Galway’s Marie Ní Bhaoill has the won the National Adventure Race Series following her win last weekend at the Achill Roar race.
Ní Bhaoill, from Conamara-based triathlon club, TríSpórt, has such a commanding lead in the series that she has wrapped up the overall victory with two races still to go.
The An Spidéal athlete re-entered competitive sport this year for the first time in 13 years following the setting up of TríSpórt. Since then she has won races all over Ireland, and has proved conclusively to the be strongest female cyclist in the west of Ireland. Six members of TríSpórt participated in Achill Roar, including husband Pádraig Ó Diorráin, who finished sixth and who is now fourth in the overall adventure race series.
TríSpórt, which now has 56 members, is enjoying a successful year since the club’s formation in February. It boasts three of Ireland’s finest female athletes; Joyce Wolfe, who this year set a new Irish Ironman record and won a European Duathlon Championship gold medal; Derval Devaney, who finished third in her age group at the recent Ironman Ireland 70.3 race in Galway; and Marie Ní Bhaoill.
“We’re delighted with such progress over such a short period of time,” said club co-founder Rónán Mac Con Iomaire. “Last weekend we had a victory in Achill, a second place finish at the Clogherhead triathlon, a third place finish at the Clifden 10k, and a total of 21 athletes racing in different events.”
TríSpórt is holding its inaugural Conamara 10k road race next month to promote sport in the area. The race will be held in Carna, Co Galway on October 8, and will be started by Irish running legend Catherina McKiernan.
