Distance no object for rookie Mairead

MORE than 20 senior members of Boyne AC took to the capital’s roads for the ever-popular Rock ‘n’ Roll Half-Marathon and they recorded some great times.

Months of hard training for the group culminated in this mass participation race, which saw more than 10,000 competitors wind their way through the streets of Dublin from the Point Village to the Phoenix Park.

The event also incorporated the National Half-Marathon Championships, which saw Boyne AC finish as the 12th ladies team overall, and first to cross the line for the club was Sally Clarke who had a strong run to finish in 1:39, while Paul Kirwan was delighted with his time of 1:42:08.

Rebecca Carolan crossed the line in 1:43:31, with Andrew Coyle and Derek Boylan also making the sub 2 as they each clocked 1:54:03.

Also just making the dipping under the two-hour barrier, Sarah Jane Ruddy ran a great time of 1:59:39, with Nicola Veale just behind in 1:59:50.

Ryan Holcroft, in a dramatic improvement since his last half-marathon, crossed the line in 2:01:38, while the ever-smiling Karen Fairclough clocked 2:03:47.

A super time of 2:05:31 saw Judith Faulkner knock a whopping 13 minutes off her previous best time, with AnneMarie Garcia not far behind in 2:08:12. Gabbie White finished in a super 2:09:56, with Edel MhicGabhann just a few seconds behind in 2:10:00, while Edel Gartland and Eimear Rickaard were thrilled with their times of 2:13:27 and 2:31:32 respectively.

The biggest smile on the day however, surely went to Mairead Hallinan who, in her first-ever half-marathon, clocked an impressive 2:35:34.

Also running well were Julie O’Shea and Ruth McCabe, while in the 10k race Nicole Finnegan crossed the line in 57:23, with Jacqueline Reid and Lisa Faulkner Reynolds coming home just 12 seconds apart in 1:05:16 and 1:05:28 respectively.

Last Saturday the Boyne AC contingent moved on to Phoenix Park for the Frank Duffy 10-mile race and again Sally Clarke was first to cross the line for the club with a super 1:15:53 finish, with Paul Kirwan not far behind in 1:17:27.

Sarah Jane Ruddy and Nicola Veale clocked 1:27:45 and 1:27:55 respectively, while Ryan Holcroft finished in 1:30:37 and Karen Fairclough two seconds behind him.

AnneMarie Garcia was delighted with her 1:38:08 finish, as was Nicola Finnegan who crossed the line in 1:39:38.

The Connor/Mallon 4-mile road race will be on September 17th and registration is open on www.myrunresults.com.