The sun shone on the second day of the County Cross Country Champions at the Newcastle West Showgrounds for the first time in three years. With the course in excellent condition and none of the ankle deep mud from the last few years there were some great races throughout the day.
In a change to the usual programme the Senior Ladies were first up and first home, with two of our newest members, Natasha Kelly and Noelle Ahern finishing 1st and 4th. With Ciara Dunne and Sorcha Keoghan backing up strongly the team also came home with gold.
Next up was the Senior Men’s race where we had a strong turnout from the masters, led home by Derek Kiely in 5th and Tom Shanahan in 7th. In the team event the men were 2nd to the hosts Newcastle West.
In the juvenile races there were team wins for the u10 Girls, u12 Girls, u14 Girls, u12 Boys, and u16 Boys. The u12 Girls were particularly impressive taking the first 6 places home.
There were also individual wins for Alana Ryan u12 Girls, Conall Ryan u12 Boys, Killian Coman u14 Boys, Faye Moore u16 Girls and Darragh Whelan u16 Boys.
A huge well done to everyone who took part, including many of the younger members for whom this was their first taste of cross country.
Next up will be the Munster Even Age Championships in Cooraclare, Co. Clare on the 12th of October.
Don’t forget the Cook Mini Marathon is on the 5th of October in UL and we’re still looking for volunteers to help out on the day for 2hours. This is the club’s race, the proceeds of which are an important part of keeping the cost of membership down.
