O’Connor and Gray to the fore in Rathdrum
ALEX GRAY and Catherine O’Connor were the stars of the show at the Wicklow Senior Cross Country Championships in the grounds of Avondale House last Sunday morning.
Parnell AC’s O’Connor stormed home to claim the women’s crown at the third time of asking having finished second to Kilcoole’s Una Britton for the last two years running while Gray, from Bray Runners, secured back-to-back titles thanks to an impressively strong finish up the hill on the bitterly cold but beautiful course deep in the woods.
A worryingly small field of just seven runners arrived at the start line of the women’s final but those seven athletes put in a very good shift on the undulating and wet course.
Parnell AC’s Aisling Kirwan set the early pace over the first 1,000m but from here it was all Catherine O’Connor as she put the boot down and left her nearest challenger, club colleague Síle O’Byrne’ struggling to remain in touch.
Such was her dominance in this race, O’Connor cruised home 41 seconds ahead of O’Byrne who bravely tackled the lung-bursting gallop up the final hill.
The only real drama approaching the finish line was the battle for third with Anne-Marie Kenny finishing just two seconds ahead of Emily Ryan (both Parnell AC) with Aisling Kirwan coming in two seconds further back.
Speaking after the cross country event, Wicklow Athletics Chairman Bill Porter said that the low turnout was something that the committee was going to have to try and reverse. He said that they may look at holding the race earlier in the year and lamented that there is a glut of races open to athletes nowadays and the toughness of the cross country event might be working against it.
The men’s final attracted a much healthier turnout with last year’s champion Alex Gray of Roundwood AC, Neil Wiktorski of Bray Runners and Parnell’s Luke Lennon likely to be featuring strongly as this tough race unfolded.
And so it transpired. All three formed a breakaway group after a time but it was Gray and Wiktorski who eventually drove for home with about a lap and half to go.
Galloping down the hill before the last climb to the finish both men were neck and neck and moving very fast but once they hit the hill it was Gray’s power and strength that drove him on as Wiktorski fading in his wake.
Senior Cross Country Championships results: Avondale, Rathdrum MEN (10 km)
1st: Alex Gray (Roundwood & District), 35.33; 2nd: Neil Wiktorski (Bray Runners), 35.44; 3rd: Luke Lennon (Parnell), 36.03; 4th: Robin Mooney (Inbhear Dee), 36.33; 5th: Pat Foley (Croghan, Wexford), 36.38, 6th: Damien Byrne (Kilcoole), 36.56; 7th: Paul O’Brien (Bray Runners), 37.03; 8th: Tim Grummell (Inbhear Dee), 37.06; 9th: Patrick Kinsella (Parnell), 37.12; 10th: Darren Cullen (Bray Runners), 37.40; 11th: Paul Allen (Bray Runners), 38.15; 12th: John Bell (Greystones & District), 38.37; 13th: Andrew Lawless (Kilcoole), 40.40; 14th: Darragh Page (Kilcoole), 40.47; 15th: Mark Byrne (Kilcoole), 40.59; 16th: Ben Mooney (Inbhear Dee), 41.05; 17th: Alex Gleeson (Kilcoole), 41.20; 18th: Ondrej Stieranka (Kilcoole), 42.31; 19th: Eoghan Mooney (Kilcoole), 42.45; 20th: Cormac Ó Ceallaigh (Parnell), 45.15; 21st: Liam Phelan (Parnell), 50.16; 22nd: John Corcoran (Parnell), 56.42.
DNF: Ronan King (Inbhear Dee), Clive Quinn (Parnell).
Teams - 1st: Bray Runners (Neil Wiktorski, 35.44, Paul O’Brien, Darren Cullen, 37.40, Paul Allen 38.15; 2nd: Kilcoole AC (Damien Byrne, 36.56, Andrew Lawless, 40.40; Darragh Page, 40.47, Mark Byrne, 40.59; 3rd: Parnell AC (Luke Lennon, 36.03, Patrick Kinsella, 37.12, Cormac Ó Ceallaigh, 45.15, Liam Phelan, 50.16.
WOMEN (5 km)
1st: Catherine O’Connor (Parnell), 21.32; 2nd: Síle O’Byrne (Parnell), 22.13; 3rd: Anne-Marie Kenny (Parnell), 22.39; 4th: Emily Ryan (Parnell), 22.41; 5th: Aisling Kirwan (Parnell), 22.43; 6th: Helen Murphy (Bray Runners), 23.37; 7th: Debbie Griffin (Parnell), 24.30.
Teams - 1st: Parnells; 2nd: Bray Runners.