On Your Marks – Herald Oct 19

For many club athletes,  the annual Gerry Farnan Cross-Country, organised in the Phoenix Park by the Metro St Brigid’s club heralds the arrival of winter.

Athletes of the calibre of Fionnuala Britton and Mary Cullen are recent winners of the women’s three-mile race, now honouring the late Sheila Brennan.

Last year’s men’s five-mile race saw a tremendous battle between Breandan O’Neill and veteran Seamus Power for the men’s title, with O’Neill coming home first. A year earlier, it was Mark Christie who proved the winner.

With the Dublin marathon taking place a week later, predicting who will turn up on Magazine hill is always difficult. Breandan O’Neill certainly won’t be defending his title since he’s in the USA, but Seamus Power is pencilled in while John Coghlan of host club MSB is a race regular, finishing third last year.

National cross-country champion Joe Sweeney and Mullingar’s Mark Christie are two others who may feel the trip to the park is worthwhile, along with other athletes aiming to make the Irish team for the European Championships.

In the women’s race, Leevale’s Lizzie Lee finished second last year behind Britton and also second at the Intercounties. She’s one of a handful of our top women not aiming for the marathon, so may turn up. 

A key part of the day is the trial for the annual British and Irish Masters’ International in Glasgow on Saturday November 26.

Although he would be eligible to compete, Seamus Power is believed to be concentrating on the National Intercounties, taking place in Sligo a day later.

With the 35 age group reinstated across the board for men and women, teams will be selected in age groups up to over 70, with the first three for teams of four, or the first four for teams of six gaining automatic selection.

Reigning British and Irish M40 champion Peter Matthews intends to defend his title from Santry last year and runs on Sunday. In other age groups, Ciaran Doherty M35, Mick Traynor, M45, Tommy Payne, M50, JJ Murphy, M60, Christy McMonagle and Pat Bonass M65, and the evergreen Jim McNamara M70 are all expected to take on the dreaded “Munich Hills” course.

Many times previous women’s champions Carmel Parnell W55 and Niamh O’Sullivan W45 are also expected, along with Donna Mahon and Mary Scully, W35, Helen White, W45, Anne Donnelly W50 and Katherine O’Brien W65. 

We can also expect a surprise entrant or two!

The day begins with the Dublin Athletic Board’s juvenile league races for boys and girls, followed by the Dublin Championships U-18 Championships.

* Expect delays getting into the park because of ongoing work on the main road.

After Mark Kenneally’s time of 2hrs 13 mins 55 secs at the Amsterdam Marathon the pressure will be on for “Marathon Mission” members at the National Lottery Dublin Marathon on Monday week. Tallaght’s Sean Connolly, who ran 2:17.23 in Rotterdam last spring,  has set a series of personal best times over shorter distances in the past few months. A wild card entry is Andrew Ledwith of Fr Murphy’s, winner of the Bangor 10km recently in 31 mins 23 secs.

With Maria McCambridge , Linda Byrne, Ava Hutchinson and Rosemary Ryan all entered, the women’s race is shaping up to be a cracker. Ryan underlined her current form last Sunday when she won the Limerick Women’s 8km Mini Marathon in comfort.

Adventure races of one sort or another attracted massive entries last weekend. An astonishing 1,418 lined out for the Runamuck Challenge in Co Kildare. Winner of the 10km two-lap challenge was Ugis Karasevs who took 42 minutes 51 seconds to get around. Jayne Donnelly in 58 mins 31 secs was first woman. In the Sugarloaf area of Co Wicklow, close to a hundred turned out for the “Hunter’s Trail” , while a day later, 555 finished the Hell and Back 10km in the Kilruddery Estate. In total, over 2,000 runners were prepared to get down and dirty.  

Sean Hehir of Rathfarnham WSAF made it two from three recent road races when he won the Donadea 10km in 30 mins 57 seconds, with Gowran’s Tommy Evans a close second and Brian McMahon of Clonliffe third. First woman was Pauline Curley of Tullamore, tenth overall in 36 mins 32 secs.

Dublin-based athletes dominated the Monaghan Country 10km, with Rathfarnham’s Kevin Bolger winning the men’s race, and Karen O’Hanlon of Dunboyne  first woman ahead of Marie Dolan from Rathfarnham WSAF.

Saturday’s Dracula Cloak Race, with €500 going to the winner, could attract the serious athletes. Winners last year were Shane Mullany of Thurles Crokes in a glorious skeleton outfit and a “blood”-covered Barbara Sanchez of Raheny. Bring your own cloak!