Minnock and McDonnell – Offaly Intermediate Cross Country champions
On Sunday October 6th, the third day of the Offaly Cross Country Championships, featured the Intermediate race as the main event. Despite a drizzle early in the morning, the weather turned into a beautiful autumn day for the race. A modest field of 21 women took to the start line, tasked with completing a 5000m course, which consisted of one small lap followed by three larger 1500m loops.
From the start, Ferbane's Ailbhe McDonnell and Naomh Mhuire's Lisa Murphy set the pace, looking strong and steady throughout the race. On the final lap, Ailbhe made a move, breaking away from the pack to secure a clear and well-deserved victory. She finished ahead of club mate Aoife Greene in second place, with Mairead Scally taking third. Ailbhe’s win was especially significant as she had finished as the runner-up in this championship for the previous four years.
Her solid performance also helped lead her Ferbane team to a narrow victory with a total of 19 points, edging out Naomh Mhuire by just 2 points, who finished with 21 points. The Birr AC ladies team finished in third place with 52 points.
Following the women's race, the men's 8000m event took centre stage, with Kevin Minnock from Tullamore Harriers putting on an impressive display of dominance. From the start, Kevin took command of the race, setting a blistering pace. By the third of the five laps, he had built a significant lead of 500 metres over the chasing pack.
In that pack, Brendan Donagher of Naomh Mhuire AC led the pursuit, with Kevin Looby, Mick O'Brien, and Jimmy Coughlan running in close formation behind him. Despite the efforts of the chasers, Kevin Minnock maintained his commanding lead and was never seriously threatened throughout the race.
The excitement came during the final lap, when Kevin Looby made a decisive move, overtaking Brendan to secure second place. Mick O'Brien and Jimmy Coughlan followed closely, with Jimmy ultimately edging into third place. While Kevin Minnock was a comfortable and deserving winner, the battle for the remaining podium spots brought a thrilling finish to the men's race.
In the team placings, Naomh Mhuire AC were first on 18 points, with Tullamore Harriers AC 2nd on 20 points and Ferbane 3rd on 71 points.
Well done to all the athletes who competed. The next championship race is on the 15th of December - the Offaly Senior Cross Country Championships and it is hoped all clubs will field teams for the finale of the county cross country championships for 2024
Results:
Ladies:
Ailbhe McDonnell Ferbane AC 22.36
Aoife Greene Ferbane AC 23.08
Mairead Scally Naomh Mhuire AC 23.17
Lisa Murphy Naomh Mhuire AC 23.41
Edel Waldron Ferbane aC 23.54
Emma Hart Naomh Mhuire AC 24.25
Hilary Duncan Tullamore Harriers AC 25.04
Joanne Fay Naomh Mhuire AC 25.07
Susan Bourke Birr AC 25.11
Catriona Guinan Ferbane aC 25.32
Aideen O'Brien Birr AC 25.39
Pauline Colgan Naomh Mhuire AC 26.24
Fiona O'Connor Naomh Mhuire AC 27.01
Marie Sweeney Birr AC 27.09
Helen Chambers Naomh Mhuire AC 27.13
Kelly Farrell Naomh Mhuire AC 28.32
Tara Conway Naomh Mhuire AC 28.36
Elaine Masterson Birr AC 28.48
Tracey Burns Naomh Mhuire AC 31.22
Sandra Busteed Tullamore Harriers AC 31.54
AnnaMaria Egan Ferbane aC 32.38
Men:
Kevin Minnock Tullamore Harriers AC 29.03
Kevin Looby Naomh Mhuire AC 30.04
Jimmy Coughlan Naomh Mhuire AC 31.05
Mick O'Brien Tullamore Harriers AC 31.11
Brendan Donagher Naomh Mhuire AC 31.26
Glen Finlay Tullamore Harriers AC 31.49
David Staunton Clara AC 31.58
Darren Bermingham Naomh Mhuire AC 32.33
David Molloy Tullamore Harriers AC 32.4
Darren Butler Tullamore Harriers AC 32.53
Ger Cleary Naomh Mhuire AC 33.19
Cian Keogh Tullamore Harriers AC 33.51
Ken Hume Clara AC 34.01
Jason McDermott Tullamore Harriers AC 35.03
Kevin Brazil Ferbane AC 45.04
Ger Minnock Naomh Mhuire AC 36.21
Tim Camon Ferbane AC 36.47
Patrick Claffey Kilcormac Killoughey AC 37.03
Vinny Devery Ferbane AC 37.45
John Lee Ferbane AC 38.25
Adrian Delaney Naomh Mhuire AC 38.28
Mattie Flanagan Naomh Mhuire AC 42.14