An interesting side effect of the road running boom has been a move back to the track by club athletes looking for quality racing.
Who would ever have thought that 24 athletes would enter a Dublin 800m Championships race as they did last Wednesday in Irishtown?
In an effort to improve their times, club athletes from juniors to veterans are travelling not only to track meet all over this island but across the Irish Sea to British Milers Club races in England.
Highlight of the past week on the track was Siofra Clerigh Buttner of DSD’s world junior qualifying time of 2 mins 4.82 secs for 800m in Irishtown. The scary news for her rivals is that Buttner, 17 in a few weeks time, has moved into the senior ranks.
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| Joanne Cuddihy |
Also in Irishtown, Irish 800m champion Siobhan Eviston of Raheny Shamrock won the 400m in 55.86, while in the 100m, Catherine McManus of Celtic DCH came home ahead of Celbridge’s Claire Brady and Aoife MacNeill of DSD. Highlight in the field was a fine 16.17m from Tomas Rauktys of Clonliffe in the men’s shot.
Eviston was part of a large Irish presence at the BMC Meet in Watford where she ran 2:05.21 to win an 800m race – faster than the 2:06.68 she had run at the IMC 800m in Tullamore a week earlier. Paul Robinson of St Coca’s marginally improved on his best when he ran 3:39.92 for 1500m, chased home by Rory Chesser of Ennis TC in 3:40.78.
Orla Drumm of UCC ran a useful 4:12.22 for third place in the women’s 1500m A race, just ahead of Ciara Mageean of UCD and Kelly McNeice of Lisburn. All three finished ahead of England international Steph Twell. Knocking four seconds off her previous best when she finished in 4:16.53 was Sara Treacy of Moynalvy.
In the men’s 5000m, Tomas Fitzpatrick of Tallaght broke 14 minutes for the first time, while John Coghlan of MSB and Annadale’s Paddy Hamilton also improved on their previous times.
A day later in Bedford, Joanne Cuddihy ran 23.64 to win a closely contested 200m. Cuddihy also finished second in her specialist 400m, with a time of 51.78 – a second off her 50.73 Irish record. Third was Michelle Carey of Dublin Striders in 53.31, while in another race, sister Caitriona clocked 54.59.
Trinity’s lovely grass track is the venue for the Silver Jubilee Trinity Track Meet with 1000m and 2,5000 to mark the first year and the 25th year of this popular BHAA event. Registration is in the Moyne Institute (near Lincoln Place gate) from 6.15pm, with the first race at 7pm. All grades are welcome to run on a track where some of the first organised athletics events in the world took place about 150 years ago. Organiser is Cyril Smith, well known as an AAI official starter.
To allow for group entries, the closing date for the Irish Runner 5 Mile Road Race- the first of this year’s Dublin Race Series- has been extended to Friday next June 15. Entries are coming in at a rapid rate for the un in the Phoenix Park on Saturday, June 30. This year’s series continues with he inaugural Fingal 10km in Swords on Sunday, July 22, followed by the Frank Duffy 10 on Saturday, August 25th and the Dublin Half Marathon on Saturday, September 15h- both in the Phoenix Park. Entry is €20 per race or @65?? for the series.
After 19 months, world jogger, Tony Mangan reached in Cusco, Peru this week and is taking a few days off to see the Inca sites. Tony has run over 19,100km run in 13 countries since he started his run in October 2010. He’s already looking for runners to keep him company when he reaches New Zealand in about six months time. After that comes Australia from Canberra to Darwin before heading for Asia. See www.theworldjog.com
Local man Martin Quinn won the Patrick Bell 5km in Dunleer, just beating Gary O’Hanlon of Clonliffe.Dervilla Holems of Donore was the first woman ahead of Dunboyne’s Emilia Dan. Eddie O’Neill of Tinryland was a clear winner of the Great South 4-Mile in Kilmacow, where Jackie Carthy of Kilmore was first woman. Winners of hill running’s European Championships trial in Co Wicklow were Ian Conroy of Raheny and UCD’s Laura Shaughnessy.
Trim is the place to be on Friday night (8pm) when the Braveheart Run 5km trail run takes in an historic route along the river Boyne. Get there early!
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