Leinster novice title for Harriers’ Vinny Connolly

Mullingar Harriers Athletic Club news

The Leinster Novice, Junior and Juvenile Even Ages Cross Country Championships took place in Bellurgan Park, Dundalk, Co. Louth last Sunday, a beautiful venue for cross country running on rolling pasture where the entire course could be seen from any one place, making spectating very easy and enjoyable.

Athletics Louth must take a bow for building a fantastic course, that was hard enough to bring out the best in the top runners but not so hard as to punish the weaker runners. Their attention to detail from the entrance, parking, stewarding the course and grounds, facilities and all the other requirements for a successful day was commendable. If only the weather had been kinder!

The highlight from a Mullingar perspective came in the final race, the Novice Men 6,000m, held in extremely challenging mucky and slippery conditions when after a terrific four-way battle for much of the race, Vinny Connolly finally broke away from the leading group and surged clear to win and clinch the Leinster title. Vinny didn’t have it all his own way though, as he was followed in close behind by Jack Moran, to give Mullingar a terrific one-two finish.

This race capped what was a very good day for Mullingar Harriers despite the awful rain for the earlier underage races that resulted in the course progressively breaking up with each subsequent race until it resembled a mud bath by the end, truly testing cross country conditions but all the Mullingar athletes from the youngest to the oldest gave great accounts.

The forecast was for rain, and that’s exactly what we got! The day started with the now customary non-Championship races over 1,000m for boys and girls U10 years of age, held by the hosts, Athletics Louth, and athletes as young as 7, 8 and 9 years of age from Clubs across Leinster competed with great enthusiasm, including a number from Mullingar who thoroughly enjoyed the experience and we can expect to see many of these in action in future Championship races.

After the excitement of the U10 races, it was over to the first race of the Championships, the 2,000m for girls U12. The rain began to get heavier but that didn’t bother Lily Walsh who stormed though in seventh place, followed by Chloe Bell in eleventh, earning them top-twelve individual medals, and with great support from team mates Lucy Kilmurray, Shaynah Mitchell, Clodagh Keane, Amelie Kelly, Emily Tully, Orla O’Connell, Aoibhe Martyn, Claire Murtagh, Lily McDonald and Lucy Mulvany all packing well, the team finished third Club to put Mullingar on the medal board.

On to the 2,000m for boys U12, where Cillian Galvin gave Mullingar its first individual win of the day with a very convincing victory, and with Antonio Bertolo finishing ninth, and great team running from Harry Flanagan, Gareth Glennon, Louis Kiernan, Oisin Clarke, Aonghus O’Reilly, Seamus Clarke and Joel Kelly, the boys finished second Club, just rewards for their fine efforts. Also having a great race was Aodhan Fallon (Athlone AC) who finished just ahead of Harry Flanagan.

Just as the 3,000m for girls U14 took to the start line, the heavens opened and everyone except the unfortunate girls and the starters ran for cover, but the race had to go ahead. Battling thorough lashing rain and mucky ground, these girls deserve huge credit for perseverance, none more so than Tianna O’Leary who just put the foot to the floor from the gun and won by a simply huge margin to win the Leinster title, the second individual victory for Mullingar.

Next in and finishing very fast was Eleanor Kiernan in seventh place to earn an individual medal. Finishing just outside the top twelve was Kirstin So (Athlone AC) running with the Westmeath team, then came Mullingar’s Muireann Galvin, Blathnaid Peters, Aobh Smith, Lisa O’Brien, Beibhinn O’Reilly, Emma Lagan, Sadhbh Carey, Evie Kilmurray, Róisín Flynn and Chloe Duggan racing hard in the tough conditions and were very unlucky to finish fifth Club, only one point off fourth and an automatic place in the All-Ireland finals.

The rain stopped in time for the 3,000m for boys U14 where the Mullingar team put in great efforts, led home by Conor Walsh in an excellent fourth place, followed by Scott Cogan, Conor Geoghegan, Daniel Glennon, Greg McDonnell, Darragh Ryan, Zack O’Leary and Ronan Kelly who all slipped and slid across the muddy course to finish second Club and put Mullingar on the medal board again.

Whatever it was about the girls races, during the 4,000m for girls U16, the rain started again, though thankfully not too heavy. Keeping in touch with the leaders and really stepping up to the big time, Ailbhe O’Farrell put in an excellent shift and running a brilliant race she was delighted to finish in ninth place, followed in by Rachel Murphy, Siofra O’Reilly and Lydia McDonnell, but despite leaving nothing behind on the course, they finished out of the team medals.

Niall Brady had the signal honour of leading the Mullingar team home in the 4,000m for boys U16 with a very determined finish in tenth place, followed by Luke Greene just missing a top twelve individual medal, then Conor Liston, Donagh Carey and Jorge Martin running hard all the way to the finish and packing brilliantly in support to finish first Club and book their places in the All-Ireland final.

The 4,000m for girls U18 and junior women was a combined race where the U18 girls could win medals in both the U18 race and as members of U18 and junior teams. By now the rain had eased considerably but underfoot conditions were treacherous in places and everyone had to be very careful on the corners to avoid slipping and falling.

Negotiating the course brilliantly and always in the thick of the action, Caoimhe Kilmurray was delighted to finish fifth overall (third U18), and with Grace Byrne tenth overall (eighth U18), and great support from Aine Gilhooly (Athlone AC) on the Westmeath team and Mullingar’s Caoimhe Donohue and Jessica Cunningham, it was first U18 Club and the gold medals for Mullingar but unfortunately with six required for a County team, Westmeath were not placed.

However, as U18 girls could also score on the Junior teams, it was gold again for Mullingar for finishing first junior Club and with only four needed to score on a junior County team, the Westmeath junior team finished second County, so all five Westmeath girls won medals on the day, a well deserved reward for their efforts.

The final underage race on the programme was the combined 6,000m for boys U18 and junior men, where like the corresponding women’s race, U18 boys could win medals in both the U18 race and as members of junior teams. Storming through to finish fourth overall was Matthew Glennon, second junior man, followed in by Ross Killalea eleventh overall (sixth U18), just ahead of Conor Sherwin (seventh U18), David Burke, Andrew Glennon, Pablo Lozano and Conleth Mullen all battling hard to the finish.

When the junior and U18 team results were sorted after the race, for the U18 boys it was first Club for Mullingar and second County for Westmeath, and for the junior men, it was also first Club and second County.

Moving to the adult races, the rain had cleared and the day was turning lovely and bright with the sun trying to break through, but the course was an absolute swamp. There was a big field for the novice women 4,000m including a team from Mullingar, and with support from North Westmeath AC, a Westmeath team too.

The Mullingar women were led home by Michelle Bohan in a fine fourteenth place, followed by Aeilish McGovern, Marie Louise Johnston, Linda Cunningham, and Méabh O’Hara (North Westmeath AC) but despite their valiant efforts, the ladies finished out of the team medal places.

The day ended with the novice men 6,000m, which as usual was one of the biggest fields of the day in what is regarded as one of the most competitive races in Leinster cross country. Four laps of the swampy course with the lead changing on and off between four men, it came down to a determined race to the finish over the final kilometre where Vinny Connolly drove on hard to put daylight on the opposition to win, followed closely by Jack Moran in second place, and with Ian McCormack, Patrick Shaw, Enda O’Carolan, Enda Seery and Robert Yorke digging deep and leaving nothing behind and packing brilliantly in support, it was second Club for Mullingar and a very creditable fifth County for Westmeath to round off a great day for Mullingar Harriers.

That rounded off a great day for Mullingar with plenty of individual and team successes and excellent running by everyone. The second round, for Senior and juvenile uneven ages will take place at Mountain View Golf Club in Co. Kilkenny in two weeks. The juvenile even age teams that qualified from Bellurgan Park will go forward to the All-Ireland Finals in Donegal in four weeks.

Juvenile uneven teams for Mountain View will be finalized by Club officials this week but in the meantime it is vital that everyone continues to train hard and be in the best possible condition for the next round of the Leinsters and for the All-Ireland Finals beyond, so we expect everyone to keep in full training over the coming weeks, especially in Belvedere this week-end.

Dublin Marathon returns

Cancelled in 2020 and held as a virtual event in 2021 due to Covid public health restrictions, the Dublin Marathon makes a very welcome return this coming Sunday when it is expected up to 20,000 will take to the streets of Dublin hoping to achieve their personal goals.

The marathon incorporates the National Marathon and the Leinster Marathon, so among the 20,000 entry are about 3,500 registered members of Athletics Clubs, including 24 from Mullingar Harriers, and they will have some extra incentive to push on and do their very best in the hope of winning individual and team medals. We wish all the Mullingar athletes the very best of luck as they put all their hard work in training over many months to the test.

Sympathies

Finally, the Executive and members of Mullingar Harriers wish to express sincere sympathy to Tom McGrath on the death of his mother-in-law, Eileen Blighe RIP, Catherine’s mother and a grandmother of Eoin, Cormac and Helen, and to Catherine Mulvihill on the death of her father, James RIP, grandfather of Eleanor and Louis Kiernan. May they rest in peace.

Online

Check the club’s website at www.mullingarharriers.com or its Facebook page for all the latest news.