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| New Year’s Day 5km |
European Cross-country champion Fionnuala Britton warmed up for Saturday’s Edinburgh International Cross-Country when she stormed to victory in the Tom Brennan New Year’s Day 5km in the Phoenix Park.
Britton was up with the top men from the start and finished eighth overall in 16 minutes 15 seconds – 24 seconds faster than her own course record set last year.
After her emphatic European Championships victory before Christmas, Britton leads a strong European Select team taking on the USA and the United Kingdom over the tough Edinburgh course. Lining out for the British team is Gemma Steel, who pushed Britton hard in the later stages of the European Championships, along with Steph Twell and home favourite Freya Murray. Neeley Spence leads Team USA after finishing second in the USA club championships.
Ethiopian-born Atelaw Bekele, who won the men’s European title for Belgium, leads a men’s team that includes Irish intercounty champion Joe Sweeney. Also selected are Spanish pair Ayad Lamdessem and Javier Garcia and Sergiy Lebid, the nine-times European champion from Ukraine.
While Britton heads east, rising star John Coghlan of MSB will head west to the USA after an equally emphatic win on the roads of the Phoenix Park. Coghlan set a fast pace from the gun and knocked five seconds off James Nolan’s five year old record when he finished in 14 minutes 34 seconds.
Behind him came a tremendous battle for second place, with Tallaght’s Anthony Lieghio beating MSB veteran Shane Healy on the line. Healy’s aim for 2012 is to become the second Irish master athlete over the age of 40 to break the four mile barrier; the first was a certain Eamonn Coghlan eighteen years ago.
Next up for John Coghlan is a trip to New York where he will compete with a DCU team at the New Balance Collegiate Invitational on February 3-4 and the Millrose Games a week later.
* Irish and Northern Ireland U17, U20 and U23 teams will compete in Saturday’s Celtic International, taking place in conjunction with the Edinburgh cross-country. Competing for the Ulster U-23 team is Paralympic star Michael McKillop.
JOHN TREACY ’10’ – ENTRY CLOSED
With just over three weeks to go entry for the John Treacy 10-Mile road race in Dungarvan is closed, with the 1,500 limit reached last week. This year’s race sees substantial cash prizes for the top runners with €400 going to the first man and woman, and a €250 course record bonus.
MAKE THIS A MASTER YEAR!
If you are a master athlete and haven’t done so before, make this the year you give track and field athletics a go – great fun and very social. Men and women in age groups from over 35 to over 80 are welcome, with the National Masters Indoors in Nenagh on Sunday January 15 the first event of the season. Programme includes 60m, 200m, 400m, 800m, 1500m, 3000m, 3k walk, high jump, long jump and shot. Entry fee is €15 for the first event and €10 for any other event you enter after that. See www.irishmastersathletics.com.
MARATHON MAN MCARTHUR’S CENTENARY CELEBRATION
Just six days before the opening ceremony of London 2012, on July 21, the small village of Dervock, Co Antrim, will host a festival of running to mark the centenary of Kennedy Kane McArthur’s marathon win at the 1912 Stockholm Olympics.
McArthur was the local postman before immigrating to South Africa where after his athletics career blossomed, he was selected to run for his adopted country. The Olympic flame will visit Dervock on June 3 in his honour. Other activities planned include a play about McArthur’s homecoming and an exhibition of McArthur’s Olympic jacket, race number and trophies at Ballymoney Museum from April. The race festival will include a 10km, a half marathon and a full marathon. Online entry (just £22 for the marathon)at www.springwellrunners.com.
O’ROUKE PRE-SELECTED FOR WORLD INDOORS
Hurdler Derval O’Rourke has been pre-selected for the World Indoor Championships to be held in Istanbul, Turkey from March 9-11. O’Rourke won the World Indoor title in 2006. The full team will be announced after the Woodie’s DIY Irish Indoor Championships at the Odyssey Belfast February 11-12. Among those aiming to qualify is Ailis McSweeney, who missed most of 2011 due to injury.
FAST TIMES PROMISED AT DUBAI MARATHON
Irish marathon runners aiming for qualify for London 2012 might like to consider the Dubai Marathon on Friday January 27. Dubbed “the richest marathon in the world”, the race has been organised by Dubliner Peter Connaughton for the past nine years. Fast times are guaranteed on the flat course, with the weather not likely to be a problem – temperatures in January are an average 15 degrees and the race starts at 6am to be sure it’s cool. Dubai is also easy to get to with Emirates starting direct flights from Dublin on January 9. Entry is $120; details www.dubaimarathon.org.
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