Letterkenny Athletic Club held its annual New Year Run on Sunday, with almost 60 runners taking part.
The race winner was Emmet McGinty, City of Derry Spartans, whose time was 16.08. Evergreen, a former valued member of LAC Pauric McKinney, now with Inishowen AC, was 2nd in 16.20.
In-form Paul McFadden was the first LAC runner, in 16.33. He was 3rd and 2nd Senior. Next was another LAC runner in very good current form, Conor Brennan, 16.45.
Mark Nee clocked 19.39, Paul McMonagle 20.14, Liam Ferry 20.29, Peter Gallagher 21.21 and Kevin Ferry 21.28. Eimear Gormley was the winner of the women’s race in 21.19.
Noel Lynch was the 2nd M50 runner in 21.34. Margaret Kelly was the 2nd woman and the 1st F40 in 22.30. Niamh McDaid’s time was 26.14.
LAC is very grateful to the large number of individuals and organisations, who helped with the race in many different ways.
Earlier in the week, Letterkenny AC runners were in action in both the dying embers of 2018 and in the embryonic 2019. Eoin Hughes and Aidan McKenna both had excellent runs in the Lough 5 Mile Race in Loughmacrory, Co Tyrone.
It was held on Monday, 31st December. Teenager Eoin Hughes clocked 27.04, to finish as the 1st Junior Man and 5th overall. Aidan McKenna was also a Category winner.
He took over a minute off last year’s time and came home in 31.55. Aidan won the M45 category. The race, around a tough course, was won by Mark McKinstry, of North Belfast Harriers, in a new course record of 24.38. Almost 800 runners took part.
On the first day of this year, 247 runners took part in the very well organised Raphoe Road Runners 5K, which was won by Finn Valley AC’s Gerard Gallagher in 15.44. The first LAC runner home was Paul McFadden, who was 3rd in a very good time of 16.31.
Nakita Burke carried her superlative 2018 form into 2019, when she won the women’s race in 17.08. She was followed by Sean McFadden, the 2nd M40 runner in 17.20. The M40 winner was Dublin based, former LAC stalwart, Gary Crossan, whose time was 17.00.
Martin Gormley was 2nd in the M50 category in 19.02. Fellow LAC M50 runner, Ciaran O’Donnell, finished in 20.36. Eimear Gormley was 2nd in the Female Open category in 21.04. Richard Raymond was the 3rd M60 runner in 22.41.
Letterkenny Parkrun regular, Cathal Roarty, was also in action on New Year’s Day. He got the year off to a good start in a different Parkrun, the Buncrana Parkrun. His time of 23.21 gave him 2nd place in the M50 category. Michael Melarkey, City of Derry AC, was first across the line in 17.54.
Cathal was back in Parkrun action on Saturday in his more familiar surroundings of Letterkenny. He was, again, the 2nd M50 runner, in a time of 23.57.
The leading LAC runner was Liam Ferry, in 21.28. Liam was a top 10 finisher and the leading M40 runner. Anthony Farren clocked 24.36.
Dara Dunne had a fine debut in the Parkrun and was the leading F50 runner in 24.55. Young runners, Eabha and Ciara Daly, both had their fastest Parkruns.
Eabha was the leading JW11-14 runner in 30.23 and, just 1 second adrift, Ciara was the 1st JW10 runner. The 1st runner home was Mark Carolan in 18.53.
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