18 and the gold medals for Mullingar but unfortunately with six required for a County team, Westmeath were not placed. However, as u/18 girls could also score on the Junior teams, it was gold again for Mullingar for finishing 1st Junior Club and with only four needed to score on a junior County team, the Westmeath junior team finished 2nd County, so all five Westmeath girls won medals on the day, a well deserved reward for their efforts.

The final underage race on the programme was the combined 6,000m for boys u/18 & Junior Men, where like the corresponding women’s race, u/18 boys could win medals in both the u/18 race and as members of Junior teams. Storming through to finish fourth overall was Matthew Glennon, 2nd Junior man, followed in by Ross Killalea eleventh overall (sixth u/18), just ahead of Conor Sherwin (seventh u/18), David Burke, Andrew Glennon, Pablo Lozano and Conleth Mullen all battling hard to the finish. When the Junior and u/18 team results were sorted after the race, for the u/18 boys it was 1st Club for Mullingar and 2nd County for Westmeath, and for the Junior Men, it was also 1st Club and 2nd County.

Moving to the adult races, the rain had cleared and the day was turning lovely and bright with the sun trying to break through, but the course was an absolute swamp. There was a big field for the Novice Women 4,000m including a team from Mullingar, and with support from North Westmeath AC, a Westmeath team too. The Mullingar women were led home by Michelle Bohan in a fine fourteenth place, followed by Aeilish McGovern, Marie Louise Johnston, Linda Cunningham, and Meabh O’Hara (North Westmeath AC) but despite their valiant efforts, the ladies finished out of the team medal places. The day ended with the Novice Men 6,000m, which as usual was one of the biggest fields of the day in what is regarded as one of the most competitive races in Leinster cross country. Four laps of the swampy course with the lead changing on and off between four men, it came down to a determined race to the finish over the final kilometre where Vinny Connolly drove on hard to put daylight on the opposition to win, followed closely by Jack Moran in second place, and with Ian McCormack, Patrick Shaw, Enda O’Carolan, Enda Seery and Robert Yorke digging deep and leaving nothing behind and packing brilliantly in support, it was 2nd Club for Mullingar and a very creditable 5th County for Westmeath to round off a great day for Mullingar Harriers.

That rounded off a great 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 at Mountain View Golf Club in Co. Kilkenny in early November. The juvenile even age teams that qualified from Bellurgan Park will go forward to the All-Ireland Finals in Donegal in late November. Juvenile uneven teams for Mountain View 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 at the Club and especially in Belvedere at the week-end.

Autumn Open International XC Festival

The first big cross country fixture of the season, the Autumn Open International Cross Country Festival was held at the National Sports Campus in Abbotstown, Co. Dublin on Sunday 16th October. This event is used to gauge early season form, with a focus for some of the Mullingar men being a place on the Irish teams to compete at the European Cross Country in Turin, Italy in December. The races also incorporated the trials for the Irish Masters team to compete in the British & Irish Masters International Cross Country in Santry in November and Mullingar had a number of its master athletes in action vying for selection on the Irish masters team. The Dublin Cross Country Championships and the National Inter-Club Juvenile Relays were held over the same course in the morning and the rain began to fall just as the afternoon programme got underway, so it was inevitable that the course broke up a bit and became softer and stickier in places and was a real test of endurance and mettle, but that’s what cross country running is all about.

The programme consisted of two races. The first race was the 6,000m for senior and master women, where Michelle Bohan put in a great performance and finished well up overall but unfortunately not enough to secure a place on the Irish team. It was a better result for Maura Dervin though as she finished only a few places behind Michelle, but it was enough to win her master category, which will secure her selection 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 the older master men and they ran a lap less. A huge entry of men took off at a furious pace, and going with the early pace and keeping right in the thick of the action throughout was Jamie Battle and Jack O’Leary. After a tough race on the testing course Jamie has to be satisfied with his fifth place finish, third under 23 man in his best race in over a year,  with Jack close behind in eighth, happy to dust off the cobwebs and is looking to improve as the season continues. With only a little over 30 seconds separating the top eight places, this was a quality field and it was great to see Jamie and Jack right in the mix to the finish. Also competing extremely well and finishing just outside the top twenty was Vinny Connolly, just ahead of Jack Moran and Euan Lagan packing in well to finish inside the top thirty, great performances by all three men and will give them added confidence for the season ahead.

Mullingar had two master men competing. Eddie Newman ran in the 7,500m race where he battled hard finishing well up in his category but not enough to secure a place on the Irish team. Competing over the shorter 6,000m distance, Sean McMullin was very satisfied with his performance but must await the decision of the selectors to see if he makes the Irish masters team.

Juvenile Inter-Club National Cross Country Relay Championships

In a change from the norm, Athletics Ireland brought the Juvenile Inter-Club National Cross Country Relay Championships forward to kick off the cross country season, and the event took place on Sunday 16th October before the Autumn Open International Cross Country Festival at the National Sports Campus in Abbotstown, Co. Dublin. Held on the same course that hosted the European Cross Country last December, over 140 relay teams from all across the Country battled it out for National honours and the event gave athletes the perfect opportunity to whet their appetites for the upcoming cross country season.

Mullingar Harriers AC had teams in each of the six races, starting with the u/11 girls who had to complete four legs of 500m each. Led out by Clodagh Keane with a strong start she put the girls in contention from the early stages of the race. Strong running from Penny Bohan and Amelie Kelly kept the team with the leaders throughout. Running the fourth leg, Chloe Bell took off sensing glory around the final corner and ran the girls on to the podium, crossing the line in third place and collecting National team medals in the process.

The Mullingar team in the u/11 boys race set out with great determination in an attempt to continue the Club’s early success. Although Conor Gavin, Harry Flanagan, Myles Thornton Sleator and Gareth Glennon gave it their best around the circuit where they stayed in the top ten throughout, they were unfortunate to see the top three pull ahead as the race progressed. Although they didn’t match the girls accomplishments, they’ve shown their potential for what’s to come at the Leinster Cross Country Championships over the next few weeks.

The u/13 girls had to contend with the biggest race of the day, with nearly 40 teams toeing the start line. The large group took off with great speed and by the time Aobh Smith met Lucy Kilmurray at the first hand-over some of the stronger teams had already made a commanding lead. The Mullingar girls never gave up though and all four girls, with Lisa O’Brien and Lily Walsh completing the line-up, chased the race all the way to the finish showing great fighting spirit, something that will encourage the girls considering half the team were giving away a year on their competitors.

Nearly all of Mullingar u/13 boys were giving a year away in this age group but that didn’t deter them from putting it up to their rivals. Just like the u/11 boys earlier, the team of Antonio Bertolo, Cormac McGrath, Louis Kiernan and Cillian Galvin kept in touch with the leaders over the four legs but were similarly unfortunate to gradually drop off the fast pace before reaching the finish line. The boys did themselves and the Club proud and can look forward to showing their strengths again in the upcoming Leinster events.

For the u/15 girls, the race distance doubled and each athlete had 1,000m to cover. Blathnaid Peters took on the responsibility of leading the Mullingar girls in to the race and had an impressive run on the first leg. The team was depleted before race day but Chloe Duggan, racing well out of age, ensured Mullingar could field a team. She kept the girls in the race but even though Emma Lagan and Sadhbh Carey made their way through the field as the race progressed the girls were unfortunate to finish with nothing to show for their hard efforts.

The final race of the day, the u/15 boys, proved to be the most exciting race with the lead changing hand on almost every leg. Luke Greene led out the Mullingar team and although keeping in touch with the main pack, a couple of runners made a break just before the Changeover. Conor Walsh took the baton and set out to close any gaps as quickly as possible. Making ground on the leaders there was a sense that more medals could be going home to Mullingar before the day was done. On the third leg a huge run by Niall Brady brought the team in to third place and when Matthew Molloy took the baton for the final leg everything was to play for. Just 300m in to the last 1,000m Matthew had caught the leaders but so too had the fourth place team. A battle to the line ensued and although two runners managed to pull slightly away Matthew dropped the fourth runner bringing Mullingar home to win National bronze medals.

Many thanks to the parents and coaches who helped organize and prepare the teams for their races. Memorable days like this can only happen with the support and volunteering of the parents of juvenile members.

Toronto Half Marathon

Great to see that Amy Mahony, who moved to Canada a few months ago, has kept up with her running and knocked a massive seven minutes off her personal best by finishing in 1 hour 32 minutes 4 seconds at the Toronto Half Marathon on Sunday 16th October. We’re delighted to note that Amy continues to fly the flag for Mullingar Harriers, as she wore her Club vest in the race. Congratulations Amy from everyone at Mullingar Harriers.

An Cosantóir 10k

Last held in 2019 but having to go “virtual” for two years due to Covid, the An Cosantóir 10k was held in the Phoenix Park on Wednesday 12th October. An Cosantóir is the official magazine of the Defence Forces and as well as being the 41st edition of the event, it also marked 100 years of the Irish Defence Forces. To maximise participation and to allow members serving overseas to take part, there was also a virtual aspect and in total of 1,500 took part. In the Park, using  the nearby McKee Barracks as HQ for the race, was 337 runners drawn from all ranks of the Permanent and Reserve Defence Forces, staff from the Department of Defence, and retired and invited personnel. Finishing strongly and well up in eighth place was our own Ian McCormack in a very good 34 minutes 22 seconds. Also having an excellent run and finishing strong in twenty first place was Stephen Campbell in 37 minutes 35 seconds. Well done to Ian and Stephen for not only showing Mullingar Harriers in a very good light but also showing that it’s possible to mix a busy military career with competitive running.

Athletics Westmeath Cross Country – Day 2

Day two of the Athletics Westmeath Cross Country Championships took place in Belvedere on Sunday morning 9th October with competition for girls and boys under 9, 11, 13, 15, 17 and 19 years and for novice, senior and master women and men. The forecast was for heavy rain but thankfully it held off for the early races for the youngest ages and it only really began to pour rain for the later races for the older juveniles and adults. No one likes getting wet, but older athletes are more used to it from training and not easily put off by it. Belvedere proved itself yet again as an excellent cross country venue and despite the rain, underfoot conditions held up and were very good for running. Entries for all races were good, especially in the adult races where there were teams from Athlone, Coralstown-Kinnegad and Mullingar. We were also delighted to see some guest runners from Longford AC and Trim AC, looking to get in some valuable competition before the Regional 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 9 race 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 in Leinster. There were some very good individual performances but Championship cross country is also about team running, so everyone was being closely watched by Club coaches, particularly the newcomers.

Many of the juveniles who took part on day 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 over sixty runners racing out from the start, it was a great spectacle to watch as the large field snaked its way around the rolling hills of Belvedere.

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, but especially to the athletes who provided great competition.

Click HERE for the results from day two.

Athletics Westmeath Cross Country – Day 1

Day one of the Athletics Westmeath Cross Country Championships was held in Belvedere on Sunday 2nd October on a dry bright sunny morning, perfect conditions for running. Competition was for boys and girls under 8, 10, 12, 14, 16 and 18 years of age. Compared to the huge numbers that attended the Westmeath Schools Cross Country mid-week, this was a much quieter affair though the numbers taking part were up on last year, including some from Athlone AC and some guest runners from Longford AC, though the biggest change from last year when Covid restrictions still applied was the large number of parents that came to watch. 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 coaches, particularly the newcomers.

Day two on Sunday morning 9th October in Belvedere will be for boys and girls under 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 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 on day two. 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 on day one 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.

Click HERE for the results from day one.

Run Galway Bay

Run Galway Bay on Saturday morning 1st October was a race that included a 10k, a half marathon and a marathon. The marathon was run over six laps, two short and four long, on a fast flat course and the 10k was one lap, also fast and flat. The first race was the marathon and the nearly 370 runners set out early in far from ideal conditions of swirling winds, nasty showers and a stiff headwind on the return leg to Salthill on each lap. Kieran Nolan had to work hard and putting all his good work in training and drawing on strong mental reserves was delighted to finish the testing run in fourteenth place in an excellent 3 hours 4 minutes 59 seconds. There’s little doubt but he would have got closer to if not under three hours in more favourable weather conditions. Starting two hours after the marathon, the 10k race attracted a huge entry of nearly 1,200 runners and finishing well up after a fine run despite the tough windy conditions was John McNamara who was very satisfied to cross the line in 49 minutes 25 seconds.