Dublin Clubs round up, 20 - 25 May 2035

CHAMPION GEOGHEGAN!

In warm conditions for distance running, Pierce Geoghegan (Liffey Valley) won the Dublin 10,000m title held as part of the third Dublin Graded Track and Field meet at the Tallaght track on Wednesday (May 21). Geoghegan proved the class of the field winning in 32:51.62. Second in 34:25.09 was Feidhlim McGowan (North Sligo AC) while third in 35:05.52 was Reuben Bartelink (DSD AC). Fastest in the 400m series of races was Christopher Lynch (Clonliffe Harriers) in 59:63 secs, who was declared Dublin champion. Harrison Jamison (Regent House) was second in 59.87 and Mathias Godwin (DSD) third in 51.46. Visually impaired athlete Kamil Tomko (Clonliffe Harriers) finished strongly in 63.89. In the mile, Jared Murray (Rathfarnham WSAF AC) clocked up a solid victory in 4:28.15. Martin Cox, who is currently unattached, was second in 4:30.24 and Martin Kiplagat (Clonliffe Harriers) third in 4:30.60. 

Maria McCambridge (DSD) proved the class of the field in the women’s mile winning in a time of 5:19.59. Elaine Kennedy (Sportsworld AC) was second in 5:21.65 and Mollie O’Donnell (Liffey Valley) third in 5:23.98. Winning the 400m and so the Dublin title in 58.03 was Lara O’Byrne (Donore Harriers). Last summer, multi-eventer O’Byrne became the first Irish woman to compete officially in a decathlon. A second decathlon in Paris at the end of June is one of her summer objectives. 

A well supported men’s hammer competition was won by visitor Cóil Ó Muiri (Fr Murphy’s) with a best effort of 49.49. Junior athletes Dylan Jones (Crusaders AC) and Ethan Thompson (Fingallians) threw 46.44 and 45.74 respectively with the 5kg weight. In the women’s hammer, junior athlete Daisy Lara Leonard (Lusk AC) was the winner with a 35.34m effort. Karen Conway (Crusaders, W45) was second and first senior with 29.71m and Holly Roigrok (Lusk AC) , also a junior, third with 26.54m.

The full results are on the Dublin Athletics Live site at http://live.dublinathletics.com/graded-25-3/menu.html. More graded pics at https://www.flickr.com/photos/lindie/albums/72177720326284370. The next Dublin Graded Track and Field meet takes place on Wednesday, June 4 in Santry (7pm). 

CLONLIFFE TEAM TOPS IN ENFIELD

At the Bob Heffernan and Mary Hanley 5km, in Enfield, Co Meath, on Tuesday (May 20), Fintan Kerins (Clonliffe Harriers) finished second in 14 mins 31 secs and Anthony O’Brien (Raheny Shamrock) third in 14:34. For Dublin City Harriers, Faye Dervan finished second woman in 16:22. The race was the fourth round of this year’s Peugeot Road Series and Clonliffe Harriers won the mixed team category, where sixteen teams were entered. Making up the team were Fintan Kerins, Sean Doran, Cathal McHale, Natalia Lungu, Ciara Peelo and Claire Smith. Finishing second of the massive eighty-seven teams entered in the men’s team category was Raheny Shamrock, with O’Brien backed up by Adam Condon and David Rooney. DCH, with Faye Dervan, Sinead Cronin and Ellen Byrne the counters, was first of the 36 women’s teams. Dublin winners in the age categories were Noreen Brouder (Sportsworld) W45 and Eileen O’Brien (Lucan Harriers) W70. Just shy of 700 completed the race.

TRACK 

INTERNATIONAL

Efrem Gidey of Clonliffe Harriers AC ran the race of his life to win the European 10,000m Cup in Pacé, France on Saturday evening (May 24). Gidey, the pre-race favourite for the title after his fourth place at the European Half Marathon a few months earlier, was always to the fore in the race passing through halfway in 13:46.19. He kicked for home with less than two laps to go, finishing in a time of 27 mins 40.47 secs. Valentin Gondouin of France who had out-sprinted Gidey for bronze at the European Half Marathon, finished second in 27:41.95 with Felix Bour, also from the host nation, third in 27:42:00. In the past eight months, Gidey, aged just 24, now a member of Hoka professional running team and coached by London-based Andy Hobdell, has set Irish senior records for the half marathon, 10km and 10,000m. Originally from Eritrea, Gidey arrived in Ireland in 2017, and after discovering a talent for running, joined Clonliffe Harriers, where he was coached first by the late Joe Cooper and then veteran coach Peter McDermott. He made his debut in the green vest of Ireland at the 2019 European Cross-Country Championships where he finished third in the U20 race. His aim now is to qualify for the Tokyo World Championships.

A day later on Sunday evening (May 25), Sarah Healy (UCD AC) ran a personal best 8 mins 27.2 secs to finish third in the women’s 3000m at the Diamond League round in Rabat, Morocco. Ahead of her, Beatrice Chebet of Kenya knocked over twelve seconds off her previous best time for a runaway win in f 8:11 56. Second in an Italian national record time of 8:26.27 was Nadia Battocletti. In the men’s 1500m, Cathal Doyle (Clonliffe Harriers), who was making his Diamond League debut, finished eighth with a time of 3:33.34.

Nicola Tuthill (UCD) finished fourth in the women’s hammer at the Halplus Werfertage meet in Germany on Saturday (May 24) thanks to a 69.68m effort in the sixth and final round. Tuthill also threw 69.15 in the fifth round and all six of her throws were legal.

(To come: In the U23 women's discus a day later, Anna Gavigan (LSA) 53.91m

Sunday May 25

Diamond League, Rabat, Morocco, 7pm.

Cathal Doyle (Clonliffe Harriers), Sarah Healy (UCD) - both 1500m

Saturday May 24

European 10,000m Cup, Pacé, France. Efrem Gidey (Clonliffe Harriers), 

BMC Grand Prix 2025, Bury, Manchester. www.britishmilersclub.com

1500m D: Charlie O’Neill (Donore, U17) , Women: A- Amy O’Donoghue (DSD) . 

Saturday May 24- Sunday May 25 

IFAM Outdoor

Bori Akinola (100m), Sean Aigboboh ( Tallaght AC, 100m), Michael Farrelly (Raheny Shamrock,100m), Christopher Sibanda (Clonliffe Harriers, 100m), Sophie Becker (Raheny Shamrock, 400m, 200m), Joe Doody (UCD AC, 400m), Ellie Hartnett (UCD AC, 1500m), John Travers (Donore Harriers, 5000m), Emma McEvoy (5000m), 

May 22-24 

NCAA Div 2 - Louis O'Loughlin (Donore Harriers, 800m)

Internationally, an Irish team was competing in Italy at the annual Trofeo Nasego on 25th May, where Killian Mooney (Dundrum South Dublin) was best of the Irish in 25th place with a time of 1 hrs 44 mins 3 secs for the 21.5km course. Edel Monaghan (DCH) was 38th woman in 2:21.11. In the ‘vertical’ 4.245km race, a day earlier, Mooney was 46th in 42:41, while Monaghan (DCH) was 36th woman n 51.00

WALDRON WINS THE LAP OF THE GAP

Leading home 343 finishers at the Lap of the Gap half marathon in the Glendalough area of Wicklow on Saturdy 24th May was Wayne Waldron (Donore Harriers) in 75 mins 19 secs. Finishing second in the marathon was Shane Arrowsmith (Artane Beaumont RC, M40) in 3:08.58. Both races were well supported by overseas visitors.