Drogheda athletes run well in tough conditions
CONDITIONS for last Sunday’s Father Murphy’s AC 10K road race which was held in Kildalkey, County Meath were less than favourable to say the least.
With a mid morning start, this day wasn’t going to warm up anytime soon and the blustery wind was to make things difficult for the runners as they did their best to keep warm on the start line.
Nevertheless, once the gun went, Ruaidhri Nolan lost no time in making his way towards the front of the field which was led by former Olympian Valdas Dopolskas who now runs for Clonliffe Harriers.
Dopolskas, who’s a real quality athlete soon opened up a clear gap on the rest of the field and came home an easy winner in a fast 30:51, which was great running given the conditions.
Meanwhile, Nolan was pushing hard and had worked himself up to a creditable 7th position against some good quality club runners and when the serious questions were being asked towards the latter end of the race he wasn’t found wanting.
Using every ounce of the strength gained from endless sessions of tempo running over the Winter months, Nolan pushed hard in the closing stretch to hold off his chasing rivals and crossed the line to finish 7th overall in a very solid 36:21.
Suzanne McCabe led the way for our ladies when finishing 8, 2nd overall in 49:18 and there’s more to come from her once she’s race fit.
Our other competitors were Seamus Roe who ran well and finished 115th in 54:28 and Ruth Dunne who was 129th in 57:49.
Making the short trip to the K Club in Straffan, County Kildare for last Saturday’s BHAA 10K Road Race were Nuala Reilly, Jim Nolan and Jackser Reilly.
This popular event is famed for it’s after race party and always attracts a large number of quality runners eager to test themselves on what is regarded as a fast course.
Jacker Reilly was our first finisher after delivering a strong run and he’s looking very lean with the extra training miles in his legs.
Nuala Reilly pushed hard and most likely won her category given her run but as of yet no race results have been published.
Club Captain Jim Nolan kept everyone amused with his pre race antics and had a solid run despite suffering from a persistent knee problem.
Well done to all who took part in the Wicklow Gaolbreak 10K recently. Conditions on the day were good for distance running but the very hilly course meant that the runners were in for a hard day at the office and times would have been slowed somewhat.
Dolores Newman was our first member across the line in 1:01:28, with Brenda Kirwan close behind in 1:02:29.
Alan Floyd, our sole male runner was next in 1:04:32.
The rest of our members packed well and crossing the line in close succession were Paula Floyd, Geraldine Reilly and Pauline Coffey.
Also running were Carmel Bergin who ran 1:19:12 for the distance and Valerie Campbell who completed the course in 1:26:18.
Just four of our members took to the hilly fields of Oldbridge for last weekend’s Parkrun.
This rather challenging 5K cross country race really is a great way to develop core strength and the stamina needed for quality distance running.
Peter Mullen was our first finisher in 26th place overall in 24:43 and he looked to be covering the ground well with no real distress showing.
Next in was Dominic Fagan who was 64th in 31:24 with Michelle McCullough close behind in 66th place in 31:30.
Also running was Rose Dalton who placed 76th with her run of 35:11.
Marathon man Gerard Fay stepped down in distance when he ran the mile event at the midweek Raheny Winter League.
Fay ran the mile in 7:09 and the following evening ran 41:35 for the 5 mile track race which was held in Santry Stadium and promoted by Clonliffe Harriers as part of their Grand Prix Series.