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| Action from Meet & Train race |
Despite ongoing knee problems, Mick Traynor of Raheny Shamrock rolled back the years when he regained the Dublin Masters’ Cross-Country Championships in St Anne’s Park, Raheny.
A record 87 men, aged from 40 to 88 (step forward Nick Corish!) lined out for the men’s race on a fast flat 7km course.
Traynor, in the over 45 category, forced the pace from the start and came home with 12 seconds to spare ahead of new veteran Declan Power of Clonliffe. In third place was Nick Boyle followed by his Raheny team-mate Damien Martin who was second over 45.
Making a comeback for fifth place was Mark O’Shea who began his running as a youngster with Raheny and is now part of the new senior set-up at Skerries Athletic Club.
In the battle for fifth place, Liffey Valley’s Tom O’Connor, winner of dozens of masters medals on the road and track as well as in cross-country, outsprinting Paul Cowhie of Civil Service and Donore’s Philip Hennessy. Not bad for a man in the over 50 age group!
Second over 50 was Niall Coppinger of Tallaght, while first over 55 was Desie Shorten with both men back in top form after periods of injury. Pat Collins of Liffey Valley was first over 60 and Clonliffe’s Pat Bonass first over 65. Best of the over 40 teams was host club Raheny Shamrock, with Rathfarnham WSAF led by Brendan Hogan winning the over 50 team gold.
In the women’s race, Donna Evans of Rathfarnham WSAF raced away from the packat the start and maintainer her lead for a good win over the shrot 3km course. Donore’s Anne Curley was a clear second, with former champion Lucy Darcy outsprinting her Sportsworld club mate Helen White for third.
White was first over 45, once place ahead of Raheny’s Orla Gormley. Tenth overall and first over 50 was Sheelagh Jones of DSD, with Helen Ingram of Rathfarnham WSAF first over 55 ahead of Mags McCreary of Civil Service and Lucan’s Eileen O’Brien first over 60. For team gold, Sportsworld beat Rathfarnham by five points.
So popular did this event prove that moves are afoot to split the men’s race into two age groups and to collaborate with Meet and Train on the women’s front. All good news!
Apart from Fionnuala Britton’s great win, the Irish Celtic International teams produced some good results at the Edinburgh Cross-Country. Sean Tobin of Clonmel won the men’s U-20 race and led the team to victory over Wales and Scotland. Making up the team were Kevin Dooney, 5th, Jake O’Regan 7th and Ian Hartnet 14th. Emmett Jennings’ third place in the men’s U-23 race meant that Ireland took silver by one point from Wales. In the women’s races, Mary Mulhare of North Laois and West Waterford race walker finished fourth and fifth U-20, while Laura Shaughnessy was fourth in the U-23 race, with Una Britton 6th.
Two years ago, Natalia Sokolowksa joined the Sportsworld Meet and Train group and ran her first ever race in Lucan. She finished 45th. On Sunday, Sokolowksa won the third round of the Women’s Meet and Train Winter League in Lucan’s Griffeen Park beating clubmate Caitriona Higgins who had made the early running.
A total of 98 women completed the sticky two-mile course with almost every club in Dublin represented – many of them coming to running through the Flora Women’s Mini Marathon.
Sportsworld hosts the next league round on Sunday February 5 (11am) in their home base of Bushy Park, with newcomers welcome.
Proud Clareman Sean Hehir received the Leinster Star award for his adopted county of Dublin at the annual awards ceremony in Carlow. Hehir has had an exceptional year, with victory in the Woodies DIY National Half Marathon in a personal best time of 65 mins 24 secs the highlight. Ian Guiden of Clonliffe won the juvenile men’s award for Dublin, with Siofra Cleirigh Buttner of DSD winner of the girls’ award.
Tomas Fitzpatrick led home a massive entry of 254 in the men’s 4-mile race at the SDCC BHAA Cross-Country at Tymon Park. Mick Clohisey (Spar) produced his best result in some time for second, with John Eave (UCD) third ahead of veteran Mark Hoey (Landscape Gardening). In the women’s race, Niamh Devlin (UCD) beat Catherine Devitt and Fiona Mahon. Another winner on the day was the BHAA’s new chip timing system, used for the first time. Firhouse is the venue for the next BHAA fixture organised by Eircom/Meteor on Saturday January 21.
After her great season opener of 4.10m in Manchester, Zoe Brown of Raheny Shamrock hopes to go even higher at Saturday’s “Vault Manchester 2012” meet. Brown holds the Irish indoor record of 4.20m set in 2009. She cleared 4.05m outdoors last summer.
A record entry of over 1,500 looks likely at this year’s Axa Raheny 5-Mile on Sunday January 29. If you want to be sure of running, enter now – there is no entry on the day. Fee is €20 with the unique Raheny plaque and lots of goodies for all finishers. See www.rahenyshamrock.ie.
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