Christmas Races
Donore athletes were busy racing in various locations across Ireland over the Christmas period.
On St Stephen’s Day, Eric Keogh – who has got a call up for the Irish team in the Antrim International Cross Country – had a decisive win in Wicklow Town at the Inbhear Dee Streets of Wicklow 5k in a time of 15.11. In Kerry, Farranfore Maine Valley AC hold an annual 5k race on St Stephens Day and Des Tremble was 14th in this in a time of 16.57 while Ide Nic Dhomhnaill is coming back well after being injured recently to finish 4th lady in 18.32.
The day after, at the Robbie Byrne 5k in Navan, Andy Kinane came third in 16.50, while over in Kilbeggan, Westmeath, at the 6k race, Kevin Nolan was 4th in 20.37. Laura Murray ran the Ardagh 10 mile race in Longford on the 27th in 87.51 (having completed the Clonakilty marathon in 4.23 at the start of December).
Suttonians Rugby Club held their annual Fat Turkey Run 10k on a tough course on December 28th which takes in the hill of Howth and Anthony Flannery ran 35.38 there with Des Gill running 45.22 and Jill Dempsey 47.47.
George Brady ran his umpteenth marathon of the year on the 28th in the East of Ireland marathon series in Howth where he ran 3.01 on the hillly course and Grace Kennedy ran the half marathon event in 92 minutes.
New Year Races
Sinead Lambe was in Seville with a group of Leevale runners at New Years and she had a great win to be the first woman in a 5k race in the Andalucian city beating the Spanish opposition (the actual length of the race apparently was 5.4k really). Sinead went through 5k in 18.38 and finished the race in 20 minutes.
There was another win for Barbara Murray in her native Monaghan in the Jolly Joggers 10k in 40.06 where she finished first woman.
It was a great start to 2017 for Barbara Cleary who had a decisive win in the popular Tom Brennan 5k in the Phoenix Park organised by Liffey Valley AC. A 2 lap course which attracted nearly 600 runners on a very cold morning and a headwind in parts, Barbara was ahead of the 2nd woman by over a minute finishing in a time of 17.19.
First over the line for Donore in the race was Fergal Swaine in 16.56 with Des Tremble finishing in 17:00 on the button. One of our newer members Robert Clougher finished with Barbara in 17.19 and he did an identical time in the Clonliffe Christmas Cracker days earlier on December 27th.
The full list of our finishers was a good mix of the new and established members over various age-groups (including Tony Griffin winner of the Waterhouse Byrne Baird shield on St Stephens day) and some of these will be in action again next week at the Dublin Masters XC – well done all!
Fergal Swaine 21st 16.56
Des Tremble 17.00
Robert Clougher 17.19
Barbara Cleary 17.19
Declan Lynch 18.29
Stephen Dawson 19.47
Craig Scott 19.54
Ciaran Ryan 20.12
Tony Griffin 20.51
Barry Potts 21.01
Frank McNally 23.14
Charlie O’Neill 23.44
Michelle Dawson 25.20
Tom Halton 27.03
~Florence Curley