Cross Country 2007

AAI National Cross Country (uneven ages), Dungarvan

Mullingar Harriers had the distinction of being the only Club in Ireland to win three team titles at the AAI National Cross Country Championships in Dungarvan on Sunday 16th December. Taking the three Club titles together with two Club 4th places, a County team bronze and a County team 4th place, one individual title, and six other top-twelve finish places, this was surely one of the best results for the Club in many years and easily eclipses the results from the Curragh three weeks previously.

Perhaps it was the three week gap between the Curragh and Dungarvan, or the extra Saturday morning training sessions in Belvedere, or a combination of both, but whatever it was, our juvenile athletes were firing on all cylinders in Dungarvan. After the long journey on Saturday afternoon down to the hotel in Waterford, where most of the team stayed overnight, they rested well overnight and were fresh and ready for competition on Sunday morning.

The girls under 11 team were unfortunate to lose Aisling Bracken to illness only hours before the race but a late substitute was nominated and a full Club and County team took to the line. Faye Walsh had the distinction of leading the team home, and was closely followed by a tightly packed group of Claire Fagan, Emma Glynn, Laura Whitelaw, Niamh Quinn and Jennifer Coughlan who all ran extremely well and competed bravely but despite great team work, the girls finished 4th Club and just out of the medals. All but Faye will be underage again next year, so these girls will have gained valuable experience of competing on the National stage that will stand to them next year.

Kevin Giles ran an inspired race in the boys under 11 and finished a marvellous 15th place to lead the team of Glen Gaffney, Oisin Quinn, Cormac Dalton, Jack Stuart, Patrick Shaw, Michael Moran and Iarlaith Daly to first Club and third County team and ensured that the entire team went home with a medal. Kevin and Glen also had the added honour of representing Leinster and won silver medals with the Leinster team. Particularly impressive was the way newcomers Cormac Dalton, Jack Stuart and Patrick Shaw seemed to take competing at a National final in their stride. This team will achieve much more in the coming years.

Elizabeth Carr has dominated cross country running in her age group in the past few years and was the pre-race favourite, but as often happens in sport, there can never really be any certainties. After a thrilling race that came down to a three way battle right to the finish line, Elizabeth was beaten by the narrowest of margin in the under 13 girls but was gracious in defeat and will know that everyone has to lose sometime, if only to test their mettle to bounce back, which she undoubtedly will. Beth McGuire picked the right day to come right back into form and ran an excellent race and had a very strong finish to place well up the field where she belongs. Following in behind in close support were Lorraine Daly, Linda Conroy, Lauren Casey and Ann Marie Kennedy to finish first Club and the girls richly deserved their gold medals for running so well as a team. Elizabeth was also representing Leinster and led that team to silver medals.

Perhaps it was seeing Elizabeth Carr’s unexpected defeat that drove him, but Shane Fitzsimons ran a very aggressive race in the boys under 13 where he never put a foot wrong and made no mistake with his break for home 500m from the finish that took him to a well deserved victory with a large winning margin. Thomas Lynn ran a blinder as always and finished 4th, followed by Padraig Moran in 11th to win individual medals. Newcomer Patrick Fagan ran an amazing race and surprised everyone with his pace and strength to finish next, followed by Philip Giles, Liam O’Reilly, Odhran Daly and Alan Cox who all packed well to finish first Club and fourth County. Shane, Thomas and Padraig were also representing Leinster and won silver medals with that team.

We had no team in the girls under 15, but Amie Giles and Arlene Coughlan had the honour of representing Leinster. This was a great race and both girls competed well throughout but Amie had the edge on Arlene and finished 7th to earn an individual medal and to win a silver medal with the Leinster team. Arlene ran very well and was unlucky to finish out of the medals.

The boys under 17 team were hopeful of medal success as they lined up for the start and as the race unfolded over the first of the two laps, it looked like their hopes were well placed as they were all running well and packing tightly on the team score front. However, on the second lap, as Shane Boggs was leading the Mullingar team followed closely by Jake Byrne, Shane seemed to hit a problem and was forced to drop out, leaving Jake Byrne to lead the team. Jake went on to finish an excellent 6th place and richly deserved his individual medal but such is the standard at this level, despite the good support of Shane Fagan, Warren Walsh and David Moran, without what should have been a very valuable contribution from Shane Boggs, the team finished out of the medals.

Lee Stenson ran a very sensible race in the boys under 19 and stayed out of trouble but always in contention throughout the three laps. The field broke up quickly on the second lap and Lee remained with the leading group. Slowly the gaps began to open but Lee stuck to the task and finished an excellent 9th place to the delight of the Mullingar supporters. Running well in support were Raymond Brennan, Johannes Von Canal and Sheng Lin Ding but the team finished 4th Club, just out of the medals, though they thoroughly enjoyed the experience.

Overall, it was an excellent Championship for Mullingar, and one that reinforces the Club’s formidable reputation in cross country. A word of thanks is due to the very many parents and others that made the long journey to Dungarvan and braved the biting east wind to provide support. A special word of thanks also to those parents that stayed in the hotel in Waterford and looked after the younger juveniles, helping to make the experience of travel and staying overnight in unfamiliar surroundings before a National final a memorable one for the youngsters. The Club is very fortunate to be able to draw on such great support when required.

Mixed fortunes for Mullingar athletes at European XC

Our two athletes at the European Cross Country Championships in Toro, Spain had contrasting results. For Martin Fagan it was a really great performance. In fact it was the highest Irish finish for the past 10 years in the senior men’s race. Martin led the race for the first 8km with Europe’s best strung out behind him. His seventh place finish was top class and it is only a matter of time before he makes a really big breakthrough on the International stage. His priority now is to get the qualifying time in the marathon for the Beijing Olympics next summer.

Mark Christie had a real “off day” in the under 23 race where before the race he was being tipped as a potential medallist but as we all know in sport, nothing is certain. No doubt he will be back to top form again and put this run down to experience.

AAI National Cross Country (even ages), The Curragh

Illness and injury robbed some of our teams of medal prospects at the AAI National Cross Country Championships on Sunday 25th November at the Curragh Camp, Co. Kildare. The course too mightn’t have suited some of our athletes, as it was very flat and lacked the challenge of a few hills. Despite that, there were still some great performances from the Mullingar Harriers athletes and a Championship that gave the Club 3 individual medals and 2 top-twelve places cannot be considered anything other than very good.

The first real victims of illness were the under 12 girls where from an entry of a full Club team of 6 athletes, we were reduced to just 3 runners. Linda Conroy was surely the surprise of the day as she finished an amazing 14th place in a National final in her first year running, a serious improvement on her 21st place finish in the Leinsters a month ago. Linda was followed in by Ann Marie Kennedy and Aisling Bracken, who is barely over a recent bout of illness. The boys under 12 had a full team and were led in by Padraig Moran in 4th place who had a great race and was right with the leading group all the way but was just out-sprinted in a close finish. Following behind in support were Glen Gaffney, Jack Stuart, Oisin Quinn, Thomas Fitzgerald, Conor Duncan, Brendan Keaveney and Iarlaith Daly. Full credit to this young team who were unlucky to finish out of the medals, but such is the standard of competition at this level.

Elizabeth Carr really had to dig deep in the girls under 14 race and draw on her considerable experience to win out a great battle to the finish by a very narrow margin. She stayed with the leading group for most of the race and made her break with about 300m to go but she wasn’t going to have it all her own way as several other girls gave close chase. It looked touch and go with 100m to go but Elizabeth had one last kick and opened up enough of a gap to win out. This is a great victory for her, especially as she is actually only under 13 and marks her out as a class athlete, as if anyone needed reminding. Shane Fitzsimons was also giving away a year in the boys under 14 and despite running extremely well had to settle for 3rd place, which is not a position that he is accustomed to, but no doubt will increase his resolve to win in Dungarvan in 3 weeks time. Thomas Lynn was next in, followed by Philip Giles, Odhran Daly and Stephen Lea who grouped well but due to a computer problem, at the time of going to press we don’t know if the team finished in the medals or not.

Amie Giles and Arlene Coughlan took to the line with the Leinster team in the girls under 16, but even though they ran good races and finished well up the field, they finished out of the medal places on the Leinster team. The unluckiest man in the Curragh had to be Jake Byrne who had to contend with a recent injury that put paid to his medal chances in the boys under 16. Clearly hampered, Jake contested bravely but when the race began to hot up, he had to drop back but still managed to finish a respectable 12th place in the end. Jake was well supported by Shane Fagan, Warren Walsh and David Moran but the team finished out of the medals.

Shane Boggs and James Eagles ran well in the boys under 18 but the age difference took its toll and both finished out of the medals, but Dungarvan will be different. Likewise for Lee Stenson and Paul Flynn who are under 19 but competed at junior (under 20). They also ran well but finished out of the medals.

Pre-race press commentary had Mark Christie favourite to retain the Senior Inter-County title he won last year and before the race, Mark himself expressed quiet confidence. However, athletics is an intriguing sport and there can be few certainties. For the first four laps of the five lap race, everything was going to plan for Mark as he looked very comfortable and in complete control in the leading group. As the leader changed from time to time, Mark always remained just on the leader’s shoulder. With about one kilometre remaining, the race began to heat up as Sligo’s Gary Murray broke away, with Mark in pursuit. The lead slowly increased with little realistic prospect of Mark closing it, but cruelly, with barely 500m remaining, Gareth Turnbull overtook Mark and despite a rallying effort, Mark had to concede and finished in 3rd place. It was a good run by Mark – enough to win the under 23 title – but he had set his sights higher, on retaining the senior title, and was obviously disappointed such is the highest standard he sets himself. Also competing were Noel Kelly who had a great race, followed by Tomas Navickas and the fast-finishing Ben Vaitkavichius, and by Justin Murtagh who was running his first race in about 10 years, having only recently taken up running again.

Overall, it was a good Championship for the Club, but how much better it would have been if all teams were at full strength. As always, thanks to the many parents and others that gave great vocal support and encouragement to the athletes. We now look forward to the uneven age Championships in Dungarvan on 16th December.

Leinster Cross Country 2007, day 2 - Abbeyleix

Just how much better can the juvenile cross country runners of Mullingar Harriers get? If we thought the results from Wicklow two weeks ago were too good to beat, our young athletes turn in more magnificent performances at the second round of the Leinster Cross Country Championships on Sunday 11th November on the testing course at Haywood Community School, Ballinakill, Abbeyleix. There was competition for boys and girls under 11, 13, 15, 17 and 19 and for Intermediate men and women. On offer for the juveniles were places in the AAI National Finals in Dungarvan in mid-December.

In addition to four individual titles, Mullingar teams won three Club gold medals, three Club silver medals, and we had gold, silver and bronze medals won by County teams. Mullingar also had 3 other juveniles who finished in the top twelve and qualify on Leinster teams, which means that over 50 athletes have qualified to compete in Dungarvan. These results are a fine testament to the great work being done by Joe Ryan and by Tommy Carr who has been doing some additional conditioning work with the older juveniles. Joe and Tommy’s efforts are certainly paying a significant dividend.

Struggling with a bout of illness, Aisling Bracken was clearly distressed in the latter stages of the first race of the day, the girls under 11, but bravely fought her way to the end and finished a great 5th place to book her place in the National finals. Aisling was well supported by Claire Fagan, Faye Walsh, Emma Glynn, Niamh Quinn, Jennifer Coughlan and Laura Whitelaw to finish 2nd Club and join Aisling in the Finals. Also running well were Jessica McCormack, Kelly Molloy, Niamh Nolan and Grace Walsh but finished out of the County medals. The boys under 11 went one better by winning gold medals for 1st Club, being led home by Glen Gaffney in 4th place, followed by Kevin Giles 12th, Oisin Quinn, Michael Moran, Patrick Shaw, Cormac Dalton, Jack Stuart, Eoin O’Brien, Iarlaith Daly, Conor Coughlan and Conor Duncan who packed well to finish 3rd County, so the whole team now qualifies for the National finals.

Elizabeth Carr came up against someone who thought she might have the beating of her, but when the crunch came, Elizabeth just upped a gear and shook off the challenger with ease to record another fine victory in the girls under 13, and with good support from Lorraine Daly, Lauren Casey, Linda Conroy, Caoimhe Shaw and Beth McGuire led her team to gold medals for 1st Club. Also running well in support were Niamh Byrne, Sinead Nolan and Stacey Darby but unfortunately missed out on County medals. What turned out to be the finish of the day came in the boys under 13 where Shane Fitzsimons was in characteristically sparkling form and finished first, followed closely by Thomas Lynn in 2nd, Padraig Moran 4th and Liam O’Reilly 5th to easily win gold medals for 1st Club by a wide margin. Four athletes in the top five is an amazing result, but Philip Giles was keen to get some of the action too and with a terrific finish sprint he placed 9th, so Mullingar will have five athletes on the Leinster team in the National finals. Next in came Odhrain Daly, Alan Cox and Leigh Walsh to secure the gold medals for 1st County and the whole team now deservedly qualifies for the National finals.

Amie Giles ran extremely well and finished 4th in the girls under 15 with Arlene Coughlan finishing 10th, thus guaranteeing their places in the National finals. Lisa Darby, Cliodhna Daly and Eadaoin Daly ran well but such is the standard of competition at this level, no team medals were won. We had a sole representative in the boys under 15, but as that was Thomas Fagan confidence was high of a medal and Thomas delivered with a great 3rd place finish to qualify on the Leinster team and will join his Club mates in Dungarvan.

Another sole representative was Aoife Hogan, in the girls under 17, but despite a good run and a fast finish, was unlucky to finish out of the medals but has to be pleased with her race. We had a full team in the boys under 17, led home by Shane Boggs who ran a really good race and ran clear with over 300m to go and didn’t even look pushed at the finish. Jake Byrne stayed with the leaders all the way and it looked like we would have a one-two for Mullingar but a heavy fall on the second lap cost him valuable distance and he had to settle for 3rd place in the end. Shane Fagan, Warren Walsh, James Eagles and David Moran provided valuable support and deserved their medals for 2nd Club and 2nd County.

Lee Stenson made the most of his last race in an under-age Leinster Championships by winning the boys under 19 in great style. Building steadily on an early lead, Lee made it very difficult for anyone behind him to close the gap, though a mid-race stomach cramp hit him badly and it looked for a short while that he might be caught but such is his determination that he shook the problem off and came home a clear winner. Buoyed by Lee’s performance, Raymond Brennan, Paul Flynn and Johannes Von Canal ran very well in support to secure silver medals for 2nd Club and we’ll see these boys in action in Dungarvan.

The final races were for intermediate men and women. Wendy Bates put in a great performance in the 6,000m for intermediate women where she ran a really solid race and was clearly very pleased with her 9th place finish. In the corresponding men’s event over 10,000m Tomas Navickas was in great form and finished 10th, followed by Ben Vaitkavichius, Paddy Kelly who clearly enjoyed his first outing over 10km in a cross country, and it was good to see Aidan Gorry back from injury and running well to make up the foursome.

Finally, it is fitting to pay special tribute to the very many parents who travelled to provide much needed and welcome support, who were rewarded by incredibly kind weather as well as a great day’s competition.

Mark Christie on International Duty

It was good to see Mark Christie back on International duty in the prestigious annual International cross country meeting in Tilburg, The Netherlands on Sunday 11th November. Competing against some top class opposition, Mark finished 6th and led the Irish team home in the senior men’s 10km race. This is a good early season test for Mark, which he passed with flying colours.

Leinster Cross Country 2007 - Day 1 - Avondale

Clean Sweep of Individual Titles for Mullingar Boys

Padraig Moran (under 12), Shane Fitzsimons (U/14), Jake Byrne (U/16) and Shane Boggs (U/18) made a clean sweep of the individual boys titles at the first round of the 2007 Leinster Cross Country Championships on Sunday 28th October at Avondale House, Rathdrum, Co. Wicklow, and made history into the bargain as Mullingar is the first Club to achieve this. Together with the individual title won by Elizabeth Carr (U/14), that brought to 5 the number of individual titles won on the day.

However, cross country racing is also about team effort, and Mullingar athletes excelled themselves once again by winning several team prizes, which is a great testament to the hard work put in by the juvenile athletes under the expert eye of Joe Ryan. This is Joe’s first full year taking charge of the juvenile cross country/middle distance squads, and he has guided them expertly during this time, training them well and passing on his knowledge of race tactics to get some brilliant results from his young charges.

First in action were the under 12 girls, racing over 1,000m, where Aisling Bracken was our first finisher, in an excellent 6th place. Aisling was very well supported by the rest of the team and was followed in closely by Ann Marie Kennedy (15th), and newcomers Lauren Casey (16th) and Linda Conroy (21st) to secure the gold medals for 1st Club. Emma Glynn and Faye Walsh were next in and ensured 4th place for Westmeath. Also running well in support were Edel Glennon (who had to contend with being spiked, twice), Rachel Glennon, Niamh Quinn, Stacey Darby, Leanne Duncan, Jennifer Coughlan and Jessica McCormack. This team now qualifies for the National finals in the Curragh.

Padraig Moran was the pre-race favourite in the under 12 boys 1,000m and duly delivered on that, but had to contend with close competition from a Club mate, newcomer Liam O’Reilly from Milltownpass who had a marvellous run and gave Padraig a real race in his first Leinster Championship to finish 2nd. With Glen Gaffney, Oisin Quinn, Brendan Keaveny and Thomas Fitzgerald packing well in support, no surprise that this team finished 1st Club and 2nd County, booking places in the National finals. Also running really well in support was newcomer Jack Stuart, and Iarlaith Daly and Conor Duncan.

Elizabeth Carr left off where she finished last year and was majestic as she pulled away easily in the under 14 girls 1,200m to win yet another Leinster title. Beth McGuire and newcomers Lorraine Daly and Niamh Byrne ran well but such was the standard of competition, unfortunately, the girls finished out of the team medals. Elizabeth now advances to the National finals alone.

If we thought a one-two was not going to be repeated, no one told the under 12 boys team. Competing over 1,500m, Shane Fitzsimons ran a clever race, running comfortably along with Thomas Lynn in the leading group but when the time came, the two boys took off and gave us another one-two, Shane winning and Thomas a close 2nd. Philip Giles and Stephen Nea ensured the gold medals for 1st Club, and Odhrain Daly and Alan Cox ensured the bronze medals for 3rd County, only narrowly missing out on silver. Newcomer Dean Baker and Leigh Walsh completed this fine team that also advances to the National finals.

Unfortunately, we had no team in the under 16 girls 2,000m, where Amie Giles really made her mark and after a great race where she stayed close to the leaders most of the way, finished very strongly to take 4th place. Arlene Coughlan was not going to be denied a place in the National finals and also finished very fast in 12th place, to earn her place along with Amie on the Leinster team. Good to see Cliodhna Daly running well but without a fourth girl to capitalise on her good finish place, there was no team medal.

Jake Byrne made a winning return to cross country running in the under 16 boys 3,000m, leading the team to silver medals, thanks to the efforts of Shane Fagan, Thomas Fagan and Warren Walsh who packed well, and were well supported by David Moran and newcomer Brian Faughnan.

The last juvenile race of the day was the under 18 boys 5,000m, where Shane Boggs ran an inspired race and kept to his careful pre-race plan, which paid dividends as he ran away a clear winner and give Mullingar its fourth individual boys winner of the afternoon and a place in the history books. Shane is only under 17, so this victory was particularly significant and will give him great confidence in the under 17 race in the next round of the Leinsters in Abbeyleix. Also competing and running very well was James Eagles who finished in 13th place, only one agonising place outside the top 12 and just missed automatic selection on the Leinster team in the National finals.

Wendy Bates was our sole representative in the novice women 3,000m and showed real class as she finished with a terrific sprint in 5th place, less than 10 seconds away from a medal. Wendy has a real talent and one must suspect that we’ve only seen the first glimpse of it. In the corresponding novice men 6,000m over the gruelling Avondale course with its seriously challenging hills – both up and down – Tomas Navickas showed real grit and determination as he finished in 8th place, with newcomer Paddy Kelly also running well, but admitting that he suffered on the hills, though his finishing time was still good. However, this was Paddy’s first real race, and he will improve with race practice and experience.

The master men 6,000m race was the last race of the day and Ben Vaitkavichius paid for his early exuberance in staying with the leaders for the first lap, and was forced to ease back but still finished well up the field and win his master age-category. Finishing not far behind was Matt Glennon who ran a more even-paced race and reaped the reward with a fine performance and a good overall placing in his master age-category. Third man home for Mullingar was Greg Duggan, better known as a sprinter, who found the hilly course very tough and was just very glad to finish.

Thanks to the many parents that travelled to Avondale to support the athletes and enjoy a great day of cross country running for Mullingar, as the Club won a total of five individual gold medals, a further six top-twelve places, 3 Club team gold medals and a Club team silver, a County team silver, team bronze and a team fourth place, which means that Mullingar will be well represented across most age-groups at the National finals in the Curragh on 25th November. Judging by the fine results in Avondale, it also looks like Mullingar will be able to field some great relay teams this year.

Westmeath Cross Country 2007, day 2 - 14th October

There was quite an international flavour at the second round of the Westmeath cross country championships last Sunday (14th October) in Belvedere, with athletes from Spain, Italy, Lithuania and South Africa taking part alongside athletes from all across Westmeath. This round was for boys and girls under 9, 11, 13, 15, 17 and 19 years of age, and junior, novice, senior and master men and women. There was a noticeable increase in the number of under age athletes taking part compared to the first round, which was most welcome. Thanks to all who helped on the day with assembly, starting, recording details of finishers, medals, etc and to the many parents who provided vocal support and encouragement. The results are:

Under 9 girls 800m – 1. Claire Fagan (Lynn), 2. Nicole Gorry (Coralstown), 3. Niamh Quinn (Bracklyn), 4. Laura Whitelaw (Mullingar), 5. Aimee Jo Higgins (Kinnegad), 6. Niamh Moore (Gaybrook), 7. Susan Glennon (Coralstown), 8. Sarah Glennon (Coralstown), 9. Cliodhna Caffrey (Annaville), 10. Julie King (Mullingar), 11. Hannah Quinn (Coralstown), 12. Aoife Quinn (Coralstown), 13. Shauna Dalton (Lynn).

Under 11 girls 800m – 1. Aisling Bracken (Kinnegad), 2. Faye Walsh (Mullingar), 3. Emma Glynn (Killucan), 4. Rachel Glennon (Coralstown), 5. Jennifer Coughlan (Moate), 6. Tara Dennehy (Castletown-Geoghegan), 7. Jessica McCormack (Moate), 8. Lana Creegan (Castlepollard), 9. Karen Gaffney (Delvin), 10. Eleanor Quinn (Mullingar), 11. Grace Walsh (Mullingar), 12. Róisin Fagan (Crookedwood), 13. Síofra Molloy (Rathcoleman), 14. Lucy Murray (Castlepollard), 15. Jenny Kiernan (Castlepollard).

Under 13 girls 1,000m – 1. Elizabeth Carr (Kilpatrick), 2. Linda Conroy (Kilbeggan), 3. Lauren Casey (Mullingar), 4. Isobel O’Neill (Moate), 5. Orla Tubridy (Mullingar), 6. Edel Glennon (Coralstown), 7. Caoimhe Shaw (Lynn), 8. Lorraine Daly (Tyrrellspass), 9. Niamh Byrne (Mullingar), 10. Stacey Darby (Kinnegad), 11. Jennifer King (Cullionmore), 12. Aoife McAnaney (Mullingar).

Under 15 girls 1,500m – 1. Amie Giles (Kinnegad), 2. Arlene Coughlan (Moate), 3. Lisa Darby (Kinnegad), 4. Cliodhna Daly (Ballinagore).

Under 17 girls 2,000m – 1. Aoife Hogan (Moate), 2. Caraceli Aizpurua (Wilson’s Hospital & Spain).

Under 9 boys 800m – 1. Dillon Fitzgerald (Mullingar), 2. Simon Carr (Kilpatrick), 3. Cormac Dalton (Lynn), 4. Joseph Moran (The Downs), 5. Jonah Kelly (Mullingar), 6. Jack Moran (Multyfarnham), 7. Eoghan Bracken (Kinnegad), 8. Tom Maguire (Mullingar), 9. Christopher Kiernan (Coole), 10. Gerry Byrne (Rochfortbridge), 11. Eoghan Fagan (Crookedwood).

Under 11 boys 800m – 1. Kevin Giles (Kinnegad), 2. Glenn Gaffney (Delvin), 3. Eoghan O’Brien (Mullingar), 4. Jack Stuart (Mullingar), 5. Oisin Quinn (Bracklyn), 6. Patrick Shaw (Lynn Cross), 7. Michael Moran (Multyfarnham), 8. Eoghan Moore (Mullingar), 9. Conor Duncan (Gaybrook), 10. Conor Coughlan (The Downs), 11. Ciarán Bracken (Kinnegad), 12. Iarlaith Daly (Ballinagore), 13. Cormac Dalton (Lynn), 14. Tom Molloy (Rathcoleman), 15. Alan Fagan (Castlepollard)

Under 13 boys 1,200m – 1. Shane Fitzsimons (Collinstown), 2. Thomas Lynn (Milltown-Empor), 3. Padraig Moran (Multyfarnham), 4. Liam O’Reilly, 5. Philip Giles (Kinnegad), 6. Patrick Fagan (Lynn), 7. Odhrain Daly (Ballinagore), 8. Brendan Keaveny (Kinnegad), 9. Alan Cox (Delvin), 10. Conor Dolan (Delvin), 11. Joshua Kelly (Delvin), 12. Leigh Walsh (Rochfortbridge), 13. Dean Baker (Kinnegad), 14. Shane Nugent (Wooddown).

Under 15 boys 2,000m – 1. Thomas Fagan (Mount Temple), 2. Viachra Martinez (Wilson’s Hospital & Spain), 3. Stephen Nea (Mullingar), 4. Ignacio Miranda (Wilson’s Hospital & Spain).

Under 17 boys 3,000m – 1. Shane Boggs (Lynn Cross), 2. Jake Byrne (Rochfortbridge), 3. David Moran (Multyfarnham)

Under 19 boys 3,000m – 1. Lee Stenson (Mullingar), 2. Paul Flynn (Multyfarnham), 3. Jesús Garvido (Wilson’s Hospital & Spain).

Senior women – 1. Wendy Bates (Mullingar & South Africa), 2. Eva Ross (Slanemore), 3. Karen Malone (Mullingar), 4. Sharon Bates (Mullingar)

Master women – 1. Nuala Moran (Multyfarnham), 2. Geraldine Walsh (Mullingar), 3. Breeda McDonnell (Irishtown), 4. Brigid McCabe (Marlinstown).

Novice men – 1. Paddy Kelly (Mullingar), 2. Aidan Gorry (Kinnegad), 3. David Fagan (Mullingar), 4. Brian Boyle (Mullingar), 5. Pat Nugent (Mullingar), 6. Douglas Bates (Mullingar), 7. Sebastiano Spolaire (Italy), 8. Lennie O'Mahony (Mullingar)

Senior men – 1. Tomas Navichius (Mullingar & Lithuania), 2. Tom McGrath (Mullingar), 3. Patrick Muldoon Jun. (Mullnigar)

Master men – 1. Matt Glennon (Coralstown), 2. John Carty (Mullingar), 3. Pat Muldoon Sen. (Mullingar), 4. Liam McGlynn (Mullingar), 5. Seamus Moran (Multyfarnham), 5. Christy Creagh (Monilea), 6. Tommy Carr (Kilpatrick), 7. Greg Duggan (Mullingar), 8. Nicky McCabe (Marlinstown)

Westmeath Cross Country 2007, day 1 - 7th October

On Sunday 7th October the first round of the Westmeath cross country championships was held in Belvedere. This round was for boys and girls under 10, 12, 14, 16 and 18 years of age. There were competitors from all over Westmeath with a number of newcomers that no doubt got a taste for cross country running in the Westmeath schools cross country championships held recently in Belvedere. There were some exciting races and very good individual performances in both boys and girls championships. Thanks to all who helped on the day and to the many parents who provided vocal support and encouragement. The results are:-

Under 10 girls 800m – 1. Emma Glynn (Kinnegad), 2. Claire Fagan (Lynn), 3. Niamh Quinn (Bracklyn), 4. Nicole Gorry (Coralstown), 5. Kelly Molloy (Milltown), 6. Jennifer Coughlan (Moate), 7. Laura Whitelaw (Mullingar), 8. Grace Walsh (Mullingar), 9. Jennifer Sheerin (Rathcoleman), 10. Niamh Moore (Gaybrook), 11. Lucy Murray (Castlepollard), 12. Orla Sheerin (Rathcoleman), 13. Aoife Quinn (Coralstown), 14. Katherine Purcell (Dublin).

Under 12 girls 1,000m – 1. Anne Marie Kennedy (Collinstown), 2. Lisa Conroy (Kilbeggan), 3. Faye Walsh (Mullingar), 4. Stacey Darby (Kinnegad), 5. Leanne Duncan (Gaybrook), 6. Karen Gaffney (Delvin), 7. Katelyn Mimnagh (Irishtown), 8. Siofra Molloy (Rathcoleman).

Under 14 girls 1,200m – 1. Elizabeth Carr (Kilpatrick), 2. Beth McGuire (The Downs), 3. Orla Tubridy (Mullingar).

Under 16 girls 2,000m – 1. Amie Giles (Kinnegad), 2. Lisa Darby (Kinnegad), 3. Clíodhna Daly (Ballinagore)

Under 18 girls 3,000m – 1. Aoife Hogan (Moate).

Under 10 boys 800m – 1. Kevin Giles (Kinnegad), 2. Patrick Shaw (Lynn Cross), 3. Michael Moran (Multyfarnham), 4. Shane Hughes (Mullingar), 5. Cormac Dalton (Lynn), 6. Joseph Moran (The Downs), 7. Jonah Kelly (Dublin), 8. Mark Ronan (Gaybrook), 9. David Mimnagh (Irishtown), 10. Tom Molloy (Rathcoleman), 11. Mark Tubridy (Mullingar), 12. Christopher Kiernan (Coole), 13. Paul McCool (Cloghan).

Under 12 boys 1,000m – 1. Glenn O’Reilly (Milltownpass), 2. Daire Conway (Ballinea), 3. Thomas Fitzgerald (Mullingar), 4. Jack Stewart, 5. Glenn Gaffney (Delvin), 6. Brendan Keaveny (Kinnegad), 7. Oisin Quinn (Bracklyn), 8. Robert Kenny (Ballinea), 9. Conor Duncan (Gaybrook), 10. Darren Giles (Kinnegad), 11. Eoghan Moore (The Downs), 12. Iarlaith Daly (Ballinagore), 13. David Mimnagh (Irishtown), 14. Tom Molloy (Rathcoleman).

Under 14 boys 1,500m – 1. Shane Fitzsimons (Collinstown), 2. Thomas Lynn (Milltown-Empor), 3. Philip Giles (Kinnegad), 4. Odhrain Daly (Ballinagore), 5. Stephen Lee (Mullingar), 6. Conor Dolan (Delvin), 7. Joshua Kelly (Delvin).

Under 16 boys 3,000m – 1. Warren Walsh (Rochfortbridge), 2. Thomas Fagan (Mount Temple), 3. David Moran (Multyfarnham).

Under 18 boys 5,000m – 1. Shane Boggs (Lynn Cross), 2. James Eagles (Mullingar).

Three-in-a-row for Mullingar at Star of the Sea AC Open Cross Country

Our juvenile athletes reinforced the Club’s reputation as one of the best cross country Clubs in the Country on Sunday 30th September at the Star of the Sea AC open cross country meeting in Stamullen, Co. Meath they won the Star of the Sea Shield for best juvenile club at the meeting for the third year in a row. In addition, to playing his part in gaining points towards the Shield, Shane Boggs was in magnificent form and retained the Sean Higgins Memorial Perpetual Cup presented to the winner of the race for boys under 17.

This competition was the first serious test of the season for our cross country runners, and judging by Sunday’s results, many from Mullingar should feature on the medal podium at this year’s Leinster Championships. After a slightly wet start, the rain clouds cleared and we enjoyed a beautiful autumn day in Meath. Teams of three were required to win points towards the Shield.

The girls under 9 were first into action and Niamh Quinn finished an excellent 3rd place, followed in by Susan Glennon and Sarah Glennon to take 3rd team and put the first points on the board for Mullingar. Eoghan Bracken and Jack Moran ran extremely well in the boys under 9 but lacked a vital third finisher for a team prize.

No such problem in the girls under 10 where we had three in the top 6, Rachel Glennon (2nd), Emma Glynn (3rd) and the fast-finishing Jennifer Coughlan (6th) to win individual prizes. The girls were well supported by Grace Walsh to win the team prize and gain more points for Mullingar. Kevin Giles finished very strongly in 3^rd place in the boys under 10, followed by Michael Moran in 9th but unfortunately we had no third finisher.

It was a similar story in the girls under 11, where Aisling Bracken finished 3rd and Faye Walsh finished 9th but there was no third finisher. Mullingar packed well in the boys under 11 with Oisin Quinn (6th), followed by Conor Duncan (7th), Glenn Gaffney (8th) and Ciaran Bracken (12th) to finish 1st team.

Edel Glennon and Stacey Darby ran really well in the girls under 12 but lacked the vital third finisher to gain team points. In the boys under 12, Padraig Moran was a runaway winner, supported by Brendan Keaveny in 9th, but again we had no third finisher.

Elizabeth Carr led all the way and was a comfortable winner in the girls under 13, and was well supported by Beth McGuire who had a great final sprint to place 4th, but it was down to Leanne Duncan as third finisher to provide the valuable points and ensured that the girls finished 2nd club. The boys under 13 team of Shane Fitzsimons (1st), Thomas Lynn (2nd), Philip Giles (5th), Anthony McGivney (10th), and Leigh Walsh (17th) made it look very easy and were clear winners of the team prize and should feature strongly for Leinster and National honours this year.

After a very good race where he always stayed in contention, Thomas Fagan finished an excellent 2nd place in the boys under 14.

Amie Giles finished strongly in 2nd place in the girls under 15 and was very well supported by Arlene Coughlan (4th) and Lisa Darby (10th) to easily win the team prize.

Aoife Hogan ran well in the girls under 17 where she stayed with the leaders throughout but in the closing stages was forced to drop back but still finished an excellent 3rd place. The final juvenile race of the day was the boys under 17 and featured Shane Boggs, Jake Byrne and Warren Walsh. This race proved to be a head-to-head clash between Shane and Jake and between them they set the pace for the race. However, it came down to Shane’s greater experience and he prevailed to win the race with a fine burst of finishing speed, with Jake in 3rd and the vital third score coming from Warren in 6th to win the team prize. Shane was delighted to retain the cup for winning this race but Jake must surely fancy his chances in 2008?

After so many fantastic performances, it was little surprise when it was announced that Mullingar had easily retained the Shield for best juvenile Club.

After the Juvenile programme concluded, it was the turn of the juniors, seniors and masters. Sarah Drew continues to make her comeback to competitive running and was satisfied with her performance in the junior women 3,000m where she finished a very good 4th place. The last race of the day was the men’s 6,000m where the junior, senior and master men ran together and had to negotiate four laps of the very challenging hilly course. Lee Stenson was in serious contention throughout, but in the closing stages had to yield to a very fast finishing challenger and settle for 2nd place but has to be pleased with the grit and determination he displayed during the race. Next in was Matt Glennon (2nd in his master age-category), followed by Paddy Kelly making a comeback after several years away from athletics, and John Carthy who had a fine run. All agreed that it was tough course but expressed satisfaction with their individual performances and know that there will be few tougher tests.

Overall, there were some great individual performances but also some spirited team running, which is essential for cross country success, and it bodes well for the Club in the forthcoming Leinster Championships. Sincere thanks to the many parents who travelled to support and encourage, as it does make a difference to the athletes to be cheered on.

NUI/AIB 4 miles Cross Country

Matt Glennon was in action again a week later (Sat 24th), this time 4 miles over cross country in the NUI/AIB race in Maynooth where he finished 18th overall of 149 runners, and was 3rd in his master age-category. Also running very well on a flat fast course was Liam McGlynn, Pat Muldoon (senior) and Ken Whitelaw, who all finished well up the rankings.

AAI Inter-Club Cross Country Championships

Last Saturday, at the AAI Inter-Club cross country championships at Sligo racecourse, Mullingar had three athletes in the senior women’s race. Competing on a deceptively tough course where a strong wind added to the problems, Caroline Harney had an excellent run and placed a very good 16th after a great sprint finish. Also competing and running well over the grueling 8km course was Eva Ross and Sarah Drew but a pity that Mullingar failed to field a full team.

Congratulations to Lee Stenson on his great performance in the junior men's race. Under testing conditions of soft ground and strong winds, not helped by the sharp incline up to the finish straight, Lee had a particularly good run over the 8,000m course and was rewarded with an excellent 8th place finish after an exciting sprint finish to the line. This rounds off Lee’s cross country season and his attention now turns to the outdoor track season.

All-Ireland Schools Cross Country Championships

Well done to Lee Stenson who represented Mullingar Community College and finished a very good 13th place in the Senior Boys All-Ireland cross country championships held in DCU on Saturday 3rd March). Weather conditions were far from ideal for running, but Lee is made of stern stuff. A very good result for Lee, especially considering that he was giving away a year in the event.

Inter-Varsity Cross Country

Running in the Inter-Varsity cross country championships in Athlone IT on Saturday 24th February, Sarah Mescall was the first scorer for NUI Galway followed in closely behind by Ruth Kearney to help NUIG to a 6th place overall finish. Louise Moore was the sole representative for Athlone IT and was close behind Ruth. In the men’s race, Jonathan Hartnett had a good run with the winning UCD team.

AAI Intermediate & Masters Cross Country Championships

Congratulations to Ben Vaitkavichius who won his first National title as he finished first in his age-category (24th overall in race) in the AAI Masters cross country last Sunday in Santry. Ben has waited a few years for this and was delighted with his win. Liam McGlynn and Sean McMullin ran extremely well, with Sean finishing 6th in his age-category, but the course was a quagmire of mud and clearly didn’t suit them. Like Ben, Geraldine Walsh was not put off by the conditions and finished third in her age-category in the women’s race to add another National medal to her collection. Our sole competitor in the Intermediate Championship was Eva Ross who ran well and was pleased with her performance despite the poor ground conditions. Congratulations to all the Mullingar athletes who competed so well in Santry.

Great day of competition in Carlow for Mullingar Harriers

Defying the awful weather forecast last Sunday, we had a very good turn out for the Leinster Senior and Junior Cross Country Championships and the Juvenile cross country relays in Tinryland, Co. Carlow. As it transpired, we were very fortunate to avoid any serious rain, though it was very cold and windy. A pity that some athletes failed to turn up, or even give any notice that they would not be turning up. Relay teams depend on a full turn-out, but fortunately, we had sufficient numbers on the day to put together some very good teams. Those who failed to turn up missed out on the opportunity to win a Leinster medal.

First race was the under 12 girls 4x250m relay and Mullingar was led off by Aisling Bracken, who passed the baton to Mairead Sayeh, who in turn passed to Elizabeth Carr. By the time the baton was passed to our final runner, Muirne Robinson, Mullingar had established a good lead but Muirne had to run very well to maintain the lead, which she did, and came home for the first gold medal of the day. This was a great team effort. Mullingar had an amazing four teams in the boys u/12 race. Gold went to Mullingar again, as Philip Giles crossed the finish line with a commanding lead to win for his team of Padraig Moran, Thomas Lynn and Shane Fitzsimons to the great cheers of the Mullingar supporters. Our second team was very unfortunate to come home in fourth place and so there were no medals for Alan Cox, Aaron Glynn, Daire Conway and Boidu Sayeh, though not for lack of effort by the boys. Our other teams of Conor Dolan, Oisin Quinn, Brendan Keaveney and Anthony McGivney and of Glenn Gaffney, Sean Reville, Niall McGowan and Leigh Walsh ran very well but also finished out of the medals. Mullingar is very fortunate to have such talent in depth and should be able to field some great relay teams in indoor and outdoor Championships this year.

Lisa Darby led the girls u/14 off in the 4x500m and after a very good run passed the baton to Arlene Coughlan in second place but not far off the leader. Arlene had a fantastic run and passed over to Amie Giles in the lead, but despite the best efforts of Amie she had to relinquish the lead but passed over to Caroline Keaveney in a comfortable second place, which Caroline held to the finish to take the silver medals. In the boys u/14, David Whelan led off and passed the baton over in second place to David Moran who held second place before passing over to Shane Kelleher. Shane really flew the 500m and just caught up to the leader as he passed over to James Pearce who despite a great effort was run down by three other fast finishing teams in the closing stages and finished in fourth place, just outside the medals.

Unfortunately, we had no girls u/16 team, but in the boys u/16, Warren Walsh took the lead leg and ran very well before passing over to Adam Boardman who also ran a great race. Shane Boggs really put in a tremendous effort to put Mullingar back in contention for gold medals but despite the efforts of Shane Fagan on the last leg as he closed rapidly on the leader over the final 100m, the finish line came too soon and the team had to settle for second place, but the boys were more than pleased with their medals. Relay racing is all about team effort and no one individual can win a race on their own, no matter how good they are. Our Juveniles showed great commitment to each other and ran their hearts out to try and give as much lead as possible to their team mates.

After the excitement of the relays, it was the turn of the women’s Junior team to show their talents over 3,000m. No surprise that Ruth Kearney was our first finisher and showed her class to finish in an excellent 4th place. Next in for Mullingar was Arlene Coughlan in 8th, followed closely by Amie Giles in 11th, Sarah Whelan in 14th and Lisa Darby in 17th to secure silver medals for second Club. Most of this team is quite young and will be under-age for a few more years so more medals should come their way in the future.

Lee Stenson was with the leaders all the way to the final lap in the Junior men’s 6,000m but had to drop back a little over the final lap as the pace picked up, but he held his form well and finished strongly in 3rd place to win a well deserved individual bronze medal. Shane Boggs also ran very well and finished strongly in 13th place, followed closely by Jonathan Hartnett in 17th place and Adam Boardman in 22nd place to take bronze medals for third Club. Also running very well in their first outing at Junior level were Warren Walsh, Shane Fagan, David Whelan and David Moran.
In the senior women’s 3,000m Eva Ross had a very good run and finished well up the field and led home the team of Sarah Mescall, Vera McCool, Ciara Dillon and Louise Moore. It was great to see a senior women’s team in action and all running well.

Final race of the day was the senior men’s 10,000m where Mullingar was led home by Ben Vaitkavichius after a particularly good run as Master athlete Ben mixed it very well with the senior men. Next in was another Master having a good run, Matt Glennon, and he was followed home by Patrick Muldoon showing a return to form and the team was completed by Liam McGlynn who found the 10,000m course challenging but was pleased with his performance. Very many thanks to the parents who travelled in number and gave tremendous encouragement and vocal support, despite the biting cold and wind.

Mullingar Harriers goes International

Competing in the Belfast International Cross Country in Stormont Estate on 6th January last, some of our athletes had their first taste of international competition as they competed against some of the best underage boys and girls from England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. Held in the magnificent grounds of the Stormont Estate, the course was laid out over tough hilly terrain with some very soft conditions underfoot in places to add to the challenge. The Belfast International is part of a series of races for UK athletes with very generous cash prizes to be won, so the very best in Britain were in action.

The event also marked the first International vest for Sarah Mescall who competed with the Irish team in the Celtic International under 23 women’s race. Since joining Mullingar Harriers at a young age, Sarah has regularly competed at the highest National level and joins a long and growing list of Mullingar athletes who have received International honours. Her first Irish vest is a well deserved reward for many years of dedication to the sport. Sarah finished 10th overall in the under 23 race and was the third finisher for Ireland, which was an excellent international debut.

Elizabeth Carr was our sole competitor in the girls under 13 race over 1800m where after a terrific race she finished an excellent 4th. This was a remarkable result against such a top quality field and over a significantly longer distance than the 1000m that Elizabeth is more used to and demonstrates what a great athletic talent she is. In the corresponding boys u/13 event, Shane Fitzsimons also had a spirited run to finish 6th against boys who were over a year older. Following closely behind was Padraig Moran in 14th place (a great result as he will be underage again next year) and close on his heels in 18th place was a fast finishing Thomas Lynn, followed in by Philip Giles, Daire Conway, Aaron Glynn, Conor Dolan, Anthony McGivney and Sean Reville to earn 2nd place overall for the team.

Under 15 girls compete over 1500m in Ireland, so it was quite a challenge for our u/15 team to race over 3600m but the girls rose magnificently to the challenge. The team was led home by Arlene Coughlan who finished a great 13th place and even managed a fast sprint finish to the line. Also running well and finishing strongly in support were Amie Giles, Sarah Whelan and Lisa Darby to finish 5th team. The boys u/15 are more used to 2000m but Thomas Fagan, David Whelan, Warren Walsh, James McGovern and Sean McAnaney ran well and finished strongly in a tight group and were well pleased with their performances.

Aoife Hogan led the field out with a strong start in the girls u/17 race over 3600m but paid for her early exuberance as the length of the race took its toll eventually. First in for Mullingar was Maria McGivney but Aiofe seemed to find renewed strength in the latter stages and finished with a late sprint. In the boys u/17, Lee Stenson was first finisher for Mullingar, followed by Adam Boardman, Shane Fagan, David Moran and Damien Palfreyman who battled valiantly with the 5600m course, which was beginning to break up underfoot after so many races.

There was a huge field of 105 athletes in the Masters Men 5600m where Ben Vaitkavichius finished 18th overall and 2nd in his age-category to earn a prize. Also having an excellent run was Matt Glennon who finished well up in his age-category.

The final race of the day with a Mullingar interest was the Womens 5600m where Caroline Harney was competing for Wrexham AC, the Club she runs with while she studies in England. Caroline had a very good run and finished well up the field and was pleased with her performance after the race. Overall, it was a great trip to Belfast and was certainly an eye-opener for some of our juvenile athletes as they pitted themselves against some of the best juvenile athletes in Britain. An added treat was to watch the Senior Mens 9km and see some class African athletes up close.