The final cross country fixture of the 2008/2009 season for the majority of our underage athletes took place in Meath on Sunday 22nd February, the County where it all started back last September at the Star of the Sea AC Open Cross Country. Over the intervening months, our underage athletes proved themselves the dominant force and the Club to beat throughout the long season. The final battle was held rather appropriately at the historic “Battle of the Boyne” site at Oldbridge, Drogheda, Co. Meath where we gathered for the annual Rás na hÉireann cross country event.

With races for boys and girls from under 9 up to Senior and Master, and short race distances, there was a race for everyone, particularly our crop of talented young newcomers. One such newcomer is Aoife Darby and she was most unfortunate to fall about 20m from the line in the under 9 girls 600m, just as she had taken the lead, but she was unhurt and got back up very quickly to finish 2nd and win a well deserved medal for her efforts. She had run a great race, but more importantly, enjoyed it and is a girl to watch over the next few years. Young John Whitelaw ran a very clever race in the under 9 boys 600m and with a late surge from 100m out, took the lead and held it to the finish to win gold. Running very well behind in support was Liam Moran (8th) and Eoin Quinn (14th), but a pity we hadn’t a fourth runner or team medals would have been won.

Niamh Quinn and Méabh McNulty had a terrific battle in the closing stages of the under 11 girls 800m, with Niamh just getting the edge to finish 4th and Méabh on her heels in 5th and both were delighted with their medals. In the corresponding under 11 boys 800m, Joseph Moran ran very well and finished 2nd, with Jack Moran not far behind in 6th, also winning a well deserved medal.

Aisling Moody was the brave front-runner in the under 13 girls 1,500m but paid for her early exuberance as she began to tire in the later stages but still finished an excellent 8th place, with Laura Whitelaw close behind in 9th, and Faye Walsh also running well but no fourth runner to make up a full team. When Cormac Dalton took the lead half-way through the under 13 boys 1,500m there was no-one going to survive the pace he set and he steadily opened up a very big lead to win by a wide margin, despite giving away a year. Oisin Quinn was next in 5th, followed home by Jack Kennedy, Jordan Wyse and Jack O’Leary to finish well in the team rankings, but just outside the medals. Barry Glennon was unfortunate to suffer a recurrence of a recent knee injury and was forced to stop, but no serious harm done and was alright after some first-aid.

The under 15 girls 2,000m saw Mullingar win its first team medals when after a thrilling race, Ciara Hewson finished 2nd, with Linda Conroy in 3rd, Lorraine Daly in 4th and Lorna Moody providing the vital fourth score to secure the medals for 2nd Club. This was great team effort. Shane Fitzsimons showed that he is really getting back to his best again with an exhibition run in the under 15 boys 2,000m where he took the early lead and finished a very long way ahead of the field strung out behind him. Also running strongly in support was Thomas Lynn in 4th, Padraig Moran in 7th and with Conor Boyle the essential fourth scorer to clinch the medals for 2nd Club.

Thomas Fagan was best of the Mullingar team in the under 17 boys 4,000m to finish 1st, and give Mullingar its second individual gold of the afternoon, followed by Shane Kelleher, Adam Daly, Stephen Nea and Ian McCormack packing well but unfortunately finishing out of the team medal positions. No team in the under 19 boys 4,000m but Vincent Connolly had a great race and finished 6th to win a well deserved individual medal. Likewise Arlene Coughlan was running solo in the under 17 girls 4,000m but suffered a bad stitch halfway through the first of the three laps and despite bravely trying to run through it, suffered all the way to the finish and was just glad to put the race and ordeal behind her.

Kieran Nolan made the most of his outing in the Senior men’s international race over 6,000m where he mixed it with athletes from the USA and South Africa as well as some of the best home-grown Irish athletes and he enjoyed the experience. Master athlete Ben Vaitkavichius finished 5th overall and 2nd in his master age-category in the master men 3,000m. Also running, but for the first time in a Club vest, was Seamus Moran who ran very well in his first race and was delighted with the great feeling he experienced as he finished and no doubt he’ll want to race again very soon.

With that, proceedings came to a close after a great afternoon’s racing in the beautiful Oldbridge setting on a lovely dry flat course that would match the best of any cross country course in Ireland, and the weather was a bonus too, with a clear dry and sunny day to show the site off to its best. For most, the Rás was the last cross country race until next September, for some the Schools All-Ireland awaits them in Belfast in two weeks time.