Drogheda’s young guns come of age
‘THE times they are a changing.’
BOB Dylan’s words certainly rang true at last Friday’s Carlingford 5K where Drogheda & District AC’s juniors stepped into the limelight with some outstanding performances over a lightning-fast course.
In what was a real changing of the guard, junior men took two of the four places on the Senior Men’s team which claimed second prize.
Young Tadgh Donnelly, who’s only 17, scorched round the course in an eye opening 15:58 to finish 10th overall and first in the Junior Men’s race.
Just a minute behind, in 42nd place overall, was D&D’s second junior Cormac Canning who dipped under the 17-minute mark with his 16:59 time.
Backed up by the strong-running Stephen Kelly, who was 11th in 16:04, and Paul Smith (25th in 16:35), this quartet made up the successful men’s team.
In the Junior Men’s section Liam Mulligan, who’s only 15, ran a superb debut over this distance when finishing in 19:34, followed by Sean Toner who ran 19:44, and this pair combined well with Donnelly and Canning to win the team award.
Not to be outdone, D&D’s Junior Women were in sparkling form as Kate O’Reilly won the Junior Women’s race in 21:23, with Abigail Tegart taking the runner-up spot a mere two seconds behind.
Backed up by Moya McCabe,who ran 26:01, and Muirne O’Connor (26:55), these four made up the D&D Junior Women’s team who won the team category.
Yasmin Canning delivered a strong run to place second in her category in 19:49, while Nuala Reilly took third in her category with her run of 23:18.
Among the D&D men, Conor Cooney won a second-in-category prize and John Reilly was third in category with his 18:24 time.
Many of the club’s athletes who were in action in Carlingford took to the roads again for the Duleek 10K on Sunday.
Conditions on the day were extremely tough on the runners, with the mercury hitting 24 degrees, and the humidity made it difficult to breathe on what was a pretty tough course.
The men had an easy win in the team category, being led home by Stephen Kelly who had an impressive win in 34:38, with clubmate Brian Martin second in 35:29 and Shane Larkin running well to finish fifth overall. Paul Smith was D&D’s next finisher in sixth place in 37:06.
The ladies team of Yasmin Canning (who was third overall and second in her category), Roisin Donnelly and Laura Roche placed a close second to Clonliffe Harriers.
Category prize-winners included Pat O’Grady (1st in category in 37:47) and Nuala Reilly who won her category in 50:36.
Members would like to wish David Campbell and Laura Roche - who both ran in the Duleek 10K - best wishes as they are getting married this week.
Meanwhile, at the mid-week Dublin Athletic Board Graded Meeting, Roisin Coade ran a useful 67:10 in the 400m B1 race to finish eighth against some good-quality athletes.
In the Men’s Mile Cormac Canning finished third in a tactical race when running 4:51:11.
Conor Cooney (22:52) and Nuala Reilly (23:38) both won second-in-category prizes at last week’s BHAA Dublin Fire Brigade 5K in Marino, while club captain Jim Nolan was 40th overall in 22:08 and at the Raheny AC Summer Series 2 mile race Gerard Fay clocked 14:58.
And in last Saturday’s Oldbridge Parkrun, held in perfect conditions, D&D’s first finisher in 20th place overall - in 24:48 - was David Thornton, with Martin Woods close behind in 23rd in 25:20. Ellen O’Connor was D&D’s first woman across the line - 34th in 26:58 - followed by Michele McCullough who was 36th in 27:02.