To start the week Lindie Naughton brings us all the Irish endurance action and news from the weekend just gone (Monday 12th May).
Road running result of the day came at the Bweeng Blazers 5km in Co Cork, where Niamh Allen (Leevale AC) continued to re-write the record books by finishing second overall in a course record time of 25 mins 21 secs. Race winner was Paul Moloney (Mallow AC) in 14:53. Third was Danny Mullins (Bantry AC) in 15:37.
Niamh Allen – record breaker at Bweeng Blazers 5k. Picture courtesy Dermot Haver Photography
In Dublin, Pierre Murchan (Dublin City Harriers) was the runaway winner of the Terenure 5-Mile, leading home 1.369 finishers on a sunny Sunday morning (May 11)
By half way, Murchan was already well clear of the chasers and he finished in 24 mins 11 secs, over a minute clear of Tomás Fitzpatrick (Tallaght AC, M40), who was second in 25:22. Third in 25:30 was defending champion Peter Somba (Ballyskenagh AC). Finishing fourth in 25:39 was racing machine Sean Doran (Clonliffe Harriers).
Pierre Murchan (DCH AC) winner Teremure 5-Mile. Picture Lindie Naughton
First woman was Meghan Ryan (Dundrum South Dublin) who also had plenty to spare when winning in 28:54. Second in 29:58 was Rachel Birt (Annalee AC) , while third in 30:15 was Ciara Brady (Raheny Shamrock). Ryan was leading DSD to a comfortable team victory with four finishers in the top eight. Crusaders AC, led by Yvonne McCauley in seventh place, were second and Raheny Shamrock third. Rathfarnham WSAF won the W40 team prize, with DSD second and Brothers Pearse third.
Meghan Ryan (DSD AC) first woman Terenure 5-mile. Picture Lindie Naughton
Raheny Shamrock proved best of the men’s teams led by David Rooney in 10th place. Brothers Pearse were second and DSD third. Metro St Brigid’s won the M40 team category ahead of Rathfarnham WSAF and Civil Service Harriers.
Shorter distance road racing mixed with Danish marathoning
Also on Sunday, Sean Tobin (Clonmel AC) won the Ashling Murphy 4-Mile in Tullamore, Co Offal yin a time of 19:19. Eanna Ó Bradaigh (DSD ) was second in 19:52. Hannah Steeds (Leevale AC) was first woman in 22:03. The race was the opening round of the Offaly Endurance Series and also the third round of the Peugeot Race Series 2025, with Tullamore Harriers the mixed team winners ahead of Tullamore Harriers 2 and Naomh Mhuire 1. Tullamore also won the men and women’s team categories.
Adam Nason (Donore Harriers) in 16:01 and Mollie O’Donnell (Liffey Valley AC) in 18:38 were the winners of the Maynooth 5km. Winners of the associated 10km were Stephen Conroy (Clane AC) in 33:28 and Sheila O’Byrne (Sli Cualann AC) I 37:22.
Leading home a large group of Irish at the Copenhagen Marathon were Ian Fitzgerald in 2:34.59 and Sive Brassil, an Irish international modern pentathlete in 2:57.44.
Saturday Racing
Winning the Leixlip 5km in Co Kildare on Saturday (May 10) was Sean Doran (Clonliffe Harriers) in 15:17. David Carroll (Liffey Valley AC) was second in 15:23 and Mark Ryan (Rathfarnham WSAF AC) third in 15:26. First woman in 16:45 was Aoife Coffey (Lucan Harriers)
Earlier in the week
Conan McCaughey (North Belfast Harriers) was a comfortable winner of the Ballyshannon 5km in Co Donegal on Friday (May 9) with a time of 14 mins 34 secs. First woman was Evelyn Coughlan (Tullamore Harriers) in 17:15.
On the same evening, David Spalding (Ballydrain Harriers) won the 5km Run the Runways race at Newtownards Airport, in 15:26. Sophie Rankin (North Down) was first woman in 18:40. Winning the 10km race was David McNeilly (Newcastle AC) in 35.00. Holly Taggart was first woman in 37:39.
Mark Kirwan in 16:08 and Aoife Quigley (Crusaders AC, W40) in 19:11 led home 673 finishers at the Sandyford 5km, in Dublin on Thursday evening (May 8)
Leading home a big entry at the Killeagh 4-Mile, Co Cork was Michael Harty (East Cork AC, M40) in 19:33. In an East Cork AC double, Tamzin Muldowney was first woman in 23:56.
Mossy Bracken was the winner of the Brendan Kinane 5km, held in Co Tipperary also on Thursday. His time was 15 mins 15. First woman in 17:05 was Ciara O’Neill (Clonmel AC) ,
Track and field
Not one of the traditional sprinting islands, but Ireland proved the stars at the World Athletics Relay Championships held in Guangzhou, China over the weekend, with both Ireland’s mixed relay and women’s 4 x 400m teams qualifying for the World Championships in Tokyo next September.
In a clever use of the available squad members, Tallaght’s Rhasidat Adeleke and Sharlene Mawdsley from Tippeary who helped the mixed team to second in their opening heat and automatic qualification for Tokyo, were transferred to the women’s 4x400m squad, which hadn’t qualified automatically.
That squad needed a top three placing in the repechage race if they were to make Tokyo. The Irish four did it with ruthless efficiency winning their repechage heat in a superb time of 3:24.69. Tokyo here we come!
Photo: James Rhodes
Belfast win for McElhinney
At the Belfast Irish Milers Meet held on the Mary Peters Track in Belfast on Saturday (May 10) Darragh McElhinney won the 1500m international race in a time of 3:37.86. Second in 3:38.23 was Scottish visitor Ryan Martin with Alex Mellow (Cambridge and Coleridge AC) third in 3:38:98. Cormac Dalton (Mullingar Harriers) was fourth in 3:42.38.
Winning the women’s international 1500m was English visitor Eleanor Stevens from Eastbourne AC in 4:14.61. Eimear Maher (Dundrum South Dublin AC) was a fighting second in 4:14.87 and Emily Bolton (Clonliffe Harriers) third in a massive PB time of 4:16.77, which qualifies her for the the European U20 championships.
Best of the Irish in the men’s international 3000m was Noah Harris (Parnell AC) who finished fourth in 8:08.13. Race winner was Tomer Tarraganao (Brighton and Hove AC) in 7:47.32.
Canadian visitor Gabriele Debues-Stafford proved the class of the women’s 3000m field winning in a brilliant time of 8:39.35. Íde Nic Dhomhnaill (West Limerick AC) was second in 9:12.65 and Fiona Everard (Bandon AC) third in 9:13.38.
Cian Kelly (St Abban’s AC) winning the men’s grade A 1500m. Picture Lindie Naughton
Kelly rules at Santry
Santry was the venue for the second Dublin Graded League of the season the men’s 1500m proved the race of the day. From the start, Cian Kelly (St Abban’s AC) was clearly determined to post a fast time and he won the race in 3:53.22. Doing his best to hang on was Ed Tottenham (Clonliffe Harriers) who finished in 3:58.22.
Winning the women’s A race was Holly Carroll (Blarney Inniscarra AC) in 4:32.11. Emily O’Shea (St Abban’s AC) was second in 4:33.56, Niamh Kelly (Clonliffe Harriers) third in 4:34.00 and Maria McCambridge (DSD AC, W45) fourth in 4:42.63. E
Earlier, Mathew McMeekin (Sligo AC) had won the 5000m in 15:40.91. Daragh Keegan (Donore Harriers) was second in 16:10.10
Off-road
Mark McAdden in 52 mins 37 secs and Irish ultra running international Sorcha Loughnane (Donore Harriers, W45) in 59:56 were the winners at the third round of the Leinster Hill Running Evening League at the Sugar Load in Co Wicklow on Wednesday (May 7) .
The distance was 8.5km with 497m of climb. Gerry Browne (Dundrum South Dublin AC) finished a close second in 52:39.
