Drogheda & District A.C. has seen a whirlwind of running events over the past two weeks, with athletes taking on challenges across the country and even venturing abroad.
The Easter eggs are well and truly eaten, never to be mentioned during training, with the weeks ahead making for intense training to work off those chocolatey pounds, while this week Storm Kathleen raged her blustery winds across the country tearing down trees left right and centre but she didn’t stop our runners performing to the best of their ability with our dedicated runners braving the elements, determined to push themselves to new heights.
Earlier in the week, some of our steadfast DDAC members opted to trade Easter eggs for racing shoes, showcasing their commitment at the Moynalty AC 4 Mile Road Race. It was a true family affair, with Nuala Reilly completing the race in 32:09, Aishling Reilly finishing in 35:06, and Olivia Reilly crossing the line in 36:13.
Meanwhile, on Easter Monday, the Dundalk Gaels 5K saw Matthew O’Shea storm to 3rd place in a fiercely competitive race against Declan Toal and Maurice McMahon of North East Runners, in the end O’Shea took the lead clocking an impressive time of 16:29. Hugh Callan completed the race in a strong 20:43, while Glenn Gorman finished in 27:59.
Elsewhere, Dominick Branigan took the long trip to conquer the Mallow 10 Mile with a fantastic result of 1:02:44, showcasing his strength and endurance on the road. DDAC’s Tadhg Donnelly represented Iona University, New York, at the Raleigh Relays, achieving a new personal best with a time of 13:53.12.
This week had its fair share of races far and wide, DDAC members faced the daunting challenge of Storm Kathleen in the Bear Races Dundalk Half Marathon & 10K. As flat as the roads are in Dundalk the strong winds made for a challenging race but despite the adverse conditions, our runners tackled the course with grit and determination, with notable performances across both distances.
In the 10K race, Anna Marie Bolton completed the course in 1:24:22, Fiona Branigan finished in 59:40, Paul Browne crossed the line in 51:36, Claire Corcoran finished in 1:09:20, Liam Farrell completed the race in 53:07, and Sarah Monaghan finished in 1:29:10.
For the Half Marathon, Seamus Flannery completed the distance in 1:26:29, while Emmett Stevenson finished in 1:53:33, and Barney Flannery crossed the line in 2:14:37.
In Tyrone, the Carroll family embraced the winds at the Omagh Half Marathon & 5K, securing impressive results in their respective categories. Aine Carroll finished the 5K in 23:30, earning 2nd place in the Female U15 category, while Niamh Carroll completed the distance in 25:20, securing 2nd place in the Female U17 category whilst coach and mother to the girls Maeveen Carroll finished in 32:28.
And finally, a group of 20 DDAC’ers after months of training in what must have been the wettest and longest winter we’ve seen in years finally had their pay off and embraced the vibrant atmosphere and historical streets of the 2024 Berlin Half Marathon, with Johnny Breen finishing in a whopping 01:24:15, David Lennon crossing the line in 01:39:37, and Martin Duffy completing the distance in 01:44:59. Theresa Eccles finished in 01:56:49, Elva Maree in 01:57:14, and Karen O’Connell in 01:59:39.
A few notable results included Paul Reilly finishing in 01:43:47, Michael Aylward completing the race in 01:48:24, Joe Carroll finishing in 01:50:17, Brenda Kirwan crossing the line in 02:04:22, Unai Diaz Orueta completing the distance in 02:05:09, Raymond Hoey finishing in 02:10:43, Louise Irvin Aylward in 02:23:22, Alan Floyd in 02:25:11 and lastly Mairead O’Connell in a great 02:59:37.
A full list of our athletes and their outstanding performances can be found on the Drogheda & District A.C. Facebook page.
