Red racers flock to 10K in Annagassan

SATURDAY saw the quiet roads of Annagassan turned into a sea of red as a large number of Drogheda & District athletes turned up to run this very popular 10K road race in memory of Irish athletics legend and former European 800m record-holder Noel Carroll.

Conditions on the day favoured the runners, with little or no wind, but the cold bite to the air meant that a good warm-up was necessary for the more serious-minded athletes who were chomping at the bit as the minutes ticked down to the race start.

Once the gun went, Shane Larkin quickly made his way towards the head of the field and the early pace over the first kilometre - which was all downhill - wasn’t for the faint-hearted.

By the 3km mark Larkin was running shoulder to shoulder in a group of four quality athletes who were battling it out for fifth position, and the pace over the next section of the course was relentless as these guys don’t like to be beaten - especially when running close to home.

Larkin hung in there when the tough questions were asked and put the work in over the flat closing stretch along the coast road to finish sixth overall in a lively 35:27. That meant that he secured the winner’s prize in the Over-40 category.

Next in was Conor Cooney who used his vast experience to get the early pace right, and his time of 45:40 shows that he’s going well in training. Not far behind were Mike Staunton (48:49), Michael Aylward (49:13) and Paul McArdle (49:31).

Donal Branigan ran well to win his Over-70 category in 1:06:14.

Among the D&D ladies, the run of the day belonged to Andrea McArdle who delivered a strong performance to cross the line in a noteworthy 45:47. Her running form over the difficult uphill section of the course shows how much she’s benefited from the group training structure and she’s one to watch out for over the coming months.

Prolific racer Nuala Reilly was D&D’s next finisher in 46:08 - good enough to win her category in some style - and Reilly’s appetite for old-fashioned gun to tape racing knows no bounds.

Right on Reilly’s shoulder was Karen Delaney who finished with the same time when picking up the Over-50 category winner’s prize, while Barbara Byrne had perhaps the best smile of the day as she crossed the line on her way to a new PB.

Yvonne McMahon finished in 46:22 and her consistency in training is now paying huge dividends and is a lesson for all athletes wanting to improve their performances.

Meanwhile, taking to the fields at the BHAA Irish Life 6K cross-country race at Santry Demesne were club captain Jim Nolan and Gerry Mullins.

As this was the 40th anniversary year of the association, a larger than usual number of athletes turned out for what was a well-contested series of races, although the underfoot conditions made things tough, with pools of water making it very mucky in places.

Nevertheless, Mullins ran well to finish well up the field and covered the four-lap course in 29:26, while Nolan finished in 30:45.

Closer to home, at the weekly Oldbridge Parkrun, Tadhg