Mayo team wins silver at major Connacht event
Some of the Mayo AC team members who competed at the Connacht Cross-Country Championships at Ballinrobe Racecourse. Back row, from left: Mags Glavey, Colette Tuohy and Paula Donnellan. Front from left: Pauline Moran, Mary Browne, Joan Walsh, John Jennings and Angela O’Connor
Athletics: The third and final leg of the Connacht Cross Country Championships took place in sunny and calm conditions at Ballinrobe Racecourse on Sunday, November 9. It was hosted by Mayo Athletics County Board and Lake District AC who combined to organise a very full schedule and an excellent day of cross-country races.
Uneven ages races were followed by senior men who ran 6000m and women, along with over-65s men, who ran 4500m. The distances were the same as on the previous two legs.
The Connacht Cross-country League (for senior and masters athletes) was based on the best two results of competitors over the three legs. Mayo AC women won silver team medals with Angela O’Connor, Colette Tuohy, Paula Donnellan and Pauline Moran combining to score 63 points. Galway City Harriers AC were the winning team with 15 points.
Mayo AC’s individual medal winners were both in the over-50s women’s event, where Angela O’Connor won silver and Colette Tuohy bronze. Mary Browne was 21st, Joan Walsh 24th and Mags Glavey 27th while Anto Devaney finished 30th in the men’s race, which combined senior, o35 and o50. His Mayo AC clubmate John Jennings took gold in the o65 category.
Meanwhile, the Donegal woman who hit the headlines as the new world record holder of the women’s 100-mile has Mayo connections. Caitríona Jennings is a niece of the aforementioned Pauline Moran. Caitríona Jennings, who is a member of Letterkenny AC, completed the 2025 Tunnel Hill 100 Mile with a time of 12:37:04. She eclipsed the previous record of 12:42:40, which was set by American ultra-runner Camille Herron at the same event in 2017.
