Offaly Senior Cross Country titles for Grennan and Mitchell

Well that’s a wrap! Day 3 of the 2023 Offaly Senior Cross Country Championships rounded off a superb series of cross country races on Sunday last, the 8th of October.

The championship success is due in a large part to the hard work and dedication of the Egan family. Their contribution in offering the land, preparing the course, and volunteering throughout the competition was instrumental in making the event a success.

Dermot Egan, a member of Ferbane AC and a son of the landowner Pat Egan, played a pivotal role in organising the championships and rallying his family to support the event. Their efforts over the past month in setting up the venue and ensuring everything ran smoothly for three days of cross country racing are commendable and the very positive feedback from athletes and supporters was testament to that.

Peter Ormond, Ballyskenach AC and Tom Godley, Tullamore Harriers AC deserve a mention for their contribution in the huge workload too. Well done to all the officials present - registration and time keepers, course officials and to everyone who played a part in the success of the championships.

Ladies Race.

The first race of the day, the 5000m Senior Ladies race, featured 33 ladies from: Birr AC, Ferbane AC, Edenderry AC, Naomh Mhuire AC, and Tullamore Harriers AC From the beginning, three runners, namely Emily Grennan (Tullamore Harriers AC), Sarah Flanagan (Tullamore Harriers AC), and Caroline Donnellan (Edenderry AC), took the lead with Denise Egan (Ferbane AC) the recently crowned Offaly Novice and Intermediate champion keeping them within her sight throughout the race.

In the final lap of the 3-lap course, Emily Grennan seized the lead and continued to extend it, displaying great confidence and control. With 500 metres to go, it became evident that Emily wouldn't be caught, and she secured the victory. Sarah Flanagan finished in second place, 10 seconds behind Emily, with Caroline Donnellan immediately following in third place. Emily and Sarah's strong performances not only earned them individual success but also contributed to Tullamore Harriers ladies winning the team competition. This win marked the 4th consecutive year that they secured the Martina Conlon Perpetual Trophy. They accumulated 17 points as a team, while Ferbane AC scored 38 points, and Birr ladies took third place with 66 points.

Martina Conlon, after whom the trophy is named, had a significant history in cross country running, winning the first Senior Ladies cross country title around 1981 when she was just 19 years old. Although she couldn't attend the event today, she would usually be present in her spikes in the blue and white for Tullamore Harriers!. Well done to all.

Ladies Results:

Emily Grennan Tullamore Harriers AC 19.11

Sarah Flanagan Tullamore Harriers AC 19.29

Caroline Donnellan Edenderry AC 19.36

Denise Egan Ferbane AC 20.01

Aisling O'Connor Edenderry AC 21.11

Nita McLoughlin Tullamore Harriers AC 21.22

Bridget O'Sullivan Ferbane AC 21.48

Maire Triona O'Connor Tullamore Harriers AC 22.17

Carmel Murray Birr AC 23.07

Michelle Mullaney Tullamore Harriers AC 23.25

Rita Daly Tullamore Harriers AC 23.42

Lisa Murphy Naomh Mhuire AC 23.53

Edel Waldron Ferbane AC 24.01

Mary Blake Ferbane AC 24.14

Carmel Farrelly Birr AC 24.21

Denise Coghill Ferbane AC 24.29

Mairead Scally Naomh Mhuire AC 24.57

Emma Hart Naomh Mhuire AC 25.25

Susan Bourke Birr AC 25.54

Vanessa Connolly Naomh Mhuire AC 26.14

Louise Dunne Naomh Mhuire AC 26.33

Hilary Duncan Tullamore Harriers AC 26.36

Paula Lowry Birr AC 26.56

Jane Farrell Edenderry AC 27.39

Fiona O'Connor Naomh Mhuire AC 28.28

Tracey Burn Naomh Mhuire AC 29.01

Patricia Doolin Naomh Mhuire AC 29.07

Jamie Buckley Edenderry AC 29.47

Aisling Farrell Naomh Mhuire AC 31.16

AnnMarie Egan Ferbane AC 31.48

Michelle Madden Naomh Mhuire AC 31.52

Pauline Colgan Naomh Mhuire AC 31.53

Kathleen Delaney Birr AC 37.31

Ladies Team Results:

1st - Tullamore Harriers AC - Emily Grennan, Sarah Flanagan Nita McLoughlin and Maire Triona O’Connor.

2nd - Ferbane AC. - Denise Egan, Bridget O’Sullivan, Edel Waldron and Mary Blake.

3rd - Birr AC - Carmel Murray, Carmel Farrelly, Susan Bourke and Paula Lowry.

Senior Men Race

Immediately after the ladies event, the men lined out for the longer 10000m race and here we had a field of 32 athletes from five clubs:Ballyskenach AC, Edenderry AC, Ferbane AC, Naomh Mhuire AC and Tullamore Harriers AC.

Paul Mitchell and Barry Minnock, both representing Tullamore Harriers AC, made an early surge to the front of the race, setting a fast pace right from the beginning. Tom Lupton from Ballyskenach AC remained in close pursuit of the leading pair, ensuring that the race for the top positions remained intense. By now the course, which consisted of six laps, had become quite soggy in certain areas but despite the challenging conditions it made for excellent cross country running. Throughout the race, Paul Mitchell and Barry Minnock maintained a close distance from each other, making for an exciting and closely contested battle. In the end, Paul Mitchell found an extra gear and managed to secure the victory with a 40-second lead, claiming the gold medal.

Barry Minnock's strong performance earned him a well-deserved second place. Tom Lupton, who had been chasing the leaders throughout the race, finished a minute behind them, earning the bronze medal.

In the team competition, it was Tullamore Harriers AC who reclaimed the Senior Men's Team Trophy on 15 points, Naomh Mhuire AC was 2nd team on 37 points and Ferbane AC 3rd with 49 points.

Senior Men Results:

Paul Mitchell Tullamore Harriers AC 36.01

Barry Minnock Tullamore Harriers AC 36.44

Tom Lupton Ballyskenach AC 37.37

Paul Buckley Ferbane AC 38.45

Kevin Minnock Tullamore Harriers AC 39.01

Brendan Donagher Naomh Mhuire AC 39.06

Padraig Berry Tullamore Harriers AC 39..21

Jimmy Coughlan Naomh Mhuire AC 39.42

Darren Reynolds Tullamore Harriers AC 40.02

Niall Kelly Ferbane AC 40.11

Darren Bermingham Naomh Mhuire AC 40.55

Kevin Looby Naomh Mhuire AC 41.01

Ger Cleary Naomh Mhuire AC 41.22

Daniel Molloy Tullamore Harriers AC 41.59

Brian Duffy Edenderry AC 42.44

Declan Murphy Naomh Mhuire AC 43.05

Dermot Egan Ferbane AC 44.14

Mark Barrett Ferbane AC 44.38

Sean Reynolds Tullamore Harriers AC 45.32

Jason McDermott Tullamore Harriers AC 46.13

Shaun Bull Edenderry AC 46.38

David Hollywood Tullamore Harriers AC 47.16

Davd Breen Edenderry AC 47.35

Francis Connolly Ferbane AC 47.47

Adrian Delaney Naomh Mhuire AC 49.09

Kevin Brazil Ferbane AC 49.58

Ollie Dunne Edenderry AC 50.13

Peter Bennett Tullamore Harriers AC 50.31

Garrett Gary Naomh Mhuire AC 50.38

Mattie Flanagan Naomh Mhuire AC 52.24

George Young Edenderry AC 52.27

Ciaran Todd Naomh Mhuire AC 53.16

Senior Men Teams:

1st - Tullamore Harriers AC - Paul Mitchell, Barry Minnock, Kevin Minnock and Padriag Berry.

2nd Naomh Mhuire AC - Brendan Donagher, Jimmy Coughlan, Darren Bermingham and Kevin Looby.

3rd Ferbane AC- Paul Buckley, Niall Kelly, Dermot Egan and Mark Barrett.