The spring road season is now in full swing all over the country. Donore runners are also travelling abroad for the Spring marathon season.

The BHAA road league started with the 2 mile and 4 mile races in the St Anne’s Park in Raheny. In the 2 mile race Aisling Swaine was very impressive coming 4th place in the 2 mile in 11.28. Maura Kearns finished in 12.09 in 9th place – both runners are getting geared up for the National Road Relays coming soon. Janette Strickland ran 14.27 and Ann Woodlock was 1st W75 in 17.45. In the 4 mile men’s race, there were 3 Donore runners in the top 6 – Chris Muldoon 4th in 21.45, Fergal Swaine 5th 21.54 and 2nd M40 , Robert Clougher was 6th in 22.08. Alasdair Brown is making a comeback from injury and was 24th in 24.00.

The next day, several Donore runners took to the roads of the Phoenix Park for the Great Ireland Run/National 10k. Before the 10k was the Great Ireland 5k and Emmet Ó Briain had a great win here in a time of 16.49. Neil Hand ran 18.22.

First off in the Great Ireland run were the elite women and AAI club women. The race is notorious for its tough second half which includes the uphills after the Wellington monument, the S-bends and the Furry Glen before a long run into the finish. First home for the Donore women and 2nd W35 Aislinn Nic Dhomhnaill who is back on the road scene with a bang – she finished in a super 38.27. Bronagh Elliott was next in 42.24 and Karla Doran is making a good comeback from injury finishing in 42.51. Together, this trio won team gold in the Masters division. Not far off was Audrey Gahan in just under 44 minutes a new PB for her, Angela Eustace ran 44.20, Mairead Kirby – new to road running in 44.27 (PB), Fiona Barrins first outing in the Donore singlet got a 46.14 (PB), Nicola Dowdall 46.52, Lee Chambers 47.13 (PB), Catherine MKeon 51.54, Dana Mackey was delighted with her 52.07 PB, Jo Hughes 53.52, Michelle Dawson 55.02, Ann Rush 58.14, Deirdre Brennan 69.29 Sarah Kelly 77.05. Among these results were a good contingent from the Fit4Life group.

In the next wave were the elite, the club men and the masses. First home for the men was Des Tremble 34.54 who just missed on bronze in the M45 class and Barry Potts and Terry Mee won medals in their agegroups – next in were
Patrick Byrne 36.29
Alan Farrell 36.39
Andrew wilson 37.48
Declan Lynch 38.15
Ciaran Ryan 41.19 (PB)
Craig Scott 42.02
Barry Potts 42.20 (2nd M65)
Giovanni Borza 42.40,
Stephen Dawson 43.02
Terry Mee 48.01 (1st M70)
Arthur Connick 49.44

At the Sonny Murphy 10 mile race in Kilnaboy Clare, Sinead Finn raced in her native county finishing in 75 minutes.

Meanwhile futher afield some Donore runners were running European marathons on what were hot conditions all over continental Europe. In a warm Rotterdam Anthony Flannery ran a super 2.36. Next in was Florence Curley in 3.10.39 – a little disappointed to be 3 minutes slower than last year. Peter Bonnar finished in 4.06 and is going in the Connemara marathon again next week! In the Paris Marathon, Guillaume Nolain had a tough day and finished in 4.24 – again hot conditions with temperatures climbing to 24 degrees there.

At the IUAA championships in Cork IT, Niamh O’Neill ran 11.34.81 (14th) in the 3000m.

Report by Florence Curley