Week ending Saturday 19th September
Marathon Relay Fund Raising Day on Saturday
Mullingar Harriers Athletic Club is holding a fundraising event on 19 September at the club grounds in Grange, Mullingar [Eircode N91 FV50]. The event starts at 10am, where you can witness teams of Mullingar Harriers athletes completing a marathon on the track. A team of male athletes will attempt to complete a marathon relay in under 2 hours. The world record for the marathon is 1 hour 59 minutes 30 seconds. This record was set by Sabastian Sawe of Kenya in the London Marathon in April 2026 and equates to 26 miles at 4:33 minutes per mile.
Mullingar Harriers’ European cross country silver medallists Jack O’ Leary and Cormac Dalton will head up a team of Harriers to attempt to beat this time. The other members of the team are Jamie Wallace, Michael Murphy, Dan Morris, Kris Foster, Matthew Molloy, Cillian Galvin, Oisin Lane, Euan Lagan and Timmy Murphy. The senior ladies’ team is headed up by Niamh McEntegart and Aimee Wallace and the goal for the ladies is to complete the marathon in 2 hours 36 minutes. Niamh recently finished in third place in the Tullamore Half Marathon. Aimee holds the Irish under 20 record for 1,000m indoors. The other members of the team are Orlaith Flannagan, Jacintha Reilly, Sinead Whitelaw, Louise Callaghan, Grace Byrne, Eleanor Kiernan, Lydia McDonnell, Tiana O’Leary, Beibhinn O’Reilly, Aine O’Reilly and Susan Glennon.
Our juvenile athletes, 9 years old to 12 years old, are also going to complete the marathon distance with 42 of our young athletes completing 1km each. Other teams will be formed from out 13 to 18 year-old athletes, as well as some novel combinations from adult and master groups. These teams will complete the marathon distances while the senior men and senior ladies’ teams aim to beat the clock with their targets.
There will be music, tea/coffee and treats will be available at the clubhouse throughout the event from 10am up to 2pm. Live commentary with a count down clock will keep spectators and the senior athletes focused on the target times.
This fundraising event is one of several fundraising events that the club will hold over the coming period to raise funds for the continuing development of facilities. With over 600 members ranging in age from 9 to over 80 years old we need to continue to improve the facilities at the club and support coaching and athletic development. In 2021 we installed an all-weather tartan track, which has proved a huge success. We now need to modernise and extend the clubhouse as well as add to the facilities in the grounds to facilitate the growth in membership. This year the facilities have been enhanced with the completion of a second long jump pit as well as the installation of an international standard throwing circle together with cage to facilitate throwing events in the shot put, discus and hammer.
Current active programmes in the club
Fit4Life programme: Every year in September and January we welcome up to 100 individuals for our Fit 4 Life program. The Fit 4 Life runs for 10 weeks on Monday evenings. This is for non-runners, beginners and anyone who wants to run at an entry level. Many of the Fit 4 Lifers have progressed on to become full members.
Adult Training: This group trains on Wednesday evenings, Saturday and Sunday mornings. Upwards of 100 athletes often show for Wednesday evening training and these athletes represent the club in road races all over Ireland and further afield. Many from this group are currently in training for the Dublin Marathon, with some training for overseas marathons including in Amsterdam, Chicago and London. Our adult athletes take part in road races and cross-country events throughout the calendar year across the country.
Juvenile Training: The club caters for juveniles from 9 to 19 years old, at the club on Tuesday and Thursday with weekend training at Belvedere House during the cross-country season. In September every year the club hosts the Westmeath Schools cross country, which is a very popular event. Our juvenile athletes compete in competitions at local, Leinster and National level across track and field, and cross country with regular team and individual medals and wins.
Our International Success
Mullingar Harriers athletes have had great success at National and International level over the past 51 years since the club was founded in 1975. Club athletes have represented Ireland at European Track & Field, European Cross Country, World Track & Field and World Cross Country Championships, as well as at the Olympics.
Over the last 12 months, Jack O’ Leary and Cormac Dalton were members of the Irish team that won silver medals at the European Cross Country Championships in December 2025. Then just in August, Jack O’ Leary and Oisin Lane represented Ireland at the European Championships in Birmingham, Jack in the 10,000m and Oisin in the half marathon race walk. Both performed very well on the International stage. Meanwhile a further 3 athletes added their names to our International board on their first time to wear the Irish singlet in International competition to bring the total number from the club to date that have gained that honour to 135.
We have a group of dedicated senior athletes who continue to push towards National and International standards. This commitment we hope will see more achieve their targets at both National competitions and onwards in International competition representing their club and country with distinction. It is essential as a club we continue to invest in our facilities to support this dedication and commitment.
Masters International Achievements
Our most senior International athlete is Sean McMullin now competing in the over 80 category. Sean just recently won 3 gold medals in race walking at the World Masters T&F Championships in Daegu, South Korea. This is to add to many other medals that Sean has won at European and World Masters Championships.
Brigid McCabe has been competing in the Mullingar Harriers vest for nearly 50 years. She is a triple World Record holder. In 2024, Brigid was on the World Record over 65 4x800m team and the 4x800m World Record over 70 team. Then in February 2025, she made it a treble when part of the over 70 World Record in the 4 x 400m Indoor relay.
At National and Leinster level the club master athletes are at the forefront winning National and Leinster medals both individually and in teams across a variety of events in Track & Field, road races and cross-country.
If you wish to support our club and its ambitious plans to continue a successful future for all our athletes, why not attend the marathon relay event next Saturday where you will get an opportunity to see current facilities and hear from the club committee and fund-raising committee of the plans to further enhance all aspects of the club’s facilities and opportunities for our athletes of all ages.
Charleville International Half Marathon
North Cork AC hosted the annual Charleville International Half Marathon, which attracted a field of just under 1,800 runners to the North Cork town last Sunday morning. Rated as one of the flattest courses for the distance in the country, many runners preparing for the Dublin Marathon use the race as a test of their training regime. Among them was Timmy Murphy. Timmy was always with he leading group until a surge came in the final 5k, but he was very pleased to hold on for fifteenth place in an excellent time of 1:10.42 [MO’S].
Mountmellick 5k
262 runners from across the midlands took part in the annual Mountmellick 5k last Sunday morning. On a humid and overcast morning where some patchy drizzle was also encountered, Mullingar Harriers had two athletes taking part. First home for the club in fourteenth place was Mark Ronan in a time of 18:33. Kieran Nolan was our second athlete and he was delighted to come home in 19:13, to capture first in his master category [MO’S].
Westmeath Schools Cross Country set for Wednesday 23 September
The Westmeath Schools Cross Country takes place in Belvedere on Wednesday of next week, 23 September. The programme commences at 11am for the secondary schools, followed at 12 noon for the primary schools. This is an ideal opportunity to view the future athletic talent in the county competing among their fellow schools in cross-country running.
Meeting with our juvenile athletes and parents
On Tuesday evening last we had an important meeting with all our juvenile athletes and their parents. This was to set out the schedule of races over the next 3 months as well as giving both athletes and parents an opportunity to get some tips on preparation for the season ahead, the training programme to be undertaken and key aspects of the team element so important in cross-country racing.
Confirmed fixtures for the coming months which the club will participate in include:
27 September: Star of the Sea AC Open Cross Country at Greenanstown, Stamullen, Co Meath starting at 11am with races for all juvenile age group, adults and masters.
3 October: Athletics Westmeath XC Day 1 at Belvedere – starting at 11am with Juvenile even ages u8, u10, u12, u14 and u16, Combined Races for u18, u20, Novice, Senior, Masters.
11 October: Athletics Westmeath XC Day 2 at Belvedere – starting at 11am with juvenile uneven age groups u9, u11, u13, u15, u17 and u19.
24 October: Athletics Leinster Novice, u20 & juvenile even ages cross country at a County Kilkenny venue to be confirmed.
7 November: Athletics Leinster Senior, u23 & juvenile uneven ages cross country at a County Kildare venue to be confirmed.
22 November: National senior, u/23, u20 & juvenile even ages cross country at Abbotstown, Dublin.
6 December: National novice & juvenile uneven ages cross country with venue to be confirmed.
With training now into its second full week for cross country and given the club’s access to and use of the facilities at Belvedere it is hoped we will achieve success at Leinster and ultimately National level during the coming months.
Check the Club’s website at www.mullingarharriers.com or its Facebook page and other social media platforms for all the latest news.
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