Visitors win Menapians 5k
MENAPIANS HELD their annual 5k road race on a tough course, which takes in a loop around the Park area of Wexford town, with quite a few stingers of hills.
The fact that the first serious rainfall in weeks came down during the race was greatly welcomed by the athletes on what was a hot, muggy evening.
The leaders in the men’s race were still bunched together at the 2k mark in Carcur.
As they headed back out the Ferrycarrig Road, Freddy Keron of Raheny Shamrocks took charge and pushed ahead.
Turning left at the railway bridge and up the first of a series of rises, he had a small lead over Niall Sheil of St. Killian’s, with Enda Cloake working hard to close the gap on the experienced Sheil.
As the hills took some of the spark out of Keron’s legs, Sheil began to reel him back in.
The Raheny man tried to take advantage of the downhill run for home into Slaney Woods but the St. Killian’s man stuck to his task.
Unfortunately, he ran out of road and Keron held on to take the win by just two seconds. Enda Cloake finished strongly in third.
The women’s race was a more straightforward affair, with road running specialist Laura McDonnell of Tallaght A.C. setting a hot pace from the start.
At 2k she had a gap over the Kilmore A.C. duo of Jackie Carthy, in second, and Annaleigh Hore in third.
They stayed like that all the way to the finish.
Well done to Menapians on a well-organised race with good marking, plenty of stewards and the obligatory post-race tea, ‘sangers’ and cake afterwards in the Sarsfields G.A.A. clubhouse.