With the Off-Road County Championship done and dusted and many club runners looking towards Dublin Marathon, a post-season feel has fallen over mountains and trails and so it began with the traditional Leinster League ‘outro’ of the Mountain Meitheal Handicap Race and the Mountain Rescue Benefit Run on Paddock Hill.
This week’s report ends on a triple header from yesterday….
Mountain Meitheal Handicap
Angus Tyner took the win in the handicapped race up at Lough Tay and he set the 21st fastest actual time in the process with Graham Bush running well (7th fastest) and Loraine Creane (2nd fastest woman) not able to overcome their handicaps – finishing well down the handicapped ranking.
| RESULT (actual ranking – not handicapped( |
| 1. Daire Finn () 0:37:20 |
| ——GLENDALOUGH AC RUNNERS————- |
| 7. Graham Bushe 0:45:56 (1st M55) |
| 21. Angus Tyner 0:49:50 (winner on handicap) |
| 49. Loraine Creane 0:53:44 (2nd F40) |
Mountain Rescue Benefit Hill Run
Graham Bush had a terrific run to finish 5th continuing his scintillating late summer form. Chris Willoughby also ran well and got 2nd M50 as a reward. Eoin Phelan , Andy Walker, Colm and James rounded out our six man contingent on the local slopes of Paddock.
| RESULT |
| 1. Andy Keeling (Brothers Pearse AC) 0:36:17 |
| ——GLENDALOUGH AC RUNNERS————- |
| 5. Graham Bushe 0:37:37 (1st M55) |
| 16. Chris willoughby 0:40:13 (2nd M50) |
| 31. Eoin Phelan 0:44:31 |
| 46. Andy Walker 0:49:32 |
| 48. Colm Kenna 0:51:23 |
| 52. James Heggie 0:53:02 |
Hardanger 43k
Paul Duffy took on one of the longest trail race he has ever undertaken (the longest?) and possibly his longest ever race and he chose the unforgiving hills and slopes of the Norwegian mountains as the staging ground for this in the Hardangervidda 43 km trail race with 1666m climb. He said ‘I think gruelling just about captures it’ and he finished in 8 hours 12 minutes in 129th place. The cross-country season will seem easy now….
| RESULT |
| 1. Steffen Brufladt (Romerike Ultraløperklub) 4:07:52 |
| ——GLENDALOUGH AC RUNNERS————- |
| 129. Paul Duffy 8:12:37 |
Zuiderparkrun
Richard decided 7 hours and 55 minutes less running than that was just about right with another solid local Parkrun in The Haag – 17:54 and 2nd place (and 1st M45).
It was the 28th 5 km run by a club members this year and Richard has run the four fastest (three in Zuiderparkrun) and is the only club member to break 18 minutes this year (something Richard has done in 4 out of his 6 races on the distance).
| RESULT |
| 1. William Jardine (Durham City Harriers) 0:17:07 |
| ——GLENDALOUGH AC RUNNERS————- |
| 2. Richard Costelloe 0:17:54 |
Tullamore Half-marathon
Finally the National and Leinster Half-marathon took place on the fast course in Tullamore where Donna, Gavin, Nora and Fiona Smyth were in action. No club or county medals were secured this time around but Nora Butler got a club best by nearly three minutes of 1:40.
| RESULT |
| 1. Colin Maher (Ballyfin AC) 1:09:05 |
| ——GLENDALOUGH AC RUNNERS————- |
| 207. Donna Quinn 1:32:18 |
| 267. Gavin Kennedy 1:36:05 |
| 377. Nora Butler 1:40:57 (Club Best, PB?) |
| 1150. Fiona Smyth 2:18:35 |
Glendalough AC 