A very strong field took to the line in the second annual Michael Murphy Sports Mile/3K road race at the weekend.
In the blue-ribbon event on St Patrick’s Day, Letterkenny AC highlighted the club’s strength, with two young athletes running in the Elite Invitational Mile. Emma Bonner displayed her bravery, following Olympian Eilish Flanagan closely through the halfway mark, before turning for home and finishing with a fantastic time of 5:15. In a field consisting of Olympic, European & Commonwealth games athletes, Anna Russell held her own, dipping under 6 minutes, finishing in an impressive time of 5 minutes and 53 seconds.
Danny Mooney of Letterkenny AC secured 2nd place overall in the 3K race with a time of 8:36. Mooney was outpaced by John Travers of Donore AC who led the race from gun to tape, crossing the line in a course record of 8 minutes and 30 seconds. John McCallion followed with a strong 4th place finish, clocking 9:06, while Philip McHugh rounded out an impressive top 5 showing for the club with a time of 9:08. Mark McPaul and Eoghan McGinley had a sprint for the finish line, recording identical times of 9:16 to claim 7th and 8th positions respectively. John Foley completed the club’s sub-10-minute performances with a time of 9:37, securing 15th place overall.
Cian Friel (10:06), Michael Harkin (10:10), Stephen Robinson (10:14) & Ewan Summers (10:19) finished in quick succession, battling hard to break the 10:30 barrier. John Gibbons (10:31) made his return to running, just pipping Enda McLaughlin (10:33) and Dessie Shiels (10:48). Eamonn McEldowney (11:15) led home a tight group of athletes that included Paul McMonagle (11:20), Henry Lyons (11:22), and Mark Nee (11:23). Luke Sweeney followed closely with a time of 11:31 in 56th position.
Eva Nic Giolla Bháin led the Letterkenny AC women with a strong performance, finishing with a time of 11:50. Adrian Callaghan (11:51) and Cara Harkin (11:51) finished with identical times, with Peter Gallagher following closely in 11:54. Michael Mooney (11:55) and Sinead George (11:57) completed the club’s sub-12-minute performances. Ray McDermott (12:14), Stephen Shiels (12:16), Abbey Harkin (12:20) finished just ahead of Tadhg McKenna (12:25).
One of the most anticipated competitions of the day, with double pocket money on the line, saw Niamh Woods (12:31) sprint hard, breaking the tape just 1 second in front of her dad Stephen Woods (12:32).
David McFadden (12:35) and Robert Kavanagh (12:40) maintained the club’s consistent performances throughout the field. John J Cannon (13:01), Bernard Lyons (13:03), and Denis Shields (13:04) all finished within a tight 3-second window, showcasing remarkable consistency. Christopher Doherty (13:15), Frank Pinder (13.21) and Niamh McDaid (13:27) continued the club’s strong showing, with P.J Lyons following in 89th position with a time of 13:38. Louis Deery-Smith (14:43), Paul Toner (14:47), and Ciaran O Donnell (14:48) demonstrated the club’s depth across all performance levels.
Benjamin Deery-Smith (15:32), Claire Price (15:45), Noelle Lynch (16:29), James Doherty (16:44), Noreen Pinder (19:13), Bridget Friel (19:28), Maria McMullen (20:52) and Angela McGee (21:06) completed the club’s participation, with every athlete contributing to what was an exceptional showing for Letterkenny AC.
The Letterkenny Athletic Club committee would like to extend an invitation to all members, past and present to discuss the plans for the new club house. All members are encouraged to attend one of two meetings held this week; Thursday (20th March) from 6-7pm and Saturday (22nd March) 1-2pm. All meetings will take place in Aura Leisure Centre.
