HIGHLIGHTS: Abdel Laaadjel selected for the Ireland’s U/20 EUROPEAN CROSS-COUNTRY CHAMPIONSHIPS team. Sorcha Loughnane and the men’s team bronze medallists in the DUBLIN INTERMEDIATE CROSS-COUNTRY CHAMPIONSHIPS. Anne Curley & Grace Kennedy-Clarke placed 5th and 6th in the CLONAKILTY WATERFRONT MARATHON. Daragh Keegan led his team-mates home in the CLONTARF HALF-MARATHON.
The DUBLIN INTERMEDIATE CROSS-COUNTRY CHAMPIONSHIPS <report by Florence Curley & Iain Morrison> was run on the same course in Tymon Park as the Dublin Novice in October with conditions steady underfoot – unusually so for this time of year. Thankfully the windy conditions of the day before had died down. In the women’s 5k race over 3 laps – 6 Donore runners toed the line.  Sorcha Loughnane and Sinead O’Reilly went with the early leaders and were in the top group for some time. In the second lap, the group broke up somewhat and the DCH runner Edel Monaghan (19.02) took the lead which she then retained for the rest of the race taking the win easily. Sorcha was giving chase in third with Sinead not far behind. Having a strong race further back was Louise Murray (20.46) who was well placed in the top 20. On the last lap Sorcha (19.59) easily retained that 3rd place to win her first individual medal in just her 4th cross-country race. This was particularly impressive as she was coming off a hectic few months that included the Belfast Marathon and the 100km International Championship.
Having a storming run to place 7th was Sinead O’Reilly (20.16), who impressed in the National Road Relays in early October and retained her good form at Tymon.  Louise Murray (20.56) had an excellent latter half of the race to finish in 13th. Next scorers were Claire Mulligan (22.25) and Aisling Kirby (22.28) who ran in close proximity all the way round to cross the line in 34th and 35th positions. Completing the team was Treasa Boylan (25.02) in 50th.  The team (57) finished in 4th place, only 6 points off the bronze placed team Liffey Valley AC who closed on 51. Dublin City Harriers were the clear team winners on 18, with Clonliffe Harriers in second on 49. 7 teams and 55 runners finished.
Next up were the men in an 8km race over 4 laps with 7 Donore runners participating. Kevin O’Boyle had a small lead after lap 1 with debutant Ryan Aikins not far off the lead group. Also giving chase were Matthew Fabbro and Kevin Nolan.  As the race unfolded, O’Boyle (28.43) drifted a little off the leaders but was still in the chasing group. In the last few hundred metres burnup, he held off the challenge of athletes from Sportsworld AC and Tallaght AC to finish in an excellent 8th place. Kevin Nolan (28.57) running a very measured race picked up on the last lap and worked through the field finishing as the second scorer in a dead heat with a Raheny Shamrocks runner in 14th place. Nolan passed his teammate Ryan Aikins (29.04) who finished in 16th spot on what was an excellent cross-country debut. The 4th team scorer was Matthew Fabbro (29.18) in 18th place. The final year Trinity medical student from Canada was particularly pleased to make the scoring four for his Irish based club. Des Tremble (30.44) was the 5th clubman home in 37th place with debutant Harry Vaughan just 3 seconds and one place behind. Michael Ryan (30.51), who scored on the bronze novice team some weeks back, placed 40th. The Donore Harriers team of O’Boyle, Nolan, Aikins, and Fabbro took the bronze medals on 56 points, behind winners Raheny Shamrocks (22) and runners-up Tallaght AC (35). The men’s race was won by Brishan O’Brien (28.02) of Tallaght AC. There were 79 finishers and 10 closing teams.
Many of these runners will be back in action in the National Novice cross country in Gowran next week.  There was terrific support around the course from a host of members.
The CLONAKILTY WATERFRONT MARATHON (27.11.2021) took in the spectacular views of Inchydoney Island, Galley Head, the Causeways, postcard pretty Rathbarry village and Castlefreke Estate, Red Strand, Ardfield, the dramatic coastline of Duneen strand, then onto Dunmore Headland and Clonakilty Bay. Anne Curley described the route as: “a breath-taking scenic route, making it an amazing winter marathon experience”. This was Anne’s 27th marathon and her 3rd this autumn having recently competed over the distance at Rotterdam and Belfast. The W50 athlete placed 41st overall and 5th woman in a time of 3.15.59. She later said: “The winds and relentless hills made in gruelling, but I was very happy with that to round off the marathon season for 2021”. Just one place behind Curley was her club-mate Grace Kennedy-Clarke (3.16.19), another marathon stalwart who was also on the Donore Harriers team that recently came 2nd team in the National Marathon Championships incorporated into the Belfast Marathon in Early October. The women’s race was won by Tara Malone of 1Zero1 in 3.11.48. A total of 425 runners completed the marathon.
There were four club athletes in the JOE DUFFY BMW CLONTARF HALF-MARATHON on Saturday morning. All were competing over the distance for the first time. The scenic race that includes the Clontarf Promenade and Bull Island with views of Howth Head and Dublin Bay was run in cold and blustery conditions. Daragh Keegan (1.22.51) led the quartet home in 14th spot, with Liam Keane (1.25.08) the next clubman in 28th. Gavin White (1.31.30) placed 105th and newcomer Simon O’Toole (1.34.08) came 139th. There were more than 1,300 finishers.
Wonderful news that 18 years-old Providence University scholarship student Abdel Laadjel has been selected to the Irish Under 20 team for the EUROPEAN CROSS-COUNTRY CHAMPIONSHIPS due to take place in Abbotstown on the 12th of December. His recent excellent performances for the Providence Friars team merited his selection on the Irish team. Abdel will be joined in the team by Nicholas Griggs (Mid-Ulster AC), Scott Fagan (MSB AC), Dean Casey (Ennis Track), Sean Kay (Yale University and Clonliffe Harriers) and Cian McPhillips (Longford AC and UCD). This is a very strong Irish team with the likelihood of a podium place. Abdel, a former student at Kishoge Community College in Lucan, joined Donore Harriers in the spring of 2017. He won the All-Ireland Schools U/16 Mile in 2019 and the All-Ireland Schools Intermediate title in March 2020. He then went on to win silver in the National Junior 3,000m. In 2021 he ran a time of 14.10.36 in the Irish Milers Club Meet at Belfast in May, before winning gold in the National U/20 5,000m and bronze in the National U/20 3,000m. Among his best results Stateside were 1st place in the 18th Annual CCSU Mini Meet at New Britain, CT, 24th place at the Big East Championships at Carmel, IN and 27th spot at the recent NCAA North-East Regional XC Championships at Boston, MA. He is coached at Providence University by Ray Treacy and Tim Brock – and at Donore Harriers by Ciaran O’Flaherty, Lee Van Haeften and Gerry Naughton. Go Abdel! Go Donore! Go Ireland!
The highest placed club finishers in this week’s PARKRUN series were Neil Hand 1st at Porterstown in 18.22 and juvenile member Dylan McKenna (19.29) 2nd at Griffeen Park. Other parkrun results below.
NOTE: Report and results of the 3rd and final DUBLIN JUVENILE CROSS-COUNTRY LEAGUE fixture at Tymon Park will follow next week.
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CLONAKILTY WATERFRONT MARATHON (27.11.2021)
41st and 5th woman Anne Curley W50 (3.15.59)
42nd and 6th woman Grace Kennedy-Clarke (3.16.19)
425 finishers
JOE DUFFY BMW CLONTARF HALF-MARATHON (27.11.2021)
14th Daragh Keegan (1.22.51)
28th Liam Keane (1.25.08)
105th Gavin White (1.31.30)
139th Simon O’Toole (1.34.08)
1,368 finishers
DUBLIN INTERMEDIATE CROSS-COUNTRY CHAMPIONSHIPS at Tymon Park (28.11.2021)
WOMEN’s 5KM: 3rd Sorcha Loughnane (19.59)
7th Sinead O’Reilly (20.16)
13th Louise Murray (20.46)
34th Claire Mulligan (22.25)
35th Aisling Kirby (22.28)
50th Treasa Boylan (25.02)
55 finishers
WOMEN’S TEAM: 1st Dublin City Harriers 18, 2nd Clonliffe Harriers 49, 3rd Liffey Valley AC 51, 4th Donore Harriers <Loughnane, O’Reilly, Murray, Mulligan> 57.
7 teams closed
MEN’S 8KM: 8th Kevin O’Boyle (28.43)
14th Kevin Nolan (28.57)
16th Ryan Aikins (29.04)
18th Matthew Fabbro (29.18)
37th Des Tremble (30.44)
38th Harry Vaughan (30.48)
40th Michael Ryan (30.51)
79 finishers
MEN’S TEAM: 1st Raheny Shamrocks AC 22, 2nd Tallaght AC 35, 3rd Donore Harriers <O’Boyle, Nolan, Aikins, Fabbro> 56.
10 teams closed
PARKRUNS 5km (27.11.21)
BUSHY: 100th Thomas Halton M65 (32.10)
GRIFFEEN: 2nd Dylan McKenna M15-17 (19.29)
POPPINTREE: 60th & 18th woman Eilish Joyce W40 (34.05)
PORTERSTOWN: 1st Neil Hand M35 (18.22)
TOLKA VALLEY: 9th Owen Robinson M35 (23.40)
WATERSTOWN: 8th Joe Kinsella M11-14 (23.56)