WEEKEND ROUND UP 7th and 8th March

The NI and Ulster women’s Intercounties team produced a historic silver medal in the team race, the first time in the event’s history that a NI & Ulster women’s team have medalled in this event. Roise Roberts (CNDR TC) ran a great race to finish sixth overall and was followed by Lucy Foster (Willowfied Harriers) in twenty-eighth, Dearbhla Cox (Annadale Striders) in thirty-seventh, Tara McDonough (North Down AC) in thirty-ninth, Joanne Mills (ANI Unattached) in ninety-third, Catriona Edington (Annadale Striders) in one hundredth and Lucy Backus (Annadale Striders) in one hundred and fortieth.

The men’s team was weakened by the late withdrawal of NI Senior XC Champion Andrew Milligan due to illness but none the less produced a great performance to finish fourth overall, just missing out on the bronze medal by three points. Craig McMeechan (North Down AC) led the team home in sixteenth place, with Jared Martin (Ballydrain Harriers) in twenty-fourth, Russell White (Dromore AC) in twenty-fifth, Luke Dinsmore (Annadale Striders) in forty-fourth, Conan McCaughey (North Belfast Harriers) in sixty-sixth, and Timmy Johnston (Annadale Striders) in eighty-sixth completed the line up.

Big crowds also attended the Irish Schools XC Championships, which were held in Mallusk playing fields, on Saturday with many team successes from our local schools. St Colman’s, Newry continued the legacy of Rory Friel by winning both the minor boys and junior boys team races. St Malachy’s, Belfast won the boys Intermediate title and St Micheal’s, Enniskillen were second in the Junior boy’s race. In the senior girl’s races, Strathearn finished third.

Individually, there was podium finishes for Cormac Carabine (St Malachy’s, Belfast) who was second in the minor boy’s race, Madison Welby (Friends School) finishing third in the inter girls race, and Emma Stewart (Banbridge Academy) who came third in the senior girls race.

Emily Haggard-Kearney (North Belfast Harriers) continued her recent good form by winning the Chester 10k on Sunday, smashing the course record by over twenty seconds, running 33.08.

In the US, Cara Laverty (Finn Valley AC) finished second in the 1000m at the New England Indoor Championships in Boston. She ran 2.47.05.

At the Irish University Indoor Championships at the National Indoor Arena, Lughaidh Mallon (University College Dublin) added the 3000m title to his national senior 1500m title he won last weekend. There was also a win for Jamie Paul (Ulster University) in the Pole Vault and Maebh O’Connor (Ulster University) was third in the women’s long jump.