Report on Dublin Club Activities, 07 - 12 October

LARK IN THE PARK FOR MAHAD! 

Mahad-Mohamed Egaal (Clonliffe Harriers) made winning look easy when taking the men’s title at a well supported Dublin Novice Cross-Country Championship, held in the Phoenix Park on Sunday (October 12). Egaal tucked in with the pack in the early stages of the 6,000m race around the Magazine hills before stretching away on the fourth and final lap to win with a time of 18 mins 15 secs. Ryan O’Neill (Rathfarnham WSAF AC) who had made some of the early pace, finished second in 18:15 with Adam Nason (Donore Harriers) third in 18:26. With four finishers in the top eight and seventeen finishers in all, Clonliffe Harriers were clear winners of the team title. Dundrum South Dublin, led by Jamie Byrne in fourth place, finished second and Raheny Shamrock AC led by Jordan McDonnell in fifth place, third. 

First home in the novice women’s 4000m race was Edel McCreery (Rathfarnham WSAF AC) . Mollie O’Donnell (Liffey Valley AC) moved through the pack to finish second in 14:33 with Jesska Gallagher (Clonliffe Harriers) third in 14:41. 

With four finishers in the top eight, Liffey Valley were comfortable team winners. Clonliffe Harriers, who had fourteen finishers in total, finished second while third was Sportsworld AC led by Rachel Calvey in seventh place. An impressive total of thirteen men’s teams and ten women’s teams took part in the races. More pictures are at https://www.flickr.com/photos/lindie/albums/72177720329624567/.

A day earlier at the Irish Universities Cross-Country Championships Trinity Playing Fields, Santry on Saturday (October 11), Shane Spring of Raheny Shamrock AC running for Trinity College finished seventh in 24 mins 23 secs. University of Limerick dominated the men’s race, with many times winners DCU finishing a distant fourth, UCD seventh, Trinity College tenth and TU Dublin 14th. In the women’s race, DCU were the winners for a fifteenth time since 2003. Trinity was fourth and UCD fifth.

ROADS

At the re-scheduled Bear Races Fastlane 3/4 Marathon, held in Clondalkin, Co Dublin on Saturday (October 11). Ian Fitzgerald (Donore Harriers) finished second in 1:54.07. First woman in 2:28.509 was Shuang Shuang Wang (Lucan Harriers, W40). In the half marathon — the best supported race of the day —Michael Boyle (Raheny Shamrock AC, M50) was second in 83:09 and Deirdre Lyons (Dublin Front Runners, W40) first woman in 88:53.

In Dundalk on Sunday October 12, Sean Doran (Clonliffe Harriers) won the FASN Charity 5km by well over a minute in 16 mins 2 sec 

SCHOOLS

At the Leinster Schools Indoors Combined Events Championships in Abbotstown on Tuesday (October 7). Abigail Farrell (Donore Harriers/King’s Hospital) won the senior girls pentathlon, placing first in every discipline except the 800m and scoring 3046 points. Her Donore clubmate Zion Osawe, competing for St Paul’s Greenhills, scored 2601 points for third in the inter pentathlon. Finishing second was Marianne O’Farrell (Clongriffin AC/Institute of Education) with 2921 points, with her best points coming in the 800m. Finishing second of the junior boys with a score of 2444 was Conn McCluskey (DSD AC/St Benildus).