Full blooded effort by Mayo runners at half marathon event
The large contingent of runners who represented Mayo AC at the National Half Marathon Championships which were held in Tullamore last Saturday.
Mayo AC had a big day out at Tullamore last Saturday, August 30. The club bus took most of their 39 competitors to the National Half-marathon Championships.
The race was incorporated into the annual Bord Na Móna Tullamore Harriers half-marathon. The local club also hosted the National Half in 2023. A number of the Mayo AC runners were familiar with the course.
The race started at Tullamore Harriers Stadium and took in a mainly flat route through Muclagh, Kilburn and Cloonagh before finishing with a lap of the stadium track.
Despite difficult wet and windy conditions, all Mayo AC participants – 15 women and 24 men – ran brilliantly. Their first runner across the finish line on the stadium track was Trevor Dempsey in 1:16.42 just ahead of Eamonn Joyce (1:16.57), with Michael Rocke (1:21.19) third of the Mayo AC contingent.
Colette Tuohy was their eleventh finisher and first woman home in 1:29.36. That's a great time by one of the club's greatest servants. She's won many medals over the years and was rewarded again with a well-deserved gold in the W55 category. She was followed by clubmates Eimear Fitzmaurice in 1:36.10 and Una Mayock 1:36.24.
Mayo AC finished with silver medals in the W35 team competition – Colette Tuohy, Eimear Fitzmaurice, Una Mayock – while there was bronze for the W50 team – Ruth Carney, Mary Browne, and Joan Walsh.
Achill-based Paraic Sweeney won gold in his final year in the M70 category in a new half-marathon pb of 1:37.25. Mary Browne was also an excellent gold medal winner in the W65 category in 1:44.17. There were also a number of personal best times despite the conditions.
The race winners were Jake O’Regan from St John’s AC in 1:07.25, and Ann-Marie McGlynn of Strabane AC in 1:15.10.
