Trim’s classic 10-mile brings out the best
THE resurgence in Irish distance running standards over the last few years has been greatly helped by the revival of the classic 10-mile race distance in recent years.
In times past, many seasoned club runners were judged on how well they went over this distance and if your 10-mile time began with anything above 55 minutes then you’d be closer to the middle of the field than towards the leading pack.
Sunday’s Trim 10-mile race saw a field in excess of 1500 runners turn out for what has become a hugely popular race in little or no time and there were some good performances from Drogheda & District athletes, none more so than that of Pat O’Grady who ran an astonishing 57:22 for 24th overall.
Given that O’Grady was competing in the Men’s Over-55 category, this was an eye-opening run that won’t have gone unnoticed by Irish team selectors.
Also running well was Seamus Flannery who finished 366th in 1:13:53, with Knut Nielsen 441st in 1:16:18 and Brian Guilfoyle 543rd in 1:18:57.
Andrea McArdle impressed with her run of 1:17:43, placing her 444th, while prolific racer Nuala Reilly was close behind when finishing 505th in 1:18:39. Next in was Barbara Byrne in 578th spot in 1:18:57, followed by Carmel Keenan who ran the course in 1:19:59.
There were category prizes for Pat O’Grady, Nuala Reilly and Donal Branigan who all took first place in their respective age groups, while also running were Nicola Wong (1:29:45), Sheena Coyle (1:32:44) and Brenda Kirwan (1:35:38).
The lure of some fast times at the National Indoor Arena in Abbotstown tempted D&D members to switch to racing on this tight indoor track and these meetings are becoming a very popular fixture on the winter athletic calendar. Indeed, this latest one was sold out prior to the event.
In the 400m, run over two laps of the track, young Harry Caffrey had a solid run to finish fifth in his Heat in 58:71, while Ciaran Hanrahan was third in Heat 2 in 57:10.
The 800m races were a lively affair, with athletes jostling for position, and Kieran McGrath worked hard all the way and was rewarded with a second place finish in Heat 1 in a useful 2:02:47, while Cormac Canning was fourth in 2:07:31.
Heat 2 saw Ernesto Saborio Cordoba race well to place third in 2:03:91, while Brian Fitzpatrick went one better when finishing second in Heat 3 in 2:09:05 and he looks like he’s getting the hang of racing this tough-tojudge event.
Mary Leech hung in there when the going got tough in her 800m to place fourth in a quality 2:22:74 and her consistency over this distance is quite remarkable.
In the Mile, Shane Russell ran well to win the race in 4:56:14 and he looks to be coming into good form.
Also taking place were some juvenile races and in the Boys Under-12 60m Finn Coade was second in 10:15, while Matthew O’Shea was also second in the Boys Under-16 600m in 1:37:27.
Also running indoors, but this time at the Leinster Indoor Juvenile Championships at the AIT Arena in Athlone, were some of D&D’s up and coming juveniles.
The highlights of day one were young Harry Delaney’s superb run in the Boys Under-16 400m, where he got up for the bronze medal with his run of 58:59, while clubmate Cathal Keogh Comey was fourth in 59:23.
Liam McGreehan O’Grady continues to impress and his 13thplace finish in the Boys Under-16 1500m in a solid 5:04:65 shows just how much he’s improved in the last few months, with more to come.
Lilli Mai Coade ran well to finish fourth in the Girls Under-13 60m in 9:22, while Ciara O’Connor also ran well when finishing sixth in 9:69.
In the Girls Under-16 60m Anastasia Drakoulaki won her heat in a lively 8:34 and a short while later she finished fifth in the final in exactly the same time.
Making the trip to Phoenix Park for Saturday’s BHAA Garda Cross-Country were Nuala Reilly, Gerry Mullins and Conor Cooney.
Reilly, running in the Women’s two-mile event, showed many of her younger rivals a clean pair of heels when running well to finish 29th overall in 16:31.
The Men’s four-mile race saw Mullins come home with the bragging rights when his storming finish took him clear of Cooney to finish 121st in 31:40, while Cooney was 127th in 32:14, and the competition between these two intensifies with each race.
Closer to home at the weekly Oldbridge Parkrun, leading the way last Saturday was Shane Brodigan who ran well to finish the 5k distance 14th overall in 21:17, followed by Daniel Danko in 23rd spot in 23:08, while Jon Canning was 36th in 25:13. Regular competitor Seamus Roe was 37th in 15:33, with David Thornton 51st in 27:05 and Gerard Maher 85th in 30:21.
First of the D&D ladies was Mary Mulligan who ran the course in 36:52, followed by Michele McCullough who was 133rd in 42:45, with Caitriona Henry close behind in 134th place in 42:46 and Nicola Finnegan 140th in 45:08.