HIGHLIGHTS: Gold for M50 team in the NATIONAL ROAD RELAYS, with the women’s W35 team claiming bronze. A young senior men’s team came 4th. Several DH athletes completed the BELFAST/NATIONAL MARATHON with Ray Hynes and Sorcha Loughnane first man and first woman home for the club. Club newcomers Katherine Marsh and Peter Brennan claim the club NOVICE XC HANDICAP CHAMPIONSHIPS (i.e., Eddie Hogan and Slater Cups). Juvenile runners Dylan McKenna and Laura Nunan were first finishers at Waterstown & Porterstown PARKRUNs.
REPORT: The NATIONAL ROAD RELAY CHAMPIONSHIPS returned with a much-delayed date for the 2021 version. With the 2020 scheduled event cancelled due to the first Covid-19 lockdown, this year’s version had the normal last Sunday in April date replaced by the first Sunday in October as the sport of athletics catches up with its calendar of events. The Raheny venue remained the same.
Donore Harriers fielded 6 teams, four in the master men’s categories. The M50 ‘A’ team of Phil Hennessy, Des Tremble and Donal Iremonger secured gold with strong running from all three. Hennessy opened with a solid mile leg (lap is just over a mile) in 5.30. Clonliffe Harriers had opened a sizeable lead with their opening athlete David Dunwoody returning a time of 5.12. On the longer 2-mile leg Des Tremble (11.01) kept the team in contention, before Donal Iremonger (5.20) turned a 33-seconds deficit into a 3-seconds advantage over Clonliffe on the final one-mile circuit. Thus, Donore Harriers (21.51) took gold over Clonliffe (21.54) and 3rd placed Sportsworld AC (23.08). Iremonger has the rare distinction of medalling in the National Road Relays at three different age grades, having previously picked up awards as a senior in 2004 and as an M35 master in 2011.
The M50 ‘B’ team, consisting of Tom Fagan (6.08), Peter Nugent (12.27) and Frank McNally (7.01) came 9th.
The two club M35 teams came 7th and 9th. The ‘A’ team consisted of Kevin Nolan (5.02), Liam Keane (11.18) and Aidan O’Rourke (5.17) – and the ‘B’ team were Craig Scott (5.24), Chris Muldoon (11.18) and Tony Barry (5.32).
The club’s other medal on the day was bronze won by the Women’s over-35 team. The opening leg saw Sinead O’Reilly (5.42) hold 4th place, before tagging on to Barbara Cleary. Cleary (11.13) ran the fastest 2-mile leg and overtook Emma Boland of Newbridge AC to take 3rd position. Team captain Florence Curley (6.07) took the final leg. Curley, who would be more comfortable doing a marathon than a mile, certainly stepped up to the mark. She gained 10-seconds on 2nd place Kay Byrne of Finn Valley AC but fell just short of gaining the silver podium position by two seconds. The final placings were 1st Raheny Shamrocks AC (22.41), 2nd Finn Valley AC (23.00) and 3rd Donore Harriers (23.02).
Donore Harriers fielded a young team in the senior race over legs of 2 miles, a mile, 3 miles and 2 miles. Gavin Curtin, a 19 years-old student at Athlone IT, ran the opening 2-mile leg in a very fine 10.06 to hand over to James Bolton in 4th place. Curtin had the misfortune of a shoelace becoming loose mid-race and later admitted that the discomfort prevented him from maintaining the gap he had built over the chasing athletes when holding 4th position. James Bolton, still only 16, ran a sensational one-mile leg to consolidate 4th place. Indeed, he was the 2nd faster ‘miler’ on the day, with only Gavin Eccles (4.33) of the winning Raheny Shamrocks AC team being quicker. Josh O’Sullivan-Hourihan (15.31), just one week after completing the Charleville Half-Marathon, ran a good stage to maintain 4th – although the gap to the front 3 became wider. Louis O’Loughlin (9.49) closed out the team with a strong run over the final 2-mile leg.
The senior men’s race was won by Raheny Shamrocks AC (38.12), following by Clonliffe Harriers (39.04) and Rathfarnham AC (39.30). Donore Harriers timed 40.08 for 4th spot. Only O’Loughlin from the DH quartet had previously raced in the event, being the one-miler on the 2019 team that claimed silver medals.
Twelve club athletes completed the BELFAST MARATHON on Sunday. The race incorporated the NATIONAL MARATHON CHAMPIONSHIPS. On a blustery morning the course was over a tough meandering route that started at Stormont Estate and finished in Ormeau Park taking in the four corners of the city.
The Donore Harriers women’s team of Sorcha Loughnane, Anne Curley and Grace Kennedy-Clarke are hopeful of being amongst the team medals – as we await the official results. Loughnane (2.52.50) came 97th overall – just a few weeks are representing Ireland in the Anglo-Celtic Plate International race over 100 kilometres. Anne Curley (3.06.52 – 286th) was “surprised and delighted” with her run after her race preparations were hampered by illness and injury. Curley described her team-mate Grace Kennedy-Clarke (3.18.20 – 449th) as an “absolute warrior” for finishing the race despite a painful knee injury. The other female club member Michelle Dawson (4.47.42) came 2,461st from a field of more than 5,000 starters.
The men’s team was led home by Ray Hynes (2.35.48) in 14th place – and he was followed by David McConn (2.52.05) in 91st and Alan Farrell (2.56.03) in 136th. The other finishers were: – Ray Armstrong (3.08.50) in 310th, Stephen Dawson (3.16.00) in 409th, David McGrath (3.29.51) in 691st, Dean Fullston (3.31.23) in 716th and Noel Davis (3.54.01) in 1,275th.
The CLUB NOVICE CROSS-COUNTRY CHAMPIONSHIPS took place over a 1.35km lap near the Magazine Fort on Saturday morning. The men contested the SLATER CUP over 4 laps (5.5km), with the women competing for the EDDIE HOGAN CUP over 3 laps (4.1km). The Slater Cup was presented to the club by Tommie Slater in 1921, thus this year’s race marked the 100th anniversary.
The sealed handicap championship races were organised by coach Willie Smith, who arranged for Tony Murphy, former club elite athlete and past president, to start the race. Murphy won the event in 1960.
The event proved a low-key affair with athletes committed to other post Covid-19 lockdown catch-up of championship races. In the men’s race Kevin O’Boyle and Daragh Keegan opened an early gap on Peter Brennan and Gavin White, with O’Boyle breaking away from Keegan in the latter half of the race to complete the route in 19.46. Keegan was next over the line in 20.17, with Brennan timed at 21.41 and White at 22.18. With a 2 minutes and 15 seconds handicap advantage Brennan claimed the trophy with an amened time of 19.16, thus 20 seconds ahead of scratch athlete O’Boyle (19.46).
Katherine Marsh won the Eddie Hogan Cup in what proved to be a close contest once the handicap times were revealed. Marsh was 2nd finisher in 19.45, but a one-minute allowance amended her time to 18.45 to claim the win. Angela Eustace (21.55) was given a 3-minutes advantage; thus, her time was reduced to 18.55 for 2nd place. The scratch athlete Amy Moriarty (19.08) was the first woman over the finish line but came 3rd in the handicap championship.
In PARKRUNs two of our juvenile athletes had very encouraging performances. Dylan McKenna M15-17 (19.48) was first finisher at Waterstown and Laura Nunan W11-14 (22.35) was 8th overall and first woman at Porterstown.
Other parkrun results below.
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DONORE HARRIERS SLATER CUP (club novice XC handicap championship for men over 5.5km) at Phoenix Park (02.10.2021)
1st Peter Brennan (19.26) h/cap 2min 15sec (actual time 21.41)
2nd Kevin O’Boyne (19.46) h/cap scratch (actual time 19.46)
3rd Daragh Keegan (19.47) h/cap 0min 30sec (actual time 21.17)
4th Gavin White (20.18) h/cap 2min 00 sec (actual time 22.18)
DONORE HARRIERS EDDIE HOGAN CUP (club novice XC handicap championship for women over 4.1km) at Phoenix Park (02.10.2021)
1st Katherine Marsh (18.45) h/cap 1min 00sec (actual time 19.45)
2nd Angela Eustace (18.55) h/cap 3min 00sec (actual time 21.55)
3rd Amy Moriarty (19.08) h/cap scratch (actual time 19.08)
NATIONAL ROAD RELAY CHAMPIONSHIPS at Raheny (03.10.2021)
MASTERS WOMEN W35-49 = 1 mile – 2 miles – 1 mile <NOTE: laps are a little over one-mile>
3rd Donore Harriers (23.02) = Sinead O’Reilly (05.42), Barbara Cleary (11.13), Florence Curley (06.07)
MASTERS MEN M35-49 = 1 mile – 2 miles – 1 mile
7th Donore Harriers ‘A’ (21.37) = Kevin Nolan (05.02), Liam Keane (11.18), Aidan O’Rourke (05.17)
9th Donore Harriers ‘B’ (22.14) = Craig Scott (05.24), Chris Muldoon (11.18), Tony Barry (05.32)
MASTER MEN M50+ = 1 mile – 2 miles – 1 mile
1st Donore Harriers ‘A’ (21.51) = Phil Hennessy (05.30), Des Tremble (11.01), Donal Iremonger (05.20)
9th Donore Harriers ‘B’ (25.36) = Tom Fagan (06.08), Peter Nugent (12.27), Frank McNally (07.01)
SENIOR MEN = 2 miles – 1 mile – 3 miles – 2 miles
4th Donore Harriers (40.08) = Gavin Curtin (10.06), James Bolton (4.42), Josh O’Sullivan-Hourihan (15.31), Louis O’Loughlin (09.49)
BELFAST MARATHON (03.10.2021)
14th Ray Hynes (2.35.48)
91st David McConn (2.52.05)
97th Sorcha Loughnane (2.52.50)
136th Alan Farrell (2.56.03)
286th Anne Curley (3.06.52)
310th Ray Armstrong (3.08.50)
409th Stephen Dawson (3.16.00)
449th Grace Kennedy-Clarke (3.18.20)
691st David McGrath (3.29.51)
716th Dean Fullston (3.31.23)
1,275th Noel Davis (3.54.01)
2,461st Michelle Dawson (4.47.42)
5,300 approx entrants
PARKRUNS 5km (02.10.21)
WATERSTOWN: 1st Dylan McKenna M15-17 (19.48 PB)
PORTERSTOWN: 8th & 1st woman Laura Nunan W11-14 (22.35)
ROYAL CANAL, KILCOCK: 51st & 11th woman Sinead O’Reilly W40 (26.20)
MALAHIDE: 138th Angela O’Dea W35 (26.48 PB)
HARTSTOWN: 13th Mark Devine M45 (22.13)
