Five in a row of Tipperary senior road titles for Dymphna Ryan

Templemore was the venue last Sunday for the County Senior Women’s 5k and Men’s 10k Road Championships, the blue riband events of the county road season.

Conditions were very good for the women’s race while the men had to contend with showers on the latter stages of their event.

Both races were competitive.

DYMPHNA MAKES IT FIVE IN A ROW

In the women’s 5k the warm favourite and going for her fifth title in a row was Dymphna Ryan of Dundrum AC. Dymphna made her intentions known right from the start as she set a strong pace that soon had the field well spread out, with only Caroline Hassett of Templemore AC in close attention. The chasing pack included the Moyne AC trio of Louise Fogarty, Sharon Cantwell, Orla Healy and Linda Grogan of Dundrum AC.

Up front Dymphna was well in control and came home a very worthy and convincing champion in 17 mins 23 secs, brilliant running.

Then we had Caroline Hassett of the local club winning the silver medal, much to the delight of the home support, in 18 mins 45 secs.

The battle for the bronze medals was won inside the final kilometre, with Louise Fogarty of Moyne AC finishing third in 18 mins 55 secs, just ahead of the fast-finishing Linda Grogan of Dundrum AC in fourth place (18 mins 58 secs).

Sharon Cantwell of Moyne AC was fifth (19 mins 8 secs) with her club mate Orla Healy sixth (19 mins 35 secs).

There was a great tussle for the Inter Club title, with just one point separating the top two. The Dundrum trio of Dymphna, Linda and Catherine Fogarty 8th (20:10) edged out the defending champions Moyne AC.

The team of Louise Fogarty, Sharon Cantwell and Orla Healy won the silver medals. The host club won the bronze medals with their team of Caroline, Michelle Ryan 9th (20:23) and Margaret Meehan 13th 921:45). It was great to them see making club history for winning club medals at county senior level for the first time under Athletics Ireland. In another historic achievement, Dundrum AC won this county senior inter- club title for the very first time also under Athletics Ireland.
Congratulations to both Dundrum AC and Templemore AC on such historic achievements.

There was also a B Section in this race, and it proved a golden day for Dundrum AC women as their second team of Mary Keane 10th (20:27), Karen Coughlan 12th (21:42) and Mairead Julian 15th (22:20) won the gold medals.