Report by Margaret Crowley
Thanks to Will Greensmyth for the photos and selfie!
Congratulations to all Sportsworld athletes who took part in Round 5 of Dublin Athletics Graded Meetings in Morton Stadium, Santry. It was a bright but windy (wind 15.2) summer’s evening and there was a good representation from the club competing. The evidence of Saturday morning track training sessions was there for all to see.
The night opened with the 200m and, here, the club was represented by Margaret Crowley. Margaret ran in the B Grade and completed the sprint in 32.25 sec. With some more practice on the track and starting from the blocks, this time should be easily lowered.
Next up was another female athlete, Catherine Mulleady. Catherine has only recently started competing in the graded meetings and her huge track potential is indisputable. Catherine was a newcomer to the Grade B 1500m but still ran it in a remarkable 05:21, a great achievement.
Next up was the Men’s Grade C 1500m where Sportsworld was proudly represented by both Will Greensmyth and Kevin Curran. Will is no stranger to the track and looked very comfortable finishing in 04:43. Kevin strategically paced himself for the entire race and finished strong resulting in a time of 04:46. Martin Keenan coming back from injury ran the Grade D 1500m in 4:45. Martin is targeting the National Masters Track & Field Championship on July 26th in Offaly; where he hopes to add to the National Indoor 1500m bronze medal he picked up in March this year.
The Men’s Grade B 1500m was the race of the night for Sportsworld where Gareth Murran won a well deserved gold medal. From the moment the gun went off, Gareth was in a strong position battling it out for the lead. In the final 400m Gareth was coming in second place to Sam Allen of Donore Harriers. With only 150m to go, Gareth had the strength to take the lead and sprinted it out to finish line. A remarkable win for Gareth and a great lesson on pace and control to novice track runners.
Last but not least was the 5000m races. Justin McKeever represented Sportsworld in the Grade C Category, which was combined with Men’s Grade B and the Women’s Championship race. Justin only recently started Saturday morning track training with the club and was extremely keen to enter in the graded meets. Justin achieved a PB of 17.43 in his first track race. Justin has since confirmed that he will be back for more PBs in the upcoming graded meets. The Women’s Championship race was won by renowned Ann-Marie McGlynn, with Siobhan O’Doherty strongly finishing second followed by Una Britton.
The final race of the night was the Grade A 5000m. This was where the true elite runners appeared to be completely invincible. Karol Cronin was running for Sportsworld and ran an outstanding race finishing in15.28. Karol’s strength, stamina and endurance was easily observed as he completed the 12.5 laps of the track, running each lap as strong as the previous one. Mick Clohisey from Raheny AC won the gold medal for this championship race. The Raheny runner was strong from the start but broke away from the group in the last 1000m passing the finish line in 14.30.
Many thanks to both Dave and Joe for all their words of encouragement and continued support on the evening. The support from Sportsworld members always exceeds expectations at events like this. If anyone would be interested in competing in the next graded met, it is scheduled to be on in Tallaght on the 01 July. Track training will continue on Saturday mornings at 9am on the Tallaght Track. Club members of all levels are welcome and encouraged to attend. The club pays the fees and everyone has the option to avail of the changing facilities afterwards.
For full results ref: Graded 5 Results
Details of Graded 6 Wednesday July 1st Tallaght Stadium: Graded 6 Program
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