Tullamore Harriers athlete wins silver in Wales

After a tough winter of rain, rain and even more rain it was a welcome change for Ally Duffy and the Irish Schools cross country team to compete with the sun shining on Saturday last the 21^st of March. However, neither the hot temperatures nor the rolling hills at the Faenol Estate in Wales which hosted this year’s SIAB Cross Country Championships, were enough to suppress the frantic pace of all those competing in the Intermediate Girls race.

The underfoot conditions were challenging too with some marshy conditions at points and an uneven surface in places as well. Ally in only her second international, dealt well with these challenges and can be rightly proud of her twelfth-place finish.

It wasn’t a surprise to any of the Irish supporters that Freya Renton would go out aggressively in the Intermediate Girls race. The fast pace she set quickly stretched out the field and after the first kilometre a group of three had pulled clear. Ally was well placed in the chasing pack and Ireland at times looked to be in the lead in the team competition. It was only after 3000m that Sonny Allen from England made a decisive move and surged into the lead. Freya fought on and well deserved the bronze individual medal she won. Ally had in the meantime made steady progress despite tired legs from an All-Ireland Schools Under 16 football final in Thursday was a vital scorer on Irish the team that won silver medals.

Team Result Silver 49 Points

3rd Freya Renton

4th Ava Colreavy

8th Madison Welby

9th Holly Renton

12th Ally Duffy

13th Elizabeth Reamsbottom

17th Lucie Cawley

23rd Aoife Murphy

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Banagher 5K

Round 2 of the Healthy Offaly 5K Series in Banagher proved a resounding success, attracting close to 600 finishers on a bright and sunny morning on Sunday the 22^nd of March. The prospect of a fast course drew a large crowd, and by all accounts there were numerous personal bests recorded, making for an exciting day of racing. Well done to Banagher AC on hosting a superb event.

The race was won by Simon Farrell in a new course record time of 14:40.

Tullamore Harriers was very well represented with 57 lining out. Leading the charge was Cian Law, who finished 4th overall in an impressive 14:47. He was followed by Kevin Minnock in 6th place, while Ronan Keaney finished 8th and claimed the 1st Junior prize.

Elise Cusack was first lady for Tullamore Harriers in 7th place, followed by Evelyn Herlihy in 8th and Niamh McNihill in 11th.

Along with Ronan the club claimed further age category wins, with Killian Nolan taking 1st O40, Barry Minnock winning the O50 category, and Mary Galvin 1st O60.

The women’s team of Evelyn Herlihy, Niamh McNihill, Rachel Henry and Charlotte Abbott took first place, while the men’s team of Cian Law, Kevin Minnock, Ronan Keaney, and Killian Nolan also secured top honours.

Tullamore Harriers results:

Cian Law 0:14:47

Kevin Minnock 0:14:54

Ronan Keaney 0:15:21

Killian Nolan 0:15:33

Barry Minnock 0:15:43

Daniel Rigney 0:15:56

Barry Mooney 0:16:14

Nigel Cunningham 0:16:39

Ciarán Reynolds 0:16:52

Shane McGuinness 0:17:19

Nick McGowan 0:17:52

Darren Butler 0:18:03

Jack Marron 0:18:04

Alan Heffernan 0:18:22

Brendan Abbott 0:18:32

Fergal Leonard 0:18:36

Elise Cusack 0:18:56

Alan Mitchell 0:19:00

Evelyn Herlihy 0:19:02

Jack Cowman 0:19:12

John Donegan 0:19:15

Niamh Mc Enhill 0:19:21

Fionnan Minnock 0:19:31

Rachel Henry 0:19:34

Justin Murtagh 0:19:41

Charlotte Abbott 0:20:13

Bryce Fraser 0:20:28

Karen Nolan 0:20:53

Forrest McCormack 0:21:17

Roisin O'Brien 0:21:25

Finian McDermott 0:21:43

Maeve Larkin 0:21:40

Elysia McCormack 0:21:46

Conor Morrissey 0:21:58

John Carroll 0:22:24

Mary Galvin 0:22:31

Anne Marie McNamara 0:23:06

Sorcha Galvin 0:23:04

John O'Connell 0:23:14

Emer Rigney 0:23:17

Paschal Naughton 0:23:58

Naomi Galvin 0:24:09

Paul Hensey 0:24:13

Michael Kinsella 0:24:54

Martina Conlon 0:25:30

Sara McLaughlin 0:25:17

Olive Mannion 0:25:31

Noreen Hunt 0:25:44

Martina Lydon 0:25:37

Anne Daly 0:25:47

Sandra Busteed 0:25:42

Paddy Rowland 0:25:58

Ann Marie Larkin 0:26:42

Grainne Kenny 0:27:43

Aine Treacy 0:28:25

Tony McCormack 0:29:19

Pat Kennedy 0:30:19

AON Mullingar Half Marathon

On St Patrick’s Day, three club athletes were among over 2,000 participants who lined out for the annual AON Mullingar Half Marathon.

The race started in the town centre before heading out into the countryside, along the Royal Canal, and finishing in Mullingar Town Park.

Leading the way for the Tullamore Harriers was Jonathan Dunne, who had a great run to finish 18th overall in a time of 1:17.10. He was followed by Ciaran Reynolds, in 1:22.28, and another fine run by Forest McCormack with a time of 1:42.58.

The race was won by Michael Brady of Raheny Shamrocks AC in a time of 1:10.10.

Streets of Portlaoise 5K

Four of our members kicked off St Patrick’s Day by taking part in the Streets of Portlaoise 5K, hosted by Portlaoise AC.

This hugely popular race attracted a field of over 1,000 participants. Jack Marron led the club home, finishing in 19:38. He was followed closely by Jason McDermott in 19:54, with James Fleming crossing the line in 26:24 and Olive Mannion finishing in 27:16.

A special well done to Jason and James, who had already competed in the McNamara 5, and to Olive, who was in action at the National Masters in Athlone just two days earlier.

BnM Tullamore Harriers Half Marathon

The annual BnM Tullamore Harriers Half Marathon is now almost sold out so if anyone is thinking of racing, please register immediately.

Taking place on Saturday, 29th August 2026, this popular event continues to grow in reputation and demand

The race proudly hosts the Leinster Half Marathon Championships and the Offaly Half Marathon Championships and is Round 4 of the Offaly Endurance Series, making it a key date in the racing calendar for club and competitive runners alike.

Entry is via Myrunresults.ie.

Fixtures

April

12^th April - Revive Active Great Ireland Run – National 10k - Phoenix Park, Dublin.

19^th April – Rhode 5K

26^th April - National Road Relays, Raheny

May

8^th May – Ferbane 5K

17^th May – Ashling Murphy 4 Mile- Offaly 4 Mile Championships

29^th May – Ballyskenach 5K

29^th & 30^th May - Irish Schools Track & Field Championships -Tullamore Harriers.

Senior Training

Tuesday – 5.55pm & 6.40pm.

Thursday - 6.30pm

For any enquiries contact club captains Glen 0868275228 or Rita

0868386687