McHugh adds to medal haul
WHILE many people were nursing a New Year’s Day headache following the previous night’s celebrations, Drogheda & District club member Erin McHugh’s only headache was wondering where she’s going to put all the prizes she’s won lately.
McHugh, who’s in sparkling form at the moment, got the year off to a great start by winning the ladies prize at the Jolly Joggers 10K in Emyvale, Monaghan, on New Year’s Day.
This very popular road race is run over a notoriously hilly course and is definitely not for the faint-hearted and all the prerace talk was of how to tackle the numerous hills along the route.
Once the gun went, McHugh quickly settled into a steady rhythm in a small group of some quality distance runners.
Coming up to the half-way point, McHugh looked to be in control of her running and using the strength gained from her gym sessions she slowly but steadily began to wind up the pace and open a gap on her nearest female rivals. The old boys used to say if you can get away from someone going up a hill, they won’t come back to you and they were proven right on this occasion as McHugh stormed across the finishing line in an eye-opening time of 39:37 to finish 15th overall - great running on such a difficult course. Also running in the women’s race was prolific racer Nuala Reilly who ran well to finish 68th overall in 47:29.
D&D’s first man across the line in 52nd place was Conor Cooney who’s really got the bit between his teeth now that he’s entered a new age category, and he’ll go even faster with a bit of speed work in his legs.
Also running was Cooney’s great rival Frank McCarthy who’s come back from injury sensibly and ran a solid 46:59 to finish well up the field.
Closer to home, just three members took on the challenge of the weekly Oldbridge Parkrun.
The recent rain has really softened up this undulating 5K course and times would have been slowed somewhat.
Colm Reilly, who’s been out of action for a while, ran 20:30 when finishing third overall and he’ll run a good two minutes faster when he’s fully fit and the ground hardens up a bit.
Seamus Roe was the club’s next finisher in 39th spot in 27:40, with Ruth Dunne 61st in 32:38.
D&D’s human equivalent of a juggernaut, Gerard Fay, finished off the old year by running two marathons in two days!
Running in the East Antrim Marathon Series, Fay ran the Carrickfergus course on Saturday in 5:06:05 and the following day ran 4:56:09 for the Greenisland/ Monkstown course.
This brought Fay’s total number of marathons for 2017 to 78 and he’ll hit an incredible 350 marathons in total sometime this month.
More than 90 of the club’s members, including the juvenile section affectionately known as ‘The Minis’ travelled to the National Sports Centre in Blanchardstown last Saturday to take part in a group training session on Ireland’s latest 200m indoor track.
With no wind and a moderate climate in the state-of-the-art arena, the young athletes were in their element and it won’t be too long before some of them start to make national headlines, such is their ability.