National even ages and junior and senior championships 

Last Sunday saw 23 young Donore athletes with their coaches and parents travel to Donegal to compete in the even aged National Cross Country Championships.  On a new and scenic loop on Rosapenna golf course, the conditions were good underfoot but there was wind and a few short sharp uphills.  We had 3 teams, the largest number of full teams for a long time in juvenile national cross country u/12 boys, u/16 girls, and u/16 boys and some individuals in the various agegroups. For a lot of our young athletes this was their first experience of national competition. Our u/16 girls took home the team silver with our u/16 boys taking home team bronze. We had also had numerous medals won for county and province teams. Congratulations to all!

In the men’s senior race over 10,000m, the club fielded four runners.  It was good to see John Travers back in action after a tough time with injury for a major portion of the year.  In the first few laps of the race John was in the front pack but slipped back somewhat and had to settle for 23rd place this time.  Likewise Gavin Curtin was making a comeback on a big stage after injury and he finished 39th and 12th U23 pronouncing himself delighted after a six week block of training and enjoying the buzz of being back at the nationals.  Josh O’Sullivan Hourihan after a busy week of an orienteering race, and the army cross country championship , finished in 66th. Ryan Aikins competed in his first senior cross country race and finished in 144th bringing the team to 11th place.

Earlier in the week Josh was the decisive winner of the Defence Forces cross country championship in the Curragh , for the third year in a row.

In Bath in the UK, trail and mountain runner Aideen Burke ran a 10k PB 49.47 in the Bath Skyline race, one of a series of trail races starting and finishing at university of Bath and winding into the surrounding countryside on muddy terrain.

Award for Jack Raftery and the 4×400 mixed relay team 

At the national Athletics awards in the Crowne plaza Hotel on Wednesday 23rd, the team of the year accolade went to the 4x400m mixed relay team that reached the World Championship final in Oregon.  Jack Raftery was an integral part of that team and was on hand today to accept the award on behalf of the team , congrats to Jack and the team !