Drogheda contingent take Tallaght by storm
THE performances of Drogheda & District’s promising junior athletes in last Saturday’s IMC Track & Field Meeting at Irishtown Stadium in Tallaght suggest that the club’s future looks bright.
Conditions on the day were windy to say the least, but that didn’t deter young James Nolan who ran a superb 2:00.30 when finishing second in his 800m C race.
Nolan is a naturally gifted athlete and this eye-opening run could well see him break the two-minute mark before the summer is out.
Running in the same race was Sam O’Neill who pushed hard to record a new best time of 2:03.34, while in the 800m D race Robert Caffery finished seventh in a fine 2.07.72.
Mary Leech ran hard and fast right from the gun against some high-class opposition to finish 6th in her 1500m race in a new PB of 4:51.91.
In the longest event of the day, the 3,000m, Cormac Canning hung in there despite the swirling wind and was rewarded with a solid 9:37.27 when finishing 25th.
Later that evening at the Bohermeen 5k Road Race, Shane Larkin led the way home when finishing 16th overall and second in his category in a fast 17:14. This represents good running as the swirling wind on the back end of the course made things difficult at the point where the athletes are starting to feel the pace.
Drogheda & District’s next finisher was Colin Leonard who was 39th in 18:19, while John Cooper and Paddy Murphy had a terrific battle, with Cooper just getting the nod in 19:05 to Murphy’s 19:11.
Young Abigail Tegart was D&D’s first lady home when winning her Junior category in 22:23, with Louise Aylward next in 24:58, followed by Yvonne Russell (25:04) and Clara Nic Gabhann (25:40).
The hilly slopes of Cooley tempted six D&D members to run in the Glenmore 10-Mile Challenge in Carlingford.
This course is not for the faint-hearted, with a fou- mile section of continuous climbing along the way, but Colm Reilly ran very well to finish 12th overall in a fine 66:50, with Gerry Mullins 37th in 77:48.
Not far behind was Nuala Reilly who won her category in 78:57 and also running for D&D were Niamh Matthews (86:46), Martina O’Connor Dyas (86:49) and Stephen Gill (89:41).
Last Saturday’s Oldbridge Parkrun saw Johnny Kelly race round the rather challenging 5k course to win in a new PB time of 18:18.
Niall Donnelly also went well and finished fifth overall in 21:16, with Joe Rooney next in 12th place in 22:20.
For the D&D ladies, Rose Dalton was 113th in 34:03, with Mary Mulligan 120th in 35:37 and Audrey Corcoran 141st in 38:37.
Yasmin Canning produced a fine run in the bank holiday Monday Women’s Mini Marathon in Dublin, completing the 10k course in 41:15.
Also deserving of congratulations were the D&D members who took part in the recent Derry City Marathon. It’s no easy task to run 26 miles and this marathon crew can now enjoy a few weeks rest before planning the next big run.
Gerard Fay was D&D’s first finisher in 4hr 23min. Sarah O’Connor was next home in 5:01:23, with Julie Halton only nine seconds behind her. Lisamarie Maguire ran 5:31:53, Mairead O’Connell 5:45:22, Lorraine Brannigan 6:01:26 and Deirdre Harmon 6:14:04.
Slightly closer to home, two of Drogheda & District’s Sprint Group members were in action at last Wednesday’s Graded Meeting in Tallaght Stadium.
Competing over 400m, Hugh Callan finished fourth in the B2 race in 54.51sec and Roisin Coade came third in the C race for ladies in 66.43sec.
Finally, Senan Gough competed in the Boys Under-13 600m at last Saturday’s Leinster Championships and ran a fine time of 2min 2sec despite being clipped on the first bend. Earlier, Senan clocked 11.54sec in his 80m race.