Gold rush for Tullamore Harriers athletes at All-Ireland U20 and U23 Championships

It was a golden weekend for Tullamore Harriers at the 123.ie All-Ireland U20 and U23 Track & Field Championships, with our athletes delivering a string of outstanding performances on home turf.

Gold for Ladies 4x100m Relay Team

Huge congratulations to our U20 Ladies Sprint Relay Team: Eimear Cotter, Lucy Champ, Teagan Delaney, and Katie Deverell, (with Alisha Maher as substitute), who claimed gold in a thrilling 4x100m final, winning the national title by an incredible 0.01 seconds.

Eimear blasted out of the blocks and delivered a smooth handover to Lucy, who powered down the back straight to take the lead. Teagan maintained momentum around the bend before passing the baton to Katie for a dramatic anchor leg. With Ratoath just ahead, Katie held her nerve and surged past her rival right on the line to seal the victory in spectacular fashion.

Alisha Maher, who competed earlier in the day in both the 100m and 200m, served as a valuable substitute for the relay squad. Despite returning recently from a break in sweltering European conditions, Alisha placed 9th in the 100m and a superb 5th in the 200m, a strong showing ahead of her U19 National Championships next week.

Bronze for Katie Deverell in Long Jump

Earlier in the day, both Eimear Cotter and Katie Deverell also competed in the Long Jump, braving swirling winds that made conditions extremely tricky. Eimear, just back from a three-week trip to Africa, posted a best of 4.89m to finish 9th as she builds back towards peak form. Katie, fresh from completing her Leaving Cert, showed composure and consistency, improving round by round before soaring to bronze with a leap of 5.37m.

Above: Niamh Garvey, Rachel Keaney and Ronan Keaney at the National U20 Championships.

National Steeplechase medal for Rachel Keaney

Tullamore Harriers' middle-distance squad also impressed on Saturday:

Rachel Keaney captured bronze in the U20 3000m Steeplechase, clocking 11:48.99 in a strong and tactical race.

Niamh Garvey smashed her personal best in the U20 1500m, finishing 7th with an excellent time of 4:40.70 -an 11 second improvement.

Ronan Keaney also produced a new PB in the U20 1500m, finishing 10th in a competitive field with a time of 4:07.88.

Ava O'Connor - European U23 Championships.

Congratulations to Ava O'Connor who was selected onto the Irish squad who compete in the European U23 Championships in Bergen, Norway from the 17th to 20th July.

Ava will line out in the 3000m Steeplechase and the 5000m.

Achill Half Marathon & 10K

A group of 15 athletes from Tullamore Harriers, along with their supporters, made the long journey to the island of Achill to compete in the very popular Achill Half Marathon & 10K on Saturday the 5^th of July. Celebrating its 20th anniversary, both the 10K and Half Marathon are recognised as among Ireland’s most challenging and scenic races, with a route that includes an abundance of drags and rolling hills along rugged coastal roads.

Karen Nolan 2nd at the Achill 10k.

Although a damp, misty rain dulled the otherwise spectacular views, the cooler conditions were welcome. However, a persistent headwind throughout the course added an extra layer of difficulty for all taking part.

Despite the tough conditions, some excellent performances were recorded. Gary Whittle was the first Tullamore Harriers man home in 1:30:18, while Sarah Flanagan was the club’s first woman, finishing strongly in 1:35:47.

Pictured above: Liam Byrne, Peter Bennett, Cian Keogh, Jason McDermott, Paul Hensey, Darren Ghee, Alan Mitchell, Mary Daly, Alan Heffernan and Gary Whittle at the Achill Half Marathon.

Tullamore Harriers Results Half Marathon:

Gary Whittle 1:30:18

Alan Heffernan 1:34:13

Sarah Flanagan 1:35:47

Cian Keogh 1:36:48

Jason McDermott 1:37:39

Liam Byrne 1:37:45

Alan Mitchell 1:39:40

Mary Daly 1:51:41

Darren Ghee 1:52:19

Paul Hensey 1:52:49

John Carroll 1:57:14

Peter Bennett 2:11:28

The 10K event started slightly later in the morning, with its course joining the half marathon route for the final 3 kilometres. Karen Nolan, who continues to impress at each race, had a superb run to take 2nd place overall with a time of 44:46. She was followed by strong performances from Martina Lydon in 58:21 and Áine Buckley in 1:02:04.

Another PB for Nadine Donegan at BMC Meet
Congratulations to Nadine Donegan, who recorded yet another personal best at the British Milers Club meet in Blackwell, Berkshire on Wednesday, July 2nd.
Competing in the A-graded 1500m race, Nadine delivered a superb performance to clock 4:21.51, continuing her strong run of form this season.

Condolences

Tullamore Harriers AC extends its deepest sympathies to the Carberry family on the recent passing of Mary Carberry, Kilbeggan. May she Rest in Peace.

SEE NEXT: Offaly athletes selected for European U23 Track and Field Championships

Fixtures

Sunday 13th July – Edenderry 10 Mile

Friday 18^th July – Juvenile Inter County Athletics, Crinkle, Birr - 6.30pm.

Sunday 20^th July, Irish Runner 10 Mile – Phoenix Park

Tuesday 22nd July - Gowran 8

Sunday 26^th July, -National Master Track & Field –Tullamore.

Senior Training

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

For any enquiries contact club captains Glen 0868275228 or Rita 0868386687