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WHERE TO RUN THIS WEEK Feb 25-29
Saturday 25-Sunday 26
Munster U9-13 Indoors, Nenagh, 11am.
Saturday 25
Ras UCD 5km, Belfield Campus, 12 noon. Entry €15 (€10 students). Cash prizes M&F sen, jun, masters. Chip timing, 500 free t-shirts, goodie bags. C: Tim Grummell 087 7947180.
Stormont C-C, Stormont Estate, Belfast, 11am. C: robbieburrows@gmail.com
Dublin Juvenile Indoors Day 5, Tallaght, 12.30pm.
Dublin Urban Trails Rd 1, Marlay Park, Rathfarnham (4km/8km), 1pm. Entry €15 or €30 for 3-race series. C: Paul Mahon Paul 086 350 3994; www.urbantrailsireland.com.
Wild West Run 13.1m Trail Run, Muckross House, Killarney, 11am. Entry €30. C: Sean Mckeown 00 44 7808 158950; seanmckeown67@hotmail.com.
Causeway Coast Adventure Racing Winter Series Round 3
Run for your Life Clare Island 10km, Co Mayo, 1pm. Enry fee of €35 includes return boat journey. All proceeds to Cancer Care West. C: Donal O’Shea 087 9004128
Duathlon Chonamara, Carraroe, 3pm. C: Padraic Quinn 087 2537653.
www.trisport.ie/en/duathlon.html
Sunday 26
Woodie’s DIY Inter Clubs C-C Championships, Santry, Dublin. Junior women’s 6km, 1pm, jun men’s 8km, 1.35pm, sen women’s 8km, 2.10pm, sen men’s 12km, 2.45pm.
Dungarvan Business Centre 10km, 11am. Race 4 Michael Roche Carpets Spring Series). www.westwaterfordathletics.org.
Adare 10km, Adare, Co Limerick, 2pm (walkers 1.30pm). Entry €15 (€10 walkers). Prizes sen, masters, juniors, wheelchair, teams, course record bonus (men 30.34; women 34.33); spot prizes for walkers. C: Willie Costello 061 396532/087 4149782; www.westlimerickac.com.
Ben Dearg Coast 10km. C: Joe Quinn 07933214894; www.spanglefish.com/eastdownac.
Team Cian 10km, O’Neill Park, Dungannon, Co Tyrnone, 11am.Entry £11. C: Ciaran McRory 02887 750 199; www.thomasclarkegfc.com. Celtic Link Duncannon 10km, 12 noon. Entry €20; in aid of St James Cois na n OgC: Ben 086 8938859.
Kilconerion 5 Mile, 12 noon. Entry €18. Proceeds to Athenry Cancer Care. C; niall Callanan 087 6773983.
Bessbrook Charity 10km, 2pm. Entry £12; also 5km run/walk; entry £5. Proceeds to Southern Area Hospice. C: Paddy Duffy 07714855290; paddy.duffy@newryandmourne.gov.uk
Orienteering: Brockagh, East Top and Mall Hill, 11am-1pm. www.orienteering.ie.
Wednesday 29
Wicklow Fit for Life League Rd 2 (2 miles), Rathdrum, 7.30pm.
A showdown between Olympic marathon hopefuls Linda Byrne and Ava Hutchinson could prove the highlight of Sunday’s Woodie’s DIY National Interclub Cross-Country Championships in Santry.
While defending champion Linda Byrne was injured last year, Hutchinson won both the national cross-country title and the national half marathon. Byrne then came back to win the national marathon title last October and qualify for the London Olympics. A few weeks ago, Hutchinson also made the London 2012 qualifying time.
With that race still in her legs she may struggle to keep up with Byrne who has been in flying form in recent weeks. She won the Raheny 5 in a swift time of 26 mmins 23 secs, finished 11th at the European Clubs Cross Country and then improved her 10km best to 32: 52 at the Enniscorthy 10km.
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| Ava Hutchinson |
Whatever happens, the Dundrum South Dublin clubmates will aim to help their team to a sixth national title in seven years. Also lining out should be Hazel Murphy, 16th at the European Clubs, Sarah Mulligan, Niamh Devlin and Aoife Culhane, third at the Intercounties.
Last year, DSD Dundrum South Dublin won three of the individual titles and all four team titles. In the men’s race Joe Sweeney beat clubmate Brendain O’Neill for he individual crown and the team ended a seven year winning streak by Clonliffe Harriers.
After dropping out of the Europeans Clubs, a tired Sweeney won’t defend his title, preferring to focus on the forthcoming track season. That leaves the men’s race wide open, with Alan McCormack leading the DSD team. Clonliffe will hope to regain the team title with a strong squad led by Brian Mc Mahon. Other athletes likely to be in contention include , Thomas Fitzpatrick of Tallaght and Annadale’s Eddie Mc Ginley. A total of 14 clubs have entered teams.
Also wide open is the junior men’s race, with intercounty champion Jake Byrne of Mullingar not travelling from his US base. In his absence, Clonmel’s Sean Tobin looks the likely winner, which Clonliffe with a squad that includes Ian Guiden (Clonliffe), and Aaron Hanlon favourties to take the team title.
First off on Sunday (1pm) are the junior women, with DSD again the pre-race favourites. The squad includes defending champion Siofra Cleirigh Buttner backed by Claire McCarthy, Meghan Ryan, Sorcha Humphries and Ella Fennelly.
The junior men’s race is a lot more open, with a strong Raheny team led by Leinster senior schools champion Kevin Dooney. Dooney lost to Jake Byrne of Tullamore for the intercounty title and will be anxious to make amends.
*First race 1pm.
Cork athlete Jill Hodgins is the latest athlete to join the Marathon Mission after winning the Seville Marathon in a personal 2 hours 46 minutes 58 seconds. The time knocked six minutes off her 2:52.21 time set at the 2009 New York Marathon. A former Irish international hockey player, Hodgins has a distinguished athletics pedigree – her father Dick is a former national marathon champion and closely associated with the Cork City Sports.
A record 356 men and women turned out for the 20th Garda St Raphael’s BHAA Cross-Country in Dublin’s Phoenix Park. Annette Kealy was a comfortable winner of the women’s 2-mile race ahead of Ailish McDermott. In the men’s race, Mick Clohisey had a good win over Tommy Evans, with Mark Hoey a close third.
Irish 100km champion John Byrne of Mayo AC beat marathon runner Barry Minnock of Rathfarnham WSAF to win the Donadea Trail 50km in Co Kildare. Charlotte Kearney of host club Donadea was first woman.
Irish Olympic marathon runner Bertie Messitt has died after a long battle with illness.
A native of Bray, Co Wicklow, Messitt ran the marathon at the 1960 Rome Olympic Games and also represented Ireland at the European Championships of 1958 and 1962. During his long career with Donore Harriers, he set 16 national records in distances ranging from 3,000m to the marathon.
Messitt helped found Donnybrook AC with fellow bus men from south Dublin. From that came the Business Houses Athletic Association and the Dublin Marathon. A a true gentleman, Bertie will be sorely missed.
With numbers filling up fast, only the first 500 to register online for Saturday’s Ras UCD 5km will get the free t-shirt and goodie bag on offer. Online entry closes tomorrow (Thu) at noon. Registration for the race on the morning takes place at the UCD sports centre (Clonskeagh entrance). All funds go to the UCD Overseas charity.
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