Tullamore Harriers athlete records big win at Ferbane 5k

Congratulations to Kevin Minnock on a brilliant win at the Ferbane AC-hosted Hugo Smith 5K on Sunday 18^th of May. Kevin continues to shine with every outing, and this race was no exception, leaving him very well placed in the overall standing in the Healthy Offaly 5K Series.

In a thrilling battle with pre-race favourite Peter Somba of Ballyskenach AC, Kevin pulled away in the final 100 metres to clinch the win by just 3 seconds, finishing in an impressive 15:31. Peter was 2nd (15.34) and Paul Mitchell was 3rd (15.51).

Denise Egan from the host club was the winner of the ladies’ race in 18.23, 2nd was Grace O'Reilly in 18.29 and our own Emily Grennan was 3rd in 18.50.

The race, held on a testing undulating course, was superbly organised and made even more enjoyable by glorious weather, with temperatures in the high teens. The mid-race water station was a much-appreciated feature on the day.

In the age group categories, we also had some winners:

Sarah Flanagan and Mick O'Brien were 1st O45

Mary Daly and Brendan Abbott took the 1st O60 prizes and Eileen Kenny and Polly Duffy took the O70 and Junior prizes respectively.

In the team competition the Tullamore Harriers Ladies team - Emily Grennan, Sarah Flanagan, Charlotte Abbott and Polly Duffy finished in 2nd position.

The Men's team secured first place with great performances by Kevin Minnock, Paul Mitchell, Mick O'Brien and Jonathan Dunne. A fantastic day of racing all round. Well done to everyone who competed and supported.

Tullamore Harriers results:

Kevin Minnock 0:15:31

Paul Mitchell 0:15:51

Mick O'Brien 0:16:34

Jonathan Dunne 0:16:46

Darren Butler 0:18:12

Emily Grennan 0:18:50

Jodie O'Reilly 0:19:08

Sarah Flanagan 0:19:27

David Hollywood 0:19:51

Justin Murtagh 0:19:52

Brendan Abbott 0:20:00

Charlotte Abbott 0:21:34

Polly Duffy 0:21:53

Eileen Kenny. 0:22:54

Anne Marie McNamara 0:23:07

Aine Golden 0:23:14

Dave Dunican 0:23:15

Mary Daly 0:23:37

John O'Connell 0:23:39

Mary Galvin 0:24:08

Paul Hensey 0:24:37

Naomi Galvin 0:24:44

Paschal Naughton 0:25:34

Michael Kinsella 0:25:46

Sara McLaughlin 0:26:21

Forrest McCormack 0:27:52

Mary Hussey 0:28:52

Olive Mannion 0:29:05

Bernard Doheny 0:37:22

Melissa Hogan 0:50:03

Irish race Series

Well done to Barry Mooney and Eileen Kenny who lined out for the 1st race of the Irish Race Series - the 5K, on Saturday 17th May at the Phoenix Park in Dublin.

The 5km route took participants through the park, starting on Chesterfield Avenue and finishing on The Furze Road and served as the National 5K Championship event.

Eileen came away with a gold medal in the O75 age group with an inspirational time of 22.46 and Barry posted a great 16.43. Great running.

Harriers shine at Leinster Schools Championships

It was great to see not only the sun shining over the two days of the Leinster Schools Track and Field Championship as the Harriers sprint and middle-distance athlete’s fantastic performances also brightened up both days. It had to help the harriers competing to be on home soil as for the second time in three years Tullamore played host to these championships. Tullamore Harriers also appreciates the great work of the teachers in the athletes’ respective schools for facilitating their participation in these championships.

Those competing from the middle-distance group included Mia Gallagher (1500m steeplechase and 3000m), Polly Duffy (1500m steeplechase), Aoibhe Moore (3000m), Rachel Keaney (1500m steeplechase and 1500m), Ronan Keaney (1500m steeplechase), Patrick Duffy (1500m steeplechase) and Adelyn Walsh (1500m).

Four athletes medalled and will progress to the All Irelands in just over two weeks’ time which again will be hosted in Tullamore.

Medals

Gold - Rachel Keaney Intermediate 1500m steeplechase

Silver - Patrick Duffy Intermediate 1500m steeplechase

Silver - Adelyn Walsh Junior 1500m

Bronze - Ronan Keaney Intermediate 1500m steeplechase.

From the Sprint group, Alisha Maher, competing in the senior age group for Tullamore College, continued her impressive season by securing a silver medal in the 100m and a bronze medal in the 200m.

In the senior girl’s long jump, Katie Deverell (Tullamore College) and Eimear Cotter (Killina Presentation) also climbed the podium, winning silver and bronze respectively.

Róisín Cotter, competing in the junior girls long jump for Killina Presentation, delivered an outstanding performance, finishing 5th with a personal best jump of 465cm -just 2 cm shy of a medal and All-Ireland qualification.

Lucy Champ, representing Moate Community School, competed in the Connaught School finals on May 13th. In the 4x100 Senior relay, Lucy and her team won the gold medal with a time of 53 secs and now qualify for the all-Ireland finals.

Congratulations to all athletes on their fantastic achievements and best of luck as they go on to compete in the All-Ireland Finals on May 31st, once again held at Tullamore Harriers

Club record falls at National May Open

Three of our talented junior athletes and four senior athletes competed at the National May Open Track & Field meet, on Sunday, May 18th, held at our very own stadium at Tullamore Harriers.

Eimear Cotter kicked off the day with a strong showing in the long jump, producing six remarkably consistent jumps despite a quick turnaround between attempts. Her best mark of 5.20m secured 1st place in the competition. Impressively, one of her attempts, though narrowly a foul, surpassed her winning distance and highlighted her technical progress. A fantastic confidence boost as she prepares for the All-Ireland Schools Finals in two weeks.

On the track, Alisha Maher and Teagan Delaney lined up for the 100m sprint. Alisha clocked a PB of 12.20 seconds, showing excellent form. Teagan recorded a season-best of 13.82 seconds, another strong performance. A few hours later, both returned for the 200m, where the highlight of the day came when Alisha ran a stunning 25.30 seconds into a tough -2.1 m/s headwind, smashing her own club record of 25.58 seconds set earlier in 2025. Teagan posted another season's best, running 28.32 seconds. These performances are ideal stepping stones as Alisha gears up for the All-Ireland Schools Finals on May 31st, and as all three prepare for the Leinster Relays in Carlow on May 24th.

In the Men's100m Emmanuel Ilori lined out in Heat 3 and ran 11.30. Dolapo Kush competed in Heat 5 and ran a PB in 11.32. In Heat 6 we had Stephen Byrne and Sean Flood who clocked 12.13 and 12.42 respectively. In the 200m Dolapo Kush again posted a PB with a time of 22.96.

Athlone 10 Mile

Jamie Malone had yet another great run on Saturday the 17^th of May, at the Athlone 10 Mile Race. Jamie was 5th finisher with a superb time of 1.00.02. Congratulations Jamie.

Copenhagen Marathon

Congratulations to David Flaherty who joined over 18,000 to compete at the Copenhagen Marathon on Sunday 11^th of May. David had a great run, to finish in 2.54.23

Fixtures

Thursday 22nd May – Offaly Junior, Senior and Master Track & Field Championships, Tullamore Harriers.

Friday 30th May – Ballyskenach 5K

Saturday 7^th June – Leinster Master Track & Field Championships

Tuesday 17^th June – Peter English 625, Tullamore Harriers.

Sunday 22^nd June – Jack Cox 10K, Kilcormac

SEE NEXT: https://www.offalyexpress.ie/news/sport/1804869/remarkable-royal-flush-of-rugby-internationals-celebrated-by-offaly-club.html

Senior Training

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