Following the closure of the UCD track at Belfield, Leopardstown Racecourse hosts the flagship 30th GOAL Mile on Christmas morning (10am-12 noon).
Interestingly, this is not the first time the celebrated racecourse had been taken over runners – in 2002, Leoopardstown hosted the World Cross-Country Championships. As usual, runs will take place every 15 minutes or so, with registration on the morning and plenty of parking available for the thousands expected, among them big names from the world of sport and entertainment.
Other Dublin venues on the day include the tracks at Irishtown, Tallaght, Lucan, and Sundrive Park, with the faster runners likely to head for these venues.
Good crowds are also expected at the Phoenix Park (Pope’s Cross area), where the first GOAL Mile was held all those years ago, as well as Kilgobbet Park, Malahide Castle, and the annual straight mile dash in St Anne’s Park Raheny(11am start).
In Cloverhill Prison’s exercise yard, a special GOAL Mile will take place for the first time.
Not all the “miles” take place on Christmas Day – Wildgeese GAA club in Oldtown and Porterstown Park are the venues on December 26 while on New Year’s Day, GOAL Miles take place in Rathcoole Park and Skerries Rugby Club.
In Co Kildare, Christmas Day GOAL Miles will take place in Leixlip, Kilcock, Naas, Newbridge, Johnstown Bridge, and Ballymore Eurtace.
Other venues well known to athletics fans includes the tracks at Tullamore and the Bush in Co Louth. Mullingar Harriers host a mile at the Grange, while in Wicklow, Tinahealy and Blessington are two venues, as is the Quays in Wexford town.
Nor is Leopardstown the only “horsey” venue – Fairyhouse in Ratoath, Co Meath will also host a GOAL Mile on Christmas mroning. Many GAA and rugby clubs all over the country are also hosting GOAL Miles over the holiday period.
For the full list of over a hundred venues, see www.goal.ie.
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| Emmet Dunleavy, Joe Warne |
Joe Warne of Doheny and Sarah Treacy of Moynalvy were the winners of the inaugural Clonliffe Christmas Cracker 5k, held around Santry in suitably frosty conditions.
In the men’s race, Warne only got the better of Sligo’s Emmett Dunleavy in the chase for the line. His winning time was 14 minutes 43 seconds, with Dunleavy a second behind and Clonliffe’s Conor Healy third.
National intercounty champion Sarah Treacy, on a Christmas break at home after running at the European Cross-Country a week ago, was a clear winner of the women’s race finishing 14th overall in 16 mins 6 secs. Deirdre Byrne of Sli Cualann was 24 seconds behind for second place with Ciara Durkan of Skerries third.
A thrilling men’s 8km race proved the highlight of the Meath Senior Cross-Country Championships hosted by Dunboyne. Darragh Rennicks of Bohermeen, who had finishing a fighting third at the National Novice a week earlier, showed no respect for reputation when he battled it out with Colin Costello of Star of Sea and then broke away with about a kilometre to go. Star of the Sea won the team title from Bohermeen, winners for the past four years, with Dunboyne only a point behind for third.
Host club Dunboyne made it a clean sweep in the women’s race, with Fiona Reid coming home ahead of Karen O’Hanlon and Emilia Dan. With the minimum possible six points, Dunboyne also took the team title.
Brian Maher of KilkennyCity Harriers won a seventh consecutive senior men’s title at the Kilkenny Cross-Country Championships in Gowran. Newly-crowned national novice champion Eoin Everard, also KCH, had attempted to stay with Maher, but dropped out after turning an ankle. Veteran Niamh Richardson made it a KCH double when she won the women’s 3km after Maria Murphy-Griffin of St Joseph’s pushed the early pace.
In Co Cork, Alan O’Shea of Bantry just managed to outlast his marathon rival Sergiu Ciobanu of Clonliffe in the Newmarket 5km. O’Shea’s time of 15.01 gave him a six second advantage over Ciobanu. First woman was UCC’s Orla Drumm, with Riocht master Niamh O’Sullivan second and first W45.
On January 1, the Tom Brennan Trophy 5km will launch not only the New Year but also the 350th anniversary year of the Phoenix Park.
We can thank King Charles ll indirectly for one of Dublin city’s great assets – it was his viceroy James Butler Duke of Ormond who established the Phoenix Park in 1662. At 707 hectares, our much-loved “Park” is larger than the combined city parks of London and more than twice the size of New York’s Central Park.
All who line out on January 1 can get their New Year off to a great start over a fast flat course, taking in two laps of the Ordnance Survey Road and Chesterfield Avenue loop.
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