Resolute Reilly makes every second count
FOR a competitive athlete, the difference between success and failure can sometimes be less than a second on the unforgiving stopwatch.
So it was for John Reilly last August when he ran his heart out in search of the elusive sub 18 minutes 5K, only to be denied by a single second at the Carlingford Road Race.
While many a lesser athlete might have let the disappointment get to them, Reilly swore there and then that things would be different in the new year.
Strengthened by a good winter’s training, which saw Reilly have his weekly 10-miler completed well before 9am every Sunday even during the snowy weather, the quest for that extra second drove him on.
Last Friday, on a glorious summer’s evening at the Bohermeen 5k Road Race, Reilly put himself to the test.
With just minutes to go to the start on a completely calm evening, the air cooled noticeably and Reilly knew that it was now or never as he made his way to the start line.
Once the gun went, Reilly, who’s an intelligent runner, applied himself in spades and found a good running line on the tight rural roads of Bohermeen.
Coming round the final righthand turn, a quick glance at the watch let Reilly know that the sub-18 was on, but he was going to have to work for it.
He poured on the pace and with the last unforgiving minute being devoured by the clock Reilly sprinted for all he was worth to cross the line in 17:55.
The relief on Reilly’s face was there for all to see and his performance says a lot about all that’s good in amateur athletics.
John Cooper, Reilly’s training partner on those long 10-mile runs, had a superb run to cross the line in 18:30 which was an incredible but well deserved 20-second improvement on his previous PB time of 18:50.
Also running very well was Shane Larkin who had a terrific run to finish 14th overall and second in his category in a sparkling new PB time of 16:40.
Backed up by Pat O’Grady, who was 29th in 17:28, followed by Colin Leonard who was 35th in 17:44 and Johnny Breen, 38th in 17:47, these four packed well to take home the silver medals in the men’s team event.
For the D&D ladies Ciara O’Reilly was their first finisher in 115th place in 20:06, followed by Mary McGreehan O’Grady who’s making a successful return to racing. Her time of 22:35 shows that things are going well for her.
Mary McDonnell delivered a strong run to win her category in 24:23.
A hardy bunch of D&D runners took on the challenge of the Glenmore AC 10 Mile Road Race which was run over the notoriously hilly slopes of the Cooley Mountains last Saturday.
This course contains an uphill section which lasts for almost four miles and the savage heat on the day was to make things tough right from the start for anyone brave enough to take on this challenge.
The Drogheda club’s first finisher in 51st place was Karen Delaney and her time of 1:24:32 was good going given the conditions.
Next in 59th spot was Carmel Keenan who ran 1:26:18 for the distance, followed by Niamh Matthews who was 63rd in 1:27:40. Mike Staunton was the club’s sole male runner and he finished 74th in 1:30:14.
In the shorter 10K event, which was run in conjunction with the 10 Mile race, Sinead Shaw had a great run to win the Women’s race and finish eighth overall in 53:53.
Not far behind was Barney Flannery who coped well with the hills to finish 14th overall and first in category with his run of 56:43.
Elva Maree pushed hard on the run to the line and was rewarded for her efforts with a third-in-category prize when finishing 15th overall in 57:33.
Making the journey to Belfast for last weekend’s Northern Ireland Track and Field Championships was middle distance specialist Mark O’Shea.
After a long spell of niggling injuries, things are looking up for O’Shea as he ran well to put down a good early season marker when finishing a fine sixth in the senior race in a fast 2:01:19.
A small group from the club’s Juvenile section made their way to Tullamore on Saturday for the Leinster Pairs and Under 11 & 13 championships.
Sophie Kinsella was first up in the Girls U-12 600m, running a super race to finish third in her heat but unfortunately just missing out on a final spot by 0.53 seconds in what was a huge improvement for her at this level.
Philip Reynolds was next up in his Boys U-13 600m and set a hot pace from the off. Although passed on the run-in, the job was done and he easily qualified for the final.
In the final Philip ran a strong first 400 but was pushed out of the medal places in the last 200m in what was a really high-quality race.
There’s lots more to come from this talented young runner.
Next up was Sophie Kinsella, running her second race of the day, the 80m, but again she lost out by the narrowest of margins, finishing third in a fast heat and missing out on qualifying by just a few tenths of a second.
Ciara O’Connor and Lili Maye Coade finished off the day, making a little bit of D&D history in the process as the first-ever juvenile pair team from the club in this competition.
They had two very good runs in the U-11 pairs and didn’t win medals but put up a very respectable showing.
Sunday saw the Louth Community Games Finals take place in the Lourdes Stadium, and D&D was represented by Charlie Eccles who picked up a bronze in the U-12 ball throw. Sophie Kinsella, fresh from Tullamore on Saturday, picked up a 100m bronze, while Ruby Berill and Ciara Hicky were both unlucky to miss out on medals in their 200m U-10 and 80m U-8, both being pipped on the line. Also running well were Danielle Nolan, Cormac Russell, Sinead Leech and Aoife O’Connor.
Saturday’s Oldbridge Parkrun took place on a beautiful, if rather warm summer’s morning.
Karl Carton, who usually runs in the sprint events, recorded a new PB time of 21:43 when finishing 12th overall.
Next, in 29th place, was Seamus Roe with his run of 25:12, followed by Frank Brady who was 31st in 25:37.
Linda Bowe was our first woman across the line in 47th spot in 28:09, followed by Michele McCullough who was 48th in 28:38. Ruth Dunne was 51st in 28:55, with Noreen Burke 60th in 29:44.
Meanwhile, at the mid-week Clonliffe Harriers 4-mile race in Santry Demesne, Gerard Fay ran 34:01 for the distance.