Bronze for Offaly athlete in National Cross Country Championships

Congratulations to Michael Murphy for securing the Intermediate Bronze title at the  123.ie  National Cross Country Championships at DKIT, Co Louth on Sunday, February 11th. Michael's achievement caps off an impressive cross country season, having previously won the Leinster Novice and National Novice titles earlier in the season.

In the 8000m race, Paul Hartnett from East Cork A.C emerged victorious with a time of 29:03, followed closely by Mihail Sprincean from Clonliffe Harriers A.C. in second place with a time of 29:12. Michael clinched the third position with a time of 29:55. A great performance just one day after his 3000m race at the Irish University Indoor Championships where he posted a PB of 8.43.43.

Michael was well supported by his team of Jay Donegan 18th, Barry Mooney 24th and Cian Martin 51st and Daniel Molloy 53rd to take 4th club team position.

Despite the dry and cool weather, which provided some relief to the competitors, officials and spectators, the underfoot conditions posed a significant challenge in Dundalk today. The course was severely waterlogged in many areas, presenting a tough test for even the most experienced cross country runners. Navigating through the sloppy and sinking course made for very difficult running conditions. 

Following on from the juvenile races, our Master Ladies took to the course for their 4000m race, consisting of 2 laps of the circuit. Sarah Flanagan put on an outstanding performance, in the leading group from the start. Although she narrowly missed out on a podium place, she achieved a remarkable 4th place finish and secured an individual gold medal in the O45 age category. Caroline Donnellan Edenderry AC took 2nd in the same age group finishing just behind Sarah. 

The race was won by Kate Purcell from Raheny Shamrock A.C., with Fiona Gettings from Longford AC coming in 2nd, and Fiona Roche from Raheny Shamrock AC finishing 3rd.

Charlotte Abbott was our only other competitor in the Master O35 race and she had a very solid run. 

Well done to the Master O50 ladies - Rita Daly, Mary Daly, Mags Grennan, and Mary Galvin for their strong performance. They secured 6th place overall for their club and, along with Carmel Murray from Birr AC, earned a commendable 5th place in the county category.

Despite narrowly missing out on an individual age group medal by just 3 seconds, Mary Galvin had a great run. 

The Master Men's race was the largest event of the day, featuring 198 athletes tackling the challenging 7000m circuit. The competition was intense, with participants vying for both individual and team accolades.

Tim O'Donohue from East Cork A.C. clinched the top spot, followed closely by Colm Rooney from Clonliffe Harriers A.C. in 2nd place and Brian Conroy from Clane A.C. in 3rd place.

Among the competitors from the club, Eddie Garry led the team with a 111th place finish, followed by Liam Byrne in 122nd place, David Hollywood in 143rd place, Darren Butler in 159th place, and Sean Reynolds in 193rd place. Padriag Berry was unfortunate to have to pull out of the race due to a hamstring strain and had been running really strongly. 

In the 4000m distance race, Jim Langan secured the gold individual medal in the Master over 80 age group, showing great determination as always. Congratulations to all the participants for their performances in this highly competitive but gruelling event!

Fantastic news from Boston USA where James Dunne had the race of his life! James not only broke the 4-minute Mile barrier with a superb time of 3.57.26, but also surpassed a longstanding Tullamore Harriers club record set by Martin Flynn in 1987 (4.00.08)

James also set a new record for Adams State University where he is studying.

Incidentally, 70 years ago this year is the anniversary of Roger Bannister's historic feat of breaking the 4-minute barrier for the mile. This legendary moment in the history of athletics has inspired countless athletes, including James, to push their limits and strive for excellence. It's fitting that James's accomplishment coincides with the 70th anniversary of Bannister's groundbreaking run and especially meaningful on the 70th anniversary of the foundation of James's own club, Tullamore Harriers. Huge congratulations James.

Star Award for Alisha!

Congratulations to Sprinter Alisha Maher who will be presented with her Athletics Ireland Juvenile Star Award on the 16th of March. Alisha was selected for this award for her fantastic achievements in 2023. 

Well deserved Alisha.

12 year old Joe Daly competed in the Track and Field Live in the National Indoor Arena in Abbotstown. He raced his first 800m and ran a great time of 2:32.57 to finish sixth, just behind the leaders.

Well done Joe!

Mangan in Action in Topeka 

Aaron Mangan travelled with the Fort Hays State track and field team to compete at the Washburn Open and Multis in Topeka, Kansas. Aaron competed in the 800m and finished 7th in 1:54.81. 

Well done Paul McGowan who competed in The Phoenix/Mesa Marathon, USA, in the company of Patrick Canez for the entire 26.2 miles. They finished in a very impressive time of 3:31:23. Great going Paul.

Fixtures

10th March Tullamore Harriers 5K

Senior Training

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

For any enquiries contact club captains Sean 0851742418 or Rita 0868386687