Q1, 2024 News & Reports – January to March

MARCH

Noel McManus Memorial Run

The annual Noel McManus Memorial Run took place on Friday morning 29th March around the Leitrim village of Mohill, with start and finish in the beautiful grounds of Lough Rynn Castle estate, there was a choice of 3 races, a 5k, 10k and half marathon. Noted for its picturesque scenery and rolling hills in the countryside around the village, the looped course with lots of tough hills has three distinct circuits depending on the distance athletes participate in. The 188 participants in the 10k event were led home by Mullingar Harrier’s Enda Seery, who finished in a time of 39 minutes 22 seconds, giving him a 90 second advantage over the second placed runner [MO’S].

Streets of Kilkenny 5k

Kilkenny City Harriers AC hosted a fantastic evening of racing on Thursday 28th March with the Streets of Kilkenny 5k, a road race through the medieval quarter of the city. This fast two-lap route started and finished at Kilkenny Castle and over 800 athletes got to enjoy the unique atmosphere of racing in night time on city streets.

Mullingar Harriers had a small but strong representation, led home by Andrew Nevin, finishing in 15 minutes 43 seconds, followed closely by Kevin Moore in 15:48.  Amongst the fast finishers were Johnny Morrissey (16:20), Kris Foster (16:29) and John Whitelaw (16:46), Enda O’Carolan (17:28) and Sinead Whitelaw (17:55) completing the Mullingar team. The Mullingar men team finished 3rd Club [SW].

Dunboyne 10k – incorp. National 10k

Dunboyne AC hosted the National 10k Championship in association with its annual Dunboyne 10k for the first time on Sunday 24th March and it proved a great success. A very well organised and competitive road race took place in splendid weather conditions. The race started on a very narrow section of road, which made for some jostling on the line and for the first kilometre, but it soon settled down and athletes enjoyed a mixed route through the village and rolling country roads before finishing on the club’s track.

Mullingar Harriers was represented by 16 athletes among the nearly 1,300 finishers, some of whom achieved age group results. Vinny Connolly led the Mullingar athletes home in an excellent 21st place in a time of 31 minutes 35 seconds, followed by James Keegan (32:53), Kedagh Geoghegan (34:33) and Alan Crowley (35:40). Eddie Newman was delighted to finish first in his master category in 36:27. Sinead Whitelaw was first of the Mullingar women home, in 37 minutes 19 seconds, an excellent 25th woman overall but second place in her master category to win National silver, just one second off first place. Joan Flynn and Ann Hall finished in 39:15 and 40:14 respectively, to complete the Mullingar master women team that claimed National silver team medals. Mary Stuart ran a strong race to win her master category in 41:35. Other Mullingar finishers included Pauric Brady (38:40), Liam McGlynn (41:42), Padraig Beglin (42:03), Paul Ginnell (44:21), Gemma Kelly (45:44), Anna Broderick (46:02) and Linda Cunningham (46:21) [SW].

National Juvenile Indoors – Day 1

Donnacha Doyle was Mullingar’s sole representative on Day 1 of the National Juvenile Indoors in Athlone on Saturday 23rd March where he competed in the u/13 High Jump. With 17 boys in action, there were long gaps between jumps, but Donnacha kept his focus really well between jumps. As the bar went up, more and more were eliminated, but Donnacha kept jumping brilliantly to stay in the competition. Eventually he had to bow out but finished an excellent 10th place, out of the medals but a great result in an All-Ireland final [GD].

European Masters Indoors

On Monday lunchtime 18th March, at the European Masters Indoors in Torun, Poland, twenty one men toed the line for the 3,000m race walk. The race included athletes across four master categories, among them Sean McMullin (competing in the M75 category). Everyone battled for places in the early laps but as the race settled down, the pre-race favourite, the very fast Ian Richards (GB) opened an early lead but Sean was locked in a great battle with Boguslaw Seidel from Poland for second and third, with Sean positioned nicely in third place, clear of the chasing pack. Continuing to maintain a steady pace over the closing laps, Sean kept up the pressure but was unable to close on the silver medal, though was still very happy to win the bronze medal. Congratulations to Sean on his European Masters bronze medal.

On Tuesday morning (19th Mar), Aidan O’Donoghue competed in the Javelin competition. He threw close to his best in the first round but in the second round he launched the javelin out to 34.25m, adding a massive 2m to his personal best and earning him a great 10th place overall in the competition.

Meanwhile, also on Tuesday morning, the 6k Cross Country race took place in a pine forest adjacent to the Indoor Arena. The ground was very firm and many chose to race in runners rather than spikes. Team places were calculated on combined times rather than places and despite it being only a day after taking bronze in the indoor 3,000m race walk, Sean McMullin was back in action and ran a great race to finish 9th place, the third score for the strong Ireland team that included Martin McEvilly (Galway City Harriers AC) and Richard Mullins (St. Abban’s AC), to take team Gold for Ireland.

Aidan O’Donoghue returned to competition on Wednesday (20th Mar) for the Indoor Pentathlon, where his goal was to improve on his personal best score of 2,464 points. This he achieved with personal bests in both the 60m Hurdles and Long Jump, and with good results in the shot put, high jump and 1,000m run, he accumulated a total score of 2,535 points, a new personal best, to finish a fine 11th place overall.

Sean McMullin rounded off his Championships with individual silver and team gold in the 5k Road Walk on Friday morning (22nd Mar). With an excellent fault-free effort in this highly technical event he finished second in his master age group to take individual Silver. The excitement didn’t end there though, as Sean dropped down an age group to make up a team with Michael O’Connor (Farranfore Maine Valley AC) and David Kissane (St. Brendan’s AC Kerry). Sean was the second finisher on the Ireland team that had a great battle with a strong German team for the Gold medals, beating them by only 29 seconds in an exciting race.

As always, the Championships finished with the relays on Saturday 23rd March. Aidan O’Donoghue ran the lead leg for Ireland in the 4 x 200m Relay in his age group. There were two heats, with the medals decided on the fastest times over the two heats. Ireland was drawn in heat one and Aidan had a great start from the blocks, powering around the tight indoor bends with a very fast split time to set the team up nicely but unfortunately the team was disqualified for a lane infringement, always a risk with indoor sprints, but Aidan was still very pleased with his performance and it rounded off a memorable European Masters Indoors for him [AO’D].

Mullingar Half Marathon & 5k

The 9th staging of the AON Mullingar Half Marathon on St. Patrick’s Day saw the largest ever field assemble on Pearse Street, just coming up to 10am. The early morning clouds gave occasional drizzle but as the race progressed the drizzle turned to heavy showers at times, which was actually a welcome addition for the large field, as it kept runners nice and cool on what was a very mild day, but not so pleasant for the large number of spectators along the course. With a record sell-out of 1,700 entries, it was a fantastic fundraising success for charity partner TEAM (Temporary Emergency Accommodation Mullingar).

For Mullingar Harriers, it was our biggest participation ever, with 73 finishers, and the majority of the excellent pacers were also club athletes. We will get to the finishing highlights in a moment, but let’s savour the atmosphere, as from the record entry of 1,700 nearly 1,400 runners of all ages and abilities headed off into a light breeze out of town just after 10am. The first 3k brought runners past St. Loman’s Hospital and across the bypass, before turning right and on to Curraghmore. Just after 5k, at the site of the old primary school, was the first of a number of well manned water and feed stations. Well stocked with water and fruit, there was plenty for all who wished to avail of the “goodies”. Heavy rain came in the following few kilometres as the runners made their way through Marlinstown Bog and on through Wooddown. Large crowds gathered at house entrances and at a number of road junctions to cheer everyone on. Indeed, there were several offering sweets and biscuits to help the runners along. Emerging through Greatdown and up “heartbreak hill” to cross over the N4 road and down onto the Canal, the runners reached the 13k mark. Just 8k to go on a Canal route we regularly travel on our Sunday morning long runs. For some participants, the lack of long running on those Sunday mornings was beginning to bite but the comradery of athletes is a joy to behold as in those lung bursting and muscle aching kilometres along the Canal, there was lots of encouraging remarks and sweets offered to keep spirits up. The clock was our enemy, but many were focused on individual targets or to remember loved ones in those last kilometres.

At last, off the Canal just after Saunders Bridge and down into a crescendo of noise along Millmount Road, before turning into the town park. The final 100 metres was pure joy, with family and friends waiting, as athletes reached the finish line. After the finish line the bag with the medal, T-shirt and plenty of more refreshments was gratefully received. This was a superbly organised event, with road closures, top class stewarding and something for everyone on the roads and streets around Mullingar on St Patrick’s Day 2024. We’ll be back!

For the record, Mullingar Harriers won both the men and women team events. Andrew Nevin was 2nd overall in 1 hour 12 minutes 27 seconds, James Keegan was 6th in 1:14:18 and with Kedagh Geoghegan (1:15:37) and Eoin Clarke (1:19:50) 3rd in his master category, they made up the winning men team. Niamh McEntegart was 3rd woman in 1 hour 25 minutes 40 seconds, and with Mary Stuart (1:32:13) 3rd in her master category, Aisling Corcoran (1:32:32) and Criona Reid (1:32:33), they made up the winning women team. Eddie Newman won his master category with 1:22:15.

Among the very big squad from Mullingar Harriers were a few men that are currently in the transfer system, so even though not technically members we’ll include them anyway for completeness. Other finishers included Alan Crowley (1:19:59), Enda O’Carolan (1:20:47), Andy Boyhan (1:21:11), Kamil Orenczuk (1:24:04), Tony Doran (1:25:17), Kyle Smith (1:25:59), Enda Seery (1:27:26), Mick Fagan (1:27:28), Tommy Byrne (1:28:19), Val Bohan (1:28:44), Darren Carroll (1:28:45), Patrick Muldoon (1:29:04), Liam McGlynn (1:31:23), Mark Geoghegan (1:31:42), Dara O’Shea (1:31:46), Tyrone Brunton (1:31:54), Jason McKevitt (1:32:33), Declan Claffey (1:33:37), Brian Collentine (1:33:49), Aelish McGovern (1:34:18), Therese Glynn (1:34:49), Orlaith Flanagan (1:35:37), Aine O’Reilly (1:35:59), Laura Geoghegan (1:35:43), Kieran Dodrill (1:36:00), Jacintha Reilly (1:35:57), Orla McLaughlin (1:36:18), Colm Walsh (1:37:54), Paul Ginnell (1:37:59), Meabh Killalea (1:38:22), Maria Doherty (1:39.09), John McNamara (1:39:39), Richie Kelly (1:40:29), Marie Louise Johnston (1:42:09), Eva McMorrow Byrne (1:42:31), Eithne Spellman (1:43:37), Joan Hickson (1:43:56), Niamh Doherty (1:44:14), Jane Creevy (1:46:02), John Keane (1:46:30), Brendan Rice (1:46:31), Caroline Mullen (1:48:27), Laura Fitzpatrick (1:47:54), Shaun Mills (1:47:58), Aisling Farrell (1:48:58), Sharon O’Dowd (1:50:39), Julie McLaughlin (1:51:50), Terri Greene (1:54:22), Emer Savage (1:54:06), Ray Smyth (1:54:37), Nuala Moran (1:55:10), Patricia Broderick (1:56:33), Andy Quinn (1:56:37), Rodney Farry (1:57:02), Siobhan Farry (1:57:56), Catherine Gavin (1:58:23), Sinead Campbell (1:58:57), Joan Mulvihill (2:02:05), Kevin O’Brien (2:02:08), Brian O’Loughlin (2:03:17), Martin Mullen (2:06:17), Michael O’Sullivan (2:06:36) and Declan Costello (2:21:23) [MO’S].

There was also a 5k Race, which attracted an excellent entry of nearly 300, including 30 from Mullingar Harriers. The half marathon started first, followed by the 5k a few minutes after and it finished in the town park where everyone could wait to welcome the half marathon runners back, which really helped to fill the gap of over an hour while the half marathon runners went out into the countryside before returning to finish in the park.

The Mullingar group was led home by Kris Foster taking the win in 17 minutes 1 second, followed by Txema Lozano 5th (19:16), Ailbhe O’Farrell 7th (19:34), Jessica Cunningham 8th (19:35) and Antonio Bertolo 9th (19:42). Following in behind was Mel Bohan (20:29), Noah Morgan (20:54), Paul McCool Junior (21:04), Alex Sheridan (21:05), Conor Mulvany (21:47), Ronan Kelly (21:47), Penny Bohan (22:02), Katie Bohan (22:32), Oisin Kilmurray (23:34), Fionn O’Donoghue (23:38), Huw Keaveney (23:41), Emma Broughan (23:48), Daniel Cosgrove (24:12), Blathnaid Peters (24:17), Vera McCool (24:21), Emma Lagan (24:39), Siofra O’Reilly (25:13), Austin Keaveney (25:35), Aaron Robinson (25:46), Paul McCool (26:26), Clare Cullinan (29:19), Lucy Mulvany (29:36), Luke Cosgrove (30:40), Grace Farry (31:32) and Amber O’Loughlin (31:32) [GD].

Streets of Portlaoise 5k

The annual Streets of Portlaoise 5k took place on the morning of St. Patricks Day. There was a small representation from Mullingar Harriers, who all enjoyed the fast race through the town. Kevin Moore was the first Harrier home in 22nd place with a time of 16 minutes 4 seconds, followed by Sinead Whitelaw (10th woman) in 18 minutes 1 second. Kieran Nolan (18:42), Ann Hall (19:19), Linda Cunningham (22:15) and Michelle O’Halloran (23:03) completed the Mullingar group [SW].

As this was the first race in the Peugeot Race Series for 2024, Mullingar Harriers had hoped to field a full team of three men and three women, but this proved difficult on a day when so many athletes were racing in the AON Mullingar Half Marathon. The club will now look forward to fielding a full team at the next race in the series in Kilkenny in two weeks [SW].

2023 Juvenile Star Award for Westmeath

Andrew Glennon was honoured by Athletics Ireland with the 2023 Juvenile Star Award for Westmeath. This award comes on the back of an outstanding year for Andrew on the track in 2023, finishing second in the u/19 National Juvenile Indoor 1,500m walk and winning gold in the Outdoor 5,00m walk, and gold in the All-Ireland Schools Senior 3,000m walk. The Awards were presented at a star studded event in the Mullingar Park Hotel on Saturday 16th March, but as Andrew was competing in Slovakia on the day, his sister Susan accepted the award on his behalf. Congratulations to Andrew from everyone at Mullingar Harriers on receiving this award [GD].

Slovakian Gold Level World Athletics Racewalking Tour Meeting

It was a day of mixed emotions on Saturday 16th March in Dudince, Slovakia for the racewalkers of Mullingar Harriers at the Slovakian Gold Level World Athletics Racewalking Tour Meeting. In the cool morning with traces of lingering showers, Andrew Glennon set off with focused determination in search of the World u/20 Team Championships qualification standard of 45 minutes 30 seconds for 10k. With a blistering early few laps  he was right on target at the half way mark. However, the effort took its toll and he lost some precious seconds per lap to finish in 45:50. This was an excellent personal best but an agonising 2 seconds per lap below the required time; a great hard working performance, but still hard luck.

Meanwhile, older brother Matthew Glennon took on the cream of Europe’s u/23 walkers over 10k. In a very much “to and fro” battle, Matthew changed race position several times but at the end he was well clear of fourth place and the rest of the field to earn himself his first ever continental podium position, bronze, in a time of 45 minutes 3 seconds. Well done Matthew. Also with an eye to the World Team Championship qualification standard for 10k was Aisling Lane. Just like Andrew going before her, Aisling was right on target at half way but struggled to hold the pace. However she still improved her personal best with a 52 minute 43 second performance for the distance.

Later in the afternoon it was the turn of the elite senior men to toe the line in a star studded 20k. Oisin Lane was there with the top athletes but feeling under the weather after a very recent virus. While he held excellent form to reach 10k in 41 minutes 44 seconds, his recent illness came against him and he was forced to withdraw soon afterwards. Hopefully he will be back to full health and fitness very soon [ML].

Athletics Leinster Star Awards for 2023

The Athletics Leinster Star Awards for 2023 were presented by Catriona Duffy, the Chair of Athletics Leinster, during the Leinster Indoors on Saturday & Sunday 9th & 10th March. The Awards are based on performances in Leinster Championships in 2023. Winning both the indoor and outdoor u/19 race walk titles secured the Westmeath Juvenile Girl Award for Aisling Lane. The Westmeath Senior Award was shared by Claire Fagan & Vinny Connolly, both winning their respective Senior Cross Country titles in Dunboyne last November. Osin Lane was also honoured with the Outstanding Racewalk Award, which was presented to his father and coach, Michael Lane, as Oisin was in Belfast competing for the University of Limerick at the Irish Universities Cross Country. Having won Club team medals in eleven of the eighteen juvenile races at Leinster cross country in 2023, it was little surprise that Mullingar Harriers retained the Morrissey Cup for best juvenile cross country team in Leinster, a cup Mullingar has won every year since it was first presented in 2000.

For the record, having won both the indoor and outdoor u/16 long jump titles, the outdoor 200m title and a bronze medal in the indoor 200m, Philip Finnan (Athlone AC) was the very worthy recipient of the Westmeath Juvenile Boy Award [GD].

Leinster Juvenile Indoor Relays

The Leinster indoors concluded on Sunday 10th March in Athlone with the Leinster Juvenile Indoor Relays. The uneven ages were held in the morning and thanks to a polished performance, Chloe Bell, Clodagh Keane, Amelie Kelly and Liadan Gavin won their heat of the u/13 girls 4x200m to advance to the final. As expected with a Leinster final, the competition was fierce but the Mullingar girls ran their hearts out and though they finished out of the medals in 5th place, can be very proud of their efforts.

The even age relays were held in the afternoon and Mullingar had two teams in the u/12 boys 4x200m. With three heats, only the winner of each heat and next three fastest times would qualify for the final, so the competition was tough. Daniel Cummins, Mel Bohan, Conor Gavin, Olly Wright, Fintan Harte, Myles Thornton Sleator, Ryan Kelly, Cillian Gavin, Cian Gavin and Jacob Buckley made up the two Mullingar teams plus subs. Running in separate heats, the boys combined brilliantly to finish second in each heat but unfortunately not quick enough to advance to the final. Well done to our boys teams on their great efforts and though they didn’t advance from the heats, the experience will stand to them for the future [GD].

Bohermeen Half Marathon

The annual Bohermeen Half Marathon on Sunday morning 10th March attracted a huge field of 1,450 athletes. Run over a challenging course with several sharp climbs, Mullingar Harriers had 6 participants. There were no category places, but all were happy with their endeavours as they target further races in the coming weeks. First home was James Cribbin (1:27:08), followed by Joan Flynn recording 1:29:09, then Dara O’Shea with a new personal best 1:30:10 and was delighted with his run, while John Keane continued his progress over the distance to record a sub 1:40, coming home in 1:39:09. Emer O’Hanlon got home in 1:42:12 and Conor Corcoran recorded a time of 1:44:24 [MO’S].

Tullamore Harriers AC 5k

Offaly Athletics hosts an annual 5k race series across Offaly, with a race hosted by each of their eight clubs, from March to its conclusion in August. Mullingar Harriers enjoyed great success in the 2023 series. This year’s series commenced on Sunday morning 10th March with the Tullamore Harriers AC 5k.

On a grey and misty morning, 432 athletes went to the start line. A looped out and back course brought runners through the outskirts of the town and back to finish with a lap of the track in the stadium. Andrew Nevin was always in contention with the leaders and was satisfied with 4th place in 15 minutes 50 seconds, just 11 seconds separating him from the first three over the line. Eddie Newman won his category finishing strongly in 18:10. Aisling Corcoran led home our ladies team home, placing third in her master category. in a time of 19:46. Orlaith Flanagan (20:27), Claire Ross (22:12) and Siobhan Farry (22:51) making up the team that placed 3rd Club. Michelle O’Halloran made a welcome return to racing and was happy with her time of 23:03. Brigid McCabe finished second in her master category in 23:45, with Michael O’Sullivan finishing in 25:42. The race series continues in early April with Banagher AC the host club [MO’S].

Irish Universities Cross Country

UNREPORTED

Saturday 9th March (hosted by Queen’s University Belfast)

Meabh Killalea (UCD) – 46th, part of the UCD team that finished 2nd team

Diarmuid Fagan (DCU) – 37th, part of the DCU team that finished a close 2nd place to UL

Oisin Lane (UL) – 73rd, part of the UL team that finished 1st team

Leinster Senior & Masters Indoors

The Leinster Senior & Masters Indoors took place in Athlone on Saturday 9th March and on an action-packed day there were some great results for the small squad of Mullingar Harriers athletes that competed, all of them winning medals, and some winning more than one medal.

Early into action was Paddy Boyhan in the Masters Long Jump where he tied for first place after his third attempt but had to settle for second place after count-back, though still has to be very satisfied with a silver medal. Aidan O’Donoghue competed in the Masters Pole Vault and leaped to a new PB of 2.20m to win the Leinster title. As it’s a new event this year, his winning vault stands as the Championship Record. On the track, Tom Walsh raced to gold in his master 60m and Aidan O’Donoghue continued his improvement in the Master 60m Hurdles and set a new Championship Record of 12.44 seconds on his way to victory, bettering his own Record set only last year. Paddy Boyhan competed in the Masters 3,000m Race Walk but unfortunately he fell foul of the judges in this extremely technical event and was disqualified. Paddy Boyhan bounced back though in the Masters Triple Jump where he although he had trouble with his run up mark for a while and had three foul jumps, but with his last of four attempts he made a valid jump to secure the silver medal.

There was a big entry in the Master 200m where Aidan O’Donoghue ran an excellent race to finish just out of the medals in fourth place in 30.34 seconds. Hoping to run sub-three minutes for 800m, Linda Cunningham was delighted with her effort of 2 minutes 55.97 seconds in the Master 800m, which gave her a podium place for the silver medal. Aidan O’Donoghue rounded off a busy day for him in the Masters High Jump, leaping to the silver medal place in a close contest. Tom Walsh returned to competition for his favourite event, the Masters 28 Pounds Weight for Distance, recording a best of 7.56m to win gold and round off and excellent day for Mullingar’s master athletes in style. Well done to all the athletes that competed and flew the flag for Mullingar [AO’D].

All-Ireland Schools XC

A number of Mullingar Harriers represented their schools and colleges and competed strongly at the All-Ireland Schools Cross Country in Tymon Park, Tallaght on Saturday 9th March. The rain came and went during the day but it wasn’t too windy, so conditions weren’t too bad. Athletes representing three Mullingar schools featured on the day but the day belonged to Loreto College who captured the Senior Girls’ team title.

Given their form in the Leinster Finals and their depth of talent, the Loreto College team in the Senior Girls 3,500m was always the team to watch and they didn’t disappoint. The team was led home by Grace Byne in a terrific 6th place, and backed up by a very strong team that included Louise Callaghan, Jessica Cunningham, Shauna Callaghan and Siofra O’Halloran racing hard to the finish, the girls were rewarded for their great efforts by winning the team title.

Earlier in the day, the St. Finian’s College team ran a great team race in the Intermediate Boys 5,000m. Led home by Matthew Molloy, and despite good support from Donagh Carey, Oisin Kehoe and John Glennon the boys finished 6th team, a great effort by all and a creditable finish in an All-Ireland final. Despite being hit by injuries, the Colaiste Mhuire team gave their all in the final race of the day, the Senior Boys 6,000m. This was a fiercely competitive race and went out hard and fast. The team that included Ross Killalea, John Ryan, Pablo Lozano and Jamie Wallace battled hard for every place and finished 4th team, just out of the medals, but top marks for efforts [GD].

Leinster Juvenile Indoors

The Leinster Juvenile Indoors were held in Athlone on Saturday 2nd & Sunday 3rd March where despite the strong juvenile membership at the moment, Mullingar had a smaller squad than we’d expect and certainly what we’re used to in the past. A smaller squad inevitably led to fewer medals but that didn’t take from everyone’s determination and efforts to do their very best against strong opposition. Of the 40 that had entered, 36 competed over the two days, some in 2 or 3 events, winning 5 medals, two more finished in 4th place, and many more reached their finals. To put this is perspective, only a few short years ago in 2019, Mullingar had a squad of 67 and they won 31 medals.

We nearly take it for granted that our race walkers will excel but it comes on the back of great coaching by Michael Lane and a lot of the hard work at training. With technically excellent performances on Saturday morning, it was little surprise when our race walkers again emerged victorious. Daniel Glennon won the u/16 boys 1,500m race walk in 6:59.57, a new Championship Record, bettering the previous record set way back in 2002. His older brother, John Glennon, made it look easy in the u/18 boys 1,500m race walk to also win and take gold.

Kyle Faherty qualified comfortably from his heat of the u/18 boys 400m in the morning and lined up for the final in the afternoon as a hot medal favourite. He didn’t disappoint, running quicker than in the heat, to take third place and adding a bronze medal to the Mullingar medal haul.

Moving to the middle distance events, Jamie Wallace put in a good effort in the u/18 boys 1,500m as he continues his return to full fitness but had to settle for a place out of the medals. In a very close race with less than a second separating the top five, Philip McCartan ran an excellent race to finish 5th in the u/19 boys 1,500m, narrowly missing the fourth automatic qualification place to the All-Ireland finals.

The u/12 boys 60m had such a big entry that it needed five heats. Cillian Gavin placed third in his heat and just missed qualifying for the semi-finals but well done for a great effort. The u/13 girls 60m needed a whopping eight heats where Clodagh Keane cruised to second place in her heat to qualify for the semi-finals but wasn’t to be joined by Lily McDonald or Liadan Gavin, though Liadan came very close, narrowly missing out in her heat by mere hundredths of a second. Clodagh ran even quicker in the semi-final but such was the standard of competition, she didn’t advance to the final. There were five heats of the u/13 boys 60m where Harry Flanagan raced to a fine third place in his heat but unfortunately it wasn’t enough to advance to the semi-finals. Aoibhe Martyn blasted to third place in her heat, one of five heats, of the u/14 girls 60m to advance to the semi-finals where she battled well but didn’t advance to the final. The sprint programme continued with the u/15 girls 60m where Hui Fen Bartley contested the very competitive heats but didn’t advance to the semi-finals. Likewise, Aaron Conroy and Andrew Lillis ran well in the u/16 boys 60m but didn’t advance from the heats. Finn Roddy was drawn in the quickest heat of the u/17 boys 60m where he finished third in a time that would have won any of the other two heats, but quick enough to advance to the final where he blasted from the blocks and crossed the line in 5th place in an extremely close finish where you could have thrown a blanket over second to fifth place, with Finn missing a medal by just two hundredths of a second. As a measure of the competitiveness of the race, the bronze medal was decided by one just thousandth of a second, and you don’t get closer than that. Quyen Bartley was drawn in a very fast heat of the u/18 girls 60m where she battled well but didn’t advance to the final. Parnad Bose competed well in the extremely competitive heats of the u/19 boys 60m but didn’t advance to the final, though a new PB by over half a second is some consolation.

It wasn’t all track action and over in the field event, Chloe Bell (u/13 girls long jump), Donnacha Doyle (u/13 boys long jump), Hui Fen Bartley (u/15 girls long jump) and Finn Jacob (u/14 boys shot put) competed well and enjoyed the competition despite winning no medals.

Returning early to Athlone on Sunday morning, Finn Roddy ran brilliantly in the u/17 boys 200m to finish second in his heat but with only the winner of the four heats guaranteed to advance along with the next two fastest times, Finn missed out on a place in the final by a very close margin but top marks for effort and a very determined run.

There were four heats of the u/12 girls 600m with only the top three in each heat guaranteed a place in the final. Aoife Dunne ran well in her heat but didn’t advance to the final and Katie Bohan raced hard to finish fourth in her heat, narrowly missing qualification for the final. There were three heats of the u/12 boys 600m where Conor Gavin finished fast in third place in his heat to qualify automatically for the final but despite a great effort he finished out of the medals in the final. With four heats of the u/13 girls 600m, qualification was tough but rising to the challenge, Chloe Bell finished second in her heat and Amelie Kelly fourth in hers to advance to the final, but unfortunately despite running well, Liadan Gavin and Clodagh Keane didn’t advance from their heats. The final was run at a fierce pace from the gun and despite the best efforts of Chloe and Amelie they finished out of the medal places. Harry Flanagan and Gareth Glennon cruised comfortably through their respective heats of the u/13 boys 600m to qualify for the final. Gareth really stepped it up in the final, running much quicker than the heat to finish an excellent 5th place, not far off the medals, with Harry finishing strongly behind him.

Moving up to the 800m, with five heats of the u/14 girls 800m, only the winner was guaranteed to advance to the final, but there were also places for the next seven fastest times and with Lily Walsh finishing second in her heat but with a very quick time, she advanced easily to the final. Unfortunately, no such luck for Aoibhe Martyn and Muirin Dunne, though they competed well in their heats. In the final, Lily put in a terrific effort and running quicker than in the heat was very unlucky to finish just out of the medals in 4th place, only a half second away from bronze. Antonio Bertolo and Cillian Galvin safely won their heats of the u/14 boys 800m to qualify for the final but weren’t to be joined by Oisin Clarke despite a good effort in his heat. Unfortunately, Antonio was unable to run in the final, but in a terrific race, Cillian came out on top with a superbly measured run to win in a close finish. Running well in their heats but not advancing to the finals were Lisa O’Brien (u/15 girls 800m), Daniel Horohoe and Evan Nohilly (u/15 boys 800m), Daniel Glennon and Conor Walsh (u/16 boys 800m), Conor coming extremely close in his heat but just missing out. Conor Liston finished third in his heat of the u/18 boys 800m to qualify automatically for the final but Jamie Wallace finished fifth in his heat and just missed out on a place in the final. Picking the perfect time to break two minutes for the first time, Conor stormed to second place in a great finish to win what turned out to be the final medal of the day for Mullingar, crossing the line in 1:58.15, a PB by 3 seconds and the first time he has run sub-two for 800m. The u/19 boys 800m was a straight final where Philip McCartan put in a great effort and deserved something out of it but after a very fast competitive race he had to settle for a place out the medals.

Over in the field events, Donnacha Doyle leaped to a fine 4th place in the u/13 boys high jump, just 3cm off a medal. Also competing with great enthusiasm in the field events but finishing out of the medals was Conor Gavin and Cillian Gavin (u/12 boys long jump), Oisin Clarke (u/14 boys long jump) and Aaron Conroy (u/16 long jump).

Cillian Gavin rounded off his day in the u/12 boys 60m hurdles where he raced well over the barriers in his heat but just missed a place in the final. Clodagh Keane was extremely unlucky not to qualify from her heat of the u/13 girls 60m hurdles, missing a place in the final by just three thousandths of a second, almost impossible to judge only for the photo finish camera. Liadan Gavin and Amelie Kelly made great efforts in their heats but didn’t advance either. In the heats of the u/13 boys 60m hurdles, Harry Flanagan was unlucky to miss out by one place, but Donnacha Doyle qualified from his heat though elected not to run in the later final. Aoibhe Martyn was also very unlucky to narrowly miss out in her heat of the u/14 girls 60m hurdles, finishing just one place off qualification for the final. The u/15 boys 60m hurdles was a straight final where Daniel Horohoe raced to a fine 5th place finish, no medal but delighted with his effort. The u/16 boys 60m hurdles was also a straight final and featured Aaron Conroy who ran very well but finished out of the medals. Also competing well over the 60m hurdles but not advancing to the final was Isabella Condon (u/15 girls 60m hurdles).

Medals won or not, Championship Records and personal bests aside, well done to everyone that competed for Mullingar Harriers, giving their very best over the two days [GD].

Naas 10 Mile

Brendan’s Running Club again combined with Naas GAA to host the Naas 10 Mile on Sunday morning 3rd March around the outskirts of Naas, taking in some scenic but difficult rolling hills as the course traversed the Royal Canal and parts of the Millenium Business Park. Among the 519 participants were Mary Stuart, winning her master category in 1 hour 9 minutes 33 seconds and Joan Hickson, second in her master category in 1 hour 18 minutes 25 seconds [MO’S].

Munster Masters Indoors

UNREPORTED

Saturday 2nd March

Sean McMullin – 3,000m race walk Gold in master category

Colm Walsh – 3,000m race walk Gold in master category

Aidan O’Donoghue – 60m hurdles Silver, high jump Silver, pole vault Silver, 200m Gold in master age category

Kinvara Half Marathon

The sea port village of Kinvara in Galway on Saturday morning 2nd March was the venue for the annual Kinvara Half Marathon around the picturesque village and out and back through a looped course. Starting and finishing at the quay in Kinvara, the 660 runners completed a lap of the village before they crossed the N67 and headed out into the countryside. The early miles were a series of gentle uphill sections leading to the most scenic part of the course, with views of Galway Bay, as the runners turned back towards the village. With rolling hills to encounter in the final 2 miles, in a cold but dry morning the Mullingar Harriers duo of Mairtin Savage and Emer Savage were pleased with their first competitive event of the season. Mairtin finished in a time of 1 hour 48 minutes 7 seconds, with Emer coming home in 1 hour 56 minutes 39seconds [MO’S].

FEBRUARY

Spanish National 20k Racewalking Championships

Matthew Glennon finished well inside the top half of a quality field at the Spanish National 20k Racewalking Championships on Sunday morning 25th February in Zaragoza. Spain has the greatest in-depth standard of racewalking in Europe, so Matthew’s 19th place finish in a season’s best time of 90 minutes 25 seconds is very satisfying. He walked a controlled race, keeping a good safe technique throughout. Matthew can now look forward to breaking through the 90 minute barrier in the season ahead [ML].

Turgesius Island 10 Mile & 5 Mile

Hosted by our near neighbours, North Westmeath AC, the fourth edition of the Turgesius Island 10 Mile took place on Sunday morning 25th February. With a stiff breeze blowing, the race started just outside Collinstown. The route took the runners along the rolling hills on the first half, and on the second half uphill all the way to the finish at The Cut on the shore of Lough Lene, overlooking Turgesius Island. This year the organisers added a 5 Mile to the event and Mullingar was represented by young Alex Sheridan who finished 7th in 35 minutes 39 seconds.

In the 10 Mile event, James Keegan bettered last year’s second place performance and leading the field of nearly 190 runners from gun to tape, took the win in 56 minutes 50 seconds. Kedagh Geoghegan put in a fine performance, breaking away from the chasing pack in the last two miles to finish 2nd in 57:41 to give Mullingar a 1-2 finish. Just outside the hour mark, Alan Crowley (60:09) and Eoin Clarke (60:10) sprinted for the finish for 5th and 6th place, giving them 2nd and 3rd in their master category. Next to finish was Eddie Newman (61:45) to win his master category, just ahead of Kieran Nolan (61:54). Others performing well on the day were Val Bohan (67:01), Gemma Kelly (79:00) 3rd in her master category, Caroline Mullen (80:20) and Ray Smyth (87:41). In the team competition, James, Kedagh and Alan combined to finish 1st Club by a very big margin [MO’S].

Kinsale 10 Mile

Patrick Muldoon made the long trip to Cork to compete in the Kinsale 10 Mile on Sunday 25th February. The event has become increasingly popular in recent years, filling a gap in the race calendar after the Ballycotton 10 ceased a number of years ago. This year’s race was a sell-out and on the day 927 athletes from across Ireland braved very challenging weather conditions with relentless winds and heavy rain for much of the race. Patrick was very happy to finish well up in a time of 1 hour 6 minutes 58 seconds [PM].

Duleek 5k

Two Mullingar women, along with over 330 others, took part in the Duleek 5k on Sunday afternoon 25th February. Organised by Duleek & District AC, the race took place in windy but dry conditions. Happy to take to the road again after the cross country season was Linda Cunningham, finishing in 22 minutes 5 seconds, and Kelly Dunne improving her personal best time by one minute with 25 minutes 8 seconds, and both were delighted with their performances at the event [MO’S].

Athletics Leinster “B” XC & Juvenile Mixed XC Relays

The Athletics Leinster “B” Cross Country and Juvenile Mixed Cross Country Relays took place in a cold but dry and bright Stradbally Hall in Co. Laois on Saturday 24th February, a venue better known for the Electric Picnic Music Festival in September. This was the second year of the event and numbers competing were up on last year, so it’s an event that is growing and among the competitors was a number from Mullingar Harriers.

The “B” races were confined to those that didn’t win an individual, club or county team medal in Leinster cross country last autumn, so given Mullingar’s success in Leinster cross country, most from the Club were ineligible to compete but we still had athletes in five of the eight races on the programme. The mixed relays of two girls and two boys per team were open to everyone, so we really should have had teams in every event, but we only had one team entered.

The day started with the relays and in the 4x250m u/13 Mixed Relay, Amelie Kelly, Joel Kelly, Liadan Gavin and Oisin Clarke combined really well, keeping in contention throughout and despite everyone giving every ounce of effort they were very unlucky to finish in 4th place, just out of the medals in a close race to the finish but top marks for effort and team work.

Seeing Lyla Lennon Currill racing hard all the way to the end and finishing well up in the u/11 girls 1,000m, followed in quickly by Roisin Keane and Aoife Dunne not far behind her and Laura Buckley having a great race too and providing the vital fourth score for the team, it was no surprise that the team finished in the medals, 3rd Club, only a few points off the silver medals, so a great team performance from these young girls.

Amelie Kelly led the Mullingar girls home in the u/13 girls 1,500m with a fine run and with great support from Liadan Gavin and Muirin Dunne it’s a terrible pity we didn’t have a fourth girl, as the team would definitely have finished third Club, possibly even challenging for second, but they can still be very proud of their performances.

Having run the mixed relay earlier in the day, Oisin Clarke and Joel Kelly took to the start line of the u/13 boys 1,500m. Oisin kept right up with the leading group from the start and consolidated his position in the medal places over the last 500m to come home with a fast finish in 11th place to win an individual medal. Also running very well and finishing strongly too, Joel can be very satisfied with his efforts.

Lisa O’Brien was our sole representative in the u/15 girls 2,500m where she put in a very strong performance and was very unlucky to finish just of the top-12 medal places but has to be very satisfied with her performance. We finished the day back in the medals again courtesy of Lydia McDonnell who stuck to her task in the u/17 girls 3,000m and was rewarded for her efforts with an excellent 6th place finish and a well-deserved individual Leinster medal [GD].

National Senior Indoors

Claire Fagan took her first National Senior title over 3,000m with an excellent last lap to win in 9 minutes 33.35 seconds. This is also the first National Senior title won by a Mullingar Harrier woman, so a great bit of history too. It was one of many exciting finishes of the day at the National Senior Indoors at the National Indoor Arena in Abbotstown on Sunday 18th February. It was an exciting race from the off and Claire was always right up with the action, biding her time to make her final move. The lead changed twice on the last lap but Claire produced a superb last 100m to regain the lead in the final strides. Winning a National Senior title is a significant step for any athlete and it was certainly a day to remember for Claire.

Earlier in the day, Oisin Lane stuck to his pre-race plan in the 5,000m race walk and once the gun went he lapped consistently at 47 seconds per lap for 24 laps and drove for home on the last lap to finish in the World class time of 19 minutes 34.40 seconds, a new PB by a massive 50 seconds. Only Tokyo Olympian David Kenny was a mere 4 seconds ahead of Oisin with the rest of the field lapped by him at least once. Oisin proved that planning and control works. Meanwhile, Andrew Glennon was back in the pack and racing well, though a number of fouls saw him pulled over to take a time penalty in the penalty lane and the 30 second wait cost him a few places but he still finished well up in seventh place.

Not to be outdone by her older sibling, though still only u/20, Aisling Lane too walked an excellent PB of 14 minutes 21.50 seconds in the 3,000m race walk to take a second place silver. While Aisling too had her pre-race plan, an unusually large entry of 22 racewalkers on the tight indoor track meant a staggered start for all and a pile up on the bends in the early laps. Aisling had to rely on all her cross country experience in the battles for position that ensued over the speedy first kilometre. With others’ elbows flying, shoulders clashing, knees wobbling and legs tripping all around her, Aisling held her form and posture and eventually managed to dominate the majority of the field as she strode on powerfully to lap the majority of the field just as her brother had done in the earlier race. A family double silver achieved in the space of an hour in a National Senior Championships is an extremely rare achievement.

Aimee Wallace competed in the 1,500m and having turned 18 in January she was one of the youngest athletes in the field. She successfully navigated her way through the heats on Saturday to earn her place in the final. Aimee was in medal contention for most of this race and in the end had to settle for 9th place in 4 minutes 33.32 seconds. Undoubtedly she will benefit from the experience of racing at senior level. The men 3,000m was a very tactical affair for the first half of the race, but Jamie Battle remained in the lead group right until the final 600m when the field began to split but Jamie kept up the pressure and finished strong in 10th place in a time of 8 minutes 28.87 seconds [JR/ML/GD].

Rás na hEireann

The 53rd edition of the Rás na hEireann took place in Dunleer, Co. Louth on Sunday 18th February and a number of Mullingar Harriers made the journey to compete on a tough, hilly cross country course. We had a super start to the day in the u/9 girls 500m with Cara Hickey leading home the field to finish in a wonderful 1st place. Cara was backed up well by Ella McManus (11th), Sophie Whitelaw (14th), Cliodhna Fitzpatrick (17th) and the girls finished 2nd Club team. A great result for these young athletes in their first competitive event for Mullingar Harriers. Laura Buckley ran a strong race in the u/11 girls 1,000m, finishing well up in the large entry.

The Women 4,000m was for u/20, Senior and Master athletes, and Mullingar was represented in each category. Sinead Whitelaw (Senior) led the team home in 12th place. With u/20 athlete Ailbhe O’Farrell 17th and Master athlete Linda Cunningham 24th, the team finished just out of the medals in 4th place.

In the final race of the day, the Men 6,000m, Ross Killelea ran with the leaders from the start and finished very strongly in 5th place, overall, the 2nd u/20 man [SW].

National Masters & Juvenile “B” XC

The National Masters and Juvenile “B” Cross Country was held in Dundalk IT on Sunday 11th February where the Mullingar athletes performed well in tough mucky conditions. While there was no rain on the day and everyone enjoyed a cool but dry and bright sunny day, heavy rain in the week leading up to the event meant the ground was saturated and quickly turned to heavy sticky mud as the day went on.

Katie Bohan ran hard from the start of the u/11 girls 1,000m and was rewarded with an individual medal when she led the Mullingar team home with a great 12th place finish. Racing hard behind her and finishing strong and packing well was Penny Bohan, Grace Farry, Rose Harte, Roisin Keane, Laura Buckley, Aoife Dunne, Lyla Lennon and Eve Nugent but unfortunately the girls finished out of the team medals.

We had a very strong team in the u/11 boys 1,000m and they certainly lived up to expectations. Daniel Cummins went out fast and settled quickly into his running in the leading pack but when he made his move in the closing stages, he quickly opened a gap and raced clear to win well and claim the individual gold medal. With Mel Bohan also getting into the top twelve individual medal places with a terrific 11th place finish and fantastic team support from Conor Gavin, Cian Gavin, Noah Morgan, Cillian Gavin, Michael Kiernan, Senan Clinton and Fintan Harte, the boys finished 1st Club and 3rd County, great rewards for their efforts.

Shaynah Mitchell led the Mullingar team home in the u/13 girls 1,500m and with great running from Amelie Kelly, Chloe Bell, Liadan Gavin, Clodagh Keane, Emily Tully, Clodagh Doran, Muirin Dunne and Kaila Scally racing hard to the finish on the rapidly deteriorating course, the girls finished an excellent 5th Club and 6th County. We didn’t have a team in the u/15 girls 2,500m but that didn’t stop Isabel Tynan Daly from putting in a brilliant effort in the sticky mud, leaving nothing behind as she fell over the line exhausted but unfortunately just out of the medal places. Also having a great race behind her was Lisa O’Brien who likewise gave one hundred effort.

By the time the u/15 boys 2,500m got underway, the course was in very poor condition but Conor Walsh dug deep and kept right with the leading group. With a big push in the closing stages he raced home in 4th place to win an individual medal. Attention now turned to his team mates and with Conor Geoghegan finishing well up and excellent team racing by Greg McDonnell and Cormac McGrath, the boys finished 3rd Club, just one point ahead of fourth place showing that every place counts in cross country racing.

Sean McMullin was our sole representative in the 4,000m for master men o/65 and he ran a strong race to finish fourth in his master age category, just of the medals. Mullingar had a full team in the 4,000m for master women, led home by Aisling Corcoran, followed in by Linda Cunningham, Olivia Cooney, Claire Lennon, Terri Greene, Nuala Moran, Pauline Troy and Kelly Dunne. There were no individual or tam honours and while all were exhausted after their efforts negotiating the sloppy mud they have to be very satisfied with their efforts. As always, the 7,000m for master men was the biggest entry of the day and it was some sight to see two hundred men race from the start, among them a good number from Mullingar. Lap after lap on the slippery muddy course was simply draining and everyone really had to dig very deep just to keep going. Leading the exhausted Mullingar men home was Patrick Muldoon, followed by Eddie Newman who placed 3rd in his master age category, then came Paddy Daly with an excellent race, followed by Liam McGlynn, Colm Walsh and Mark Dunne leaving nothing behind. No team medals this time but top marks for giving their very best in the conditions [GD].

The Downs Ladies GAA 5k & 10k

The Downs Ladies GAA 5k & 10k on Sunday morning 11th February started and finished near the GAA grounds. A hilly start and hilly finish tested the athletes, with 105 competing in the 5k and 33 taking on the longer distance. Mullingar Harriers was well represented in both races.

Andy Boyhan was a clear winner of the 5k Race in 17 minutes 48 seconds and Lily Walsh secured second overall and was 1st woman in a very fast 18 minutes 58 seconds. Lorcan Mullen was 3rd in 19:17, Tommy Byrne was happy with a sub-20-minute run coming home 5th in 19:57. Criona Reid (20:39) and Orlaith Flanagan (20:53) broke the 21-minute barrier and they were among the large contingent of Mullingar Harriers racing, including Alex Sheridan (21:52), Conleth Mullen (23:21), Oisin Clarke (24:00), Daniel Horohoe (24:06), Tiernan Smyth, Maisie Walsh, Andrew Bradley, Aoibhinn Smyth and Isabelle Smyth. In the 10k Race, Tom Wallace won with a fine time of 38 minutes 36 seconds, with Kieran Nolan finishing strongly to take 2nd in 38:42. Also competing was Val Bohan, Brendan Rice and Michelle O’Halloran [MO’S].

Irish Universities Indoors

UNREPORTED

Saturday 10th February, NIA Abbottstown

2,000m race walk – Matthew Glennon (DCU) 1st, Andrew Glennon (TUS) 3rd

3,000m – Diarmuid Fagan (DCU) 9th

Rathcoffey 10k

The Rathcoffey 10k near Clane in Co. Kildare was held in bright spring sunshine on Saturday morning 10th February. A relatively flat course with start and finish at the GAA grounds proved an ideal challenge for the 307 athletes in the 10k event. Four athletes from Mullingar Harriers made the trip and had good outings as they prepare for some important spring events over the next two months.

Vinny Connolly ran at the head of the field throughout and just lost out in the final kilometre but was satisfied with a good early season time of 31 minutes 55 seconds. Enda Serry ran a very steady race finishing twentieth overall, posting a time of 38:27. Mary Stuart got some sharpness in as she prepares for some longer events over the next few months and came home in 41:44, which also won her the age category by a very big margin of over 7 minutes. Joan Hickson, in her first competitive race of the year, was satisfied with completing the distance in 46:32 [MO’S].

Armagh International Road Races

UNREPORTED

Thursday 8th February

Women 3k, 184 finishers, Claire Fagan (Ireland) 12th (9:32), 1st score for Ireland team that finished 3rd International team

Men 5k, 210 finishers, Vinny Connolly 110th (14:50)

Men 3k, 190 finishers, Ian McCormack 38th (9:23)

Leinster Schools Cross Country

A good number of Mullingar Harriers juvenile members travelled to a cool but bright and sunny Phoenix Park on Wednesday morning 7th February to represent their schools and colleges at the Leinster Schools Cross Country, the final step on the way to the All-Ireland finals in March, and many came away with places secured in the finals.

Daniel Horohoe led the Colaiste Mhuire team home in the Minor Boys 2,000m but despite the efforts of his team mates that included Oisin Clarke and Oisin Kilmurray, the team finished out of the medal places. In the Junior Boys 3,000m Daniel Glennon (St. Finian’s College) finished well up in the big entry of over 100 boys but out of the medal places.

Ailbhe O’Farrell (St. Finian’s College) put in an excellent performance in a very competitive Intermediate Girls 3,500m and though she finished strong, she finished out of the medal places. Matthew Molloy had the honour of leading the St. Finian’s College team home in the Intermediate Boys 4,500m and with terrific support and team effort from Oisin Kehoe, Donagh Carey and John Glennon, led the team to third place and a place in the All-Ireland finals. Jamie Wallace (Colaiste Mhuire) finished just ahead of Matthew but out of the individual qualification places by just a few seconds, so unfortunately he won’t join the St. Finian’s team in the finals.

Having dominated the Senior girls team event in the North Leinsters, all eyes were on the Loreto College girls team in the Senior Girls 3,000m and with another brilliant performance, Grace Byrne finished second and led the very strong team that included Louise Callaghan, Jessica Cunningham, Shauna Callaghan and Siofra O’Halloran to well-deserved team gold and the Perpetual Trophy. This was an exceptional team performance and these girls will be ones to watch in the All-Ireland finals.

It was a similar display of domination by the Colaiste Mhuire team in the Senior Boys 6,000m which was run at a very fast pace from the start. Always in contention in the leading group throughout, Conor Sherwin led the team home in seventh place, and with brilliant racing and packing by John Ryan (fifteenth), just ahead of Ross Killalea and closely followed by Pablo Lozano providing the vital fourth score, and with Luke Greene among the support, the team finished well clear to take the team title and the Perpetual Trophy back to Mullingar to end another great day of cross country action. This very talented team will also be one to watch in the All-Ireland finals [GD].

Galway Women’s Mini Marathon 10k

UNREPORTED

Monday 5th February

Nearly 560 finishers; Linda Cunningham 21st (46:34), 5th in master category

Trim 10 Mile

A big group of 28 from Mullingar Harriers toed the line with nearly 1,700 others on a  damp, mild but gusty day on Sunday morning 4th February for the Trim 10 Mile. A 9-week training block had everyone in peak shape and ready for the challenge. Just before the start, the gusty winds really started to pick up, making even the warm ups tricky. The Trim course is an honest course with its fair share of uphill and downhill sections. Fortunately the gusts didn’t affect the first half much but once the runners turned at the midpoint, they headed straight into the blustery winds, which proved difficult, especially on the uphill sections. Turning into cross winds after 7 miles meant some time was clawed back, though the final half mile was straight into a tough headwind again, but with the finish in sight everyone just knuckled down and dug deep to the finish line where all the Harriers had smiles crossing the line, with over 20 of them recording best times for 10 miles.

Andy Boyhan led the Mullingar group home finishing well up in 59 minutes 43 seconds, delighted to join the sub-60 minute group, followed in by Eddie Newman (60:25) winning his master age category, Enda O’Carolan (61:00) and Evan McCormack (61:38) completing the four man team that finished a very creditable 6th Club. In the women’s race, Niamh McEntegart was first to finish for Mullingar with an excellent 65 minutes 52 seconds, and with great support from Joan Flynn (68:18), Criona Reid (68:57) placing second in her master age category and Aeilish McGovern (1:11:29), the women finished 1st Club.

Also competing and very happy with their performances in tough conditions was Alan Crowley (63:49), Enda Seery (65:24), James Cribbin (65:55), Tommy Byrne (67:35), Darren Carroll (68:38), Declan Claffey (1:11:43), Aisling Corcoran (1:11:48), Therese Glynn (1:12:27), Paul Ginnell (1:13:49), Mark Dunne (1:14:05), John McNamara (1:14:22), Kieran Daly (1:16:11), Marie Louise Johnston (1:17:39), John Keane (1:18:02), Emer O’Hanlon (1:20:35), Aisling Farrell (1:22:16), Shaun Mills (1:23:09), Terri Greene (1:24:19), Catherine Gavin (1:29:41) and Michael Greene (1:47:08) [MO’S].

JANUARY

National Indoor Combined Events

The National Indoors Combined Events were held at the NIA Abbotstown on Sunday 28th January. Competition was for Juvenile, u/20, Senior and Master and Aidan O’Donoghue competed in the master category. Competitions were very competitive and four National records were set by Master athletes on the day. The master men competed over five events, 60m Hurdles, Long Jump, High Jump, Shot and 1,000m. Aidan was the sole competitor for Mullingar Harriers on the day and was delighted to set a personal best in the 60m Hurdles and to clear 1.42m in the high jump on his way to a silver medal [AO’D].

Raheny 5 Mile

The 40th edition of the Raheny 5 Mile took place on Sunday morning 28th January and it was quite a sight to see over 4,300 runners packed together behind the start line filled with a mixture of excitement and nerves. Going out hard with the leading group was Andrew Nevin and after a great race he finished well up in an excellent 26 minutes 21 seconds. Following him in was Eddie Newman (29:23), which was good enough to win his master age category, then Kieran Nolan (29:50), Joan Flynn (31:24) placing third in her master age category, James Cribbin (31:44), Mary Stuart (33:11) second in her master age category and Murty Hanly (33:26) [GD].

2024 Annual General Meeting

Mullingar Harriers was founded at the first Annual General Meeting held in December 1975. The 49th Annual General Meeting was held on Friday evening 26th January in the Greville Arms Hotel. Given the current membership of well over 500, there should have been many more there, but it was still quite well attended, which shows the interest among members on how the Club is managed and organised on their behalf.

Chairperson, Margaret Daly opened the meeting by welcoming everyone and introduced the Secretary’s report by Greg Duggan and the Treasurer’s report by Joanna Tyrrell. These were followed by Margaret’s own Chairperson’s Address.

Among the highlights from the reports was International debuts in 2023 for Tianna O’Leary (at the SIAB Schools International Cross Country) and by Aimee Wallace (at the Mannheim Junioren International Gala), nine other members competed for Ireland, including Oisin Lane, Matthew Glennon, Andrew Glennon (European Racewalking Team Championships), Conor Sherwin (SIAB Schools International T&F), Sean McMullin (World Masters Indoors, European Masters T&F, and the British & Irish Masters International Cross Country), Aidan O’Donoghue (World Masters Indoors and European Masters T&F), Gerard Gavin and Eddie Newman (British & Irish Masters International Cross Country), Cormac Dalton (European Cross Country), and we got 2024 off to a great start as Jessica Cunningham made her International debut at the World Deaf Youth Games in Brazil. The Club was honoured by Westmeath Council with an Address of Recognition in October for the exceptional achievement of 25 members representing Ireland, some more than once, between 2020, just as the Covid-19 pandemic was hitting Ireland and we were subject to restrictions on training and competition, up to October 2023. Margaret Daly accepted the Address on behalf of the Club, which was presented by Cllr. John Shaw, the Mayor of the Municipal District of Mullingar-Kinnegad.

Like most Clubs in Ireland, our membership increased last year and interest in joining again this year is very strong, so the foundations in Mullingar Harriers are good. However, the Club continues to face challenges in managing the increase in membership but the lack of interest in competing in events, particularly among the younger ages is a big concern. We now have excellent training facilities at the Club Grounds and a renewed call was made for more help for coaches, particularly with the younger underage members that train at the 6pm sessions.

Club activities and competitions returned to normal in 2023 and we had full indoor, outdoor and cross country seasons, and there were plenty of road races too, both casual and Championships, including all the Leinster and National Road Championships on the fixture list, with a big number of individual and team medals won. In racewalking, Oisin Lane, Matthew Glennon and Andrew Glennon made up half of the 6 member Irish team at the European Racewalking Team Championships, in Podebrady, Czech Republic in May.

In track and field, both indoor and outdoor, from juveniles to seniors to masters, Mullingar had athletes competing in every Leinster and National T&F competition, and in every university and most school championships too. We also saw some of our master members competing at European and World Masters. It was a similar case in cross country and Mullingar athletes competed in every Leinster and National cross country event, and in universities and schools.

A very noteworthy cross country success came in the Leinster Senior Cross Country in Dunboyne in November when Vinny Connolly won the senior men race and led the senior men to the Club team title. Over the years, Mullingar has won, at different times, all the girls and women Leinster Cross Country Club titles from under 11 to Senior women and all the boys and men titles from under 11 to Intermediate men, but never the Senior men Club title, until Dunboyne. This was the making of a nice bit of memorable Club history and we can now boast of having won every Leinster Cross Country Club title in the book, which is a nice achievement as the Club approaches its fiftieth anniversary in 2025. That same day, Claire Fagan dominated the senior women race to win, leading the senior women team to second place. However, the real icing on the cake in cross country in 2023 has to be Cormac Dalton placing eighth in the European Cross Country in Belgium last December.

The following were elected as officers and committee members for the coming year: Seamus Gibney (President), John Mulvihill (Vice-President), Margaret Daly (Chair), Catriona Duffy (Vice-Chair), Joanna Tyrrell (Treasurer), Patrick Muldoon (Secretary, Ciara Dillon (Assistant Secretary), Greg Duggan (PRO coordinator), Tom Wallace (Juvenile Training Officer), Tom McGrath (Minute Secretary), Pauline Quinn, Margaret Daly and Greg Duggan (Child Officers), Cormac Finnerty, Pat Muldoon Senior, Vera McCool and John Shaw (Trustees). The officers and trustees are automatically on the new committee, as are Life Vice-presidents including Cormac Finnerty, Martin Fagan, Bobbie Begley, Christy Creagh and Mark Christie, and will be joined by Vinny Connolly, Declan Costello, Linda Cunningham, Amanda Dalton, Sean Liston, Aine O’Reilly and Alan Sherwin, who were elected to the committee, and by Club Captains Sinead Whitelaw and Ian McCormack who were also elected.

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

North Leinster Schools XC

The schools cross country season got underway for a large number of our juvenile athletes at the North Leinster Schools Cross Country in the Phoenix Park on Friday 26th January and as expected, by day’s end a great number of them had booked their places in the Leinster finals in Santry in early February.

Daniel Horohoe raced to an excellent 6th place in the Minor Boys 1,600m and led the Colaiste Mhuire team that included Oisin Clarke and Oisin Kilmurray to 2nd team and a place in the finals. Evan Nohilly (St. Finian’s College) also competed but finished out of the automatic qualification places.

Among the big entry in the Junior Girls 2,000m was Blathnaid Peters, Lisa O’Brien, Emma Lagan and Meadhbh Armstrong (St. Finian’s College) and Beibhinn O’Reilly, Aoibhinn Smith and Sorcha McNamee (Loreto Mullingar), but despite racing well they finished out of the medals. In the Junior Boys 2,200m Daniel Glennon (St. Finian’s College) finished strong in a great 10th place to earn an automatic place in the finals, but despite great support from Aaron Conroy and Andrew Lillis, the team finished out of the medals. It was a similar fate for the Colaiste Mhuire team that included Greg McDonnell, Morgan Isdell, Cian Hyland and Cormac McGrath, though top marks for effort.

St. Finian’s College had two girls in action in the Intermediate Girls 1,600m and with a great 14th place finish, Ailbhe O’Farrell booked her place in the finals, but not so for Evie Kilmurray though she ran a really good race against tough opposition. It was 5th for Oisin Kehoe (St. Finian’s College) in the Intermediate Boys 3,800m race and with terrific team support and packing from Matthew Molloy (7th), Donagh Carey (13th), John Glennon and Txema Lozano, the St. Finian’s College team placed 2nd team. Jamie Wallace (9th) and Luke Greene (15th) booked their places in the finals but despite great support from Conor Walsh, Conor Geoghegan, Niall Brady and Daniel Hickey the Colaiste Mhuire team was very unlucky to finish just out of the medals in 4th place, so only Jamie and Luke advance to the finals.

In the Senior Girls 2,200m the Loreto Mullingar team of Grace Byrne (2nd), Louise Callaghan (5th), Jessica Cunningham (9th), Shauna Callaghan and Siofra O’Halloran simply dominated to win by a big margin, which is little surprise given the talents of these girls. It was the same showcasing of talent by the Colaiste Mhuire team in the Senior Boys 4,200m, led home with a brilliant 1-2 from John Ryan and Conor Sherwin, closely followed by Ross Killalea (5th) and Pablo Lozano (10th) to easily finish 1st team.

Leinster Intermediate & Masters XC and Juvenile XC Relays

The Leinster Intermediate & Masters Cross Country and Juvenile Cross Country Relays were held in a windy and eventually very wet Avondale Forest Park, Co. Wicklow on Sunday 21st January. All the talk in the days leading up to the event, especially on the eve, was of Storm Isha and forecasts of yellow and orange warnings for very high winds. The high winds were forecast to hit the east coast by evening, well after the event was to be finished, so the event went ahead as planned. Huge credit must go to Athletics Wicklow for hosting the event and putting everything in place in difficult conditions, all the time worrying that the event might have to be cancelled and all their hard work would be for nothing. As it turned out while the winds were quite strong and gusting, they weren’t too bad and it was only in the later races that the rain came, drenching runners, spectators and officials alike. Everything was finished and everyone had left for home before 3pm, well before Storm Isha struck.

We had one relay team, Mel Bohan, Michael Kiernan, Noah Morgan and Rory McDonnell, in the u/12 boys 4 x 250m Relay. Despite all being u/11, they stepped up to u/12 and though the team finished out of the medals they worked very well as a team and gave a great account and you can’t ask for more than that.

Better known for his prowess as a race walker, Sean McMullin competed in the 4,000m for Master Men o/65 and though he finished out of the medals in his age category he was still very satisfied with his effort on the tough Avondale course. The Master Women 4,000m had a very big entry and running hard over two laps with a long steep uphill section on each lap, thankfully with the wind on their backs, the Mullingar women were led home by Aine O’Reilly. Following Aine in and providing great team support was Maura Dervin who won her master age category, Michelle Bohan, Ciara Dillon, Linda Cunningham, Caroline Mullen, Eithne Spellman, Terri Greene, Nuala Moran, Pauline Troy and Kelly Dunne. No team medals for the younger master women, but thanks to Maura, Caroline, Terri, Nuala and Pauline, it was gold for Mullingar as 1st Club in the o/50 category and with Anna Marie Dowd (Athlone) finishing between Maura and Caroline adding to the County score, it was gold for Westmeath as 1st County in the o/50 category.

The Master Men raced over 7,000m and first home for Mullingar with a great run was Patrick Muldoon, but despite great support from Eddie Newman who won his master age category, Pauric Brady, James Carton, Paul Ginnell and Mark Dunne, there was no team honours for Mullingar, but well done to all on giving one hundred percent effort on a very tough course that was starting to get muddy underfoot as the rain fell.

By the time the Intermediate Men 8,000m was called to the start, the rain was falling heavily. Negotiating the tough hilly course over four energy sapping laps really tested the mettle of all the runners. Working hard all the way and finishing strongly in a terrific fourth place was James Keegan, followed in by Ian McCormack who despite suffering a bad stitch on the final lap as he was closing on James, which forced him to lose a few places, he rallied at the end and pushed home to finish well up in eleventh place, and with terrific team support and packing by Kedagh Geoghegan, Andy Boyhan, Stephen Campbell, Brian Martin and Robert Yorke all digging deep and leaving nothing behind, the men were delighted to finish 3rd Club and 3rd County, the set of bronze medals being great rewards for their valiant efforts.

Leaving home windswept and wet after the final race, Mullingar had won two individual medals, two sets of Club team medals and two sets of County team medals, making it an excellent day’s work for the Mullingar squads.

National u/20 & u/23 Indoors

Mullingar had a small group competing at the National u/20 and u/23 Indoors in Athlone on Saturday 20th January.

Colin P Smith competed in the 1,500m u/23 and right from the start it was clear that he was not going to be going home without a medal as he kept right up with the leading group, which slowly whittled down as the laps unfolded. Colin was in second place at the bell and made a determined effort to chase down the leader, racing hard to the finish but unable to close the gap, crossing the line in second place in 3 minutes 55.48 seconds, close to his best for the distance. Diarmuid Fagan competed in the 1,500m u/20 where he raced well but had to settle for a place out of the medals on this occasion.

Still relatively new to the event, Kyle Faherty competed in the 400m u/20 and at only 16 years of age, was one of the youngest in the competition. That didn’t concern him though and in his heat he went hard from the gun and with strong athletes just in front and on his shoulder he was pushed to a new personal best of 52.17 seconds. With the 6 fastest times from 6 heats qualifying for the final, Kyle’s fourth place finish in his heat wasn’t enough to advance, but it was all about the experience and this race will give him great confidence when he drops down to his own age group in the season ahead.

Mullingar has a great reputation in race walking and that was on show again in the 3,000m race walks. In the u/20 race, Andrew Glennon battled hard and finished in second place but unfortunately he was subsequently disqualified, which is always a risk in this tough very technical event. In the u/23 race, Matthew Glennon went straight to the front from the gun and continued to set the pace throughout the race but never managing to pull clear of the athlete in second place who tracked him closely. It took all of Matthew’s experience to hold off a late challenge on the home straight to finish first and retain the National title he won last year, but only by a half second, which is a very close finish indeed in a 3,000m race.

World Deaf Youth Games

Congratulations to Jessica Cunningham on winning two bronze medals at the World Deaf Youth Games in Sao Paulo, Brazil on Friday 19th January. Dropping down from her customary middle distance to 400m didn’t faze Jessica at all and she was delighted to finish third and earn a place on the podium. She followed that up with another great performance in another unfamiliar event, the Long Jump, where she again placed third after a close contest.

Representing Ireland for the first time is a huge milestone for any athlete and is well deserved for Jessica. Now that Jessica has made her International debut for Ireland, her name will be added to the International Roll of Honour in the Clubhouse, the one hundred and twenty fifth name on the marble wall plaque.

National Masters Indoors

Seven masters athletes from Mullingar competed at the National Masters Indoors in Athlone on Saturday 13th January, winning a terrific seven medals between them. First on the track was Claire Lennon in the 60m, a new event for her, and while she competed well in her debut National master sprint race, she had to settle for a place out of the medals. There was better fortune for Tom Walsh who powered to second place in his 60m race to win the silver medal and put Mullingar on the medal board. Meanwhile, Aidan O’Donoghue was competing in the High Jump where he was happy to win a medal, bronze, in a close contest and add to the Mullingar medal tally.

Mullingar had two men competing in the 1,500m. Pauric Brady battled hard and was rewarded with a fine fifth place finish, ahead of Kieran Nolan who was happy to be back competing indoors again. Aidan O’Donoghue contested the 60m Hurdles where he finished second to win his second medal of the day. Mullingar has a formidable reputation in race walking and this was reinforced by two excellent performances in the 3,000m Race Walk where Colm Walsh won his age category with ease, as did Sean McMullin who was simply in a class of his own in winning his age category.

Aidan O’Donoghue had a busy schedule and had little rest between events as he competed in his third and final event of the day, the Pole Vault, where he was delighted to finish in second place and win his third National medal of the day. The day ended with gold again, courtesy of Tom Walsh in the 28 pounds Weight for Distance, winning comfortably and in fact such is his prowess in the event, he would have taken silver against men five years his junior. Congratulations to our master athletes on their excellent efforts.

Art O’Neill Pursuit & Challenge

The Art O’Neill Pursuit & Challenge is a unique event in the Irish outdoor running scene, organised by and solely for the benefit of the Dublin & Wicklow Mountain Rescue Team. It retraces a historic escape from Dublin Castle that happened on 6th January 1592. That night, Art O’Neill, his brother Henry, and Red Hugh O’Donnell broke out of the Castle and made for Glenmalure 60k away in the Wicklow Mountains. On a freezing night the three made their way on foot and without the benefit of winter coats, having had to leave them in their cells. Henry and Hugh both made it to safety but sadly Art, for whom the Challenge is named, succumbed to hypothermia along the way.

The Art O’Neill Pursuit runs alongside the Challenge to the point at Kippure Estate in Co. Wicklow where the Castle wardens gave up pursuit of the escapees after 25k due to poor weather. The 2024 nighttime race started at 10pm at Dublin Castle on Friday night 12th January and 7 Mullingar Harriers braved the elements to complete the 25k event.

Patricia Broderick, Caroline Mullen, Terri Greene, Nuala Moran, Pauline Troy, Olivia Cronin and Martin Mullen headed off with 200 others from Dublin Castle, passing through Harolds Cross, Templeogue and Firhouse, before heading into freezing fog as the route took them up narrow country roads into Wicklow. The running was tough and demanding as they headed up into the mountains, stopping at the famine cross for a water stop. Onward to Kippure Estate where all the runners were welcomed by a large contingent of volunteers. Refreshments were available at the finish with a band providing music to raise the spirits of our tired but very satisfied heroes.

Track & Field Live Indoor Meeting

Aimee Wallace produced a real breakthrough performance in her first race of the year at the Track & Field Live Indoor Meeting in the NIA Abbotstown on Wednesday evening 10th January. Aimee was a convincing winner of the 1,500m recording a time of 4 minutes 23.75 seconds, which places her second on the Irish u/20 Indoor All Time List behind multiple European age group medallist and Olympian, Sarah Healy. This was an improvement of 11 seconds on her previous indoor best and almost 3 seconds better than her outdoor best. These margins of improvement highlight the progress that she has made in recent months and firmly establishes Aimee as one of Irelands leading middle distance talents. In addition, it is also the fastest indoor 1,500m run by a Mullingar Harriers athlete in the Club’s history and she is now approaching Caroline Mullen’s outdoor Club best time of 4 minutes 20.47 set in 1988.

Conor Liston returned to the track for the first time in a number of years, racing in the 800m and showed great tactical awareness to win in a time of 2 minutes 01.38 seconds. Conor was a National champion as a younger juvenile and will be greatly encouraged with a win. He positioned himself on the leader’s shoulder throughout the race and made a decisive winning move with 200m to go. Undoubtedly he will have gained great confidence from his winning return and can now target the two minute barrier this season.

Jamie Wallace and Philip McCartan raced in the Men’s Mile and will benefit from the experience of racing against Senior athletes. Jamie finished seventh in a time of 4 minutes 40.16 seconds, closely followed by Philip in 4 minutes 46. 66 seconds.

World Deaf Youth Games – Jessica Cunningham selected (4th Jan)

Congratulations to Jessica Cunningham on her selection to compete at the inaugural World Deaf Youth Games to be held in Sao Paulo, Brazil from 15th to 20th January. Next year, the Deaflympics (the Deaf Olympics) will be in Tokyo and these World Youth Games will provide excellent experience for those athletes targeting Tokyo. Jessica’s selection comes on the back of all the hard work she has put in at training over the past number of years and it is a great honour for Jessica, her family and for Mullingar Harriers. Everyone at the Club wishes Jessica the very best of luck in Brazil.

A question some might have is why are the Deaflympics not in the Paralympics? The answer is that if deaf athletes were to compete in the Paralympic Games, then numerous sign language interpreters would be required to bridge the communication barrier, otherwise the deaf athletes would be completely separated from all other athletes, losing the very purpose of the Games which is to bring athletes together.