With John Travers (14.05) setting a course record when winning the Jingle Bells 5 kilometres road race in the Phoenix Park on Saturday and the senior men’s team coming within a whisker of making athletics history in the national novice cross country championship at Santry Demesne on Sunday it was certainly a memorable weekend for Donore Harriers.

The 24^th edition of the annual Jingle Bells race, hosted by Donore Harriers, had quality competition in both the men’s and women’s fields. This well organised festive opener has something for everybody and is never short on hospitality and good racing. A group of five men took the pace through the opening stages on what was a cool and calm morning with the sun shining down on the morning’s fare. Travers from the host club was nestled among Conor Bradley (14.20) from the City of Derry club, current national cross country Mick Clohisey (14.25) of Raheny Shamrocks, Brandon Hargreaves (14.37) of Clonliffe Harriers and John Coghlan (14.50) of MSB AC. Near the half-way mark Travers moved to the front and maintained a relentless pace to gain a notable victory in front of a big home support.

Former cross country champion athlete Mary Cullen (15.37) of North Sligo AC also set a course record when winning the women’s race. This was Mary’s first race in 10 months due to injury and it proved to be a fine return to form. She placed 14^thoverall and was pushed hard all the way by national 1500m champion Ciara Mageean (15.47) of UCD, with Irish marathon champion Maria McCambridge (16.33) of DSD AC claiming the 3^rd position.

The rules that govern the national novice competition are designed so that it is extremely difficult for a club to record consecutive wins in the team category. As defending champions Donore Harriers had to bring an entirely new team of runners to this year’s competition. On the day the main challengers were going to be Cork based Leevale AC and St. Abban’s from County Laois. With four to score every place was vital! Ben Thistlewood (20.21) of Leevale broke clear from a group of six athletes on the 4^th and penultimate lap to win the 6km race ahead of Thomas Moran (20.27) of Dunshaughlin AC. Donore were packing 5 runners between places 20 and 30 during the early stages with Leevale and St. Abbans having men placed in the top 20. Donore’s cause was helped by a determined run from Michael McMahon (21.20) who gained several places over the latter two laps to record 12^th position. Strong running from County Monaghan native Caoimhin Kelly (21.38) got him home in 22^nd, with Colm O’Connell (21.40) just one place further back. A fast finishing Daragh Fitzgibbon (21.46) gained to 27^th to take the important fourth team scorer spot, with Leinster novice champion Niall Lynch (21.48) just missing out in 29^th.

St. Abban’s (3^rd on 118 points) challenge for team gold had diminished when one of their key men had to pull out of the race due to illness. That left Leevale! Having the winner and their second and third scoring men in 13^thand 28^threspectively meant that the outcome hung on their fourth man. Thus when Anthony Mannix (41^st position) put in a sprint finish to gain a couple of places in the closing stages he edged Leevale (83) to a one point win over a very gallant Donore Harriers (84) challenge.

Consecutive team wins has never been achieved in the national novice cross country event, but this was as close as it gets! Indeed it took the race officials almost two hours to check video recordings before verifying the result. Who says we don’t have a TMO in cross country!

Colm O’Connell and Daragh Fitzgibbon were members of the Dublin team that won silver medals in the incorporated county championship.

With 23 competitors in a field of almost 250 starters the Chapelizod based club again impressed as a force in Irish distance running.

A huge field of 133 runners contested the ladies 4k novice race on a bitterly cold day on Santry demesne.  Ruth Cavanagh was unfortunately forced to pull out of the race early on after a fall in a rough and tumble start.  After the race settled into 3 big laps of the park, Kim Hickey was first of the Donore ladies and ran a strong race throughout to feature in the top quarter of the race finishing in 36th.  30 seconds back, Breda Mahony was 60th in her first race since the Berlin marathon.  Karla Doran had an excellent run in 81st and Rhona Duane picked off a lot of finishers in the latter stages to come 86th.  Emer RATTIGAN was 92nd followed by Sinead Graham in 102nd and making her cross country debut was Martina Nolan in 114th.  The team finished 11th out of 16, this was a baptism of fire for a developing cross country team at this level but valuable race experience.The day before, Anne Curley had a great result at the Waterford half marathon finishing 4th in 83.14, Mary Murphy had a super race achieving a PB of 1.44.31. There was a home win for the Donore ladies team at the Jingle bells 5k with Ide Nic Dhomhnaill in 18.06, Sorcha Nic Dhomhnaill in 18.14 and Maura Kearns in 19.20, Jona Kalemi ran 21.42, Catherine McKeon 23.55, and Pauline Fagan 26.30, Roisin Mahony 27.52 whilst Samantha Conroy (20.47) and George Brady (17.36) recorded 5km parkrun wins at Tymon Park and Griffeen Park.

Results in brief: -

National Novice Cross Country Championships at Santry Demesne 

Women 4km: 36^thKim Hickey (16.49); 60^th Breda Mahony (17.22); 81^st Karla Doran (17.49); 86^th Rhona Duane (17.50); 92^nd Emer Rattigan (17.53); 102^nd Sinead Graham (18.08); 114^thMartina Nolan (18.35)

Team: 1^st Dundrum South Dublin (76 points); 11^th Donore Harriers (263)

Men 6km: 12^thMichael McMahon (21.20); 22^nd Caoimhin Kelly (21.38); 23^rdColm O’Connell (21.40); 27^th Daragh Fitzgibbon (21.46); 29^thNiall Lynch M40 (21.48); 50^th Aogan MacDomhnaill (22.13); 52^ndGraham Hopkins M35 (22.15); 57^th Darren Hand (22.19); 62^ndCiaran McCarthy M40 (22.22); 74^th Emmet O’Briain M35 (22.32); 89^thHenry English M35 (22.52); 100^th Chris Muldoon M35 (23.03); 122^ndWill Morris M35 (23.36); 131^st Paul O’Callaghan (23.44); 134^thDes Tremble M40 (23.52); 145^th Luke Boland (24.08); 166^thAndrew Cusack (25.05); 168^th Niall J. O’Reilly (25.16); 174^thTom Fagan M45 (25.27); `176^th Noel Conway (25.38); 185^th Joe Murphy (26.08); 186^th Peter Nugent M45 (26.09); 188^th Stephen Dawson (26.42)

Team: 1^st Leevale AC (83); 2^ndDonore Harriers <McMahon; Kelly; O’Connell; Fitzgibbon> (84); 3^rdSt. Abban’s AC (118); 19^th Donore Harriers B (456); 21^stDonore Harriers C (607)

Note: O’Connell and Fitzgibbon on Dublin team that won team silver behind Cork

Other results:

Jingle Bells 5km at Phoenix Park (6/12/14): 1^stJohn Travers (14.05) course record; 15^th John Dunne M35 (15.39) PB second in category; 20^th Dave Heffernan M35 (16.06); 105^th/ 14^th women Ide NicDhomhnaill (18.06); 112^th / 16^thwoman Sorcha NicDhomhnaill (18.14); 139^th Bernard Byrne (18.36); 166^thMaura Kearns (19.20); 262^nd Johnny Brady M45 (21.15); 277^thJona Kalemi (21.42); 283^rd Aoife O’Sullivan (22.05); 37^thCatherine McKeon F35 (23.55); 488^th Pauline Fagan F45 (26.30); 592^ndRoisin Mahony F40 (27.52); 597^th Robyn O’Keeffe FJ (28.18); 851^stCarmel Lawlor F45 (37.41)

Waterford Half-Marathon (6/12/14): 62^nd/ 4^th woman Anne Curley F35 (1.23.14); 136^th Colin Morrissey (1.27.35) PB; 240^th Niall P. O’Reilly (1.31.34); 605^thMary Murphy F40 (1.44.31)

Tymon Parkrun 5km (6/12/14): 5^th/ 1^st woman Samantha Conroy F35 (20.47)

Griffeen Parkrun 5km (6/12/14): 1^stGeorge Brady M35 (17.36)

JUVENILE REPORT:

Two weeks after winning the national under 14s cross country championship Fathi Aden stepped up an age group to compete in the under 15s category in the National Juvenile Uneven Age championships at Santry Demesne on Sunday (7/12/14). It proved to be a tough assignment! His cause was not helped by a cautious start that found him well adrift of the leaders at they headed out along the first of 3 laps on an undulating and mud-laden 3.5km course. Picking his way through the field of 130 starters he got up to a high of 15^th position by the end of lap two. However he paid the price for his mid-race efforts and faded to 21^stplace at the finish line.

Sekeriye Ahmed competed with distinction in the same race. After a steady start he ran with great determination to pick his way past a host of runners to place 27^th overall. Both Fathi and Sekeriye were scoring members of the Dublin team (137 points) that placed second behind winners Cork (131) in the inter-county competition. Clare (250) came third.

Michael Gibbs, a late call-up to the Dublin team, placed 94^thin the Boys under 17s race over 5.000 metres. This was Michael’s debut at a national competition and the experience should auger well for his future in the sport.

A number of Donore Harriers juvenile members competed in the Jingle Bells 5 kilometres road race at the Phoenix Park on Saturday (6/12/14). Daniel Brady, Claire O’Connor, Roisin Brady, Elena Gaina, Taylor Robertson, Robert Lynch, Sophie O’Farrell, Sadbh Parker, Suzie O’Farrell, Alannah McCauley and Robyn O’Keeffe were joined by Ben Halpin, Shannon Verdon-Byrne, Teigan Doran and Justin Maher from the Fit4Youth group in completing the course.

Results in brief: -

National Juvenile Uneven Age Cross Country Championships at Santry Demesne (7/12/14)

u/15s Boys (3.500m): 21^st Fathi Aden (stepping up); 27^thSekeriye Ahmed (both boys won silver medals as part of Dublin team in the county championships)

u/17s Boys (5.000m): 94^th Michael Gibbs