Week ending Saturday 18th February
National Intermediate Silver for Vinny Connolly
The National Intermediate, Masters and Juvenile “B” Cross Country took place in Gowran, Co. Kilkenny last Sunday where Mullingar athletes won six individual medals and Mullingar teams won six team medals. As has been the case for most of the past cross country season, top billing goes again to Vinny Connolly who took silver in the Intermediate race, leading the Mullingar team to second place and National team silver medals, in what has been a terrific year for Vinny and marked his spectacularly successful return to competitive athletics after nearly ten years away from the sport.
First race of the day was the u/11 girls 1,000m and Mullingar fielded a strong team intent on success. Racing hard all the way around the firm dry ground and first to finish for Mullingar was Amelie Kelly. With great support and close team packing by Clodagh Keane, Liadan Gavin, Maria Gouldsbury, Aoife Gouldsbury, Katie Bohan, Melody Kelly, Isabelle Smith and Robyn Kelly, the girls were delighted to finish third Club and win the bronze medals. We had no team in the u/11 boys 1,000m but that didn’t prevent young Conor Gavin and Cillian Gavin from giving their best and they were delighted to be able to race in an All-Ireland final.
The next race was the u/13 girls 1,500m where the Mullingar girls were led home by the fast finishing Ruby Brennan, and with good support from Isla Brennan, Beibhinn O’Reilly, Shaynah Mitchell, Aoibhinn Smyth, Lucy Kilmurray and Mia Brennan the team was unlucky to finish out of the medals in fifth place, but this was a very creditable result in an All-Ireland final. Seeing Scott Cogan storm through to second place in the u/13 boys 1,500m and with Greg McDonnell, Shane Canning, Cormac McGrath and Aonghus O’Reilly giving their all to the finish, the boys were rewarded for their efforts with silver medals as they placed second Club.
Lydia McDonnell led the Mullingar team home in the u/15 girls 2,500m but despite the efforts of Emma Lagan, Muireann Reihill, Blathnaid Peters, Sadhbh Carey and Síofra O’Reilly, the team finished out of the medal places in what was a very competitive race. We got in the medal again in the u/15 boys 2,500m race where Conor Walsh raced to a fine fifth place finish and with Oisin Kehoe not far behind and supported by Conor Geoghegan, John Gilbride and Ronan Kelly, it was second Club and team silver again for Mullingar.
Moving to the master races, in the 4,000m for the older master men, Sean McMullin worked hard and was very pleased to finish third in his master category and win a National bronze. Paddy Boyhan also competed well but finished out of the medal places in his master category.
Mullingar had a very large squad of seventeen in the master women 4,000m and it was great to see so much maroon and white on the start line and as the race progressed they certainly made their presence felt throughout the big field of runners. Led home by Aine O’Reilly, and with Sinead Whitelaw right on her heels, closely followed by Jenny Algar and Michelle Bohan we were confident of team success for the younger master women. Next in was Maura Dervin, placing second in her master category, leading the charge for our older master women. Aisling Corcoran, Aeilish McGovern, Claire Ross, Marie Louise Johnston, Linda Cunningham, Caroline Mullen, Terri Greene, Gemma Kelly, Joanna Tyrrell, Brigid McCabe (third in her master category), Pauline Troy (just missing an individual medal with a close fourth place in her master category) and Nuala Moran, all running so well and leaving nothing on the track, we were confident of team success for our older master women too. Our confidence was justified when the results were sorted after the race and it was announced that the team of Aine, Sinead, Jenny, Michelle, Aisling, Aeilish, Claire, Marie Louise, Linda and Gemma finished second Club, and the team of Maura, Caroline, Terri, Joanna, Brigid, Pauline and Nuala finished third Club.
In contrast to the master women, Mullingar had a small squad in the master men 6,000m and though we didn’t have any teams, that didn’t stop Patrick Muldoon, Liam McGlynn, James Carton, John Bannon and Aidan O’Donoghue turning in excellent performances and they can be very satisfied with their efforts.
The final race of the day, the Intermediate men 8,000m featured a strong Mullingar team bent on success. By the halfway mark, the early leader had opened a sizeable lead on the chasing group that included Vinny Connolly. Working his way carefully to the front of the chasing group, Vinny began to close the gap on the leader, and going into the final lap he made his move to the front and struck for home. The race really came alive then and Vinny kept up the pressure at the front but was slowly hauled in and was eventually passed inside the final kilometre. He kept working very hard and though he couldn’t retake the lead, his efforts saw him pull clear of third place and he rounded the final turn into the home straight in a comfortable second place, crossing the finish line to take the silver medal. Attention than turned to his team mates, who were all giving one hundred percent and with James Keegan finishing fast, closely followed by Andrew Nevin still gaining places in the home straight, and Ian McCormack providing the vital fourth score, and Kedagh Geoghegan and Brian Martin completing the team, the Mullingar men were delighted to finish second Club to win National silver medals. Unfortunately John Whitelaw was unable to finish due to injury but having been a member of this team all season, he was on hand at the finish and joined in the celebrations after the race.
This marks the final cross country race for our adult members, but apart from some juveniles that will be competing in the All-Ireland schools cross country in March, others can compete again one more time at the Athletics Leinster “B” Cross Country in two weeks, where there will also be mixed relays, which is a new event and we hope to enter teams from Mullingar.
Armagh International 5k Road Race
The Armagh International 5k was held last Thursday evening and attracted athletes from the USA, UK, Finland, Poland, Belgium, France, Germany, Scotland, Ireland and Wales, among others. The men’s 5k race was stacked with talent and like previous years did not disappoint. On a flat fast course of 1km laps of the Mall in Armagh, under floodlighting and encouraged all the way by the commentator and the cheering crowds, the winner set a new course record of 13 minutes 37 seconds, there were 17 finishers under 15 minutes and 132 under 15 minutes. Jamie Battle finished well up in thirty sixth place with 14:08, followed in by Vinny Connolly in 14:40 and Euan Lagan in 14:47, all pleased with their performances in a top class race. As an indication of the quality of the race, the last man to finish, in one hundred and seventy third place, ran 16:17, a time that would place him inside the top twenty in most other 5k races around Ireland!
Cross Country Success for Tianna and Eleanor
Congratulations to Tianna O’Leary and Eleanor Kiernan (Ursuline Convent, Thurles) who finished first and third respectively in the junior girls 2,000m at the East Munster Schools Cross Country last Tuesday in Waterford, leading Ursuline Convent to a clear 1st team by a distance. They now qualify for the Munster Schools Cross Country to be held next Friday at the same SETU Waterford venue.
Sympathy
Finally, the Executive and members of Mullingar Harriers wish to express sincere sympathy to Michael Lane and the Lane family on the recent death of his mother, Mary, grandmother to Oisin and Aisling. May she rest in peace.
Check the Club’s website at www.mullingarharriers.com or its Facebook page for all the latest news.
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