Edenderry and Ballyskenach athletes take top prizes at Offaly Senior Cross Country Championships

Offaly Senior Cross Country Championships

On the last day of November, on a bitterly cold but bright morning in the Faithful Fields in Kilcormac, the Offaly Senior Championship races marked Day 4, and the final round of a very successful Offaly Athletics Cross Country season for 2025. Hosted by Tullamore Harriers AC in the excellent grounds of the Faithful Fields, each day drew a strong turnout of adult and juvenile athletes from clubs across the county.

A sincere thank-you to all involved in organising and running the championships; to Christy Todd for his help and support in Kilcormac; to the Offaly Civil Defence and Order of Malta for ensuring our athletes were in safe hands; to the supporting clubs; and to the many supporters who came out over the four days.

Today was a relatively shorter programme, with only the senior athletes competing -the juvenile events having been completed over the earlier three days.

Ladies’ Race

Twenty-eight women lined out, representing Ballyskenach, Birr, Ferbane, Edenderry, Kinnity, Naomh Mhuire, Kilcormac/Killoughey, and Tullamore Harriers athletic clubs. Tullamore Harriers chairman Adrian Curley welcomed the ladies and gave final instructions before sending them off on their 6000m race: four laps of a 1500m meandering circuit offering full visibility for spectators.

From the outset, Aisling O’Connor of Edenderry AC and Brid Ryan of Ballyskenach AC surged to the front. The pair maintained their positions throughout, both running a steady pace over the laps. In the final 1000m, Aisling pulled away slightly, but Brid worked hard and surrendered very little ground. Aisling claimed the win, with Brid finishing just 10 seconds behind in a superb second place.

Behind them, a tight pack of five athletes worked their way through the course, with the lead within this group changing three times. Maire Tríona O’Connor and Charlotte Abbott looked particularly strong, holding a slight edge over Nita McLoughlin, Cara Moran, and Niamh McEnhill. Heading into lap three, Charlotte appeared the likely bronze medallist as she began to pull away.

However, by the final lap positions had shifted again. It was now Naomh Mhuire’s Ciara Moran and Tullamore Harriers’ Nita McLoughlin who were battling for third. In a thrilling sprint finish, Ciara edged ahead to secure the bronze medal -just two seconds clear of Nita.

A fantastic race by all involved. The line out included Martina Conlon who

The team trophy -the Martina Conlon Perpetual Trophy, was presented by the lady herself, Martina Conlon, following her own inspirational run, an incredible 42 years after winning her Offaly Senior Cross Country title. Martina lined out with her Tullamore Harriers teammates and proudly presented the trophy to the very same club once again.

Second-place team medals went to Naomh Mhuire AC, while the third-place medals were claimed by Ferbane AC narrowly ahead of Kinnity AC. This marked the first time Kinnity AC’s ladies fielded a team in the Offaly Cross Country Championships. Huge congratulations to Kinnity AC on this milestone.

Ladies’ results:

Aisling O'Connor Edenderry AC 25.21
Brid Ryan Ballyskenach AC 25.31
Ciara Moran Naomh Mhuire AC 26.02
Nita McLoughlin Tullamore Harriers AC 26.04
Charlotte Abbott Tullamore Harriers AC 26.12
Maire Triona O'Connor Tullamore Harriers AC 26.27
Niamh McEnhill Tullamore Harriers AC 26.4
Ciara Lee Whittle Naomh Mhuire AC 26.56
Michelle Mullaney Tullamore Harriers AC 27.44
Lisa Murphy Naomh Mhuire AC 28.01
Ailbhe McDonnell Ferbane AC 29.18
Mairead Scally Naomh Mhuire AC 28.21
Edel Hayes Naomh Mhuire AC 28.39
Emma Hart Naomh Mhuire AC 28.56
Aideen O'Brien Birr AC 29.03
Hilary Duncan Tullamore Harriers AC 29.36
Mary Blake Ferbane AC 29.47
Catriona Guinan Ferbane AC 29.56
Roisin Coughlan Kinnity AC 30.29
Carmel Moran Birr AC 31.09
Mary Galvin Tullamore Harriers AC 31.22
Claire Slevin Kilcormac Killoughey AC 32.46
Ruth Sheils Ballyskenach AC 33.01
Michelle Rochford Kinnity AC 34.56
Antionette Corbett Kinnity AC 35.16
Martina Conlon Tullamore Harriers AC 35.45
AnnMaria Egan Ferbane AC 36.25
Aisling Farrell Naomh Mhuire AC 36.38

Men’s Race

The senior men lined out immediately after the ladies’ race, and once again spectators were treated to a thrilling competition. There was excellent representation from across Offaly, with athletes from Birr, Ballyskenach, Ferbane, Kinnity, Rhode, Naomh Mhuire, and Tullamore Harriers -45 men in total, taking to the line.

Offaly Senior Cross Country Championships: 2nd Jack Donegan Tullamore Harriers, 1st Harry Lupton Ballyskenach Athletic Club, 3rd Kevin Minnock Tullamore Harriers.

The men faced six laps of the 1500m circuit, making up a demanding 9000m course. From a very early stage -perhaps within the first 300m -the lead pack had formed, consisting of two Ballyskenach athletes and two from Tullamore Harriers. Leading into lap two, this group split into two pairs: Harry Lupton of Ballyskenach AC and Jack Donegan of Tullamore Harriers ran in perfect unison at the front, closely followed by Tullamore’s Kevin Minnock and Ballyskenach’s Peter Somba.

The chasing pack featured another mix of talent, with Mick Fogarty, Paul Mitchell, Barry Minnock, Jonathon Dunne, William Delahunt, and Barry Mooney all battling hard. The support from teammates around the course added to the excitement and made for great viewing as team positions shifted throughout.

Entering the final of the six laps, Harry and Jack had pulled around 200m clear of the field, yet remained side by side until the finishing straight. In a dramatic final surge, Harry kicked ahead to claim the victory - a historic moment as Ballyskenach AC secured its first ever senior title. Jack delivered a superb performance to finish second and take the senior silver medal.

The fight for third place also came down to a sprint finish, with Kevin Minnock edging out Ballyskenach’s Peter Somba to secure the bronze.

Tullamore Harriers retained the Offaly Senior Cross Country Trophy, with Ballyskenach placing second and Ferbane AC taking third.

A superb morning of cross-country racing from start to finish.

Men’s results:

Harry Lupton Ballyskenach AC 30.33
Jack Donegan Tullamore Harriers AC 30.41
Kevin Minnock Tullamore Harriers AC 31.11
Peter Somba Ballyskenach AC 31.16
Mick Fogarty Ferbane AC 31.23
Paul Mitchell Tullamore Harriers AC 31.24
Barry Minnock Tullamore Harriers AC 32.05
Barry Mooney Tullamore Harriers AC 32.31
Jonathan Dunne Tullamore Harriers AC 33.01
William Delahunt Ballyskenach AC 33.04
Tom Lupton Ballyskenach AC 34.11
Donough McBrearty Ferbane AC 34.46
Niall Kelly Ferbane AC 35.02
Diarmuid Egan Ballyskenach AC 36.01
Kevin Looby Naomh Mhuire AC 36.18
Declan Murphy Naomh Mhuire AC 36.25
Martin Bannon Kinnity AC 36.51
Nigel Cunningham Tullamore Harriers AC 37.21
Ger Cleary Naomh Mhuire AC 37.33
Ronan Hoare Birr AC 37.51
Cian Keogh Tullamore Harriers AC 37.57
Liam Byrne Tullamore Harriers AC 37.58
David Hollywood Tullamore Harriers AC 39.11
Darren Butler Tullamore Harriers AC 39.41
Niall Flynn Kinnity AC 39.45
Joe Carroll Ferbane AC 39.54
Kevin Brazil Ferbane AC 40.04
Jason McDermott Tullamore Harriers AC 40.22
David King Birr AC 40.58
Darren Bermingham Naomh Mhuire AC 41.33
John Kirwan Naomh Mhuire AC 41.42
Jonathan Geraghty Rhode AC 41.45
Mark Delaney Kinnity AC 41.56
Eamonn Laramie Rhode AC 41.57
Adrian Delaney Naomh Mhuire AC 42.21
Rob O'Donnell Kinnity AC 42.25
Killian Kealey Birr AC 42.48
Gerard Minnock Naomh Mhuire AC 44.23
Donal Mannion Birr AC 44.33
Dermot Egan Ferbane AC 44.54
Gordan Kerrigan Rhode AC 45.05
Mattie Flanagan Naomh Mhuire AC 45.17
Michael O'Shea Kinnity AC 45.39
Garreth Garry Naomh Mhuire AC 45.41
Evan Lynam Naomh Mhuire AC 45.53

Harriers juveniles in action in Leinster B Cross Country and Relays

Over 20 Tullamore Harriers juvenile athletes made the journey to Stradbally on Saturday 28th to take part in the Leinster B and Relay Cross Country Championships.

Heidi McCarthy Annabel Donegan, Kate Minnock and Maebh Boland at the Juvenile B championships in Stradbally.

There were some fantastic individual and team performances - The U13 girls took home gold, the U11 boys took bronze, and Sarah Whittaker won the U15 sliver individual medal, making the highlights of a great day for the club. Well done to all athletes on another great day’s racing.

U11 Girls:

72 Niamh Murtagh

74 Evie Mahon

U11 Boys.

Team Finish: 3rd

9 Aidan Herlihy

16 Evan Phelan

30 Luke Whittle

33 Nikodem Banach

U13 Girls.

Team Finish: 1st

6 Heidi McCarthy

17 Kate Minnock

21 Annabell Donegan

27 Meabh Boland

U13 Boys:

25 Paidi Scally

34 Eoin Herlihy

35 Matthew Berry

U15 Girls:

2 Sarah Whittaker

U15 Boys:

21 Joe Daly

Tullamore Harriers in Lanzarote

Some of the Tullamore Harriers members headed to the sun to compete in the International Running Challenge in La Santa, Lanzarote, held from November 23rd to 26th. Now in its 36th year, the Lanzarote International Running Challenge, organised by Club La Santa, draws runners from across Europe for four consecutive days of racing over varied distances and terrains: Day 1- 10k, Day 2 -13k, Day 3 - 5K Beach Run and Day 4 - 21k. Attracting athletes of all levels and offering the added bonus of winter sunshine, the event has become a firm favourite for the Harriers in recent years. This year, our neighbours from Ballyskenach AC and Birr AC also had a fine contingent in the event also.

While some participants choose to line out for one or two of the races, others complete all four and are therefore eligible for the overall series awards. This year, it was Mary Galvin and Mick O'Brien who stepped onto the podium for overall age-group honours. Mary finished 2nd in her category (missing out on 1st place by just 30 seconds), while Mick secured 3rd place in his age group.

It was great running by all involved in what proved to be a mix of weather conditions. Although the warm temperatures added to the challenge, athletes also had to contend with occasional heavy downpours.

Full results:

Day 1 -10K

Mick O'Brien 37.00

Darren Butler 41.35

David Buckley 46.41

Basil Cronin 46.58

Alan Mitchell 47.13

John Donegan 50.00

Gary Dwyer 51.10

Mary Galvin 52.13

Naomi Galvin 57.57

Sorcha McGuinness 57.58

Paschal Naughton 59.22

Bernard Doheny 1.01.20

Anne Daly 1.01.20

AnnMarie McNamara 1.06.44

Day 2 - 13k

Kevin Minnock 48.02 - 2nd overall

Mick O'Brien 52.47

Darren Butler 59.45

David Buckley 1.08.13

Alan Mitchell 1.11.38

Basil Cronin 1.13.21

Gary Dwyer 1.18.28

Mary Galvin 1.19.51

Paschal Naughton 1.28.56

Naomi Galvin 1.30.20

Sorcha McGuinness 1.30.55

Anne Daly 1.32.10

Ann Marie McNamara 1.32.57

Josie Lalor 1.41.02

Day 3- 5K Beach Run

Mick O'Brien 18.40

Darren Butler 20.19

John Donegan 23.03

Mary Galvin 26.58

Gary Dwyer 27:39

Paschal Naughton 28:59

Naomi Galvin 29:38

Ann Marie McNamara 30:36

Anne Daly 30:50

Day 4 - Half Marathon

Mick O'Brien 1:23:53 - 3rd O50

Darren Butler 1:33:16

Basil Cronin 1:49:07

Alan Mitchell 1:51:40

Mary Galvin 1:57:37 -1st O60

Gary Dwyer 2:00:35

Naomi Galvin 2:11:39

Paschal Naughton 2:11:57

Anne Daly 2:18:54

Anne Marie McNamara 2:18:54

Fixtures

Sunday 7th December - Athletics Ireland National Novice and Juvenile Uneven Age Cross Country Championships @Abbotstown, Dublin

Sunday 21^st December – Christmas Grand National Club race- 9am

Christmas Day – Hospice Mile in the Tullamore Harriers Stadium 10am -12md

Wednesday 31^st December – New Year’s Eve Club race – 12md in Tullamore Harriers.

SEE NEXT: Highly rated Sallins pushed hard before getting away from fired up Clara

Senior Training

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