Dalton a close third in thrilling finish

Mullingar Harriers enjoyed a terrific day at the 123.ie National Senior Cross Country Championships in Derry on Sunday.

Cormac Dalton, coached by Joe Ryan, competed in the senior men's race where the top three were guaranteed to make the Irish team for the European Cross Country Championships in Portugal on December 14. He produced a fine performance in muddy conditions to finish third after a thrilling race.

Dalton won the national title in 2023 and has been looking to emulate that performance ever since. After a track season that he described as a “transition year”, the Mullingar man is raring to go for the remainder of his cross country season, buoyed by a positive sixth-place finish in an international field in Spain at the start of the month.

After a “perfect” build-up, Dalton faced stiff competition, with speedy track specialist and 5k national record holder Brian Fay leading home the field, finishing just three seconds ahead of the Mullingar man in a time of 25:13. The Mullingar athlete was targeting victory in the race, but the major focus was on qualification for the upcoming European Championships in Portugal and he will be pleased to have achieved that.

“In terms of the preparation, I don't think it could have been more perfect so far this season… I feel like… I've probably struggled last year or so to find my full rhythm again, but I feel like I properly have now this season,” Dalton told Athletics Ireland.

“I don't love running through the muck, but I seem to be able to always perform in it.

“Whereas maybe some people can't. I was confident I could put in a good performance no matter the conditions.

“The goal going into National Cross is always to win it for me. And that's what I was hoping for. But I don't think there's been a double, like somebody that's won twice in a long time. I don't know, in the last 10 years.

“But ultimately, the aim was to qualify for Europeans and also perform really, really well there.”

Joining Dalton on the Irish team for Portugal is fellow Mullingar athlete Jack O’Leary, who ran a great race to finish fourth on Sunday. The Mullingar pair were always very prominent in Sunday’s race and Dalton was involved in a furious sprint for the finish line, with O’Leary very close behind him.

Away from the track and cross country course, Mullingar native Dalton has continued to work three days a week as a process engineer with FPK. This allows him more time to focus on the demands of training, but it does mean he loses out on a portion of his salary that he could earn if he worked full-time.

The 27-year-old has therefore had to get creative to support his running career and even dipped his toe into the world of vlogging on Youtube earlier this year.

Dalton is being supported by local Mullingar coffee roaster, Bell Lane.

“The Bells are a family I know well in Mullingar… I just reached out to them. I'm just looking for that kind of local support to help me fund all that running takes… in terms of shoes, training camps. Surrendering that 40% to my job, it’s kind of hard to live in Dublin without an extra bit of support.”

Bell Lane is hosting a community 5k on December 6, one week out from the European championships and Dalton will be taking part, using the event as a cool down session after training in Mullingar Harriers, and an opportunity to meet friends and family. He feels it's important to give something back to runners who are taking to the sport and enjoying it.