Kathryn Casserly of Castlegar AC produced a storming run to win day two of the senior ladies' event at the Connacht Cross Country League on Sunday in Longford.
In a superb display of cross country running, Casserly took the lead early on, and extended her winning margin to almost a minute by the finish of the 4km. GCH athletes Siobhan Egan and Niamh Hennelly were second and third, while Maebh Brannigan of GCH was second in the junior event.
Peter O'Sullivan of Craughwell AC was equally impressive, taking victory in the men’s race. With Jason Broderick absent, it was his clubmate O'Sullivan who pushed the pace along with another Craughwell athlete, Rob Hogan, who had won the World Speedgolf title last week. However O'Sullivan proved too strong over the 8km circuit of six laps, and was a clear winner ahead of an excellent run by GCH athlete Cian Corcoran in second and Shane Hayes of Sligo AC in third.
At juvenile level, GCH took home numerous medals, both team and individual. Emma Moore of GCH won the U12 girls race with another impressive performance, and led home the girls' team which included Jennifer Hughes, Eimear Rowe, Ciara Dunne, Joanna Healy and Sinead Duggan to claim silver. The GCH U14 girls' squad which included Jennifer Hughes, Eimear Rowe, Ciara Dunne, Joanna Healy and Sinead Duggan, claimed gold, while the U16 girls, Aoife Sheehy, Eadaoin Langan, Laoise Geraghty, Laura Nally and Rachel Hughes, won silver. Sarah Gilhooley of Athenry AC showed her strength and stamina to move through the field and claim victory in the individual U16 girls.
The U18 boys was the race of the day with four GCH athletes making a strong team, competing against the best of the other Connacht clubs. Joe Tannian and Eanna Folan of the city club disputed the lead with two Swinford athletes at the front of an enthralling battle, while their clubmates Mark Powell and Ronan Dirrane were not far behind. Tannian and Shane Bracken of Swinford AC had a great head to head battle up the final climb to the finish, with the Mayo athlete just pipping the talented GCH youngster on the line.
Junior Cross Country International
Jamie Fallon of Craughwell AC travelled to Belgium last weekend with the Irish Junior cross country squad to compete in the famous Lotto Cup in Belgium. Held in perfect conditions Fallon placed 17th overall in a competitive field and was the fourth Irish athlete home. The next outing for the talented young athlete is the National Junior Cross Country in Santry on November 22.
Corofin 8km
Mark Walsh of Leevale AC in Cork, now based in Galway, won the sixth annual Corofin AC 8km race which took place on Sunday over a new flat course. Walsh pipped Damien Larkin of Craughwell AC for victory, running 28.37 to Larkin’s 28.40. Sean McDermott of Castlegar AC was third in 29.22, just ahead of Athenry AC's Mick Rice, fresh from running the Dublin City Marathon . Deirdre Brophy of Athenry AC took the ladies' honours, running 31.43 for victory, with Clare Rowe of GCH second and Esther O'Flaherty of GCH in third place.
New York Marathon
Two Galway athletes produced strong performances in the recent New York Marathon - Lyall Guiney of Athenry AC ran an excellent 2.54 on the hilly course, while Daire Comer of GCH ran 3.04.
Fixtures
Athenry AC host the annual Fit for Life 5km on Saturday in the town, with Athenry Cancer Care as this year's nominated charity. Entry is €10 entry online or €15 on the day.
