What a great first week of the new year we have had from the group. Today , I was out at the Dublin Masters Cross Country in St Annes Park and what an event this has become with nearly 500 competitors taking part. In the women’s race Maura Ginty was 9th in the O/35 section. In the O/45’s Anne Curley took bronze with her sister Florrie 5th and Julia Hackett 16th. In the mens race we had over 20 competing in the various age categories. In the O /35 categorry Michael Mc Mahon was our first home finishing in 3rd place followed by Ian Conroy in 5th, Peter O’Toole 10th, Ciaran Alyward 19th, Brian Byrne 21st, Matthew Blyth 25th, John McAuley 36th, Peter Barry 35th and Barry Aherne 38th. In the O/40 section we had great success with the first two fiinishers with Paul Fleming taking gold and Phil Kilgannon winning the silver. These were followed by John Clohissey 32nd , Alan King 35th and Gavin Purtill 45th. In the O/50 section Pearse Coyle was our first finisher in 4th place and Maurice McCrohan was 29th. In the O/55 Kieran Murphy was also 4th followed by Andy Davies who managed to beat Mick Gygax into 9th place and Mick finishing 10th. We also had a number who won medals in the O/35 and O/50 team competitions . In the O/35’s Michael , Des and Ian won gold with Phil winning silver and Paul and Ciaran bronze. In the O/50’s Pearse won gold with Kieran and Maurice taking bronze.For good measure our athletes represented 11 different clubs.
On New Years day , there was the Tom Brennan 5k in the Phoenix Park with the results being as impressive as today’s. In the Mens race Paul Fleming ran his fastest 5k in a number of years winning the O/40 in a time of 15.37. Derek Taylor was next ( 4th O/40 – 17.12 ) Des Tremble ( 2nd O/45 – 17.22) Pearse Coyle ( 2nd O/50 – 18.46) Rob Brannigan (7th O/45 – 19.16) Maurice McCrohan ( 6th O/50 – 19.38 ) Conor Cleary ( 19.41 PB) Sean Donegan ( 19.55) and Shane Greenan ( 20.05). In the women’s race Siiobhra O’ Flaherty who trained with our group prior to going on scholarship to the States finished 2nd overall ( 17.02 ) just ahead of Linda Byrne ( 3rd – 17.06) Sabrina Keogh was 10th ( 20.12 ) and Florrie Curley ( 3rd O/45 – 20.25)
Two results missed from over the christmas were Rory O’Connor winning a mile race in Limerick ( 4.32) and Caitriona Jennings 3rd female in the Greencastle 5 mile.
