Smiles and sunshine light up Drogheda 10K
Spectators lined the steps of St Peter's Church and the length of West Street, cheering on athletes from across the region in what turned out to be a festival of sport, community, and heartfelt stories.
At the front of the pack, it was Sean Doran of Clonliffe Harriers AC who claimed victory in an impressive time of 32 minutes and 13 seconds, with Drogheda & District AC's Paul Smith following closely behind in 33:32, earning him both the runner-up position and the Over-40s category win.
Colin Dyas continued his strong form with a standout 34:45, while Rodney Thornton clocked a top-10 finish in 37:12.
Just outside his personal best, Paul Kierans crossed the line in 38:02, contributing alongside Colin, Rodney and Paul Smith to claim the Louth County Team Prize.
In the second wave, Jordi Romera was thrilled with his performance, finishing in 38:07. Aedan Prone pushed to the line with grit, clocking 38:11, while the returning Colm Reilly proved he's still got it with a time of 38:35.
Newcomer Shaun Conroy had perhaps the debut of the year, completing the challenging course in 40:11, while veteran Paddy Murphy claimed the Over-50s title with a solid 40:41.
But it wasn't just about times and trophies. The atmosphere was electric and joyful, with spectators soaking in the sun and applauding every effort. The course offered runners stunning views - from the climb up Rathmullen to the serene banks of the Boyne and the sweep of Mary McAleese Bridge over fields golden and green. Highlights included Nuala Reilly, running in aid of the Derek Winters family, and the inspiring duo Linda and Barney Flannery, who completed the race to raise awareness for sight loss in sport - running blind and side-by-side every step of the way.
The 2025 Drogheda 10K wasn't just a race. It was a celebration of endurance, unity, and love - on every corner, bridge and finish line cheer.
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Irish Daily Mirror
a day ago
- Irish Daily Mirror
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Irish Times
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FAI Cup draw: Holders Drogheda United to open defence against Crumlin United
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Irish Independent
4 days ago
- Irish Independent
Magnificent May as Drogheda & District AC youngsters show their mettle
The club had athletes competing in Leinster Schools and Louth county individual and relay championships, along with Leinster relays and combined events competitions. At the Louth Juvenile Track & Field Championships there were outstanding performances from individuals and relay teams, with more than 60 athletes competing in a range of track and field events. Drogheda & District AC's final haul was 33 individual medals along with five gold and two bronze medals in the relays. Junior athlete and Leaving Cert student Louis O'Shea is new to athletics as this is his first full year of training and competing, and at the North Leinster Schools Senior Boys 400m he finished second in 50.6sec (hand-timed). Louis gained automatic qualification for the Leinster finals in Tullamore where he finished seventh with a time of 51.44sec on a very blustery day, and that run suggests that there is plenty more to come from this young man. Outstanding individual performances at the Louth Championships came from the Cunningham sisters Beatrice and Hannah. In the Girls U14 1500m Hannah finished second, running a super time of 5:10.8, while Beatrice also finished second in the U15 1500m in another great time of 5:04.89 and picked up another silver medal in the 800m with a time of 2:22.6. These were remarkable performances from these very young girls, propelling them both into the top 10 in the current Louth senior ranking list. The outstanding performances in the relays came from the Girls U11 team of Laura Clarke, Lucy Cooney, Eabha Flynn and Aine McHugh. This team had two magnificent runs when becoming Louth champions and going on to finish seventh in the Leinster final. The U15 team - comprising Bonnie Breach, Eve Russell, Emily Cooney and Dani Nolan- finished a striking sixth in the Leinster final. In the field events Drogheda & District AC have a lot of new talent emerging and at the Pre Louths Euan Kirwan finished third in the Boys U14 shot put, while in the Girls U12 turbo javelin Lucy Russell came second and Nancy Clerkin third. At the Louth Championships Nancy Clerkin continued her fine early season form when finishing second in the U12 Girls shot putt. In the U14 javelin for boys Cillian Russell placed second, and in the U13 Girls event Isabella Ojo St Paul came third. In the U15 high jump for girls there was gold medal joy for Dani Nolan, while Cormac Russell scooped third in the U19 Boys category. Two long jumpers from the club picked up bronze medals, Sam McGinn (U15) and Cormac Russell (U19). Turning to the 1500m, Aine Carroll had a very good run to win the U17 Girls race in a new personal best, and over the same distance Niamh Carroll was third in the U19 race and Eleanor McMahon (U15) placed sixth. There was more medal success in the 600m races as Eve Cunningham (U11) came second and Dearbhla Johnston placed third in the U12 event, with two other U12s - Yasman Nuri and Cian Bolton - just missing out when placing fourth. There were second places for two of Drogheda & District's 100m sprinters, Michael Iloduba (Boys U16) and Ruby Berrill (Girls U17), with Bonnie Breach third in the Girls U15 race. Over 60m Aine McHugh came second and Eabha Flynn fourth in the U11 Girls final and Dearbhla Johnston third in the U12 race, while turning to the boys there was silver for Semi Johnston (U9) and two medals in the U10 race as Jack O'Connor stormed to victory and Rocco Kermode placed third. Last but not least, Drogheda & District;s Eve Russell, Emily Garvey and Emily Cooney placed second, third and fourt respectively in the Girls U14 200m.
