The 2023 masters cross country championships was held in St. Anne’s Park Raheny on Sunday 8th January 2023 and was hosted by Raheny Shamrocks AC.
There were four separate races starting at 12.30 including over F50/F65/M65, M50, F35 and M35.
A crisp, clear morning greeted all the runners – conditions were optimal. Spikes were still a requirement to give confidence in some mucky patches!
As usual, there was an amazing atmosphere with everyone warming up together and trying out the course ground before the starting line. The course was 4km this year for the F35 ladies with a new layout of one small loop and two larger loops.
Emily gave the F35 ladies some amazing tips and encouragement beforehand; my favourite being “make sure to beat the person in front of you as every person matters for the overall team performance”.
This was my second time running in the Raheny cross country race. I felt more confident this year knowing what to expect.
I was part of the F35 team and ran a steady race playing cat and mouse with “Orla” from Raheny Shamrocks. I was delighted to pass her on the sprint to the finish line always keeping Emily’s tip in the back of my mind.
It was amazing to have all the cheering voices from Sportsworld supporters along the route – it really gave you the extra push to perform better. Myles had his new red jacket on, he just needs to get a Sportsworld crest on it!! Thank you to Ellen and Maria for fueling me with coffee before and after the race
Congratulations to Sportsworld on winning the gold medals for the over 35 ladies team. They are Maria JONES, Nicola LENEHAN, Maura GINTY and Lorna QUINN, the GOLDEN Girls of Sportsworld Such an inspiration to us all and Emily was so proud.
Raheny Shamrocks Kate Purcell won the race overall but Sportsworld did extremely well finishing 4th, 6th, 8th,and 11th positions to take the title away from the host club Raheny Shamrocks.
Raheny Shamrocks were deemed the overall winner as they were the Club that won the most points across all categories and were thus awarded the Pat Hooper Perpetual Cup.
Thank you to Raheny for hosting a great event and looking forward to 2024 already!!!
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