Edel Gaffney, Trim AC, Aoife Cooke, Eagle AC and Susan Glennon, Mullingar Harriers AC, the first three ladies in the Dingle Half Marathon.

Success on roads of Kingdom for Harriers athletes

Dingle Half Marathon

The Dingle Half Marathon traverses the spectacular Dingle Peninsula. Run in conjunction with a full marathon in one of Ireland’s most beautiful locations on Slea Head, the course is designed for runners and walkers to enjoy its breathtaking scenery and beautiful rugged coastline.

This is the only day in the year when vehicular traffic is removed from Slea Head, immersing runners in the natural beauty of the Dingle Peninsula on the Wild Atlantic Way.

Edel Gaffney, Trim AC, Aoife Cooke, Eagle AC and Susan Glennon, Mullingar Harriers AC, the first three ladies in the Dingle Half Marathon. Photo by ARRA

Of the 2480 athletes who finished the half marathon, Susan Glennon of Mullingar was third lady in 1:29:55 – an excellent performance in a high-quality field on a beautiful September day.

Kerry Way Ultra Nite

Covering 103km, the Kerry Way Ultra Nite is one of the most difficult and spectacular ultra-athletic events. Starting in the village of Dromid, the route follows the Kerry Way into the national park on the outskirts of Killarney, and ends along the picturesque River Flesk before entering the finish area at Killarney Racecourse.

At 9pm on Friday, Máirtín Savage lined up with more than 100 others to follow a route through Waterville, Caherdaniel, Sneem, Templenoe, Kenmare and into Killarney. With great support from his family at the various feeding stations along the way, Máirtín emerged under the tunnel into Killarney Racecourse and over the finish line in an impressive 17 hours and 58 minutes; an average of just over 10 minutes per km for 103km is exceptional running.

An exhausted but elated Máirtín Savage emerges under the tunnel to the finish area at Killarney Racecourse on Saturday afternoon. Photo by ARRA
Orlaith Flanagan, Jason McKevitt and Kieran Nolan at the LARCC 5k on Sunday. Photo by ARRA

LARCC 5k – Multyfarnham

On Sunday morning, three Mullingar Harriers athletes supported the great work of LARCC in their 5k run at Multyfarnham. Jason McKevitt, Orlaith Flanagan and Kieran Nolan all ran comfortably and were pleased with the race, which was a fundraiser for the cancer support service based in the village.

Youghal Half Marathon

The Yughal Bay Half Marathon in mid-August drew a field of 670 athletes. Held as part of the ‘Youghal Festival of Sport’, this is a flat and fast multi-lap course through the medieval streets and the beautiful scenic Front Strand area of Youghal. David Riggs was on holidays in the area and decided to give the event a go. Coming home in 1:43:37, he was delighted with his efforts and now back to work in the midlands, he is looking forward to more road races in the coming months.

Tullamore Half Marathon results

Last week we covered in detail the Bord Na Mona Tullamore half Marathon. A further three athletes from Mullingar Harriers who completed the event were, Orla McLoughlin 1:35:02, Aisling Farrell 1:39:47 and Leona Behan 1:50:30.

Star of the Sea Cross Country

Star of the Sea AC in the Julianstown area host their annual cross country on the fourth Sunday of September in Greenanstown, Stamullen. Mullingar Harriers has participated over the years at all grades from juvenile to senior as a season opener for competitive cross country running.

This year will be no different and all athletes in the club from U10 upward who have commenced cross country training at Belvedere in the last few weeks are now preparing for the 34th annual cross country meeting in Stamullen on Sunday week, 22 September.

It will provide a helpful guide to athletes and their coaches with day one of Westmeath Cross Country Championships taking place the following Sunday, 29 September, in Belvedere.

Westmeath School Cross Country

The annual Westmeath Schools Cross Country Championships takes place in Belvedere on Wednesday 25 September. It is a major event in the club calendar, and we ask that all who can volunteer that morning to inform any member of the club executive this week. Top-class cross-country races will take place that morning across all age groups covering primary and secondary schools in the county.

Book 50

Mullingar Harriers AC will celebrate 50 years in 2025. The club has established a sub-committee who are currently working on preparation of material. Any member of the club and our supporters are asked to check if they have any old photos or other memorabilia.

It would be appreciated by the sub-committee if any such materials were made available to them in the coming weeks as they work towards finalising their document. All items made available will be returned to their owners.

The subcommittee members are Bobbie Begley, John Mulvihill, Ciara Dillon, Patrick Muldoon, Rodney Farry, Declan Costello, and Michael O’Sullivan.

Check the club website at mullingarharriers.com and Facebook page more news.