Offaly man competes in Mountain Running International in Spain
The Offaly athlete did very well on a testing course
Luke Mahon, Tullamore Harriers travelled with to the north of Spain recently for the U-18 International Mountain Running Cup.
The race venue for this the 17th edition of the Cup, was the stunning Montaña Palentina, in the province of Palencia, Spain.
The course was a 5.4km circular loop, with 225 metres of elevation gain, starting and finishing at the Barruelo de Santullán football field. The first half involved a gentle climb, followed by a more favourable descent back to the starting point. The predominantly wooded terrain and good trails produced predictably fast-paced racing.
With squads competing from around the world including teams from the USA, Mexico, France, Bulgaria and Sierra Leone there was tough competition right from the start.
The men’s competition was very close, and eventually just 12 seconds separated the podium. Emilien Simoneau of France took the win in 23.59. Close behind him, in 24.10 was Jhonnatan Omar Reyes Rodriguez of Mexico, who beat Dylan Blair of the USA in a sprint finish by just one second!
Luke gave it his all on the day and finished a creditable 51st and was the third Irish scorer on the day. The Irish team finished twelfth.