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| Start Jun/U-18 men’s race |
In the past, the Woodie’s DIY National Intercounty Cross-County was a pre-Christmas blow-out, designed to allow athletes based abroad to have a race while on a visit home. The evolution of the European Cross-Country Championships into the most important fixture on the winter calendar for distance runners changed all that.
These days, the race is nominally a trial for the Europeans, although Fionnuala Britton, winner last year and defending her title in Budapest in December 9, has been excused from running for the past two years.
Form at the Collegiate finals in the USA is also taken into account. That meant that Raheny’s Dave Rooney, a brilliant 9th in the NCAAs a fortnight ago, along with Sarah Collins of Finn Valley an equally impressive 10th of the women, and Breandan O’Neill of DSD 26th of the men, have all got the selectors’ nod for Budapest.
Also selected is Sarah Treacy winner of the intercounties last year, and current national cross-country champion Linda Byrne, neither of whom ran last Sunday.
So has the Intercounty race any meaning? Sunday’s race certainly proved a trial, with anyone who finished deserving credit for surviving an awkward twisting track layered with mud on a bitterly cold day.
Joe Sweeney and Ava Hutchinson (winner of the 2011 national interclub title) were both worthy winners of the senior races, but hero of the day was Paralympic athlete Amanda Crotty of Youghal who ran the senior women’s 8km.
Crotty, aged 27 and visually impaired, made a big breakthrough in 2011 when she ran a Paralympic A-standard 5 mins 15 secs for 1500m in Santry. That time knocked 13 seconds off her previous best and meant she just missed the London 2012 cut.
Her coach, the Olympic marathon runner Peter Maher, has given Crotty the self-belief that saw her taking to the line last Sunday. Helping her was a guide who not only had to negotiate the course himself, but had to keep Crotty aware of what as coming up at every twist and turn. They were cheered every inch of the way.
County results did matter, with Dublin, winners of all four titles last year, repeating that feat. In the case of the men’s senior race, it couldn’t have been closer with Dubs beating Antrim on countback – and the computer causing confusion by placing the teams in alpahbetically order when both finished on the same points. In the women’s race, Dublin, with three British-based athletes in its ranks, were clearer winners, beating Cork comfortably.
At Santry, Thomas Hayes won the inaugural Irish Life and Permanent BHAA 6km Cross-Country, with veteran Peter Mathews finishing second and Fiona Mahon first of the women on a tough slippery course. Final Dublin BHAA race of the year is the Vodafone Trail 5km in Marlay Park on Sunday December 9.
For a second week, Tallaght veteran Davey Byrne led home the Parkrun 5km in Malahide Castle, with Orna Dilworth first woman. An amazing 268 finished the run. Parkruns are free, informal timed 5km runs held in parks, usually on Saturday mornings; the movement has spread like wildfire in the UK.
Aisling Coppinger of Clonliffe Harriers was first woman at the Cambodia Multistage Race/Ancient Khmer Path (235km, 6 stages) in Phnom Penh.
Coppinger, who comes into her own when the going gets tough, moved into second place on the third day, a 62km trail run. A day later, she took over in front on the mountainous stage 4 and held on to that lead until the finish in the magnificent setting of Angkor Wat, a world heritage site. Her time of 24 hours 21 secs put her 9th overall.
Ultra runner Iveagh Jameson ran a total of 740.376km to take sixth place at the annual Monaco Carlo 8-Day Ultra, a festival of running that attracts well over a thousand runners each year, although most are happy to run a few kilometres on each of the days. Earlier this year, Jameson finished second in the Grand Union Canal Run from Birmingham to London. He was beaten by a woman!
Although the John Treacy Dungarvan 10-Mile doesn’t take place until January 27, the allocated 1,750 places are already filling up fast. Last year, entry closed in mid-December, so the message is clear: if you want to run, get that entry away now! Also take place that day is the AXA Raheny “5”, with over 2,000 expected and entry still open at the Raheny Shamrock website.
Starting tonight with a three-mile run is the annual Raheny Winter League (8pm). Entry is €50 for the 11-race league or €7 per race. Even better, you don’t need to register in advance – just pop along, pay up and run!
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