Offaly athletes bring home string of medals from Leinster Track and Field Championships

THE 2025 Leinster Under 20, Senior & Masters Indoor Track & Field Championships took place at the National Indoor Arena on Saturday, March 1st, with the Juvenile Relays following on Sunday, March 2nd.
Despite a small representation, the club delivered fantastic performances, bringing home several medals across multiple events.
Masters Competition Success
Stephen Byrne had a standout day in the M45 category, winning gold in the 60m with a swift 7.66 seconds, securing silver in the 200m with 25.15 seconds, and adding a bronze in the M35 4x 200m relay.
Rory Deverell also impressed, taking bronze in the M40 60m with a time of 8.23 seconds, and contributing to another bronze medal in the 4x200m relay.
Shane Origan competed in the M40 200m for a 5th place finish in 26.57.
Stephen, Shane, Rory and Eamon Maher made up the 4 x 200m quartet who took home very well-deserved provincial bronze medals with a time of 1.46.50.
Joseph Mulligan excelled in the M35 category, claiming gold in the 56lb Weight for Distance with a throw of 5.15m, and earning silver in the Shot Put with 7.86m.
S
Shauna Leydon delivered an outstanding all-around performance to claim the Leinster Senior Pentathlon title with a total of 3,072 points. Her results across the five events were:
60m Hurdles 10.56 seconds
Long Jump 4.84m
Shot Put 9.84m
High Jump 1.49m
800m 2:20.52
Her consistency and strong performances across all disciplines secured her a well-deserved victory.
Halimat Balogun too, secured a gold medal in the Senior Ladies WFD (28lbs) with a best throw of 5.60
Senior Sprint Performances
The club also had four athletes competing in the 60m sprint:
Dean Power (Heat 3) 3rd place, 7.07 seconds
Billy Corrigan (Heat 4) 3rd place, 7.15 seconds
Emanuel Ilori (Heat 5) 5th place, 7.23 seconds
Sean Flood (Heat 5) 7th place, 7.96 seconds
Unfortunately, none progressed to the final.
In the 200m, both Billy Corrigan and Sean Flood also competed:
Billy Corrigan 22.69 seconds
Sean Flood 26.25 seconds

On Saturday March 1st, four of our U19 Track and Field athletes. Alisha Maher and Teagan Delaney had an early start for the 60m sprint. Alisha won her heat in 7.83 seconds, while Teagan finished 5th in her heat with a season's best of 8.60 seconds. In the final, held two hours later, Alisha stormed to victory with a blistering PB of 7.67 seconds breaking her own club record of 7.83 seconds, set just a week ago at the National Senior Indoors.
Eimear Cotter lined up next in the 60m hurdles straight final. Coming off good form from the National League on February 8th, Eimear improved her PB time with 9.40seconds taking the bronze medal and also setting a new indoor club record.
Last up was Katie Deverell in the long jump who produced some fantastic jumps showing great progress in her technique. Despite minor fouls voiding three of her attempts, she still secured second place with a best jump of 5.19m.
On Sunday, March 2nd, held in the NIA also, two of our Track and Field teams competed in the 4x200m relay. The U19 team - Alisha Maher, Katie Deverell, Teagan Delaney, Eimear Cotter and substitute Lucy Champ, raced in a straight final against strong competition, including their long-time rivals, Ratoath AC. All four girls ran blistering fast legs with smooth change overs but were narrowly beaten by Ratoath, taking the silver medal with 1.45 seconds and have now qualified for the national finals in the coming weeks.
Our U16 team - Fayth Byrne, Roisin Cotter, Chloe McGowan, Maddie Deverell and substitute Samia Akbar, competed in a tough heat, finishing 4th with a time of 1:57, which was enough to secure a spot in the final. Just 30 minutes later, Samia stepped in for Chloe, and the girls gave it their all, finishing 5th in the final with the same time of 1:57an improvement on last season and a step up in the provincial rankings.
Overall, it was a fantastic championship for the club, with strong performances and multiple medal-winning results across various age categories. Well done to all athletes and coaches on all the great performances.

Mary wins McNamara 5
The annual McNamara 5-mile club race this morning, Sunday, March 2nd was run off on a stunning spring day. With not a breeze in the air, conditions were perfect for running, making it an enjoyable event for all participants.
A total of 51 club runners lined up for this years edition of the annual event.as it honours the memory of the late John McNamara, a dedicated caretaker and passionate supporter of Tullamore Harriers. He left a lasting impact on everyone who had the pleasure of knowing him and we were delighted to have his two sons, Sean and Michael in attendance today to start the race.
The McNamara 5 begins on the club grounds with two laps of the tarmac circuit before heading out onto Charleville Road towards Mucklagh. Runners then turn at the Mucklagh roundabout and return to finish with a final lap of the track.
As a sealed handicap race, all runners set off together, with finishing times adjusted based on pre-assigned handicaps. This hidden handicap format adds an exciting twist, ensuring every participant has an equal chance of claiming victory, regardless of ability.
This year's race also served as Round 1 of the 2025 Club League, adding extra motivation for competitors. Team captains Hilary Duncan, Olive Mannion, Alan Mitchell, and Jason McDermott worked hard throughout the week to rally their teammates.
After our experienced handicapper, Joe Wrafter, applied the pre-set adjustments, Mary Galvin emerged as the winner! Incidentally, Mary was the winner of this race way back in 1984 when the man himself, John McNamara presented her with her winning trophy! To claim the trophy 40 years later is a true testament to Marys passion for running and dedication to the sport.
Paschal Naughton claimed 2nd place, while Fra Mollen and Sharon Daly finished in a tie for 3rd.
Well done to everyone who competed, and a big thank you to Joe, our marshals, timekeepers, and Anna Hyland for organising the teams. Your efforts made this event a great success.

Results:

1 Mary Galvin 00:25:12 00:39:57 00:14:45 1st Finisher
2 Paschal Naughton 00:25:45 00:40:57 00:15:12 2nd Finisher
3 Francis Mollen 00:26:16 00:35:54 00:09:38 Joint 3rd Finisher
4 Sharon Daly 00:26:16 00:44:16 00:18:00 Joint 3rd Finisher
5 Nigel Cunningham 00:26:28 00:30:38 00:04:10
6 Rita Daly Ravenhill 00:26:31 00:35:19 00:08:48
7 Paul Hensey 00:26:34 00:39:44 00:13:10
8 Anne Daly 00:26:34 00:44:04 00:17:30
9 Jason McDermott 00:26:39 00:34:15 00:07:36
10 Martina Lydon 00:26:43 00:45:48 00:19:05
11 Pauline Curley 00:26:48 00:32:25 00:05:37
12 Hilary Duncan 00:26:49 00:41:24 00:14:35
13 Alan Mitchell 00:26:50 00:32:59 00:06:09
14 Barry Mooney 00:26:52 00:28:32 00:01:40
15 Michelle Mullaney 00:27:01 00:35:41 00:08:40
16 Sandra Busteed 00:27:06 00:45:33 00:18:27
17 Darren Butler 00:27:12 00:31:22 00:04:10
18 Micheal O'Brien 00:27:19 00:28:39 00:01:20
19 Alan Heffernan 00:27:25 00:33:02 00:05:37
20 Jody O'Reilly 00:27:26 00:32:46 00:05:20
21 Liam Byrne 00:27:33 00:32:53 00:05:20
22 Daniel Molloy 00:27:36 00:31:38 00:04:02
23 Niamh McEnhill 00:27:38 00:36:31 00:08:53
24 Diarmuid Herlihy 00:27:40 00:34:00 00:06:20
25 Annmarie McNamara 00:27:44 00:39:54 00:12:10
26 Karen Nolan 00:27:46 00:36:56 00:09:10
27 John Carroll 00:27:47 00:38:47 00:11:00
28 Sarah Flanagan 00:27:51 00:32:21 00:04:30
29 Michael Kinsella 00:28:15 00:45:20 00:17:05
30 David Buckley 00:28:15 00:34:24 00:06:09
31 Brendan Kelly 00:28:15 00:35:35 00:07:20
32 Elysia McCormack 00:28:22 00:38:42 00:10:20
33 Glenn Finlay 00:28:23 00:32:58 00:04:35
34 John Donegan 00:28:25 00:35:45 00:07:20
35 Gearoid McHugh 00:28:42 00:32:29 00:03:47
36 Enda Golden 00:28:43 00:37:53 00:09:10
37 Nick McGowan 00:28:56 00:33:26 00:04:30
38 Sean Spollen 00:29:06 00:36:42 00:07:36
39 Martina Conlon 00:29:09 00:44:57 00:15:48
40 Olive Mannion 00:29:10 00:48:00 00:18:50
41 Cian Keogh 00:29:30 00:32:38 00:03:08
42 Mary Guest 00:29:30 00:46:10 00:16:40
43 Johnny Feery 00:29:32 00:42:42 00:13:10
44 Maeve Larkin 00:29:35 00:38:15 00:08:40
45 James Fleming 00:29:51 00:34:26 00:04:35
46 Darren Ghee 00:29:54 00:42:12 00:12:18
47 Tracey Stewart 00:30:09 00:45:32 00:15:23
48 John O'Connell 00:31:28 00:41:48 00:10:20
49 Murtagh Brennan 00:31:35 00:41:55 00:10:20
50 Dave Dunican 00:31:50 00:37:27 00:05:37
51 Melissa Hogan 00:38:53 01:24:13 00:45:20

World Record for Eileen
Huge congratulations to Eileen Kenny, who was part of the record-breaking 4x400m team that shattered the previous mark set in the USA in 2022 (8:42.71). Eileen, alongside her teammates Evelyn McNelis (Naas AC), June Cominskey (Raheny AC), and Phyllis Browne (Star of the Sea AC), clocked an incredible time of 7:20.14 in the National Indoor Arena on Wednesday 26th of February. An outstanding achievement for the team.

English Cross Country Championships.
While the Irish Cross Country season has ended, Nadine Donegan was in action in the UK at the recent English National Championships. Well done to Nadine who helped the Belgrave Harriers Club secure 4th team position in the English National Cross Country Championships on Saturday last (22nd of February). The championships were held in Parliament Hill, London where Nadine is now based.

Brain Tumour Ireland 5K
Well done to Gary Dwyer competed in the Brain Tumour Ireland 5K, in Corkagh Park, Dublin earlier today. Gary clocked a great time of 22.37.

Tullamore Harriers 5K Road Race March 9th
On Sunday next, March 9th, Tullamore Harriers will host the annual 5K road race, marking Round 1 of the Healthy Offaly 5K Series for 2025.
The race will commence at 10:00 am on Charleville Road, (near the top of Dillon Street). Runners will follow an out-and-back route to Ballard before returning along Charleville Road. The race will conclude with a finish on the athletic track at the Harriers Stadium.
To facilitate the event, Charleville Road will be closed from Kilcruttin Junction to Charleville Roundabout between 9:45 am and 10:45 am. Traffic will be diverted via Cormac Street, Clonminch Road, Clonminch Roundabout, Tullamore Bypass, and Ballard Roundabout.
Runners can register online via PopUpRaces or in person on race day from 8:30 am.
For any queries regarding road closures, please contact Club Chairman Adrian Curley at 086-1636059.

Fixtures
Sat 8th March National Indoor Masters TUS, Athlone
Sat 9th March Tullamore Harriers 5k
Sun 9th March National Indoor U20 & U23s TUS, Athlone
Sat 15th March Leinster Juvenile Day 1 TUS, Athlone
Sun 16th March Leinster Juvenile Day 2 TUS, Athlone
Sun 23rd March Dunboyne 10k - National 10K Dunboyne, Co Meath
Sat 29th March National Juveniles Day 1 TUS, Athlone
Sun 30th March National Juveniles Day 2 TUS, Athlone

Senior Training
Training Tuesday and Thursday evenings from 6.40pm to 8.30pm.
For any enquiries contact club captains Glen 0868275228 or Rita 0868386687