Úna enjoys super year
Breakthrough for Britton
ÚNA BRITTON in future years will look back on 2019 with joy and elation. A road running and cross country athlete she had always strived for a breakthrough at European level.
Úna opened her account in 2019 at the 42nd IAAF Northern Ireland International Cross Country at Dundonald on January 19.
She placed a highly credible 16th of 46 competitors in a very competitive international field, with two Ethiopians and two Kenyan occupying the first four places, in a time of 29 min 11 sec for the 8km distance.
On May 12, she competed with 611 other women in the Sportsworld Terenure 5-mile race, placing third overall, taking the first Senior spot and clocking 28 min 30 sec.
Three weeks later the largest event on the calendar for women, the VHI Mini-Marathon, took place on the streets of Dublin.
Úna placed seventh overall and sixth Senior competitor, clocking 36 min 28 sec for the 10km race.
She ran another well established race towards the end of June, the Manning Memorial 10K in Dunshaughlin, Co Meath. She was fourth overall and fourth Senior competitor in a time of 35 min 5 sec.
At the beginning of September she took on the Charleville half marathon in Co. Cork. She was the second woman to finish in a time of 1:20:06. Only three women placed in the top 100 finishers. Two weeks later she ran the annual
Rathfarnham 5K. She placed third of 385 women and third Senior in a time of 16min 56sec.
Úna target in 2019 was a place on the Irish team for Lisbon. She demonstrated that she was in good form at the Athletics Ireland Autumn Open Cross Country Festival at National Sports Campus, Abbotstown. In the women’s race she placed fourth Senior in a time of 21 min 33 sec for the 6km distance.
Three weeks later the National Senior Cross Country Championships took place at the same venue. This was the selection trial for the 26th European Cross Country Championships on December 8 in Bella Vista Park, Lisbon.
There were smiles all round in the Britton family and among the Athletics Wicklow supporters when Úna took the National Senior Bronze medal in a time on 30 min 32 sec and importantly won a seat on the plane to Lisbon. In her first European Championship she placed 37th in a time of 29 min 59 sec for the 8 km distance, with Ireland taking the team Silver medals.