Drogheda trio mix it with the best on biggest stage
RUNNING against some of the finest Masters athletes at the World Track and Field Championships in Malaga last week were the Drogheda & District trio of Mark O’Shea, Kieran McGrath and Mary Leech.
The medals at this level never come easy and indeed the standard of this year’s competition was made all the higher, with some very good African athletes taking part in the middle-distance events.
O’Shea and McGrath, who were competing in the 800m, had a tough task ahead of them, with three races in consecutive days if they were to make the final.
These qualifying rounds are a real test of one’s nerve as well as ability, as only the first two athletes automatically make the next round, but thanks to some very astute racing O’Shea’s run of 2:07:39 took him into the semi-final, while McGrath had to run 1:59:94 to qualify.
With little time to rest, the rehab began in earnest as the semi would see the expected rise in standard materialise, with O’Shea running a full five seconds quicker when clocking 2:02:15 to advance to the final.
McGrath had it all to do in his semi but held his nerve, and his run of 2:00:02 was good enough to make the decider.
In the M45 final, O’Shea used every ounce of his experience to keep out of trouble and was in with a shout of a medal with just 200m to go.
Alas on this occasion it wasn’t to be, and although he battled hard up the home straight he had to be content with fifth in 2:03:22 in a race won in 1:59:99, with very little separating the third to fifthplace finishers.
Next up was McGrath in his M40 final, and what a quick race that turned out to be, with the winner running an incredible 1:55:61.
In relative terms, McGrath is still pretty new to running, but he possesses immense strength and a huge desire to win and he certainly wasn’t found wanting as he produced a season’s best time of 1:58:88 when finishing in eighth place against some topclass athletes.
Last Saturday it was Mary Leech’s turn to step into the cauldron of top-class athletics when she lined up for her 1500m semi-final on a warm, sunny evening.
Leech’s race was loaded with some very experienced runners who don’t make many mistakes, and in some ways this helped as she made her way into the leading group of four who would automatically qualify for the following morning’s final.
Keeping a cool head while running to a fast tempo saw Leech ease ahead of her nearest rival and she crossed the line in fourth spot in a fast 4:49:50.
With only 15 hours until the final, the clock was ticking, with the warm-down, rehab, food and sleep all needing to be attended to.
The following morning’s final turned out to be a great race, with 16 of the world’s best Masters athletes taking part - and among them were four Irish girls, so hopes of a medal win were high.
In a race that was won by Irish woman Kelly Neely in 4:36:35, and only half a second separating the first three finishers, Leech acquitted herself well when delivering a quality run to finish ninth in 4:47:40.
Meanwhile, at Sunday’s Boyne AC 5K there were some fine performances from D&D members, with Michelle Hughes and Nuala Reilly both taking first-in-category prizes, while Conor Cooney and Karen Delaney took third in their category.
One of the club’s newest members, Daragh Campbell, had a terrific run to finish third in the Senior race in 18:01 and he’s a good find.
Martin Russell ran a PB time of 18:31 and he’s getting stronger by the week with his group training runs.
Four members took on the challenge of running Sunday’s Berlin Marathon where a new world best time of 2:01:40 was set for the classic 26-mile distance.
Carmel Keenan was D&D’s first finisher in 3:43, while David Birch ran 4:43 and Helga McDonnell and Linda Byrne Cruise both finished in 4:54.
Closer to home, in Saturday’s Oldbridge Parkrun, Drogheda & District’s first finisher in sixth place - with a time of 21:05 - was Tony Corcoran, with Yann Mahuet close behind in seventh spot in 21:18.
Mary McDonnell was the club’s first woman across the line when finishing 26th in 24:03, followed by Linda Bowe who was 45th in 27:59.
And at the mid-week Clonliffe Harriers Grand Prix Series 10K track race, Gerard Fay ran 49:01 over the 25 laps.