Roxane makes history at Mayo.ie Western People Women's Mini Marathon
Western People Mayo.ie Women's Mini Marathon winner Roxane Sands, left, of Moy Valley AC alongside er clubmate Grace Tighe, who finished sixth. Picture: Western People
Ballina came to standstill as the 17th edition of the Mayo.ie Western People West of Ireland Women’s Mini Marathon was held in the north Mayo capital this afternoon.
Over 2,100 women were registered for the 10km event, which is organised by the Mayo Sports Partnership in conjunction with Mayo.ie and the Western People and is the biggest women’s only event in the west of Ireland, while over 1,000 youngsters who took part in the Mini Mini race, which is comprised of national school students from across the county.
It was a historic race as Bofeenaun native Roxane Sands, who runs with Moy Valley Athletic Club, became the youngest winner of the Women’s Mini Marathon at the age of 14, eclipsing the record that was set only a year ago by Freya Renton, who won the event aged 15.
Sands, a student of St Joseph’s Secondary School Castlebar, crossed the line in time of 37:13. Breege Connolly, who ran in the marathon the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, was runner-up in a time of 37.30 while Ballina native Serena Tuffy, of Dundrum AC, was third in 37:34.
Completing the top six were Norah Pieterse (4th, Mayo AC, 38:25), Sinead Whitelaw (5th, Mullingar Harriers, 39.06) and Roxane’s clubmate Grace Tighe (6th, 39:10) in a race that saw sunny conditions come race time after rain throughout the morning.
Moy Valley AC also completed a clean sweep of the Mini Mini podium places. Arianna O’Flynn was first past the line in the 2km race, closely followed by Cora Naughton and Joe Tighe.
