6 days ago
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.
