Mullingar athletes at Leinster Schools Cross Country
Congratulations to the large number of Club athletes that were competing for their schools and colleges last Wednesday, February 11 at the Leinster Schools cross country in Santry Demesne.The day was cold and dry as expected, but what surprised many were the appalling ground conditions.We didn"t get that much snow in the Midlands recently, but Dublin was quite badly hit and it was still only melting last Wednesday, thus the sloppy mud everywhere.However, the Mullingar athletes didn"t let it affect them too much and were evident in the top finishing places in nearly every race, and many came away with their places secured at the All-Ireland Schools cross country finals at the University of Ulster in Jordanstown, Belfast on March 7 where they will doubtless showcase their talents yet again in order to earn selection for the Schools Cross Country International in Bangor, Wales at the end of March.AAI Masters and Intermediate Cross CountryStaying with cross country, it was great to see so many Club athletes in action and performing well last Sunday (15th Feb) at the AAI National Masters and Intermediate cross country championships in Tymon Park, Dublin. The event was very well attended by athletes from all over Ireland and the beautiful spring afternoon meant that the underfoot conditions on this flat course were very firm. All the Harrier athletes acquitted themselves very well and it was clear that the consistent cross country training in the Club over the winter months has paid off. The Club secured five medals - Bridget McCabe, Breda McDonnell, Geraldine Walsh, Christy Creagh and Ben Vaitkavichius. Thanks to Nicky McCabe for queuing for the numbers and all followed Nicky"s advice to 'go out as hard as you canâ¦and then speed up!' Thanks also to Liam McGlynn for providing report and results on the day"s events.In the master women"s race, all our athletes had solid runs and first home for Mullingar was Paula Murray, followed by Vera McCool, Maura Dervin, Bridget McCabe (2nd in her age-category), Breda McDonnell (3rd in category) and Geraldine Walsh (2nd in category) providing great support. In the corresponding master men"s race, the Mullingar team was led in Tom McGrath finishing strongly, and with great support from Ben Vaitkavichius (3rd in category), Liam McGlynn finishing strongly and Maurice Looby close behind making an impressive come-back to cross country racing after a nine year break, Paddy Daly making his debut in a Mullingar vest, Enda Mimnagh racing cross country for the first time, Christy Creagh (2nd in category) and Aidan Daly all running well in support, the men finished a very respectable 6th Club. No surprise that first to finish for Mullingar in the Intermediate women was Mary Scully having a good race despite being a bit disappointed with her performance, and well supported by Wendy Bates, Eva Ross, Riona Murtagh and Marie-Louise Johnston who negotiated the course very well. The final race was the men"s Intermediate where we had just two individual entrants, Aidan Gorry and Colm Walsh and both ran well and were pleased with their performances. Congratulations and very well done to one and all for representing the Club with distinction in these National Championships.Great victories for Damien Bateman and Martin Fagan in the USAAt the University of Washington 'Husky Classic' indoor meeting in Seattle last Saturday, February 14, Damian Bateman smashed his personal best for the 5,000m when he won in 13:54.11, in a blanket finish that was so tight it was more like the end of a sprint, with only hundredths of a second in the difference between the top places. This time is a big improvement for Damien and one suspects that there"s even better to come.Meanwhile, 2500 miles away on the other coast, Martin Fagan was in action in the Valentine Invitational at Boston University where he won a competitive 3,000m in 7:57.85, which is close to his personal best for the distance indoors.Irish Universities IndoorsGold in the Munster Senior indoors, gold in the AAI Indoor Games, gold in the Leinster indoors, gold in the AAI Senior indoors, but Brendan Marshall"s terrific winning streak had to end sometime, though he still turned in a spirited performance for DCU at the Irish Universities Indoor Championships in Nenagh last Sunday, February 15 finishing third in the long jump with a jump not too far off his personal best that he set in Belfast the previous week-end in winning the AAI Senior men"s title.Rás na hÉireannThis year"s Rás na hÉireann will be held this coming Sunday 22nd February at the historic 'Battle of the Boyne' site at Oldbridge, Drogheda, Co. Louth. There will be races for boys and girls under 9, 11, 13, 15, 17 and 19, together with races for senior and master men and women. As the race distances are quite short, this is an ideal competition for newcomers, so following the success the Club had at last year"s Rás, we hope to enter several teams and if you want to run be sure to tell Greg at training. It costs nothing to pre-enter, but there"s a charge on the day for late entries.The first race will be the 600m for girls under 9 at 12 noon, so transport will be leaving from O"Brien"s Topaz filling station on the Lynn Road, Mullingar at 9.30am on Sunday morning. If you"re travelling yourself, let Club officials know so we know what size bus to have. As usual, have the correct length of spikes, Club vest, 4 safety pins for your race number, a snack and drink, and a change of clothing.Martin Fagan, AAI Athlete of the Month for JanuaryFinally, congratulations to Martin Fagan from everyone at the Club on winning the Athletics Ireland Athlete of the Month Award for January.This award is a new initiative by AAI to recognise the outstanding performances of Irish athletes throughout the year and Martin will be presented with a special commemorative trophy. Of particular significance in being selected was Martin"s impressive winning performance in the Austin Half-Marathon in Texas, USA where he set a new course record of 61:05 minutes, just outside John Treacy"s long standing Irish record of 61:00.Fixtures22nd Feb. Rás na hÉireann Cross Country, Oldbridge, Drogheda28th Feb/1st March. Leinster Indoors Days 2 & 3 (Under 12-19), Nenagh1st March. AAI National Senior & Junior Cross Country, Santry7th March. Irish Schools & Irish Universities Cross Country, Jordanstown, Belfast8th March. Ballycotton Road Race28th March. Schools Cross Country International, Bangor, Wales28th March. World Cross Country, Amman, JordanCheck the Club"s website at www.mullingarharriers.com for results, news and details of all upcoming fixtures.