No rest for Boyne’s senior athletes as they keep pounding the roads
WHILE younger members of Boyne AC were taking a well-deserved break, some of the senior club members were still pounding the roads and competing in a variety of events over recent weeks.
The unusual mixture of road and sand made for a challenging route in the Portmarnock 5k/5-mile race, where Catherine Tiernan Bell ran 22:44 for the 5k, finishing among the top 10 ladies, while Rebecca Carolan finished second in her category with a time of 36:59 over five miles.
Back on more familiar territory, Ardee & District Athletic Club held their ever popular annual 5k road race on Saturday last.
This is a challenging route, with a tough 1.5k uphill drag, made all the more difficult by rising temperatures on the day.
However, undeterred by the conditions, the Boyne AC ladies team all ran well to finish fourth team overall.
Edel Durnin ran her fastest 5k this year - 28:31 - while Ola Raji achieved a new PB despite the tough route, crossing the line in 25:36. Catherine Tiernan Bell wasn’t on her usual form but still ran 24:13 to take the bronze medal in her category in the Louth Masters 5k Championships, which were incorporated into the race.
However, first home for the club was Rebecca Carolan who finished seventh female in a time of 21:19.
Just a short drive southwards, the Fingal 10-mile race took place on Sunday last where, once again, warm and humid conditions really tested the athletes.
Sarah-Jane Ruddy took a whopping six minutes off her 2017 time as she stormed across the line in 1:22:42, clubmate Karen Fairclough proved she is really getting back to form with a great time of 1:32:17, while Eimear Rickard ran a great race to finish in 1:42:44.