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Christmas
morning GOAL mile run
Many
thanks to all those who supported the GOAL mile run at the Club grounds on Christmas morning. This was one of 55 such events
held around the Country. There was a mile run (or walk or jog) every 15 minutes or so, but the emphasis was on fun rather
than competition. We had a great turn out and even though there was no snow, everyone got into the festive mood and had a
great time. The money raised will be used by GOAL to help the poorest people in third world countries that desperately need
help.
Leinster
Star Awards
Two
of Mullingar’s most experienced juvenile athletes rounded-off 2006 in style by being nominated for Leinster Star Awards.
The awards are for performances during 2006 at indoor, outdoor and cross-country Leinster Championships. No surprise then
that the recipients are Sarah Drew and Stephen Moran, as they have consistently performed with distinction at Leinster level
throughout the year, and went on to take honours at National level too. Stephen has won the award for the last three years
in a row, and Amy has won it three times in four years, which is magnificent consistency. No surprise either that Mullingar
Harriers retained the Jimmy Morrissey Perpetual Trophy for the best Juvenile cross country Club in Leinster. Well done to
all our Juvenile athletes for helping to retain the cup once again, which Mullingar has won every year since it was first
presented six years ago. The awards will be presented at a gala dinner in Carlow in early January.
Medal Winning Finish to 2006 Season for Mullingar Harriers
The Club is extremely fortunate to have
access to the magnificent facilities of Belvedere House and Gardens for training. This has played a major part in the success
of the Club over the past year, culminating in the fantastic haul of individual titles and Club medals in the AAI National
Cross Country Championships in Dungarvan two weeks ago and in Athlone IT last Saturday, which confirms Mullingar Harriers
as one of the best Clubs in Ireland. Sincere thanks to Westmeath County Council for supporting the Club and the young people
of Mullingar and Westmeath in this way, and in particular to Manager, Bartle Darcy and all the staff at Belverdere.
Competing on a Saturday for a change,
Mullingar Harriers was out in force for the AAI National Cross Country Championships in Athlone IT on 9th December. Well
done and thanks to Athlone IT for hosting an extremely good Championships.
First
in action was Aisling Bracken in the girls under 11. Despite being only u/10, Aisling ran a very good race and finished strongly.
Aisling will be under-age again next year and will have benefited greatly from the experience and there is little doubt that
she will be challenging for medal honours next year. In
the boys u/11, Mullingar’s first medal of the day came courtesy of Padraig Moran who finished 3rd after a great battle
throughout the race where he was always in contention. Padraig also won a bronze medal with the Leinster team. Next in was
Gavin Moore, followed by Daire Conway, Boidu Sayeh (who had an inspired run), Brendan Keaveney, Shane Giles, Glenn Gaffney,
Oisin Quinn, Conor Duncan, James Lenehen and Iarlaith Daly who all packed well to put Mullingar in 3rd Club position. This
is a young team and one to watch for the future.
Clearly
inspired by the performance of the boys u/11, Elizabeth Carr was our sole competitor in the girls u/13, but what a competitor.
Despite giving away a year she drew on her considerable talent and having stayed with the leading pack all the way she struck
for home at the vital moment and pulled away with great confidence to record a memorable victory to the delight of the assembled
supporters from Mullingar. Shane Fitzsimons was also giving away a year competing in the boys u/13 but such is his talent
that he set a fierce early pace and struck mercilessly at just the right moment to pull away from the field and win another
National title by a wide margin. Following behind was Thomas Lynn and both Shane and Thomas won bronze medals with the Leinster
team. The vital third and fourth scorers were Aaron Glynn and Philip Giles, which secured the bronze medals for 3rd Club.
Packing well in support were Anthony McGivney, Odhrain Daly, Alan Cox, Conor Dolan, Niall McGovern and Sean Reville. This
was a great team performance.
Arlene
Coughlan ran the race of her life in the girls u/15 where she finished very strongly but narrowly missed out on winning a
medal with the Leinster team. Adam Boardman was the next medal winner, in the boys u/15, when he finished 8th place for an
individual medal and also won a silver medal with the Leinster team. The team of Warren Walsh, Thomas Fagan, David Moran and
Shane Kelleher packed well behind but the boys were very unlucky to finish 4th Club and were denied bronze medals by a narrow
margin.
Most other Clubs looked on in envy as
Mullingar fielded a full Club and County team in the girls u/17 where our first finisher was Maria McGivney, followed by Grace
Kearney, Maud Foley, Sarah Whelan, Jessica Lynch, Louise Darby, Aoife Hogan, Emily McCormack and Claire Flynn but such is
the standard of competition at this level, no medals were won. We only had two competitors in the boys u/17, Shane Boggs and
Damien Palfreyman. Shane sets himself a high standard and was not happy with his performance but will learn from the race
and bounce back better and stronger next time. Damien competed well but it was a pity that we had no team.
The girls u/19 team was led home by Ruth
Kearney, followed by Sarah Drew, Aisling Bannon and Amy Drew to win bronze medals for 3rd Club. Ruth and Sarah also won bronze
medals with the Leinster team. Paul Flynn was our sole representative in the boys u/19 where he ran a good race to round off
the Juvenile programme. In the 3km novice race for women, Sarah Mescall ran well as did Fr. Mark English, running for his
native County Meath, in the 6km novice race for men.
In
summary, it was an excellent Championships for Mullingar, winning 2 individual titles, a further 2 individual medals, 3 bronze
Club medals, and 6 Leinster team medals. Taken in conjunction with the performances in Dungarvan two weeks ago, there is little
dispute that Mullingar is one of the best Clubs in Ireland, and is extremely fortunate to have such talent in depth.
European Cross Country Championships
The
Club was very excited with the prospect of Martin Fagan and Mark Christie going head to head as equals with the best in Europe
in the European Cross Country Championships in Italy on 10th December. However,
this was to be a very disappointing Championships for both. In the senior event, Martin was a serious pre-race contender for
a medal in light of his recent great form in the USA,
but he was forced to sit out the race due to illness. This was a cruel blow as Martin had been building up to these Championships
for a long time. Mark ran in the under 23 race where he was right up with the leading pack all the way to the 6km mark,
but after that he began to drop back slowly as the pace up front slowly increased. He was disappointed with his 19th place
finish, some 30 seconds off the winner. There wasn’t even the consolation of a team medal, as Ireland finished in 4th place, just 8 points off a medal place. Such are the vagaries
of athletics at this and at any level, but both Martin and Mark are seasoned athletes and will put it all down to experience.
Injury Robs Kevin Duggan of Inter-varsity Medal
At
the Irish Universities Indoor Track and Field Championships held at the Nenagh Indoor Complex last week-end, competing for
NUI Galway, Kevin Duggan thought that he had won a silver medal in the 60m only to learn that due to a false start, the race
had to be re-run. The athletes did not hear the recall siren as it was too low due to a fault. Unfortunately, in the re-run
10 minute later, as Kevin was about 10m from the finish and in a medal position, a hamstring problem forced him to slow rapidly
to avoid serious damage and robbed him of the medal. Earlier in the day he had come safely through the heats of the 60m and
the 200m but obviously the hamstring problem ruled him out of any further participation in the Championships. Also competing
at the Championships, it was good to see Brendan Marshall running for DCU in the 60m heats but he got caught up in a fast
heat and did not progress to the final. We look forward to seeing Brendan competing for Mullingar this coming year.
Jingle Bells 5km Road Race
Despite
the ferocious wind and rain on Sunday 3rd December, a number of hardy Club members took to the line for the
Donore Harriers AC Jingle Bells 5km Road Race held in leafy Phoenix Park, though most of the leaves were swirling wildly around
the feet of the runners. Taking part were Matt Glennon, Aidan Gorry, Liam McGlynn, Kieran Nolan, Aidan Smith and Eileen Gorry.
Doubtless they should have received special awards for bravery for taking on the elements as they did. Well done to one and
all for surviving.
Mark Christie wins major cross country title to crown successful Championships for Mullingar Harriers
Competing
in the AAI Inter-County Cross Country Championships on Sunday 26th in Dungarvan, Co. Waterford, Mark Christie had two
important aims in mind – to win his first Senior cross country title and to secure selection for the European Cross
Country Championships in San Giorgio su Legnano, Italy on 10th December, and join fellow Club man, Martin Fagan, who has been
pre-selected.
A
field of some of the best cross country runners in Ireland
took to the line for the 10km race run over 5 laps on a greasy and in places very soft surface. Mark quickly settled in to
a steady rhythm and always looked very comfortable and in control as he stayed with the leading group. He was right there
when a break was made after 3 laps and going in to the last lap he looked a gold medal prospect such was the ease of his running.
He made his decisive move about 1km from the finish and opened a gap that was never going to be easy to close and as he wound
up the pace, one by one, his opponents fell back. Crossing the line he gave his familiar salute and punched the air to the
delight of the assembled crowd, and in particular his supporters from Mullingar.
During
the post-race interviews Mark outlined how he had approached the race with great confidence that he was going to win. Favouring
drier conditions than presented in Dungarvan, Mark focussed on the job in hand and reminded everyone that he had always performed
very well on this particular course in the past and was confident before the race that he would do so again. Despite the pressure
of course work at DCU where he is pursuing a Masters Degree in Economics, which meant many late nights and long hours of study,
Mark still managed to find time to train and was very pleased with his preparations for the race. Conditions in Italy will suit Mark better as course in Europe are generally
much drier.
While
much of the focus of attention was understandably on Mark’s fantastic performance, Mullingar was also represented by
Damien Bateman, on a surprise visit home from McNeese
University, in Louisiana, USA where he too is pursuing his studies for a Masters Degree. Needless to say,
conditions were not what Damien is used to in Louisiana.
Being more a track specialist the distance was longer than he is used to of late but he nonetheless ran extremely well and
was very pleased with his performance. Finally, mention must be made of Fr. Mark English who was competing for his native
County Meath
in the Inter-County event where he ran a very good race and played his part in his team’s performance, giving his all
in the effort. Also Sarah Mescall had an excellent 10th place in the Junior Women’s 4km race.
Earlier
in the day, the Juvenile AAI National Cross Country Championships for even-ages were held. Mullingar got off to a winning
start as the pre-race favourite, Elizabeth Carr, ran a tactically perfect race in the girls under 12 and pulled away from
the field at just the right time to win a National title in great style and add to the many others she has won over the last
2 years. Also competing was Beth McGuire who ran very well but there was no team to support her efforts.
In
the corresponding boys event, not only had Mullingar an individual pre-race favourite in Shane Fitzsimons, but also the entire
Mullingar and Westmeath teams were also favourites. Those labels didn’t bear heavily on these young boys shoulders and
Shane duly did what he does best and he pulled the field asunder in characteristic style to win by a comfortable margin. Competition
for places on the u/12 team is very keen and there is fierce but friendly rivalry between all team members. This was evident
in the battle had by newcomers Padraig Moran and Thomas Lynn as they raced each other to the line to finish 6th and 7th respectively.
Coming
in hot on their heels was Philip Giles as the fourth scorer for Mullingar and ensured the gold medals for first Club. Next
in were Aaron Glynn and the fast finishing Odhrain Daly who ensured that Westmeath won gold medals for first County. In addition
to Club and County honours, Shane, Padraig and Thomas also won gold medals as Leinster won
first Province. Finally, also playing an important role in the teams were Anthony McGivney and Brendan Keaveney who both ran
very well and can bask in the glory of the clean sweep of gold medals. All the members of this team deserve full credit for
their dedication over the past number of weeks as they focussed on producing their best performances in the finals.
In
the girls u/14, our first finisher was Arlene Coughlan who was also competing for Leinster
and contributed to the winning of silver medals for second Province. Arlene was supported by Amie Giles and Lisa Darby who
ran brilliant races to finish only a few places behind, followed by Caroline Keaveney and Cliodhna Daly. Despite the girls’
great efforts, there were no Club medals. Thomas Fagan was Mullingar’s first finisher in the boys u/14 and he was rewarded
for his efforts by a bronze medal for Leinster. Thomas was well supported by James McGovern,
David Whelan, James Pearce and Shane Kelleher who grouped well but such was the standard of competition, there were no medals
won by Mullingar.
Despite
having qualified teams for every race of these Championships, for the second time of the day, Mullingar failed to field a
full team. Aoife Hogan, Sarah Whelan and Claire Flynn ran very well in the girls u/16, but without a team, their efforts went
unrewarded. The girls battled well though and deserve full credit for effort. The boys u/16 team was led home as usual by
Shane Boggs who won a silver medal with Leinster. Shane was supported by Adam Boardman, Warren
Walsh, Shane Fagan and David Moran who all battled bravely but competition at this level is intense and the boys were unlucky
not to win Club medals.
It
was great to see Mullingar field full Club and County teams in the girls u/18, where our first finisher was Ruth Kearney,
followed in by Sarah Drew and Grace Kearney as the three girls contributed to the bronze medal success of Leinster.
The top three were very well supported by Maria McGivney, Aisling Bannon, Jessica Lynch, a fast-finishing Louise Darby, and
Emily McCormack but despite running great races, the girls finished in the cruel 4th Club place and were denied medals.
The
final Juvenile race was the boys u/18, where again Mullingar failed to field a full team. Lee Stenson was having a very good
run up to the closing stages, lying a comfortable 5th place, when he suffered a particularly nasty and painful spike injury
with about 1km to the finish. The injury was examined after the race and was considered serious enough to possibly require
stitches, but despite the pain he battled on bravely but fell back to finish 12th and the pain was evident in the closing
stages as he was unable to raise the pace to fight off fast-finishing opponents as they passed him in the final run in to
the finish. Lee had some consolation with the gold medal he won for his contribution to the Leinster
team. Paul Flynn had an excellent race and expressed great satisfaction with his performance, as did Damien Palfreyman who
the third finisher for Mullingar.
Overall,
it was an excellent Championships for Mullingar, starting and finishing the day with exciting victories, and picking up a
total of 6 individual medals, Club gold, a County gold, and 10 Leinster medals along the
way.
The
trip to Dungarvan necessitated an overnight stay in Tramore and the Club wishes to thank all those who assisted in organising
the trip, especially the parents, too numerous to mention, who stayed overnight with the teams. Without the supervisory presence
of parents, such an undertaking would be impossible. Thanks are also due to the parents and supporters, again too many to
mention, who travelled down in great number on the day. The Club is very lucky to have such a dedicated group of parents and
supporters.
Intervarsity Road Relays
On
a bitterly cold day around the grounds of NUI Maynooth, the Intervarsity road relays were held on Saturday 18th November.
The men competed in a five leg relay over 1-2-3-2-1 miles. The men’s race saw the DCU team, which included Mark Christie,
looking to regain the title they lost last year to UCD. Going into the crucial 3-mile leg, the UCD team led by over 100m.
However, Mark Christie blasted the first lap and soon joined the UCD man at the front. The pair ran together for the remainder
of the leg but despite Mark Christie’s valiant efforts, handing over in joint first place, over the following two legs,
DCU fell back to finish in second place. The women’s race was a four leg relay over 1-2-2-1 miles. Sarah Mescall
and Ruth Kearney both ran a 2 mile to help NUI Galway to 8th place overall.
Martin Fagan finishes an excellent fifth in USA
Martin
Fagan ran his final cross country race for Providence College
when he competed at the NCAA Championships on Monday 20th November at the Wabash
Valley Family Sports
Center in Terre Haute, Indiana. Martin earned All-America honours for the second-straight season as he placed fifth
overall with a time of 31:01. The race was won in 30:44, with only 8 seconds to spare over the second place finisher who was
only one second ahead of third place. Just a further 6 seconds separated third and fourth with Martin just one second behind
fourth. The final sprint to the finish was clearly a very exciting battle, with only seconds between the four runners competing
for second to fifth places. Providence College
finished in 9th place, which marks the 14th time Providence
has finished among the top-10 in the team standings. This was a great finish to Martin’s very successful career on the
US Collegiate cross country circuit and his attention now turns to the European Cross Country Championships where he will
join fellow Club man Mark Christie on the Irish team.
Martin Fagan continues his winning streak in the USA
On Saturday
11th November, Martin Fagan won the men's 10k race at the NCAA Regional Cross Country Championships at Van Cortlandt
Park in the Bronx, New York in a time of 30:40.7. He completed
the course a staggering 45 seconds ahead of the second-place finisher and led his Providence
College team to a second place finish and automatic qualification to the NCAA Cross
Country Championships in Terre Haute, Indiana
on 20th November. This is Martin’s final year of an athletics scholarship at Providence
College where he has clearly benefited greatly from competing against
some of the best up-and-coming athletes and has himself matured into a truly top class senior athlete.
Four individual titles for Mullingar Harriers in Leinster Cross Country
It
was always going to be difficult to better the performance of our Juvenile athletes in Belvedere two weeks ago, but the second
round of the Leinster Cross Country Championships (for uneven ages) held in Avondale House, Rathdrum, Co. Wicklow last Sunday
was proof positive that Mullingar Harriers is the truly dominant Club in Juvenile cross country in Leinster. Avondale is a
beautiful setting, and with the trees in magnificent autumn colour and the weather very mild on the day – it was ideal
for competitors and spectators alike.
The
first race of the day was the girls under 11, featuring some of our youngest athletes who will still be under-age again next
year. A very big field of girls raced from the start and there were plenty of Mullingar singlets near the front and in the
pack. First in for the Club was Aisling Bracken who finished in 7th place after a fantastic race, which secures her place
on the Leinster team in the National Finals in Athlone IT on Saturday 9th December. Following Aisling in was Edel Glennon,
Sinead Nolan, Stacey Darby, Emma Glynn, Faye Walsh, Rachel Glennon and Claudia Claffey. The whole team ran very well but despite
that, no team medals were won, such was the standard of competition.
Padraig
Moran was our first individual winner of the day after a dramatic sprint finish to the line in the boys u/11. Padraig was
excellently supported by Brendan Keaveney, Daragh Conway, Glenn Gaffney, Iarlaith Daly, Oisin Quinn, Boidu Sayeh, Shame Giles,
James Lenehen, Conor Duncan and Ciaran Bracken as the boys raced their hearts out and secured medals for 2nd Club and 2nd
County to earn their places in the National Finals.
Running
out of her age-group, Elizabeth Carr was under no pressure in the girls u/13 race and took full advantage and ran a tactically
sound race to win easily, for Mullingar’s second individual title. Caroline Keaveney and Eadaoin Daly competed well
in support but unfortunately there was no 4th girl to make up a team. No such problem for the boys u/13, where Shane Fitzsimons
led his team to victory in great style. Pulling away with an amazing burst of speed about 400m from the finish, Shane was
a clear winner, Mullingar’s third of the day. Shane led a large team of Thomas Lynn, Aaron Glynn. Philip Giles, Odhrain
Daly, Alan Cox, Conor Dolan, Niall McGowan, Sean Reville, James Pearse and Anthony McGivney, as they ran very well and packed
well in support to play an important part in winning medals for 1st Club and 3rd County.
Arlene
Coughlan continues to improve with each race and was 12th in the girls u/15, and secured her place on the Leinster
team. Running extremely well in support were Amy Giles, Lisa Darby and Cliodhna Daly but the competition was fierce and no
team medals were won. The fourth and final individual title came from Adam Boardman in the boys u/15, where he was always
in control of the race and when the time came to break away, he moved up a gear and cruised to victory. Following closely
behind was Thomas Fagan, Warren Walsh, James Eagles, David Moran, Shane Kelleher, James McGovern and Sean McAnaney who ran
great races and ensured that Mullingar won medals for 2nd Club and Westmeath finished 4th County.
Some
Clubs find it difficult to field teams in the older Juvenile girls age-groups, but no such problem for Mullingar who fielded
a full Club and County team at girls u/17. Grace Kearney was first in for the Club in 11th place, followed closely behind
by Maud Foley, Maria McGivney and Jessica Lynch to win medals for 2nd Club. Next in were Aoife Hogan and Louise Darby with
the vital scores to take 4th County. Always running well in support of the team were Claire Flynn and Emily McCormack. This
is a great team of girls that work hard for each other. We only had two competitors in the boys u/17 but Joey Cleary and Damien
Palfreyman ran well and were pleased with their performances.
In
the girls u/19, Ruth Kearney ran her typical tenacious race and was never far off the leaders right to the end where she finished
a well deserved 5th place, followed closely by Sarah Drew in 15th, then by Aisling Bannon and Amy Drew to win medals for 2nd
Club and 3rd County.
The
final race of the day involving Mullingar athletes was the boys u/19 where Lee Stenson and Paul Flynn took on the punishing
hills of the 6,000m course but were more than able for the challenge. After a great race where the lead was never far from
Lee, he had to settle for 3rd place but was very pleased as he is only u/18. Paul was also competing out of his age and was
extremely pleased with his fantastic 11th place finish. They will now run for Leinster in
the National Finals.
On
the conclusion of this second round of the Championships, five Club teams had won medals, and five County teams had won medals.
In addition to the four individual titles won on the day, this is a great result for the Club and testament to the hard work
put in at training by our Juvenile athletes.
Dublin City Marathon
Well done to Katherine Kenny who completed the Adidas Dublin
City Marathon on Bank Holiday Monday, 30th October. Having competed last year, Katherine knew what to expect and she
ran a very consistent pace throughout, and improved on the time she ran in 2005 by nearly 2 minutes, with a finish (chip)
time of just under 4 hours. She finished an excellent 77th place out of 389 finishers in her Master’s age-category,
which is a great achievement.
Martin Fagan successfully defends Big East title in a record time
Competing last Friday (27th October)
at Franklin Park, Boston, Martin Fagan successfully defended his title by winning the men’s 8,000m event at the 2006
Big East Cross Country Championship and also led his Providence College team to victory in the Men’s team event. Martin’s
winning time of 23 minutes 9 seconds is a new course record, which eclipsed the previous best time of 23:21 set in 2000. Martin
is the first men's Conference athlete to win back-to-back individual titles since 1988 and 1989. Interviewed after the race,
Martin said that this is his fifth and final year competing in the Big East and it means a lot to win the event, especially
coming back from last season to win it again and it is definitely an added bonus to also capture the team title.
A memorable day of cross country running in Belvedere
Mercifully, the doom and gloom storm and tempest forecast for last Sunday failed to materialise and the
first round of the Leinster Cross Country Championships took place in near perfect cool but dry weather conditions with virtually
no wind. It is only fitting to begin with a very special word of thanks to all who helped to make this event a memorable success.
The Club is extremely fortunate to have a solid core of members, former members and parents to draw on to assist in preparing
the course, stewarding and helping out on the day with the thousand and one tasks required. Without this help, we could not
dream to host such an event. The positive feed-back from competitors, Leinster officials, and officials from other Counties
and Clubs was very positive and all who helped out on the day in however small a way can reflect in the glory of a satisfying
job very well done. Also, many thanks to the Management and staff of Belvedere House and Gardens, to Westmeath County Council,
Westmeath Civil Defence and the Gardai for their invaluable assistance.
Before the Championships proper began, it was the turn of some of our stars of the future to test the course
in Open races for boys and girls under 10. These were Non-Championship races, but despite that, competition was fierce and
all were determined to place in the top 20 and receive a special commemorative medal. In the girl’s event, Aisling Bracken
ran a tremendous race and finished first and won the gold medal. Aisling was followed closely by Emma Glynn, Nicole Correy,
Jennifer Coughlan, Faye Walsh and Rachel Glennon (who competed bravely despite being quite ill during the week). All the girls
ran very well and thoroughly deserved their medals. The boy’s race was just as exciting as Glenn Gaffney was narrowly
beaten into 2nd place. He was followed in by Iarlaith Daly who had a great run, and was well supported by Kevin Giles, James
Lehehen, Conor Duncan and Michael Moran, who all ran very well and received medals. Some of these young boys and girls will
be competing at under 11 in two weeks times in Wicklow.
The Championships proper began with the race for girls under 12. This was to be the biggest field in the
Juvenile races and it was some sight to see 138 runners race out from the start and up the first hill. Elizabeth Carr took
up where she left off last year and was an impressive winner with a good margin of victory. However, an important element
of cross country running is the team, and Elizabeth was well supported by a strong-finishing Beth McGuire, then by Fiona Coyle,
Michelle Murtagh, Edel Glennon, Linda Conroy, Stacey Darby, Faye Dunne, Sinead Nolan, Orla Tubridy and Niamh Moran who all
packed well and ensured that Mullingar won gold medals for first Club. The boys u/12 were not going to be outdone and after
an equally impressive run as he led the field of 101 athletes around the course, there was an emphatic victory for Shane Fitzsimons,
and afterwards he looked like he could have run the course again if asked. Padraig Moran in 5th place, Aaron Glynn in 10th,
and Thomas Lynn in 11th brilliantly supported Shane and as they all finished in the top 12, they secured places on the Leinster
team in the National Finals. More importantly however, Mullingar was first Club. The vital 5th and 6th place County scores
came from Philip Giles and Odhrain Daly and after their great runs, the boys went one better than the girls and won gold medals
for Westmeath as first County. Also competing well and playing their part in the victories were Brendan Keaveney, Alan Cox,
Gavin Moore, Robert Kenny, Anthony McGivney, Cormac Horan, Niall McGowan and Donagh Conway, many of whom were giving away
a year but still ran very well.
Winning medals for Mullingar seemed to become the order of the day and in the girls u/14, Arlene Coughlan
finished very strongly in 5th place to lead her team home, followed closely by Amy Giles in 11th place and Lisa Darby in 12th
place, ensuring all three would be on the Leinster team. Next in was Caroline Keaveney for the important fourth Club score
to win first Club for Mullingar. Cliodhna Daly and Hannah Moore finished well and were next in and also running well and supporting
the team were Eimear Flynn and Eadaoin Daly. In the boys u/14, Thomas Fagan had a fantastic race and finished in 5th place
to book his place in the National Finals on the Leinster team. Thomas was well supported by James McGovern and Shane Kelleher
who both had great runs and finished well up in the field. James Pearse, Anthony Kelly, Sean Reville and Alex O’Brien,
who all ran well, followed them in and the team won medals for fourth Club.
Maud Foley made a welcome return to cross country running and she finished very strongly to lead her team
home in the girls u/16. Maud was well supported by Sarah Whelan who had a great race and Anna Broderick also making a welcome
return to cross country running, and the vital fourth runner was Claire Flynn. Despite the fact that Aoife Hogan had to drop
out of the race due to injury, which no doubt impacted on the team’s overall performance, the girls still won medals
for fourth Club. We hadn’t seen a Mullingar winner for a while but Shane Boggs soon put that right in the boys u/16
when after a typical controlled race as he bided his time and ran just behind the leading group, he hit the front on a tough
uphill section when it hurts most and pulled away to secure a popular victory. Finishing strongly in 9th place was Adam Boardman,
followed closely by Shane Fagan and then by Patrick Carty, Warren Walsh, David Moran and Sean McAnaney who all ran very well
and ensured that Mullingar was second Club.
It was great to see a full team in the
girls u/18 where Ruth Kearney finished a magnificent 4th, and was supported by Sarah Drew in 11th and Aisling Bannon
in 12th, followed closely by Grace Kearney in 14th to secure the team gold for first Club. Maria McGivney and Louise Darby
were next in and with 6 finishers in the top 20 the gold medals for first County were secure. Jessica Lynch and Emily McCormack
made up the rest of the team and ran very well in support. The final Juvenile race was the boys u/18 where Lee Stenson ran
very well and was our top finisher in 3rd place, followed by Paul Flynn, Johannes Von Casal, Joey Cleary and Damien Palfreyman
to secure third place medals for Mullingar and conclude the Juvenile programme.
Running in the Novice Womens race, Sarah
Mescall led the Mullingar team home when she finished an excellent 5th place, followed in by Ruth Holton, Caroline Boyle,
Aine Devanney and Anne Correy who all ran terrific races and packed well and won medals for fourth County. This was excellent
result for the ladies. We had no team in the Novice Men, but Fr. Mark English and Aidan Correy took on the gruelling 6,000m
course and after running very well both were pleased with their performances.
Vera McCool ran brilliantly in the Master
Women’s race where she finished an excellent 7th place overall and 5th in her age-category. Next in for Mullingar was
Brigid McCabe who was 2nd in her category, followed by Breeda McDonnell who was 3rd in her category. Overall, Mullingar was
second Club. The final event was the Master Mens 6,000m where Mullingar fielded a full Club and County team, which was only
fitting as we were competing on home soil. By the time this race got underway, parts of the course had cut up rough but the
Mullingar men were up to the task. Ben Vaitkavichius was our first finisher, in 13th place overall and 2nd in his age-category.
Next in was Matt Glennon who had a great run, followed by Liam McGlynn also running well, Pat Muldoon Senior (5th in category),
Sean McMullin (not surprisingly, 1st in category), Greg Duggan, Paul McCool and Nicky McCabe (3rd in category) who all expressed
satisfaction with their races and the personal battles they fought of “races within races” on the way.
With team medals won in all the Juvenile races, this was surely one of the best performances
by Mullingar in a Leinster Championships for many years by any standards and Mullingar will now be very well represented in
the National Finals in Dungarvan on 26th November.
Martin Fagan wins top-class race in USA In his final USA
Collegiate cross-country season, competing for Providence College where he in his final year of an athletics scholarship,
Martin Fagan put down an early marker of his form when winning the prestigious Pre-Nationals 8,000m on Saturday 14th October
in Terre Haute, Indiana. This competition draws together some of the very best athletes from some of the biggest Colleges
in the USA. Martin’s time was an impressive 23 minutes 30.3 seconds, a clear 6 seconds ahead of the second place finisher.
That’s an incredible average of 4:42 per mile. Martin’s victory helped Providence to 6th place in the team competition.
Gerry Farnan Cross Country
Last Sunday (15th October), Mullingar Harriers was well represented in the Annual Metro St. Brigid’s AC “Gerry
Farnan” Cross Country in the Phoenix Park, Dublin. This is an Open race but includes the trials for selection for the
British and Irish Masters International Cross Country, which will be held in Falkirk, Scotland on 18th November. Conditions
were ideal, being quite warm for October, so the ground was dry and firm underfoot, and as the course is quite flat it was
also very fast. After a terrific battle in the Men’s 5 mile race, honours went to Mullingar’s Mark Christie who
beat a top quality field, reinforcing his reputation as a truly class athlete and putting down an early marker as the man
to watch for this cross country season.
In the Master’s categories, Ben Vaitevichius had an excellent race
over the 5 miles, finishing 2nd in his age-category. Ben was followed in by Sean McMullin who was 3rd in his age-category.
Pat Muldoon Senior also ran well as did Christy Creagh, though Christy was hampered by a hamstring injury. Geraldine Walsh
was the only Mullingar representative in the ladies 3 mile event, finishing well up in her Master’s age-category. Overall,
excellent running from this band of dedicated Masters athletes from the club. Geraldine, Ben and Sean all qualified to represent
Ireland in the upcoming 5 Nations International Cross-Country.
Very Successful Westmeath Cross Country Championships
Over the last two Sundays, the Westmeath Cross Country Championships
were held in ideal weather conditions in the beautiful surroundings of Belvedere House and Gardens. The first round (on 1st
October) was for the Juvenile uneven age-groups and the second round (on 8th October) was for the even age-groups, in addition
to Junior, Senior and Master. There were competitors from all over Westmeath for both rounds, with a larger attendance of
Juveniles for the second round last Sunday, bolstered no doubt by the by the great success of the Westmeath Schools Cross
Country Championships that had been held mid-week and gave the Juveniles a taste for cross country running.
There
were some great individual performances in both rounds, but as Championship cross country running is also about team running,
close attention was paid to all the competitors, especially newcomers, and overall, performances were very encouraging and
it looks like the Club and Westmeath will field some very strong teams in the Leinster Cross Country Championships. Based
on the results over the two rounds, teams to represent the Club and Westmeath in the upcoming Leinsters will now be selected. Thanks
to all who helped to make the Championships such a success. The results are:
Round One
Girls under 9 – 1. Emma Glynn (Kinnegad), 2. Rachel
Glennon (Coralstown), 3. Jennifer Coughlan (Moate), 4. Lauren Casey (Mullingar), 5. Sabina McLoughlin (Multyfarnham), 6. Niamh
Nolan (Mullingar), 7. Susan Glennon (Coralstown). Under 11 – 1. Aisling Bracken (Kinnegad), 2. Edel Glennon (Coralstown),
3. Julie McLouhglin (Multyfarnham), 4. Sinead Nolan (Mullingar), 5. Orla Tubridy (Mullingar), 6. Stacey Darby (Kinnegad),
7. Niamh Nolan (Mullingar). Under 13 – 1. Caroline Keaveney (Kinnegad). Under 15 – 1. Arlene Coughlan
(Moate), 2. Amy Giles (Kinnegad), 3. Lisa Darby (Kinnegad), 4. Cliodhna Daly (Ballinagore), 5. Sarah Whelan (Mullingar), 6.
Eimear Flynn (Crookedwood). Under 17 – 1. Maria McGivney (Multyfarnham), 2. Sarah Drew (Ballinacarrigy), 3. Aoife
Hogan (Moate), 4. Louise Darby (Kinnegad), 5. Claire Flynn (Crookedwood), 6. Emily McCormack (Ballinea). Under 19 –
1. Aisling Bannon (Rathconrath), 2. Amy Drew (Ballinacarrigy).
Boys under 9 – 1. Kevin Giles (Kinnegad),
2. Michael Moran (Multyfarnham), 3. Luke Lenehen (Mullingar), 4. Mark Tubridy (Mullingar), 5. Paul McCool (Cloghan). Under
11 – 1. Padraig Moran (Multyfarnham), 2. Brendan Keaveney (Kinnegad), 3. Iarlaith Daly (Ballinagore), 4. Ciaran
Bracken (Kinnegad), 5. Boidu Sayeh (Moate), 6. James Lenehen (Mullingar), 7. Sean O’Brien (Mullingar), 8. Andrew King
(Mullingar). Under 13 – 1. Shane Fitzsimons (Collinstown), 2. Aaron Glynn (Kinnegad), 3. Philip Giles (Kinnegad),
4. Odhrain Daly (Ballinagore), 5. Anthony McGivney (Multyfarnham), 6. Anthony Kelly (Multyfarnham), 7. Alex O’Brian
(Multyfarnham). Under 15 – 1. Adam Boardman (Milltownpass), 2. Warren Walsh (Rochfortbridge), 3. David Whelan
(Kinnegad), 4. Thomas Fagan (Moate), 5. David Moran (Multyfarnham). Under 17 – 1. Shane Boggs (Mullingar), 2.
Damien Palfreyman (Moate). Under 19 – 1. Lee Stenson (Mullingar), 2. Paul Flynn (Crookedwood).
Round Two
Girls under 10 – 1. Aisling Bracken (Kinnegad),
2. Emma Glynn (Kinnegad), 3. Jennifer Coughlan (Moate), 4. Laura Flanagan (Moate), 5. Katie Downey (Rochfortbridge), 6. Rebecca
Slevin (Horseleap), 7. Faye Walsh (Mullingar), 8. Nicola Gorry (Coralstown), 9. Claudia Claffey (Moate), 10. Annie Daly (Mullingar),
11. Jennifer Moore (Kilpatrick), 12. Laura Dugdale (Bracklyn), 13. Emma Duggan (Delvin), 14. Niamh Quinn (Delvin), 15. Hanna
Moffat (Lough Owel), 16. Niamh Nolan (Mullingar). Under 12 – 1. Elizabeth Carr (Mullingar), 2. Beth McGuire (The
Downs), 3. Caroline Keaveney (Kinnegad), 4. Faye Dunne (Rathwire), 5. Caitriona Murtagh (Multyfarnham), 6. Avril Fagan (Castlepollard),
7. Fiona Coyle (Rochfortbridge), 8. Nicola Fagan (Castlepollard), 9. Caoimhe Gaffney (Delvin), 10. Linda Conroy (Kilbeggan),
11. Stacey Darby (Kinnegad), 12. Jordan McGarry (Killucan), 13. Hannah Farrell (Rochfortbridge), 14. Niamh Moran (Corbetstown).
Under 14 – 1. Amy Giles (Kinnegad), 2. Lisa Darby (Kinnegad), 3. Cliodhna Daly (Ballinagore), 4. Hannah Moore
(Mullingar), 5. Eimear Flynn (Crookedwood), 6. Lisa Kenny (Ballinea), 7. Ruth Fitzgerald (Rochfortbridge), 8. Eadaoin Daly
(Ballinagore). Under 16 – 1. Aoife Hogan (Moate), 2. Maud Foley (Kinnegad), 3. Sarah Whelan (Rochfortbridge),
4. Claire Flynn (Crookedwood). Under 18 – 1. Sarah Drew (Ballinacarrigy), 2. Grace Kearney (Sonna), 3. Aisling
Bannon (Rathconrath), 4. Louise Darby (Kinnegad), 5. Jessica Lynch (Mullingar), 6. Emily McCormack (Ballinea).
Junior
women – 1. Amy Drew (Ballinacarrigy). Senior women – 1. Louise Moore (Killucan). Master women
– 1. Brigid McCabe (Marlinstown), 2. Geraldine Walsh (Mullingar), 3. Breda McDonnell (Mullingar), 4. Mary Joyce (Multyfarnham).
Boys
under 10 – 1. Robert Kenny (Ballinea), 2. Kevin Giles (Kinnegad), 3. Glenn Gaffney (Delvin), 4. Owen O’Brien
(Coralstown), 5. Iarlaith Daly (Ballinagore), 6. Oisin Quinn (Bracklyn), 7. Kieran Bracken (Kinnegad), 8. Michael Moran (Multyfarnham),
9. Conor Duncan (Gaybrook), 10. Darragh Horan (Killucan), 11. Mark Tubridy (Mullingar), 12. David Stenson (Mullingar), 13.
Ciaran Fagan (Castlepollard), 14. Ethan Thomas Tooher (Killucan), 15. Brian Kelleher (Mullingar), 16. Andrew King (Ballinagall),
17. Enda Tynan-Daly (Rosemount). Under 12 – 1. Shane Fitzsimons (Collinstown), 2. Padraig Moran (Multyfarnham),
3. Aaron Glynn (Kinnegad), 4. Philip Giles (Kinnegad), 5. Thomas Lynn (Milltown-Empor), 6. Donagh Conway (Ballinea), 7. Gavin
Moore (Kilpatrick), 8. Odhrain Daly (Ballinagore), 9. Cormac Horan (Killucan), 10. Brendan Keaveney (Kinnegad), 11. Dean Fitzgerald
(Kilbeggan), 12. Alan Cox (Delvin), 13. Shane Giles (Kinnegad), 14. Niall McGowan (Mullingar), 15. Leigh Walsh (Rochfortbridge),
16. Jamie Bolger, 17. Anthony Kelly (Multyfarnham), 18. Alex O’Brien (Multyfarnham). Under 14 – 1. Thomas
Fagan (Mount Temple), 2. James McGovern (Killucan), 3. Shane Kelleher (Knockdrin), 4. Tommy Gallagher (Castlepollard), 5.
Christopher Lawlor (Castlepollard), 6. James Pearse (Multyfarnham), 7. Sean Reville (Mullingar), 8. James Stenson (Mullingar).
Under 16 – 1. Shane Boggs (Mullingar), 2. Adam Boardman (Milltownpass), 3. Shane Fagan (Castlepollard), 4. Warren
Walsh (Rochfortbridge), 5. David Moran (Multyfarnham), 6. Sean McAnaney. Under 18 – 1. Lee Stenson (Mullingar),
2. Paul Flynn (Crookedwood), 3. Damien Palfreyman (Moate).
Senior men – 1. Tom McGrath (Mullingar),
2. Cormac Finnerty (Mullingar), 3. Fr. Mark English (Mullingar), 4. Patrick Muldoon Jnr. (Mullingar). Master men –
1. Ben Vaitkavichius (Mullingar), 2. Pat Muldoon Snr. (Mullingar), 3. Liam McGlynn (Mullingar), 4. Greg Duggan (Mullingar),
5. Ronan Bracken (Mullingar), 6. Christy Creagh (Monilea).
Mullingar Retains Star of the Sea AC Shield
Last Sunday, the Club travelled to Stamullen in Co. Meath for
the annual Star of the Sea AC cross country competition. Mullingar won the Shield for Best Juvenile Club in 2005 and were
hoping to retain the Shield in 2006. For the past number of years, this competition has been the first serious test of the
season for our cross country runners, and judging by Sunday’s results, Mullingar will feature prominently on the medal
podium at this year’s Leinster Championships. The weather was very kind on the day, and we left the rain behind us in
Mullingar and enjoyed a beautiful Autumnal day in Meath.
First in action were the girls under 9 team of Emma Glynn,
Jennifer Coughlan and Rachel Glennon. After a very exciting race where Rachel set the early pace, Emma finished very fast
in 2nd place, followed by Jennifer running strongly in 4th and Rachel close on her heels in 5th. Having the three girls in
the top six assured them of team gold medals and valuable points for Mullingar. The boys u/9 team was not to be outdone and
Kevin Giles was a run-away winner, followed by Michael Moran, Luke Lenehen, and our youngest runner, Jack Moran who is only
6 years of age. Despite being so very much younger than his competitors, Jack was delighted with himself after the race. The
boys also finished first team. Unfortunately, we didn’t have a team in the girls u/10, but Aisling Bracken ran very
well to finish 4th, followed by Sinead Doyle also running strongly. Similarly, we had no team in the girls u/11, where Emma
Glennon finished an excellent 9th, followed closely by Stacey Darby with a fast finish. Padraig Moran was our sole representative
in the boys u/11, where after a very close race he was only narrowly beaten into 2nd place. This was an excellent run by Padraig.
Elizabeth Carr was her usual composed self in the girls u/12, and after running on the heels of the early leader, she powered
to the front on the tough uphill section to pull effortlessly away and win the race by a large margin. Shane Fitzsimons won
his boys u/12 race just as easily as Elizabeth, and gave an early indication of the phenomenal form he is in at the moment.
Shane was well supported by Aaron Glynn, Philip Giles, Odhrain Daly and Anthony McGivney, who all packed well to win the team
gold and more points for the Club. Great to see Eadaoin Daly back in action again in the girls u/13, where she ran very well
but had no team to support her.
Best team performance of the day had to be from the girls u/14
where Arlene Coughlan made a winning return to competition, followed very closely by Lisa Darby in 2nd, Amy Giles in 4th and
Cliodhna Daly in 6th place. This is an excellent team and it was great to see the four girls share the podium to collect their
individual medals and medals for first team. Sarah Whelan had a brave run in the girls u/15 but was just edged out in the
closing stages but still finished a very good 4th place. Sarah will improve with training. Shane Boggs looked very calm and
collected in the boys u/16 where he kept a very low profile in the early stages of the race, keeping just off the leaders.
However, when he made his move, it was awesome and in a few seconds tore the field asunder and ran away to finish very strongly
and in great style. Shane has to be one to watch closely this season. The last Juvenile race with a Mullingar interest was
the girls u/17 where despite giving away a year, Aoife Hogan was not afraid to take on the early leaders and matched them
stride for stride. However, when the break came, she had to let them open a gap but she still finished very strongly in 4th
place. Aoife was well supported by Maria McGivney in 6th place, followed closely by Louise Darby finishing strongly and assuring
the team of the team gold medals. After so many fantastic performances, it was little surprise when it was announced that
Mullingar had retained the Shield for Best Juvenile Club.
After the Juvenile programme concluded, it was the turn of
the Juniors, Seniors and Masters. The Junior Women’s team was lead home by Sarah Drew in 4th place, followed close on
her heels by Aisling Bannon in 5th and Amy Drew making up the valuable third place to earn silver team medals for the girls.
The last race of the day featured Matt Glennon and Greg Duggan, who had to negotiate four laps of the very challenging hilly
course. They both ran well in their Masters category and expressed satisfaction with their performances.
Overall, there were some great individual performances but
also some spirited team running, which is essential for cross country success, and it augers 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 be cheered on.
BHAA Dublin Half Marathon
Congratulations to Noel Kelly on his magnificent second place
finish in the BHAA Dublin Half Marathon last Saturday (23rd September). Noel has been showing some great form in road races
of late, so his excellent placing is well deserved.
Longford and National Half Marathons
Recent Notes omitted to record the fine performances of several
Club members in half marathons in the past few weeks. In the Longford half marathon on 27th August, Maura Dervin finished
a fantastic 8th place overall in the women’s race and comfortably won her Masters age-category. Maura was followed home
by Katherine Kenny, who also had a great run, finishing 6th in her Masters category and well up the field of 166 women competitors.
In the corresponding men’s race, where 268 men finished, Noel Kelly finished an excellent 2nd in the senior category.
Pat Muldoon finished 31st overall, and 2nd in his Masters age-category, followed only seconds after by Kieran Nolan. Well
done to one and all. Mullingar had a sole representative in the National half marathon, held in Letterkenny on 3rd September.
Competing over a tough hilly course, Sean McMullin ran a splendid race to finish 2nd in his Masters age-category, adding another
National medal to his by now significant medal collection. Sean continues to add to his reputation as one of the best Masters
athletes in the Country.
National Community Games Finals
Congratulations to all our Club members who took part in the
Community Games finals in Mosney last weekend. All were honoured to be representing their County, but some performances stand
out for special mention. Shane Fitzsimons was a runaway winner of the under 12 boys 600m, while Elizabeth Carr was an excellent
second place in the corresponding girls 600m event. This year has been an excellent one for these two very talented youngsters
and they have been permanent fixtures on the National stage since the Indoor Championships. Another notable result was Ann
Marie Kennedy’s third place finish in the 100m, which is a brilliant result. Maud Foley made it the final of the u/16
girls 1500m where she had a good run but finished out of the medals. Finally, mention must be made of Aaron Glynn, Kevin Giles,
Dean Baker, Vin Óg Leavy and Shane Murtagh, the u/12 boys relay team from Kinnegad who made it to the final. The team was
unlucky to finish out of the medals but reaching the final is a great achievement, given the very high standard of this competition.
Frank Duffy 10 Mile Road Race
Well done to Pat Muldoon who finished 2nd in his category,
Christy Creagh also 2nd in his category and Sean McMullin winner of his category at the adidas Frank Duffy Memorial 10 mile
road race in the Phoenix Park on August 19th last. Great performances from these very dedicated athletes.
Castlepollard Road Races
Last Wednesday (16th August), North Westmeath AC held their
Annual 5k road race in Castlepollard. This race goes from strength to strength and there were 123 runners this year. No doubt
the great course through the magnificent grounds of Tullynally Castle, the well organised and marshalled route, excellent
refreshments after and the great prizes combined to make this a race that athletes of all abilities are eager to run. Before
the main race, as usual, there were races for Juveniles around the Square in Castlepollard. Rachel Glennon was a clear winner
in the girls under 9 race, as was Anne Marie Kennedy in the girls u/11, where she was followed home closely by Edel Glennon
finishing strongly in third place. Shane Fitzsimons was also an easy winner and dominated the boys u/13 race from start to
finish. However, a special mention is merited to our youngest competitor, Paul McCool who ran in the boys u/9 race. Young
Paul is only three and a half years of age, so to say he was giving away a few years and will be underage for this race for
many more years, would be quite an understatement. Paul certainly seemed to thoroughly enjoy the race, as he ran it all the
way with a smile on his face, reminding us all that sport is supposed to be fun.
Fortunately the rain held off long enough for the Juvenile
races to conclude and there was only a short shower just as the main race started. The rain did little to dampen the enthusiasm
of the runners as the evening was very mild anyway and the rain wasn’t a problem. First man home for Mullingar was Ben
Vaitkavichius, finishing fifth in the Senior Men category, though he is a Master, which is a magnificent achievement. Ben
was followed in by Matt Glennon, Kieran Nolan, Pat Muldoon (Senior), Sean McMullin, Christy Creagh, Paul McCool, Brian Boyle,
Liam McGlynn, Livdas Jocius, Pat Nugent and Des Walsh. Pat Muldoon was second in his Master’s age-category, Sean McMullin
was first in his and Christy Creagh second in his category. In the Women’s race, first home for Mullingar was Vera McCool
(first in her Master’s category). Vera was followed by Eva Ross (fourth Senior lady), Caroline Byrne, Aisling Bannon
(first under 17 girl), Linsey Brunton, Catherine Kenny, Brigid McCabe, Deirdre Roach, Aoife Hogan (second u/17 girl), Geraldine
Walsh, and Claire McMyler. It was great to see Mullingar harriers support this race in such numbers.
Streets of Galway 8km road race
Well done to Noel Kelly who finished an excellent 8th place
in the Streets of Galway 8km Road Race on Saturday 12th August, in a very good time of 24mins 58seconds. Vera McCool was first
in her Masters age-category, and Pat Muldoon Senior was second in his age-category, so plenty of prizes found their way back
to Mullingar. It was also good to see Patrick Muldoon Junior back in action after a lengthy layoff due to injury.
European Championships
The Club is extremely proud of Martin Fagan’s magnificent
performance in the European Championships 10,000m in Gothenburg. From the outset, what struck was that Martin looked completely
at home in the race and was clearly unfazed by running along with some household International stars. Clearly his experience
on the tough USA Collegiate circuit has stood him very well. When the Spanish athletes began to push the pace at intervals
during the race, the increase in pace forced some well known athletes to drop back, but not Martin, who showed that he was
more than able to mix it at this level. His ability showed through as he stayed with the leading group, even advancing up
to fourth place at one point. He matched the race pace stride for stride for a very long time, but despite his very best efforts,
when the real push for home came with about 3 or 4 laps to go, Martin was forced to drop back but his final eleventh placing
was an excellent result. The post-race analysis by Gerry Kiernan and Eamon Coghlan in the RTE studio was fulsome in Martin’s
praise and both agreed that Martin had run an excellent race for one so new to competing at this level, this was his first
Senior Championship after all. Both experts concluded that Martin is a man to watch for in the future. Of that there can be
little doubt. Well done again.
National Masters Championships
Last Sunday (13th August), in pleasant sunny but quite windy
conditions, Sean McMullin showed once again that he is one of the best race-walkers in Ireland when he won silver in the 5,000m
race walk in his age-category. Sean followed up on his success with another silver medal, this time in the 5,000m flat. Christy
Creagh was also in action in the 5,000m and finished in third place in his age-category, despite a troublesome hamstring problem.
Both men ran excellent races and thoroughly deserved their medals. Well done to both. Not so fortunate was Greg Duggan, who
had one of those days he’d like to quickly forget. He injured himself early in the 100m but pushed on and eventually
finished in fourth place, but in the 200m, the injury was clearly still a real problem and he struggled to finish, coming
in fifth place. This is the first National Masters in 8 years that Greg has failed to win a medal, but with the season over
now, he can rest, recover, and re-build for next year.
Castlepollard Road Races
This Wednesday (16th August), North Westmeath AC host their
Annual 5k road race in Castlepollard. The main race, which starts at 8pm, will take the runners from near the Square and through
the beautiful grounds of Tullynally Castle, before finishing again near the Square. The main race will be preceded as usual
with a full Juvenile programme of races around the Square, commencing at 7pm. This is a great competition and a good turnout
of Mullingar athletes is expected to support our nearest neighbouring Athletic Club. As always, there will be refreshments
and the presentation of prizes after the race.
European Masters Championships
Congratulations to Sean McMullin on his magnificent performances
in the European Masters Championships in Poznan, Poland recently. Competing in the 5,000m race walk, Sean was the first Irishman
home when he finished in 7th place. Three days later, Sean was again in action, this time in the gruelling 20km race walk
on the road when he finished in 13th place, the second Irishman to finish. The standard of Masters athletics at European level
is very high and these performances reinforce Sean’s reputation as a race walker of great quality.
National Senior Championships
Last Saturday and Sunday the National Senior Track and Field
Championships took place in Morton Stadium, Santry. Weather conditions were ideal on both days and there were many excellent
performances ahead of the upcoming European Championships in Gothenburg in Sweden in which a large Irish team will compete.
Martin Fagan was defending
his title in the Men’s 5000 metres, which turned out to be one of the races of the championships with a large entry
of 32 athletes lining up at start line. A very competitive race throughout, the final few laps turned into an intense battle
between Martin and Gary Murray of St. Malachy’s A.C. in Belfast. Martin continued to push the pace from the front in
a titanic battle all the way to the line and was just beaten in a sprint finish but still recorded a very good time of 14:14.30.
Martin can now look forward to representing Ireland in the European Championships which should be a great climax to his season.
Our only other competitor at the weekend was Lee Stenson
who found the early pace a bit quick in the Junior Men’s 3000 metres and suffered as a result. Lee though, has had a
very good track season and will be still underage in this event for another few years.
National Juvenile Championships
The
National Juvenile Track and Field programme for 2006 came to a conclusion on Sunday 17th July with the staging of the Under
12 and Under 13 Championships at a sunny Mardyke Arena in Cork. Two of our athletes, Elizabeth Carr and Shane Fitzsimons qualified
to run in these championships as a result of their convincing wins at the Leinster Championships in Navan some seven weeks
ago. Elizabeth and Shane have been training hard since then with the aim of adding a national track medal to the individual
medals they both won in national cross country in the winter. Competing over 600 metres in the under 12 category a distance
they are very familiar with, the two Mullingar athletes recorded magnificent victories. Elizabeth ran a very sensible race
always keeping in touch with the leaders and with her renowned strong finish sprinted stylishly to the line for a most deserved
victory. Shane too ran a very controlled race. Normally not afraid to lay down a marker from the start, he ran very composed
and used his blistering speed over the latter half of the race to record a very convincing and deserved victory. It is no
mean feat to win a national title and both Elizabeth and Shane deserve great credit for their achievements. They are both
very talented young athletes who should have a great future in the sport.
National Track and Field League
A
depleted Westmeath men’s team competed in the first round of the National Track and Field League for the first time
in many years on Sunday last (16th July). The venue was Claremont Stadium in Navan and we were placed in Pool 2 of Division
1 alongside quality oppostion from Letterkenny, City of Lisburn, Shercock, Strabane and Navan. The standard of competition
was quite high across the two divisions especially considering the very warm weather conditions. Unfortunately we didn’t have the required number of athletes to cover the 14 events for overall scoring
purposes but nonetheless our athletes who competed gave of their best and deserve to be commended on their performances. Many
events were combined over the two divisions making it difficult to work out individual placings. Justin Collins threw very
well in the Shot Putt and Discus placing well in both. Sean McMullin also had a very good performance in the 3000 metres walk
ahead of the upcoming European Masters Championships, which he competes in shortly. David Hynes had a very impressive run
in the 400 metres recording a very fast time. Meanwhile in the 800 metres and 1500 metres, Paul Flynn and Damien Shaw both
ran well against stiff opposition. Ben Vaitevichius competed in the 3000 metres steeplechase and ran very strongly in what
is a challenging event. Tom McGrath made a return to the track to run the 5000 metres and gave his usual very committed performace.
Many thanks to the athletes who travelled over to Navan. Hopefully we will have a full squad for the second round on Sunday
August 6th.
Navan Road Race
South O’Hanlon Athletic Club in Navan hosted their annual
road race on Saturday evening (15th July) last. It was confined to 5k due to the gaelic football match taking place around
the same time. Ben Vaitevichius had a very good run winning his masters category while Pat Muldoon, Ciaran Nolan, Maura Dervin
and Sandra Brehony all ran well.
Dublin Graded Meeting
At the Dublin Graded Meeting in Irishtown Stadium on July 12th, Greg Duggan
recorded a good time of 25.88 in his race in 200 metres. In the middle distance events Mark Christie sharpened up on his speed
running a fast 800 metres, recording a time of 1:52.60. Also David Hynes ran a very good time of 2:01.04.
AAI National Juvenile Track and Field Championships
Mullingar was
represented by 9 athletes at last weekend’s AAI Championships for under 14 to 19 in Tullamore (July 8th & 9th).
Conditions on the Saturday were difficult to say the least, as competitors had to battle with strong winds and persistent
rain, which was very heavy at times. At times the weather was more like what one would expect during the cross-country season.
Undaunted by the elements, Stephen Moran qualified comfortably from his heat of the boys 400m under 19 and in the final ran
an excellent race from a good middle lane where he powered through 200m and set himself up for a good finish coming off the
second bend. Stephen always gives 100% and he never ceased trying and he challenged the leader all the way to the line and
was rewarded for his efforts with a well deserved silver medal. In the 100m sprints, Mark Irwin was competing in his first
National Finals, having only recently joined the Club. Unfortunately, Mark unable to reproduce the excellent form he showed
in the Leinster Finals three weeks ago and didn’t advance from his heat of the boys u/18, which is hardly sur | | |
