With enough action to cover a couple of pages, the Irish weekend round-up is back up on a semi-regular basis now and the athletes are making it worthwhile reading. Lindie Naughton reports.

Cormac Dalton of Mullingar Harriers AC and Paul O’Donnell of Dundrum South Dublin AC nailed down European 10,000m Cup standard times when they finished first and second in the 10,000m at the Athletics Ireland Micro Meet held at the Munster Technological University in Cork on Saturday (May 15).

The European 10,000m Cup takes place in Birmingham on June 5. The men’s standard is 29:27.11 and the women’s standard 34:22.33.
Dalton crossed the line in 29 mins 19.75 secs, with O’Donnell clocking 29:20.06. Jake O’Regan of St John’s AC was third in 29:50.00 and Emmett Jennings of DSD AC fourth in 29:57.23.

Lizzie Lee of Leevale AC proved the class of the women’s 10,000m, winning in a time of 34:14.26 which was well inside the European Cup standard. Meghan Ryan of DSD AC finished second in 34:39.25.

Aoife O Cuill of St Coca’s AC and UCD’s Sarah Kelly, both under 23, finished third and fourth in times of 34:41.36 and 34:43.46. Also under 35 minutes was Grace Lynch of Iveragh AC who finished a close fifth in 34:49.70.

Louis O’Loughlin of Donore Harriers won the men’s 800m in 1:52.13, with junior athlete Maeve O’Neill of Doheny AC fastest of the women in 2:06.64.

Full result here

Back on the roads

Road running is inching back to some kind of normal on the island of Ireland with the ChampionChip Ireland Marathon and 5km taking place at Down Royal in Lisburn on Sunday (May 16)

John Kinsella was first home in the marathon with a time of 2 hrs 34 mins 27 secs. Second was Joe Lillis of United Striders in 2:35.45 and third Gordon Graham of East Down AC in 2:38.49. The top three women were Gillian McCrory in 3:06.44, Anne Gribben in 3:19.02 and Dawn Houston of Eglington Road Runners in 3:35.55.

Winning the 5km comfortably in 15 mins 48 secs was Mark McDonald of Clonliffe Harriers. Lagan Valley pair Peter Carty and Paul Carty were second and third in 16:13 and 16:36 respectively. First woman was Nakita Burke of Letterkenny AC in 16:46. Edel Gaffney of Trim AC was second in 18:43 and Ashlene Mussen of Newcastle and District AC third in 19:21.

Normal road racing is due to return to the Republic after June 21.

Siofra Cleirigh Buttner in action in the US. Photo: Foon Fu

Also on the track

Siofra Cleirigh Buttner of Dundrum South Dublin AC clocked a time of 4:13.96 for 1500m at the Sound Running Track Meet in Irvine California on Sunday (May 15) which was a bronze-level round of the World Continental Tour.

That time puts Cleirigh Buttner second behind Sarah Healy of UCD AC in the current rankings. A week earlier, she had run 2:01.94 for 800m in Walnut, California.

At the same meet in Irvine, Georgie Hartigan, also DSD AC, won her 800m heat in 2:03.48.

Oisin O Gailin from Ballybofey in Co Donegal ran a time of 3 mins 49.16 secs in Charleston on Saturday (May 15). O Gailin, a former Ulster junior cross-country champion, is a long-time US resident, having taken up an athletics scholarship in 2017 at West Alabama. He’s currently red-shirted at University of Tennessee at Martin.

At the APU Last Chance Twilight Meet at Azusa, California, on Friday (May 14), Aoibhe Richardson of Kilkenny City Harriers finished second in the women’s 1500m in 4:23.28.

Running 33 mins 27.21 secs for 10,000m at Mobile, Alabama on Thursday (May 13) was Damien O’Boyle of Craughwell AC in Co Galway.

Not that Geneva

Leevale’s Charlie O’Donovan finished fourth in the 1500m at the Big East Championships in Geneva, Ohio held on Friday and Saturday (May 14-15). His time was 3:45.85. Shane Coffey of Naas AC ran a time of 15:12.45 for 14th place in the 5000m. In the women’s 800m, Alex O’Neill of St Cronan’s AC was eight in 2:12.52 and also helped Providence College to third in the women’s 4 x 800m.

At the Wormwood Scrubs BMC meet on Wednesday (May 12), Northern Irish athlete Finn McNally of Brighton Phoenix AC won the 3000m in 8 mins 20.16 secs. In Birmingham, at another BMC meet on the same night, Jayme Rossiter of Clonliffe Harriers was sixth in the 1500m in 3:47.77. In the 800m, Callum Crawford-Walker of Annadale Striders ran a time of 1:50.71.
(Ends)