HIGHLIGHTS: Barbara Cleary won the W35-49 race in the ROI vs NI MASTERS XC INTERNATIONAL CHALLENGE. Sorcha Loughnane 12th in same race, with Gavin Keogh 40th in the men’s race. Abdel Laadjel 27th & 4th scorer for the Providence Friars in the NCAA DIV 1 XC NE REGIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS. Donore men’s team, led home by Daragh Keegan, 3rd in the DUBLIN NOVICE 5km ROAD RACE, as 16 club members competed in the TALLAGHT 5km.

 
REPORT: Barbara Cleary scored an outstanding overall win in the REPUBLIC OF IRELAND vs NORTHERN IRLAND MASTERS CROSS-COUNTRY INTERNATIONAL CHALLENGE at the Queens Playing Fields in Belfast on Saturday (13.11.2021). The international match replaced the British & Irish Masters Cross-Country Championships which was cancelled due to covid restrictions. Cleary (21.22) had three seconds to spare over her much younger Irish teammate Claire McGuigan W35 (Lifford Strabane AC) after 6 kilometres of racing. Sarah Jane Cook (21.54) representing Northern Ireland came 3rd. Cleary was 1st in the W45 grade. Sorcha Loughnane (23.02) continues to improve as a masters athlete and came home in 12th place, 5th in the W45 category. In the men’s race over 8km Gavin Keogh (28.49) came 40th overall and 11th in the M40 grade. The race was won by John Craig M35 representing Northern Ireland in 25.28.
Donore Harriers was well represented at the TALLAGHT 5km ROAD RACE on Sunday morning. The race incorporated the DUBLIN NOVICE ROAD CHAMPIONSHIPS. First-season athlete Daragh Keegan (16.36) knocked a couple of seconds of his previous best time for the distance to close in 21st place. He was closed followed by Kevin Nolan (16.49) in 30th. Nolan will be happy with his performance as he continues to improve following a long injury lay-off. Team captain Craig Scott was just 4 seconds further back in 35th place. The novice team was closed out by M50 athlete Donal Iremonger (17.34) in 58th. With the quartet scoring 9th, 13th, 17th and 30th in the novice championship, their final tally of 69 places them 3rd behind Tallaght AC (18) and Crusaders AC (61) – result to be confirmed. Under 17 Oliver Hopkins (17.33) finished just in front of Iremonger in 54th place. Hopkins struggled in the latter part of the race having started out too strongly. He came 4th in the junior men’s category. Neil Hand (18.16) came 84th with an improving Peter Brennan (18.31) in 98th. Barbara Murray (20.03) was first Donore Harriers woman home placing 149th overall and 17th woman. She came 3rd in the W45 category. Tony Kynes also ran 20.03 to place 151st and 2nd in the M65 grade. Next home was Dean Fullston (20.46) in 163rd.
Treasa Boylan (22.12) placed 200th and 38th woman, followed by Louise Kelly (22.16) in 204th/40th, then Suzie Henley-Willis (23.00) in 217th/47th and Angela Eustace (23.19) in 224th/50th. Claudia Redmond (24.01) had a solid race to place 238th overall and 4th in the junior women’s category. The Donore Harriers team was closed out by Lee Chambers (24.24) who came 240th and 60th woman.
Abdel Laadjel had another fine run Stateside finishing 27th from 242 starters in the NCAA XC NORTH-EAST REGIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS at Franklin Park, Boston on Friday morning (12.11.2021). This was the first time that Laadjel raced the 10km distance, so he wisely made a conservative start. Representing the Providence University Friars team he reached the first time check – 9.33 @ 3.1km – in 51st. He then started to move up the field reaching the halfway mark in 32nd place in a time of 15.37. By 8 kilometres he gained to 28th in 25.05. He closed out the 10,000m route in 27th position in 31.09. The conditions were described as “rainy and muddy”. Laadjel said afterwards: “I am really happy with that. I never lost a spot from start to finish, only gaining places – and that was my first time to do a 10km cross-country race”.
The race was won by 24 years-old Canadian international Ehab El Sandali (30.02) representing Iona University. The ‘Friars’ finished 4th of 35 teams and narrowly failed to progress to the NCAA Div. 1 National Championships.
Elsewhere on Saturday, Lee Van Haeften (35.02) came 10th in the CLANE GAA 10km ROAD RACE and Des Tremble (1.21.10) was 10th in the RUN KILLARNEY HALF-MARATHON.
In the IRISH UNIVERSITIES ATHLETICS ASSOCIATION ROAD RELAY CHAMPIONSHIPS at Maynooth on Saturday afternoon five Donore Harriers athletes competed in the colours of Trinity College Dublin. Louise Murray (12.45) and Rachel Smyth (14.23) both ran 2-mile legs with their respective ‘D’ and ‘E’ teams placing 18th and 26th. Jack Byrne (5.32) ran the opening one-mile leg and Matt Fabbro (17.15) the 3-mile stage for the Men’s ‘C’ team that placed 15th. Michael Ryan (5.35) ran the first leg for the ‘D’ team that came in 18th place.
In the IMRA POWERSCOURT RIDGE RACE on the 6th of November Rory Burke (1.27.42) came 8th and Aideen Burke (1.53.37) placed 78th overall and 6th woman. The race, with a total climb of 690 metres, was over a 16km course that went up Maulin, then over and up to the summit of Djouce, before returning to Crone Wood via the Wicklow Way.
Juvenile member Dylan McKenna (19.26) and M50 athlete Peter Nugent (21.19) came 1st (Waterstown) and 3rd (National Sports Campus) respectively in the PARKRUN series. Other parkrun results below.
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NCAA DIV. I CROSS-COUNTRY NORTH-EAST REGIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS at Franklin Park, Boston, MA (12.11.2021)
MEN’S 10KM XC: 27th Abdel Laadjel (31.09)
234 finishers
REPUBLIC OF IRELAND vs NORTHERN IRELAND MASTERS CROSS-COUNTRY CHALLENGE MATCH
WOMEN’S W35-49 6km RACE: 1st Barbara Cleary W45 (21.22), 12th Sorcha Loughnane W45 (23.02)
87 finishers
MEN’S M35-49 8km RACE: 40th Gavin Keogh M40 (28.49)
71 finishers
CLANE GAA 10km ROAD RACE (13.11.2021)
10th Lee Van Haeften (35.02)
101 finishers
RUN KILLARNEY HALF-MARATHON (13.11.2021)
10th Des Tremble (1.21.10)
625 finishers
IRISH UNIVERSITIES ATHLETICS ASSOCIATION ROAD RELAY CHAMPIONSHIPS at Maynooth (13.11.2021)
WOMEN’S 1, 2, 2, 1 mile RELAY: Leg 2 for TCD ‘D’ Louise Murray (12.45) team; Leg 2 for TCD ‘E’ Rachel Smyth (14.23)
MEN’S 1, 2, 3, 2, 1 mile RELAY: Leg 1 for TCD ‘C’ Jack Byrne (5.32); Leg 3 for TCD ‘C’ Matt Fabbro (17.15); Leg 1 for TCD ‘D’ Michael Ryan (5.35)
TALLAGHT 5km ROAD RACE, inc. DUBLIN NOVICE CHAMPIONSHIPS (14.11.2021)
21st Daragh Keegan (16.36 PB)
30th Kevin Nolan (16.49)
35th & 6th M40 Craig Scott (16.53)
54th & 4th Male Junior Oliver Hopkins (17.33)
58th & 3rd M50 Donal Iremonger (17.34)
84th Neil Hand (18.16)
98th Peter Brennan (18.31)
149th, 17th woman & 3rd W45 Barbara Murray (20.03)
151st & 2nd M65 Tony Kynes (20.03)
163rd & 7th M55 Dean Fullston (20.46)
200th & 38th woman Treasa Boylan (22.12)
204 & 40th woman Louise Kelly (22.26)
217th, 47th woman & 9th W40 Suzie Henley-Willis (23.00)
224th, 50th woman & 6th W50 Angela Eustace (23.19)
238th, 59th woman & 4th Female Junior Claudia Redmond (24.01)
240th & 60th woman Lee Chambers (24.24)
303 finishers
MEN’S DUBLIN NOVICE TEAM: 1st Tallaght AC 18, 2nd Crusaders AC 61, 3rd Donore Harriers <9 Keegan, 13 Nolan, 17 Scott, 30 Iremonger> 69.
WOMEN’S DUBLIN NOVICE TEAM: 1st Dublin City Harriers 17, 2nd Crusaders AC 36, 3rd Bros. Pearse AC. Not placed Donore Harriers <24 Boylan, 25 Kelly, 31 Henley-Willis, 33 Eustace> 113.
IMRA POWERSCOURT RIDGE RACE (16km) at Glencree/Enniskerry (06.11.2021)
8th Rory Burke (1.27.42)
78th & 6th woman Aideen Burke W35 (1.53.37)
193 finishers
PARKRUNS 5km (13.11.21)
ARDGILLAN:
BUSHY: 124th Thomas Halton M65 (33.31)
MALAHIDE: 102nd Angela O’Dea W35 (25.39)
POPPINTREE: 135th Eilish Joyce W40 (34.13)
ROYAL CANAL KILCOCK: 37th Orlaith McMahon W35 (25.26), 73rd Joan McTernan W60 (31.12), 102nd Anna McMahon W35 (35.26)
SPORTS CAMPUS ABBOTSTOWN: 3rd Peter Nugent M50 (21.19). 13th Kenneth McKeon M35 (23.53)
TOLKA VALLEY: 4th Owen Robinson M35 (20.40)
WATERSTOWN: 1st Dylan McKenna M15-17 (19.26), 7th Lucas Collender M11-14 (22.24 debut 5km)