European Cross Country silver for Offaly athlete

On the 4th of October Tullamore Harriers athlete Mick O'Brien, representing the Irish Prison Service team, participated in the European Prison Service cross country championships which was held in Dusseldorf. There was a total of fourteen countries in contention.

The 10k race consisted of four laps of a testing course and was run in challenging weather. Mick ran a consistent race and moved through the field to finish ninth overall in 37:46, leading the Irish team to an excellent second place overall.

A Crinkill native living in Kinnitty, Mick rounded it off with a superb 1st place over 45.

Congratulations Mick and team.

Barry and Niamh are Novice Champions

Barry Mooney Novice winner, Wiliam Delahunty 2nd and Tom Perry 3^rd.

The county cross country got off to a great start on Sunday last, the 5th of October with the Novice Men and Women's Championships races. Hosted by Tullamore Harriers AC, in the Faithful Fields, Kilcormac, the course was in perfect condition with soft but easily managed underfoot conditions. While Storm Amy had battered the country in the days beforehand, she had thankfully cleared away, leaving a bright but chilly day for all competitors and supporters. Well done to the team of who had prepared the course and congratulations to Tullamore Harriers on the excellent running of the event.

Niamh McEnhill, Novice winner, Charlotte Abbott 2nd and Ciara Lee Whittle 3^rd.

Novice Ladies

The Novice Ladies were first to line out covering a 4k distance which consisted of 2 smaller loops followed by 2 larger circuits. Club Chairman Adrian Curley gave the ladies their starting orders and set the 28 athletes off. Tullamore Harriers' Charlotte Abbott, Niamh McEnhill and Naomh Mhuire AC's Ciara Lee Whittle immediately moved to the front of the field with Charlotte dominating the lead for practically all of the race.

With 200m to go, Niamh made her break taking the Offaly Novice title. Charlotte had a great race to take 2nd place, just 3 seconds behind. Ciara was 3rd.

Aoife Farrell, Naomh Mhuire AC took the Junior Female title.

In the team competition, Naomh Mhuire AC were 1^st and Ferbane 2nd.

Ladies’ results:

Niamh McEnhilll Tullamore Harriers AC 17.16

Charlotte Abbott Tullamore Harriers AC 17.19

Ciara Lee Whittle Naomh Mhuire AC 17.22

Sinead Greeen Ferbane AC 17.41

Denise Coghill Ferbane AC 18.22

Mairead Scally Naomh Mhuire AC 18.33

Lorna Magorahan Ballyskenach AC 18.41

Carmel Murray Birr AC 18.52

Dympna O'Hara Naomh Mhuire AC 19.04

Joanne Foy Naomh Mhuire AC 19.14

Kelly Farrell Naomh Mhuire AC 19.17

Ciara Green Ferbane AC 19.28

Patricia Guinan Ferbane AC 19.49

Hilary Duncan Tullamore Harriers AC 19.56

Patricia Doolan Naomh Mhuire AC 21.26

Freda McNamee Naomh Mhuire AC 21.54

Jamie Buckley Edenderry AC 22.06

Tracey Burns Naomh Mhuire AC 22.28

Pauline Colgan Naomh Mhuire AC 22.29

Karen Kilduff Clara AC 22.29

Jane Farrell Edenderry AC 23.22

Marie Greene Ferbane AC 24.14

Aoife Farrell Naomh Mhuire AC 24.49

Aisling Farrell Naomh Mhuire AC 25.07

Margorzata Jasinska Clara AC 25.29

Sinead Bracken Naomh Mhuire AC 26.15

Siobhan Galvin Clara AC 26.15

Amy Sullivan Edenderry AC 26.15

Novice Men

Following the ladies’ event, 33 men lined out for their 6,000m challenge over four laps of the course. Right from the start, Tullamore Harriers’ Barry Mooney took to the front. stretching clear of the field and running unopposed for much of the race. The conditions remained excellent for cross country running, although many reported the breeze was quite challenging at times.

Behind Barry, William Delahunty (Ballyskenach AC) produced a strong, consistent run to secure 2nd place, while third spot went to Tom Perry (Birr AC).

In the team competition it was Tullamore Harriers AC who took the win, 2nd Ballyskenach AC and 3rd Naomh Mhuire AC

Novice men result:

Barry Mooney Tullamore Harriers AC 20.49

William Delahunty Ballyskenach AC 21.34

Tom Perry Birr AC 21.43

Donough McBrearty Ferbane AC 22.05

Oliver Galvin Clara AC 22.28

Kevin Looby Naomh Mhuire AC 22.45

Darren Butler Tullamore Harriers AC 22.53

Diarmuid Egan Ballyskenach AC 23.07

Patrick McCarthy Ballyskenach AC 23.25

Ger Cleary Naomh Mhuire AC 23.36

Declan Murphy Naomh Mhuire AC 23.45

Cian Keogh Tullamore Harriers AC 24.05

Mark Barrett Ferbane AC 24.19

David Holywood Tullamore Harriers AC 24.32

Cian Murphy Rhode AC 24.35

Ken Hume Clara AC 24.4

Alan Mitchell Tullamore Harriers AC 24.46

Howard Hendy Ballyskenach AC 25.21

Kevin Brazil Ferbane AC 25.49

Joe Carroll Ferbane AC 25.54

Justin Murtagh Tullamore Harriers AC 25.55

David King Birr AC 26.13

John Kirwan Naomh Mhuire AC 26.13

Adrian Delaney Naomh Mhuire AC 27.01

Vinny Devery Ferbane AC 27.11

Tim Camon Ferbane AC 28.06

Francis Connolly Ferbane AC 28.11

Sergio Contreras Clara AC 28.12

Donal Mannion Birr AC 28.27

Nigel Woods Ferbane AC 29.07

Michael Connolly Birr AC 29.37

John Dooley Ferbane AC 29.39

Richie Farrell Edenderry AC 36.12

Longwood 3/4 Marathon.

Tullamore Harriers AC was well represented at the Longwood ¾ Marathon in Co. Meath on Sunday, October 5th, with four athletes taking on the challenging distance.

This race is regarded as an ideal lead-up event to the Dublin City Marathon later this month covering a distance of just over 31K.

The course attracted over 1,000 competitors, with runners facing a mix of rolling hills, backroads, trails, and stretches along the canal bank.

Ollie Neary, Gary Whittle and Gerry Dunican at Longwood

Tullamore Harriers Results

Ollie Neary 2:19

Gary Whittle 2:20

Gerry Dunican 2:33

John Carroll 3:07

A great day out for the Harriers, and an excellent confidence boost ahead of the Dublin City Marathon. Well done lads.

Fixtures

Sunday 12^th October – Offaly Masters and Juvenile Uneven Ages Cross Country @ The Faithful Fields, Kilcormac.

Tuesday 14^th October – Club League Round 8 – Paddy Larkin 3K @7pm. **Followed by annual club Mass**

Sunday 19^th October - Autumn Open & National Juvenile Club Relays @Sport Ireland Campus, Dublin

Saturday 25^th October – Leinster Novice, U20 & Juvenile Even Ages @Gowran, Co Kilkenny

SEE NEXT: Shinrone return to final as Belmont endure more semi-final heartbreak

Senior Training

Training Tuesday and Thursday evenings from 6.40pm to 8.30pm.

For any enquiries contact club captains Glen 0868275228 or Rita 0868386687