Highlights: Louis O’Loughlin retained his National Junior 800m title with a championship record time. Abdel Laadjel took a super silver in the Junior 3,000m as Gavin Curtin ran a fine tactical race to place 2^nd in the B final. Strong running by Donore Harriers athletes in the International Charleville Half-Marathon with 3 men in the top 20 – and Ide Nic Dhomhnaill 1^st senior woman and newcomer Sorcha Loughnane 2^nd in the W40 category. An unfortunate Lara O’Byrne was forced to withdraw due to injury whilst leading the national senior heptathlon championship. The club’s juvenile members ran a well-organized marathon relay to honour the achievement of Willie Dunne’s 1960 Rome Olympic marathon run.

Report: Louis O’Loughlin stormed his way to the gold medal in the 800m final at the National Junior track and field championships at Santry on Sunday. The Boot Road Bullet set out his intentions early on by going into the lead at the 200m mark. However, the reigning champion did not have things his own way. Jake Bagge of Ferrybank AC kept close pursuit of O’Loughlin as they passed the 400m mark in 56 seconds and then the 600m in 1.23. The two race leaders opened a gap on the remainder of the field, with the Donore Harriers man only gaining a clear advantage over his rival in the closing 30 to 40 metres. O’Loughlin winning time of 1.50.89 broke the championship record set as far back as 1999. Runner-up Bagge recorded a PB time of 1.51.85, with Dylan McBride of City of Lisburn AC 3^rd in 1.57.24. O’Loughlin qualified to the final earlier in the day by winning Heat 2 in 2.01.45.

40 athletes contested the 3,000m with 20 each in the A and B finals. Gavin Curtin (9.05.66) set a new personal best when placing 2^nd in the B final behind Oisin Murray (9.04.91) of An Riocht AC. Curtin matched all the early moves in the race as the front group whittled from six down to just two contenders as the race reached its conclusion. However, a final finishing kick from Curtin was matched by the Kerry runner in the race to the line. James Bolton (9.26.30), who has 3 years remaining in the grade, placed an excellent 5^th from a field of 20.

In the medals race Abdel Laadjel (8.39.72) took the silver gong, only conceding to Tadgh Donnelly (8.34.15) of Drogheda & District AC over the final 400 metres. Laadjel ran in the middle of the pack during the early stages of the race, and then gradually made his way to the front to challenge the pre-race favourite. As the two leaders passed the 2km mark in 2.44 (Donnelly) and 2.45 (Laadjel) the Donore Harriers man, knowing that his rival was two years older and possessed superior finishing speed, made a bid for glory – but was unable to open a wide enough gap to claim the top honour. Thus, Donnelly’s final lap of 63 seconds compared to Laadjel’s 68, proved the difference between gold and silver. Fathi Aden, making a comeback to competitive running, placed 18^th in 9.47.67 from a field of 20 starters.

In Saturday’s National Combined Events championships Lara O’Byrne was leading the senior women’s heptathlon by 269 points after 3 of 7 disciplines. Then, prior to the 200 metres a sudden and painful leg injury forced her to withdraw from the contest. The fear is that the injury may be a recurrence of a stress fracture injury that kept her side-lined for several months in 2019. The competition was won by Karen Dunne of Bohermeen AC.

The North Cork Athletics Club assembled strong fields to contest the International Charleville Half-Marathon on Sunday morning. The race, which followed a gently undulating course towards the town of Kilmallock before returning to Charleville, was won by international marathon runner Mick Clohisey (1.05.08) of Raheny Shamrocks AC. First home for Donore Harriers was Ray Hynes (1.09.57) in 10^th place, with new member Robert Murphy (1.10.19) just two places further back. Josh O’Sullivan-Hourihan admitted that he found the windy conditions on the second half of the race to be tough, but nevertheless secured a fine personal best of 1.11.33 and 20^th position overall.

Ide Nic Dhomhnaill (1.18.36) placed 55^th overall and was 1^st in the senior women’s category, finishing well clear of runner-up Mary Mulhare (1.19.51) of Portlaoise AC. Sorcha Nic Dhomhnaill (1.21.31) came 67^th overall and 4^th senior woman. Club newcomer Sorcha Loughnane (1.20.48) proved that she has fine potential as an athlete as she placed 65^th overall and 2^nd in the W40 category, behind Irish international athlete Breege Connolly (1.17.28) of Derry Spartans AC.

In the Morton Live Event at Santry on Friday Emmet O’Briain ran 4.42.85 to come 4^th in the Men’s Mile, with Donal Iremonger (5.06.02) placing 9^th.

In the Avondale Sports Day 5km at Wicklow on Thursday evening 10^th September 2020 masters over 65 athlete Tony Kynes came 34^th in a time of 20.49 over a tough, hilly course.

A group of 31 juvenile club athletes took part in the Willie Dunne Relay on the club track on Sunday (13.09.2020). The event organised by the LTAD Juvenile Distance coach Graham Hopkins saw the athletes try to replicate the time ran by Willie of 2.33.08 in the 1960 Rome Olympic Marathon. The boys and girls with an age-range from 10 to 17 completed the task in a very respectable 2 hours and 42 minutes. Most of the runners ran a leg of One Mile, whilst some ran legs of half that distance. Those who took part were: – Oliver Hopkins, Amber Lynch, Honor Lynch, Liam Morris, Lorraine O’Connor, Alex Phelan, Luuk Jackson, Hannah Eustace, Sebastian Ursachi, Tara Hoare, Ava Hoare, Ruby Kelly, Claudia Redmond, Ruairi Kirby, Eva Crowe, Daniel Hughes, Katie Delaney, Liam Blair, James Dunne, Sam Inverarity, Tom Nolan, Emily Bolton, Matei Ursachi, Anabel Omozee, Melody Omozee, Dylan McKenna, Laura Nunan, Eleanor Hopkins, Joe Kinsella, Sean Kinsella and Mario Omozee.

Unfortunately, Willie Dunne – who will be 87 years old on the 15.09.2020 – was unable to attend due to illness. We all wish him a speedy recovery!

Another with the marathon in his focus was popular club member Stephen Dawson. Stephen was due to run the 2020 Boston Marathon, but the event normally held in the month of April, was postponed until September and then due to ongoing Covid-19 restrictions in the USA was cancelled. Thus, Stephen donned his running shoes and did a ‘virtual’ marathon by completing 44 laps of the Polo Grounds in the Phoenix Park on Saturday morning (12.09.2020). With his training colleagues offering verbal and paced support, he completed the distance in 3 hours and 29 minutes.

LINK https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4NDU1kk37_E Louis 800m @ 6.30.00 Gavin & James 3,000m @ 7.24.00 Abdel & Fathi 3,000m @ 7.41.00

Results in brief:

AVONDALE SPORTS DAY 5km at WICKLOW TOWN (10.09.2020)

34^th Tony Kynes M65 (20.49). 66 finishers.

MORTON LIVE OPEN TRACK MEETING at MORTON STADIUM, SANTRY (11.09.2020)

MEN’S MILE: 4^th Emmet O’Briain M40 (4.42.85), 9^th Donal Iremonger M45 (5.06.02). 12 finishers

NATIONAL COMBINED EVENTS CHAMPIONSHIPS at MORTON STADIUM, SANTRY (12 & 13.09.2020)

SENIOR WOMEN’S HEPTATHLON:

100m Hurdles: 1^st Lara O’Byrne 15.92 (724 pts)

High Jump: 1^st Lara O’Byrne 1.64m (783 pts)

Shot Putt: 2^nd Lara O’Byrne 9.14m (473 pts)

Overall positions after 7 events: 1^st Karen Dunne (Bohermeen AC); DNF Lara O’Byrne retired injured after 3 events

NATIONAL JUNIOR TRACK & FIELD CHAMPIONSHIPS (DAY 2) at MORTON STADIUM, SANTRY (13.09.2020)

JUNIOR MEN 800m Final – 1^st Louis O’Loughlin (1.50.93 new championship record) GOLD – qualified 1^st Heat 2 of 3 in 2.01.45

JUNIOR MEN 3,000m B Final: – 2^nd Gavin Curtin (9.05.66 PB), 5^th James Bolton (9.26.30). 20 starters.

JUNIOR MEN 3,000M A Final: 2^nd Abdel Laadjel (8.39.72 PB) SILVER, 18^th Fathi Aden (9.47.67). 20 starters.

INTERNATIONAL CHARLEVILLE HALF-MARATHON, CO. CORK (13.09.2020)

10^th Ray Hynes (1.09.57)

12^th Robert Murphy (1.10.19)

20^th Josh O’Sullivan-Hourihan (1.11.33)

55^th & 1^st Snr Woman Ide Nic Dhomhnaill (1.18.36)

65^th & 2^nd W40: Sorcha Loughnane (1.20.48)

67^th & 4^th Snr Woman: Sorcha Nic Dhomhnaill (1.21.31)