By Simon Gregory
Photo: Juveniles – Aine McHugh, Dara Jein, and Casey McLoughlin at the National Championships
It was another packed weekend of competition for Drogheda & District AC, with athletes representing the club at national juvenile championships, one of Ireland’s most prestigious road races and the Irish Runner 5 Mile Challenge in Dublin.
The weekend’s standout stories came from both ends of the age spectrum, as the club’s youngest athletes gained valuable national championship experience while senior athletes continued to produce impressive performances on the roads.
At the Juvenile Children’s Games and U12 Championships in Tullamore, three young DDAC athletes proudly represented the club at national level for the first time. Competing on the national stage is a significant milestone for any young athlete, and Aine McHugh, Dara Jein and Casey McLoughlin all rose to the occasion.
Casey produced an excellent run in Heat 4 of the Boys U11 60m Sprint, clocking 9.11 seconds, while Dara recorded 9.67 seconds in Heat 3 of the same event. Aine also ran strongly in the Girls U12 60m Sprint, recording a time of 8.91 seconds in Heat 2.
For all three athletes, simply qualifying to compete at a national championship was an achievement in itself. They represented the club brilliantly and will undoubtedly take confidence and experience from the occasion as they continue their athletics journeys.
On Saturday evening attention turned to the famous Dunshaughlin 10k, regarded as one of the premier road races in Ireland and a fixture that regularly attracts some of the country’s top distance runners.
Drogheda & District AC enjoyed an excellent evening, securing second place in the men’s team competition against a high-quality field. Aaron Hanlon led the charge with a superb fifth-place overall finish in a blistering 29:08. He was backed up by Colin Dyas (32:57), Brian Martin (33:05) and Colin Leonard (33:17) as DDAC claimed the team silver medals.
There were further strong performances from Paddy Murphy, Alan Foley, Andrea McArdle, Nuala Reilly, Martin Duffy, Mike Staunton and Conor Cooney as the club enjoyed another successful outing on the roads.
Earlier on Sunday morning, John Perkins and Joe Hammel represented the club at the Irish Runner 5 Mile Challenge in the Phoenix Park. Conditions were ideal for racing and both athletes took full advantage, with Perkins clocking an impressive 31:20 and Hammel following closely behind in 32:29.
With national championship debuts, team medals and strong performances across several events, it was another rewarding weekend for Drogheda & District AC.
The summer season is now in full swing and, judging by the performances over the past few weeks, there is plenty to look forward to as athletes of all ages continue to wear the club vest with pride.
The weekend concluded with one of the most anticipated local races of the year, the Boyne 5K, which once again attracted a huge turnout from DDAC members. The club was represented right throughout the field and there was plenty to celebrate as both the men’s and women’s teams claimed first place honours.
Sergii Raschupkin led the way with an excellent second-place overall finish in 15:42, while Ruaidhri Nolan and Paul Kierans also finished well inside the top ranks. Robbie Farrell completed the scoring men’s team and celebrated a new personal best in the process. The women’s team of Mary Leech, Yasmin Canning, Helen Dillon and Ciara O’Reilly also produced outstanding performances to secure team victory.
The Boyne 5K has become a firm favourite among local runners and the sight of so many DDAC athletes taking part made for a fitting end to another memorable weekend for the club, well done to Boyne AC on yet another excellently organised event.
With national championship debuts, team medals, personal bests and strong performances across a variety of events, it was another excellent few days for Drogheda & District AC. As the summer season gathers momentum, there is no shortage of racing opportunities ahead and plenty more exciting weekends to look forward to.
