McGrath and O’Connor in superb form
Record number of men compete in masters
A record number of men took part in the Wicklow Masters Cross County championships in Shanganah last Sunday morning.
A field of 50 men took part in the 6km race to decide who would be crowned champion of Wicklow at masters level and it was the in-form Ian McGrath of Bray Runners who would compete the course is a very impressive 20:24.
A very competitive women’s race got the morning’s racing up and running so to speak and Catherine O’Connor’s reaction to the early pace setting of Glendalough AC’s Rachel Wisdom was key as the Parnell AC runner caught Wisdom and would never be recaptured over the rest iof the 4km course.
Perfect conditions for cross country greeted the athletes and the very impressive number of supporters. The course was dry and held up very well to the trampling underfoot.
The women got underway at 11am and it was Rachel Wisdom who took to the front early on. O’Connor was having none of this and she reeled in the Glendalough AC women and from there to the finish it was always going to be O’Connor’s crown as she broke the tape on 15.35.
The battle then came down for second and third. Aisling Smith would secure silver in a time of 15:59 and Wisdom was pipped for third by the hard-running Annmarie Kenny of Parnell AC in 16:20 with Wisdom crossing 21 seconds later for fourth.
Rachel Wisdom’s efforts played a major role in helping her team to the team gold. Parnell AC took silver and Kilcoole AC claimed third.
Ian McGrath proved unstoppable in the men’s race.
The Brray Runners man galloped home in 20:24, but he didn’t have it all his own way as Damien Byrne from Kilcoole AC was only a mere five seconds behind in second.
Third spot was nabbed by his club colleague Paul O’Brien in a one-two that helped Kilcoole to the team gold with Bray Runners in third and Ashford AC in third.
Many of these runners will line up for the start of the Leinster Intermediate and Masters Cross Country Championships in Gowran this weekend. We wish them all the very best. 23:00; 23rd: Paul Mahon (Parnell AC) 23:04; 24th: Gary O’Leary (Ashford AC) 23:08; 25th: Bosco O’Neill (Parnell AC) 23:13; 26th: Dean Phillips (Kilcoole AC) 23:16; 27th: Darragh Page (Kilcoole AC) 23:21; 28th: Barry O’Neill (Glendalough AC) 23:28; 29th: Paul Kelly (Inbhear Dee AC) 23:31; 30th: Ian O’Donnell (Kilcoole AC) 23:34; 31st: Rene Borg (Glendalough AC) 23:36; 32nd: John Baugh (Kilcoole AC) 23:38; 33rd: Desie Shorten (Parnell AC) 23:43; 34th: Brian Harris (Ashford AC) 24:08; 35th: Eoghan Mooney (Kilcoole AC) 24:11; 36th: Garrett Kelly (Bray Runners AC) 24:11;
37th: Johnny Conway (Glendalough AC) 24:12; 38th: Justin Doyle (Kilcoole AC) 24:31; 39th: Mick O’Brien (Inbhear Dee AC) 24:41; 40th: Gerry Keaty (Bray Runners AC) 24:50; 41st: Cormac O Ceallaigh (Parnell AC) 24:57; 42nd: Andrew Hanney (Kilcoole AC) 25:00; 43rd: Ronan Gill (Kilcoole AC) 25:08; 44th: Bill Porter (Parnell AC) 25:11; 45th: Hugh Kinsella (Parnell AC) 25:23; 46th: Karol Ó Loinsigh (Bray Runners AC) 25:58;
47th: Duncan Barrett (Glendalough AC) 26:33; 48th: Tom Cavanagh (Bray Runners AC) 26:36; 49th: Colm Kenna (Glendalough AC) 26:55; 50th: Keith Mulvey (Glendalough AC) 27:08.
Category M35 - 1st: Paul O’Brien (Kilcoole AC); 2nd: Andrew Lawless (Kilcoole AC); 3rd: Brendan Donohue (Kilcoole AC). Category M40 - 1st: Damien Byrne (Kilcoole AC); 2nd: Alan Dalton (Parnell AC); 3rd: Colm Murphy (Kilcoole AC). Category M45 - 1st: Ian McGrath (Bray Runners AC); 2nd: Mark Walsh (Kilcoole AC); 3rd: Anthony Breen (Glendalough AC). Category M50 - 1st: Dominic Horan (Bray Runners AC); 2nd: Ronan King (Inbhear Dee AC); 3rd: Angus Tyner (Glendalough AC).
Category M55 - 1st: Ben Mooney (Inbhear Dee AC); 2nd: Bill Porter (Parnell AC); 3rd: Hugh Kinsella (Parnell AC).
Category M60 - 1st: Desie Shorten (Parnell AC); 2nd: Tom Cavanagh (Bray Runners AC). Placings for Team Scoring
Teams: 1st: Kilcoole AC; 2nd: Bray Runners, 3rd: Ashford AC. WOMEN - 1st: Catherine O’Connor (Parnell AC) 15:35; 2nd: Ashling Smith (Bray Runners AC) 15:59; 3rd: Annmarie Kenny (Parnell AC) 16:20; 4th: Rachel Wisdom (Glendalough AC) 16:41; 5th: Donna Quinn (Glendalough AC) 17:03; 6th: Yvonne Brennan (Glendalough AC) 17:07; 7th: Claire Lauder (Kilcoole AC) 17:24; 8th: Catherine Devitt (Glendalough AC) 17:25; 9th: Anna Gleeson (Kilcoole AC) 17:29; 10th: Mary Hayde (Bray Runners AC) 18:03; 11th: Sandra Pegman (Kilcoole AC) 18:06; 12th: Sharon Bailey (Bray Runners AC) 18:32;
13th: Jenny Lawler (Bray Runners AC) 18:41; 14th: Sharon Wheeler (Inbhear Mor AC) 18:43; 15th: Aoife Joyce (Glendalough AC) 18:53; 16th: Caroline Henry (Kilcoole AC) 19:15; 17th: Aoife Boyle (Bray Runners AC) 19:29; 18th: Maria Messitt (Kilcoole AC); 19:46; 19th: Aoife Tunney (Inbhear Mor AC) 20:01; 20th: Hannah Nolan (Parnell AC) 20:16; 21st: Maureen O’Rourke (Bray Runners AC) 21:06. Category W35 - 1st: Rachel Wisdom (Glendalough AC); 2nd: Donna Quinn (Glendalough AC); 3rd: Catherine Devitt (Glendalough AC). Category W40 - 1st: Catherine O’Connor (Parnell AC); 2nd: Annmarie Kenny (Parnell AC); 3rd: Yvonne Brennan (Glendalough AC).
Category W45 - 1st: Ashling Smith (Bray Runners AC); 2nd: Claire Lauder (Kilcoole AC); 3rd: Mary Hayde (Bray Runners AC) Teams: 1st: Glendalough AC; 2nd: Parnell AC; 3rd: Kilcoole AC.