The darker evenings and colder mornings can mean only one thing, the Cross Country season is on the way. Many seasoned athletes truly believe that runners are made in the winter, hence the quote, ‘Winter miles make Summer smiles’.
The season opener for the local Cross Country scene is always the Star of The Sea AC race, which is run over the hilly fields of Dardistown, on the outskirts of Drogheda.
It’s no lie to say that this course is tougher than a skinhead’s boot, with what seem like endless hills, cambered surfaces and a swirling wind thrown in for good measure.
Nevertheless, cometh the hour, cometh the man, and Robbie Keane wearing the red vest of DDAC didn’t disappoint his supporters as he quickly settled in and got down to business, doing battle with some hardy club runners over this testing 6K course.
Working his way through the field, Keane turned the screw on most of his rivals to cross the line in fourth place overall, showing some good athletes a clean pair of heels in the process.
Keane will be pleased with this performance, as he completes his preparations for the upcoming county senior championships which take place in a fortnight’s time.
Also running was training partner Alan Wade who’s been putting in the work in spades over the last couple of months.
Wade’s starting to look light on his feet, and he’s a tough nut to crack once he gets the bit between his teeth. His 16th place finish overall earned him a third in category prize in the M40 division.
Also running well over the fields, but this time out at the weekly Oldbridge Parkrun was David Gallagher who scorched round this challenging 5K course in an eye opening 17:06.
Gallagher isn’t afraid to push himself in training and he’s gearing himself for a big performance at next Sunday’s Louth Masters Cross Country Championships which take place on our home grounds in Newtownstalaban.
This confidence building run couldn’t have come at a better time for this talented athlete.
World Masters Mountain Running Championships
Canfranc in Spain, was the host town for the 23rd World Masters Mountain Running Championships which brought 1,400 runners from 35 different countries to the Pyrenees. The event consisted of three races, an Uphill Only Race, the Classic Mountain Race, and the Long Distance Race.
The competition was open to runners aged 35 and up who represent their home country. The weekend saw mixed weather with colder temperatures on high ground, and even snow on the high peaks early on day one, and high temperatures later in the weekend.
The Irish were out in force with numbers competing across all three races and teams in most categories, bringing home a total of 31 medals across individual and team events, 4 gold, 12 silver and 15 bronze. Amongst them were local runners Aoife Mundow and Pól Ó Murchú, no strangers to the mountains or distance running.
First up on Day one was Pól in the 6km uphill only race, which included no less than 1,000m of elevation, finishing in a time of 1:02:37, 17th in his M40 division and placing third of the Irish, getting a silver medal for his efforts.
Day 2 saw teams competing in the “Long” race, a more technical race over 34km with 2,000m of ascent and descent across two big climbs. Another big performance from Pól who finished in 4:39:07, 14th in his M40 division, and taking home another silver medal for team Ireland.
Last up was the Classic Mountain Race, 17km up and down with 1,000m ascent and descent Pól finished in 2:01:33, and added another silver to the collection.
An impressive performance for Aoife saw her finish second of the Irish, 7th in her F40 division and bringing home a gold team medal with a time of 2:04:57.
Well done to both athletes and all who ran for team Ireland over the three days.
