On Fri 26th Dec, Lucan harriers' recruit Joe Lynch produced an outstanding personal best in the Streets of Wicklow 5km road race. Joe's strength and resiliency from his triathlons training shone through as he produced a scorching run which was over a minute quicker than his run over the same course last year. Great running, Joe.

On Tue Dec 16th, David Keogh and Nicola Kavanagh took the top spots in the 800m, the final race of our Turkey Trot Series. David Keogh completed a hat-trick of wins in the series. David had already won the 3000m, 15000m and ran an excellent 2.03 in the 800m on a soft wet track. Special mention must go to John Grimes who is still running at juvenile level. John finished second in a superb time of 2.10. John Canny continued his recent bout of good form with a fine third place finish after an excellent last 400m. Further down the field, Gerry Byrne showed an impressive turn of foot to gain some notable scalps on his first run back on the track since his return from long term injury. In the women's section, it was third time lucky for Nicola Kavanagh in women's 800m as she ran a fine tactical race. Nicola showed an excellent turn of pace to open up a gap over last few yards. Claire Joyce finished a very close second and proved she has speed to add to the endurance she has showed these past few weeks. Freda Comiskey finished in 3rd place to add to her 2nd and 3rd place finishes over the past few weeks to show that she is in fine form at the moment. Well done to all. Full results.

On Sun Dec 14th, Lucan athletes ran very well in the Jingle Bells 5k road race in the Phoenix Park. John Canny ran a superb 16.38 on a tough course, finishing just ahead of David Keogh in 16.44. John and Dave were neck and neck for virtually the entire course and with John just pulling away near the finish. Dave was running in his first ever 5k and his sub 17 minute time demonstrates his true class. John's time was very close to his personal best on a very testing course. Garrett Faraday was next harrier home and ran his best race since joining Lucan running 17.24. It looks like Gareth's recent run of injuries are behind him and he managed to translate his great training runs into a tremendous race day performance . Alan Cassells showed that he is also well and truly back to his best form with a seasons best of 18.33. Superb running from all our Lucan lads. Well done all.

On Sat Dec 13th, Colm O'Connor and Jim Dwyer ran in the NSRT-sponsored B.H.A.A Cross Country at St Margaret's in Co. Dublin. Colm and Jim would probably say that this was one of the toughest cross country races that they have run after finishing in 53rd & 88th respectively. It was a biting zero degrees celcius, there were inches of soaking mud in every stride, steep climbs and a river to cross (3 Times!). Full marks to the organizers for putting on such an innovative race and well done to the lads on their runs. Lets hope the conditions are a bit kinder next year. Full results.

On Tue Dec 9th, the 1500m race in the club Turkey Trot series took place on Esker track. On a freezing night in Lucan, David Keogh decided to heat up the track all by himself with a scorching 4.20 for the 1,500metres. This shows that David is in fine form during this winter period. Special mention must go to two of our newer runners Joe and Gary running 4.54 & 5.16 in their first attempt at the distance, Also Breffni Worrall deserves credit for holding Stephen Rynne & Gerry martin down the home straight in one of the many battles that we have come to expect in these turkey trot nights. Best race of the night was the ladies where Hilary McGee, Nicola Kavanagh and Freda Comiskey where stride for stride coming to the line, Hilary just finishing the stronger. Well done to all. Full results.

On On Sun Dec 7th, Sean Townsend had another fine run, placing 12th in the U11 National Cross Country Championships in Ballyhaise, County Cavan. This was a great run from Sean who finished 12th out of a field of 150 runners to round off an excellent year's running. Sean is a real prospect and no doubt will further improve in 2009. Well done, Sean.

On Sat Dec 6th, Bernie Stapleton and Jim Dwyer both ran in the BHAA Data Solutions/Barnardos 5km road race in Marley Park. Lucan had some fine runs from Bernie Stapleton (22:37) and Jim Dwyer (26:36). Well done to both on a good day's racing. Full results.

On Wed Nov 26th, Joe Corcoran placed 7th overall in the 6 mile Garda Cross Country Championships held in the Phoenix Park. This result also gave Joe a Bronze medal in the masters category. This was a great performance considering Joe is just getting over the exertions of his fine run in the Dublin marathon. Well done Joe.

On Tue Nov 25th, Hilary McGee and David Keogh won the track 3000m, the first round of the club's Annual Turkey Trot competition. David recorded a new personal best time of 9:38, pushed all the way by John Canny, with Gerry Byrne (10:53) in third. Great to see these guys pushing each other. Hilary McGee had a more comfortable win in the women's section with a time of 12:15 from Freda Comiskey's 12:34 and Claire Kavanagh in 12:51. The depth in the women's section results is noteworthy. Five women broke the 13 minute mark on the night. Well done to all. Full Results.

On Sun Nov 23rd, there were some tremendous performances by Lucan Harriers Juvenile athletes in the National Even Age Cross Country Championships held in Tramore, Waterford. Lucan athletes helped Dublin juvenile team win a number of categories. In the Under 12 1km category Lucan had two athletes - Sarah Reihill and Tara Andrews. Sarah finished in an excellent 24th out of a field of 150 runners with Tara Andrews coming 30th in the same race. Dublin won the U12 Inter County Competition and both girls were delighted with gold medals from a National event. Despite only recently recovering from chest infections, John Grimes and Edward Grimes represented Dublin in the boys U/18 6km race with Edward coming 50th out of a very strong field of over 100 runners with John coming 62nd in the same race. Dublin again won the Inter County Competition so well done to both athletes. Results.

On Sun Nov 23rd, Conor McGee ran in the Philadelphia Marathon. In below freezing conditions, Conor finished in 36th position overall with a time of 2:38:54. Conor was on for a time well under 2 hrs 30 mins, passing the half marathon point in 1:11:30, and the 30km mark still on 5:30 min/mile pace. Severe hamstring cramps, more than likely caused by the cold, over the last 7 or so miles put paid to a sub 2:30 finish time but Conor will learn from this one. Well done Conor.

On Sat Nov 15th, Hilary McGee and Bernie Stapleton competed in the Clonliffe 2 mile Memorial race for Ann and Caroline Kearney. Hilary ran an excellent 13.08 and Bernie ran another fine time of 13.58. Well done to both ladies on these great results.


This year the Championships were held in very wet and sticky ground conditions on a bitterly cold morning. Lucan Harriers were represented by 2 boys in the Under 11 race over 800 metres. Sean Townsend continued his run of good form with a fantastic run to be first home in a field of 42 competitors. Niall Flanagan was in 20th position in another good run. Niall has only been racing a few short weeks for the club and hadn't run in such difficult conditions before. We look forward to more good form over the remainder of the season from the two guys.

On Sun Nov 9th, Tommy Buggle had a magnificent run in the European Civil Service Cross Country Championships in Malaga, Spain. Tommy placed 14th overall in the race and 4th in his age-category. Parading behind the Irish national flag was a proud moment for Tommy and Lucan harriers. Running well on the big day is what running is all about. Tommy's drive and determination is an inspiration to all considering he was told he would never run again 16 months ago due to knee injuries. Tommy's great run guaranteed the Irish team a best ever 4th place result. We look forward to seeing more fine outings from Tommy over the rest of the season. Fantastic running, Tommy.

On Sun Nov 9th, John Canny placed 15th overall in a very competitive Hollymount 10km road race in Castlebar. John was very strong in the first half of the race and kept the momentum going over the last 5k, finishing in 35:12. This was a great season's debut in cold and breezy conditions. We look forward to seeing John in action again soon. Full results.

On Sun Nov 9th, Conor Mc Gee won the Pilgrim 4 mile road race in Tarrytown, New York. Conor beat his own course record from 2007 by 2 seconds to post a time of 19 mins 35 secs. It's great to see Conor in such fine form and we look forward to seeing him run for the club in Dublin soon.

On Sat Nov 8th, Eithne Reid competed in the Triathlon at the Clarion Hotel. Eithne's time was 1hr 20 mins for the event, which consisted of a 600m swim, a 20km cycle and a 5km run. Eithne's performance placed her 4th overall finisher and 2nd place in the ladies category. Congratulations, Eithne.

On Sat Nov 8th, we had great runs from a number of Lucan harriers athletes in the Bank of Ireland-sponsored BHAA 6km beach race. In blustery conditions Gareth Fereday was the first harrier home in 24 mins. Gareth is improving all the time and we look forward to some PBs in the very near future. Gareth was followed by Breffni Worrell, Vinny Murtagh and Jim Dwyer. Bernie Stapleton led the ladies home in a great time of 30 mins. Bernie was closely tracked home by Eileeen O Brien in a time of 31mins. Congratulations to all on some fine running in tough conditions. Full results.


Congratulations to Eileen O'Brien and Ann McGee on their selection to the Irish Masters team which travels to Swansea to compete in the British and Irish Masters 5km Cross Country on November 15th. Ann has been on this team for the past number of years but as far as we know, this is Eileen's first selection to the National team so this must be a very special thrill for her. Eileen's selection is thoroughly deserved and comes only a week after her win in the National Marathon Championship in her age-group. This is a huge honour for our athletes, and everyone at the club is very proud to have two of our athletes representing Ireland.

On Sun Nov 2nd, our young athletes competed in the even age-groups Dublin Cross Country Championships in St Anne's Park, Raheny. Running for Lucan Harriers, we had 6 girls and 2 boys in various distances. In the U10 girls, Nicole O’Gorman ran a superb race finishing in 2nd and was unlucky not to win. Nicole is in great form at the moment. Also in this race Saoirse Rehill had a fine run. In the U12 girls, we have some up and coming young athletes with Sarah Rehill 7th, Tara Andrews 11th and Caitlin 29th. In the U12 boys, Niall Flanagan placed 16th, running against boys a year older than him. Adam Doran finished a very encouraging 22nd in the same race. In the U14 girls, Juliet Seijan ran an excellent race finishing strongly. All our young athletes excelled themselves in soft underfoot conditions on the day. We clearly have athletes who can be doing great things in years to come. An example of this would be the emergence of the Grimes twins (U19) who both went to these championships for years without breaking into the top 10. Now, they are proving to be a real force. So, our coaches are doing the right thing, bringing our young athletes through gradually. Well done to our athletes and coaches on these great results.

On Sun Nov 2nd, Deirdre Coonihan completed the New York City Marathon. 26 miles is a very long way when you are full strength. Imagine what it's like when you've had food poisoning? Deirdre was unfortunate enough to find out first hand. Having suffered a bout of food poisoning in the days preceeding the race, Deirdre showed real toughness in getting to the starting line, never mind completing the distance. Deirdre did extremely well and she finished strongly in very difficult circumstances. Deirdre, well done on a very brave run.

On Mon Oct 27th, our athletes had some exceptional performances in the Dublin City Marathon. As in the past number of years, the Dublin City Marathon hosted the National Championship Marathon, a race within a race. The outstanding performance from a Lucan perspective came from our queen of the marathon, Eileen O Brien, who recorded a sensational time of 3hrs 48mins. Eileen judged the pace of the race perfectly and was the first Irish lady home in her age category. Eileen’s latest victory completed a hat trick of victories in the Irish ladies F55 section. In the past four years, she has won 3 gold medals and a silver medal in the National Championship marathon. Next lady home was Emer Mc Carthy who ran a great time of 3hrs 55mins, Emer was smooth and controlled through out the race and managed to make the distance look easy if that’s possible! Making an excellent marathon debut was Brid Fogarty in another great time of 4hrs 34mins and we look forward to seeing Brid in action over the rest of the season. Barbara Whelan achieved another great time of 5hrs 37mins who was very happy to get round the course after many months of training. First home for the men was Henry Langton in a superb personal best time of 3hrs 1 min 42 secs. Henry looked strong through out the race, maintaining a very even pace throughout, and it was great to see all his hard work and dedication come to fruition. Henry's goal for a long time has been a sub 3 hour marathon and that looks within his grasp on his next outing at the distance. Henry will use this excellent marathon as a base for the cross country season ahead. Next home in his second ever marathon was Joe Corcoran in another fantastic personal best time of 3hrs 4mins 23 secs. Joe showed great heart to grind home a great result over the latter sages of the race. Joe placed 19th overall in his age-category, an outstanding performance. This experience will stand to Joe and we all look forward to his next marathon outing. Joe was followed home by Dave O Doherty fresh from a recent hospital stay. Dave ran a gutsy time of 3hrs 18mins 24secs which was particularly courageous after his recent bout of illness. Again, we look forward to another productive cross country season from Dave. Next home was Brian Brunton in an excellent time of 3hrs 33 mins 40 secs. Brian had to dig deep and showed real determination over the closing stages to reach his time target. Stephen Rynne completed his recent run of good form by completing the course in a brilliant 3hrs 41 secs and beat many of his close rivals in the process. His time was an improvement of 40 mins on his last marathon outing. There were some outstanding Lucan Harriers performances from our 9 athletes in what proved to be a great day for the club. Well done to all. Results.

On Sat Oct 18th, our senior athletes competed in the Teachers-sponsored BHAA cross country races on the grounds of Castleknock College. Congratulations to our athletes on their performances at the Teachers sponsored BHAA cross country race over 2 miles for the ladies and 4 miles for the men. On the ladies side, we had Bernie Stapleton competing in the 2 mile race. Once again she did not disappoint with another outstanding performance. Bernie was among the first group of ladies to cross the finishing line in a brilliant time of 17 mins 03 secs and placed 2nd in her category. Tommy Buggle led the way for Lucan’s men with another outstanding performance. Tommy finished in a time of 25 mins 52 secs and placed 16th overall and 4th in his category. It is only a matter of time before Tommy places inside the top 10 in these races. Our next athlete home was Alan Cassells in a time of 29 mins 35secs. Alan judged the pace of the race perfectly and was getting stronger as the race progressed. Alan’s recent racing and training schedule is really paying off. Gerry Byrne was competing in his second tough cross country race in six days but this didn’t stop him piling the pressure on Alan when finishing in a time 30 mins 16 secs. Gerry couldn’t afford to relax as hot on his heels throughout was Colm O’Connor. Colm, running his first cross country race of the season, put in an excellent performance and finished in a time of 30 mins 24 secs. Chasing Colm hard was Vinny Murtagh, running in first race in a number of months. Vinny didn’t show any signs of rustiness in finishing in 30 mins 51 secs, getting stronger as the race progressed. Gerry Martin, too, had an excellent performance, making light of the soft underfoot conditions finishing in 31 mins 25 secs. Gerry and Stephen Rynne were having a great race throughout with Stephen finishing just behind Gerry in 31 mins 39 secs. It looks like Stephen is ready to run a very good marathon on Monday next. Breffni Worrall continued his recent run of races with another very good performance here finishing in 32 mins 20 secs. Breffni continues to show good form after his recent excellent showing in the Loughrea 5 mile road race. A special word must go to Jim Dwyer, competing despite not being 100% with an achilles injury. Jim’s time of 39 mins 07 secs was a good one. Well done to all on a good day for the club.

On Sun Oct 12th, Gerry Byrne ran in the Dublin Intermediate Cross Country Championship in Tymon Park. Well done to Gerry Byrne on his great performance in the Dublin Intermediate Cross Country championship. Gerry looked right at home in this competition, completing the tough 8km course in 36mins 22 secs. Gerry paced the race very well and over the last 400 metres or so he unleashed his trademark kick, quickly closing the gap ahead of him. Well done Gerry.

On Sun Oct 12th, we had some very good results at the Dublin County Board Juvenile League Rd 2 in Tymon Park. Once again our juvenile athletes did us proud with their superb performances in round 2 of the Dublin County Board juvenile league. In the U10 girls, the very talented Nicole O’ Gorman went one better than her 2nd place finish in round 1 with a brilliant win in her race here. Saoirse Rehill, Sarah Robinson and Amy Halpin also had great runs in this race and it is only a matter of time before we see these talented athletes challenging for podium positions. In fact their performances were so good it secured the Lucan girls 3rd place in the team event with 31 points. In the U10 boys, Max Casey and Oisin Smith both continue to show improvement and are running very well at the moment. This was underlined with their excellent finishing positions of 10th and 19th respectively in a loaded field. In the U11 boys, there is no stopping Sean Townsend at the moment. This time he recorded his second win in a row in this league with another outstanding performance. The sky is truly the limit for this athlete. Niall Flanagan continues to show us how consistent he is, as he was once again in contention for the top positions. With another 2 races to go in the league, there is every possibility that Niall will secure a top 3 position very soon. In the U12 girls, this race proved to be a very productive one for Lucan as our athletes finished in 2nd and 3rd positions. First across the line was the impressive Tara Andrews in 2nd position overall matching her position in round 1 while hot on her heels was the fast finishing Sarah Rehill in 3rd place overall. Sarah has picked eight positions from her performance in round 1 of the juvenile league. In the U13 boys, Sam Kelly looked impressive in his run. Sam, in fact pick up three positions on his last outing 2 weeks ago. At this rate of improvement, Sam will be challenging for the major honours very soon. In the U16 boys, Toirdbhealach Hooper had another great run in the Lucan colours by contesting the top positions throughout and was unlucky not to get on the podium this time. We are confident we will see him there over the next couple of races as he continues to work very hard. In the U17/18/19 combined boys race, twins John and Edward Grimes secured 1st and 2nd positions respectively. What a great season these guys are having. John led the way and crossed the line just ahead of his brother who was in hot pursuit throughout. These performances underline the great talents we have on our hands. John has already gone under 17 mins for 5k this season, won the Lucan Harriers road championship and finished 2nd in round 1 of the league, while Edward was the first junior athlete to cross the finishing line in the Tom Byrne memorial road race in June and was runner up in the club championship race just a month ago. It's really great to see some of our older (young) athletes maturing into very good runners, Toirdealbhach Hopper and the Grimes twins to name just three. Well done to all.

On Sat 11th Oct, some of our athletes ran in the Dublin Simon Community 5 mile run in the Phoenix Park. Congratulations to our female athletes who put in strong performances on this tough course in the Phoenix Park. Our first athlete across the line was Hilary McGee in an excellent time of 34 mins on this undulating course. Bernie Stapleton shows no sign of easing up and once again put in a strong performance finishing in 37 mins. Ann McGee also looked strong when crossing the line in 50 mins. This performance was all the more commendable as Ann has missed some training lately. Well done everyone.

On Sun 5th Oct, a big contingent of Lucan athletes ran in one of the best road races in the country, the Rathfarnham A.C.5km road race. On the ladies side, Freda Comiskey continues to turn out the performances. Freda posted an excellent time of 21 mins 47 secs to lead the Lucan ladies home. Keeping the pressure on her was Bernie Stapleton who crossed the line in 22 mins 37 secs. These performances & the recent hectic racing schedule of these 2 ladies should stand them in good stead when the winter series of the Meet & Train league commences shortly. On the men side, John Canny had a fantastic race with a time of 16 mins 12 secs. This is a personal best run from John and his preparations for the Amsterdam marathon in a fortnight's time are right on course. Gerry Byrne had another great run in 18 mins 13 secs, another personal best this season. Gerry was hoping to break the 18 mins barrier and no doubt will achieve this very soon. Hot on his heels was Gareth Feraday in 18 mins 37 secs. Gareth, too is coming into good form after his injury hit year. Alan Cassells, running only his third race of the year since returning to the club looked really impressive in recording 19 mins 17 secs for the distance. It was also great to see Gerard Byrne senior back on the roads running since his problems with his Achilles injuries. Gerard ran a nifty 25 mins 34 secs for his first race in a number of seasons. Hopefully this will be the first of many runs for Gerard over the coming months. Well done to all.

On Sun 5th Oct, Tommy Buggle placed 4th in the Liz McDonnell 5km cross country race at Castlethorn House. In a strong field of 700 athletes, Tommy had a fantastic run posting a great time of 16 mins 57 secs. Tommy showed he was in great shape by taking up the running for much of the race and was unlucky not to secure a top 3 finish. The cross country season is just beginning now and it’s great to see Tommy in top form already.

On Wed 1st Oct, Joe Corcoran placed 5th overall at the Garda 10 miles Road race in Templemore. Joe ran a great time of 62 mins 30 secs, a season's best for the 10 mile distance. Joe was also 2nd in his age-category. It looks like Joe is ready to tackle the Dublin marathon in 3 weeks time. Great running Joe.

On Sun 28th Sept, Breffni Worrall ran in the Loughrea 5 mile road race in Galway. Breffni had a great run finishing in a time of 35 mins 47 secs and placed 9th in his category. Well done Breffni.

On Sun 28th Sept, our women's team ran in the Dublin Novice Cross Country Championship in the Phoenix Park. Well done to our ladies team of Freda Comiskey, Sinead McIntyre, Bernie Stapleton and Nicola Daly who competed in the Dublin Novice Cross Country championship over 3K. On a notoriously challenging course, Freda Comiskey made light of the conditions and was the first Lucan athlete to cross the finishing line in an excellent time of 12 mins 20 secs finishing in 21st position overall. Hot on her heels was the in-form Sinead McIntyre in 12 mins 51 secs who was 28th overall while Bernie Stapleton challenged her all the way in 29th position and finished in 12 mins 59 secs. Nicola Daly, too, is having a great season and completed the Lucan team’s performance in 13 mins 11 secs finishing 36th overall. Our women have used this race as a good early season marker for themselves over the past few seasons and the experience gained at these championships is invaluable. In the team event, we finished 8th overall with a combined score of 114 points (21, 28, 29, 36). Well done to all.

On Sun 28th Sept, our juvenile athletes competed in the first Dublin Board Juvenile Cross Country League of the winter in the Phoenix Park. Starting with the U10 Girls, Nicole O Gorman had a great run finishing 2nd overall. Saoirse Rehill also continues to show her talent and she finished 11th overall. There were also good runs from Amy Halpin, Sarah Robinson and new member Gina Cohen who was running her first race after only one training session. In the U10 Boys, Oisin Smith had a fine race, also his first in Lucan colours. In the U11 Boys, another new member, Niall Flanagan, finished an impressive 6th while in the U12 Girls, Tara Andrews continues to impress in all her races and she finished 2nd in her race. Sarah Rehill was also in top form finishing 11th, while Caitlin was hot on her heels in 13th. In the U12 Boys, Sean Townsend continued his winning form, producing a sensational run to win the race. In the U13 Girls, Rachel Briggs had a very good run in finishing 14th, with Shannon Browne in close attendance in 17th. In the U13 Boys, another new club member, Sam Kelly, had a fine race in this category. Finally, in the U18 Boys, the much improved and still improving, John Grimes, continued his excellent run of form in finishing 2nd over 4,000 metres in his race. Overall Lucan had 15 juvenile athletes in action and all can be very happy with their performance over a hilly Phoenix Park course. Well done to all.

On Sat 27th Sept, Eithne Reid, Myra Nolan and Lorraine Heffernan competed in the Dublin Brewery Triathlon at the Guinness Swimming pool and the Phoenix Park. Myra, making her debut in the triathlon, completed the 750M swim, 20K cycle and 5k run in an outstanding 1 hr 38 mins. Lorraine, also making her triathlon debut, was very close behind in a quite superb 1 hr 41 mins while chasing her all the way was Eithne in an excellent 1 hr 42 mins, who is also quite new to the sport. Well done to all.

On Sun 21st Sept, Conor McGee ran well in the Philadelphia Half Marathon. Conor continued his excellent form as he had an outstanding run finishing 32nd out of more than 13,000 athletes. Conor’s time of 1 hr 9 mins 19 secs was extremely close to his personal best of 1 hr 9 mins exactly. Well done Conor. More.

On Sat 20th Sept, a group of Lucan athletes ran in the Lifestyle Sport/Adidas-sponsored BHAA Half Marathon in the Phoenix Park. Derval McCarthy led the way for Lucan running a brilliant 1 hr 35 mins 44 secs for the half marathon distance finishing 2nd in her category. Bernie Stapleton continued her busy season running a great time of 1hr 50 mins 52 secs finished 26th of the 207 athletes in her category. Eileen O’Brien had another super performance for Lucan finishing 2nd her category in 1 hr 54 mins 30 secs. David O'Doherty had a very good run finishing in 1 hr 32 mins, Brid Fogarty clocked 2hrs 02 mins, Sinead McIntyre 2 hrs 04 mins, Anne Murtagh 2 hrs 08 mins, Ursula Murphy 2 hrs 08 mins and Bernie Doyle 2 hrs 14 mins. These are some very good times on a course which is quite challenging. Great to see so many representing the club. Well done to all. More.

On Tue 16th Sept, Sinead McIntyre and Colm O'Connor captured the Lucan Harriers handicap-based road race in Griffeen Park. This race is one of our really enjoyable club traditions and the handicap-based race always prove to be exciting. We set the handicap times based on the results from the previous week's club championships - the winner of the club championship is the last person to start in the handicap race, and since they are considered the strongest runner, they are set the task of running everyone else down. So having placed 4th in the club championship one week previously, Sinead McIntyre set off 4th from last in the handicap race. And she knew that if she let up at all, Freda Comiskey or Eithne Reid or Bernie Stapleton would be ready to take advantage and would come sailing past. Sinead ran a very strong race, passing all who started before her, and she held off the challenges from Freda, Eithne and Bernie. Sinead's superb 2nd mile sealed the win for her in the ladies 2 mile race to cross the finishing line first in 16 mins 37 secs (total time). Colm O'Connor had placed 5th in the men's club championship the previous week and he improved hugely this time around. Colm started with a 2 minute handicap made up the ground on Breffni Worrall in the 2nd mile of the men’s 4 mile race. Colm continued to pile on the pace and no one was going to catch him as he pushed on over the remaining 2 miles to cross the line 1st in 27 mins 09 secs with the handicap. Well done to everyone.

On Tue 9th Sept, John Grimes and Freda Comiskey were crowned Lucan Harriers' Road Champions for 2008. Congratulations to this year’s road race champions Freda Comiskey and John Grimes who proved strongest in the terrible conditions prevailing on the night in Griffeen Park. The women’s race over 2 miles proved to be an entertaining affair with Freda Comiskey just edging ahead of Bernie Stapleton in the first mile. Eithne Reid and Sinead McIntyre led the chasing pack at this stage. Freda continued to run strongly over the second mile and came home a convincing winner in 13 mins 49 secs. Bernie also rang well throughout and clocked a time of 13 mins 58 secs. Eithne Reid and Sinead McIntyre pushed on strongly to the finish in times of 14 mins 37 secs and 14mins 40 secs respectively. Throughout the field there were hotly contested battles taking place as can be seen from the results. The men’s race over 4 miles was also keenly contested. John Grimes, Edward Grimes and Gareth Fereday pulled away from the field over the first mile. The twins, John and Edward, ran together over the next 2 miles before John pulled clear over the last mile to win in a time of 23 mins 40 secs. His brother Edward finished very well in 2nd place in a time of 23 mins 52 secs. Edward, too, has clearly improved a lot over recent months. Gareth Fereday, just returning from an injury lay-off was 3rd in 24mins 41secs. Henry Langton and Colm O’Connor led the chasing pack for much of the race before Henry pulled away in the second half to finish in 4th in 25 mins 38 secs with Colm 5th in 26 mins 34 secs. Breffni Worrall continued his sequence of races after injury in running a time of 28 mins 31 secs. The handicap based race will take place on Tuesday next and we expect to see 2 more close competitions. Results.

On Sun 7th Sept, John Grimes, Alan Cassells, Liz Arkins and Eileen O'Brien all ran really well in the Le Cheile 5km road race in Leixlip. John Grimes, especially, had a good run in 2nd place in the men's race. John has shown a lot of improvement in recent months and this time he ran a very noteworthy time of 16:59. This time is clear evidence of John's improvement and, combined with his recent 800 personal best of 2:09, shows that he has a lot of ability. Combining that ability with some hard work, he will go far. Alan Cassells is making a comeback and he displayed that he is on the right course with a 4th place finish. On the women's side, Liz Arkins in 2nd place overall and Eileen O'Brien, 3rd overall, continued their excellent seasons. These two women turn in good performances all year round and it's great to see them doing so well. Well done to all on a great day for our athletes.

On Sun 7th Sept, Joe Corcoran and Henry Langton ran in the National Half Marathon in Waterford. The two guys continued their preparations for the upcoming Dublin marathon by competing over the half marathon distance and both had very good runs. Lucan’s first athlete to finish was Joe Corcoran clocking a very good time of 1:26:03, while Henry finished close behind in 1:29:06. Well done guys.

On Sat 6th Sept, Bernie Stapleton and Jim Dwyer ran in the Pearl Izumi-sponsored BHAA 10K road race in Tymon Park. Bernie Stapleton and Jim Dwyer continued their impressive seasons at this race. Bernie was the first Lucan athlete across the line in 47 mins 57 secs, while Jim Dwyer continued to show his consistency in clocking a time of 60 mins 12 secs for the distance.

On Sun 31st August, Henry Langton had a great run in the Kilkenny County 10 mile championship in Kilkenny City. Henry ran 63 mins 55 secs for this 10 mile road race .This was an outstanding performance by Henry who improved his time by over 4 mins from his last race in the Phoenix Park just 2 weeks ago. Henry is working hard towards achieving a sub 3 hour marathon in October and his hard work looks like it’s paying off. Well done Henry.

On Wed 27th August, Lucan athletes put together some very good runs in the Zurich-sponsored BHAA 2 mile track race in Irishtown stadium. Bernie Stapleton was 3rd lady in her race in a time of 14 mins 05 secs. For the handicap adjusted times Bernie was awarded 2nd to continue her excellent season. Stephen Rynne and Breffni Worrall did battle in the second race on the night. On this occasion Stephen won the dual, crossing the line in a time of 12 mins 50 secs while Breffni was close behind in 13 mins 25 secs. Stephen plans to run the marathon at the end of October, so these shorter races will complement the high mileage he is putting in. Breffni is just coming back after a long injury layoff and is looking stronger all the time in these races. The third race of the evening saw Lucan’s Gerry Byrne and John Canny in action. John finished 3rd in the race in a very impressive 10 mins 08 secs for the 2 miles, while Gerry Byrne moved up from his specialist distance of 800M to clock 11 mins 29 secs, yet another personal best to continue his run of great form. When the times were adjusted for the handicap both athletes were inside the top 10, with John in first and Gerry in sixth place. Well done everyone.

On Sun 24th Aug, John Grimes and Conor Martin both had wins at the ALSAA Sports at the Aer Lingus Sports Complex. John placed first in the 800m race in a superb 2 mins 9 secs. This was a brilliant performance by a young, developing athlete. At the same meeting, Lucan had further success when Conor Martin ran to fine victory in his 1 mile race. This was another great run by Conor this year. Well done guys.

On Sun 24th August, Lucan had three athletes competing in the Longford Half Marathon. The first Lucan athlete across the line was Patricia Daly, who produced a time of 2 hrs 14mins 29 secs. This time put Patricia inside the top 20 in her category.Our next athlete to finish was Noelle Dunne whose time of 2 hrs 16 mins 29 secs ensured she finished 4th in her category. This time improves Noelle's season's best run in Bath back in March. Barbara Whelan also finished 4th in her category as a result of her great time of 2 hrs 18 mins 22 secs, also improving on her time run in Bath. All these ladies are currently preparing for the Dublin Marathon in two months time. Well done to all.

On Sun 17th August, Conor McGee ran in the Dirty Sock 10km trail race in Babylon, New York. Conor placed second in the race. This is Conor's first race since May so it is a good start to his competitive Autumn season. Well done Conor.

On Sat 16th August, Bernie Stapleton ran in the Claregalway 10km road race. Bernie clocked a very good time of 46:53, surpassing by over 20 seconds her previous season's best from Dunshaughlin earlier in the summer. Congratulations Bernie.

On Sat 16th August, Lucan athletes put in their best performances at the Frank Duffy 10 Mile Road race in the Phoenix Park. First across the line was Joe Corcoran in a brilliant 63mins 09 secs. David O’Doherty continued his run of personal bests this season taking 3 minutes of his time to come home in 65 mins 19 secs. Our next athlete across the line was Henry Langton who clocked a very quick time of 68mins 07 secs. Freda Comiskey continued her great form this season finishing in an excellent 79 mins 30 secs while Lorraine Heffernan also had a very strong performance with her time of 81mins 55 secs. Well done to all.

On Thur 14th August, Gerry Byrne ran in the 800m at the second race of the Clonliffe Autumn Series held in Santry Stadium. Gerry recorded his maiden victory in this race equalling his personal best time of 2mins 14 secs for the distance. Gerry followed the leader for the first 600 metres and with 200 metres to go prepared to make his one and decisive move, which he did as the athletes approached the home straight, to record a great victory. Gerry is getting fitter and stronger all the time and we look forward to seeing his achievements in the coming months.

On Sat 9th August, Colm O'Connor placed 7th in the M35 800m at the National Master’s Championships in Tullamore. Colm continued his run of consistent performances over the distance this year, clocking an impressive time of 2 mins 14 secs. Colm has been so consistent this season. Well done Colm on another top performance.

On Sat 9th August, Fintan McGee and David Keogh competed in the British Miler's Club Meet in Eton. With a strong wind blowing, Fintan McGee ran in the section 'E' 1500m. Fintan took over the lead once the pace maker dropped out after 800m and comfortably disposed of all challengers to win the race. Fintan's time was a season's best 3:56.09. It's a pity that conditions were not more favourable because there seems to be a lot more in the tank. David Keogh, in his final race of this track season, competed in the section 'E' 800m race. David had a great run and was in second place entering the home stretch before fading slightly in the final few metres. David posted a time of 1:56.8, his second best time of the season and only a fraction behind his personal best (1:56.60). This run would definitely have been a personal best run in better weather conditions. Well done to both athletes on their results. More.

On Thur 7th August, Gerry Byrne ran a great race at the Clonliffe Harriers Autumn Series 1500m in Santry Stadium. Gerry continued his comeback after a terrible run of injuries this year completing the 1,500M race in a swift 4mins 59secs. Gerry looked strong finishing the race and is close to hitting his top form again. Well done Gerry.

On Wed 6th August, Lucan athletes had a very productive night at the Hibernian Mile BHAA Meeting in Irishtown Stadium. First up, Bernie Stapleton had a fine win in her race in a new mile personal best of 6 mins 33 secs. Bernie has been putting in consistent performances all year and this is just reward for all her hard work. Our next athlete up was Colm O’Connor, who raced to a brilliant win in his race in another big season’s best in the mile of 4mins 56 secs. Colm stayed on the shoulder of the leader throughout the race and his half-miler's speed did the trick in the last 200M to take him clear of all chasers. Colm is getting ready to compete in the National Master's Championships at the weekend and he should gain great confidence by this display of good form. It looks like he has timed this peak in form to perfection. Our last athlete to race was John Canny who ran yet another fast time to add to his catalogue of successes this season. John placed 4th in 4mins 39secs in his mile race. There were huge numbers out to compete at this meeting in what proved to be a great night of athletics. Well done to all. Full results.

On Wed 30th July, a big contingent of Lucan athletes ran in the Dublin Graded Meet in Santry. We had all of our participants competing in the 800m or the 3000m. Fintan McGee decided to do both(!) and he put together two very impressive performances on the night. He started with a season's opener 800m of 1:55.22 for 5th place in the section 'A' race. Later in the night, Fintan posted a very solid 8:43.97 for 10th in the 'A' section 3000m. David Keogh clocked 1:58.88 for 9th overall in the 800m. Colm O'Connor again posted a time close to his season's best with a 2:14.21 for 7th in the 'C' section 800m with Gerry Byrne 4th in the 'D' section with a 2:16.73. Stephen Rynne made his first appearance at these meetings with a 2:52.08. John Canny sprinted to a fine win in the section 'B' 3000m with a new personal best time of 9:08.55. Joe Corcoran (10:46.49) and Henry Langton (11:01.27) both ran well in the 3000m to round out a great night for the Lucan men. Well done everyone. Results.

On Tue 29th July, Toirdealbhach Hopper had another very good run in the Peter Doody Memorial 2 mile Road Race in Raheny. Toirdealbhach was the first junior to cross the line, posting an excellent 12 mins 21 secs. Well done, Toirdealbhach.

On Sat 26th July, David Keogh produced a 4:27 mile in Santry at the Morton Memorial Meet. What can you say about a 4:27 mile? This is a big run. David is improving all the time. This is yet another great run from David who is proving to be very consistent this year, despite working on a building site all day before the race!! David's fitness is way above what it has ever been so he is a different athlete to previous years. Congratulations David.

On Wed 23rd July, Lucan athletes again made their presence felt at the Dublin Graded Meet in Irishtown. Henry Langton ran in the grade D mile and he had his best run in a while with a 5mins 32secs (t.b.c). Henry is busy preparing for the Dublin marathon at present and is putting in high mileage every week now. In the grade C mile, Colm O’Connor and Tommy Buggle had a great duel. On this occasion Colm proved the stronger of the two coming home in a time of 5mins flat (t.b.c), a big season’s best while Tommy was right behind in 5mins 03secs (t.b.c). This run proves that both athletes are in great shape heading into the last Dublin Graded meet on Wednesday next and the masters T&F championship in early August. Meanwhile, in the grade B mile, John Canny clocked a time of 4mins 38secs (t.b.c) finishing in 4th position. This was yet another personal best from John who is having the kind of season athletes dream about. Well done to all on their runs.

On Sun 20th July, Fintan McGee placed 7th in the 1500m final at the AAI National Senior T&F Championships in Santry. This proved to be a very tactical final with the 800m split reached in 2:17 (about 4:20 1500m pace). With most of the guys in this final capable of running sub 3:50, something had to give. Before the 800m mark had been reached, Fintan hit the front and started to wind up the pace. Fintan shook things up with a 62 second lap and the race started in earnest. The last lap proved to be a real barn burner with Colm Rooney of the host club (Clonliffe Harriers) producing a 55 second last lap to come home a very popular winner in 3:58.74. In a blanket finish, Fintan ran a last lap of 58 seconds (-- his last 800m was covered in 2 minutes flat -- ) to place 7th in 4:01.94. This is another outstanding result from Fintan and all at the club hope to see Fintan on the podium at these National Senior Championships next year. Well done, Fintan. Results.


On Sat 19th July, Fintan McGee and David Keogh competed on Day One of the AAI National Senior T&F Championships in Santry. Despite him still being a junior athlete, David Keogh was making his third appearance at these Championships. The 800m heats are always tactical here and with a blustery wind, times were not fast. David ran very well, placing 4th in his heat in a time of 1:58.16. Unfortunately, with only the top 2 athletes in each heat automatically advancing to the final, this time was not good enough to get to the final with one of the fastest non-authomatic qualifier spots. David has more races coming up this season and we hope to see him go under 1:55 for 800m very soon. Meanwhile, Fintan McGee advanced to the final of the 1500m with a third place in his heat. His time was 3:56.99, again in a tactical race. Fintan is hoping to match or better his 5th place finish from last year's 1500m final. Well done lads and best of luck tomorrow Fintan. Results.

On Wed July 16th, Jim Dwyer ran in the Dublin City Council-sponsored BHAA 5km road race in Ringend Park. Jim put in another strong performance covering the course in 24:23. Well done, Jim. Results.

On Sun 13th July, Stuart Roche finished in 5th position in the U16 200m on Day 3 of the National Juvenile T&F Championships in Tullamore. Stuart recorded a very quick 24.41 into a minus 1.2 m/s headwind. This means that all five Lucan athletes at the National Juvenile Championships over the past two weeks have placed in the top 6 in their events. This is a great result for all involved. Congratulations to Stuart on this great run. Results.


On Sat 12th July, Claire Buckley had a breakthrough performance as Lucan athletes took part in the Irish Runner 5 Mile Challenge in the Phoenix Park. First Lucan athlete across the line was Colum Maddox in a great time of 37.51. He was closely followed by Claire Buckley, who had an outstanding run in 38.17. This is by far Claire's best ever run in a Lucan singlet. Every year, our women's coach, Brendan Maher, brings through new talent so it is great to see yet another athlete coming through. Mr Consistent, Jim Dwyer, also had a strong run finishing in 41.10. Well done to all.

On Wed July 9th, we had some more season's best and personal best performances at the Dublin Graded Meet in Santry. Conor McCrossan, fresh from his U19 110m hurdles National Championship at the weekend, tried his hand at the 200m. Conor placed 4th in the section 'C' 200m with a very nifty 25.04. We were especially well represented in the distances with David Keogh again going sub 2 minutes with a 1:58.99 in the 'A' section 800m, and Colm O'Connor running 2:15.09 in the 'C' 800m. Colm has been the model of consistency all season as he has peppered that mark. Gerry Byrne had a very good run with a 2:17.86. John Canny doesn't like to take it easy, and he was back on the track running another 3000m only days after his 9:15 personal best set on Saturday. This time John placed a close 3rd in the 'A' section 3000m with a time of 9:19.22. Tommy Buggle had perhaps the run of the night from a Lucan athlete. He blew everyone else off the track in his dominating win in the section 'B' 3000m with a new personal best time of 9:45.59. Hilary McGee was our sole representative on the women's side as she returned to her specialist event, the 800m, with a very solid 2:35.83. Great to see so many from the club at this meet. Well done everyone. Results.


On Sat 5th/Sun 6th July, Conor McCrossan repeated as National Champion and Luke Hanlon won bronze, as all four Lucan athletes placed in the top six positions in their events at the AAI National Juvenile T&F Championships held in the Antrim Forum. Dublin U19 110m hurdles Champion, Conor McCrossan, was crowned National Champion once again when he took the U19 110m hurdles by one tenth of a second with a time of 16.1 seconds. Conor won the AAI U18 110m hurdles title last summer so he has successfully defended his title. This also completes the Indoor/Outdoor double for 2009 -- Conor took the AAI National U19 Indoor 60m hurdles title back in April. And more recently, he was second in the All-Ireland Schools U20 110m hurdles a short six weeks ago, so Conor clearly is the man to beat in Ireland when it comes to the U19 hurdles. Conor has been in the club from a very young age and he has tried all the events along the way including sprints, distance, cross country, and field events. He was pretty good at them all but clearly Conor won't be changing events again anytime soon! Fantastic to see Conor doing so well. Meanwhile, Dublin U13 long jump Champion, Luke Hanlon, took a bronze medal in his very first National AAI competition in the U13 long jump with a leap of 4.36metres. Luke was just 5 centimetres ahead of his Lucan teammate, (Dublin silver medallist) Jack Carey, who jumped 4.31metres for a brilliant fifth place in the National Championships. Both Luke and Jack produced personal best jumps on the big day. Hopefully, these two guys can work together and both can be on the podium at Nationals next year. Leinster Schools bronze medallist, Sinead Dowling, had yet another top class run with a 6th place finish in the U19 100m with a time of 13:35. Sinead has been a member of Lucan Harrier for over 8 years now and she has been in the top 6 100m athletes in Ireland in her age-group since she joined the club. This will be Sinead's last National Championships at the AAI Juvenile level because next year, both she and Conor McCrossan will be moving out of the juvenile age-groups and will be in action at the Junior (U20) Championships. Well, this set of results from Lucan's young athletes has to be the best we have had in a very long time. Four athletes placed in the top six in their events at the National Championships. Congratulations to all the athletes and their coaches on these marvellous results. Hopefully this will inspire some of their clubmates and we could have six or eight Lucan athletes at the National Championship next year. Results.

On Sat 5th July, Freda Comiskey won her category as Lucan athletes ran very well in the Achill Half Marathon. On a very tough course, our athletes were rewarded with some very good times. Freda Comiskey was a fantastic first overall in her category finishing with an excellent 1hr 42 mins. Myra Nolan was next from the club with 1hr 47 mins, and both of these athletes were in the top 20 women overall. Next from Lucan was Lorraine Heffernan in 1hr 55 mins, Evelyn McMahon in 2hrs 03 mins and Bernie Doyle in 2hrs 10 mins. Well done to all.

On Sat 5th July, David Keogh and John Canny both had great runs at the Irish Miler's Club Meet in Irishtown. David placed 4th in the Men's 'B' 1500m in a time of 4:01.94. The time was a good one but even better was the manner in which David performed. David passed approximately 6 people over the course of the last 400m. It seems like David has been around for so long now that it is so easy to forget that he is still an under-age athlete (U20). This run will give David some great confidence going into his next few races. John Canny, meanwhile, in his first outing on the track at this level, performed admirably in the 3,000m. John hacked approximately 30 seconds from his previous best with a time of 9:15.35. John is so new to running so he is amazing everyone at the club with his performances. Once John gains some experience, the sky is the limit. Well done to both athletes on the great seasons they are having. Results.

On Sun 29th June, David Keogh placed a fine 5th in the 800m at the National Junior T&F Championships in Tullamore. David held a slim lead as the bell rang (split of 61/62 seconds) for the last lap. David's finish time was 1:58.61, top class running, especially considering the tactical nature the race was run. Also worth mentioning is the fact that the first four athletes' personal best times are (currently) significantly faster than David's best. So we are hoping that David can revise his best time very soon. Congratulations, David, on another great run in a National Championship. Results.

On Sat 28th June, Lucan athletes ran well in the Dunshaughlin 10km road race. David O'Doherty had another very good run with a tim of 37:46, Bernie Stapleton had a good 47:16 with Jin Dwyer posting a good time of 52:13. Well done to all.

On Sat 28th June, Fintan McGee ran the 1500m at the British Milers' Club Meet in Solihull, Birmingham. Fintan ran a time of 3:56.60, and despite that time -- which looks like a great time to the rest of us -- he was clearly not himself. Fintan saw a doctor on the Sunday and it turns out that he has a viral infection and will be on a course of antibiotics for the next week. This should finally shake off the infection which Fintan has been feeling since before his last competition. Well done, Fintan. Results.

On Fri 27h June, Colm O'Connor competed in the 'Share The Dream' T&F Meet in Greystonse, Co. Wicklow. Colm put together an excellent double at this Meet. First, Colm took in some extra speed work with a very nifty 27.74 200m to take bronze in the Master's category in that event. Colm then placed 4th in the 800m with another very consistent 2:14.75. Colm is knocking on the door of 2:10 and he will no doubt take down this time with this racing schedule. Well done, Colm.

On Wed 25th June, Tommy Buggle won silver as Lucan athletes ran well in stormy conditions at the Dublin T&F Championships in Santry Stadium. Hilary Mcgee has her first 800m of the year and she showed that she has lost none of her spark with a very commendable 2:39.55. Next up was Colm O'Connor and he produced another good run in the Masters 800m with a 2:16.57. last to go was Tommy Buggle and he had a great run, winning a silver medal in the Master's 5000m with a time of 17:01.07. Tommy is better known for all his great runs on the roads but this clearly demonstrates his ability on the track as well. All of these times were even better than they look if you consider the bad weather on the night. Great running, everyone. Results.

On Sat 21st June, David Keogh equalled his 800m personal best at the Irish Miler's Club Meet in Irishtown. David placed 6th in the section 'B' 800m with a time of 1:56.56, exactly matching the time he ran in August last year. Great to see David running so well. With his leaving certificate exams just completed the day before, David is only getting started for the summer. Congratulations, David. Results.

On Tue 17th June, Eileen O'Brien won her age category as Lucan athletes ran in the E.S.B.-sponsored BHAA 5km beach race. Eileen's time on the heavy ground was a still solid (24:09). Other Lucan athletes in action were Liz Arkins (23:31) and Jim Dwyer (26:34) who both had very strong runs. Well done to all. Results.

On Sun 15th June, John Canny placed second overall as Lucan hosted the Tom Byrne Memorial 5km road race. Our most improved athlete of the last twelve months, John Canny, was involved in a very close race up front in the men's race and he finished in second place overall with a new personal best of 16:14. This is a tremendous result as John continues to gain confidence with every result. John takes home the Tom Byrne Memorial trophy for first local athlete. Tommy Buggle (17:32) in 14th place overall, Joe Corcoran (17:43) ran his best race in a long time (if not ever) in a Lucan singlet in 17th place overall, Gareth Fereday (18:04) in 24th overall, John O'Leary (19:07), Gerry Martin (21:49), Jim Dwyer (23:58) all contributed to a great team effort from Lucan. Amongst the women, Hilary McGee ran the excellent time of 20:50 to take home the Tom Byrne Perpetual trophy for first local female athlete. Derval McCarthy was absolutely flying (20:43) and she was actually the first athlete in the Lucan colours to finish, then Hilary McGee, Freda Comiskey (21:38), Bernie Stapleton (22:48), Eileen O'Brien (23:22) all ran really well. It was also fantastic to see one of our younger athletes, Edward Grimes, running a great time of 18:29 to place first overall among junior men. Another young athlete who ran really well was Toirdealbhach Hopper who's time of 20:42 is very good running. Congratulations to all at the club on another successful event. Results.

On Sat 14th June, Fintan McGee ran the 3000m in the Gouden Spike Meet in Leiden, Holland. Fintan picked up a chest cold in the day or two leading into this race and it clearly effected him. Fintan tried to push through it but was below his best, placing 17th in a time of 8:47.81. Fintan will be back to 100% again in the next few races. Results.

On Wed 11th June, John Canny ran yet another personal best, this time over 1500m, at the Dublin Grade Meet in Santry. This man is unstoppable at the moment. John had another great run clocking a 4:17.95 in the section 'B' 1500m. Congratulations, John.

On Sun 8th June, Colm O'Connor and John Canny picked up medals at the Leinster Track and Field Championships in Tullamore. Colm took another half second off his best 800m time for the season when he won a silver medal in the O/35 800m with a time of 2:14.15. John Canny posted a very fast 2:06.92 in his season's opener 800m and this run earned John the bronze medal in the 'B' section. Congratulations to both athletes on these performances.

On Mon 2nd June, Lucan's women took to the streets for the Women's Mini Marathon (10km road race) in Dublin. First of the Lucan contingent to finish the 10km course around Dublin was Hilary McGee, with a fantastic time of 44:06. Hilary was followed by Nicola Daly in 57:28, Anne Murtagh in 57:31, then Sinead McIntyre in 59:23, Sile McIntyre in 1:00:18, Carol Searle in 1:02:10 and Siobhan O'Connor in 1:06:40. Every year, our coaches help aspiring athletes prepare for this event. We have discovered some very talented athletes over the years through this system. We are hopeful that all of this year's mini marathon athletes continue to train with the club in the months and years ahead. Congratulations to all on realising the hard work they put in preparing for this event, and thank you again to all the coaches on their efforts.

On Sat 31st May, Conor McCrossan placed 2nd in the All-Ireland Schools Senior Boys (U20) 110m hurdles in Tullamore. Conor had another great race, clocking a new personal best time of 16.11 seconds. Conor has won National titles in his age-group in the Clubs Championships (both indoors and outdoors). The Schools title has so far eluded him but we know he will be pushing for the gold medal next year. Even getting to the All-Ireland Schools Championships, never mind winning a medal, is a huge achievement and all at the club send their congratulations to Conor. Well done, Conor.

On Sat 31st May, Fintan McGee and David Keogh recorded personal bests at the Irish Milers' Club event in Tullamore. In a loaded field, Fintan placed 9th in the Men's 'A' Mile with a time of 4:10.10. This is a new club record, surpassing Conor McGee's 4:13 indoor mile run at the Harvard University track in 1998. Meanwhile David Keogh ran a sub 4 minutes 1500m for the first time in his career with a 3:59.96 in the 1500m 'B' race. This is a big marker for a young athlete. Congratulations to David on yet another personal best. Both athletes plan on peaking in late July and early August and based on these performances, it is scary to think what times they will be running then. And best of luck to David in his leaving certificate examinations starting on Wednesday. Well done again, lads.

On Wed 28th May, John Canny recorded another big personal best while Colm O'Connor improved his season's best at the Dublin Graded Meet in Santry. John's recorded an excellent 16:15 -- exact time to be confirmed -- in the 5000m. This time is well under the 16:45-16:50 range that he was recording on the roads earlier in the year. Clearly, John is looking unstoppable at the moment and it is great to see. Colm O'Connor, meanwhile, chiselled another second and a half off his season's best in the 800m with a 2:14.68 clocking. Again, it's only the end of May so Colm is closing in on his best time of 2:09. No doubt that time will have been scratched out from his list of personal bests before the season is over. Well done guys.

On Tue 27th May, lucan athletes again supported the Bob Heffernan Memorial 5km road race in Enfield, Co. Meath. Tommy Buggle led the charge of Lucan athletes with a season's best time of 16:52, just outside his lifetime best time. Joe Corcoran is having a great season and he clocked an impressive 17:41, with the improving David O’Doherty in close attendance (17:56). Brian Brunton (19:12), Brendan Maher (20:11), Hilary McGee (20:19), Jim Dwyer (20:56), Freda Comiskey (20:58), Bernie Stapleton (21:57), Liz Arkins (21:58), Myra Nolan (22:39), Eileen O’Brien (23:38), Lorraine Heffernan (23:51), Deirdre Counihan (24:36), Evelyn McMahon (24:40), Brid Fogarty (25:32) and Bernie Doyle (25:41) all posted their best times of the season. Well done to all.

On Fri/Sat/Sun 23rd/24th/25th May, gold medals from Conor McCrossan (U19 110m hurdles), Luke Hanlon (U13 LJ), Christian Collins (U12 LJ) and Sean Townsend (U11 500m) added to a stack of medals won by our young athletes at the Dublin Juvenile T&F Championships in Santry. In the U10 age-group, Nicole O'Gorman placed 2nd in the 300m (56.1) and 3rd in the 60m while Jack Andrews was 4th in the ball throw with a throw of 24.26m. In the U11 age-group, Sean Townsend added the Dublin 500m title to his win streak with a very impressive time of 1:34.3. In the U12 age-group, Christian Collins collected the gold medal in the long jump with a leap of 3.83m while Adam Doran grabbed the bronze in the same event with 3.72m; Evan Metcalf cleared a height of 1.20m to pick up the bronze in the high jump; and multi-talented Tara Andrews again took two medals home -- a silver in the long jump (3.84m) and a bronze in the shot putt (7.05m). Our U13 boys dominated the long jump competition with Luke Hanlon jumping to gold with a mark of 4.20m, just ahead of Jack Carey's silver medal performance of 4.15m. In the U16 age-group, Stuart Roche produced a very quick 24.0 to earn a bronze medal in the 200m. And in the U19 110m hurdles, Conor McCrossan, the National Indoor Clubs Champion 2008 and National Outdoor Champion from last summer, maintained his domination of this event with a very impressive win. In addition to the medals won, we had some athletes just outside the medals who look like they can win medals in the near future. Congratulations to all on these excellent performances.

On Sun 18th May, Lucan athletes had very strong performances at the Sportsworld 5 mile road race in Walkinstown. Eileen O'Brien placed first in her age-category (time to be confirmed), and what a season Liz Arkins is having. She had another very good run with second place in her age-category (time to be confirmed). Eileen and Liz continue to turn out the performances year on year. For many people in the club, watching a new athlete coming through to reach a very high level is something they get a kick out of. And right on cue, it was that man John Canny again recording another personal best. John placed in an astounding 18th position overall, taking a huge chunk (maybe 90 seconds?) off his personal best with a time of 27:20. Jim Dwyer is coming into form too and he showed no fatigue from Thur evening's track racing as he ran a season's best with a very good 39:05. Our women's masters team placed third overall to round out a great day. Well done all.

On Sat 17th May, Conor McCrossan won the Senior Boys (U20) 110m hurdles, Sinead Dowling took bronze in the Senior Girls 100m while David Keogh was 5th in the Senior Boys 1500m at the Leinster Schools T&F Championships in Santry. Yet again, Conor McCrossan had a top class run in his favourite event. This fantastic performance brings him another title to add to his collection. He will now compete in the All-Ireland Schools finals on May 31st in Tullamore. Sinead Dowling put in a powerful performance in the 100m recording a time of 13.08 seconds, just shy of the silver medal. Unfortunately, only the top two athletes in the laned events (eg 100m, 200m, 400m, hurdle events) qualify for the All-Ireland Schools T&F Championships, taking place in two weeks' time in Tullamore. David Keogh ran another good race in the 1500m, just missing out on a medal in a race which started slowly and then turned into a burn-up in the closing stages. David's time was 4:13.73. The top three in the distance races qualify for the All-ireland Schools so David will not be travelling either. David has planned a peak for later in the summer. Both David and Sinead will concentrate their energies over the next few weeks on the Leaving Cert examinations, and we should see them back in action in their club colours very soon afterwards. Congratulations to both.

On Sat 17th May, Conor McGee ran in the Healthy Kidney 10km road race in Central Park, New York. This time, Conor placed 34th in a very competitive field. His time of 32:34 was a bit down on his time on the same course at the end of March but no doubt Conor will bounce back with another good performance soon. Well done Conor. Results.

On Thur 15th May, Colm O'Connor, Brian Brunton, Jim Dwyer and Hilary McGee all ran in the BHAA track races on Trinity College's grass track. Colm ran a very strong 800m placing 5th in a time of 2:17.7, just outside of his season's best. On this notoriously slow grass track, that is a very good indicator that Colm has definitely got a sub 2:10 clocking in his legs this summer. Brian Brunton, better known for his road and marathon running, made his summer track debut and recorded a nifty 2:37.6 in the 800m. These track runs will definitely complement his rise in form on the roads. Jim Dwyer had a busy evening with a 3:12.4 clocking in the 800m followed by a 3000m time of 14:01.7. Jim helped his company, Eagle Star, to 3rd place in the team section. Hilary McGee placed 3rd in her mile race with a very good 6:11.9. Good to see her back in the competitions again. Well done to all. Results.

On Wed 14th May, John Canny raced to another mile personal best at the Dublin Graded Meet in Santry. This time John placed 5th in the 'A' Grade mile with a very impressive 4:41.83. John continues to improve with every race and we have yet to see the best from him. Congratulations, John, on yet another great run. Results.

On Thur 8th May, John Canny won and Colm O'Connor was fifth at the Clonliffe Harriers' mile track race in Santry Stadium. John continues to impress at every distance he runs. This time he ran a personal best time of 4:49 while Colm ran 5:05. His best of 4:51 (2006) should come under threat later in the season. Well done guys.

On Wed 7th May, we had some good performances as Lucan again hosted the Women's Meet and Train Road League, this time over 3 miles. Derval McCarthy led our athletes yet again, placing 8th overall (20:22), closely followed by Hilary McGee 10th (20:25) running her first race in a while. Bernie Stapleton was 15th (21:21), Emer McCarthy 28th (23:06), Lorraine Heffernan 29th (23:08), Deirdre Counihan 32th (23:32), Sinead McIntyre 33rd (23:34), Ursula Maher 34th (23:39), Nicola Daly 36th (23:50),Ursula Murphy 41th 24:16), Brid Fogarty 47th (24:43), Claire Buckley 48th (25:01), Bernie Doyle 49th (25:10), Maisie McGlone 56th (25:48), Patricia Daly 57th (25:56), Ann Murtagh 59th (26:09), Ann McGee 63rd (28:15), Carina McGoldrick 64th (28:27), Anne Butler 65th (28:51), Carol Seary 68th (29:08), Winifred Ryan 70th (29:32), Susie Devaney 73rd (29:50). Well done to all.

On Tue 6th May, our athletes ran in the Govt Services/Cultural Diversity-sponsored BHAA 5 mile road race in Dunboyne, Co. Meath. Dave O'Doherty (29:48) had a very good run, followed by Brian Brunton (32:42), Stephen Rynne (33:24), Eileen O’Brien (38:39), Jim Dwyer (40:34). All these athletes are improving heading into the summer. Well done everyone. Results.

On Mon 5th May, Terry Hopper ran the Clonliffe Harriers' 2 mile road race in Santry. The course has a significant downhill in the first mile followed by a really tough second mile all uphill. Terry ran well covering the course in 16:41. Well done, Terry.

On Sat 3rd May, Fintan McGee ran a new Lucan 3000m record at the Irish Milers' Club Meet in Irishtown. Fintan placed 5th in the race with a new Lucan record and personal best time of 8:23.98. This time eclipses the previous record (8:25.8), held by his brother Conor, which was run in the National Indoor Championships in the Odyssey Arena in Belfast in Feb 2003. Fintan ran fairly even splits in this race, clocking approximately 67 seconds per lap the entire way. Fintan's evenly paced races are becoming something of a trademark -- while other athletes are faltering late in the race, Fintan is usually the man making a charge. This is Fintan's first track race of the season, and what a start!! Congratulations, Fintan. Results.

On Fri 2nd May, David Keogh placed third in the Senior Boys' (U20) 1500m at the West Leinster Schools Track and Field Championships in Santry. West Leinster is always very strong in the distance events and this year is no exception. Just to give an indication of how good this field was, this particular 1500m race included two members of the Irish team for the World Junior Cross Country Championships a few weeks ago, as well as an U20 Schools International cross country athlete from earlier this year. David's own reputation precedes him as he had noticeably won the 800m earlier in the week as well as being a former U17 Irish Schools International athlete in the 800m. As always, reputations mean nothing on the start line, it's the here and now that matter... you can spend your life worrying about the opposition and it would do you no good at all! So the drama unfolded and whoever was not on their game was going to miss out. You would never have known that David was anyway less than 100% -- he was unwell in the 24 hours leading into the race. David again ran a great race to place third with a fine run (4:05) behind the winning time of 4:02. This means that David, representing Colaiste Phadraig in Lucan, has qualified for both the 800m and the 1500m at the Leinster Schools Championships in a couple of weeks' time. Congratulations, David, on a great week.

On Wed 30th Apr, Colm O'Connor opened up his track campaign with an 800m at the Dublin Graded Meet in Santry. Colm placed 8th in the section 'C' 800m with a time of 2:16.30. Colm's best time is under 2 mins 10 seconds and he can definitely beat that with a few races under his belt. Well done, Colm. Results.

On Tue 29th Apr, David Keogh won the Senior Boys' (U20) 800m at the West Leinster Schools Track and Field Championships in Santry. David took command of the race from the gun and controlled the pace throughout. He front-ran his way to a very impressive win in the equally impressive time of 1:59. This is David's fastest ever seasonal opener. We are sure to see David beat his personal best time of 1:56.56 when he has a few races under his belt. Well done, David.

On Sun 27th Apr, Lucan hosted the Women's Meet and Train 2 mile road race in Griffeen Park. We had some great results in this race, despite the Nice half marathon being in many of our athletes' legs from only seven days earlier. Derval McCarthy was first home from Lucan in 12:53 (7th place we believe ... to be confirmed). Freda Comiskey had another top run (13:07), Bernie Stapleton (13:33) -- this was Bernie's 3rd race in 8 days(!) -- , Eithne Reid (14:00), Deirdre (14:08), Emer McCarthy (14:25), Lorraine Heffernan (14:30) and Ursula (14:30), Nicola (15:06), Brid (15:12), Patricia (15:54), and Maisie McGlone (16:11), Winifred (17:06), Ann (17:08), Ann (17:30), Siobhan (18:24), Barbara (18:52), Susie Devaney (18:46), Olivia (19:43). Well done to all. Photos.


On Sat 26th Apr, our athletes took part in the RTE-sponsored BHAA 5 mile race in Donnybrook. Dave O'Doherty had a great run dipping under 30 minutes with a 29:59, Brian Brunton clocked 33:35, Stephen Rynne (34:24). Bernie Stapleton (37:06) and Jim Dwyer (40:46) had good runs. Well done to all. Results.

On Mon 21st Apr, Conor McGee recorded a Lucan record in the Boston Marathon. In ideal conditions, Conor went through the half marathon in 1:16:21 and maintained his form up and over the infamous heartbreak hill to finish in 82nd position out of 25,000 participants. Conor's time of 2:33:49 beats the 2:35:02 he ran in Lisbon in Dec 2006. This is excellent running by Conor who continues to show improvement over this distance. Congratulations, Conor. Results.

On Sun 2Oth Apr, fifteen Lucan athletes travelled to Nice in the south of France for the Half Marathon. As to be expected in France in April, the conditions were very warm and affected some of the results. Derval McCarthy was first home for Lucan with 1:40:46, Freda Comiskey was next in 1:44:51, Eileen O'Brien had a great run with 1:46:57, Liz Arkins was next in 1:47:03, Myra Nolan 1:47:46, Bernie Stapleton 1:48:55, Lorraine Heffernan 1:51:40, Deirdre 1:52:08, Hazel 1:52:27, Evelyn McMahon 1:58:16, Emer McCarthy 1:59:33, Claire Buckley 2:00:13, Ursula 2:00:22, Sinead 2:02:01, Amber Nugent 2:03:03 and Bernie 2:08:02. Well done to all.

On Sat 19th Apr, our athletes had some good results in the Kepak-sponsored BHAA 8 mile road race in Clonee, County Meath. David O’Doherty showed another good run with a time of 50:37, Stephen Rynne was next Lucan athlete in 54:37 followed by Jim Dwyer in 65:14. Well done to all. Results.

On Sun 13th Apr, our Masters Women and Senior Men's teams both placed 8th in their events at the National Road Relays in Raheny. This was the first ever appearance by our Masters Women's team at the National Road Relays and they performed very creditably with an 8th place finish. Bernie Stapleton ran the opening road lap -- the lap is just over a mile -- for Lucan in a time of 6:41, Derval McCarthy took over and ran a very strong time for the 2 laps (13:34) and Freda Comiskey brought the team home with a 6:43 lap. The total time for the team was 26:58. With our women collecting team medals in the National Marathon over the past few years, competing more and more in BHAA races and now the National Road Relays, we are sure that our women can push for medals at these Championships too in the next few years. Our Senior Men's team meanwhile placed 8th in the strongest competition in recent memory. Our men had placed 6th in 2006 and 5th in 2007 and were hoping to improve even further this year. Well, they did. The time recorded by our team was the fastest yet by a Lucan quartet (39:25), and this time would have won our team bronze medals at last year's Championship -- this competition has found a permanent home on this lap in Raheny over the past decade. This time around, Conor McGee -- home from the U.S. for the weekend(!) -- led off the guys with a 9:41 2 laps, handing over the baton in fifth position to John Canny. John had an outstanding run, recording the fastest one lap leg to date at the National Road Relays by a Lucan athlete (4:45). Lucan were in 6th position, right behind 5th, when John handed the baton to Fintan McGee. Fintan waited patiently for two of the three laps he ran, and when he struck with just over a lap to go of his run, he opened up on the competition. Fintan recorded the fastest 3 lap leg ever (14:46) by a Lucan athlete at this competition, handing the baton to David Keogh in 5th position. David has been running in this race for the last 3 years and each year he gets faster. Again David did not disappoint as he recorded his fastest 2 laps to date with a 10:13 clocking. For a long time, it looked like the team would repeat last year's 5th place finish but it was not to be. Unfortunately for the Lucan team, we were just outleaned by a few teams in the last few metres in a blanket finish. The 5th, 6th, and 7th placed teams all were given the same time 39:24, just one second ahead of Lucan's men. Well, if this performance does not convince the guys that they can win medals at National Championships, nothing will. Great running guys. Having participated in the road relays in 5 out of the last 6 years, our men are now amongst the top teams. Our women's teams will no doubt establish the same reputation at these Championships. Well done to all on a great day.


On Sat 5th Apr, John Canny placed 9th as Lucan athletes performed well in the Dublin City Council-sponsored BHAA 4 mile road race in St Anne's Park, Raheny. A 9th place finish in a very good time (21:48) was a big step forward for John Canny, this being John's first top ten finish in these competitions. Tommy Buggle had another good run (23:12) while David O’Doherty's time (24:06) is without doubt one of his best runs to date. Great to see Dave making big strides too. Brian Brunton (26:06), Stephen Rynne (26:23) and Jim Dwyer (31:40) all put in very good runs. The BHAA series is a lot of fun and we are sure to see more and more of our athletes out at these races over the course of the summer. Well done to all. Results.



This was a fantastic performance from Conor, who has been working towards this result for several seasons. And having reached the top of the podium at the National U18 110m hurdles Championship last summer, Conor has followed that up now with the U19 Indoor 60m hurdle title. Conor's time on this occasion was a blistering 8.93 seconds. It took a photo to separate the first two athletes as Conor prevailed by the narrowest of margins, just one hundredth of a second. Congratulations, Conor, on a magnificent achievement. Results.

On Sat 5th/Sun 6th Apr, Lucan were well represented at the National Juvenile Indoor track and field Championships in Nenagh. Inspired by Conor McCrossan's fantastic gold medal performance, our athletes did themselves and the club proud. The Grimes family had some very good runs, with oldest brother Kevin showing potential with his 8th place finish in the U19 400m. This was Kevin's first time running at this level and he handled the occasion well. We will definitely see him improve his time of 65.14 in the outdoor season. Twins John and Edward Grimes both ran very well in the U18 1500m. John placed 9th (4:42.60) and Edward was 10th (4:51.34). Just to give a bit of perspective, 4:42 for 1500m is just outside a 5 minute mile. These are top runs and times that senior athletes struggle hard to run. At 17 years of age, these guys have a bright future in the sport. Sinead Dowling had a great run in the U19 60m, clocking 8.38. This 6th place replicates Sinead's 6th place from last year's National U18 Indoor 60m (and also her 6th places at the National U18 100m and 200m last summer). Sinead is one of our top athletes in the club, consistently placing in the medals in Dublin Club and Leinster Schools Championships, and in the top 6 at National Championships over the past few years, Looks like Sinead's form is coming good for the Schools Championships in a few weeks' time. Well done to all our athletes. Results.

On Sun 30th Mar, Eileen O'Brien again won her age-category as Lucan athletes took part in one of the best road races in the country, the Dunboyne 4 mile road race. Eileen O’Brien (30:00) again placed first in her age-category, adding to her age-category win at the KBC 5k a fortnight ago. It is great to see the talented Alan Cassells (26:14) back running with the club. Jim Dwyer (31:52) as always gave his best. Bernie Stapleton (29:09), Liz Arkins (29:25), Freda Comiskey (29:56), Lorraine Heffernan (31:46) and Celina Barratt (34:05) all ran well. Results.

On Sun 30th Mar, Conor McGee placed fourth in the Scotland Run 10km road race in Central Park, New York. Conor recorded a time of 31:53 for the race on a rolling hill course. Well done Conor. Results.

On Wed 26th Mar, four Lucan athletes ran in the NCF-sponsored floodlit 5km cross country race at Malahide Rugby Club. Colm O’Connor has clearly put in a good winter's training and he is ready to go with the track season only weeks away. He had a very good run here clocking 18:49 for the distance. Brian Brunton (20:17), Stephen Rynne (21:03), and Jim Dwyer (24:30) all ran well. Well done to all. Results.

On Mon 17th Mar, Eileen O'Brien won her age-category and we had some other very good runs in the KBC-sponsored St Patrick's Day 5km road race in Dublin City Centre. John Canny produced what we believe to be a personal best run with a time of 16.47, Gareth Fereday had a very good run -- possibly a personal best? -- finishing in 18:22. Eileen O’Brien (22:49) had a great run placing first in her age-category. John O’Leary (19:05), Gerry Martin (20:53), Liz Arkins (22:13), Bernie Stapleton (22:28), Jim Dwyer (25:09) and Maisie McGlone (25:48) also put in good runs. Well done to all.

On Sun 16th Mar, Lucan athletes continued with their annual tradition of travelling abroad for spring races, this time running the Bath Half Marathon in southern England. This is the fifth year in a row that our athletes have travelled together in a group for a spring road race - cities visited to date in the past few years are Prague (2004), Barcelona (2005), Berlin (2006), Prague again (2007) and now, both Bath and Lisbon (2008) -- Lisbon is coming up in a few weeks' time. These are always exciting trips and give our athletes an incentive for the training over the winter months. Brid Fogarty (2:03:15) was first Lucan athlete home, followed by Nina Farr (2:03:22), Patricia Daly (2:04:05), Ann McGee (2:08:13) Barbara Whelan and Noelle Dunne who both ran 2:18:29, and Winifred Ryan (2:19:30). Well done to both. More results to follow shortly when received. Results.

On Sat 15th Mar, Lucan's athletes had some fine runs in the AIB and NUI Maynooth-sponsored BHAA 4 mile cross country race in Maynooth, Co. Kildare. Tommy Buggle placed an excellent 14th overall (23:24) in the 4 mile race. Tommy was placed 9th in the overall league points before this race, the last in the cross country series. Hopefully, when the points are fully tallied, Tommy will move up even further in the overall standings. Joe Corcoran (23:46) had an absolutely brilliant run in 21st position, his best run in some time. Martin Francis (23:59) again showed his ability in 24th position. Stephen Rynne had a good run finishing in 27:54, and great to see Jim Dwyer (31:06) returning to the fold after some injury problems this year. In the women's 2.5 mile race, Bernie Stapleton placed an excellent 25th overall (18:50). Bernie has utilised these BHAA races all winter and the step up in performances she has shown are indicative of that. She has produced some of her best ever runs in the Women's Meet and Train cross country series this winter. We hope to see Bernie's (and all of our athletes') commitment rewarded in the summer with some personal bests. Well done to all. Photos/results.

On Sun 9th Mar, our juvenile athletes had great success at the Clondalkin A.C. Open Cross Country Meet. Max Carey was first in the U/11 500m, Nicole O’Gorman first in U/11 500m, Sean Townsend was first in the U/12 600m, Traodhbhealach Hopper first in the U/15 2000m, Conor Martin first in the U/16 3000m and Eoin Metcalf third in the U/13 800m. Well done to all our athletes. These were fantastic performances!

On Sun 9th Mar, Lucan athletes ran the Ballycotton 10 mile road race in Cork. John O’Leary was first from the club in a time of 1 hour 5 mins, Claire Buckley was next with 1:23, then Sinead Murphy in 1:26 followed by Maisie McGlone in 1:32. Well done to all.

On Fri/Sat/Sun 22nd/23rd/24th Feb, Lucan Harriers' juvenile athletes showed excellent form at the Dublin Indoor Track and Field Championships in Santry. Our athletes picked up a string of medals across all age groups and events. Collecting gold medals and Dublin titles were Sinead Dowling (U19) in the 60metre sprint, Luke Hanlon (U13) in the long jump, Sean Townsend (U11) in the 500m sprint, Christian Collins (U12) in the high jump and John Grimes (U18) in the 1500metre. Silver medals were won by, relative newcomer, Kevin Grimes (U19) in the 400m, Adam Doran (U12) in the 500m, Jack Andrews (U10) in the 500m sprints, Nicole O’Gorman (U10) in the 60m, Jack Carey (U13) in the long jump and Edward Grimes in the 1500m. Tara Andrews (U12) was second in both the 600 meters and the high jump. James Guichan (U12) was third in the 600 metres while Stuart Roche (U16) just missed a medal in the 60 metre event. Evan Metcalf placed fourth in the high jump. Our boys U13 replay team of Jack Carey, Luke Singery, Adam Doran and (name to be confirmed) finished a close fourth in the relay event. Also competing on the day were Toirdeabhlach Hopper (U16), Dale Singery (U10), Conor Martin (U17) Aibhe Breen (U17), Chloe McGrane (U15), Dearbhla Stobie (U13), Shannon Browne (U13), Rachel Briggs (U13) and Sophie Doolan (U12). Well done to all the athletes! This is just the start of the track season and all will have hopefully set their sights on improving steadily into the summer. Well done to all!!

On Sat 23rd Feb, two Lucan athletes placed in the top 20 at the Garda-sponsored BHAA cross country in the Phoenix Park. John Canny (23.25) had a great run in the 4 mile race with another storming run from Tommy Buggle (23.30) hot on his heals in 16th place. David O’Doherty (25:19) also had a tremendous run finishing 48th with John O’Leary (26:03) close behind in 61st place. Also running was Henry Langton (27:00), Colm O’Connor (27:08) and Stephen Ryen (28:44). Bernie Stapleton (31:29) was placed 18th in the women’s 4 mile event. This was the second last race in the BHAA cross country league and has left Tommy Buggle in 9th place overall and John Canny in 15th place overall in the series. Well done to all. Results.

On Wed 20th Feb, David Keogh and Toirdealbhach Hopper competed at the Leinster Schools Cross Country Championships in Santry. David placed 23rd in the Senior (U20) boys 6km race. This was a very tough field. A top 15 finishing position would have given a David a spot in the All-Ireland Schools Cross Country Championships but it was not to be. Well done David on a very good cross country season. David will now be looking to the track season, the season for which he is has been concentrating his efforts. After the winter's training and racing that he has had, we should see some very good results from him in the coming months. Toirdealbhach Hopper placed further down the field in his race, the junior (U15) boys 3km race. Toirdealbhach has improved enormously over the past few months and we also look forward to see his improvements continue into the summer and beyond. Well done Toirdealbhach on your big jump this year. Keep up the good work guys.

On Sun 17th Feb, Sinead Dowling competed at the National Junior Indoor Track and Field Championships in Nenagh. Sinead placed 5th in her heat of the junior women's 60metres with a time of 8.44 seconds. Having placed 6th in both the U18 100m and U18 200m National Championship finals last summer, Sinead fully expected to be competing in the final this weekend. Unfortunately, a bad start cost Sinead a place in the 60m final. All the hard work is banked, Sinead. You will reap the rewards soon. Well done Sinead. Results.

On Sun 17th Feb, our women ran in the final race of this season's Meet and Train Cross Country League held at St Anne's Park, Raheny. Derval McCarthy (14:16) had another top class performance with a 5th place finish. Despite tough competition from both Sportsworld and Fingallian athletes, Derval held her own and we anticipate Derval picking up a gold medal for her age group when the official results are announced during the week. Eithne Reid (15:12 ) had an inspired run, crossing the finish line in 13th position. Closely behind her was Bernie Stapleton (15:21) in 17th place followed by Freda Comiskey (15:47) in 26th. Deirdre Coonihan (15:59) was next in 29th followed by Emer McCarthy (16:33) and Lorraine Heffernan (16:39) Claire Buckley (14:43) produced a great run as did Amber Nugent (17:20) and Sinead Murphy (17:47). Patricia Dolan (18:16) had a strong finish and was followed by Winifred Ryan (18:48), Noelle Dunne (20:08) and Barbara Whelan (20:22).Great to see so many Lucan athletes so high up in the results. It was agreed by all that it was a long two miles so well done to all. Photos.

On Sat 16th Feb, Tommy Buggle had another great run, this time in the Aer Lingus-sponsored BHAA Cross Country held at ALSAA. Tommy placed a fine 15th overall in the men's 5 mile race. This was the 6th race of 8 in the BHAA winter Cross country league and this excellent performance by Tommy puts him in 10th place overall in the League. Congratulations Tommy. Results.

On Sun 10th Feb, Conor McGee won the Bronx Half Marathon hosted by the New York Road Runners Club. On a cool and blustery day in the Bronx, over 3,200 people took part in the race. After a big battle throughout the race, Conor edged ahead in the final mile to record a time of 1:12:24. Well done Conor. Results.

On Sun 3rd Feb, Rosemary Charlton took part in her first mountain running race in the Dublin mountains. Conditions were terrible with high winds and hail but Rosemary completed the tough 8.8km mountain run with a 360m accent in 69:38. This race was part of the IMRA (Irish Mountain Running Association) Three Rock Winter league held in the Dublin Mountains. Well done Ro! Results.

On Sat 2nd Feb, Lucan athletes ran in the NCF-sponsored BHAA Cross Country races in Swords. Tommy Buggle continued his great run of results with a fantastic 14th position finish in a time of 29:02 in the men's 5 mile race. It seems like only a matter of time before Tommy cracks the top 10 in these races. John Canny is running very well too and he placed 22nd in a time of 29:53. John O’Leary (31:43) was also racing and finished 41st while Jim Dywer crossed the line in a time of 43:47. Good to see Jim back in action after being out injured for some time. In the women’s 2.5 mile race, Bernie Stapleton completed the race in 18:18 in 39th place. Well done to all. Results.

On Thur 31st Jan, David Keogh, Toirdealbhach Hopper and Conor Martin all ran in the West Leinster Schools Cross Country Championships in the Phoenix Park. The absolutely horrendous conditions -- gale force winds and freezing cold -- did not deter our athletes in the slightest. David Keogh finished in an outstanding 4th position in the Senior Boys (U20) race. Representing Colaiste Phadraig C.B.S. in Lucan, David finished close to the first three athletes over the 6km course. David now goes forward as an individual qualifier to the next stage of the Schools Cross Country Championships, the Leinster Schools Cross Country Championships, which will be held on Wednesday the 20th of February in Santry. Toirdealbhach Hopper, representing Gael-Scoil Colaiste Cois an Life, had perhaps his best run to date. He finished in a gutsy 10th position in the Junior Boys (U15) 3km race. Toirdealbhach has been looked after in the past very ably by Ann McGee and now by Gerry Martin. Toirdealbhach's progression is a good example of our experienced coaches taking athletes along slowly. Toirdealbhach has been in the club for a few years, improving gradually each year, and it's great to see his enthusiasm rewarded. With this result, Toirdealbhach also gained one of the prized individual qualification spots for the Leinster Schools Cross Country Championships on the 20th of February. Coach Gerry Martin's son, Conor Martin, placed in the middle of the pack in the Intermediate Boys (U17) 4.5km race. Conor is another athlete with the combination of genes and plenty of natural ability. Conor has not been in the club quite as long as other athletes so with a bit of patient training, and some good mentoring from our coaches, we anticipate him moving up the ranks soon. Well done to all our athletes.

On Sun 27th Jan, Lucan athletes had some fine individual performance in the AXA-sponsored Raheny 5 mile road race. The very in-form Derval McCarthy (34mins) was first Lucan woman across the finish and she was a very impressive 7th in her age category. Liz Arkins was 5th in her age-category in 37minutes and close behind her was Eileen O’Brien in a time of 38:12 giving her third place in her age group. Maisie McGlone was running her first race in a few months and finished in 43mins. Barbara Whelan showed another improvement and finished in under 50 minutes with Ann McGee finishing in 58 mins. Well done to all.

On Sun 20th Jan, Derval McCarthy had a fantastic 5th place finish overall, as our women ran in the Meet and Train Cross Country League in Tymon Park. This was Derval's best ever finish in these competitions, so congratulations to her on all the hard work paying off. In extremely muddy conditions, Derval was followed by the ever-consistent Freda Comiskey (15:48) as always pushing for a top ten finish in 15th place and Bernie Stapleton (16:04) in a fine 16th position. Deirdre Coonihan (16:25) is another big star in the making. With our women's coach, Brendan Maher, guiding her progress and giving the right advice, she could be a top 10 athlete in these races by this time next year. This time Deirdre finished in 21st position while Eithne Reid (16:37) finished 25th and close behind her was newcomer Maria in 16:37. This was a sterling performance from Maria in her first ever competitive race. She is certainly an athlete to watch. Also running well on Sunday were Amber Nugent, Claire Buckley (61), Patricia Daly (63), Winfred Ryan (67), Suzie Devaney (65) and Barbara Whelan (70). Overall the Lucan women finished extremely strongly in tough conditions so well done to all. Photos.

On Wed 16th Jan, David Keogh produced a fine 5th place finish in the Senior Boys (U20) 6km race at the D.C.U. Schools Cross Country Invitational. This was a top class performance from David -- the D.C.U. Invitational attracts the top talent from Leinster and other parts of the country, as schools athletes gear up for the Schools Cross Country Championship season. David's next race will be the Senior Boys 6km race at the West Leinster Schools Cross Country Championship on Thursday Jan 31st, and all signs are that David is coming into top form at the right time. Well done David. Photos. Results.

On Sun 13th Jan, Eileen O'Brien claimed bronze in her age-category and Lucan teams fared well at the Dublin Masters Cross Country Championships held in the Phoenix Park. Making her masters debut, Freda Comiskey led our women's team to the finish. Deirdre Counihan, who is new to cross country, finished close behind followed by Eithne Reid and Eileen O’Brien. Fresh from her National marathon exploits, Eileen took a well earned bronze medal in her age category. On our men's team, Colm O’Connor was the first Lucan runner to finish the tough 8km course. In wet and muddy conditions, David O’Doherty, John O’Leary and Gerry Martin completed the team for Lucan. Well done to all!

On Sat 12th Jan, Tommy Buggle put in a top performance in the Eircom-sponsored BHAA Cross Country 5 mile race. Tommy just keeps getting better year on year. Every injury seems to bring him back stronger than before. In one of his top performances to date, on this occasion Tommy placed 16th in a time of 29:31. Stephen Rynne was also competing in the 5 mile race and he put in a strong performance too, finishing 84th in just over 35 minutes. Well done lads.

On Sat 5th Jan, Lucan athletes competed in the South Dublin County Council-sponsored BHAA cross country race in Tymon Park, Templeogue. For the men’s team, John Canny (24:58) and Stephen Rynne (29:35) ran the 4 mile race and finishing 22nd and 95th respectively. Bernie Stapleton had a good run in the women’s 2 mile race placing 28th in a time of 15:04. Well done to all. Results.