A: Grange, Mullingar, Co. Westmeath, Ireland | E: info@mullingarharriers.com

Week ending Saturday 12th November

 

A day to remember at Leinster cross country

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 last Saturday 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 and 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 seventh 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 second Club and Westmeath fifth 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 fourth Club, missing bronze medals by just seven points. They finished fifth County, on the same points as fourth place but losing on count-back. However, fourth 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 eighth place, with Darren Corcoran right behind in ninth, and terrific finishes and team support from Scott Cogan, Greg McDonnell, Zack O’Leary, Louis Kiernan and Cormac McGrath, the boys finished second Club and fourth 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 tenth 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 fifth 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 eighth, 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 first 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 fifth place, closely followed by Caoimhe Kilmurray in sixth, and seeing Ailbhe O’Farrell, Caoimhe Donohue and Jessica Cunningham finishing very soon after them, it was no surprise that the girls finished first Club. Only for the want of a sixth girl, the Westmeath team would have placed second County too. The medals continued to flow after that, as we saw Conor Sherwin race to third 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 first Club and third 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 ninth 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 fourth 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 fifth Club, only a few points off the bronze medals in a very close contest, and also finished fifth 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.

Sympathy

Finally, the Executive and members of Mullingar Harriers wish to express sincere sympathy to Celine Medforth and the Medforth and Kearney families on the recent death of her mother, Dympna Kearney RIP, grandmother of Gordon, William and Eve. May she rest in peace.

Check the Club’s website at www.mullingarharriers.com or its Facebook page for all the latest news.

PRO