The summer racing season is well and truly underway with the athletes of Drogheda & District AC starting to feel the heat, and not just on the warmer days.
Early in the week the juvenile members of DDAC were out in force at the Louth relays in the Lourdes Stadium on 24 May. There were some strong and promising performances in all categories as athletes put in a great team effort and showed great determination in all their races.
There were silver medals for the U17 boys and U15 girls as well as bronze for the U15 boys. Our youngest members also showed great promise for the future with bronze medals for the U9 girls.
This was the biggest turn out to date in the U9, U10 and U11 categories with over 11 relay teams taking part, seven of those were girls’ teams. This is a testament to the time and effort put in by DDAC coaches who have nurtured these young athletes over many years.
Drogheda and District AC made a remarkable showing at the recently concluded Star of the Sea 5K race. Despite a challenging hilly course, 17-year-old, Chris Keenan, achieved an impressive third place, trailing just behind Olympian Andrew Corcoran and famed Kenyan runner Peter Somba, with a commendable time of 15.40.
This notable performance was complemented by the DDAC ladies team, consisting of Mary Leech, Helen Dillon, and Andrea McArdle. The trio displayed excellent teamwork, securing a silver medal finish. Although they narrowly missed out on the prestigious Michelle McKiernan cup, the result was a testament to their dedication and tenacity.
Christopher Keenan in action during the Star of the Sea 5K.
Adding to the club’s success, the presentation ceremony was marked by loud cheers for popular veterans Conor Cooney and Nuala Reilly. The athletes were rewarded for their unwavering efforts, with Conor securing third and Nuala first in their respective categories. The Star of the Sea 5K was, without a doubt, a shining testament to Drogheda and District AC’s impressive sporting prowess, exemplifying success across all age groups and categories.
Further afield, our DDAC athletes slogged a long drive to Carlow’s SETU South Sports Campus to compete alongside the finest athletes the east coast has to offer in the Leinster Junior Senior and Masters T&F Championships. The scorching heat crept in to keep the pressure on our athletes for the entirety of the weekend however they didn’t allow the high temperatures to hinder their performances.
In the over 55 category in the 400m, Gerry O’Connor’s stamina and agility shone through in a more than pleasing 1st place in a time of 1.02.73. O’Connor breezed through the competition in a category dominated with determined athletes in no less than 3 heats.
Meanwhile in the Women’s over 65 100m, bent on showing everyone her stamina, Mary Flanagan placed a more than satisfactory 1st in 20.86 leaving the competition behind.
Jimmy English (414), Tony Corcoran, Mary Flanagan (194), Frank Cruise (400), Gerry O’Connor (407) and Andrew Kelly at the Leinster Junior Senior and Masters T&F Championships.
In the men’s over 60 100m, Tony Corcoran placed a whopping 2nd in a time of 13.85 with Frank Cruise hot on his heels to place 3rd in 13.95, both have been training hard together feeding from each other’s determination to outperform the best of the best as their times have proven. And as if his place wasn’t good enough, Cruise came back determined to trudge through the beating sun contending in the 200m to place an astounding 2nd in 30.52.
Lastly we have Andrea McCabe representing in the women’s over 50 800m with a strong time of 3.08.63, McCabe contested in a strongly competitive category with fine runners from different age groups including our own Kerry McHugh who gave the other runners a challenge with a time of 3.24.01.
