National glory at the double for Kilkenny City Harriers

For the first time in over a decade, a club outside of Dublin has won the national senior cross-country men’s club title. The much-coveted honour went to Kilkenny City Harriers (KCH) who shone at the national championships in Gowran on Sunday.

It was a day of double celebration for the city club as, earlier in the afternoon, they landed the junior women’s title as their first two runners, Maebh Richardson and Hannah Kehoe, finished fourth and sixth respectively, thus earning a place on the Irish team for the forthcoming European Cross-Country in Brussels.

National Seniors

Gowran was a hive of activity on Sunday as the national senior, junior and juvenile cross-country championships took over on Sunday. The local club presented a well laid out course and were rather unfortunate that the weather conditions had rendered the underfoot conditions challenging and extremely muddy.

This was the first time in 39 years that the national seniors had been awarded to the county. In 1984 they were staged in Kilmacow, where the event was hosted by St Senan’s AC. Gowran AC have some experience of hosting national events. Over the past five years they have hosted the national novice and uneven age juveniles, the intermediate and B championships and a Leinster championship. Held across two fields with some looped sections, the route presented great spectator opportunities.

Heavy conditions with mud ensured a large number of running shoes were sucked from the competitors’ feet, with onlookers assisting in rescuing the shoes from the mud and piling them for collection.

The final event of the day was the senior men’s race. The 9km event was always going to be an interesting race, with several contenders for the both the individual and team titles. Last year’s winner Darragh McIlhenny (Bandon) along with Efrem Gidey (Clonliffe), Kilkenny’s Peter Lynch, Keelan Kilrehill (Sligo), Brian Fay (Raheny) were among the main contenders. The club title has for over a decade been won by a Dublin-based club but this year Mullingar Harriers led by Cormac Dalton, Jamie Battle and Jack O’Leary were fancied to challenge Clonliffe, Raheny and DSD for the title.

A total of 218 senior and under-23 men lined up for the final race of the day, including a county Kilkenny team and two local club teams - Gowran and KCH. Along with the race for the individual and club titles there was an opportunity to gain selection for the senior and under-23 Irish teams for the European Cross-Country, which will be held in Brussels on December 10.

Peter Lynch (KCH) made that Irish team back in 2022. Home from Tulsa since early that week, he had hopes of retaining his place on that national side. Cathal O’Reilly (KCH), who has been running very well of late, was attempting to gain an under-23 selection. Like Lynch O’Reilly had previously made an Irish Euro Cross team and was a member of the junior team that won medals in Dublin in 2021.

From the onset the main contenders hit the front, forming a leading pack of about 30 athletes that navigated their way easily around the first field.

Heading into the second field towards the Castle, conditions began to prove difficult. With very little grass left on the fields and a sea of mud strewn across much of the course, it was more of a trudge than a run in many parts. A course like this demands a diversion from the usual cross-country approach, where golf courses and park lands have become the norm.

Callum Barron delivered a fine run for Barrow Harriers

Strength and balance are the key things an athlete has to cover. It was a course that either suited or did not, which made the difference between qualification and disappointment for many athletes.

After the first lap it was Waterford AC’s David McGlynn who was in front of the leading group. Tucked in behind McGlynn were Kevin Mulcair (Ennis Track), Keelan Kilrehill (Sligo), Finn McNally (North Belfast Harriers) and Cormac Dalton (Mullingar Harriers).

Last year’s top three, Darragh McIlhenny, Efrem Gidey and Peter Lynch, followed close behind. Within the top 25 were under-23 athletes Callum Morgan, Sean McGinley and Kilkenny’s Cathal O’Reilly, all perfectly placed to grab those Euro Cross team placings.

However, things took a turn on the second lap as several fallers, including McGlynn, saw positions change somewhat. Kevin Mulcair, Keelan Kilrehill and Cormac Dalton had moved slightly ahead, creating that breakaway gap that was the difference between being able to glide over the mud and being drawn to almost standstill.

Peter Lynch and Brian Faye (Raheny) were racing side by side, but both looked slightly tired at this stage. However, unfolding behind them was interesting from a club team perspective. Mullingar, one of the favourites, were struggling with Jack O’Leary clearly not enjoying the soft conditions and dropping back. Clonliffe too were having their woes, as Efrem Gidey just could not seem to plough through to the top three, his place on the Euro Cross team looking to be in jeopardy.

As for Kilkenny City Harriers, they had three in the top 25 with Brian Maher, the 46-year-old veteran, moving nicely through the field. Suddenly it looked like KCH might upset the bookies’ odds.

As the race began to unfold in the final lap, North Belfast Harriers began to make inroads into the top 30, with their first runner inside the top 10. It looked like the club title was going to be between two Harriers - Kilkenny and North Belfast.

That’s when Kilkenny made a move - Brian Maher came right up to Cathal O’Reilly’s shoulder with the five positions he gained on that final lap. It made a difference. KCH had won the team title, the first non-Dublin club to do so for over a decade, taking the title on countback after the teams finished on 72 points each, Maher being 25th against North Belfast’s Conal MacCambridge in 30th.

Despite the jubilation among the city boys, there were some disappointments. Peter Lynch finished eighth, his selection for Euro Cross no longer being guaranteed. Cathal O’Reilly did finish fourth in the under-23 race, but with Michael Morgan, Abdel Laadje and Dean Casey all having good runs in the NCAA in the USA on Saturday, his selection for the under-23 team lies with Athletics Ireland.

Junior joy

Maebh Richardson had been having a superb season Stateside. The Portland University student finished ninth in the West Conference and 54th in the Regionals in her first year as a scholarship student.

Daniel Greene (KCH) glances over his shoulder as he nears the finish to take silver in the boys’ under-12 race

With Portland’s team not qualifying for the NCAA Richardson, along with Hannah Kehoe (University of San Francisco), returned home on Monday to race the Junior All-Irelands in a bid to make the Irish team.

Richardson and Anna Gardiner (East Down) were the favourites for the title. As expected Gardiner hit the front with the in-form Amy Green (Finn Valley). It was not a particularly close race, with the field being split and strung out somewhat after just 1,500m.

For most of the race Richardson was placed in either third or fourth with Hannah Kehoe around sixth, positions that they managed to retain to the end. Richardson finished fourth, losing the sprint battle to Kirsty Maher (Moy Valley) with Kehoe being passed by Avril Mellerick (Youghal). With no Irish junior athlete in the NCAA, it looks like both Richardson and Kehoe will gain selection for the Irish team.

The junior and under-18 races were combined. Back in 20th place, St Senan’s athlete Eva Bartlett was having a magnificent performance. The 16-year-old, who has another three years in this age group, finished sixth in the under-18 race with Pia Langton (KCH) moving well through the field to take 11th, while Abigail O’Regan (St Senan’s) finished 17th.

Both KCH and St Senan’s had teams in the race. The Harriers won the junior team title for the first time ever and will now qualify for the European Clubs to be held in Portugal on February 25. Senan’s were very unfortunate. The southern club excluded their fastest athlete, Eva Bartlett, from the club team, a move which meant they lost out on gold medals and instead finished up fourth.

Both Pia Langton and Abigail O’Regan also got silver medals as part of the Leinster team.

In the junior men’s race Billy Coogan was making a bid for the Euro Cross team. Coogan finished second to Niall Murphy (Ennis) at the Autumn Open and looked like he was in contention for a place. David Williams (St Senan’s) had been racing well in September and October. However, a respiratory infection forced him to take time off and his chances of making the team had passed.

Coogan never looked comfortable over the muddy course and appeared to get stuck and wade his way though some of the muddy channels rather than run easily through them. The course itself, rather than Coogan’s fitness, may have cost him a place on the team as he finished 11th overall. Had the race been held in Abbotstown or Santry, the situation would most likely have made a difference.

Juveniles

Overall Kilkenny’s individual medallists were down on previous years, but this might take a turnaround at the uneven ages in a fortnight’s time. The county had five individual medallists; Eva Bartlett (St Senan’s) was sixth and Pia Langton (KCH) 11th at under-18 level, Daniel Greene (KCH) was second under-12, Callum Barron (Barrow Harriers) 12th under-18 and Kate Kelly (KCH) 10th under-12.

Greene is no stranger to top 12 finishing positions, having been among the top 12 last year. Always a contender, he chased Daniel Gallagher (Moy Valley) to the end, gaining somewhat in the home straight. Greene is one of those athletes that can run well on any type of course and he certainly demonstrated that in Gowran last Sunday.

Eva Bartlett (St Senan’s) was sixth in the under-18 race

Kate Kelly, like Greene, has been consistently running well and making podiums all season.

Still eligible for under-11s, moving up a year she showed she is a runner to watch as she finished 10th. This should augur well for her in two weeks’ time. She also got a silver as part of the Leinster team.

The KCH girls finished 15th club and the county finished 10th. This can be a daunting experience for some of the athletes this age. The speed of the races, the crowds and the expectations can often make them more nervous, but running at this age can give them great experience for the years ahead.

The KCH girls ran really well in the under-14 race. Led by Sinead Cormack in 16th place the team finished third. This same team of girls will also be on KCH club teams that will take part in the under-13 and under-15 races in a fortnight.

There was some good running by Sinead Cormack, Katie Byrne, Emma Kelly and Ellen Cormack. The county finished seventh in this race, which had by far the largest volume of athletes with 179 taking part.

Lewis Morgan (St Senan’s) was the county star in the boys’ under-14 race. The gutsy young man literally glided over the mud and had a very brave run which was rewarded with a silver medal as part of the Leinster team. Well done also to Gowran AC who had a club team running. It is always good to have club teams when you are on home turf.

In the girls’ under-16 race Clodagh O’Callaghan (KCH) had yet another good race finishing in 17th place and scoring on the Leinster team that was second. There was a good run too by Thomastown’s Katie O’Shea in 40th place and Gowran’s Kate Hayden in 67th.

Gowran AC did a wonderful job on laying out the course and providing all the details essential to make the day run as smoothly as possible. Without all the volunteers (and there were many) the day would not have happened. The landowners Eamonn Nolan, Paul Farrell and Gowran Park generously gave their land up for the occasion, having to clear it for the past week in order for the course to be laid out. Running an All-Ireland competition is a big occasion and one that Gowran AC handled with professionalism.