Wicklow athletes record big wins
THERE were two significant victories for Wicklow athletes at the Autumn Open International Cross Country Festival at the National Sports Campus in Abbottstown last weekend.
Emma O’ Brien finished a comfortable first in the female under-20 race while the ever-resilient Mick Byrne finished first in the men’s over-55, with over a minute to spare.
There were some great runs by other Sli Cualann runners. Catherine O’Connor and Billy Tyrell both narrowly missing out on qualification to represent Ireland in Wales next month. Desie Shorten came home in sixth, Michael Knight in eighth, Ashling Smith in ninth, Dominic Horan in 10th and Anne Marie Kenny in 15th, in their respective categories in a very competitive field.
Elsewhere, away from the mud, Patrick Kinsella won the Coole Hill 5k road race in a time of 17:48, while fellow team-mates Sile O’Byrne and Derek Crammond were outright winners over the 10k distance.
Meanwhile in the Parks, Ian McGrath and Mary O’Connor were the fastest of our weekly club Park runners, both finishing right up the field in Shanganagh Park.
Next week brings an end to 18 weeks of misery, starvation and early nights for 42 intrepid Dublin Marathon participants from Wicklow.