Last Monday, over 40,000 women lined out for the Flora Women’s Mini Marathon. Over a hundred years ago, only a handful turned out for the first ever official road race in this country – the Clonliffe 2-mile.
This year, Clonliffe Harriers celebrates its 125th anniversary and its flagship 2-mile race takes place next Wednesday June 15 (8.0).
Over the years, traffic had forced the race to move to various other locations, but for the past few years, it has been back on the original course along the Finglas road.
That means a start in Finglas village and then a two-mile dash to Prospect Square Glasnevin, passing the cemetery which was opened only few years before the race began.
Key stretch of the race comes after the opening mile when a gradual climb can take its toll before the final flat stretch to the finish.
Prizegiving takes place in Eugene Kavanagh’s “Gravediggers” Pub, a well-known watering hole for generations of Clonliffe athletes. That includes Eugene Kavanagh himself, a man with over a hundred marathons to his credit, who has sponred this unique race since 1986.
Fun runners of all standards as well as club runners are welcome to celebrate a piece of Irish sporting history next Wednesday when all finishers will receive a special commemorative t-shirt. Prizes to to the first three men and women in senior and junior categories; to the first masters in the usual age groups and to the first two teams of four (man and women).
Race check in and changing is at St Vincent’s CBS School, Hart’s Corner, Glasnevin from 6.20pm. Entry fee is €15 (€10 juniors) on the day. Registration will close at 7.25pm giving everyone plenty of time to get to the start, which is a 25-minute jog away – a perfect warm-up!
Clonliffe will continue its 125th celebrations with the Clonliffe 125 Grand Prix at Morton Stadium, Santry on ???. Feature event will be the Morton Memorial Invitational Mile, an annual race commemorating the life of times of Billy Morton, Clonliffe stalwart and legendary athletics impresario. In last year’s Morton Mile, seven men broke the four-minute barrier, led by Will Leer of the USA, with a time of 3:56.81.
Full details at www.clonliffeharriers.com.
Celebrate summer on Sunday June 19 (11.0)with the Tommy Lynam Mid Summer 5km, which takes in a traffic-free route through St Anne’s Park, Raheny.Online entry is now open at just €10 with no hidden fees. Or enter on the day for €15. All finishers get fruit, drinks and other goodies as well as the chance to win one of the many prizes on offer. Race HQ is the Cara Hall on All Saint’s Road, beside Raheny GAA club.
After opening his season with a time of 46.80 for 400m in Florida last weekend, David Gillick now runs at a meets in New York before returning home to lead the Irish team at the European Team Championships in Izmir, Turkey a week later.
Other athletes selected for the team include Jason Smyth who ran 10.29 for 100m last weekend, and Paul Hession seventh in the 200m in Rabat in 20.87.
Fionnuala Britton will compete in the 5000m after setting a personal best of 15:31.26 at Hengelo last weekm while Derval O’Rourke goes in the 100m hurdles.
Ciara Mageean from Lisburn opened her season with a win in the Irish Milers Club 800m held in conjunction with the Aviva Irish Schools Championships at Tullamore. Mageean’s time of 2:05.08 put her almost two seconds ahead of Ciara Everard from Kilkenny and Laura Crowe of Riocht.
Colm Costello of Star of the Sea showed a welcome return to form when he won the men’s 800m, while Dan Mulhare of North Laois beat MSB’s John Coghlan in the 1500m.
If you’re looking for a decent race followed by a great night out, then Saturday’s Patrick Bell 5km in Bohermeen, near Navan in Co Meath, is well worth the trip. Last year’s race attracted almost 600 with most staying on to enjoy the post-race barbeque and live music around open turf fires. Entry is just €15 (€10 walkers), with all finishers receveing and engraved golden boot as souvenir of a great race. Benefitting charity is the Whistlemount Alzheimer’s day care centre just outside Navan town
Irish marathon champion Sergiu Ciobanu of Clonliffe Harriers won the Bord Gáis Cork Marathon in 2:25.43, shaving 20 seconds off the course record he set last year.
Clonmel’s Angela McCann was first women in 2:53:31. Winning the half marathon was TJ McHugh of Mayo in 1:12:51, with Leevale’s Lizzie Lee first woman in 1:19:45. Between the marathon, half marathon and marathon relay, around 8,000 runners wre in action.
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