By Simon Gregory
It was another busy week for Drogheda & District AC, with members competing across road races, graded track meetings and championship competition, collecting impressive performances and podium finishes along the way.
The action got underway on Thursday evening at the Clonee 10K, where exceptionally warm temperatures provided an extra challenge for the 500-plus runners on the start line. Despite the difficult conditions, Ruaidhri Nolan produced another outstanding run, finishing fifth overall in an impressive time of 34:51 while also taking first place in the M40 category. Dean Smith also coped well with the heat to finish in 42:57, while Mike Staunton completed another solid performance for the club in 54:37.
On Friday evening, attention turned to the St. Coca’s AC 5K, another popular fixture on the summer road racing calendar. Aaron Hanlon continued his remarkable run of form, finishing fifth overall in a blistering 14:31, just 22 seconds behind the race winner. Colin Dyas was next home for DDAC, producing another excellent sub-16-minute performance with 15:43.
The women’s squad also featured strongly, with Anna Isgrò and Kathryn Meade both running confidently to finish just over the 20-minute mark, while Nuala Reilly and Aishling Reilly completed another successful evening for the club. It was another race that showcased the strength and depth of DDAC across all age groups.
There was also track action during the week, with several athletes competing at the latest Dublin Graded Meet in Santry.
Robbie Keane continued his excellent season by finishing third in the Grade C 1500m in a time of 4:23.54. In the 400m, Austin McCann recorded 57.17 in Grade C, while Alan Wade claimed third place in the Grade D race with a time of 59.65. Paul Stuart also dipped under 61 seconds, finishing in 1:00.36, while Niall Donnelly recorded 4:51.76 over 1500m. Sophie Kinsella clocked 1:05.82 in the women’s 400m, while Mary Kinsella followed closely with a time of 1:07.14, both delivering solid performances as they continue to build form during the summer season.
The week’s racing concluded with more championship success at the Northern Ireland Masters Championships. Jimmy English continued his outstanding season by claiming silver in the M60 400m with a superb run of 55.94 seconds and Tony Corcoran also enjoyed an excellent series of races, taking bronze medals in both the M60 100m and 200m events with times of 14.33 and 30.14 respectively.
With road racing in full swing and the track season continuing to gather pace, DDAC athletes are enjoying one of the busiest periods of the year. From local road races to graded meetings and championship competition, it was another week full of strong performances, personal achievements and plenty of encouragement as the club looks ahead to another exciting spell of summer athletics.
