Jackie, Alan conquer roads
ALL ROADS led to Ferns for the Wexford Masters road race championships. There were strong fields for both races, with more than one hundred athletes in total taking part.
Starting with the women’s 4k, Jackie Carthy of Kilmore wasted little time in stamping her authority on the race as she galloped off into an unassailable lead. Her winning time of 15.23 minutes gave her a 59 seconds lead over her closest pursuer, and clubmate, the fast-finishing Helen Doyle.
She was followed home closely by Catherine Roche of Slaney Olympic. The Sliabh Buidhe Rovers duo of Ciara Bowe and Lillian Lawless were next across the line to close out the top five.
Kilmore’s third scorer, Sinéad O’Brien, was a strong seventh and that sealed the team victory for them on an excellent ten points. Slaney Olympic finished second with 23 points, and S.B.R. were third with 24 points.
A large field of 65 runners toed the line in the men’s 6k race. The early pace was conservative which meant that, even after 3k, there were up to 20 athletes in the leading peloton.
However, once they started down the Stump Lane this all changed with the main contenders, including a quartet in the colours of United Striders, applying pressure.
Indeed, Striders exercised tremendous team tactics which resulted, ultimately, in the club, led home by Alan O’Connor (20.25 minutes), taking the top four places and a well-deserved team victory (ten points).
Joe Lillis took the silver in 20:37 minutes, with Brendan Lyng just holding on for third in 20:43 minutes.
In fact, John McGrath, in fourth, was clocked at the same time as Brendan!
S.B.R., led home by Paul Gibbons in fifth, bunched well with Noel Kennedy sixth, Trevor Conroy eighth and Denis Moynihan ninth.
This was good enough to win team silver (28 points). Croghan, led by Pat Foley’s seventh-place finish, were third team overall (65 points).
County Senior Competition Secretary John Joe Doyle congratulated the host club, S.B.R., on a well-organised event and for laying on lavish post-race hospitality.
Special thanks to John Joe Jordan and everyone from Wexford Athletics as well as the host club, Sliabh Buidhe Rovers.