Mick Clohisey
Raheny’s Mick Clohisey and Mary Cullen of North Sligo were the winners of the AXA Raheny 5-Mile held in blustery conditions over a course that was slightly altered due to road works on the coast road in Clontarf.
Although he was slower than his best, Clohisey’s winning time of 24 mins 5 secs putting him almost half a minute clear of Scott Rankin from Foyle Valley. “I’m not that happy with the time, but it was great to get the win -my first in the race – in front of a home crowd,” he said.
With the Seville Marathon just three weeks away, Clohisey had just finished a heavy period of training in Portugal. “I went into the race tired and with the heavy training I wasn’t expecting to be belting it.”
His target time for Seville is 2 hours 14 minutes which he hopes will be enough to nail down a place on the Irish team for the Rio Olympics. So far eight are inside the 2 hours 19 minute qualifying time, with only three places on offer. Clohisey’s time of 2:15.35 puts him third behind Kevin Seaward on 2:14.52 and Sergiu Ciobanu on 2:15.14. Just three seconds behind in fourth place is Paul Pollock, who will take a huge gamble by running in London along with Seaward. Ciobanu has opted to sit out the spring marathon season.
Clohisey heads back to the warmth of Portugal at the weekend and from there will make the short journey to Seville. “My aim is to put the others under pressure. I think they’ll all be looking at Seville. It’s the Spanish Olympic trial so there could be a few in the field I can run with. I’m easing back now and 
looking forward to it.”
Mary Cullen, who beat Caroline Crowley of Crusaders to win the women’s race in 26 mins 16secs also has Rio qualification in her sights. She travels to the USA for a three month block of training and racing next weekend. There she will link up with a group of athletes including Molly Huddle, the American 5000m record holder with a time of 14:42.64 and the steadily improving Emily Sisson who, like Cullen, are coached by Ray Treacy of Providence.
On the racing schedule are two events in California – the Mount Sac Relays and the Stanford meet. Her target in the 5000m is 15 mins 24 secs – that’s not far off the 15:26.46 she ran last summer in her first track season in eight years. She may also run the 10,000m, where she’ll be looking for a time under 32 mins 15 secs. Her best of 32:21 dates from 2007.
MORLAND HURDLES TO VICTORY
With the indoor season moving up a gear, Elizabeth Morland’s time of 8.43 secs to win the junior 60m hurdles at the Glo Health National Jun/23 Indoors in Athlone put her second on the all-time Irish junior list. The Cushinstown multi-eventer also won the long jump.
UCD’s Sarah Lavin won the U23 hurdles in 8.34 secs – a day after running 8.38 secs at the London Games.
Other records fell in the junior 400m won by Jenna Bromell in 54.19 secs, in the junior women’s shot with 13.97m for Michaela Walsh, and in the junior men’s triple jump with a 14.44m leap from Jordan Hoang of Tullamore Harriers.
In a thrilling junior 200m, Sharlene Mawdsley beat Ciara Neville in 24.41; Neville won the 60m in 7.47 secs, beating Molly Scott and Megan Marrs. Raheny’s Eoin Strutt won the U23 800m in 1:56.77.
Grace O’Rourke of DSD and Ballymena’s Jonathan Browning both took silver medals at the Scottish Indoors in Glasgow. O’Rourke’s 1.70m in the high jump was enough to put her second behind Nikki Manson who won with a leap of 1.76. In the 60m, Browning showed solid form to finished second in 6.83 secs behind Middlesborough’s Richard Kilty who ran 6.65 secs.
At the Boston Terrier meet in Boston,USA, Zak Irwin from Sligo ran a 400m time of 47.8 secs. In other results,Donore’s John Travers clocked 8 mins 4.25 secs in the 3000m, followed by Aaron Hanlon of Clonliffe in 8:25.17; Hugh Armstrong a PB of 14 mins 14 secs for 5000m; Claire Mooney 24.97 secs for 200m and 54.28 secs for 400m and Sarah Collins 9:33.55 for 3000m. At the London Games, Sarah Lavin clocked 8.38 secs for the 60m hurdles; Ashley Wilson ran 8.33 in the men’s race. In Germany, Claire Tarplee of St Coca’s ran 4:16.12 to finish thrid in a 1500m arace in Kirchberg.
Amy Foster’s time of 7.39 secs for in second place 60m at the Welsh Championships in Cardiff puts her top of the rankings for the season. Ranked second is Kilkenny’s Cliodhna Manning who ran 7.55 secs in the heats in Cardiff. In Albuquerque, Tori Pena opened her season with a 4.26m in the women’s pole vault.
TRIM YOUR 10-MILE TIME!
Fast times are expected at Sunday’s Bewley’s Trim 10-Mile Race (12.0) taking place on flat, traffic-free roads around the historic Meath down. To helped those aiming for specific times, there will be pacers for 60, 70, 80 and 90 minutes.
Cash prizes for first five in mens and women’s race along with age group prizes and team prizes for first three men’s and womens teams. Medals sponsored by Rentokil, go to the winners of Meath 10 mile championships, which is incorporated into the race. All finishers get a Bewley’s goodie bag.
Online race entry is €21.40; entry over the weekend is €25 with registration on the day from 9.30.
DUNGARVAN WINS FOR HEHIR, SANCHEZ
Sean Hehir of Rathfarnham WSAF and Clonliffe’s Barbara Sanchez were the winners of the John Treacy 10 mile in Dungarvan. Hehir finished in 50 mins 15 secs – over two minutes clear of the chasers led by Tim O’Donoghue of East Cork. In the women’s race, Barbara Sanchez of Clonliffe finished in 57 mins 37 secs, comfortably beating previous winner Siobhan O’Doherty of Borriskane. Sanchez is one of four women under the Olympic marathon qualifying mark of 2 hrs 45 mins after running 2:42.43 in Valencia Spain last November. She’s aiming for a spring marathon.
OREGON DATE FOR GOUGH
Joe Gough is one of just six athletes selected for a master men’s 800m which will take place at the World Indoor Championships in Portland Oregon from March 17-20. Gough, the world M60 champion, is the fastest in the field with a time of 2:15.90. Fastest of the others selected are Pierre Faucheur of France, Omar Clok from Uruguay and Marcel Scholten of the Netherlands.
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