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Irish Independent
11-08-2025
- Sport
- Irish Independent
Yasmin Canning and Colin Dyas lead the Drogheda & District AC challenge in top-class Carlingford 5K
Conditions were near perfect for racing - dry, calm and a comfortable 15 to 16 degrees - and the fast, flat, out-and-back course attracted a top-class field, resulting in a thrilling contest from start to finish. A total of 556 runners crossed the line, cheered on by a lively crowd and rewarded afterwards with generous refreshments in the local parochial hall - a Glenmore AC tradition warmly appreciated by all. Drogheda & District AC athletes were to the fore throughout the evening, producing a string of strong performances. Colin Dyas continued his rich vein of form from the previous week's Duleek 10K, finishing an impressive 18th in 15:54 - a personal best by two seconds amidst elite competition. One of the standout performances came from Paul Kierans who stormed home in 16:42, a superb result that turned plenty of heads on the night. Close behind was Rodney Thornton in 16:46, a very solid showing in such a deep field. Barry Foley, a relatively new face on the road racing scene, ran a brilliant 17:39, closely followed by club pacer Paul Smith. Further down the field, Thomas Breen delivered a strong 18:39, with Fatih Zitouche just behind in 18:57 and Ciarán Maree running an excellent 19:02, continuing to show great promise. Veteran Paddy Murphy claimed a well-deserved silver medal in his category with a sharp 19:10, while Colm Prone (19:19) and Shaun Conroy (19:21) both continued their steady upward progress. Among the women, Yasmin Canning was the club's top performer, finishing in 20:26 and also earning a silver medal in her age group. Anna Isgro wasn't far behind, clocking 20:52 with a strong run. The evening also featured a juvenile race, where Beatrice Cunningham delivered a sensational performance to take victory, and she is another exciting young talent to watch. There were a couple of impressive runs elsewhere at the Kells Heritage 5K last Friday evening as Olivia Reilly clocked 24.37 and sister Aisling Reilly finished a few minutes behind in 27:37. Joe Carroll had a terrific run at the Inner City 5K in Dublin, running the 5K distance in 21:02, while Jimmy English was seventh in his heat in the Men's 400m race at the National Senior Track & Field Championships at Morton Stadium in Santry.
Irish Independent
16-06-2025
- Sport
- Irish Independent
Drogheda and District athletes excel at Boyne 5K
The very best of sportsmanship was everywhere to be seen at the packed race that started on the road just outside St Oliver Plunket National School on Ballymakenny Road. We had the good fortune of a pause in the torrential rain as a very large field gathered- just under 600 entries for the race, young and old, tall and small, so many smiles and every single runner, some with poker faces, some who's faces would only betray a thousand words of agony, but every single runner a champion! The course was well liked and the organisers really went to town making it a terrific evening for all. Leading the charge were the trio of Tadhg Donnelly who's just back from New York, Colin Dyas, who's been in fantastic form this year, and Paul Smith who's always up for a challenge. And that's just what the competitors got in this out and back course on the gentle rolling hills near the new Northern Cross route. Tadhg, who won last year's event, albeit on a slightly different course, did have some reasonably good competition from Clonliffe Harriers man Ian Guidan but in the end he was well able for him finishing over half a minute ahead in 14:37, setting a new course record as well as being crowned champion of the race. Paul Smith motored well also to finish in a solid 16:12 and took the over 40's category prize. Colin Dyas ran well finishing in 16:38. Meanwhile both Paul Kierans and Aedan Prone ran out of their skin for Personal Best times and they were separated by just four seconds. Thomas Breen deserves special mention for an outstanding performance finishing the Boyne 5k race in a speedy 19:26. The Drogheda men took first place in the team honours too. Meanwhile Drogheda ladies were not to be outdone with a superb run from Eimear Knowles who was fifth lady at the race completing the course in 20:37. Andrea McArdle ran very well showing that the consistent training is paying off for her. She finished the race in 21:56 and with Eimear Marron and Helen Dillon just behind, the ladies also took first team. Young Cian Bolton clearly had great fun and showed that he's a tidy runner too, finishing in 21:09 - terrific running. What made the evening all the more memorable were seeing those that for one reason or another were missing from the races in recent times. Paul Reilly was much pleased with his first race since the same event last year, and although two minutes slower he will continue to improve throughout the season. Stephen Duggan and Sean Toner also both ran very impressively. Then there were those that can be seen training every week and this was their moment to shine. Tony Hartwick ran the 5k in just over 35 minutes, Margo Duffy and Bridie Floyd completed the race in just over 40 minutes, wonderful running by wonderful people. Leinster Juvenile Championships Young athletes from Drogheda & District AC delivered standout performances at the Leinster Juveniles U12–U19 Track & Field Championships held in Tullamore last weekend. In the Girls U17 100m, Ruby Berrill ran a strong race in Heat 1, placing fifth with a time of 14.55 seconds. Ruby's day didn't end there - she later helped the Louth relay team claim silver in the U17 Girls 4x100m, showcasing both individual talent and teamwork. Michael Iloduba put in an impressive performance in the Boys U16 100m, clocking 12.74 seconds to take third in his heat. He went on to compete in a highly competitive final, finishing seventh with a time of 13.01 seconds—a strong showing at provincial level. In the Girls U15 300m, Bonnie Breach placed sixth in Heat 2, finishing in 47.37 seconds, while Hannah Cunningham held her own in the Girls U14 1500m, securing eleventh place with a time of 5:24.47. Relay events brought further success. In the Girls U15 4x100m, Bonnie Breach helped power the Louth team to a bronze medal, rounding off a rewarding day on the track. The Boys U19 Louth relay team also saw double club representation, with James Traynor and Cormac Russell contributing to a silver-medal performance in the 4x100m.
