CONGRATULATIONS: Young Offaly athletes set new relay record

Congratulations to the Tullamore Harriers U18 girls relay team -Alisha Maher, Katie Deverell, Teagan Delaney, Lucy Champ and Eimear Cotter who set a new club record for the 4 x 200 metre indoor relay.
The ladies broke the previous ladies club record with a blistering time of 1:44.64 seconds, beating the old record of 1:45.72 held since 2019 at the Leinster Indoor Championships on Sunday the 10th of March.
Leinster Indoor Juvenile Championships
A team of 18 from the juvenile track and field group had a very impressive showing at the recent Leinster indoor championships held in TUS International Arena in Athlone on March 2nd, 3rd and 10th. All athletes performed exceptionally well across various age groups and events. Some of the outstanding performances came from Alisha Maher in the U18 category taking silver in the 60m sprint with a PB time of 7.84 seconds and doubling up to take silver in the 200m with an indoor PB time of 26.01seconds. Katie Deverell, also in the U18 age group, was hot on Alisha's heels in the 60m sprint with a massive PB of 7.87 seconds taking the bronze medal. Katie medaled again in the long jump taking the bronze medal with a best jump of 529cm.
Lucy Champ ran a blistering 60m final in the U18 group, finishing sixth with a PB time of 8.13 seconds and in the 200m finished fourth which qualified for the national finals in four weeks time. Lucy Deverell just missed the bronze medal by 21 cms in the U16 long jump with a 450cm jump, and also qualified for the national finals in April. The championships finished on the 10th of March with the 4 x 200m relays and it was our U18 team of Alisha Maher, Katie Deverell , Teagan Delaney and Lucy Champ (Eimear Cotter-Sub) who took the honors on the day. All girls raced with blistering speed against very strong competition and took the silver medal just behind a very strong Ratoath team. Their time of 1:44.64 seconds broke the old club 4 x 200 indoor record of 1:45.72 from 2019 held by the team of Katelyn Farrelly, Katie Burke, Grainne Lawlor, and Shauna Slattery. Our U15 relay team of Fayth Byrne, Mattie Deverell, Roisin Cotter and Adelyn Walsh won their heat with 1:57 secs and followed on to place fifth in the final. All other athlete performances were as follows
Eimear Cotter (U18 category):
Achieved a PB of 8.34 seconds in the 60m sprint, finishing fifth.
Recorded a long jump of 509cm, also finishing fifth.
Achieved a PB of 9:40cm in the hurdles, finishing fifth as well.
Teagan Delaney (U18 category):
Achieved a PB of 8.40 seconds in the 60m sprint.
Achieved a PB of 27.45 seconds in the 200m.
Evan Maher (U18 category):
Achieved a PB of 7.83 seconds in the 60m sprint.
Achieved a PB of 470cm in the long jump, finishing sixth.
Sean Manning (U18 category):
Achieved a PB of 7.56 seconds in the 60m sprint final, finishing fifth.
Achieved a long jump of 509cm, also finishing fifth.
Maddie Deverell (U14 category):
Achieved a PB of 8.78 seconds in the 60m sprint semifinal.
Recorded a long jump of 384cm.
Fayth Byrne:
Achieved a PB of 8.59 seconds in the 60m sprint semifinal.
Chloe McGowan
Achieved a PB of 9.02 seconds in the 60m
Our youngest of the group and all debutantes at the Leinster championship in the U12 age group o - Lily Bourke, Emily Cosgrove, Samantha Corbet, Thea Rose Meyers, Emily Cosgrove and Aoibhinn Buggy all performed well and enjoyed the experience and no doubt be back for more.
Well done to all athletes on all their performances and the best of luck to those who now compete in the all Ireland finals in the coming weeks.
Leinster Indoor Track and Field Championships
After a busy February with cross country races for both club and schools as well as the Offaly Indoor Track and Field Championships, March started off with another busy weekend as a large group of Tullamore Harriers juveniles travelled to Athlone to compete in the Leinster Track and Field Championships.
Andrea Ryan raced to victory in her Under 18 1500m in some style. The race went out at a very fast pace and Andrea fought hard to stay in touch for the first kilometre, when she surged in the lead. She never gave up her lead position, winning in a new PB of 4:42.40. This follows on from her new 800m PB of 2:18.84 ran in February.
Niamh Garvey raced in the Under 17 1500m and finished a comfortable second in 5:00.57. Eabhadh Multaney Kelly was unlucky to just miss out on a medal finishing in fourth place and Saoirse Murtagh was tenth.
The next day in the 800m Niamh Garvey was again in the medals as she finished third in the Under 17 in 2:21.89 and although Eabhadh Multaney Kelly had done well to make the final but had to pull up with a tight hamstring.
Adelyn Walsh and Mia Gallagher finished sixth in 2:32.43 and 8th in 2.35.87 in the Under 15 Girls final. Adelyn was unlucky to have had to come to a complete stop after 100m when two girls fell in front of her. Both girls are huge talents and we expect things from them in the years ahead. In the Under 14 Girls heats Samia Akbar 2:48.87; Emily Morris 2:52.95; and Aine Ryan 3:02.94 raced well against tough competition.
In the final of the Under 13 Boys 600m both Shane Cummins sixth in 1:48.17 and Joe Daly ninth in 1:53.18 raced well. Others who raced over 600m were Under 12 Girls 600m Meabh Boland 2:09.17; Under 12 Boys 600m Jason McKinney 2:00.18 and Ollie McGlinchey 2:04.81; and Under 13 Girls 600m Olivia Paczkowska 2:02.00
Tullamore Harriers 5K
The 2024 edition of the Tullamore Harriers 5k was run off this morning, on Mother’s day, March 10th and what a great day it was.
Despite the cold breeze and soft rain, the atmosphere within the stadium was heartwarming, reflecting the spirit of the participants and spectators alike. Serving as Round 1 of the Healthy Offaly 5K Road Race series, the event attracted a diverse array of athletes, not only from clubs within Offaly but also from other areas. It felt like a reunion for many, reconnecting with athletes not seen since the previous year's series. The event's success signalled a promising start to the series, establishing a high standard for the races that would follow. This success was made possible by the dedicated support and assistance of numerous individuals. A heartfelt thank you is extended to each person who contributed their time and effort - from club officials to marshals, volunteers, friends, and family, everyone played a vital role, and their contributions were genuinely appreciated. Special thanks are also due to Conor and Amy from Pop Up Races for their prompt and efficient service, to Offaly Civil Defence for their professionalism, as well as to Offaly County Council and the Gardai for facilitating the road closures and ensuring the safety of the event. Additionally, gratitude is extended to the residents along the race route and the surrounding area for their patience and cooperation. Most importantly, a big thank you goes out to the athletes and clubs for their support of the Tullamore Harriers AC 5K.
Just before 10am, Mr John Cronin, President of Athletics Ireland welcomed the athletes and to start the race. The race boasted an impressive lineup of 433 athletes, setting the stage for an exciting and competitive event. Mick Fogarty of Ferbane AC emerged victorious, crossing the finish line with a time of 15:39, closely followed by Paul Mitchell of Tullamore Harriers in second place with a time of 15:45. The battle for third place was intense, with Kevin Minnock of Tullamore Harriers narrowly edging out Andrew Nevin from Mullingar Harriers in a sprint finish, finishing in 15:49.
On the women's side, Nadine Donegan clinched the victory in 16.38, improving her previous time by almost one minute from when she also won the race last year. 2nd lady was Amy O’Donoghue Dundrum South Dublin AC in 16.56 and 3rd was Tullamore’s Niamh O’Connor in 17.27
Age group winners:
1st Junior – Adam Veighey Naas AC and Heather Murphy St Michael’s AC
1st O40 – Stephen Hunter St Abban’s AC and Maria Maher Ballyskenach AC
1st O45 – Paul Buckley Ferbane AC and Sarah Flanagan Tullamore Harriers AC
1st O50 – Brendan Donagher Naomh Mhuire and Carmel Murray Birr AC
1st O60 – Eddie Newman Mullingar AC and Mary Galvin Tullamore Harriers AC
1st O70- Ger Woods Banagher AC and Eileen Kenny Athlone AC.

Middle Distance Round Up
It’s been a hectic fortnight for Laura Mooney racing over 3000m and 5000m. Her first outing was at the BIG EAST Indoor Championships on Friday and Saturday, February 23rd and 24th at the Dr. Conrad Worrill Indoor Track and Field Facility in Chicago, Illinois. On the Fridayin the 5000m Laura finished second in a time of 16:21.46. She followed up the day after with a seventh place finish in the 3000m in 9:25.83. The following weekend at the IC4A/ECAC championships on Saturday, in the Boston University Track and Tennis Center in Boston, Massachusetts Laura raced the 5000m winning in a seasons best of 16:15.15.
Aaron Mangan raced on the 25th February in Topeka, Kansas in the MIAA Indoor Championships and ran a seasons best of 1:53.05 in his 800m.
Jack Donegan raced the Mile at the Track and Field Live event in the NIA, Abbotstown in Dublin on the 28th of February third in a new PB of 4:31.31.
Imelda Lambe, who is studying at Durham University UK, lined out for the mile event at the Sheffield Steel Cup on February 7th posting a time of 5.59.47. She has recently been selected onto the Durham University A team to compete at British Universities & Colleges Sport (BUCS) and is very happy with her training.
Rathangan 5K
Two happy lads after their 5K in Rathangan on March 3rd!. Well done to James Kilmurray who clocked 23.29 and Ben Kirwan who also had a great run with a time of 23.33.
Trafford 10K .
Congratulations to Jay Donegan on his impressive performance at the Trafford 10K, on Sunday 10th of March, where he clocked a superb time of 32.40.
Jay, who is based in Manchester, took the opportunity to run locally on one of the fastest courses in the UK .
Competing among some of the UK's top runners, Jay finished 143rd out of 1889 participants with the winner Victor Unguhant Smangs finishing in a time of 28: 57.
Colin Dunne 5K
Well done to all who race the Colin Dunne Memorial 5K run on Sunday the 3rd of March. Cian Martin was the overall race winner in a time of 18.04 and Fastest U16 was Darragh Stewart with a great time of 18.54.
Harriers Results:
Cian Martin 18:04
Darragh Stewart 18:54
Elise Cusack 20:44
Tilly Cusack 21:12
Niall Whittaker :21:48
Sarah Whittaker 21:56
Jack Cowman 22:00
Jack Ryan 22:09
Eoin Whittaker 22:59
Annabelle Donegan 23:15
Seán Mitchell 23:23
Bryce Fraser 26:06
John O Connell 29:26
Sandra Busteed 38:52
Paschal Naughton 43:09
Barcelona Marathon
Congratulations to Jamie Malone who posted a very impressive time for his debut marathon in Barcelona. Jamie clocked 3.21. super result Jamie.
Condolences
The club would like to express
our condolences to Ollie Neary on the passing of his father Joe.
The members of Tullamore Harriers would like to pass on condolences to Karen Martin on the passing of her mother Elizabeth O'Connor.
Fixtures
24th March Dunboyne National 10k
7th April. Offaly Road Race
Series Round 2 Banagher 5k