Edinburgh-based Galway woman Nicola Duncan ran a superb personal best of 2 hours 33 minutes 28 secs at today’s London Marathon. This is the fastest by an Irishwoman since November 2005 when Marie Davenport ran 2:33.59 in New York – over eight years ago.
Duncan went through the the half way point in 75 mins 38 secs, slowing down somewhat in the second half of the race.
It puts Duncan fifth on the all-time Irish list behind Catherina McKiernan, Carey May and Sonia O’Sullivan – the only Irish women to have broken 2 hours 30 minutes – and marathon pioneer Regina Joyce. Only last month, Duncan pulled out of the World Half Marathon just after the start, which now proves to have been a wise decision. Her time qualifies her for the European Championships in Zurich later this summer.
In Rotterdam, Sean Hehir of Rathfarnham WSAF finished 15th in around 2:17.45. Hehir, running at just over five minute mile pace, went through 10km in 32 mins 3 secs and the halfway in 68 mins 12 secs. A strong headwind found him dropping to 5.30-5.40 pace in the final four miles.
Clonliffe veteran Gary O’Hanlon finished in a personal best time of 2 hours 22 mins. His Clonliffe club mate Sergiu Ciobanu dropped out at 31km; Hehir passed Mark Christie of Mullingar somewhere after the 21km mark and didn’t see him again. Raheny’s Fiona Stack finished 10th woman in a personal best 2:46.48. An impressive total of eight Irish finished in the top 100 (see below); race winner in 2 hours 5 minutes was Eliud Kipchoge of Kenya.
In Austria, Mick Clohisey of Raheny Shamrock won the Vienna Marathon in 66 mins 30 secs.
Locally, Sligo retained the men’s title at the Woodie’s DIY National Road Relays in Raheny. Ian Guiden had led for Clonliffe on the opening leg of two miles, but Dermot McDermott caught up on leg 2 (mile), and Alberto Sanchez on the three mile leg gave Sligo an uncatchable lead. Bringing them home was Rice College schoolboy David Harper.
Leevale caught Clonliffe on the final mile leg for victory in the women’s race, with an under-strength DSD doing very well to finish third. Raheny dominated the masters’ over 35 races, with the men winning for a seventh consecutive year and the women for a fifth year. Key legs were run by team “regulars” Mick Traynor and Annette Kealy. Raheny also won the W50 title, with Rathfarnham WSAF best of the M50 men.
JOE SWEENEY of DSD and Tullamore’s Pauline Curley were the winners of the Inishowen Half Marathon in Co Donegal. Sweeney’s time of 69 mins 12 saw him finish over 15 minutes ahead of his nearest rival. Curley finished seventh overall in 80 mins 13 secs.
MOIRE O’SULLIVAN set a new women’s record of 6 hrs 11 mins 32 secs at the Glacier Lakes Mountain race – a high level 43km run around the the high lakes of Wicklow, among them Lough Ouler, Lough Firrib, Art’s Lough and Kelly’s Lough. First finishers were the relay team anchored by Richard Nunan. They finished in 4 hrs 35 mins 45 secs. First solo man was Zoran Skrba in 5:10.31.
Laura McDonnell of Tallaght proved a class apart at the opening round of the Women’s Meet and Train Summer League over 5km in Lucan. McDonnell’s time of 18 mins 47 secs out her well over a minute clear of second placed Catherine Bambrock of Sportsworld.
Woodie’s DIY National Road Relays, Raheny
Women (1m x 2m x 1 m)- Senior (11 teams) : 1 Leevale 21. 24 (Carol Finn, Sinead O’Connor, Claire McSweeney), 2 Crusaders 21.35 (Niamh Boland, Orla Drumm, Marie Hyland), 3 DSD 21.39 (Grace O’Rourke, Sarah Mulligan, Fiona Clinton). Fastest – Leg 1: Becky Woods (Clonliffe) 5.01, Leg 2: Sarah Mulligan (DSD) 10.45, Leg 3: Claire McSweeney 5.05.
W35 (6 teams): 1 Raheny Shamrock (Brid McConnell, Annette Kealy, Loraine Byrne) 23.42, 2 Finn Valley (Catherine Dooher, Donna Evans, Kay Byrne), 3 Rathfarnham WSAF 24.29 (Derval Devanney, Donna Mahon, Vanessa Sallier). Fastest – Leg 1: Dooher 5.47, Leg 2: Kealy 11,45, Leg 3: Sallier 5.53.
W50 (3 teams): 1 Raheny Shamrock 27.27 (Helena Corcoran, Fiona Kirwan), Bernie Manley) , 2 Drogheda and District 27.57 (Mary McDonnell, Nuala Reilly, Deirdre McFerran), 3 Finn Valley (Marie Speight, Noreen Bonner, Gloria Donaghey).
Men – Senior (16 teams; ): 1 Sligo 38:08, (Emmett Dunleavy, Dermot McDrmott, Alberto Sanchez, David Harper), 2 Ennis Track Club 38:36 (Kevin Mulcaire, Darragh Lynch, Rory Chesser, Kevin Chesser), 3 Clonliffe Hrs (Ian Guiden, Kris Valters, Colm Rooney, Brian McMahon). Fastest (2m x 1m x 3m x 2m)
– Leg 1: Guiden 9.36, Leg 2: McDermott 4.27, Leg 3: Sanchez 14.20, Leg 4: Harper 9.38.
Masters (1m x 2m x 1m) – M35 (22 teams): 1 Raheny Shamrock 19: 46 (Des Kennedy, Mick Traynor, Brian Leahy), 2 Donore Harriers 19:51 (Emmett O Briain, John Dunne, Henry English), 3 Newbridge 19.54 (Paul Archbold, Paul Campbell, David Keenan) Fastest legs – Leg 1: O Briain 4:46, Leg 2: Traynor 10:04, Leg 3: Leahy 4:49).
M50 (7 teams): 1 Rathfarnham WSAF 21.35 (Tommy Bishop, Gerry Doyle, Joe Casey), 2 Drogheda and District 21:37 (Danny Skeffington, Pat O’Grady, Paul McQuillan), 3 North East Runners 22.11 (Chris Carroll, Alan Brennan, Brian Lynch).
Rotterdam Marathon – 1 Eliud Kipchoge (Ken) 2:05.00. Irish: 15 Sean Hehir (Rathfarnham WSAF) 2:17.45, 22 Gary O’Hanlon (Clonliffe, M35) 2:22.52 (PB), 32 Eoin Callaghan (Star of the Sea) 2:24.58, 56 John Byrne (Mayo, M35) 2:31.55, 65 Noel Callaghan (M40) 2:33.08, 80 Daniel Coffey (M35) 2:356.19, 82 Conor O’Dwyer 2:35.36, 95 Maurice Looby (M40) 2:37.43. Women: 10 Fiona Stack (Raheny Shamrock) 2:46.48(PB).
London Marathon – Men: 1 W Kipsang (Ken) 2hrs 4mins 29secs, 2 S Biwott (Ken) 2:04:55, 3 T Kebede (Eth) 2:06:30, 4 A Abshero (Eth) 2:06:31, 5 T Mekonnen (Eth) 2:08:06. Women: 1 E Kiplagat (Ken) 2hrs 20mins 21secs, 2 F Kiplagat (Ken) 2:20:24, 3 T Dibaba (Eth) 2:20:35, 4 F Tadese (Eth) 2:21:42, 5 A Kebede (Eth) 2:23:21.
Inishowen Half Marathon Co Donegal (254 finishers; www.precisiontiming.net)
Men: 1 Joe Sweeney (DSD) 69.13, 2 Criag Roberts (City of Derry) 75.37, 3 Chris McGuinness (Foyle Valley) 76.18, 4 David Graham 76.45, 5 Pauric McKinney (Inishwoen, M45) 78.59, 6 Mark Mullan (City of Derry, M35) 79.34, 7 Pauline Curley (Tullamore, W40) 80.13. Women: 2 Claire McGuigan (Lifford) 88.10, 3 Marina Campbell (City of Derry) 88.46.
30th Michael ‘Sonny’ Murphy Memorial 10-Mile Road Race, Kilnaboy, Co Clare (103 finishers)
Men: 1 Julio Cesar F Castro (Kilmurry-Ibrick NC) 55:44, 2 Brendan O’Grady (Kilmurry-Ibrick NC) 56:17, 3 Michael Kelly (Kilmurry-Ibrick NC) 56:56, 4 Barbara Cleary (Donore) 58:02, 5 Finbar O’Grady (Kilmurry-Ibrick NC) 58:31, 6 Mike Cunningham (Mooreabbey, M45) 59:10.
Women: 2 Sharon Rynne (Kilmurry-Ibrick NC) 65:31, 3 Siobhan Lennon (Ennis TC, W40) 66:56, 4 Grace Shaloo (Ennis TC) 71:16, 5 Mary Cahill (Ennis TC, F35) 73:19, 6 Fiona Kinsella (Kilmurry-Ibrick NC, W40) 74:11
Women’s Meet and Train Summer League Rd 1 6km, Griffeen Park Lucan.
1 Laura McDonnell (Tallaght) 18.57, 2 Catherine Bambrick (SW A) 20.15, 3 Hollie Gernon (Lakeshroe Hrs) 20.32, 4 Patricia Fitzmaurice ( SW A) 20.46, 5 Ailsing Swaine (Donore A) 20.57, 6 Anna Delaney (SW A) 21.07, 7 Karen Clarke (Bros Pearse) 21.11, 8 Lorraine O’Shea ( Donore A) 21.24.
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