Last Sunday (11^th December) Mullingar athletes were in action at Athlone Institute of Technology in the second round of the National Cross Country Championships (juvenile even ages and senior novice). The course in Athlone IT was a good tough cross country course with plenty of hills that should have suited the Mullingar runners very well. The weather was perfect on the day and boded well for some excellent competition. First in action, was young Shane Fitzsimons who two weeks ago captured the National title in the under 11 event. Taking the move up an age-group in his stride, Shane showed once again why he is such a terrific talent and though the winning margin was a lot less than two weeks ago, he nonetheless won the under 12 event after a terrific race where he displayed formidable determination against older opposition and led the Leinster team into the medals. That was to be the highlight of the day’s events from a Mullingar perspective. The under 14 girls team are all under-age again next year, but that can’t explain the poor run by the girls. The serious loss of form in a few short weeks saw the team finish way down the field. First finisher was Arlene Coughlan, followed in by Cliodhna Daly, Faye Kearney, Joye Kearney, Lisa Darby and Eimear Flynn. In the boy’s u/14, Adam Boardman finished an excellent 9^th place, the first finisher for Leinster who won the bronze team medals. This was an excellent performance from Adam, who is still new to the sport. Next in were Shane Fagan, Warren Walsh and Alan Fitzsimons all running well and the team finished 5^th Club. Unfortunately, if all those who had been selected to run had bothered to turn up, the team would have won silver medals. While athletics is predominantly an individual sport, cross country is also about team running and loyalty to team-mates is very important. The lack of loyalty doesn’t bode well for relay teams on the track, indoors next spring or outdoors in the summer. Maria McGivney showed some of her old form and had a good run in the girl’s u/16. Maria was supported by Aoife Hogan, Maud Foley, Grace Kearney, Jessica Lynch and Louise Darby. Overall a disappointing team performance but at least the entire team turned out and tried. Mullingar had no team in the boy’s u/16, but Shane Boggs was representing Leinster. Unfortunately, Shane was unable to reproduce the form he showed in Sligo two weeks ago when he ran away with the u/15 title, perhaps not adapting as well to the pressure of moving up an age-group as some others? In the boy’s u/18, Alan Stenson was just pipped into 5^th place in a very close finish, which was more like the finish of a sprint race on the track, but without the benefit of a photo finish camera. Alan’s efforts ensured that Leinster won team medals. Alan’s cousin, Lee Stenson, stepping up an age-group had a very good run, reinforcing his reputation as a runner to watch out for in the future. Jonathan Hartnett had another excellent performance, and the team was completed by Paul Flynn. In the corresponding girl’s u/18 event, Sarah Drew had a good run and was followed home by Ruth Kearney, Aisling Bannon and Amy Drew. For some, attention can now turn to the National “B” Cross Country Championships in Athlone on 22^nd January. For others, they can re-group for the Indoors on 21^st January and in February and the Leinster cross-country relays on 29^th January. The final events of the day were the senior novice events and in the women’s race, Louise Moore, Caroline Mooney and Breeda McDonnell were in action and in the men’s race, we had good performances from Damien Shaw and Ben Vaikavicius, with Fr. Mark English, Brian Boyle and new-comer Andrew Fennor, who is better known as a tri-athlete, all running well.   

European Cross Country Championships

Congratulations to Martin Fagan on his performance at the European Cross Country Championships in Tilberg, The Netherlands, also last Sunday. Conditions were muddy underfoot, but the cold and dry weather was good for the spectators. Martin showed no hesitation in going with the early pace but might have paid a little for that bravery in the latter stages, not helped by a very heavy fall on one of the sharp uphill ramps on the last lap that cost him several places. Martin recovered well though, and finished a brilliant 16^th place, and was second Irish man home in a very close finish. This was an excellent performance from Martin, who continues to mature as a senior athlete.

Irish Intervarsity Indoor Championships

Last Sunday, was a very busy day for athletes from Mullingar, with many in Athlone, Martin Fagan in Holland, and Justin Collins and Kevin Duggan in Nenagh. In his second year representing Athlone IT, Justin competed in the shot putt. Due to a mix-up over the entries, Justin had to throw as a guest and he finished third. Kevin is in his first year at NUI Galway, and was therefore experiencing his first Intervarsity competition, which was also his first time competing at senior level. The NUI Galway 4x200m relay team didn’t advance from the very fast and competitive heats to the final, despite a very good second leg from Kevin that brought the Galway team back into contention after a poor first leg.

National Cross Country Championships

The National Cross Country Championships for Juvenile uneven ages and Senior Inter-County took place last Sunday (27^th Nov) at Sligo Racecourse. From the outset, we must apologise for the confusion over team selection for these Championships. Mistakes were made, which is very regrettable, but will serve as a lesson for the future. The mistakes were not of the athletes doing. Thankfully the sleet showers and bitter cold northerly winds that were forecast for the day did not materialise and while the weather on the day was cold and windy, it was mostly dry, apart from the occasional touch of drizzle. After the rain and sleet in the days leading up the races, and the naturally wet and boggy land, the “going” was soft to say the very least. The Racecourse is built on a hill, which meant there was a long tough uphill section of over 400m up to the finish straight, made all the more difficult by the soft ground. The first race on the card was the under 11 girls 800m where Elizabeth Carr was the sole representative for Mullingar, but also competing on the Leinster team. This was Elizabeth’s first race at this level but she appeared quite unfazed and seemed to take the whole occasion in her stride. The arrangements for the starts of the races for the younger juveniles were far from ideal, with a short run from the start line to the first corner of a very narrow track. Unfortunately for Elizabeth she found herself in an unfavourable position after the first bend and was effectively “boxed in” on the narrow track and a bit detached from the race leaders. However, she bided her time and when her chance came she attacked the uphill section and began to pass other runners who struggled on the hill. She was closing on the race leaders all the way to the finish and crossed the line in a magnificent third place and led the Leinster team to silver medals. Needless to say, Elizabeth was delighted with her medals. A great start for the Club. Next in action was the u/11 boys team in their 800m race. Shane Fitzsimons is no stranger to the big occasion and after a good start he settled on the shoulder of the leader and struck for home on the hill leaving all in his wake as he literally pulled the field asunder. The manner of his victory was quite breathtaking and like Elizabeth before him, he was delighted with his performance and was quite untroubled at the finish. Shane’s efforts also secured team medals for Leinster. Shane was followed by Aaron Glynn, Philip Giles, Odhrain Daly, Gavin Moore and Jonathan Daly who all ran very well and finished 5^th Club overall, just outside the medals. After success at Leinster, hopes were high of a National medal winning performance in the u/13 girls 1,000m. However, the narrow track and very soft ground didn’t suit the girls. First finisher for Mullingar was Arlene Coughlan, despite a heavy fall just before the finish line. Arlene was well supported by Cliodhna Daly, Lisa Darby (not fully recovered from injury), Faye Kearney, Joye Kearney and Chloe Kelly. The team gave 100% but it wasn’t to be their day. Mullingar’s sole runner in the u/13 boys 1,200m was Stephen Crowe, who despite taking up athletics only a few months ago was running in a National Final. He had a very good race and is definitely a boy to watch out for in the future. It took another Shane to win gold for Mullingar when Shane Boggs ran an amazing race in the u/15 boys 2,000m. Settling quickly into his stride after a good start, Shane ran just off the pace of the front runners and bided his time before striking for home. Timing his finish to perfection, he drew on all the valuable speed work of recent weeks and gave a master class in finishing that made the erstwhile leaders look pedestrian. He tore up the hill and finished in spectacular style, still pulling away as he crossed the line, to take a well deserved National title. Next in for Mullingar was Adam Boardman running strongly and Shane Fagan who also ran extremely well. Unfortunately, we had no team score as Alan Fitzsimons turned over on an ankle during the race and was unable to finish. The confusion over team selection referred to above meant we only had the four runners, so Alan’s absence at the finish was particularly regrettable. Adam, Shane and Alan are under age again next year and this race was excellent preparation for Athlone in 2 weeks time. In the u/17 girls 2,000m, the ever-consistent Ruth Kearney was first finisher for Mullingar, followed in by Sarah Drew, Maria McGivney, Aisling Bannon and Grace Kearney. The girls ran very well but finished outside the medals. In the absence of a full team, Lee Stenson and Paul Flynn took to the line for the u/17 boys 4,000m where Lee was caught up a sprint finish but still managed to finish a very credible 12^th place and score on the medal winning Leinster team. Paul Flynn also ran well, but without a full team, it was difficult to find that extra bit of effort required for a National final. Sarah Mescall had a fine run in the 3,500m Junior women’s race and helped Leinster to win team medals. In the u/19 boys 6,000m race, Alan Stenson finished an excellent 12^th. He was disappointed with his performance, as he sets himself a very high standard, but he could take some satisfaction from helping Leinster to team medals. When the Juvenile races were over, attention turned to the Senior races. Eva Ross was our sole representative in the women’s 5km event, ran well, and was pleased with her performance. The final event of the day was the much-anticipated Senior men’s 10km race. Mark Christie was hoping for a top three finish to secure automatic selection and join Martin Fagan (who had been pre-selected) on the Irish team to compete in the European Cross Country Championships in Tilberg, The Netherlands on 11^th December. Mark looked to be very much at ease in the early stages and appeared to be running very much within himself but still maintaining a good challenging position. However, on the third of the five laps, he was evidently in distress with a stitch and had to drop the pace a little and this resulted in a gap opening up that was impossible to close in the latter stages of the race. He still finished an excellent 6^th place but everyone shared his disappointment after with what could have been. Damien Shaw also competed and had an excellent race. Our own Fr. Mark English swapped his Mullingar colours for his native Meath and competed well on the Meath team, even managing a sprint finish to pass others close to the line. Athletes who did not win a medal in Sligo are eligible to compete in the “B” National Finals (for uneven ages only) in January. Details later. For the moment, attention now turns to the second round (even ages and National Novice) in Athlone on 11^th December.

Martin Fagan wins All-America Honours

After an excellent 2^nd place finish in the recent Northeast Regional Cross Country Championships, Martin Fagan automatically qualified as an individual competitor for the NCAA Division 1 Cross Country Championships on 21^st November last. The Championships were held on the LaVerne Gibson Championship Course, Indiana State University, a dedicated cross country facility that hosts only the top high school and collegiate cross country Championships. After a week of dry weather in Indiana, on the day it was sunny but cold and the race was run under mostly sunny skies, with the temperature just under 5 degrees, no problem to a man from the Irish Midlands. Martin finished an excellent 16^th place overall from 253 finishers, with a time of 30:00 minutes for the 10km course. For his efforts, Martin earned All-America honours for the first time in his career at Providence. Martin’s split times were 14:55 for 5km and 23:53 for 8km. Martin has been pre-selected on the Irish team to compete in the European Cross Country Championships in Holland on 11^th December. The Club wishes him and the Irish team every success.

Martin Fagan

In the USA last week, Martin Fagan continued his preparations for the European Cross Country Championships by finishing 2^nd place in the 2005 NCAA Northeast Regional Cross Country Championships on Saturday 12^th November at Franklin Park, Boston. Martin is on scholarship at Providence College. The men's race took place on a sunny, mild afternoon and when the race was over Martin had led the Providence team to third-place in the 10km race. Martin and race winner, Iona College's Richard Kiplagat, a very useful Ugandan, were in a tight race from the start, but Kiplagat was just able to pull away from Martin at the end and Martin recorded a time of 29:15, four seconds behind Kiplagat. While Martin’s Providence team did not qualify, Martin automatically qualified as an individual competitor and joined 244 other athletes in the NCAA Division 1 Cross Country Championships in Terra Haute, Indiana, which was held last Monday (21^st November), which is too late to have results for these Notes. We hope to have some details next week.

Cavan Crystal 5 mile Road Race

Last Sunday (20^th Nov), Mullingar had a master’s men and a master’s women team in the Cavan Crystal 5 mile Road Race. In crisp, dry conditions, which were perfect for running, Maura Dervan finished 3^rd in her category and supported by Vera McCool, tri-athlete Yvonne Kane (who had a very fine run) and Geraldine Walsh, the ladies took first prize for their efforts.  Matt Glennon finished an excellent 17^th place overall followed by Paul McCool, Des Walsh and PJ Ballesty, but the team finished outside the prizes.

Westmeath Schools Cross Country

There was a huge entry out for the Westmeath Schools Cross Country Championships in Belvedere last Wednesday (16^th Nov) and congratulations to all involved, teachers, parents, athletes, but particularly organisers Andy MacEoin (of North Westmeath AC) and our own Michael Lane. This is the second year of this event for National Schools and the first year for Secondary Schools. Judging by the number of competitors (estimated at over 1500 for the National Schools alone) and very positive reports afterwards, this event is sure to become a popular and permanent fixture on the local athletics calendar. Some participants experienced their first attempt at competitive athletics and should seriously consider joining an athletic club. They are very welcome to join Mullingar Harriers AC and continue in the sport. 

Five Nations Masters Cross Country

Last Saturday (12^th November) Mullingar Harriers was well represented in the Five Nations Masters Cross Country competition held in Santry Demesne, Dublin. This annual International is held between Ireland, Northern Ireland, England, Scotland and Wales. Geraldine Walsh ran in the women’s 6km race and Ben Vaitkavicius and Christy Creagh ran in the men’s 10km event. The course was in the park behind Santry Stadium and it was very flat, with only one small downhill section and a long easy climb, not a course to suit the Mullingar contingent who prefer a more challenging hilly course like Belvedere. Conditions were good for racing with only a cool breeze and a few soft wet patches underfoot to contend with. In addition to the International races, there were open races for men and women. Paula Murray ran a magnificent race to finish 4^th in a very fast time in the open women’s race. Brigid McCabe also ran very well. In the men's open race, Matt Glennon had a fine run as did Nicky McCabe. All ran very well and were pleased with their performances. In the International races, Geraldine Walsh ran very well and scored on the Irish team in her age-category that won the bronze medals. Ben Vaitkavicius was up against some of the best masters in Britain in his race but rose to the challenge and did extremely well to finish 4^th in his age-category. Ben was the first “Irish” man home for his adopted Country and he led the Irish team to well deserved silver medals in his age-category. Christy Creagh was not so lucky in his race and despite running a characteristically fine race and giving every effort, his team were unlucky to miss out on the medals. In the overall competition, across all age categories, England won the overall trophy, but only by a single point from Ireland. Geraldine, Ben and Christy can be proud or their efforts to secure valuable points for Ireland. The Club for its part is proud of them.

Leinster Cross Country Championships

Last Sunday (November 6^th) we hosted the second round of the Leinster Cross Country Championships in the grounds of Belvedere House, Gardens and Park, Mullingar. It was a very successful day of competition and we received much positive feedback from clubs, officials and spectators alike on our hosting of the championships. We would like to thank the following without whose assistance the event could not have taken place:- The management and staff of Belvedere House; Westmeath Civil Defence; Westmeath County Council; An Garda Siochana; Bloomfield House Hotel; the Athletics Leinster executive and the many Mullingar Harriers members, officials and parents of juvenile athletes who gave of their time in the preparation of the course; pre-event organisation and in acting as stewards on the day. Thankfully the weather remained fine apart from one heavy shower that made it a bit more challenging for the Boys Under 18 competitors, but overall conditions were favourable and we had ten very competitive championship races over the testing Belvedere course. It was another very successful day for the athletes of Mullingar Harriers, following on from the excellent results at the first round of the championships in Dundalk. We had many excellent individual and team performances and it augurs well in our bid to retain the Jimmy Morrissey Memorial Cup for the best cross-country club in Leinster. The final Leinster event of the season will be the Juvenile Relays, Junior and Senior Championships in January. The first race of the day was the Girls Under 12. Our team of Orla Tubridy, Beth Maguire, Roisin O’Connor, Mairead Sayeh, Lorraine Claffey, Eadaoin Daly, Julie McLaughlin and Elizabeth Carr (who was suffering from the effects of flu) finished outside of the medals in the team competition but will benefit from running in such a competitive race. Shane Fitzsimons yet again underlined his immense talent when storming to victory in the Boys Under 12 race. He won with considerable ease and will be among the favourites at both under 11 and under 12 at the national championships. The team made a gallant effort but finished outside of the medals. Shane was supported by Aaron Glynn, Odhran Daly, Philip Giles, Gavin Moore and Niall Hanton. In the Girls Under 14 race, our team finished an excellent second club. Arlene Coughlan was our leading finisher in 12^th place, followed in quick succession by Cliodhna Daly, Lisa Darby, Joye Kearney and Faye Kearney all running strongly. Emer Flynn also ran well. The entire team is under 13 and should do very well in the Nationals in that age group. Our Boys Under 14 team put in a magnificent performance to emerge as clear winners in the inter-club competition while just missing out on inter-county medals by one point. Adam Boardman had another super run finishing 2^nd, being just marginally pipped for the gold medal in a sprint finish. A very strong athlete, he is a great prospect and can look forward with confidence to the Nationals. Equally a great prospect is Shane Fagan who in his first race for the club finished a brilliant 4^th and is clearly a very talented athlete and one to watch for the future. Warren Walsh and Stephen Crowe both ran really well finishing in the top twenty to secure club victory. They were well supported by Alan Fitzsimons and David Moran running strongly, followed by Brian McLaughlin and Cathal Daly. Our Girls Under 16 team also emerged victorious, winning the inter-club race by closest margin possible. We finished on the same points as the second placed team but won because our 4^th scorer finished one place ahead of the second team’s 4^th scorer. You can’t get a closer or more exciting result than that in cross-country competition! We also finished 4^th county. It was an excellent team performance from the girls and they will improve further training over the coming weeks ahead of the All-Ireland’s. Jessica Lynch was our top finisher having a great run, just ahead of Aoife Hogan and Maud Foley both running really well. They were followed quickly by Maria McGivney the vital fourth scorer, Grace Kearney and Louise Darby all running strongly, a very committed performance all round. Our Boys Under 16 team finished outside the medals but they all performed well. Shane Boggs had an excellent run finishing 6^th, which was good preparation for him ahead of the Under 15 nationals in a few weeks. Joey Cleary also had a very good run and will improve further with training. Next came Damien Palfreyman running strongly, followed by Padraig Maher. Mullingar also won inter-club gold medals in the Girls Under 18 race. Ruth Kearney is getting fitter with every race and she had a very good run finishing 5^th. She was followed closely by Sarah Drew in 11^th place, another good run from Sarah. Next came Aishling Bannon and Amy Drew, both running well to secure the team medals. We had individual and team honours in the Boys Under 18 race. Alan Stenson ran a great race, looking comfortable throughout and raced to an impressive victory. He has been in great form all year in both track and cross-country and will be looking forward to challenging for honours in the Nationals in the coming weeks. Not far behind Alan came Lee Stenson in 3^rd place. This was another excellent run from Lee, a very talented athlete who should have a great future in the sport. Likewise he too will be aiming for success at the forthcoming national championships. Jonathon Hartnett ran a very good race finishing in 16^th place. Next came Paul Flynn followed by Simon Maher and Timmy Mescall, running well. It was unfortunate that we did not have a sixth finisher causing us to miss out on county medals. We finished 2^nd club, narrowly missing out on the gold medals on countback. We had three athletes in the Intermediate Women’s race. Eva Ross was our top finisher just ahead of Louise Moore, both running well. Geraldine Walsh also had a good workout ahead of this weekend’s masters international. Likewise we had three competitors in the Intermediate Men’s race. Fr. Mark English was our first finisher, ahead of Brian O’Boyle and Liam McGlynn. All three ran well in what was a very competitive and challenging race. We organised two open races for Girls and Boys Under 10, which we ran prior to the chmpionship programme. In the Girls event Stacey Darby was 10^th, while in the Boys equivalent Boidu Sayeh was 6^th and Iarlaith Daly was 12^th. Well done to all who competed. Overall we have five club teams qualified for the National finals in Athlone and also nine of our athletes will be running on Leinster teams so it was another very successful day for the club. We can now look forward to the National Finals where we will be hoping to achieve further success.

Excellent victory for Martin Fagan

Martin Fagan was in action at the 2005 Big East Cross Country Championship last Friday (28^th October) at Van Cortlandt Park in the Bronx, New York. The Big East is the largest Division 1 Conference in the USA making this one of the most prestigious races in US Collegiate circles. Martin won the men’s 5 mile race by a clear 21 seconds and helped Providence College to third place in the team event. Martin’s winning time of 23 minutes 48 seconds, or 4:47 per mile, is a truly amazing time for a 5 mile cross country race. Previous winners of this race include John Treacy and a string of other top class Irish athletes and outstanding African athletes over the years.

Leinster Cross Country Championships

The cross country season for 2005 opened with a bang last Sunday (23^rd October) when Mullingar travelled in force to the first round of the Leinster Cross Country Championships at Dundalk Institute of Technology. The early fog lifted and in dry sunny conditions, if a little windy at times, our athletes performed to the usual high standard we have come to expect. The course was quite flat with only a few short hills. The lack of challenging hills that we’re more used to, made it a fast course, but our athletes adapted well. First in action were the girls under 11 and we had a large team of 9 athletes, most experiencing serious Championship running for the first time. Elizabeth Carr ran an excellent race to finish 2^nd and secure her place on the Leinster team in the National Finals in Sligo in 4 weeks time. Elizabeth was well supported by Maireid Sayah, Stacey Darby and Claire Gorman, followed by Jennifer Coughlan, Lorraine Claffey, Roisin O’Connor, Edel Glennon and Julie McLoughlin. Many of these girls will be under 11 again next year and will have gained huge experience in this race. No stranger to success, Shane Fitzsimons was a convincing winner in the boy’s u/11 and is sure to feature strongly in the National Finals. Shane was supported by team-mates Gavin Moore, Aaron Glynn, Philip Giles, Odhrain Daly and Leigh Walsh who all ran exceptionally well and won the Gold medal for first Club, our first Club medals of the afternoon. The girl’s u/13 race featured last year’s National Title winners at u/12 starting their quest to win the u/13 National Title. When Arlene Coughlan and Lisa Darby finished 7^th and 8^th, followed closely by Cliodhna Daly and Joye Kearney, we knew they were off to a great start on their quest for National Gold and duly won the Leinster Gold medals for first Club. Next in was Faye Kearney, followed by Chloe Kelly, Eimear Flynn and Eadaoin Daly to take 3^rd County. This team will be one to watch at the National Finals. Unfortunately, we had no team in the boys u/13, but newcomer Stephen Crowe in his first serious race ran brilliantly and stormed up the home straight to finish 12^th and secure his place in the National Finals on the Leinster team. Brian McLoughlin was our other competitor in the race and he ran well. It’s a great pity so many others didn’t travel to make up the team. There was a similar story in the girl’s u/15 where we also failed to field a full team. Despite that, Aoife Hogan showed some of her previous class and ran very well but just missed out on a place on the Leinster team. Maud Foley and Claire Flynn ran very well, but without a 4^th, team medals were never to be won. It was back to business as usual in the boy’s u/15, where Shane Boggs led the Mullingar team home to take 3^rd Club. Shane finished 4^th and was closely followed by Adam Boardman, who impressed everyone with a very fine run to finish 6^th. Of note is that Adam will be u/15 again next year. A real talent and a bright prospect. Next in was Alan Fitzsimons, followed by David Moran and Padraig Maher who ran good solid team-races. The medals continued to come Mullingar’s way as Sarah Drew ran a characteristically good solid race to finish 8^th in the girls u/17. She was well supported by Ruth Kearney, Maria McGivney, Grace Kearney, Aisling Bannon, Jessica Lynch and Louise Darby, who packed well to take Gold for the Club and Silver for the County. Lee Stenson sets a very high standard for himself and was a little disappointed with 3^rd place in the boy’s u/17race. He promised to take revenge in Belvedere in 2 weeks time so we’re in for a great battle then. Lee was well supported by Joey Cleary, Paul Flynn (who had a great run), Damien Palfreyman and Simon Maher who ran very well and ensured 4^th place for the Club. Sarah Mescall ran a fine race in the girl’s u/19 to finish 5^th and Amy Drew also ran well. Again, there was no team in the boy’s u/19 where Alan Stenson came with a late charge when we all thought he would have to settle with 5^th to finish a well deserved 3^rd. Tomas Devanney and David Hynes also ran well.
With the conclusion of the Juvenile programme, attention turned to the Senior races. Aine Devanney was our sole representative in the Novice Women’s where she ran a good solid race and seemed to enjoy the experience. Marathon runner Vinny Ahern was surprised by the pace of the Novice Men’s race, being only 6km where he is more used to 42.2km but coped well and took it as a good fast training run. Tri-athlete Brian Boyle had a fine run too and looked full of running after. The penultimate race of the afternoon was the Masters Women where Bridget McCabe, Geraldine Walsh and Breeda McDonnell competed well over the 3000m distance. Well done to all three. The final event was the Masters Men 6000m and Mullingar fielded a full team.  Our first finisher was no surprise as Ben Vaitkavicius finished 5^th overall (2^nd in his category), followed by Matt Glennon and Liam Glynn who had excellent races. They were followed by the ever-experienced Internationals, Christy Creagh and Sean McMullin fresh from last weeks Five Nations Trial and the team was completed by Nicky McCabe and Greg Duggan.
In total Mullingar won one individual title, 3 Club titles, Club Bronze, County Silver and a County Bronze, and 11 athletes qualified for Leinster Teams. Attention will now turn to the second round in Belvedere in 2 weeks time where we need a full turn-out of all teams if we hope to retain the Jimmy Morrissey Perpetual Cup for Best Juvenile Cross Country Club in Leinster. We mustn’t rest on our laurels, there’s still plenty of work to be done.

Gerry Farnan Cross Country

Westmeath Cross Country Championships

The Westmeath even age, Junior, Senior and Masters cross-country championships took place on Sunday October 9th, in the grounds of Belvedere House, Mullingar. There were races for Girls and Boys Under 10, 12, 14,16 and 18 years, plus a combined race for Junior, Senior and Masters Men and Women. It was good to see a large turnout of athletes and spectators. Conditions were ideal for cross-country and all our athletes will have benefited from a tough workout on the challenging Belvedere course. The Mullingar Harriers and Westmeath teams for the Leinster even age and intermediate championships, to be held in Belvedere on Sunday November 6^th were selected afterwards based on the results. Thanks to all who helped out on Sunday and to the management of Belvedere for their assistance.

Results

Girls Under 10: 1. Anne-Marie Kennedy (Collinstown); 2. Claire Gorman (Mullingar); 3. Stacey Darby (Kinnegad); 4. Jennifer Coughlan (Moate); 5. Edel Glennon (Coralstown); 6. Amy Moffit (Mullingar); 7. Rachel Glennon (Coralstown).

Boys Under 10: 1. Gavin Moore (Mullingar); 2. Jack Kearney (Ballynacargy); 3. Iarlaith Daly (Ballinagore); 4. Hugh Broderick (Mullingar); 5. Ciaran Fagan (Castlepollard); 6. Garrett Carr (Mullingar); 7. Simon Carr (Mullingar); 8. Joshua Heery (Mullingar); 9. Ronan Kelly (Delvin); 10. Owen Sheridan (Mullingar).

Girls Under 12: 1. Elizabeth Carr (Mullingar); 2.  Beth Maguire (The Downs); 3. Roisin O’Connor (Ballinagore); 4. Avril Fagan (Castlepollard); 5. Lorraine Clafferty (Ballinagore); 6. Eadaoin Daly (Ballinagore); 7. Nicola Fagan (Castlepollard).

Boys Under 12: 1. Shane Fitzsimons; 2. Aaron Glynn (Killucan); 3. Odhran Daly (Ballinagore); 4. Patrick Kelly (Delvin); 5. Philip Giles (Kinnegad); 6. Leigh Walsh (Rochfortbridge); 7. Kevin Glennon (Coralstown); 8. Jack Kearney (Ballynacargy); 9. Cy Cleary (Sonna); 10. Sean Sheridan.

Girls Under 14: 1. Arlene Coughlan (Moate); 2. Lisa Darby (Kinnegad); 3. Cliodhna Daly (Ballinagore); 4. Joye Kearney (Ballynacargy); 5. Faye Kearney (Ballynacargy); 6. Emer Flynn (Multyfarnham).

Boys Under 14: 1. Adam Boardman (Mullingar); 2. Warren Walsh (Rochfortbridge); 3. Shane Fagan (Castlepollard); 4. Stephen Crowe; 5. Conor Moriarty (Mullingar); 6. Alan Fitzsimons (Collinstown); 7. David Moran (Multyfarnham); 8. Brian McLoughlin (Multyfarnham); 9. Jack Linnane (Moate).

Girls Under 16: 1. Aoife Hogan (Moate); 2. Maud Foley (Kinnegad); 2. Jessica Lynch (Mullingar); 4. Maria McGivney (Streete); 5. Louise Darby (Kinnegad).

Boys Under 16: 1. Shane Boggs (Mullingar); 2. Joey Cleary (Mullingar); 3. Damien Palfreyman (Moate); Padraig Maher (Mullingar).

Girls Under 18: 1. Sarah Drew (Sonna); 2. Ruth Kearney (Ballynacargy); 3. Amy Drew (Sonna); 4. Aishling Bannon (Milltown).

Boys Under 18: 1. Alan Stenson (Mullingar); 2. Lee Stenson (Mullingar); 3. Shane O’ Donoghue (Moate); 4. Paul Flynn (Multyfarnham); 5. Ishatha Horneta; 6. Kevin Duggan (Mullingar).

Junior Women: 1. Sarah Mescall (Ballynacargy); 2. Aine Devaney (Mullingar); 3. Ruth O’Meara (Mullingar).

Senior Women: 1. Louise Moore (Killucan); 2.; Michelle O’Halloran (Mullingar); 3. Eva Ross (Mullingar).

Masters Women: 1. Vera McCool (Mullingar); 2. Brigid McCabe (Mullingar); 3. Geraldine Walsh (Mullingar); 4. Breda McDonnell (Mullingar).

Senior Men: 1. Mark Christie (Mullingar); 2. Patrick Muldoon (Mullingar); 3. Cormac Finnerty (Mullingar); 4. Vincent Aherne; 5. Ciaran O’Meara (Mullingar); 6. Liam McGlynn (Mullingar); 7. Ray Doyle (Mullingar).

Masters Men: 1. Matt Glennon (Coralstown); 2. John Bannon (Milltown); 3. Christy Creagh (Mullingar); 4. Sean McMullin (Mullingar); 5. Nicky McCabe (Mullingar).

Westmeath Cross Country Championships

The Westmeath uneven age cross-country championships took place last Sunday (October 2^nd) in the grounds of Belvedere House, Mullingar. There were races for Girls and Boys Under 9, 11, 13, 15, 17 and 19 years. It was good to see a large turnout of athletes and spectators. Conditions were ideal for cross-country and there were some close races on the challenging Belvedere course. Thanks to all who helped out on Sunday and to the management of Belvedere for their assistance.

Results

Girls Under 9: 1. Emma Glynn (Killucan); 2. Edel Glennon (Coralstown); 3. Aoife Fitzsimons (Collinstown); 4. Sabina McLaughlin (Multyfarnham); 5. Rachel Glennon (Coralstown).

Boys Under 9: 1. Iarlaith Daly (Ballinagore); 2. Gareth Carr (Mullingar); 3. Jack Dobson (Killucan); 4. Mark Tubert (Mullingar); 5. Simon Carr (Mullingar).

Girls Under 11: 1. Elizabeth Carr (Mullingar); 2. Anne-Marie Kennedy (Collinstown); 3.

Beth Maguire (The Downs); 4. Stacey Darby (Kinnegad); 5. Mairead Sayeh (Rosemount); 6. Claire Gorman (Mullingar); 7. Julie McLoughlin (Multyfarnham); 8. Orla Turbety (Mullingar); 9. Laura Moore (Mullingar); 10. Amy Moffit (Mullingar).

Boys Under 11: 1. Shane Fitzsimons; 2. Aaron Glynn (Killucan); 3. Odhran Daly (Ballinagore); 4. Philip Giles (Kinnegad); 5. Leigh Walsh (Rochfortbridge); 6. Andrew Buckley (Delvin); 7. Cy Cleary (Sonna).

Girls Under 13: 1. Lisa Darby (Kinnegad); 2. Cliodhna Daly (Ballinagore); 3. Joye Kearney (Ballynacargy); 4. Faye Kearney (Ballynacargy); 5. Emer Flynn (Multyfarnham); 6. Eadaoin Daly (Ballinagore); 7. Chloe Buckley (Delvin).

Boys Under 13: 1. Luke Craig (Mullingar); 2. Colin Fitzsimons (Delvin).

Girls Under 15: 1. Aoife Hogan (Moate); 2. Maud Foley (Kinnegad); 3. Claire Flynn (Multyfarnham).

Boys Under 15: 1. Shane Boggs (Mullingar); 2. Warren Walsh (Rochfortbridge); 3. Shane Fagan (Castlepollard); 4. Alan Fitzsimons (Collinstown); 5. David Moran (Multyfarnham); 6. Brendan McLoughlin (Multyfarnham).

Girls Under 17: 1. Ruth Kearney (Ballynacargy); 2. Sarah Drew (Sonna); 3. Maria McGivney (Streete); 4. Louise Darby (Kinnegad); 5. Grace Kearney (Ballynacargy); 6. Aishling Bannon (Miltown).

Boys Under 17: 1. Lee Stenson (Mullingar); 2. Paul Flynn (Multyfarnham); 3. Joey Cleary (Sonna); 4. Timmy Mescall (Ballynacargy); 5. Damien Palfreyman (Moate).

Girls Under 19: 1. Sarah Mescall (Ballynacargy); 2. Amy Drew (Sonna).

Boys Under 19: 1. Alan Stenson (Mullingar); 2. David Hynes (Mullingar); 3. Tomas Devaney (Mullingar).

Novice Women: 1. Louise Moore (Mullingar); 2. Aine Devaney (Mullingar); 3. Ruth O’Meara (Mullingar).

Star Of The Sea Cross Country

The club had its first cross-country outing of the season last Sunday (September 25^th), when the Star of the Sea Athletic Club hosted their annual open cross-country meeting in Greenanstown, Stamullen, Co.Meath. There was a full juvenile programme plus combined races for junior, senior and masters men and women. Conditions were ideal for cross country running and the challenging course which included some testing hills made for some very competitive and exciting races. The competition was of huge benefit to our athletes in preparation for the upcoming juvenile championships. It was also a very successful day for the club as we were presented with the Star of the Sea A.C. shield for the best juvenile club at the meeting, which we last won two years ago.

Our first athletes into action were Eadaoin Daly and Stacey Darby who ran very well in their respective races. One of newest stars, young Anne Marie Kennedy had a great win in the Girls Under 11 race. Our winning streak continued as Lisa Darby took control of the Girls Under 13 race, a very impressive performance. She was ably supported up by Clionadh Daly, who also had a great run in 3^rd place. We had two more excellent performances in the Girls Under 15 race. Maud Foley and Aoife Hogan ran really strongly to finish in 2^nd and 4^th places respectively and will improve further with training. In the Girls Under 17 race, Sarah Drew had a great run finishing 4^th, she was quickly followed by Maria McGivney, Louise Darby and Jessica Lynch, great team running by the girls. In the combined Junior, Senior and Masters Women’s race, Sarah Mescall had an excellent run and finished 2^nd junior. Amy Drew also had a good run.

In the Boys Under 11 race Shane Fitzsimons was in a class of his own as he sprinted to a convincing victory. Shane was well supported by Aaron Glynn, Odhran Daly and Leigh Walsh all running strongly to secure third team prize. We had no Boys Under 12 or Under 13 athletes which was a pity, but Adam Boardman had a super win in the Boys Under 14 race and looks like a very talented athlete.Not far behind in 8^th place came Warren Walsh supported by Alan Fitzsimons ensuring victory in the team race as well.

Shane Boggs continued his excellent recent form with an impressive victory in the Boys Under 15 race. He is a very talented athlete and should have a great season. It was great to have five runners in the Boys Under 17 race and augurs well for the upcoming championships. Lee Stenson had a great run and was just beaten into second place in the closing stages. Next came Paul Flynn and Damien Palfreyman, followed by Timmy Mescall and Simon Maher. They all ran well and will certainly improve over the coming weeks if they keep up the consistent training. The final race of the day, the combined Junior, Senior and Masters Men’s race was very competitive and proved to be a good test for our four athletes taking part. Alan Stenson was our finisher running very strongly against many experienced seniors, and finishing second junior. Supported well by Pat Muldoon (who was 3^rd senior), David Hynes and Greg Duggan (3^rd in his masters category) Mullingar were 1^st team. Overall it was a very successful outing and hopefully the start of another successful season for the club.

City Swift 10

Well done to Noel Kelly who impressively won the City Swift 10 mile road race on September 10th.

Longford Marathon

Last Sunday (28th August) the Longford Marathon and Half-Marathon took place, and was a great success with over 600 entrants. A number of Mullingar Harriers athletes took part and featured prominently in both races. There was a distinct international flavour to the marathon with the winner coming from Poland, with an Englishman runner-up and our own Tomas Navickas from Lithuania finishing third. This was a great run by Tomas, running really strongly throughout. He should be an excellent addition to our cross country team. Unfortunately Ben Vaitevichius had to pull out of the race in the latter stages, but he is a very commited athlete and will undoubtedly bounce back in the coming races. Martin Fagan was a very impressive winner of the Half-Marathon. Running his first half-marathon, Martin put in another top class performance running hard from the start recording a very convincing victory. Tom McGrath ran very well, finishing fourth and will benefit from the race. Ray Doyle had a very good run, as did Maura Dervin who was 4^th in the Women’s race; and new member Katherine Kenny who is running the upcoming Dublin Marathon as part of the adidas team can feel very satisfied with her first half-marathon. Longford Marathon website

Congratulations to all our athletes who competed in the National Community Games athletics finals in Mosney at the weekend. Shane Boggs won the u/14 boys 800m, which was a fantastic performance, and a great achievement. Shane Fitzsimons was 3rd in the u/12 boys 600m. Considering he is under-age again next year this was a brilliant effort and he will benefit from the experience this year. Sarah Drew was 6th in the u/16 girls 1500 metres, while Lee Stenson was also 6^th in the u/16 boys 1500 metres. Community Games website 

British Milers Club Grand Prix

On Saturday August 7^th, in the Crystal Palace Stadium, London, Mullingar’s 20 year old Mark Christie joined the elite of Irish middle distance running by breaking four minutes for the mile. In doing so he has become the 40^th Irishman ever and first Westmeath man to break the magical barrier 51 years after Roger Bannister became the first man to do so. The race was the final of the British Milers Club series of races in Britain. Several Irish and British Internationals participated in the race with seven athletes breaking the magical barrier in perfect conditions. Mark was in contention right from the gun, running most of the race in third position behind experienced senior athletes. It was only in the last 50m that Mark faded to fifth in 3:58.99 ahead of the Irish National cross country and 1500m Champion, Gary Murray, who also broke the four minute barrier. Mark was delighted with his performance as it was one of his goals for the season. He is currently a third year Business Studies student in Dublin City University where he is on scholarship and is coached by fellow Mullingar Harrier, David Burke.

National Masters Championships

The National Masters Track and Field Championships were held in Tullamore on Saturday last (6^th August). We had three athletes competing in a very competitive championships, and they all excelled winning medals in their respective categories; which is a great achievement.

Sean McMullin took silver in his category in the 3000 metres walk, and followed that up with a good 4th in the 5000 metres later on, two very good performances. Christy Creagh was second in his category in the 5000m, unfortunately he made his finishing sprint a lap too early but nonetheless it was a great effort. Greg Duggan was second in both the 100 metres and 200 metres, two very good performances. Greg has had an excellent outdoor season.

Streets of Galway 8k

The Streets of Galway 8k road race took place on Saturday evening last (August 6^th). A group of Mullingar Harriers athletes travelled to compete in what is regarded as one of the best races in the country with over 1000 athletes competing. Cormac Finnerty had a very good run and is getting fitter with every race, he was closely followed by Patrick Muldoon, also running really well. Both finished in the top twenty. Next to finish was Pat Muldoon just ahead of Ciaran Nolan and Paul Mc Cool all running strongly. Maura Dervin had an excellent run finishing second in her masters category, just ahead of Vera McCool who also had a great run. Ciara Dillon, Joan Dillon and Eva Ross all finished well up in the race and were very pleased with their performances.

Galway City Harriers website

Galway City Harriers website

St. Brigid’s AC Sports

We had many successes from our short trip to Oldcastle, Co. Meath for the St. Brigid's AC Open Sports on Sunday 31^st July. Mullingar Harriers was the dominant Club and our athletes won prizes in nearly every race that they ran in. As well as individual prizes, at stake was the Geraldine Dolan Perpetual Cup for best overall club, so our athletes were keen to compete as well as possible. Our youngest athlete, Aoife Fitzsimons set the standard for the day when she won the under 8 girls 60m sprint, which she followed up later in the day with a victory in the 100m. There were similar "double" successes for Anne Marie Kennedy (u/10 girls 100m and 300m), Elizabeth Carr (u/11 girls 100m and 600m) and Shane Fitzsimons (u/11 boys 100m and 600m). Adam Boardman, Warren Walsh and Alan Fitzsimons dominated the u/14 boys 100m by taking 1st, 2nd and 3rd places respectively. Adam later also won the longer 900m event, followed by Warren in 2nd and Alan in 5th. Leigh Walsh ran very well in the u/10 boys 100m and even though he finished outside the medals he gained valuable points for the Club. He was very unlucky to be pipped for a medal in the longer 300m event, finishing in 4th, but again securing good points. Damien Palfreyman had a very good days running and won both the u/16 boys 100m and 1200m. Kevin Duggan and Stephen Moran managed an unusual "double double". After taking 1st and 2nd respectively in the Junior Men 100m, they ran back to the start and ran in the Senior Men 100m, when they again took 1st and 2nd places. Not content with two 2nd places, Stephen went on to win the Senior Men 300m with an impressive piece of powerful sprint front-running. By the time the relays commenced, it was evident that Mullingar were very strongly positioned to win the Trophy for best overall Club, but nonetheless, just to make sure we had enough points, we fielded teams in the u/14 boys 4x100m (Shane Fitzpatrick, Alan Fitzpatrick, Warren Walsh, Adam Boardman) and the Junior men 4x300m (Paul Flynn, Damien Palfreyman, Kevin Duggan, Stephen Moran). Both teams won convincingly, with both races nearly decided after the first leg of each. With such a litany of successes, needless to say, Mullingar Harriers won the Geraldine Dolan Perpetual Cup for best overall Club. Very well done to all our Athletes who competed brilliantly as a Team, giving each other great vocal support in shouting each other on.

Dublin International Games

  

The Dublin International Games took place in Morton Stadium, Santry on Saturday last (30^th July).  Some of the best athletes in the country were competing and two of our athletes were in action. Justin Collins was 3^rd in the Shot Putt and 6^th in the Discus. Justin is one of the best up and coming throwers and has a great future in the sport. The Morton Mile, with many sub 4 minute milers in the start list was the highlight of the meeting. Mark Christie ran a superb race finishing 4^th in a personal best time of 4.01.65. This was a great performance from Mark who again demonstrated his immense talent when fighting all the way to the finish in a very close race; and has made great strides in the middle distance events this season.

Daingean 5k

  

The Daingean 5k road race took on Friday evening last (29^th July). There was a good turnout on the night, and a large group of Mullingar Harriers athletes competed. Tomas Navickas had another very good run finishing 4^th, he is in very good form at the moment. Cormac Finnerty, getting back to full fitness was 7^th; just ahead of Ben Vaitevichius who won first prize in his masters category. Tom McGrath and Patrick Muldoon came next, running strongly together. They were followed by Ciaran Nolan, Pat Muldoon, Sean McMullin, Paul McCool and P.J. Ballesty who all ran well. Also in the prizes in their respective masters categories were Maura Dervin, Vera McCool, Paula Murray and Christy Creagh who finished well up.

National Senior Championships

The National Senior Track and Field Championships were held in Morton Stadium, Santry on Saturday and Sunday last. Martin Fagan won his first senior title on the track, striding to a convincing victory in the 5000 metres. This was a thoroughly deserved victory for Martin, who is undoubtedly one of the best distance athletes in the country at the moment, and it is great for the club to have another national champion. Well done also to Sean McMullin who finished 4^th in the 10000 metres Walk. Justin Collins again threw very well, finishing 6^th in the Shot Putt and 7^th in the Discus, while Noeleen Bourke also competed very well in the Women’s Shot Putt finishing 8^th. All in all a great weekend’s competition. On Saturday evening last the Balla 8k road race took place in Balla, Co. Mayo. Patrick Muldoon Jr. was 4^th, while Pat Muldoon finished well up, both running very well.

European Under 23 Championships

Martin Fagan and Mark Christie both had super performances while representing Ireland at the European Under 23 Track and Field Championships in Erfurt, Germany last weekend (July 14^th-17^th). Held in very hot and humid conditions and competing against the very best athletes from around Europe, the two Mullingar athletes showed yet again why they are regarded among the best young athletes in the country. Martin took on a very difficult double, competing in the 10000 metres on Friday, followed by the 5000 metres on Sunday. He was most unlucky to miss out on a medal in the 10000m, finishing 4th - a mere 5 seconds behind the third place finisher. An excellent performance. He ran another excellent race in the 5000 metres, always staying in touch with the leaders and finishing strongly to take fifth place, a great run.

Mark ran exceptionally well in 1500 metres to qualify for the final and then finished 7th in a very competitive race against top class oppositions. Once again these were great performances from Martin and Mark, who were competing against the cream of Europe's young athletes. Undoubtedly they will have many more opportunities to excel in international competition.

National Juvenile Championships

On Sunday last in Sligo, the National Childrens Games and Under 11-13 championships took place. Shane Fitzsimons again underlined his great talent as he recorded a double silver medal success, finishing in second place in both the 600 metres and Long Jump.

On June 9^th and 10^th, the Under 14-19 championships were held in Tullamore. Competition was of a very high standard and medals were very hard won. A small group of Mullingar athletes qualified for the finals, and each put a great effort and will have benefited greatly from competing at this level.

Stephen Moran had an excellent championships, finished 2^nd in the Under 18 200 metres and 3^rd in the 400 metres. Kevin Duggan was 2^nd in the Under 18 100 metres and also qualified for the final of the 200 metres, also very good performances.

In the middle distance events, Shane Boggs ran an excellent race in the Under 15 1500 metres, finishing 2^nd, winning another national medal. Alan Stenson had a super run in the Under 18 3000 metres, finishing second, and he also finished 5^th in the 1500 metres. Alan has had a great season, making significant strides on the track. Lee Stenson also had an excellent run finishing 4^th in the Under 17 3000 metres. Paul Flynn (U17 1500m), David Hynes (U18 400m), Alan Fitzsimons (U14 2000m Walk), Louise Darby (U16 200m), Maria McGivney (U16 800m), Sarah Drew (U17 800m & 1500m), Amy Drew (U18 300m & 3000m Walk) gave of their all and will have benefited from the experience of competing at national level.

South O’Hanlon 5 Mile

The South O’Hanlon 5 Mile road race took place on Wednesday evening last July 13th). Tomas Navickas
                                    had a very 

good run finishing 4th, in a very competitive field. He was followed quickly by Ben Vaitevichius who won
                                    the second prize

in his masters category. Vera McCool won first place in her masters category. Also running were Christy Creagh, Ray
                                    

Doyle,
                                    Sean McMullin, Nicky McCabe and Paul McCool. Pat Muldoon Sr. ran well in the BHAA 10k on Saturday 16th July.

                                    

Na Fianna
                                    5k
 The annual Na Fianna 5k road race took place in Johnstownbridge
                                    on 

Tuesday (July 5th). A large number of runners took part and an enjoyable 

evening was had
                                    by all. Ben Vaitevichius continuing his recent good form was 

our top finisher, just ahead of Tom McGrath. Ben won his masters
                                    category. 

Next came Patrick Muldoon, Ciaran Nolan, Ray Doyle, Liam McGlynn, 

Nicky McCabe, Christy
                                    Creagh, Paul McCool, Caroline Mooney, 

Sonja Statum and Brigid McCabe. Vera McCool was second while 

Paula Murray and
                                    Sean McMullin were third in their respective 

masters categories. Mullingar won the Bob Heffernan Memorial Trophy
                                    

for first club in the Senior Men’s race. 

On Wednesday July 6th in the BHAA 5k in Irishtown, Patrick Muldoon
                                    Jr. 

was 6th and Pat Muldoon also finished well up.

Grand Prix Race Walking

Congratulations to Pat Ryan who had an excellent performance in winning the National 20k race walking championships of Ireland, which took place in the Phoenix Park on Sunday last (June 26^th). To win a national title is a tremendous achievement and thoroughly deserved for a very talented and committed athlete. Sean McMullin also had a great performance when finishing fourth overall and first in the masters section. Sean has had a great season competing in the walks at national and international level. Congratulations again to both. Well done to Mark Christie who had an excellent run on Saturday evening last (June 25 in the BMC meeting in Solihull, UK. Mark finished fourth in the 'A' 1500 metres in a personal best time of 3:41.91. Also on Saturday evening, the Dunshaughlin 10k took place. Martin Fagan was a convincing winner of the race in a very impressive time; he is clearly in great form at the moment. There were good performances too from both Ben Vaitevichius and Patrick Muldoon who finished in the top ten. Ben was also victorious in his very competitive masters category. Ciaran Nolan and Pat Muldoon followed in quick succession and can be very pleased with their runs. The club won the team competition and we were delighted to be the recipients of the Michael Manning Memorial Cup for the first time since 1986. Patrick Muldoon Jr. was 4th in the BHAA 5 Mile on June 30th. Pat Muldoon and Ray Doyle also ran well. Pat and Patrick also competed in the BHAA 5k Beach Race on June 21st.

Leinster Championships

The Leinster Juvenile Track and Field Championships for boys and girls in the under fourteen to under nineteen age groups were held in a sunny Tullamore on Saturday and Sunday last (June 18^th & 19^th). It was a very successful weekend for Mullingar Harriers as twelve of our athletes qualified to compete in the Juvenile Track and Field Championships of Ireland on the 9^th and 10^th of July in Tullamore. We had nine competitors in the boys’ events. Alan Fitzsimons was first in the under 14 2000 metres walk; he clearly has developed a great liking to this event and can now look forward to the Nationals. In the under 15 1500 metres Shane Boggs had a great run finishing second, also qualifying for the Nationals. Lee Stenson doubled up in the under 16 1500 metres and 3000 metres and qualified for the Nationals in both events. He finished 2^nd in the 3000 metres on Saturday and followed it up by winning bronze in the 1500 metres on Sunday, two excellent performances. Paul Flynn also ran very well finishing 4^th in the 1500 metres thereby qualifying for the Nationals, and was also 5^th in the 3000 metres. Another qualifier was David Hynes who moved down a distance but still had a very good run finishing 2^nd in the under 18 400 metres. In the sprints, Warren Walsh did very well to make the final in the under 14 80 metres, and Mullingar dominated the under 18 events. Kevin Duggan recorded an excellent double winning both the 100 metres and 200 metres; while Stephen Moran was also in top form winning the 400 metres and finishing second in the 200 metres. Both Kevin and Stephen are in great form at the moment and should do well in the National Finals. In the girls’ events we had six athletes competing. Aishling Duggan ran very well in the under 14 80 metres, but just missed out on progressing rom her heats. Aoife Hogan competed in the under 15 200 metres for the first time and ran very well finishing 6^th in the final, Aoife also competed in the 800 metres. Louise Darby was in very good form as she qualified for the Nationals by taking 4^th place in the under 16 200 metres. She was also 6^th in the 100 metres and 250 metres hurdles. Maria McGivney had a fine run finishing 4^th in the under 16 800 metres; as did Sarah Drew who finished 3^rd in the under 17 equivalent, with both qualifying for the National finals. Amy Drew also qualified for the Nationals in the under 18 age group. She finished second in her specialist event the 3000 metres walk, while she was also 4^th in the 300 metres. Well done to Greg Duggan who was 4^th in his grade of the 200 metres at the Dublin Graded Meeting held in Santry on June 15^th. Well done to Martin Fagan who finished 5^th in a 5000 metres, while representing Ireland in the European Cup meeting in Portugal at the weekend. Martin has had an excellent season and it is the greatest honour for any athlete to represent their country.

Rathowen 5k

The Rathowen 5k road race held on Wednesday evening last (June 15^th) was a great success with over 100 competitors taking part. Paul Buckley from Ferbane was the overall winner, while Pauline Curley of Tullamore was a clear winner of the Women’s race. Thanks to all club officials who assisted with the running of the event. A large number of Mullingar athletes competed in the race. Tomas Navickas and Ben Vaitevicius showed that they are in great form, when finishing second and third respectively. Ben also won his masters category. Tom McGrath was 4^th followed closely by Patrick Muldoon in 6^th place. Next to finish were Matt Glennon who was second in his masters category, Ciaran Nolan, Pat Muldoon, Brian Boyle, John Bannon, Sean McMullin (also second in his masters category), Ray Doyle, Nicky McCabe and Christy Creagh (winner of their respective masters categories), Paul McCool, Liam McGlynn and PJ Ballesty. All ran very well and enjoyed the event. In the Women’s race, there were very good performances from Paula Murray (3^rd Senior), Maura Dervin and Vera McCool (2^nd and 3^rd respectively in their masters category), Caroline Mooney, Sonja Statum, Brigid McCabe and Breda McDonnell. Thanks again to all who made the race a success. results... 

Leinster Juvenile Track and Field Championships

The Leinster Juvenile Championships for boys and girls in the under 9 – under 13 age groups took place in St. Abban’s, Monavea, Crettyard, Co. Laois on Sunday last (June 12th). It was a long programme of events for both athletes, officials and spectators and thankfully the weather stayed fine throughout the day. For many of our juvenile athletes it was their first taste experience of Leinster competition. The Awards Scheme for the under 9 – under 11 age groups was a great success, and all our younger members enjoyed themselves immensely participating in multi events. The under 9’s and under 10’s competed in three events: the 60 metres, long jump and ball throw; while the under 11’s also competed in the 500 metres. Boidu Sayeh (boys u/10) and Stacey Darby (girls u/10) won silver and bronze awards respectively for their efforts in the three events. Boidu recorded the fastest time over 60 metres in the u/10 age group and the extra points pushed him to the silver award. Mairead Sayeh (girls u/11) and Leigh Walsh (boys u/11) won bronze Awards. Shane Fitzsimons won a Gold Award in the boys u/11. He had a most impressive win in the 500 metres recording the fastest time and earning a place in the National Finals, and was also third in the long jump. When the Awards were over, attention turned to the under 12 – under 13 championships in the afternoon. Mark Dinnegan was unlucky to lose out on count back in the boys u/13 high jump but his jump was a personal best and he was still pleased with his silver medal. He also competed well in the shot putt and long jump. Paul Kiernan had his first outing in the boys u/13 ball throw and 80m and was unlucky not to feature. Lisa Darby (u/13 girls 600m) ran a great heat in the girls u/13 600 metres to qualify for the final but despite a heroic effort she missed out on the medals. All our athletes enjoyed the championships, it was a great experience competing for them to try out different events. We would like to thank Greg Duggan and the Darby, Walsh, Sayeh families for providing transport to St. Abban’s. Congratulations to Martin Fagan who has been selected on the Irish team for the European Cup competition which takes place in Leiria, Portugal this weekend. It is a thoroughly deserved honour for Martin who will compete in the 5000 metres. Congratulations also to Mark Christie who had an excellent run in the 1500 metres at the British Milers Club meeting in Watford last Saturday (June 11^th). Mark ran a personal best time of 3:44.50.

Leinster Championships

The Leinster Senior and Masters Championships were held in Tullamore on Sunday last (June 5th). Greg Duggan had an excellent sprint double, winning both the 100 metres and 200 metres in the masters men, in impressive fashion. Sean McMullin won silver in the 3000 metres masters walk, while Pat Ryan was a clear winner of the Senior Men’s 5000 metres walk, both very good performances. In the middle distance events Alan Stenson ran very well in the 1500 metres recording a personal best time, and Patrick Muldoon also ran well in the 5000 metres. Justin Collins was competing in senior competition for the first time and threw really well, finishing second in the Shot Putt and fourth in the Discus. Justin had more great results at the Celtic Track & Field International in Antrim Forum on June 7th, when he threw 2 personal bests; finishing 2nd in the discus (38.82) and 3rd in the shot putt (12.16) again competing in senior competition. Congratulations to Kevin Duggan (representing St. Finian’s College, Mullingar) who was second in both the 100 metres and 200 metres in the Intermediate Boys category at the Irish Schools Championships, held in Tullamore on Saturday. This is an excellent achievement that Kevin can be immensely proud of; medals in these championships are very hard won. In conjunction with the championships Irish Milers Club races took place and Mark Christie had a very good run in the Men’s 1500 metres finishing fifth in a very competitive race. Meanwhile in the U.S. Martin Fagan posted a personal best time for the 5000 metres when qualifying for the NCAA championships, which take place this week. At the third Dublin Graded Meeting recently, Alan Stenson won the Grade B 3000 metres while Greg Duggan was fourth in his heat of the 400 metres. The fourth meeting took place last Wednesday (1^st June) and Alan and Greg were again in action, finishing fifth in their respective 800 metres and 100 metres events.

Kilcormac 5k

The annual Jack Cox memorial 5k took place in Kilcormac on Friday evening last (May 27th). Noel Kelly continued to his recent good form when finishing second, just losing out to the winner in the closing stages in a tightly contested race. Matt Glennon, Paul McCool and Des Walshe also ran well. In the Women’s race Vera McCool had a very good run, finishing fourth overall and second in the masters category while Geraldine Walshe also finished well up. At the BHAA Intel 5 Mile road race on Saturday Patrick Muldoon was 5th and Pat Muldoon Sr. also ran well.

Overall Results - Mullingar Road Race Series

Senior Men: 1. Cormac Finnerty; 2. Pat Muldoon; 3. Alan Maye; 4. Jody O’Reilly. .M1: Matt Glennon; 2. Paul McCool. M2: 1. Ben Vaitevichius; 2. John Bannon. M3: 1. Nicky McCabe; 2. Ciaran McGovern. M4: 1. Christy Creagh; 2. Jim Langan. Junior: 1. Paul Flynn; 2. Joey Cleary. Senior Women: 1. Paula Murray; 2. Michelle O’Halloran; 3. Sinéad Prunty; 4. Ursula Guinan. W2: 1. Maura Dervin; 2. Vera McCool. W4: 1. Bridgid McCabe; 2. Geraldine Walshe. Junior: 1. Ruth Kearney; 2. Grace Kearney. Full Results...

Results

It was a busy weekend of competition for many club athletes. On Friday evening last (May 20th), a few of our athletes travelled to Navan to take part in the annual 6k road race, organised by Navan Athletic Club. Matt Glennon had a very good run finishing 8th overall and second in his masters category. Geraldine Walsh and Christy Creagh won their respective masters categories, while Des Walsh also ran well.

Then on Saturday, St. Coca's A.C. in Kilcock held their open 5k road race which incorporated the Leinster Novice and Masters championships. Noel Kelly had an excellent run finishing second in a very good time. Christy Creagh showed no signs of fatigue from the Navan race to win the silver medal in his masters category. Pat Muldoon, Ciaran Nolan and Ray Doyle were all very pleased with their performances. Also on Saturday the Leinster Schools Track and Field finals took place in Santry. Kevin Duggan representing St. Finian's College cruised to an excellent sprint double in the Intermediate Boys, winning gold in both the 100m and 200m events. Kevin now goes on to compete in the Irish Schools finals in Tullamore on June 4th. There were also good performances from Amy Drew (Wilsons Hospital) in the Intermediate Girls 2000m Walk; Ruth Kearney (Loreto College) in the Intermediate Girls 3000m, Sarah Drew (Wilsons Hospital) in the Intermediate Girls 1500m and Stephen Moran (St. Mary's CBS) in the Intermediate Boys 400m; but they failed to advance to the finals. On Sunday the Leinster Juvenile Track and Field Relays took place in Navan. Our Girls Under 13 team of Arlene Coughlan, Joye Kearney, Faye Kearney and Lisa Darby were eliminated in the heats of their 4 X 100m relay, but they will certainly learn from the experience of competing in a fast sprint relay. Our Boys Under 18 team of Stephen Moran, Simon Maher, Timmy Mescall and Kevin Duggan won the 4 X 100m relay convincingly and were second in the 4 X 400m. Finally well done to David Hynes who ran a fast time when finishing fourth in the 800m at the Irish Milers Club races in Ringsend recently.

Juvenile Triangular Track & Field Meeting

A Juvenile Intercounty Track and Field Meeting between clubs from Westmeath, Offaly and Laois took place in the Tullamore Harriers Stadium on Friday evening last (May 6th). It was the first opportunity for many of our younger juvenile athletes to compete on the tartan track and they will benefit greatly from the experience. A good contingent from the club took part and with Mullingar Harriers athletes distinguishing themselves in both track and field events, it looks like we have plenty of stars for the future. In the Boys competition, Eoin Sheridan was second in the under 9 long jump; Shane Fitzsimons was third in the under 11 80 metres and he also won the 600 metres; Conor Moriarty was second in the under 13 80 metres and also won the long jump; Mark Dinnegan won the under 13 shot putt and was also third in the long jump, while Odhran Daly also competed well. In the Girls competition, Ann Marie Kennedy won both the under 10 60 metres and 300 metres; Beth McGuire won the under 11 600 metres and under 12 ball throw; Cliodhna Daly was third in the under 13 800 metres, while Eadaoin Day also ran well in her event. Paul Collins representing North Westmeath AC was third in Boys under 12 ball throw. These were excellent performances from all these young athletes and the competition will benefit them ahead of upcoming events. Many thanks to those who travelled to Tullamore with the athletes and acted as officials, the Dalys, Fitzsimons, Kennedys, Peter Collins and Greg Duggan.

At the Cushinstown Track and Field Sports on Sunday last, we had more excellent performances from three of our athletes. Stacey Darby was third in the under 10 80 metres, Lisa Darby was fourth in the under 14 300 metres, while in the under 16 300 metres Louise Darby was third. Noel Kelly was second in the Boston Scientific 4 Mile Road Race in Tullamore on May 8th, also a good performance. Greg Duggan was a good second in his grade of the 100 metres at the second Dublin Graded Meeting of the season in Santry on May 4th. Also Alan Stenson ran well in the Mile. In America Martin Fagan continues to run well, posting two good times for the 5000 metres recently. Pat Muldoon Sr. and Ray Doyle ran well in the RTE BHAA road race on April 30th.

Intervarsities T & F
The Intervarsity Track and Field Championships took place in Irishtown Stadium, Ringsend, the country’s newest tartan track on 22nd/23rd April. In the Men’s events Mark Christie was a most impressive winner of the Men’s 5000 metres, winning by eleven seconds and running a personal best time. Justin Collins was 3rd in the Shot Putt and 2nd in the Discus, excellent results in only his first year in Intervarsity competition. Damien Shaw had a very good run, finishing fifth in the 800 metres; while in the Women’s events Sarah Mescall in the 3000 metres and Louise Moore in the 5000 metres both ran well.
Greg Duggan got his outdoor season off to a very good start on Wednesday evening last (20th April), we when won his Grade in the 100 metres at the first Dublin Graded Meeting of the season.
Congratulations to Justin Collins who was the recipient of the AAI Juvenile Award for Westmeath for last year. He is a thoroughly deserving winner of the award; it is based on his performances at All-Ireland Championships throughout the year.

Bohermeen 5k

Last Sunday (17^th April), the Patrick Bell Memorial 5k Road Race took place in Bohermeen, Co. Meath. Despite the inclement weather, over two hundred competitors took part. Mullingar Harriers were joint recipients of a trophy for the club with the most participants. Matt Glennon was our leading finisher, followed by Patrick Muldoon, Sean McMullin, Paul Flynn, Ray Doyle, Paul McCool, Christy Creagh, Nicky McCabe and Des Walsh. We finished third club. In the Women’s race, Ruth Kearney ran really well finishing sixth overall and second Junior. In the Masters section, Geraldine Walsh won her category, Breda McDonnell was second in her category, while Vera McCool and Brigid McCabe were third in their respective categories. In the Juvenile races Shane Fitzsimons and Shane Boggs had good wins in their respective events, while Alan Fitzsimons was unlucky finishing fourth. On Saturday in the Business Houses 8 Mile Road Race, Noel Kelly had another excellent run finishing second. Patrick Muldoon (Junior) was tenth and Pat Muldoon also ran well. Martin Fagan had an excellent run in the Mt. Sac Relays in California (April 15th) when he ran a time of 28 minutes, 59 seconds, a personal best. This automatically
qualifies him for NCAA championships, a great effort, he really is in flying form at the moment.

AAI Juvenile Indoors

The National Juvenile Indoor Championships reached their conclusion last weekend (2nd/3rd April) in Nenagh. We had some more excellent performances as three of our athletes won bronze medals. Stephen Moran showed great strength in finishing third in the Under 18 Boys 200 metres. This was another excellent performance from Stephen who also excelled in the first round of the championships. He has a great future ahead of him in the sport. Amy Drew a very experienced walker, was as consistent as ever when claiming the bronze medal in the Girls Under 18 1500 metres walk; while in the Boys Under 14 equivalent Alan Fitzsimons who is new to the event did really to finish third, also winning bronze. The Walk is a very technical event which is difficult to master, congratulations to both athletes on their success.

On Saturday Noel Kelly ran was just beaten into second place in the Dublin City Council 4 mile road race in Raheny, Patrick Muldoon was 8th and Pat Muldoon also ran well.

Easter Sunday 4 Mile Road Race

The Dunboyne 4 Mile Road Race took place on Easter Sunday. Over 300 took part. Noel Kelly had a very good run, finishing 13th in a fast time. Ben Vaitevichius was next Mullingar athlete to finish, followed immediately by Patrick Muldoon. Ben was 3rd in his masters category. It was good to see Matt Glennon and Pat Muldoon back running well, while Vera McCool was also pleased with her run, winning second prize in her category.

AAI Juvenile Indoors

At the first weekend of the AAI Juvenile Indoors in Nenagh (19th/20th March), there were excellent performances from two of our athletes. Shane Fitzsimons continued to show why he is such a promising athlete when finishing second in the Boys Under 12 600 metres. Stephen Moran finished 3rd in the 60 metres, 4th in the 400 metres and 6th in the Long Jump, in the Boys Under 18 age group. These were great performances from Stephen who is an excellent all-round athlete. At the BHAA CC on Saturday, Patrick Muldoon was 7th and Ray Doyle also ran well.

European Masters Indoors

Two of our athletes represented Ireland at the European Masters Indoor Championships in Eskilstuna, Sweden last weekend (10th-13th March).

This was a great experience for both, competing at such a high level. Sean McMullin put in two excellent performances, finishing fifth in both the 3000 metres walk, and the 10 kilometre road walk. Greg Duggan was most unlucky in marginally missing out on qualifying from his heat of the 60 metres and 200 metres events. Greg also ran an excellent leg in the relay, but Ireland just missed out on a medal, finishing fourth.

These were excellent performances from Sean and Greg competing against the best masters athletes in Europe.

At the National Junior Indoor Championships in Nenagh on Saturday, David Hynes just missed out on qualifying for the final of the 800 metres. Patrick Muldoon was 6th in the BHAA CC on Saturday.

Leinster Juvenile Indoors

Also last week-end (5th and 6th March) many of our Juvenile athletes were in action in Nenagh for the Leinster Juvenile Indoor Track and Field Championships. For some it was their first taste of indoor competition and for others it was the first time they had competed for the Club.

On Saturday, Kevin Duggan and Stephen Moran were first in action, in the under 18 boys 400m. Kevin was unlucky not to advance to the final but Stephen came safely through his heat and finished a magnificent 2nd place in the final in a new personal best time. This booked Stephen's place in the National Finals. Stephen went on the take another silver medal, in the u18 long jump, and even later in the afternoon, he teamed up with Simon Maher, Paul Flynn and Kevin Duggan in the u/18 boys 4x200m relay and in a thrilling race, Mullingar finished second. All four athletes ran superbly as a team and deserved their medals. Amy Drew was in fine form and won the u/18 girls 1500m walk and advances to the National Finals. Mark Dinnegan competed in the u/13 boys 600m but failed to make it to the final, but he used his time wisely in Nenagh and went on to win the high jump for his first Leinster Title. Mark is a great competitor and his success was warmly welcomed by his Club mates.

In his first race for Mullingar, Conor Moriarty qualified easily for the final of the u/13 boys 600m, where he ran very well but finished just out of the medals. His calm approach to the final was an indication that Conor will enjoy success in time. Conor also competed in the 60m and while he ran well, his strength probably lies in the longer endurance events rather than the short sprints. Not so for our trio of u/13 girls 600m runners who all made it to the final and in a fast and thrilling race Arlene Coughlan finished 3rd, followed closely by Faye Kearney in 4th and Cliodhna Daly in 5th. It was terrific to see all three Mullingar girls in the final and competing so well.

Alan Fitzsimons was another newcomer and he took a well deserved silver medal in the u/14 boys 1000m walk. Corrina Murtagh was also in action in the walk, in the u/14 girls 1000m walk, but she fell foul of the Judges in this most technical event but will have learned valuable lessons from the race. Both these young walkers are good prospects for the future. Simon Maher was in action in the u/17 boys 60m but finished out of the medals. Lisa Darby was unlucky not to make it out of the heats in the u/13 girls 60m but Joye Kearney made it to the semi-final where despite a brave effort, didn't advance to the final. Faye and Joye Kearney and Lisa Darby also competed in the high jump but didn't win any medals in a very tough competition. Likewise for Eadaoin Daly in the u/12 long jump, and for Odhran Daly and Aaron Glynn in the u/12 boys long jump, but they all enjoyed the competition nonetheless.

Sunday started well for Mullingar when newcomer David McCormack qualified for the final of the u/14 boys 800m, where he ran very well but his lack of experience and fitness showed and with a bit more training he'll finish nearer the medal positions in future races. No lack of experience for Aoife Hogan in the u/15 girls 800m but Aoife is still making a comeback and faded a bit to finish out of the qualification places for the final. Aoife is a resilient girl and will get back to top form in time. Maria McGivney and Grace Kearney competed in the u/16 girls 800m where Maria finished in 4th place, just outside the medals, followed by Grace. Sarah Drew finished in 4th place in the u/17 girls 800m and Paul Flynn ran well in the u/17 boys 800m but finished out of the medals. Shane Boggs qualified well for the final of the u/15 boys 800m where he ran a very good race but recent illness robbed him of his trade mark finishing sprint and despite being very well placed with 100m to go he was outpaced in the sprint to the line and he finished outside the medals. A brave performance though. It was up to David Hynes to secure our first gold in an 80m when he comfortably won the u/19 boys event, winning with ease.

While all the excitement was going on at the track, Dean Stenson was competing in the u/14 boys shot putt where he finished 4th in a very close competition. Mark Dinnegan won his second Leinster medal of the week-end, when taking third place in the u/13 boys shot putt. Back at the track, Eadaoin Daly and newcomer Beth Maguire competed in the u/12 girls 600m where despite running very well they finished out of the medals but will have gained much from the experience. In the corresponding boys event, Odhran Daly and Shane Fitzsimons were in action. Odhran ran bravely but didn't make the final, while Shane won his heat to advance to the final. Shane's performance in the final was little short of breathtaking. Despite a poor start, he quickly stamped his authority on the race and took the lead early on and showed the other competitors a clean pair of heels to win by a margin of over 50m. His winning time of 1min 53seconds would be worthy of many older boys, and more remarkable when one considers that Shane will be under 12 again next year. A magnificent talent and someone to watch for in the future. We had two teams in the u/13 girls 4x100m but despite the efforts of Cliodhna Daly, Joye Kearney, Faye Kearney and Arlene Coughlan on one team and Caitriona Murtagh, Eimear Flynn, Lisa Darby and Eadaoin Daly on the other, no medals were won. We also had a relay team in the u/17 girls 4x200m when Aoife Hogan, Maria McGivney, Louise Darby and Sarah Drew teamed up but didn't advance to the final. Great to see the four girls take on the challenge though, which they certainly seemed to get a lot of enjoyment from. Arlene Coughlan, Cliodhna Daly and Faye Kearney enjoyed taking part in the u/13 girls long jump but didn't win any medals. On to the 60m sprints where Aaron Glynn ran in the boys u/12, and Eadaoin Daly ran in the u/12 girls 60m. Both youngsters ran very well but didn't advance to the final. We had four competitors in the u/14 boys 60m, where newcomers Alan Boardman, Eamon Boland, Luke Kelly and Warren Walsh competed. Eamon and Luke were unlucky not to qualify for the final but Alan and Warren did qualify and it was great to see two Mullingar athletes in the final. Both boys had run magnificently in the heats and expectations were high for the final but it was not to be. Despite very credible performances, they finished out of the medals but both boys were definitely enthused with the occasion and will no doubt improve with more training and practice. The four Mullingar boys in the 60m showed great potential and they have the basis for a very good sprint relay team. Louise Darby was unlucky to stumble unexpectedly midway through the u/16 girls 60m final and from a very strong challenging position fell back suddenly to finish out of the medal positions. Even for an experienced sprinter like Louise, an unexpected pitfall can appear. The closest race of the day had to be in the final of the u/18 boys 60m when Kevin Duggan and Stephen Moran finished in a dead heat and were given joint second, beaten by just two hundredths of a second behind the race winner. The finish was nail-bitingly close and thank goodness there was electronic timing in use or a final decision would have been next to impossible, such was the closeness of the finish. A magnificent sprint race and full credit to Kevin and Stephen for providing such entertainment. This gave Stephen his 5th silver medal of these championships, a splendid week-ends effort for this excellent Club man.

All in all, the Championships were a great success for Mullingar and medal winners aside, the performances of our newcomers auger well for the season ahead. Sincere thanks to the many parents who made the long journey to Nenagh and lend their support. It is very much appreciated by the athletes.

Well done to all our club members who competed in the Ballycotton 10 on Sunday: Joan Dillon, Eva Ross, Nicky McCabe, Vera, McCool, Brigid, McCabe, Paul McCool, Des Walsh, Geraldine Walsh, Breda McDonnell, Mary Dillon, Karen Malherbe. Also well done to those who competed in the Irish Schools CC on Saturday: Joey Cleary, Ruth Kearney and Alan Stenson.

Irish Universities CC

Well done to Mark Christie who was an impressive winner of the Men's race at the Irish Universities Cross Country Championships, held in Belfast last Saturday (26th February). This was another excellent performance from Mark. Damien Shaw also ran well. Well done also to Louise Moore, Sarah Mescall, Niamh Dillon and Joan Dillon who who all finished well up in a very competitive Women's race. Patrick Muldoon finished 12th, and Ray Doyle ran well in the BHAA CC, also on Saturday.

National Senior and Junior Cross Country Championships

On Saturday last (19^th February), the AAI Senior and Junior Interclub Cross Country Championships of Ireland took place in Santry Demesne, adjacent to Morton Stadium in Santry. The holding of the championships on a Saturday this year was a success, with a large crowd of spectators turning up to witness some very exciting and competitive races. Conditions although breezy were ideal for running, and the flat course made for fast running. The first races on the programme were the Junior Men and Junior Women’s championships. The standard was high and the two Mullingar Harriers competitors distinguished themselves well. In the Junior Women’s race, Sarah Mescall ran very well, finishing 16^th; as did Alan Stenson in the Junior Men’s race, who also finished 16^th. Both are underage again next year; and this competition will benefit them ahead of their upcoming races. It was disappointing that we did not have teams in both Junior races. We had only one athlete in the Senior Women’s race, Eva Ross, who ran well against very strong opposition. A large field of 110 athletes assembled for the Senior Men’s race, which was one of the most open races in recent years. We were hopeful of getting into the team medals, but were most unlucky in just missing out. The team competition turned out to be the closest in recent years, as only 7 points separated first and fourth. Clonliffe Harriers were the winners with 65 points, with St. Malachy’s 2^nd (70), DSD 3^rd (71) and Mullingar Harriers 4^th with 72 points. It was still an excellent performance by the team and one that we can certainly build on in the coming years. Two of our most talented young athletes, Mark Christie and Martin Fagan had excellent runs, finishing 6^th and 7^th respectively. They were competing against the very best athletes in the country and underlined their huge ability and potential with two excellent performances. Both are likely to be challenging for individual honours in this race for many years to come. John Burke had a very good run finishing in 23^rd place, while next came Noel Kelly, Tom McGrath and Ben Vaitevichius, all running very strongly and finishing well up in a very competitive race. results....

Raheny 5

Last Sunday (6th February) the 21st anniversary of the Raheny Road Race in Dublin attracted a large entry. A large number of Mullingar Harriers athletes competed. Noel Kelly finished an excellent 9th getting into the prizes in a very competitive field. Ben Vaitevicius also had a good run, getting into the masters prizes. He was followed by Pat Muldoon, Fr. Mark English and Ciaran Nolan, all running strongly. It was great to see so many of our newer members competing, Liam Mc Glynn, Brian Boyle and Ray Doyle all ran very well. Des Walsh also had a good run. Unfortunately Cormac Finnerty had to withdraw due to injury. In the Women’s race Maura Dervin had a great run and she was followed quickly by Vera McCool, both finished high up in their respective categories. Geraldine Walsh ran another very consistent race, winning first prize in her category. The Ladies were also second masters team

National Intermediate and Masters CC Championships

Last Sunday (30th January) the National Intermediate and Masters Cross Country Championships took place in Tinryland, Co. Carlow. It was a perfect day for running and the course was in excellent condition making for some very fast races. It was also a successful day for the Mullingar athletes who competed. Our Intermediate Women’s team finished third which was an excellent result. Louise Moore had a great run, finishing 10th and is in flying form at the moment. She was quickly followed by Maura Dervin who also ran really well in 20th position, as did Joan Dillon who finished an excellent 25th. Eva Ross was the vital fourth scorer, ensuring that Mullingar won the bronze medals. This was an excellent team performance from the girls. In the Masters Women’s race, Geraldine Walsh was second in her category, winning yet another All-Ireland medal. A great performance from a very consistent athlete. Vera Flynn (24th) and Breda McDonnell also ran well in what was a very competitive race. Ben Vaitevicius was our only competitor in the Masters Men’s race, which saw a very large field competing. Ben ran very well finishing 16th overall and fifth in his category in an extremely competitive race. Also well done to Martin Fagan who  ran indoor PB's of of 13.58.05 for 5000m on 28th January and 8.04.62 for 3000m on 11th February, in Boston.

Leinster Indoor Championships

A small group of Mullingar athletes travelled to Nenagh on Sunday last (23rd January) for the first day of the Leinster Indoor Track & Field Championships. There was a full programme of events for Senior, Junior and Masters athletes, plus some events in the under 16, 17, 18 and 19 juvenile age groups. Louise Darby and Emily McCormack ran very well in the heats of the u/16 girls 200m but qualification for the final was on fastest times, and despite a great effort, both girls failed to make it to the final. Likewise for Sarah Drew in the u/17 girls 200m, and for Simon Maher in the u/17 boys 200m, both ran very strongly but just missed out. This was Simon's first time to run indoors and he found the banked bends difficult to negotiate but will have learned a lot from the experience. Stephen Moran advanced to the final in the u/18 boys 200m and finished an excellent 3rd place while Kevin Duggan just missed out on making the final by one place but ran a very good heat. In the u/17 boys 1500m Lee Stenson came through with a very fast finish to take 3rd, a very good run. He was followed by Timmy Mescall and Paul Flynn who despite good runs finished out of the medals, but will have gained from the experience. Our final Juvenile in action on the track was Amy Drew in the u/18 girls 1500m but despite running very well, finished outside the medals. Days 2 and 3 for all other ages and the rest of the u/16 to u/19 events will be in March. Attention then turned to the Junior, Senior and Masters events. Justin Collins was an emphatic winner in the Junior mens shot putt, recently Justin also finished third in the Junior Shot at the Munster Indoors confirming his ranking as one of the top junior throwers in the country. Of interest from a Westmeath point of view, was the success of Ciaran Dermody (North Westmeath A.C.) earlier in the u/19 boys shot putt with a very impressive series of throws to win convincingly. Ciaran is a training partner of Justin Collins and is to be seen training regularly in Mullingar with Justin under the expert eyes of Peter Collins and Andy McEoin. Back on the track, Greg Duggan was beaten in the Masters mens 60m by just 2 hundreths of a second, the narrowest of margins, but as the wi andnner was running as a guest, Greg claimed the Leinster Title nonetheless. Tomas Navickas took part in the Mens 800m for the very first time bthe but found it much too short and fast for his liking. Tomas ran well but is only coming back to fitness after a recent lay-off. The final event of the day, the Masters men 3000m saw Ben Vaitevicius take his first Leinster Title after a fine run. A well deserved and popular win. Meanwhile in the BHAA CC on Saturday Tom McGrath was 5th and Pat Muldoon was 15th.

Leinster Cross Country Championships

On Sunday 16th January, we had our first major outing of the year as the Leinster Senior and Junior Cross Country Championships, plus Juvenile Relays took place in Tinryland, Co. Carlow. Overall it was a very successful day for the club, as two of our Juvenile Relay teams won Leinster titles, while our Junior Men & Women along with our Senior Women’s team also got into the medals. Conditions were ideal for running and we witnessed a very exciting day’s competition, with closely contested races in all the age-groups. Our very talented Girls Under 12 team were first into action, and they ran a perfect relay to win the gold medals in some style. Cliodhna Daly, Joye Kearney, Faye Kearney and Arlene Coughlan ran really strongly throughout and are thoroughly deserving of their gold medals. In the Girls Under 16 relay, we had two teams in action and they both ran exceptionally well, finishing in first and fourth places respectively. Our A team of Sarah Drew, Louise Darby, Grace Kearney and Ruth Kearney stormed to a very impressive victory. This was a great team performance from the girls. Likewise our B team comprising of Jessica Lynch, Tracey Coughlan, Maria McGivney and Aoife Hogan also ran really well to finish in fourth place. It was great to have two teams competing in this age group and augurs well for the future. It was also very pleasing to have two Mullingar Harriers teams in the Boys Under 16 relay. Although they finished outside the medals, they will benefit from the competition particularly as some are new to the sport. Timmy Mescall, Paul Flynn, Joey Cleary and Lee Stenson made up our A team who finished fifth; while our B team consisting of Damien Palfreyman, Padraic Maher, Ciaran Sheridan and Simon Maher finished seventh, both very good performances. With the conclusion of the Juvenile Relays, it was time for the Junior and Senior championships. Our Junior Women put in a super team performance, claiming the club title for Mullingar, while also finishing second county. Ruth Kearney led the team home in sixth place, just ahead of Sarah Mescall in seventh and Sarah Drew who was eighth; excellent running from all three. Next came Grace Kearney to secure team victory, while Aoife Hogan, Maria McGivney and Amy Drew also ran well. This was a great effort from all the girls as most of them ran in the relays as well. Our Junior Men’s team also got into the medals with a very good team performance, finishing third county. David Hynes was our leading finisher running strongly, closely followed by Lee Stenson also running well. Stephen Moran, Shane Donohue, Joey Cleary and Paul Flynn all ran well and were deserving of their medals. They will all benefit from running in a competitive championship race. In the Senior Women’s race, Vera McCool was our first finisher, having a very good run, followed by Louise Moore and Maura Dervin, both running strongly. Next came Ciara Dillon, Eva Ross and Brigid McCabe. It was great to have a full team and they got their reward by getting into the medals, finishing third club and also third county. It was also good preparation ahead of the upcoming Intermediate and Masters Cross Country, which also takes place in Tinryland. The final race of the day was the Senior Men’s 10k, and a very competitive field took part. Tom McGrath had a very good run finishing in seventh position, while Ben Vaitevicius and Patrick Muldoon both ran strongly together and can be happy with their performances. results...

AAI Masters Indoors

On Saturday last (15th January) the Indoor Masters Championships of Ireland were held in Nenagh. Mullingar Harriers athletes again excelled, winning many medals in their respective categories. Greg Duggan had another excellent championships winning the 200 metres and finishing second in the 60 metres, great sprinting from an very consistent athlete. Sean McMullin put in a great performance in the Walk to finish second, while he also finished well up in the 3000 metres. Ben Vaitevicius tried out the shorter distances doubling up in 400 metres and 800 metres; and won two bronze medals which was great running.

Munster Open Indoors

Well done to Justin Collins won the bronze medal in the Junior Men's Indoor Shot Putt event in Nenagh on Sunday 9th January. In his first event of the year he had stiff opposition from James Nagle (the winner) & other Munster competitors.

Belfast International Cross Country

Well done to Mark Christie who finished 16th in the Belfast International C.C. in Stormont, helping Ireland to 3rd place in the team competition.

Tom Brennan Memorial 5km

A number of road races took place over the festive season, including on New Year's Day, the Tom Brennan Memorial 5km held in the Phoenix Park, where runners were faced with strong winds and driving rain. Cormac Finnerty had an excellent run finishing second. Next came Patrick Muldoon, David Hynes, Pat Muldoon, Louise Moore, Vera McCool and Paul McCool, all running well in the less than favourable conditions.