On Sat 26th Dec, Gareth Fereday placed 3rd in the Cwmbran Boxing day 5 mile fun run in Wales. Gareth obviously didn’t over indulge in the excesses of Christmas as he produced yet another outstanding performance in securing 3rd place overall in the Cwmbran Boxing day fun run. Gareth covered the 5 mile distance a brilliant time of 29 mins 55 secs and he is obviously in top shape heading into 2010. We look forward to more great performances from Gareth this year.


Congratulations to Freda Comiskey and Gerry Byrne senior on being named the club persons of the year for 2009. Both received a specially commissioned David O'Doherty memorial shield in memory of our late and very talented club mate, David O'Doherty, who was sadly taken from us earlier this year having been the clubman of the year 2008. Freda has had a superb year running personal best times over all distances. In the build up to the marathon Freda smashed her personal best time over the half marathon distance with her 1 hr 37 mins 49 secs clocking in the Dublin half marathon on Sept 26th. In the marathon itself, Freda led our ladies home in her debut marathon in a sensational time of 3 hrs 34 mins 17 secs. Since that race Freda has just got better and better finishing in the top 10 in the first two rounds of the Meet and Train series, running a new personal best over 5km in the Jingle Bells race and winning all three races and running personal best times in our turkey trot series. All these terrific performances and the extra work she does around the club makes Freda our deserving club woman of the year for 2009. Gerry Byrne senior, too, has had a season he will remember. Having his first full season since returning from a horrific achilles injury, Gerry has raced consistently since the beginning of 2009. Starting with the cross country season, Gerry put in one strong performance after another. On the roads, too, Gerry showed terrific form running all distances from 5km to the marathon. Over the 5km distance Gerry clocked a very swift time 19 mins 29 secs in Enfield in May and carried this form over the longer distance of 5 miles in which he clocked another impressive time of 32 mins 46 secs in Dunboyne in June. Over the half marathon distance Gerry posted a time 1 hr 35 mins twice - in Dublin and Waterford - showing his consistency. But it was on the track that Gerry showed his true class. Gerry recorded his first ever race victory when he came in first in the Hibernian sponsored BHAA mile in a brilliant time of 5 mins 39 secs in early September. His enthusiasm and talent for running makes Gerry a deserving and popular club man of the year.

Congratulations to Freda Comiskey and Gareth Fereday who were crowned the turkey trot champions for 2009. Freda produced a clean sweep in the series, impressively winning all three races to cap off a remarkable year. Gareth was the convincing winner of the 3k race and also produced excellent performances to finish as runner up in the 1,500 and 800 metre races to be the deserving winner of the men's series. In the team event Team C comprising Bernie Stapleton, Emer O'Sullivan, Bernie Doyle, Barbara Whelan, Martin Francis, Liam Landers, Barry Murtagh and Fergal O'Brien came out on top while Team E comprising Freda Comiskey, Emer McCarthy, Brid Fogarty, Rian Donnelly, Josie Dignam, Alan Cassells, Henry Langton and Vinny Murtagh were runners up. Well done to all on a very enjoyable series of races.

On Tue 15th Dec, Freda Comiskey and Gerry Byrne junior won the final race of our Turkey Trot Series, the 800m, in appalling conditions at Esker track. Freda Comiskey completed a grand slam of successes in the turkey trot series with another victory. Freda led from the start and had a fantastic second lap to come home in a new personal best time of 2 mins 49 secs. We had a great battle for second place with Claire Joyce, running her first race of the series just holding off Bernie Stapleton who piled on the pressure on the home straight. These two ladies have had great seasons and we look forward to more of the same in 2010. Other noteworthy performances on the night came from Claire Buckley who has had a great series and Emer O'Sullivan who achieved her highest place finish in the series we believe. Gerry Byrne junior decided to give the men a lesson on how 800 metre running should be done. Gerry took off from the gun, building up a huge lead over the first 400 metres, no doubt running a scorching 30 seconds for the opening 200 metres helped!!!If we thought he was going to slack off over the second lap, we could think again as Gerry never let up and was rewarded with a personal best time of 2 mins 13 seconds on a wet cinder track. This is terrific running in the middle of winter by Gerry and no doubt this will translate to a sub 2.10 clocking and better, come summer time. Gareth Fereday had an exceptionally strong second 400 metres to impressively claim second place. Garry Mortimer, making his debut in this year's series also had a very strong finish to secure fourth place. Fergal O'Brien claimed some noticeable scalps in his most impressive performance of the series. Unfortunately with the bad weather conditions on the night the sheets of paper with the results got smudged so we are unable to provide complete results.

On Sat 12th Dec, Bernie Stapleton and Ken Robinson had great runs in the Aware 9km run in the Phoenix Park. Bernie clocked a brilliant time of 42mins 30 secs for the distance. This was more outstanding running by Bernie who has had a terrific 2009. Ken Robinson also had a terrific run clocking a brilliant time of 35 mins 58 secs for the 9km distance. Ken has been in great form since his brilliant marathon performance at the end of October in which he improved his time by 38 mins on his previous year’s run so his confidence must be sky high at the moment. Well done everyone.

On Sat 12th Dec, Joe Lynch, Gerry Byrne Senior and Yvonne McCormack had some top performances in the Waterford Half Marathon. Joe Lynch is finishing off 2009 in style by producing yet more sensational performances. Joe finished 18th overall out of 932 finishers. Joe went through 10 miles in 58 mins 44 secs. Over the final 3+ miles Joe dug in deep, attaching himself to a small 5 man group and was rewarded with an outstanding personal best time of 1 hour 17 mins 21 secs. This was a remarkable performance by Joe and his time is the quickest half marathon time posted by a Lucan athlete in 2009, just bettering Gareth Fereday's sensational 1 hr 19 mins posted in blustery Larne earlier this year. Like Joe, Gerry Byrne senior has also been a model of consistency in 2009.Gerry placed 218th in this large field, posting a brilliant time of 1 hr 35 mins 42 secs. This was very close to the time that Gerry posted on September 26th in the Dublin half marathon when Gerry was widely regarded as been in the peak of his powers so he has obviously maintained his form and appetite for work in the intervening period to cap off an extraordinary year. For the ladies Yvonne McCormack has been busy of late, racing over all distances and put in another terrific performance in the Waterford half marathon. Fresh from her strong performances in the 3,000 and 1,500 metre turkey trot races, Yvonne completed the tough half marathon distance in 2 hrs 41 mins 19 secs. This was Yvonne's third race in the last fortnight so she is obviously is top shape at the minute

On Tue 8th Dec, the second race of our Turkey Trot Series (women's 3000m, men's 1500m) produced wins again for Freda Comiskey and Gareth Fereday. Joe Lynch got his tactics spot on in securing victory in the second race of the turkey trot series. Joe ran just off the pace for the first 900 metres before starting to make his charge through the field. With 250 metres to go Joe hit the front and finished very strongly securing victory in a great time of 4 mins 45 secs. Gareth Fereday continued to show excellent form in finishing second in 4 mins 51 secs. Gareth made the running for much of the race, setting a lively pace and can be very pleased with his performance on the night and his current form. Martin Francis and Gerry Byrne junior were never far away from the business end of affairs with both just sitting behind Gareth for much of the race. Martin and Gerry covered any increase in tempo , posting very impressive times of 4 mins 52 secs and 4 mins 54 secs respectively for 3rd and 4th positions. Colm O'Connor, running his first race of the series placed an impressive 5th in a great time of 5 mins 03 secs, matching to the second the time he posted in last year's race. Henry Langton was our 6th place finisher in 5 mins 14 secs after producing very good tactics on the night to hold off the fast finishing Ken Robinson and Alan Cassells. Ken and Alan are both in top shape at the moment as a result of their recent heavy racing activity, posting very quick times of 5 mins 15 secs and 5 mins 16 secs respectively for 7th and 8th places. Liam Landers continued his fine run of form with his ninth place finish in 5 mins 20 secs. Daithi O'Murchu can also be well pleased with his 10th place finish in 5 mins 23 secs. Gerry Byrne senior made a return to action after a short injury lay-off, placing 11th in a swift 5 mins 30. Barry Murtagh finished just behind Gerry in 12th in 5 mins 36 secs. This was a great debut in the turkey trot series by Barry. Fergal O'Brien once again unleashed his trade mark sprint over the last 100 metres in finishing 13th in 5 mins 39 secs, just overtaking Gerry Martin metres from the line. Gerry was our 14th place finisher in 5 mins 40 secs continuing his excellent form. Stephen Rynne had yet another fruitful outing finishing 15th in 5 mins 40 secs. Vinny Murtagh completed a good men's race with a fine run, dipping under the 6 minute barrier in 5 mins 59 secs for 16th place.
Freda Comiskey had a dominant victory over the 3,000 metre distance. Freda led from the gun and pulled away from field crossing the line in 12 mins 46 secs for her second victory of the series. Bernie Stapleton had another impressive performance this season finishing in second in 13 mins 15 seconds. Bernie just managed to hold off the fast finishing Deirdre Counihan who finished the race very strongly in 13 mins 19 secs. Lorraine Heffernan followed Deirdre home in 13 mins 39 secs having also produced a very strong second half to the race. Claire Buckley continued her strong performances this year with her fifth place finish in 14 mins 04 secs. Evelyn McMahon is also in good form at present. On this occasion Evelyn finished sixth in 14 mins 16 secs. Hot on her heels was Anne Murtagh, finishing in seventh in 14 mins 18 secs following yet another impressive performance. Emer McCarthy was our eight place finisher in 14mins 35 secs following a tight battle on the night with Amber Nugent who clocked the same time in securing ninth place. Amber has also been in excellent form of late and this was very strong running by both ladies. Sile McIntyre placed tenth in 14 mins 54 secs following some more impressive running in the series. Bernie Doyle was our next athlete home in 15 mins 24 secs securing 11th place. This was great running by Bernie over the 3k distance. Ursula Murphy continued her impressive performances in the series so far with her 12th place finish in 16 mins 30 secs. Winifred Ryan was our 13th placed finisher in 16 mins 45 secs. This comes on the back of some impressive performances over 1,500 metres and 5km by Winifred. Anne McGrane was our next lady home in 17 mins 28 secs fir 14th place. Josie Dignam, too, can be well pleased with her outing, finishing in 15th place in 17mins 29 secs. Yvonne McCormack was our 16th placed finisher in 17 mins 35 secs building on her fine debut in the series a week ago. Nicola O'Flaherty, too, has been busy of late. Tonight Nicola was running in her 3rd race of the week and produced another excellent performance clocking 17 mins 37 secs for 17th place. Clodagh Ashe rounded off a very good ladies race with a fine performance and time of 17 mins 39 secs.Clodagh was just recovering from a dose of flu and can be rightly delighted with her performance.s

On Sat 5th Dec. Lucan athletes were out in force for the Jingle Bells 5km road race. For the ladies, Freda Comiskey is just going from strength to strength as year progresses. Following her great victory on Tuesday evening last, Freda ran a personal best time of 21 mins 15 secs for the distance we believe. This was nearly a minute quicker than the time she posted in last year's race. Following Freda home we had two athletes finishing within three seconds of each other. Hilary McGee was second across the line for our Lucan ladies after another fantastic run. Hilary's time of 22 mins 30 secs proves she is in excellent current form and builds on her strong Meet and Train run in Tymon Park two weeks ago. Our next finisher was Bernie Stapleton who completed the 5km course in 22 mins 33 secs. Bernie, too, has been having a fantastic season which is testament to her dedication to training and regular racing. Michelle Sheeran was back in action after her recent outstanding Dublin marathon performance. Michelle proved that she is just as apt at the shorter distances as her excellent time of 22 mins 59 secs suggests. Deirdre Counihan is also in terrific form at present and fresh from her fine third place finish on Tuesday, she produced another very strong run on this Phoenix Park course, completing the distance in 23 mins 46 secs. Myra Nolan is another of our athletes in excellent form at the moment. Myra's time of 23 mins 56 secs for the 5km distance is very strong running. Myra has already proven herself to be a great marathon exponent but it looks like she is also at home over the shorter distances. Claire Buckley followed Myra home after producing yet another great performance. This time Claire ran the 5km in a very swift 24 mins 29 secs. Claire, like many of our ladies, is in very good form this winter. Emer McCarthy was our next athlete across the line in 24 mins 55 secs. Emer has had a terrific year for the club with her performances and shows no signs of easing up just yet. Anne McGrane had arguably her best performance since joining the Lucan set-up a couple of months ago. Anne produced a great time of 26 mins 31 secs for 5km and is obviously showing the benefit of her hard work. Sinead Murphy was making a return to action on the day for Lucan and showed no signs of rustiness with her fine run in a great time of 29 mins 45 secs. We look forward to seeing more of Sinead back in action. Nicola O'Flaherty, running her second race of the week produced another great performance with her clocking of 29 mins 46secs for the 5km distance finishing just behind Sinead and in the process showing that she has the strength to match the speed she demonstrated over the shorter distance during the week. Following Nicola home we had a great battle between Winifred Ryan and Ann McGee. These athletes could not be separated on the day with both clocking a time of 29 mins 47 secs. Winifred and Ann both had very strong runs over 1,500 metres on Tuesday and are also showing great strength over the longer distances.
For the men, Gerry Byrne junior led the way with a fantastic performance of 18 mins 08 secs - a new personal best. Gerry learned from his Rathfarnham experience, on this occasion starting conservatively and finishing like a train. Gerry's last two kilometres were run in 3.35 and 3.28 respectively which is very strong running towards the end of a race. Shane McCarthy was the second Lucan male across the line in 18 mins 39 secs. This was yet another very strong performance by Shane since joining the club. We have already seen that Shane is a very strong runner on cross country terrain with the fine times he posted in the Dublin Novice and Prison Services races so he is carrying his form onto the road scene as well. Alan Cassells is also producing fine performances this season and fresh from his impressive run on Tuesday evening, Alan was back in action running the 5km in 18 mins 58 secs. It looks like it onwards and upwards for Alan. Ken Robinson had his second fine outing of the week. This time Ken posted a very strong time of 19 mins 22 secs for the 5km distance. This comes as no surprise after Ken's excellent marathon run a few weeks back and he is definitely so great addition too the senior ranks at Lucan. Gerry Martin, too, put in another fine performance, completing the 5km in 19 mins 50 secs .Gerry started with winter season with some terrific outings on cross country courses and is now translating this form onto the hard surfaces. Gerard Moloney built on his noteworthy performance earlier in the week in the turkey trot race with more strong running here. Gerard posted an excellent time of 20 mins 25 secs for the distance and continues to impress for the club. We believe that this may have been a personal best performance by Gerard also, a great achievement considering it is the winter season.Well done everyone.

On Tue 1st Dec, our athletes were out in force for the first race of our Turkey Trot Series (women's 1500m, men's 3000m), as Freda Comiskey and Gareth Fereday took the wins. Freda Comiskey continued her hot streak coming out on top in a close battle with Bernie Stapleton. Freda and Bernie were neck a neck for the majority of the race before Freda opened up a gap over the last 600 metres or so to secure victory in an excellent time of 6 mins. Bernie, too, had a great run looking very comfortable throughout in securing 2nd place in a great tine of 6 mins 13 secs. Deirdre Counihan was third across the line after a fine performance and time of 6 mins 20 secs . It looks like Deirdre is flying at the minute. Next we had a battle of titanic proportions between Lorraine Heffernan, Claire Buckley and Lara Demetriou. Lorraine showed the benefit of her marathon training to edge in front and finish fourth in an excellent time of 6 mins 30 secs. Claire Buckley continued her fine form of late with her fifth place finish in 6 mins 31 secs. This followed her two productive outings in the Meet and Train series over the last few weeks. Lara Demetriou ran her first race in recent times and looked very fresh, being hot on the heels of Claire at the finish, with her brilliant time of 6 mins 32 secs securing sixth place. Next home for the ladies was Myra Nolan in seventh. Myra, making a return to action after her marathon exploits, produced a fine performance covering the 1,500 metres in 6 mins 40 secs. Celina Barrett was our next finisher in 6 mins 44 secs coming home in eight place. This was fine running from Celina on a soft track. In ninth place was Emer O'Sullivan, one of our new members. Emer looks like she will be a good addition to the ladies section having produced a great time of 6 mins 46 secs for the distance, finishing right behind Celina. Anne Murtagh continued her busy winter schedule with another strong run over the 1,500 metre distance. Anne's time of 6 mins 48 secs secured her tenth position. In fact Anne and Emer McCarthy had a great battle throughout the race and could only be separated by a second at the death with Emer posting a great time of 6 mins 49 secs for eleventh place. This was great running by Emer, also making a return to competitive action after her marathon performance. Next finisher for the ladies was Brid Fogarty in 12th position in 6 mins 50 secs, right on the heels of Emer at the finish. Brid, too, has been busy of late racing and is looking sharp at the moment. Closely tracking her was Evelyn McMahon in 13th place in 6 mins 52 secs. This was more strong running by Evelyn after her great marathon debut at the end of October. Bernie Doyle too looked razor sharp on the night, finishing in 14th place in 6 mins 54 secs. Bernie has obviously kept up her fitness levels since her marathon exertions. Next up was Sile McIntyre in 15th place. Sile has been making big strides in the Meet and Train series this winter and carried her form onto the track producing a very good time of 7 mins 10 secs. Ursula Murphy was also making a return to action on the night and can be very happy with her time of 7 mins 21 secs for 16th place. This was very strong running by Ursula. Next up we had another fantastic battle between Anne McGrane and Winifred Ryan. These two ladies could only be separated by a second with Anne taking it at the death in a time of 7 mins 44 secs. This time saw Anne place 17th on the night. Making her work all the way, Winifred also produced a strong time of 7 mins 45 secs. This performance saw Winifred finish 18th.It looks like the Meet and Train series has these two ladies in fine form this winter. In 19th place was another of our newer members, Nicola O'Flaherty. Nicola put in a fabulous performance on her debut for the club covering the 1,500 metres in 7 mins 53 secs. It looks like Nicola will also prove to be an excellent addition to our set-up. Yvonne McCormack, too, should be very pleased with her performance, dipping under the 8 mins with her fine run in 7 mins 59 secs for the distance for 20th place. Next across the line was Barbara Whelan in 21st, fresh from her strong Meet and Train performances. Barbara produced another fine run this year, clocking 8 mins 26 secs. Ann McGee pushed Barbara all the way and in the process produced an excellent time of 8 mins 30 secs for 22nd place. Ann has had another very good year in 2009 making it onto the podium in both the Raheny 5 at the start of the year and again in the inaugural Adamstown 8k during the summer.Rian Donnelly was our next lady to cross the finish line in a very good time of 9 mins 02 secs for 23rd place. This was also Rian's first outing in recent times. We are sure to see Rian post more strong times over the remaining two races in the series. Josie Dignam, too, was back in action after a break and rounded off a very good ladies' race with her fine run of 9 mins 47 secs for 24th place. Josie, too, is sure to put in further strong performances over the remaining 1,500 metre and 800 metre races in the series.
Gareth Fereday was the impressive winner of the men's 3000m race, having a gun to tape victory in 10 mins 16 secs. The tough cross country race that Gareth ran the previous weekend didn't appear to knock anything out of him. John Canny was second in 10mins 28 secs. Gerry Byrne junior showed a fine turn of pace to secure third place in 10 mins 43 secs. Gerry, Joe Lynch and Martin Francis were neck and neck coming down the home straight with Gerry managing to use his strong kick over the last 20-30 metres in finishing third. Martin Francis was fourth home, just behind Gerry in 10 mins 44 secs, having also showed no signs of fatigue from his outing the previous weekend. Joe Lynch continues to put in strong performances and he was fifth home on the night in 10 mins 45 secs after his fine battle with Gerry and Martin. Alan Cassells continued his fine run of performances in races with his excellent clocking of 11 mins 24 secs securing him 6th position. This builds on his fine run over 5km in Rathfarnham. Henry Langton, just a couple of weeks after his great performance in the Kilkenny Novice championship, was back in action and finished hot on Alan's heels in 7th place in 11 mins 27 secs. Ken Robinson, one of our newer members, was eight across the line in 11 mins 32 secs. This was a fine performance by Ken who also ran the Dublin marathon in sub 3hrs 30mins a few weeks back so Ken is obviously a very strong runner. Liam Landers, fresh from his heroics in the Garda race a week previously, was back in action and yet again proved himself to be another strong runner with his ninth place finish in 11 mins 36 secs. Damien McDonald was tenth home in 12 mins 01 sec. This was great running by Damien who has had great half marathon and marathon performances this year. Gerry Martin continued his fine winter season with his 12 mins 06 secs clocking for eleventh place. Gerry has been racing well on the cross country circuit this season and carried this form onto the track. Our new decathlete recruit, Daithi O'Murchu was our 12th finisher in 12 mins 24 secs. Daithi would have plenty of strength in the bank from his decathlons and used this to good effect (despite predicting that the 3k is like a sprint for a decathlete!!!) Stephen Rynne, fresh from his run/swim the previous weekend, had another fine performance finishing 13th in 12 mins 34 secs. This was another very good performance by Stephen this year. Fergal O'Brien was hot on Stephen's heels at the finish with his 12 mins 36 secs clocking securing him 14th place. Fergal was once again able to unleash his powerful finishing kick over the last 100 metres. Gerard Moloney was our 15th athlete home in a very good time of 12 mins 50 secs. Gerard is racing consistently again now after his layoff earlier and is putting in strong performances every race.Vinny Murtagh rounded off a fine night for the men with his 13 mins 43 secs. Unfortunately for Vinny on the night he was feeling unwell during the race but still dug in and produced a fine performance. We are sure to see him exact his revenge on the turkey trot series over the upcoming 1,500m and 800m races. Thanks to Brendan Maher and Colm O'Connor for organising and timekeeping on the night. Our next race takes place this Tuesday from 7pm with the ladies having a battle over 3km and the men racing over 1,500 metres! Teams for the series have been posted on the notice board in the clubhouse.

On Sat 28th Nov, Gareth Fereday led the way for Lucan athletes with a tenth place finish in the very challenging NSRT and SMART-sponsored BHAA 6km cross country race at The Ward. Lucan was well representated in this unique cross country race in The Ward. Run on a creative and difficult cross country course that manages to incorporate a river, our athletes made light of the obstacles placed in front of them. Gareth Fereday continued his recent busy racing schedule with another fine outing on this difficult course. Gareth posted another excellent time of 25 mins 24 secs for the 6km distance and this time secured him 10th position overall on the day. It looks like the sub 3 hour marathon that Gareth posted a month ago was only a warm-up for Gareth as he has been unstoppable since. Gerry Byrne senior was our next athlete home, finishing in a brilliant time of 29 mins 40 secs - this fine run ensuring Gerry a finishing position of 54th. Gerry has proven to be a unstoppable force since his return to competitive action 12 months ago after a horrendous achilles injury and shows no sign of easing up this winter with performances like this.It was great to see John O'Leary back in action having been out for the best part of two years. John made a fine return, completing the difficult 6km course in 30 mins 17 secs. This excellent run saw John finishing in 60th place overall.We look forward to seeing more of John in action over the coming months as he always proves to be a very strong runner. Colm O'Connor was our next athlete to cross the finishing line, having posted a fine time of 30 mins 21 secs. This fine run ensured Colm placed in 62nd place overall. Colm's performance was all the more commendable considering he was suffering from a plantar fasciitis injury (or old age as Colm has christened it but we disagree!!!) for a week prior to the race. It looks like the winter endurance work on Thursday nights is paying dividends for Colm. Stephen Rynne, too, had a great outing and even proved to be a multi talented athlete.Stephen was hot on Colm's heels before disaster struck and he fell into the river. Stephen proved himself an able swimmer before getting back to doing what Stephen does best - running. Despite this diversion Stephen posted a very good time of 32 mins 21 secs, finishing in 89th positon.

On Wed 25th Nov, Liam Landers placed an excellent 5th at the Garda 6 mile cross country Championship in the Phoenix Park. Liam continued his excellent form of late in this Garda cross country race. Liam had a great race completing this tough cross country course in a fantastic time of 42 mins. This great performance ensured that Liam finished in a brilliant 5th position overall. This is outstanding running as Liam shows that he has made a full recovery after his great performance in the Chicago marathon just a few weeks ago.

On Sun 22nd Nov, Sean Townsend ran in the National U12 Cross Country Championships on Kilbeggan racecourse in Co Westmeath. This was Sean's first experience of a National Cross Country Championships and he handled the occasion very well. Sean placed 47th over the 1000m course amongst the 152 best u12 competitors in the country. Sean was the third person home on the Dublin team helong the team to place 9th in the inter-county competition. Running at all ages is all about seeing improvement in yourself. Just like older brother Liam, Sean is a very determined guy so we know that he will already be thinking about improving on this finish position for next year. Great to see Sean doing so well.

On Sun 22nd Nov, Freda Comiskey recorded another top 10 finish in the Women's Meet and Train cross country league race in Tymon Park. Following the great start to the Meet and Train series made by our ladies two weeks ago, they moved on to round two today in Tymon Park, Templeogue and again our athletes did not disappoint. The two mile cross country race was run over two laps in extremely gusty weather conditions and in underfoot conditions that could best be described as heavy. Freda Comiskey is having a dream winter season and continued her excellent form today finishing in 10th position in a very impressive time of 14mins 28 secs. This is particularly strong running by Freda and showed that she made light of the adverse conditions on the day. Hilary McGee continues to impress and was the next Lucan lady home in 21st position. Hilary also posted a very impressive time of 14 mins 55 secs, building on the excellent performance she put in a fortnight ago in Lucan. Julie Dowd put in yet another excellent performance today, finishing in 26th position overall in 15 mins 08 secs. Julie is proving to be a very good cross country runner and we look forward to seeing her performances as the season progresses. Bernie Stapleton as ever ran strongly, finishing hot on Julie's heels in 30th position in 15 mins 22 secs. This builds on the fine start that Bernie has made in the Meet and Train series and we are sure she will go from strength to strength for the remainder of the series. Anne Murtagh had a fine outing in Griffeen Park two weeks ago and had another outstanding run today finishing 64th in 16mins 54secs. This is strong running at the best of times, never mind when there is a gale blowing so Anne is obviously in top notch shape this winter. Claire Buckley was our next lady across the line in 17mins 14secs securing her 70th place. Claire, too, made a fine start to the series last time out and today in much less favourable conditions, proved that she is in great shape this winter. What a battle we had between Brid Fogarty and Amber Nugent! These two ladies could only be separated by one position and four seconds. Brid finished in 74th place in a time of 17mins 23secs. Brid, too, had a fine run two weeks ago despite still feeling the effects of a flu, so all these races are helping her back to full fitness. Amber's time of 17mins 27 secs secured her 75th position and her hectic racing schedule since October looks to be paying dividends as the season progresses. Anne McCrane, too, has been busy racing of late and this schedule helped her to another fine performance today. Anne finished 96th in 18mins 48secs - a very strong run in soft underfoot conditions. Sile McIntyre finished just behind Anne in 99th place and in a very good time of 19mins 01sec. Sile is proving a very able performer on all cross country courses this year and it looks like she will get better and better as the series continues. Patricia Daly, as ever in the Meet and Train series, ran strongly posting a time of 19mins 17secs. This very good time secure Patricia 105th position and producing that time in unfavourable conditions shows that she has strength in abundance. Winfred Ryan finished very close to Patricia in 108th place. Winifred, also, showed her strength in posting an excellent time of 19mins 43secs in these conditions. Winifred, too, we expect will be going from strength to strength as the series moves into the business end in the new year. Barbara Whelan rounded off a day of excellent performances by our ladies finishing 116th in a great time of 22mins 17 secs. Well done to all.

On Sun 15th Nov, Henry Langton had an excellent top ten finish in the Kilkenny Cross Country Novice Championships in Thomastown, Kilkenny. Henry, making a return to competitive action after his recent marathon run, finished a brilliant ninth overall and in the process helped his team, St Joseph's to a silver medal.It apppears that Henry too has made a fine recovery from his marathon efforts. Congratulations Henry on a great run.

On Sat 14th Nov, Lucan athletes ran in the Bank of Ireland-sponsored BHAA 6km Beach race at Dollymount Strand. There's just no stopping Gareth Fereday. A week after his great performance over 10km in Wales and his sub 3 hr marathon just three weeks ago, Gareth was at it again, this time securing his highest position in a BHAA race we believe. Gareth finished in 8th place overall in a fantastic time of 22mins 57 secs. The is outstanding running by Gareth especially considering the tiredness he must still have in his legs from his recent exertions. Our next athlete home was Gerry Martin, in 71st position in an excellent time of 26 mins 53 secs. This is Gerry's second impressive performance in the BHAA cross country season, following his fine run the Teachers sponsored race in Castleknock five weeks ago. Breffni Worrall followed Gerry home after putting in another heroic performance covering the difficult 6km course in 27mins 18 secs. This performance secured Breffni 79th place overall in a large field and it looks like the marathon hasn't knocked a feather out of Breffni.Next across the line we had Gerard Moloney making up the top 100 in an excellent time of 28 mins 20 seconds. This is sub 4mins 45 secs per km and is all the more impressive considering that this was only Gerard's second race since his recent illness.It looks like Gerard is right back on track.

On Sun 8th Nov, Gareth Fereday ran in the Gwent Cross Country league at the University of Bath. Gareth had another fantastic run covering the 10km+ course in 37mins 36 secs. This particular cross country course is known for having some horrendous hills - about seven of them in total- but Gareth made light of this and the fact that he had a 26.2 miles in his legs from two weeks earlier to produce this fantastic performance.Gareth can be very pleased with his days work. Attached link contains more information on this series of races: Information on Series.

On Sun 8th Nov, Freda Comiskey led Lucan athletes home with a superb 7th place finish in front of the home crowd at the Women's Meet and Train in Griffeen Park, Lucan. The winter series of the women's meet and train commenced at the weekend. This is an event that Lucan host very successfully year on year and it is testament to Brendan Maher and the team's commitment to the Women's Meet and Train movement that we continue to bring a great event to the athletics calendar. Our Lucan ladies were again to the fore in this highly competitive series run in splendid conditions in Griffeen Park. Fresh from their marathon exploits of a fortnight ago we had a number of ladies returning to action as well as numerous others of our talented female athletes commencing their competitive action for the winter among the 123 athletes that lined out on the day. Freda Comiskey is just getting better and better. Following her outstanding marathon debut two weeks ago, this time Freda finished in 7th place overall - her highest ever finishing position in these races we believe - in a superb time of 13.35. Amazing running considering that she has to have that marathon run still in her legs. Claire Joyce, as ever, put in another great performance finishing in 11th place overall in 13.51. Claire ,too, was making a return to action after her marathon exploits and this performance suggests that it is just a matter of time before we see her inside the top 10 in this series. Right behind Claire was Julie Dowd in 13th position overall. Julie once again put in another great performance for Lucan, finishing Just behind Claire in a time of 13.53. Having seen Julie's performance in Novice cross country championships a couple of weeks ago where she looked right at home, this performance was well deserved and comes as no surprise. It looks like Julie ,too, will be threatening the top ten positions in these races in the very near future as less than 30 seconds separated 5th and 17th positions. Next home for Lucan was Hilary McGee in 16th position overall. Hilary ran a superb time of 13.59 for the 2 mile distance. Earlier this year we saw Hilary put in excellent performances against stiff opposition in New Zealand, whilst she was on her travels, so it appears that Hilary has been continuing to train very well with the consistency of her performances. Hilary too, will be pushing towards that top 10 as the series progresses. Bernie Stapleton, like Freda and Claire, was making a return to action after her marathon exertions, and once again ran exceptionally well in 32nd place overall. Bernie has been racing consistently all year and it looks like this heavy schedule has given her exceptional fitness levels. Claire Buckley, followed Bernie home in 46th place. This is great running by Claire, who's looking very strong in training. Claire, put in great performances in the summer series of these races so it is apparent that she is taking this form into the winter as well. Anne Murtagh, was next across the line for Lucan in 61st. Anne ran a well paced race, and can be well pleased with her finishing time. Anne is getting better and better as the season progresses. Amber Nugent was our next athlete home in 76th position. Amber was another member of our Dublin novices team a couple of weeks ago, that performed so well so it looks like she continues to hold her form. Brid Fogarty, was in close attention to Amber at the finish, finishing in 84th position in a very good time we believe. Brid has put in some excellent performances this year, most notably in the inaugral Clontarf Half Marathon earlier in the summer and continues to build on this. Celina Barrett was the next finisher for Lucan. Celina as ever put in another strong performance for Lucan in this series, following her notable performances in the summer series earlier this year. Sile McIntyre too is having a very good season and had another excellent run here. We are sure to see Sile continue to build on this as the series progresses. Sile, like many of her clubmates also ran a very strong competition in the summer series of these races. In close attention to Sile at the finish was Anne McGrane, another of our triathlon superstars that we now have in our club. Anne's performance helps her build on her debut for the club where she completed the Lucan team in the Novice championship a few weeks ago. Patricia Daly followed Anne home as she continues to impress in these series of races with her consistent performances. Patricia is a consistent runner who doesn't disappoint when she races. Clodagh Ashe, making a return to action, after her fine performance in the Donadea 10km race a few weeks ago, put in another fine run here. Clodagh, too, can be well pleased with the season she is having. Barbara Whelan rounded off a great day's work by our ladies section with her fine performance and time. Barbara, as ever, put maximum effort into the race and should be very happy with her performance. It is great to see the three strong teams that our ladies have in this competition. With six on each team and four to score, our ladies have got off to a great start in the competition. The key to doing well is to ensure that at least four of the runners in each team compete in each race. On this occasion, we had five members on each team and so have got off to a flyer. Well done to athletes and coaches on all the preparation paying off. Below are the details of the remaining fixtures in the series:22 Nov Tymon Park, Templeogue; 17 Jan Swords; 7 Feb St Anne's Park, Raheny (tbc); 21 Feb Fun relay and league prizegiving; venue to be decided. Results.

On Sun 8th Nov, our young athletes again produced some stellar runs at the Uneven Ages Dublin Cross Country Championships in Marley Mark, Rathfarnham. It was the turn of our Uneven Aged juvenile athletes to strut their stuff following the exploits and quality of performances of our even aged athletes the previous weekend and once again we were not disappointed. Run over a very hilly and wet course in Marley Park, our youngsters did us proud with the quality of their performances with all running strongly. A number of our athletes also qualified to run in the Nationals, which is a great achievement for our young athletes and augurs well for the future of the club. In the U/11 Girls 800m, Nicole O'Gorman ran a great tactical race to win her race and now runs in the National Cross Country Championships in Coleraine on the 6 December next. Saoirse Reihill was coming in a strong 10th place when she had to pull out just over half way due to illness but with her present form is looking good for the Indoors in the Spring. In the U/11 Boys 800m, Jack Andrews ran his first cross country race this season and came in in 5th place in a very strong field, and Jack too has qualified for the upcoming Nationals. In the U/13 Girls 1000m, Sarah Reihill ran a very strong and fast race to come 6th and go forward to the Nationals. Tara Andrews came middle of the field in 24th place. In the U/13 Boys 1200m, Harry Larkin came 2nd and he too goes forward to the Nationals in Coleraine. Sean Townsend ran up an age group and came in 7th place against boys a year older than him. Well done to Sean who has now qualified for Nationals in two age groups having won his race the previous week. In the U/15 Girls, Juliette Sejan ran a great tactical race to come in 23rd over a 1500m course. Well done to all on fantastic results.

On Sat 7th Nov, Tommy Buggle and Shane McCarthy produced top performances at the European Prison Service Championships at the Curragh Camp in Kildare. Congratulations to Tommy Buggle and Shane McCarthy on two more brilliant performances, less than two weeks after their Dublin marathon exploits. Tommy Buggle is just going from strength to strength this year. Tommy finished as 4th prison officer and 22nd overall is these prestigious championships against top quality opposition in yet another outstanding time of 37 minutes. Tommy, actually competed for Ireland in Spain in these championships 12 months ago so we will not be surprised to see him earn another green vest in the near future again. Shane McCarthy, too, was right at home in this quality field as he finished closely behind Tommy with his brilliant time of 40 minutes. This just builds on the strong performances put in by Shane in the Dublin Novice cross country championships and the marathon over the last month. As Shane is so new to our set-up there is no telling what we will see him achieve over the coming months.




Following the heroics of our senior athletes last weekend, this weekend the attention turned to our juvenile athletes who participated in the Even Ages Dublin Cross Country Championship. Run in wintry and hazardous underfoot conditions following the heavy downpours on Saturday evening and Saturday night our athletes once again put in superb performances. There is trojan work being put in by the juvenile coaches in the club and this is clear to be seen by the performances and results of our young athletes every time they compete. In the Under 10 Category, our boys team took 3rd place in the Club Team Event as our young athletes put in outstanding performances. Lee Browne continues to impress, on this occasion finishing a brilliant 5th in a large and competitive field. Cian Timmons was next across the line in 12th position overall after producing a fine run. Chasing Cian hard was Thomas Heffernan in 13th place as he too continues to put in excellent performances week after week. Adam Kelleher completed a very strong performance from this team, taking 18th place overall after a great run. In the U12 Boys category, Sean Townsend retained his Dublin Cross Country title after he produced yet another victory this year to add to his catalogue of successes in recent seasons. Sean is a versatile athlete and always puts in excellent performances no matter what distance or indeed event he participates in and today was no exception as Sean saw off stiff competition to secure victory. One of our newer additions to the juvenile set-up in Lucan, Conor Heffernan also had an outstanding run, finishing in 5th position overall in the U12 Boys race. This was Conor's first race in the Lucan colours we believe and he will prove to be a great addition to our club. Both Sean and Conor now go forward to run for Dublin in the upcoming National Cross Country Championships. Congratulations and we wish both athletes the best of luck. Also the best of luck to all the juvenile athletes competing in the Uneven Ages Dublin Cross Country Championships in the Phoenix Park next weekend.

Towing the start line on a fine autumn morning, our athletes produced sterling performances, some cruising around the 26.2 mile course with consummate ease and with some battling through their bad patches to produce excellent finishes. Irish Masters International, Eileen O'Brien, retained her National age-group Marathon title by finishing first Irish lady in her category in a magnificent time of 3 hrs 45 mins 06 secs. Eileen is known to medal regularly at these championships -- she has won this title 4 out of the last 5 years. Once again today Eileen produced another outstanding performance in the Lucan colours. Eileen's time also secured her 2nd place of all athletes in her category. Her time was more than three and a half minutes quicker than she produced in last year's race so we conclude that Eileen is like all good wines in that she just gets better and better with age. Well done Eileen on this tremendous achievement.

New ladies captain Freda Comiskey actually led the way for the Lucan ladies on her debut marathon in a sensational time of 3hrs 34 mins 17secs. Despite this being her first marathon, Freda ran it like an old pro starting the race conservatively but building up momentum as the race progressed. At the 21 mile mark it looked as though the race was just commencing for Freda as she cruised up the hills of Foster's Avenue and kept this momentum going all the way to the finish line.

Hot on Freda's heels was Claire Joyce who yet again put in another brilliant performance for Lucan. Claire has proven a very versatile performer since joining the Lucan set-up just over a year ago, being the first Lucan lady across the line in the Dublin novice cross country championships two weeks ago and now producing a 3hr 35min 28 secs marathon on her debut over the distance. Claire started the race strongly and managed to keep up her pace to the finish to secure a great debut. Freda's and Claire's times today were the 2nd and 3rd quickest times produced by Lucan ladies over the last 5 five years, only bettered by Myra Nolan's 3.32 in Cork in June 2007 and is all the more impressive considering that both these ladies were debutants today.

Michelle Sheeran was the third Lucan lady across the line in probably her best performance for Lucan. Michelle put in an outstanding performance covering the classic distance in an exceptionally quick 3 hours 41 mins and 16 secs. Michelle trained diligently for this race and is getting better and better all the time and today got her just reward for all her efforts. There is no doubt that today's performance is only the tip of the iceberg of what is to come from Michelle. We are sure to see more top quality performances from her over the Meet and Train league that will commence shortly

The fifth Lucan lady across the line was Lorraine Heffernan in yet another outstanding time for Lucan of 3hrs 45 minutes 29secs. Lorraine is a very versatile athlete and is also known as a talented triathlete around the club capable of producing excellent 5 km performances at the end of this challenging event so when it comes to marathon time Lorraine has the strength accumulated to produce quick and consistent times regularly. Lorraine was able to produce very good splits today hitting the half way mark in 1 hr 48mins 15 secs and having the strength to finish off the job very well.

Bernie Stapleton and Myra Nolan had a great battle over the marathon course and could only be separated by five seconds with Bernie taking it at the death. Bernie's target was to run sub 4 hours (and to keep running for the duration of the race) and did both in style and with a smile on her face completing the course in an excellent time of 3hrs 49 mins 30 secs. Bernie has been running great times over all distances this year so this performance comes as no surprise and is certainly well deserved. Myra Nolan, too, produced another great marathon performance and time of 3hrs 49 mins and 35secs being hot on Bernie's heels at the end having been overtaking by Bernie on the home straight. Despite being devastated by this Myra confirms that there is absolutely no hard feelings towards Bernie!!! Myra too, like Lorraine is a versatile athlete and another talented triathlete around the club capable of quick 5km times at the end of triathlons so at marathon time Myra, too, has the strength to produce quick and consistent marathon times.

After her experience in New York twelve months ago, where she suffered food poisoning prior to the marathon, it was great to see Deirdre Counihan back on home turf this year and producing a great run of 3hrs 58mins 12 secs. Deirdre has travelled far and wide running half marathons this year and seems to have built up a great level of fitness in building up for and competing in these races so it was great to see her dedication rewarded with this performance today.

Evelyn McMahon, too, should be delighted with her performance of 4hrs 8mins 3 secs. Having checked over the records since 2005, this may have been Evelyn's marathon debut as well, making her performance all the more impressive. Like all the ladies, Evelyn got her pacing spot on, covering the first half in 1 hour 57 mins so had plenty in the tank to finish strongly and did just that. vEmer McCarthy was next home for Lucan running her second Dublin marathon in row. Once again this year Emer produced another strong performance crossing the finish line in 4hrs 13 mins 50secs. Like Evelyn just ahead of her, Emer ran a very sensible and even paced race.Emer covered the first half of the race in 2hr 04 mins and held her pace all the way to the finish to cap off a good day's work.

Bernie Doyle rounded off a great day for our ladies with her excellent clocking of 4hrs 29mins 20secs.Bernie crossed the half way line in 2hrs 9 mins 8 secs, and kept her consistency going through the 30km mark that she covered in 3hr 7mins 16 secs and brought it home well to the finish line. This was some very strong running from Bernie who trained very hard for the event.

On the men's side we were treated to a great battle between two class athletes. Tommy Buggle just managed to catch Gareth Fereday at Trinity College. Tommy, making his debut over the marathon distance, ran like a man who had 100 under his belt. Tommy just eased into the race covering the first half in 1 hr 28 mins and at 21 miles, Tommy was full of running and started to push strongly over the final five miles, catching and overtaking numerous more experienced athletes to achieve his aim of going sub 3 hours with his amazing clocking of 2hrs 57mins 7secs.Tommy has proven his class over cross country courses year after year and has represented the Irish Prison Service team in Europe so it is obvious that he oozes class.

Gareth Fereday, too, was making his debut over the marathon distance. Gareth pushed on at a strong pace from the gun like a man on a mission and got to the halfway point in 1 hr 23mins 06secs. Gareth kept pushing on over the 30km mark and over the last 10km or so found the going a tad tougher but the quality of Gareth's early running was such that he was comfortably able to go under the magical 3 hour barrier with his 2hrs 58 mins 5 secs finishing time. Many experience marathon runners find going under 3 hrs for the marathon an extremely difficult task but here we had two marathon novices achieving this at the first attempt.

Joe Corcoran put in another great performance for Lucan, crossing the line in 3hrs 09 mins 30 secs. Joe suffered an injury set-back just over a month ago that affected his training but still he managed to produce a great performance on the day, using all his experience to great effect. Joe was actually on target for a three hour clocking at the 10km mark and crossed half way at 1hr 32. Joe held it together well to the finish and was rightly well pleased with his finishing time.

Fintan McGee, running what we believe to be his first race in 14 months, and indeed his first ever marathon, showed his class with his 3 hr 10 mins and 9 secs clocking. Fintan has had a terrible time with illness and injury over the last 12 months or so, but it was great to see him back in action. Fintan wasted no time in getting back into the swing of things, covering the first half of his marathon in 1hr 26mins and while the second half of the race was tougher, this did not deter Fintan in achieving a very good finishing time in his first marathon.

Henry Langton was the next athlete for Lucan to cross the finishing line on the day, having completed the gruelling 26.2 miles in 3hrs 12 mins 08 secs. Henry threw everything into achieving a sub 3 hour time ,running the first half in a swift 1 hr 28mins 26secs and while he struggled slightly over the last 5 miles or so, he showed the character that we are used to seeing from him in sticking to the task and was rewarded with a fine finishing time. Henry trains extremely hard for all the marathons he participates so he always has huge reserves of fitness to dip into when he hits tough patches.

Our newest recruit, Shane McCarthy, was next home for the Lucan men. Shane, like Henry, had trained very well for this marathon and despite feeling early on the a sub 3 hour clocking wasn't in the legs on the day, he refused to be beaten and was rewarded with an excellent finishing time of 3hrs 14mins 19secs. Shane, too, ran a very swift first half of 1 hr 33 mins in his bid to go under 3 hours but the second half of the Dublin course would be known to be more difficult than the first so it is often hard to keep the pace going.

Another of our newer members, Garry Mortimer, also made an excellent marathon debut, covering the distance in a quick 3 hr 31 mins 51 secs. Garry, has been with us for just over an year now and every week continued to show improvement. This year, he smashed his half marathon PB with his Longford run, and unofficially smashed this time again in one of his training runs in the build up to the marathon so it came as no surprise to see his performance on the day.

Terry Meyler, joined the Lucan set-up after last year's Dublin marathon in which he clocked a time of 4hrs 08 mins 25 secs. Today Terry showed the benefit of the excellent training he's done over the last 12 months when he smashed last year's time with his finishing time of 3hrs 48 mins 07 secs. Terry has been running personal best times over all distances this year, and it's great too see such a dedicated athlete achieve such success.

Breffni Worrall was our next athlete home in a time of 3hrs 48 mins 59 secs. Breffni has been in great form all season, starting with the cross country back in January and has carried this through all year on the roads as well. Breffni's first half of the race was run in a great time of 1 hr 40 mins. While Breffni then "hit his wall" he recovered well and finished the race very strongly using his high fitness levels to his benefit no doubt.

Derry McVeigh followed Breffni home, making a return to marathon action after a huge sabbatical of two weeks! Derry covered the distance in 3hrs 42mins in Chicago on that day. Today Derry was cruising along for 20 miles before he started to feel the effects of his recent exertions. Derry nonetheless dipped under the 4 hr barrier with his 3hrs 56mins 48 secs clocking. This performance is all the more impressive considering the 5 weeks training Derry missed in July/August with injury. Gerry Byrne senior continued his hectic season, this time with an outing over the marathon distance. Gerry has been producing fine runs on all surfaces from cross country, roads and track all season and here Gerry produced very strong running over the opening 10km, covering the distance in 50 mins 13 secs. From 8 miles Gerry began to find the going tougher but stuck at it and completed the tough challenge that is the marathon in 4hrs 17 mins 23 secs.

Colum Maddox rounded off a great day for our men's team, crossing the line in 4hrs 19 mins 14 secs. Colum ran a very consistent race throughout, hitting the 10km mark in 55mins, the half way point in 1hr 58mins and being able to sustain this good pace to the finish. Colum earlier this year ran the half marathon distance in 1hr 54 mins in Bath so today showed that he had the strength to sustain this kind of pace over the much longer distance. Well done all on your fine performances and enjoy your well earned rest now.

On Sun 18th Oct, Lucan's juvenile and senior athletes ran in the Gerry Farnan /Aviva sponsored races in the Phoenix Park. The distance for the juvenile athletes was 800m. Well done to our juvenile athletes who all performed very well in the 8-12 age group. The athletes who competed are Sarah Robinson, Niall Larkin, Nicole O'Gorman, Sarah O'Gorman, Saoirse Rehil, Laura Quigley, Adam Quigley, Sean Townsend, Niall Flanagan, Sarah Rehil, Tara Andrews, Jack Andrews and Harry Larkin. In the 13-16 age group, Juliet Seijan put in a strong performance over the mile distance. All athletes received a well deserved t-shirt and medal for completing the tough course in the Phoenix Park. It's great to see all our juvenile athletes competing regularly and turning their training into strong race day performances Meanwhile in the Master women's 3 mile cross country race, Eileen O'Brien who put in an excellent performance over the 3 mile course in the Phoenix Park (on the tough Munich lap - just ask our runners from the novice championships last weekend!). Eileen's brilliant time of 24.14 for the distance secured her 4th place in her category and Eileen is obviously in top form again this autumn. Congratulations Eileen on yet another fantastic performance.

On Sun 11th Oct, Derry McVeigh and Liam Landers ran in the Chicago marathon. Derry ran a very impressive 3.41.33. This is a very good performance by Derry in his very first marathon, with some especially strong running in the first half of the race which he covered in 1.37.27 and despite the second half being tougher he stuck to his task, being rewarded with a good finish. Derry encountered a number of injury problems while preparing for this marathon, especially with his achilles but has kept himself fit and ran through the pain barrier on numerous occasions in order to get to the start line. Liam Landers, meanwhile, has been showing excellent performances in training and had a powerful run in the Dublin half marathon two weeks ago so was in terrific shape heading to the start line in Chicago. This told during the race as Liam finished very close to Derry in an noteworthy time of 3.42.46. Liam , like Derry, also produced some very strong running in the early part of the race, covering the first 13.1 miles in 1.47.15 and brought it home well. Well done lads on two great performances.

On Sun 11th Oct, Lucan had men's and women's teams both perform well early season in the Dublin Novice Cross Country Championships. Our senior men's team of Colm O'Connor, Gerry Byrne junior, Breffni Worrall, Joe Lynch and new member Shane McCarthy had fine performances in the men's 6km Championship held on what can best be described as an undulating course in summerlike sunshine in the Phoenix Park. Joe Lynch never disappoints with his performances and once again put in another super run finishing just outside the top 20 in 21st in 20.24. Joe eased his way into the race, picking off athletes as the race progressed and can be well pleased with his day's work. Joe has held his form since all his triathlon heroics this summer. Next across the line for Lucan was men's coach Colm O'Connor. Colm and Gerry Byrne junior had one of their great battles that we have now come to expect at these races and in fact were neck and neck over the last two laps. Colm just edged ahead towards the finish as the second Lucan athete in a time of 23.04 with Gerry Byrne chasing him hard finishing in 23.12. Colm has mastered the art of getting his pacing spot on as he often eases his way into races and is able to catch and pick off athletes as the race progresses especially over the last few hundred metres where he uses the speed he has developed from his 800 metre races. Gerry, meanwhile was running his second race in as many weeks, following his impressive performance on the roads in Rathfarnham a week ago and ran a very even paced race, ensuring he had plenty in the tank to finish strongly on the last lap. New member, Shane McCarthy, will prove a welcome addition to the men's set-up in Lucan Harriers. Shane already has a 3.03 marathon to his name and has been training for the Dublin marathon in a fortnight's time where he hopes to go under 3 hours. Despite having all the miles in his legs from his heavy training schedule, he still produced a fine run, finishing just behind Gerry with a 23.14 clocking. Shane produced some very strong running especially in the first half of the race. Completing the men's team for Lucan, was Breffni Worrall, who as ever put in an excellent performance. Breffni, too eased his way into the race but then set to work on picking off athletes and forgot to stop - doing so all the to the finishing line - finishing in 23.38. It was great to see Colm, Gerry, Shane and Breffni finish closely together and proves that there is a very good standard in the men's section as we head into the winter season. These performances helped Lucan 's mens team to a 12th place finish in the team event. Our women's team also put in some fine performances in the ladies novices Championship race over 2 miles. Claire Joyce led the ladies home with a superb run of 12.13 in 24th position. Claire was followed home by Julie Dowd in 35th position with an excellent time of 12.39. Amber Nugent was next home in 14.44 and Ann McGrane also put in a gritty run of 16.37. The womens team finished in 12th place on the day. Well done to both teams on fine runs.


On Sun 11th Oct, Lucan's juvenile athletes again produced some amazing runs at the third Dublin cross country league race of the season in the Phoenix Park. Lucan had 15 juvenile athletes competing in the third cross country league event of the year. Lucan once again had an excellent day's racing with 4 first place finishes in some very competitive races. In the U10 Girls 600m, Sarah Robinson produced another good run to finish in 9th place. In the U10 Boys 600m, Lee Browne led the field home in 1st place inspiring teammates Niall Larkin (5th), Cian Timmins (13th), Adam Kelleher (20th) and Thomas Heffernan 21st. In the U11 Girls 800m, Nicole Gorman was again in the top 3 with a 3rd place finish. Saoirse Rehil placed 11th, Rachel O’Neill was 22nd and Laura Quigley was 26th. In the U12 Boys 1000m, Sean Townsend is proving to be extremely difficult to beat as he won again and Niall Flanagan had a great run too in 12th. In the U13 Girls 1000m, Sarah Rehil won yet again with Tara Andrews placing 11th. In the U13 Boys 1200m, Harry Larkin is enjoying the winning habit too as he made it two wins in a rows. Well done to all.

On Sat 10th Oct, Lucan had some good representation at the Teachers-sponsored BHAA cross country race. Gerry Byrne senior continued his great season with a fine finishing time of 26.55 for the 4 mile course. As is usual with Gerry, he was once again able to unleash a fast finishing kick over the last 100 metres or so. Gerry looks to be in very strong shape with the Dublin marathon, just two weeks away. Gerry was pushed all the way by Stephen Rynne who arguably had his best run since joining the Lucan set-up. Stephen's finishing time was 27.22, a whole 3 minutes quicker than the time he posted in last year's race and was all the more impressive considering that this was his first race since the Dunshaughlin 10k back in June. Gerry Martin too, put in a very impressive showing on the day with a 28.18 clocking and looks to be in fine shape as the cross country season progresses. It seems that Gerry has now recovered well after his injury problems earlier in the summer. Fergal O'Brien, having run only a handful of races since joining the club at the start of the year ran a very mature race. Fergal started conservatively, but picked up numerous places as the race progressed. Fergal too has an impressive finishing kick and in fact seen him finishing over the last 100 metres, we had to double check to ensure that Usain Bolt hadn't turned up in disguise!!! This helped Fergal to a very good finishing time of 29.46. Jer Moloney too, made a return to action after his recent bout of appendicitis. Jer had a fine run, finishing just behind Fergal in a time of 30.20. Appendicitis tends to knock a lot of you so it was good to see Jer put in such a strong run and will be getting even stronger now the more he races over the cross country season. Well done all.

On Sat 10th Oct, Bernie Stapleton had a very good run in the Simon 5 mile run the Phoenix Park. This is not an easy course by any means with some testing hills but Bernie put in another great performance to complete the 5 mile course in 37.46. This was close to Bernie's season best and she looks in good shape for the upcoming Dublin marathon. Well done Bernie.

On Sat Oct 10th, Nuala Murphy and Clodagh Ashe ran in the Donadea 10km road race. Nuala and Clodagh both put in excellent performances on this tough Donadea course, both finishing in 1hr 7 mins. Well done ladies on your performances.

On Sun 4th Oct, Damien McDonald ran in the Brussels Marathon. Damien competed in his second marathon of the year (and indeed his second one in Belgium following his Antwerp marathon exploits in the spring) and had a great run, finishing in a time of 3 hours 27 mins 38secs. Damien's goal was to go under 3 hours 30 mins so his hard work and diligent training over the past months paid rich dividends at the weekend as he also achieved a season's best for the distance by a massive 14 minutes. Well done Damien.

On Sun 4th Oct, Tommy Buggle put in another great run, this time at the Liz McDonnell 5 km Cross Country race at Castletown House in Celbridge. Tommy continued his excellent form by finishing 7th in a great time of 17.56 This is despite having the half marathon in his legs from the previous weekend. It looks like Tommy is going to run an excellent marathon in three weeks' time. Well done Tommy.

On Sun 4th Oct, Lucan athletes put in some top performances at the Rathfarnham 5 km road race. Gerry Byrne junior followed up his recent impressive 10km performance in Blessington with another impressive run here in a time of 18.17. In fact Gerry's first mile of the race was run in 5mins 15 a seasons best by some 40 secs for the distance. Gerry's target for the race was sub 18, but this scorching first mile took it's toll later in the race. We are sure it is only a matter of time before Gerry goes under the 18 minute barrier. There is no stopping Alan Cassells, meanwhile, running his second race in as many weeks. Alan had another fruitful outing with a great time of 19.13 to follow up his victory over 6km last week. Alan is in good shape as the autumn progresses. Well done lads.

On Sun 27th Sept, Alan Cassells was a convincing winner of the Run for Africa 6km road race in Lucan. Alan was running in his first race in 2 months but this did not show at all as he was a very convincing winner of this race organised as part of the Lucan festival at the weekend. Alan's time of 23.30 was very impressive and even more so considering he took a wrong turn and ended up having to run an extra 200 metres or so. Well done Alan on an excellent and well deserved first place.

On Sun 27th Sept, the club had an astounding five first place finishes as fifteen of our juveniles competed at the second Dublin cross country league of the season at Newbridge House, Donabate. This was a weekend noteworthy for the improvement and consistency of our athletes. In the U10 Girls 600m, Sarah Robinson placed 5th. In the U10 Boys 600m, Lee Browne improved from second place last week to first place this week. Niall Larkin placed 5th and Thomas Heffernan also ran. In the U11 Girls 800m, Nicole Gorman moved up from 4th place last week to win this week. Saoirse Rehil was 11th and Amy Halpin was 14th. In the U12 Boys 1000m, Sean Townsend resumed where he left off last year with yet another win with Niall Flanagan placing 5th. In the U13 Girls 1000m, Sarah Rehil won again, as she did last week, and multi-talented Tara Andrews improved to 5th from 11th place last week. In the U13 Boys 1200m, Harry Larkin placed first after placing second last week. In the U14 Girls 1200m, Shannon Browne was 22nd with Rachel Briggs 23rd. In the U15 Girls 1500m, Juliette Sejan was 8th. Well done to all our athletes. Listening to the advice from our coaches combined with travelling to these races on a weekly basis is the best way to improve. And improving is what it is all about. Keep it up everyone.


On Sat 26th Sept, Ireland masters international, Eileen O'Brien, was second in her age category as Lucan athletes participated in the Lifestyle Adidas sports Half Marathon in the Phoenix Park. First home for Lucan Harriers on the men's side was Tommy Buggle in a sensational 1:22.14 in the second fastest Lucan Harriers Half marathon time of 2009, and good for 16th position overall in the M40 category. Joe Corcoran made a fine return to firm after his recent calf injury to run an excellent 1:26 and looks bang on target for an excellent Dublin marathon outing. Derry McVeigh in only his second race since his recent achilles problems ran a sensational time of 1:29. Derry was closely tracked by Henry Langton who put in a great run of 1:30 despite having a very heavy recent training schedule in his legs. Breffni Worral was next Harrier home in an outstanding 1:31 and it looks like Breffni's dedicated training schedule is paying dividends. Gerry Byrne senior continued his recent good form by running ran the half in 1.35 which was a personal best by a full 6 minutes! Damien McDonald was 1 min behind Gerry in 1:37 with some sensible pacing given that he will run a full marathon next weekend!. Liam Landers and Terry Meyler also had fine outings in 1:38 and 1:43 respectively. Our ladies were led home by Freda Comiskey in a brilliant 1:37:49. Freda managed to knock a full 5 minutes of her personal best and it's great to see all the hard training paying off. The quality of this run is highlighted by the fact that this is the third fastest half marathon run by a Lucan woman in the last 5 years (2005-2009) -- behind Derval McCarthy (1:35:44, 2008) and Aine Gallagher (1:37:34, 2005). Second home for Lucan was Ireland masters international runner, Eileen O Brien, who finished in a fine 2nd place in her age category in fine time of 1:46.03. Julie Dowd also posted an excellent 1:46, with Michelle Sheeran clocking 1:48.45, Camille O'Connor 2:04.18, Nina Healy 2:07.17, Marie-Claire Hendricken 2:07.27 and Winifred Ryan 2:26.13. Well done to all with a special commendation to Julie Dowd, Camille O'Connor and Marie-Claire Hendricken who each successfully completed their first half marathon.

On Sun 20th Sept, Lucan's juvenile athletes turned out in numbers at the first Dublin Cross Country League race of the year in the Phoenix Park. In the U10 Girls 600m, Sarah Robinson finished in 4th position. In the U10 Boys 600m, Lee Browne was 2nd with Niall Larkin in 3rd and Adam Kelleher in 11th. In the U11 Girls 800m, Nicole Gorman was 4th with Saoirse Rehil in 8th, Laura Quigley in 9th and Amy Halpin in 11th. In the U11 Boys 800m, Niall placed 4th. In the U12 Boys 1000m, Niall Flanagan was 3rd overall. Sarah Rehil won the U13 Girls 1000m with Tara Andrews in 11th place. Harry Larkin placed 2nd in the U13 Boys 1200m. Juliette Sejan placed 8th in the U!5 Girls 1500m with Shannon Browne in 12th. Shannon missed her own race U14 and bravely ran in the Girls U15 race! Well done to all on some great results. Reminder: the next Juvenile C/C League (Race 2) takes place next Sunday September 27th in Newbridge House Donabate at 11a.m.

On Sat 19th Sept, Gerry Byrne Jr and Derry McVeigh ran in the Lakes 10k in Blessington. Gerry Byrne Junior and Derry McVeigh had a great tussle with only one position and 4 seconds separating them. Gerry turning to the roads after a fine track campaign this summer judged the pace of the race perfectly running equal splits for the 10k course and finishing in an excellent time of 39:25 and 25th place overall . Derry is making a return to action after a recent injury lay-off showed no ill effects with some strong running, particularly early on. It was over the last 300 metres that Gerry caught Derry, who also clocked an excellent time of 39:29. Well done to both. Photos

On Sun 13th Sept, Deirdre Counihan ran in the Nottingham Half Marathon. Deirdre continued her impressive string of half marathon performances when she travelled to the UK to compete in the Notthingham half marathon. Her journey was a worthwhile one after another great run over the half marathon distance with a 1hr 52mins clocking. Well done Deirdre.

On Sat 12th Sept, Lucan athletes performed exceptionally well at the BHAA Pearl Izuma 10K road race in Tymon Park. For the ladies Freda Comiskey and Bernie Stapleton had a great battle and could hardly be separated over the 10k distance. Freda just got the nod with a brilliant 46.56 clocking with Bernie also having a superb run finishing in a time of 46.57. We believe that both of these ladies will also be competing in the Dublin marathon. It looks like our ladies will have a strong team for the event once again this year. On a men's side Breffni Worrall led the way in a great time of 42.06 finishing 79th from a 249 strong field. Breffni has continued turning our excellent performances all year and doesn't do fatigue!! Jim Dwyer too had a very good run finishing in 51.51 after his recent very good track performance which continues his busy season.

On Wed 9th Sept, Joe Corcoran ran in the Garda 4 mile road race in the Phoenix Park. Joe was 9th overall from a field of 107 in a great time of 23.30. This was a well deserved result for Joe who has been doing some great training lately as he prepares for an assault on the Dublin marathon in 6 weeks time.

On Fri 4th Sept, Henry Langton ran in the Rusty Scanlon 10km road race in Kilkenny. Henry continued his upcoming Dublin marathon preparations by posting a fine run, completing the 10km course in 38:24. This builds on his excellent 10 mile race performance 3 weeks ago and looks like his diligent work is paying off as he aims for a sub 3 hour marathon that he came agonisingly close to achieving last October. Well done Henry.

On Wed 2nd Sept, the club's two Gerry Byrnes ran in the Hibernian-sponsored BHAA mile track race at Irishtown Stadium. In monsoon like conditions, Gerry Byrne senior continued his hot streak this year in recording his first race victory (grade 13-16). Gerry was involved in a tight tussle but over the last 100 metres he pulled away to win in a very impressive time of 5 mins 39 secs.. Gerry has been racing consistently over the cross country, roads and now track seasons , putting in terrific performances so this win was richly deserved for all his hard work. Lucan's successful evening continued when Gerry Byrne junior towed the line in the 8-12 grade. Gerry finished 2nd in a very competitive race in 5 mins 18 secs. This is strong running by Gerry who nonetheless declared himself disappointed with this run but the cold and wet conditions on the night made quick times impossible. With the track season now completed for another year and the cross country season about to commence we look forward to seeing these athletes perform over the winter months as we are sure they will continue to put in super performances.

On Sun 30th Aug, Lucan had four participants in the Longford Half Marathon. First senior male home for Lucan was Garry Mortimer who ran an outstanding personal best of 1 hr 33mins 13 secs. This obliterated Garys last PB by over 10 minutes and it was great to see Gary transfer his fine training performances into a great performance on a big race day. Gary looks right on target for the upcoming Dublin marathon. Terry Meyler was next senior home in another fine time of 1hr 44.16 to finish 134th out of nearly 300 senior males. First lady home for Lucan was Claire Joyce who ran a very swift 1.43.11. Claire has also been training very well and this result was well deserved. Hot on Claire's heels was Bernie Stapleton in 1:44.42, which gave Bernie 5th place in her age category. Well done to all on great running.

On Wed 26th Aug, David Keogh ran yet another fine 800m time in the British Milers Club Gold Standard Meet in Watford. This time out, David finished 5th in a brilliant 1:54.85 in the 800m event on the night, a time which was just a half second outside his personal best. David was the 3rd U23 on the night and this performance race has consolidated his already excellent season. Congratulations David. Results.


On Wed 26th Aug, Gerry Byrne Senior ran in the Zurich-sponsored BHAA 2 mile track race in Irishtown. Gerry Byrne Snr put in a fine performance in the 2 mile event finishing in 10th place with a time of 13:02. After times were adjusted for the handicap system, Gerry placed 5th overall. Well done Gerry.

On Sun 23rd Aug, Damien McDonald ran in the Burnham Beeches Half Marathon in England. It was a very hot day and an "undulating" (translation : a few "killer" hills, especially at 6 miles and 12 miles) meant Damien's seasons best half marathon ( Stranraer 1.33 ) was never in danger of being broken. Nevertheless, Damien finished in 196th position out of just under 1000 finishers, in a fine time of 1:38.13. The word from Damien is that this is an extremely well organised event, in beautiful woodland scenery, with the use of a swimming pool aferwards. Perhaps this is worth putting in the diary as a possible "Lucan Harriers overseas trip" for next year. Well done again on a good run, Damien. Results.

On Sat 15th Aug, twelve Lucan athletes competed in the adidas-sponsored Frank Duffy 10 Mile road race in the Phoenix Park. On the men's side, Tommy Buggle led the Lucan team home, running an excellent 1 hr 03 mins 07secs. Tommy looks to be back approaching his top form again and finished 98th overall and 15th in the M40 category. Derry McVeigh ran a great time of 1hr 06 mins despite carrying an injury and finished in 38th overall in the M35 category. Henry Langton produced a fine run 1hr 07 mins to underline his recent good training form. Next for Lucan was Damien McDonald in 1hr 11mins 40secs, improving on his Ballycotton run in March by a full 5 and a half minutes. Damien was followed by Gary Mortimer in 1 hr 15mins 31secs, Terry Meyler in 1 hr 19 mins 44 secs and Jim Dwyer, who also made a huge 7 minute improvement from his run in ballycotton, finishing in 1 hr 20 mins 31secs. First home for Lucan's women was Bernie Stapleton in a great time of 1:19.02. Bernie was closely tracked by the fast finishing Claire Joyce who put in another great performance with a time of 1:19.28. Claire was followed home by Lorraine Heffernan (1:22.03), Nina Healy (1:37.50) and Marie-Claire Hendricken (1:42.29).Well done to all.

On Wed 12th Aug, Bernie Stapleton, Gerry Byrne Senior and Jim Dwyer ran in the Irish Life and Permanent-sponsored BHAA 3,000m track race in Irishtown Stadium, Ringsend. Bernie recorded a fine time of 13:01. Gerry Byrne Senior continued his recent run of good form to run 11:56. This gave Gerry an 8th place overall in his grade and Gerry was also first in the O/40 category in his grade. Jim Dwyer also put in a fine outing running 14:02 and was the 1st male over 55 in his race grade. Congratulations to both.

On Wed 5th Aug, Joe Lynch placed fourth overall in the Dublin Duathlon held in the Phoenix Park. This was another sensational performance from Joe in an event that comprised a 2.7 km run, 8.5 km cycle, 2.7km run, 8.km cycle and finally a 2.7 km run. Joe's overall time was 58 minutes and 35 seconds. Congratulations Joe on the great season you are having.

On Wed 5th Aug, three Lucan athletes produced good runs at the 8th meet in the Dublin Graded Meet Series held in Irishtown Stadium. Gerry Byrne had a very busy evening, running in both the 200 metres and 1,500 metres. Making his debut in the section 'D' 200 metres, Gerry finished third in a fine time of 27 secs. For a large part of the race, it looked liked Gerry was going to secure victory as he powered down the home straight. Unfortunately he just missed out in a blanket finish. A short while later Gerry towed the line in the D 1,500 - with lactic acid in tow. Gerry started the race very strongly, dictating the pace early on and indeed looked very comfortable over the first 800 metres. However then the lactic exacted its brutal revenge but Gerry continued to run through the pain barrier and can be very pleased to have dipped under 5 minutes with his time of 4:59.47. Next up for Lucan was Colm O'Connor in the section 'C' 1,500 metres. Colm has turned into a master of consistency these past seasons. This time Colm ran 4:46.44 just outside his best time this season over the distance. Colm put in a blistering first lap of 72 seconds before the race settled. Colm then sat towards the back of the group over the next 500 metres or so before using his 800 metre speed to close the gaps that had developed over the final 600 metres, finishing very strongly. This performance was all the more impressive considering the amount of endurance work that Colm missed over the winter months, having been struck down with many heavy colds. With a bit of warm weather training (to Rocky music, rumour has it!) now in the offing for Colm, we should be in for a great tussle between Colm and Gerry over the mile distance in early September. Something to look forward to. Finally up for Lucan was David Keogh fresh from his sensational personal best performance in the National 800 metres on Saturday week last. David lined up in a star studded field, including the national 10K track champion but more than held his own with an excellent run, and marginal season's best time, of 4:03.37. It's easy to see why David has achieved the results he has this season, as he declared himself disappointed with his run. It is the exacting standards he has set himself as well as his strong work ethic that has helped him improve his 800 metres time by a 2 seconds or more this season. In this particular race, David looked very comfortable over the first 2 laps as he seemed to be cruising along. It was all set up for another great night for Lucan and David before he was unfortunately boxed in as the moves were been made. However he should be well pleased with his finishing time. With a couple of BMC races on the horizon soon, watch out for more great performances from David. Well done lads.


Only 19 years old, Conor McCrossan placed 5th in the 110m hurdles final at the National Senior Track and Field Championships with a time of 17.53 seconds. The blustery conditions at the weekend was not conducive to quick times in the sprint events and it is estimated that the wind was 3 metres / second against the athletes. This was Conor's first time competing in the National Senior Track and Field Championships so he is obviously at home running on the National stage. This performance builds on his National Junior performance where Conor secured a silver medal. Fantastic result, Conor!


David came into this race with a recent personal best of 1:55.10 but it was clear from the gun that he wanted to revise those figures no matter what the weather conditions were. Conditions today can only be described as windy. Nevertheless, David immediately took the pace and led the field through 600m. Foremost among those chasers was 1:45 man, Irish Olympian, Thomas Chamney. At that point, Chamney moved past David but David stuck to his task and held off all other attackers until 40m from the line when one more opponent inched past. David's reward for his brave run was third place in an astounding personal best of 1:54.21. When all heats had been run today, David's time ranked as 12th fastest and, unfortunately, David missed a spot in the final by 0.53 of a second. This has been a very good year in David's athletic progression. David placed 7th in the National Senior Indoor 800m back in February in a new club indoor record (1:57.57). And only last month, David placed 5th in the National U23 800m Championships. David clearly runs best in Championship settings. This 1:54.21 time brings David a couple of steps closer to the Lucan Senior 800m record held by Damien Joyce (1:52.88). This is a record that everyone who has seen David train and race think will inevitably be his if he continues with his dedicated approach. Congratulations David on a great season. (We know it's not over yet, but even so, everything now is icing!!).

On Sun 26th July, Joe Lynch placed fifth overall in the Beast of the East triathlon at Lough Dan in Wicklow. Joe started by completing the 1,500 mtr swim in 29.35 despite a strong headwind for the first 700 mtrs as well as strong undercurrents. The bike section was extremely tough, with a series of gruelling climbs that would have had the most hardened tour cyclists gritting their teeth. It took them from Lough Dan into Roundwood and out to Laragh - 40 kms of pain. This did not deter Joe as he showed his character by completing it in 1 hr 07 mins. Joe finished with a 10k run and completed this in 37.44, very close to his actual pb for the 10k. His total time was 2 hrs 17 mins. Congratulations Joe!

On Sat 18th July, Joe Lynch placed 4th in his age-category at the Sprint Triathlon in Athlone. The Triathlone is the largest triathlon event organised in Ireland. Joe finished in 13th place overall and 4th is his age category. His sectional breakdown was as follows: 750m Swim, 10.16; 20km Cycle, 32.58; 5km Run, 16.02. This was an absolutely superb performance from Joe. Well done Joe.

On Sat 18th July, we had eight athletes running in the Irish Runner 5 mile road race in the Phoenix Park. There were four of our senior men competing in the event amongst a huge turnout of over 5000 people. First home for Lucan was Derry Mc Veigh who continued his recent good form within an outstanding time of 29.48 to finish in 76th place from 5000 runners. This was Derry's first time running sub 30 mins and the time is all the more impressive considering Derry had a rush of blood to the head, running his first mile in a very swift 5:20! Derry held it together well and was rewarded with a new personal best time. Alan Cassells put in a good perfornace, just outside 6:30 per mile pace with a final time of 32:34. Damien McDonald also put in another good run with a time of 33:56, just shy of his season's best. Damien was closely tracked by Terry Meyler who ran a fine 35:56. Jim Dwyer who has been a busy bee of late put in a season's best performance with a time of 38:49. We also had three of our ladies participating. First home for Lucan was Camille O'Connor in a fine time of 45.03. Ann McGee was next in 48:11 and Marie-Claire Hendricken also put in a good run with a time of 50:02. Well done to all.

On Wed 15th July, Gerry Byrne and Colm O'Connor ran season's bests as David Keogh posted a breakout performance in the 800m at the Dublin Graded Meet number 7 in Santry. Pride of place on the night in terms of performance has to go to David Keogh who ran an outstanding personal best time of 1.55.10 in winning the 3rd development race.Dave ran on the shoulder of the designated pace maker for 500m before blowing away a quality field over the final 300m with his super strength and speed. He has obviously timed his peak to near perfection with the national championships just 2 weeks away. In the grade 'D' 800m, Gerry Byrne and Colm O'Connor placed 2nd and 3rd respectively in a thoroughly enjoyable race. Never far away from the business end of the race, Gerry and Colm were involved in a titanic battle with their positions ebbing and flowing throughout. Gerry judged his pace to perfection overtaking the strong running Colm in the last 70 metres or so. Both were rewarded with season's best times of 2.16.38 for Gerry and 2.17.13 for Colm (both quicker by well over a second on times posted at graded meet #4 on June 3rd). Congratulations to all on superb running.

On Wed 15th July, led by Gareth Fereday in 15th position overall, we had some very good runs at the DCC-sponsored BHAA 5km road race in Ringsend. Gareth Fereday posted a very nifty 17:33 for a 15th position overall finish. Gerry Byrne senior ran an excellent 20.11. Great to see Gerry Martin back in the thick of it with a very encouraging run of 21:09. Jim Dwyer, a model of consistency, came with one second of his time at Farmleigh 10 days previously with a time of 24:41. Well done to all.


Amongst a string of fine Lucan performances at the National Juvenile Track and Field Championships, Tara Andrews produced yet another National title, this time in the U/13 Javelin. Tara was in second place until the last throw when she threw the javelin a whopping 24.10metres.Tara came into this weekend as the reigning National Indoor high jump Champion in her age-group. Tara placed 5th in the high jump final (1.30m) .. the gold medallist jumped 1.35m ... but Tara again showed her versatility and amazing talent in multiple disciplines with a win in the Javelin. Tara also was a finallist in the 60m hurdles (10.87). Tara could be a heptathlete in the future if she chooses, or could specialise in her preferred event(s). Christian Collins surpassed all expectations jumping a big personal best in the U/13 high jump (1.43m) to win his first National title. Christian had placed second in the Dublin Championships a few weeks ago so he was hoping for a medal at the National Championships but the gold medal was beyond all our wildest dreams. Christian also just missed out by 3centimetres on a second National medal with a 4th place in the long jump (4.58m) with very consistent jumping throughout. Meanwhile we had top performances from our other athletes at the these Championships. Niall Flanagan ran a personal best in the U/12 60m (9.47) and had another personal best in the long jump (3.58m). In the same age-group, Sean Townsend ran a personal best in his 600m race (1:49.86) to come in 7th position overall in an extremely fast and competitive race. Lee Bryne ran a quick 1:46.96 in the u/13 600m. Sarah Rehill had a great run in the U/13 600m race, producing a personal best (1:49.57) to come in 7th position overall in an extremely fast race where the National record was beaten by almost 2 seconds. Rachel Briggs had a personal best in the U/14 shot putt (8.43m) on Saturday followed by another personal best the following day in the javelin (13.36m). Well done to all on representing the club so well at the National Championships.

On Sun 5th July, John O'Leary and Jim Dwyer ran in the Family Fitness Festival 5km road race at Farmleigh in the Phoenix Park. John posted a very respectable 19:45 with Jim putting in another consistent effort, finishing in 24:42. Well done to both.

On Sat 4th July, three Lucan women ran in the Achill Half Marathon. Myran Nolan led the way for Lucan with Myra a fine time of 1hr 51mins. Next to finish for Lucan was Evelyn McMahon in 1 hr 59mins with Bernie Doyle close behind in 2hr 1 min. Well done to all on very good running.

On Wed 1st July, Colm O'Connor and Gareth Fereday both placed in the top 3 in their events at the Dublin Graded Meet number six in Irishtown. In the grade 'D' mile, Colm O'Connor was 2nd in a fine time of 5:05.89. Gareth Fereday continued his good summer with a 3rd place in the grade 'C' 3000m with a time of 10:12.47. Well done lads.

On Tue 30th June, Fergal O'Brien and Freda Comiskey took the wins in the Club Handicap 3 mile Road Race. The handicaps are based off the finishing times at the Club Championship race the previous week. Runners set off at intervals, until the last person to start is the Club Champion. Everyone is involved in their own battle, trying to lock into a good pace, trying to catch the person in front, or to hold off the challenges from behind. Being a world class snooker player, Fergal O'Brien knows all about pressure situations. Fergal was the first man off on the night. He clearly did not panic. In fact, he rose to the occasion because he clocked a time of 20:49 for the 3 mile loop, over 90 seconds faster than last week. Behind Fergal, Gerry Byrne (Snr) sliced through all opponents but just could not quite get to Fergal O'Brien. Vinny Murtagh was next to finish, then Liam, Gary Mortimer, Breffni Worrall, Terry McGraine, Stephen, Gerry M, Derry McVeigh, Lorcan and Aarron. On the women's side, Freda Comiskey put in a fantastic effort, recording a time of 21:18, a full 37 seconds faster than last week. This time would have had her breathing down Club Champion Bernie Stapleton's neck last week. Next to finish was Julie, then Claire Joyce, Lara Demetriou, Bernie Stapleton, Evelyn McMahon, Ursula Murphy, Myra Nolan, Amber Nugent, Brid Fogarty, Emer McCarthy, Lorraine Heffernan, Winnifred and Barbara. Well done to all on a good night's running. 14.Barbara

On Tue 30th June, Jim Dwyer ran in the Defence Forces-sponsored all terrain 7km race in the Phoenix Park. Jim had a good run, clocking a time of 45:56. Well done Jim.


Conor McCrossan once again medalled at a National Championship, placing a fine second in the Junior Men's 110m hurdles in a time of 15.82 seconds. I think that the hurdles used in the Schools competitions are a different height to those used in club Junior competitions so it takes a lot of preparation just to get that part of this very technical event sorted out. Therefore, comparing times between schools and club competitions is pointless. Conor has a big future in this event if he continues to display the levels of dedication he is currently exhibiting. Conor does not train for the hurdles year round. He is also very involved in rugby, so we have not yet seen all he has to offer the hurdles event. Congratulations Conor! Meanwhile, National Senior Indoor finallist, David Keogh put in a brave effort in the U/23 Men's 800m, placing fifth in a tactical race with a time of 1:57.2. Expect to see David running personal bests over the next few weeks as he prepares for the National Senior Championships in 5 weeks' time. Congratulations guys on great running.

On Sun 28th June, eight Lucan athletes ran in the Irish Multimarathon Half Marathon in Clontarf. It was a very warm day and with a race start at 11am, this didn't make things any easier. Even so, our athletes fared very well. Derry McVeigh once more showed his great potential with an outstanding run of 1 hour 28mins 35seconds in his debut over the distance. Derry's first half of the race was only 20seconds faster than his second half so he ran a very even paced race. Damien McDonald who has been racing quite frequently lately ran yet another fine half marathon in 1:38:29. Garry Mortimer put in great run of 1:42:50. Claire Joyce put in a very good run to finish in 1 hr 51:47. Next home for the ladies was Brid Fogarty in 2:04:23, then Ann Murtagh in 2:12:10. Ann actually ran the second half of her race 10 seconds faster than the first half so she finished very strong. Barbara Whelan was next in 2:18:42 with Ann McGee in 2:26:35. Well done to all on fine performances.


The National Championships were held within the very appropriately named "National Hell of the West Triathlon". Joe continued his Triathlon heroics by once again getting first place in the 30-34 category in the National Championship. In the open competition, Joe was an astounding 12th overall out of 585 competitors and completed the course in 2.17.22. Joe somehow managed to complete the 10k run in 37.32 after the swim and cycle stages! Result breakdown: Swim 27.37, Cycle 71.02, Run 37.32. Congratulations Joe on this tremendous result.

On Sat 27th June, Max Carey and Lee Browne competed in the National Boys U/10 Team Competition in Tipperary. The two were competing in the 60m sprints and ball throw. They finished 12th overall in the sprints and 10th in the ball throw. Well done to both lads on fine performances at their first National Championships.

On Sat 27th June, we had four athletes running in the 10km road race in Dunshaughlin. First home for Lucan was Joe Corcoran in an excellent time of 41:16. Next home was Vinny Murtagh in a swift time 42.50. Hot on Vinny's heels was Stephen Rynne in 43.16. The guys are really getting into their rhythm this summer. Bernie Stapleton was the sole ladies runner and it was great to see her run a very impressive season's best of 45:52. Well done to all.

On Thur 25th June, five of our senior men were in action in the BHAA annual Trinity track meet. This well organised event always produces some great performances on the grass track in Trinity College and this year was no exception. Gerry Byrne Snr put in some great performances and ran a fine 800m (2:30.1) to come home in 3rd position and followed up 30 mins later with a 5th place in the 3000m (11:41). Colm O'Connor also had two good runs in the Mile (5:17.8 for 5th place) and the 3000m, where he produced a flying last lap to pick up 6 spots (final time of 11:06 for 6th place). Breffni Worrall had a very busy night running the 800m (2:59.3), Mile (6:07) and 3000m (12:15) and helped his team to second in Grade B! Jim Dwyer posted a 3:34 for the 800m and he too cam back later in the evening with a run in the 3000m (14:24). Last but not least, Gerry Byrne produced a swift 2:24 in the 800m for 6th place in his race. Well done to all.

On Tue 23rd June, Bernie Stapleton and Joe Corcoran won the Lucan Harriers' Club Road Championships. Bernie Stapleton and Claire Joyce were involved in a very close battle over the 3 mile race until Bernie pulled away in the late stages to win the club title in 21:14 from Claire (21:22), with defending Champion, Freda Comiskey, completing the podium (21:55) with another good run. On the men's side, Derry McVeigh took the race by the scruff and he was rewarded for his determined front running with a fine win in a time of 17:25 for the 3 miles. Joe Corcoran put in a strng run for second place (17:49), with Breffni Worrall (19:43) impressing to edge ahead of Vinny Murtagh (19:55) for the third spot. Full Results

On the weekend of Sat 20th/Sun 21st June, Lucan's young athletes competed in the Dublin T&F Championships in Irishtown Stadium, Ringsend. The club will now have 10 athletes competing in the the Nationals in Tullamore on the 11th/12th July after the great results achieved over the two weekends. The star of this weekend was Adam Doran who won all five of his events in the Boys Under 13 group. Adam is now Dublin Champion in the 80m sprints, Long Jump, Shot Putt, Javelin and High Jump! These medals join Adam's silver medal in the hurdles two weeks ago. In the U/12 Boys, Sean Townsend was 1st in the 600m, 2nd in the 80m but just outside the medals in the Long Jump with some great jumps. Also in the U/12 boys, Niall Flanagan was 2nd in the Long Jump and 3rd in the 80m sprints. Niall also made the final of the 600m. In the U/13 Girls, Sarah Reihill ran a great race from start to finish and was pipped on the line to take 3rd place in the 600m. Sarah also came through heats and semi finals to make it to the final in the 80m sprints where she came 6th in a very close field. Also U/13, Tara Andrews placed 1st in the High Jump, 1st in the Javelin, 4th in the Shot Putt and 5th in the Long Jump. Tara also came through heats and semi finals to make it to the final in the 80m sprints where she came 5th. Tara also won the hurdles two weeks ago. In the U/13 Boys, Harry Larkin was 1st in the 600m and Christian Collins was 2nd in the High Jump and 3rd in the Long Jump. In the U/14 Girls, Shannon Browne was 1st in the Walk, 5th in the 80m sprints, jumped a PB in the Long Jump and competed well in the her first High Jump competition but was just outside the medals. Also U/14, Rachel Briggs was 2nd in the Walk, 6th in the 80m sprints, made the top 8 in the Long Jump, was 4th in the Shot Putt and 4th in the Javelin. In the U/14 Boys, Jack Carey made it through his 80m heat but unfortunately had to pull of out of the sprint and the Long Jump due to an injury. In the U/15 Boys, Mohammed Adnan placed 4th in the 100m in a very strong field and 3rd in the triple jump. In the U/18 Boys, Conor Martin ran a great 100m in a very strong field. Well done to all on doing so well.

On Sat 20th June, Joe Lynch had yet another exceptional outing, this time in the Waterford Triathlon. Joe finished in an outstanding 6th place overall and 1st in his age category in a time 1.17.42. This time is broken down into his 750m swim in 16:59, the 20km cycle in 32:49 and the 6km run to finish in 26:43. Well done again Joe on another great result.

On Wed 17th June, three Lucan athletes competed in Graded Meet No. 5 held at Morton Stadium in Santry. In the Grade A 1500m, David Keogh ran a superb 4:03.59. This run gave David a 9th place finish against top class elite athletes and was all the more impressive considering his 5th place run on the Tom Byrne 5k the previous on Sunday. In the Grade C 1500m, Gareth Fereday ran an excellent 4:35.92. Gareth sat in the pack for much of the race but over the last 400 metres, lengthened his stride and passed 3 athletes over the last 100 for a 6th place finish in a competitive race. In the Grade D 1500m, Colm O'Connor had a fine run of 4.45.66 . The race started with a brisk opening lap of 71 secs. Colm then settled into a good rhythm before making a decisive break over the last 300m and managed to closed the gap on long time leader to a few metres. The strong finish gave O Connor a third place finish on the night. Well done to all.

On Tue 16th June, Lucan athletes ran in the Government Services-sponsored BHAA 5 mile road race in Dunboyne. Five of our senior men ran on the night. First home for Lucan was Gerry Byrne Snr with an excellent run of 32.46. Gerry well and truly looks back to his best once more. Damien McDonald put an another fine run after his half marathon heroics in Stranraer to finish in 33.36. Third home was Stephen Rynne who had a fine outing and return to form with a brisk 34.03. Jeremiah Moloney followed in 37:32 with Jim Dwyer finishing in 39:48. We also had four female athletes competing. First home for the women was Bernie Stapelton with yet another fine performance in her busy summer season running a time of 36.57. Next home for the ladies was Michelle Sheeran in 37.51. Deirdre Counihan was hot on Michelle's heels in 38.12. Eileen O'Brien was again first in her category with a great run of 41.46. Well done to all.

On Sun June 14th, Dundrum's Peter Matthews and Raheny's Patrycja Wlodarczyk won in fast times as Lucan Harriers hosted the Tom Byrne 5km road race. Thanks to all the volunteers who helped make our annual Tom Byrne 5k a great success. The race went off without a hitch and we even got some fine sunny weather for the 172 runners who took part. Lucan's David Keogh had a great run and was the first local athlete home in fifth position overall and won the Tom Byrne memorial trophy. The overall race was won by Peter Matthews in 15.11 which was close to our course record and was the quickest winning time in 5 years. Peter Matthews is one of the top home-based athletes that Ireland has produced in recent years. Among Peter's long list of accomplishments are the individual Senior men's titles at National Interclub and Intercounty cross country Championships. Matthews has also placed 20th in the World Cross Country Championships as well as placing 9th in the European Cross Country Championships, leading the Irish men's team to the bronze medal in the process. So the caliber up front in the men's race was top class. The ladies race was won by Patrycja Wlodarczyk (I hope I spelled that right!) in a very brisk time of 18:05. Mullingar Harriers took the mens team prize and Raheny Shamrocks won the womens team prize.
Well done to the Lucan Harriers Senior men's team that represented the club well Tom Byrne race and all raced well in the hot conditions. Most of the team posted season's bests on the day. David Keogh (16.20) was 5th overall, Tommy Buggle 17.40, Joe Corcoran 18.07, Alan Cassells 18.48, Terry Meyler 20.51.

Results Summary
Place Name Club Time
1 Peter Matthews Dundrum 15.11,
2 Teddy Quinn unatt 15.24,
3 Gearoid O'Connor Rathfarnham 15.38,
4 Paul Buckley Ferbane AC 15.42,
5 David Keogh Lucan Harriers 16.20,
6 Paul Gibbons SBR Ferns 16.32,
7 Paddy Mangan Dunshaughlin M50 16.33,
8 Vincent Connolly Mullingar Harriers 16.43,
9 Martin Lyons Mullingar Harriers 16.45,
10 Ben White Mullingar HarriersM35 16.47,
11 Maurice Looby Mullingar Harriers 16.48,
12 Terry Mc Laughlin Clonliffe 16.51,
13 Gavin Keogh Donore Harriers 16.59,
14 Owen Mc Laughlin Rathfarnham M40 17.11,
15 Fergal Swaine Donore Harriers M35 17.21,
16 Paul Gleeson South O'Hanlon M40 17.25,
17 Liam Mc Glynn Mullingar Harriers M40 17.30,
18 Justin Murtagh Mullingar Harriers 17.37,
19 Greg Kenny City West RC 17.42,
20 Thomas Buggle Lucan Harriers M40 17.45


Women
1 Patrycja Wlodarczyk Raheny 18.05,
2 Jean Wilson Sportsworld 18.52,
3 Fiona Reid Dunboyne 18.54,
4 Catriona Hooper Raheny 19.01,
5 Mary Finn Sportsworld 19.19,

Total Finishers 172( 20 under 18 mins, 58 under 20 mins)
Complete Results

On the weekend of Sat/Sun June 13th and 14th, we had some more great performances from Lucan's juvenile athletes at the Dublin T&F Championships in Santry. Max Carey and Lee Browne represented Lucan Harriers in the boys U/10 Dublin Championship Team Competition. Max and Lee won the ball throw competition and came second in the 60m sprints. They have now qualified for the Nationals on the 28th June. Well done also to our Lucan boys U/13 relay team (Harry Larkin, Adam Doran, Christian Collins and Niall Flanagan) who finished a close second in the Dublin Championship Relay Competition. These guys have have also qualified for the Nationals in July. Congratulations to all on doing so well.

On Sat June 13th, Conor McGee placed 4th in the New York Road Runners 10km Dash in Central Park, New York. Conor had another good run in very muggy conditions posting a time of 33:51 for the distance. Well done Conor.

On Tue June 9th, Lucan athletes participated in the ESB-sponsored BHAA 5km race on Sandymount Beach. We had fine runs from Joe Corcoran (18:56). This result gave Joe fourth place in his category. Breffni Worrall (20:49), Gerry Byrne Snr (21:08), Vinny Murtagh (22:09), and Jeremiah Moloney also put in a fine performance finishing in 23.37. Well done to all. Results

On Sun June 7th, Henry Langton ran in the Little South 4 mile Run hosted by St Senan's Athletic Club in Kilamcow, Co. Kilkenny. Henry put in a fine performance running a time of 25:48. Great running Henry. Results

On Sun 7th June, Gareth Fereday had a very hectic day on the track in Leamington, Wales. Gareth showed some great versatility, some serious endurance and a handy turn of speed with a 400 m hurdles time of 63.6 secs, 10:53.6 for the 3000m steeplechase and then the 3000m flat in 10:18. Great running Gareth. Results

On Sat June 6th, Lucan harriers hosted our Juvenile Open Sports Day. More. A big thank you to all those who helped and volunteered in the Lucan Open Sports day in what can only be described as horrendous conditions. We were only short of seeing Noahs Ark on the track! Well done to all the juveniles who participated and competed on a very wet day. Results

On Sat 6th June, Damien Mc Donald had a superb run at the Stranraer Half Marathon. Damien completed the half marathon course in 1hr 33min 41 sec. He ran this time after driving to Belfast and getting a ferry across on the same morning! Damien finished in 38th overall and 7th in his age category. Well done to Damien on an outstanding run which was 8 mins quicker than his last half marathon in early April. Results

On Fri 5th June, 5 Lucan juveniles brought home 2 golds and a silver from the Dublin Championships for Hurdles in Santry Stadium. Tara Andrews took 1st place in the U/13 Girls 60m hurdles. Tara is the reigning National U13 Indoor High Jump Champion and she clearly has the ability in this other very technical event, the hurdles. Albera Adnan finished just outside the medals this time in the same event. In the U/13 Boys 60m hurdles, Adam Doran took home the silver medal. In the U/14 Girls 75m hurdles, Rachel Briggs had a great run in a very competitive field but was just outside the medals. In the U/16 Boys hurdles, Mohammed Adnan took home the gold medal for his first Dublin title. Well done to all our athletes on excellent performances. Tara, Adam and Mohammed now go forward to compete in the Nationals in early July.

On Wed June 3rd, four Lucan athletes put in good performances in Meet #4 of the Dublin Graded Meet Series in Irishtown Stadium. David Keogh had everyone talking after he absolutely obliterated a quality field in the 'B' 800m. David's time was a sensational 1:56.77. This is his first outdoor race of the season and is just 2 hundredths of a second outside his lifetime best. Keogh ran an intelligent and well paced race before making a decisive move with 250m to go. Keogh looks well positioned for the season ahead and no doubt the 800M club record of 1:52 currently held by Damien Joyce is under threat this year. In the Grade 'D' 800m, Lucan had two participants. In the first 'D' race, Gerry Byrne made his first track appearance of the season with a solid time of 2:18.10, placing fifth in the process. In the other section 'D' race, Colm O' Connor also made his season's debut with a brisk 2:18.61. No doubt both athletes will build on these times as the season progresses. Gareth Fereday made his first ever Lucan track appearance in the section 'C' 3000m race. Gareth put in a gutsy run to finish in a commendable fifth place in a time of 10:00.51. With a bit of experience, Gareth will be running sub 9:30 by end of the summer. Well done to all on a good night's running.

On Mon June 1st, Lucan were represented by six women in the Women's Mini Marathon 10km road race in Dublin City. This race was held in hot conditions but our athletes still put in some very good performances. Sinead Keogh led the ladies home in 55:44 and was closely followed by Nina Healy in 56:44. Camille O' Connor was third home for Lucan in a time of ran 60 minutes, Emma Hanratty recorded a time of 1hr 15min and Julie Dowd 2hrs 15min. Well done to all.

On Sun May 31st, Gerry Reid ran in the Edinburgh Marathon in Scotland. Gerry ran a very intelligent race, pacing very even running throughout. His opening 10km was a controlled 45:30. Gerry hit the halfway point in 1:39:09, and 30km in 2:20:41. Gerry maintained his pace from the first half of the race to finish in a very impressive 3:20:41. Great running from a very popular person at the club. Well done, Gerry. Official Photos Results


This was another great performance from Conor at a National Championship. Conor's trophy cabinet has to be getting pretty full at this point! The winner of the race was in league of his own on the day but Conor almost got up to take the silver medal. He was just three-tenths of a second behind the silver medallist. Conor's time was a very quick 15.37 seconds. onor has a bright future ahead of him and is presently a nominee for the Lucan gazette sports star of the month award. Congratulations Conor on a great run, and best of luck with your Leaving Certificate exams next week.

On Sat May 30th, Joe Lynch placed 12th overall and 3rd in his age-category in the Tri Athy triathlon in Athy, Co Kildare. Joe produced a seasons best performance completing the event in a fine time of 1.58.40 to finish in 12th position overall. This strong performance ensured Joe a 3rd place finish in the 30-34 age-category. Joe completed the 1500m swim in 21:24, the 40k cycle in 1.01.42 and after all that produced a phenomenal 10k of 33:35. Well done to Joe, Im tired even thinking about it! Results

On Sat May 30th, Conor McGee placed 5th in the Japan Day 4 mile Road race in Central Park, New York. Conor ran an excellent time of 20:48 over a tough undulating course in warm conditions. This run gave Conor first place in the 30-34 age-group and shows Conor is in good form as we move into the summer season.

On Tue May 26th, Claire Joyce was fifth woman overall as over twenty Lucan athletes ran in the Bob Heffernan 5km Road race in Enfield. Conditions were near perfect on the evening and Claire Joyce took full advantage of those conditions placing 5th senior lady overall in a very impressive 21:14. Hot on Claire's heels was Bernie Stapleton in 21:32. Then we had Michelle Sheeran 22:12, Julie Dowd 22:15, Claire Buckley 22:29, Deirdre Counihan 22:45, Myra Nolan 23:16, Lorraine Heffernan 23:31, Eileen O'Brien 24:09, Evelyn McMahon 25:25, Ursula Murphy 25:28, Sinead Murphy 28:19, Ann McGee 28:41 and Barbara Whelan 29:47. Good to see some new names are coming through the ranks. On the men's side, Tommy Buggle led the men home in an excellent time of 17 minutes flat. Tommy is definitely now back to top form after his injury lay off. Gareth Fereday was next home after a hard fought battle with Tommy throughout the race. Gareth put in a season's best time of 17:19. Joe Corcoran was next home with a fine run of 18:24. Gerry Reid was close behind in 18:36, Gerry Byrne was next in 18:55, Henry Langton -- good to see him back in action -- was next in 19:03, Gerry Mortimer in 19:15, Gerry Byrne Sr in 19:29, Daniel Byrne (aged 14 years, son of Gerry Byrne senior) made his debut with an excellent time of 20:12. Colum Maddox ran a time of 22:21 with Jim Dwyer clocking 23:59. Well done to all.

On Sun May 24th, Eileen O'Brien, Bernie Stapleton and Ann McGee led the way for Lucan with wins in their categories at the inaugural Adamstown 5 mile road race. Lucan were very well represented in strength and depth at this race. Run on a relatively flat course around the new roads of Adamstown, our athletes can all be happy with their day's work. On the men's side Damien McDonald made a return to action after his superb performance in the recent Antwerp marathon. Damien was the first Lucan athlete home in another very good time of 34.18 as he continues to go from strength to strength this season. Jim Dwyer was the second man home for Lucan 40.34. Jim ran 40.33 in the 5 mile road race in Walkinstown last week so he seems to have mastered consistency at this distance. A special mention has to go to our recent recruit - snooker superstar - Fergal O'Brien. Fergal running in his first ever race completed the 8km distance in 42.12. As Fergal continues to train hard every week we are sure to see a lot more of him in action over the coming weeks and months. Our ladies can also be proud of their performances. It was here that Lucan got among the prizes with three of our athletes coming out on top of their categories. Bernie Stapleton, running her second race of the weekend led the way in 37.19, this time winning Bernie first prize in her category. Michelle Sheeran was the second runner home for our ladies in 39:14. This is very strong running from Michelle and it looks like she will go from strength to strength. Eileen O'Brien, also running her second race of the weekend, showed no signs of fatigue as she secured first place in her category with her time of 40:21. Eileen is a model of consistency for the club as she never disappoints. Camille O'Connor (44:25) continued her run of good form after putting in some noteworthy performances at the recent Meet and Train races. It is great to see Camille building on these performance. Nina Healy was the next lady to cross the line for Lucan, completing the course in an impressive 45:46. Nina, too, has put in some fine performances for Lucan over the past few weeks and shows no sign of letting her standards drop over the summer.Ann McGee continued her winning ways in winning her category with an excellent time of 47:02. Ann's consistency is an inspiration to all the up and coming athletes in the club and this win is well deserved for all her dedication to training and the club.Marie Claire Hendricken (47:28) and Grainne Whitmore (49:02) rounded off a very good day for our ladies and shows the strength in depth developing among this section with their fine performances. Well done everyone.

On Sat May 23rd, Joe Lynch was 5th overall, Eileen O'Brien 2nd in her age-category, Bernie Stapleton 3rd in her age-category, as Lucan athletes were out in force at the Intel-sponsored BHAA 10km road race in Leixlip, Co. Kildare. Our ladies section had some noteworthy performances in this race.Bernie Stapleton once again had a fine run, this time crossing the line in 48.05. This performance secured Bernie 3rd place in her category as she continues to go from strength to strength. Eileen O'Brien made a welcome return to action. Eileen recently returned from a well deserved break but has obviously continued to train well as her brilliant time of 50.11 saw her finish second in her category. For the men, Joe Lynch led the way with his outstanding fifth place finish overall in a time of 35.28. Hearing about Joe's training sessions, it comes as no surprise that he is achieving the results he is. These are certainly well deserved. Next home for Lucan was Alan Cassells in a season's best time of 40.27. This is very strong running over the 10K distance .Alan's ambition is to go sub 40 for the 10k and with performances like this, he will surely achieve this in his next outing over the distance. Another athlete putting in strong performances over the spring and now summer seasons is Vinny Murtagh.Vinny crossed the line in 41.59 and looks like he is only getting started as we approach the hectic racing season. Breffni Worrall (43.27) has also been running extremely well over the past number of months and it looks like the foundations he laid during the cross country season are continuing to pay dividends on the roads now. Gerry Byrne senior made a return to action after his short injury layoff and managed to produce another very good performance with his time of 45.10. Jim Dwyer continued his recent busy schedule with another fine run here of 50.47.

On Tue May 19th, Claire Buckley was Lucan's only representative in the Dublin Docklands 8km run. Claire continued her good form in 2009 in running the 8km in 39:46. Claire has been showing excellent form during the Meet and Train series and is certainly sustaining this during her other outings on the road. Well done Claire.

On Sun May 17th, Lucan had some great results in the Sportsworld 5 mile road race in Walkinstown. Liz Arkins was the sole representative for the ladies. Liz put in an outstanding performance, completing the 5 mile course in 37.23 and this secured her 5th place in her category. For the men, John Canny finished a brilliant 9th amongst all finishers in 27.41, just 20 seconds outside his best time from last year's race. John is only getting started as he heads into the track season in fine form once again. Tommy Buggle, making a welcome return to competitive action after his recent injury lay-off, posted a brilliant time 29.37 for the distance in finishing 5th in the 0-40 male category. We are sure to see Tommy run more brilliant times on the road and track as the summer progresses. Jim Dwyer followed up his 3rd place finish a week previous, with another strong run here, completing the distance in 40.33. Well done to all.

On Sun May 17th, Myra Nolan and Lorraine Heffernan ran in the Fingal Triathlon. Myra and Lorraine trained extremely hard for this particular event and it was great to see all their hard work come to fruition. This event, consisting of a 750 metre swim ,20km cycle and 5km run is not for the fainthearted. This did not deter Lorraine and Myra though. Lorraine completed the 750 metre swim in 17 minutes, with Myra just 3 minutes behind at this stage with her 20 minutes swim. On the bike, both these ladies put in very strong performances, with Lorraine completing the 20kms in 46 minutes. Myra's time of 44 minutes closed the gap to Lorraine to just a minute with the 5km run remaining. There was no separating the ladies over the 5km as both completed the run in 24 minutes, which is great running at the best of times but even more so when its preceded by a tough swim and cycle. This performance gave Lorraine a total finishing time of 1hr 33 minutes with Myra right behind her in 1hr 34 minutes. We look forward to these ladies next outing in the triathlon. Well done to both.

On Sat May 16th, Bernie Stapleton and Emer McCarthy ran in the Cappagh Hospital 10km run in the Phoenix Park. Lucan were represented by two ladies in this race, run on a tough course and in terrible weather conditions in the Phoenix Park. Bernie Stapleton was first across the line for Lucan in 48.21. Bernie is proving to be a real consistent performer in the distance events this year. This time posted by Bernie was very close to the one she ran in the Great Ireland run in April, when weather conditions were summer-like. So Bernie is clearly in better form now and hopefully will get the opportunity to run a 10k in better conditions this summer. Emer McCarthy has obviously continued to train hard, since her Dublin marathon exploits in October last. Emer is running very good times in her races this year and Saturday last was no exception when she completed the 10km course in another great time of 52.28. Well done to both on excellent runs.

On Sat May 16th, Conor McGee ran in the Healthy Kidney 10k in Central Park, New York. Conor McGee bounced back in style in the Healthy Kidney 10km road race. On a much tougher 10km course than the one Conor raced on the previous week and in 96% humidity Conor ran a brilliant time of 33:08. On a flatter course this time is said to translate to about a minute faster. With the summer racing season just getting into full swing now, Conor is already showing that he is in great shape. Well done Conor.


Conor McCrossan put in yet another outstanding performance, setting a personal best of 15.32 seconds in winning the 110 metre hurdles at the Leinster School championships. This means that Conor retains the title he won at these Championships last year, and he is ready to challenge for the gold medal at the Irish Schools Championships in a couple of weeks' time. Remember he won the silver medal last year. This is another great achievement by Conor to add to his catalogue of successes in recent seasons and clearly he has taken up where he left off last summer. Conor has achieved considerable success in Schools and Clubs competitions over the last couple of years with medals, mostly gold, won in all competitions. We expect to see this time fall further during the course of the summer. Congratulations Conor and good luck at the Irish Schools Champs.

On Sun May 10th, Joe Lynch led a large Lucan contingent home with a sixth place finish in the Le Cheile 5km road race in Leixlip. Joe Lynch continued his rich vein of form placing 6th overall in a new PB time of 16:40. This was a 15 second improvement on the 16.55 he posted on St Stephen's day in the Streets of Wicklow race and is all the more impressive considering the blustery conditions prevailing on the day. The second placed finisher for Lucan was the ever consistent Alan Cassells, showing tremendous strength in clocking a time of 19.16. Gerry Byrne senior and Vinny Murtagh had a great battle throughout the race with Gerry pulling clear over the last 400 metres to finish third for Lucan in 20.06. Gerry continues to train very well and these great results are testament to that. Vinny, too, is in a rich vein of form as his time of 20.24 suggests. Stephen Rynne came in 5th for Lucan after another impressive performance and time of 20.47 with Jerry Moloney in very close attendance in 21.45 after running another very strong race. Brian Brunton, running in only his second race since the Dublin marathon rounded off a good day for the Lucan men with a 22.11 clocking. Well done to all.

On Sun May 10th, our club hosted round two of the Women's Meet and Train League in Griffeen Park, Lucan. Lucan have been instrumental over the years in the success of this league, both through competing and in hosting races, and this year we put on another great show competing on the course and in the organisation of the event. Thankfully the weather conditions improved for this race, held over the distance of 3 miles. Sinead McIntyre led home the Lucan ladies in 14th position with an excellent run in a time of 20.47. Bernie Stapleton continues to show great form and was second home for Lucan 21.08 with Deirdre Counihan in close attendance in a time 21.51. Julie was the 4th lady across the line for Lucan in 22.14, with Claire Buckley (22.16), Myra Nolan (22.21) and Lorraine Heffernan (22.43) hot on her heels with very good performances. Brid Fogarty (23.13) continues to run strongly as does Celina Barrett who completed the 3 mile course in 23.37. Camille O'Connor (24.20), Winifred Ryan (26.24) and Nina Healy (27.16) all put in strong runs to round off a good day's work by our ladies.

On Sat May 9th, Jim Dwyer had a fantastic run to place third in the Cystic Fibrosis fund raising road race held at NUI Maynooth. Jim achieved his first ever top three placing in finishing 3rd in a very good time of 22 mins 47 secs in this 2.75 miles road race. Jim has been running since 1980 and has been a great stalwart for Lucan in competing in numerous races each year. Jim, too, is heavily involved in coaching the juvenile athletes. This result is richly deserved by Jim for all his dedication. Congratulations Jim!

On Sat May 9th, Conor McGee ran in the Newport 10k road race in Jersey City, New Jersey. On a very muggy day Conor McGee posted a strong time of 33:38 in the Newport 10km road race, on what is described as a flat course. It shows the level that Conor is operating at that he felt disappointed with his run. Well done Conor.

On Sun May 3rd, Deirdre Counihan ran in the Bantry Half Marathon in Cork. Having raced the previous Wednesday evening, Deirdre showed no signs of fatigue covering the 13.1 miles in a very impressive 1 hr 48 mins 44 secs. Deirdre is proving to be a model of consistency. As recently as March last, Deirdre clocked a time of 1.48.48 for the half marathon distance in Bath. Great to see Deirdre running so well.

On Sun May 3rd, Joe Lynch placed 14th in the Joey Hannan Triathlon in Limerick. Joe, a rising star in the club, produced a another great time of 2hrs 16mins. Consisting of a 1,500m swim, 40km cycle and 10km run, this event requires great endurance - which Joe seems to have in abundance. At the end of a very good 1,500m swim and 40KM cycle, Joe managed to run the fastest 10km split of all the talented athletes in the field. As this is Joe's first triathlon of the season, there is no telling what he will achieve as the season progresses. Well done Joe.

On Sat May 2nd, Lucan athletes ran in the RTE-sponsored BHAA 5 Mile Road race in Donnybrook. Once again Lucan had some very strong performances in the latest BHAA road race held over 5 miles in Donnybrook.On the ladies side Bernie Stapleton, fresh from her exploits on the previous Wednesday, put in yet another great performance covering the 5 miles in 36.30. Also representing the ladies was Eileen O'Brien and as always did the club proud with her performance. This time Eileen clocked a time of 38.37. On the men's side Vinny Murtagh led the way for Lucan posting a very good time of 32.50. Looks like Vinny is on top form. Second home for the Lucan men was Gerry Byrne senior in another good time of 33.31. Gerry's strong 800 metre training runs look like they're being translated into race day performances. Breffni Worrall continues to impress. This time he covered the 5 mile course in 33.54. Next home for Lucan was Stephen Rynne, following up his very good 8 mile run 2 weeks ago with another strong performance here of 35.03 for the 5 miles. Jerry Moloney, too, continues to turn out consistent performances and was the 5th Lucan man home in 36.46 for the 5 miles here. Jim Dwyer completed a good day for the men's section in covering the distance in 40.32.

On Wed Apr 29th, our athletes had some great performances at round one of the Women's Meet and Train Summer League in Raheny. Claire Joyce led the way in a excellent time of 13.41 for the 2 miles. Bernie Stapleton was in hot pursuit and finished just 1 second behind in 13.42. Emer McCarthy was the next Lucan athlete home in another very good time of 14.41 with Lorraine Heffernan and Myra Nolan in times of 14.44 and 14.52 respectively pushing her all the way. Brid Fogarty (15.13), Celina Barrett (15.22), Deirdre Counihan (15.24),Nina Healy (17.08) and Barbara Whelan (18.30) rounded off a good evening's work by our ladies. We look forward to the next round held over 3 miles in Lucan's Griffeen Park on Sunday morning next.


On Sun Apr 26th, Damien McDonald had an outstanding run in the Antwerp Marathon. Damien's time for the classic 26.2 mile event was 3hrs 42 mins 17 secs. The finishing time was excellent but the manner in which Damien achieved this was even better. Damien ran negative splits, running the first 10kms at 5 mins 28secs per km and pushing on for the remaining kilometres covering each in 5 mins 16 secs. We look forward to Damien's next marathon outing later in the year. ongratulations Damien.

On Sun Apr 26th, our young athletes competed in Round 1 of the Juvenile Track and Field League in Santry. For the U10 boys 60m, Max Carey put in a great performance finishing just outside the medals in 4th place. In the U10 girls 300M Sarah Robinson looked strong and composed in completing the distance in 63.8 seconds In the U10 boys 300M category there was nothing to separate Max Carey and Oisin Smyth as both athletes put in excellent performances. Max Carey crossed the line in 62.4 seconds with Oisin right behind him in 62.9 secs which is great running by both guys. In the U10 girls ball throw competition Sarah Robinson managed a throw of 17.45 metres, securing 5th position. It's great to see Sarah showing such versatility in her young athletic career. For the U11 girls 60M, Nicole O Gorman continued her good form this year, with an excellent run that secured her 4th place. In the 500M race, Nicole pulled out a huge performance with it mattered most finishing in second place in a brilliant 1.45.6. In the U11 boys 500M, Jack Daniels continued a good day for Lucan when he was 3rd after posting a super time of 1.43.6 In the U11 boys ball throw competition Jack Andrews proved that he is just as talented in the field events as he is on the track, with his throw of 23.74 metres. In the U12 boys 80 M race, Lucan had its first winner on the day, when Sean Townsend crossed the line first after putting on a great performance. Indeed Sean kept the momentum going as he was also first across the line in the U12 boys 600 M after posting a great time of 1.56.7 for the distance. In the U12 boys long jump, Sean Townsend continued his hectic day with a jump of 3.19 M, which was enough to see him secure 6th place. In the U13 girls 80m, Sarah Rehill came agonisingly close to getting on the podium with her 4th place finish. This came after a terrific performance on the day. In the U13 boys 80M, Adam Doran performed brilliantly in finishing 3rd in what was a close race. In the U13 girls 60M hurdles, Tara Andrews continues to impress. Tara finished first in 11.9 secs, which is super running. In the U13 boys 600m, Harry Larkin put in a superb performance, this time finishing second in 1.56.2.In the U13 boys shot putt competition, Adam Doran finished first after a huge throw of 8.19m.He followed this with another first place finish in the U13 boys long jump. This came after Adam pulled out a jump of 4.34m. And what a versatile athlete Tara Andrews is proving to be. In the U13 girls shot putt, Tara was second after a throw of 5.99m, while in the U13 girls long jump competition, Tara was also second after a jump of 3.67m and in the U13 girls javelin, Tara continued to put in the performances, finishing in fourth after a throw of 9.70m. Meanwhile in the U14 boys 80m Jack Carey secured another podium position for Lucan, finishing in third after a great run. This was followed by another podiums finish by Jack, this time in the U14 boys long jump, when Jack's jump of 4.06m gave him second place. In the U15 girls 80m hurdles, Juliette Sejen finished a well deserved second after running 15.6 secs. It's great to see Juliette dedication continue to pay off. Well done to all our athletess.

On Tue Apr 21st, Hilary McGee ran in another race in the O'Hagan's 5k Fun Run Series in Auckland, New Zealand. On this occasion, Hilary's time was marginally slower than the previous week's but it was still a very quick 21:04. Well done Hilary. Results

The results for the Dublin Juvenile Interclub Track and Field League 2008 and Dublin Juvenile Cross Country League (2008/2009) were recently released. Well done to all our juvenile athletes on their great performances. Nicole O'Gorman finished 2nd in the U10 girls category. In the U10 boys Jack Andrews was also 2nd and Max Carey finished in 9th. In the U11 boys Sean Townsend was 1st and he continues to demonstrate his great talent. In the U12 girls Tara Andrews finished in 2nd closely followed by Sarah Reihil in 6th . In the U12 boys Adam Doran and James Guickan were both 6th. In the U13 girls section Shannon Browne secured a 7th place finish while Rachel Briggs was 15th. In the U13 boys Jack Carey was 5th overall in this category with Luke Hanlon in 20th. In the U14 girls Juliette Seajan can be happy with her 15th place finish. In the U16 boys Stuart Roche was 5th with Toirdealbhach Hopper finishing in 12th overall here.


Our juvenile athletes also put in impressive performances in the Dublin Inter Club Cross Country League later on in the year. In the U1O girls Nicole O'Gorman secured 1st place. In the same category Saoirse Reihil was 11th in a very competitive field. Sarah Robinson also performed well in 14th while Blanaid Smith, Amy Halpin and Gina Cohen showed the strength of this age category in Lucan and filled very respectable overall positions. In the U10 boys Jack Andrews was 15th with Oisin Smith hot on his heels in 16th. In the U11 girls Katie Doran finished in 16th. In the U11 boys we had another champion in Sean Townsend with Niall Flanagan close behind him in 5th. In the U12 girls Tara Andrews also finised in 1st place. Well done Tara. Sarah Reihil just missed out on the medals finishing in 4th. We are sure we will see her on the podium soon. In the U12 boys Adam Doran looks like another good prospect and was 18th in another competitive category. In the U13 girls Rachel Briggs and Shannon Browne continued their good work from the track and field season and were 19th and 21st here. In the U13 boys Sam Kelly was our sole representative and finished a respectable 19th. In the U16 boys Toirdealbhach Hopper was 11th while in the in the U18 boys category there was no seperating the Grimes twins as John and Edward were 4th. Well done to all.

On Sun Apr 19th, our senior men's team put in a strong performance at the National Road Relays held in Raheny. Lucan finished in 17th position overall and gave a very good account of themselves against some stiff competition. The lap in Raheny is slightly over a mile in distance. The format of the race is a two lap followed by a one lap, then the three lap leg, with a two lap leg to finish. David Keogh led the team out for the 2 lap leg and put in an excellent run to leave the team well positioned with a time of 10.38 - the distance is slightly over the 2 miles. Dave had been training for the 1 mile event which made his 2 mile time all the more impressive. Colm O'Connor was next to take the baton, having been drafted into the team at the last moment due to illness to Gareth Fereday. Colm put in a fine performance of 5.25 on his leg. Colm handed the baton over to John Canny who ran a very well paced 3 lap time of 16.16. We believe that the distance on the 3 lap leg is closer to 5000m than three miles so this was some very strong running from John. Joe Lynch took the baton for the anchor leg and he rose to the occasion with a scorching 2 lap run of 10.39, managing to pass 3 runners over the last half mile. This team is in a building phase so it was great to see the potential, not to mention the fact that there were some last minute changes to our line-up. This experience will help for next year and future years when we hope to push for medals. Well done lads. More Photos Results


On Sun Apr 19th, Conor McGee placed 9th in the Run As One 4 mile road race in Central Park, New York. Due to various injury setbacks, this is Conor's first race since the Phildelphia Marathon last November. Conor is coming back into top form and his time of 20:54 over a tough undulating course is evidence that he'll be in good shape for the busy summer season ahead. Well done Conor.

On Sat Apr 18th, Lucan had some good performances in the Kepak-sponsored BHAA 8 mile road race in Clonee. Bernie Stapleton was our sole ladies representative in the BHAA 8 mile and she put in an outstanding run of 61.27, taking some notable scalps in the process. Lucan also had some fine men's performances. Breffni Worrall put in another strong performance with an excellent time of 55:16 over the tough course. Breffni was 3rd scorer on his company's team and they placed 2nd in Grade B. Breffni was closely followed by Stephen Rynne who ran 56:16 and looks close to his best form once more. Stephen was second scorer on his company's team and they placed 2nd in Grade C. Third home for Lucan was Vinny Murtagh in a great time of 56:56. Looks like the Murtagh / Rynne top secret early morning training regime is paying dividends! Gerry Byrne Sr was next home for Lucan with a very solid 57:24. Brian Bunton also made a welcome return and he put in a fine run of 61:47, with Jim Dwyer closing out the line-up for Lucan with a time of 67:46. Well done to all. Photos Results

On Tue Apr 14th, Hilary McGee ran in the O'Hagan's 5k Fun Run Series in Auckland, New Zealand. Hilary is clearing keeping the training going on her travels because she had a great run, finishing with a time of 20:53. Great running Hilary. Results

On Sun Apr 12th, Ger Moloney ran in the Kilnaboy 10 mile road race in County Clare. Ger added to his recent good 4 miler in Raheny with another fine time of 1:21:51. Well done Ger. race


This extremely tough event consisted of a 10K run, 40k cycle and another 5K run and is certainly not for the faint hearted! Joe put in a tremendous performance in winning the 30-34 category, placing 6th overall in the open competition with a time of 1 hr 57 mins. This is the second National title by a Lucan athlete in the space of one week, adding to the National U13 Indoor High Jump title that Tara Andrews won last weekend in Nenagh. Congratulations, Joe!

On Sun Apr 5th, Lucan had a number of top performances at the BUPA Great Ireland Run in the Phoenix Park. Gareth Fereday led the way for the Lucan men with a very quick 36:36. He has clearly recovered quickly after his recent half marathon heroics. New Member Derry McVeigh clocked an impressive 40:58 and looks to have a promising future with the club. Alan Cassells was hot on Derry's heels with another excellent time of 41:31. We had seven women and they also put in some great runs. Bernie Stapleton led the ladies home with a fine run of 47:04 and she looks in fine form for the busy summer season ahead. Sinead McIntyre ran an excellent PB time 48:48 in her first ever 10k outing. Michelle Sheeran was close behind clocking 49:33. Brid Fogarty was the fourth lady home on the day and broke her personal best by a full 5 minutes with a time of 50:56 just ahead of Anne Murtagh (51:01). Nina Healy (57:33) and Winifred Ryan (58:57) closed out a really good day for Lucan. Well done to everyone.

On Sat Apr 4th, four Lucan athletes ran in the Dublin City Council-sponsored BHAA 4 Mile road race in St Anne's Park, Raheny. First home was Stephen Rynne with an impressive 27:32 which shows that he has recovered from his injury setback. Gerry Byrne Snr also had another fine outing with a determined 28:09. Gerry Moloney was hot on Byrnes heels with an excellent time of 28:51. Jim Dwyer also put in a good performance (33:15) and was a high scorer on his team that did well in Grade B section. Well done to all.

In a dramatic finish to the U13 high jump, late in the competition, Lucan's Tara Andrews was in second place and with only one attempt left at a height of 1 metre 40 cm. Tara cleared the bar and went on to win the competition, the only person to clear 1 metre 40cm. This is a fantastic achievement for Tara, one of our most dedicated young athletes. Tara is now the National Indoor Girls U13 High Jump Champion! Congratulations Tara. On the same day, Tara was also 12th in the girls U/13 long jump with a jump of 3:48m. Sean Townsend likes to compete in multiple events, just like his older brother Liam. Sean finished just outside the finals qualifying time in the boys U12 60m sprints with a time of 9.33sec. Sean also competed in the 600m, running for his first time on an indoor track. He drew an inside lane in the 600m qualifiers to narrowly miss out on a place in the final with a very impressive time of 1:51.75. Sean was also 11th in the long jump with a jump of 3.22m. Sean is one of those athletes who can be good at any event he chooses so he will be winning medals, no doubt, in these championships in the future. Harry Larkin put in an excellent performance in the heats of the U13 600m. Harry was in second place for most of the race but due to it being only his second ever 600m race he misjudged his sprint finish to narrowly miss out on a place in the final. The times in the heats were very quick. In fact, most of the athletes wrung themselves dry to advance to the finals. Harry's time in the heat was a very good one (1:49.16) and this time would actually have placed 4th in the final itself. Harry is a big talent and he will be one to watch as he runs the league races in Santry throughout the summer. Well done to all on acquitting themselves so well at the national level.

On Sun Mar 29th, Lucan athletes ran in one of the best races on the domestic racing calendar, the Dunboyne 4 mile road race. Over 400 athletes ran in Dunboyne on the day and once more there were some strong Lucan senior performances. First home for Lucan was John Canny in an excellent time of 21:44. This was a new PB for John and shows that he is back to his best after a short lay off. Clearly the rest did John some good, and he is picking up right where he left off, with more personal best times. David Keogh put in another fine performance in only his second road race of the year. Keogh, recently 7th in the National Senior Indoor 800m final, proved that he has endurance as well as speed to come home in an excellent time of 22:02 and looks in good shape for the track season. Breffni Worrall put in another strong outing with a fine 27:05. Worrall said he was right behind David Keogh.... until the gun went off! Gerry Byrne Snr put in another good performance with a gritty 27:47 for the 4 mile course and looks close to full fitness once more. New addition to our ladies section, Eileen Weadick, showed a lot of promise with a fine time of 33:06. Well done to all.

On Sun Mar 29th, Jim Dwyer ran in the John Davis 5k cross country race race held on the grounds of Malahide Castle. In the beautiful surrounds of the castle, Jim put in a solid run of 25:19 for the distance. Well done Jim.

On Sat Mar 28th, Gareth Fereday had a great run in the Larne Half Marathon. The long trip was very worthwhile for Gareth as he produced a sensational PB of 1hr 19mins 25secs. Gareth has been in top form for some time and this run is just rewards for all his recent hard work and dedication. His time was all the more impressive considering the first few miles of the half marathon course was into a strong head wind. Despite the conditions, Gareth still managed to go under his goal time on the day of 1hr 20. This is the second fastest Lucan time over the past five years, second only to Conor McGee who holds the club record for the distance. Gareth is an athlete to watch as the summer road racing season begins. Well done, Gareth.

On Sun Mar 22nd, a group of Lucan athletes ran in the Connemara Half Marathon. This very popular event was run over some scenic but tough hilly conditions. Gary Mortimer had an excellent run finishing in 1hr 42mins. Of our women, Claire Joyce was first home for Lucan with an excellent season's best of 1.54. Sinead McIntyre was close behind with another fine outing of 1.58. Brid Fogarty also ran a gutsy race to finish in 2.03. Ann Murtagh 2hr 08min, Patricia Daly 2hr 15min, Martine Prior 2hr 16min and Barbara Whelan 2hr 20min completed the finishers for Lucan. Well done to all.

On Sat Mar 21st, Lucan athletes produced some top quality runs in the N.U.I. Maynooth-sponsored BHAA cross country in Maynooth, Co. Kildare. Two Lucan ladies ran in the women's 2.5 mile race and the weather finally co-operated as the event was held in some fine spring sunshine. Bernie Stapleton was first Lucan lady home in 18:31. Eileen O'Brien had yet another win in her age category with a great run of 19:14. Lucan men were very well represented in the men's 4 mile race. Leading the way in an amazing time of 22:21 was Joe Lynch. Joe is only running with Lucan men for three months and this result is a real break through, giving Joe 9th position overall in a very high quality field. Gareth Fereday was next home in his highest ever BHAA finish of 14th in an amazing time of 23:05. Gareth contributed to his business team's win in Grade A. Colm O'Connor was third harrier home with a gritty run of 26:05 as he managed to hold off a fast finishing Breffni Worrall (26:24). Breffni was the second scorer on his team, contributing to their second place finish in Grade C. Next home for Lucan were Henry Langton (26:56), Stephen Rynne (27:41), Gerry Byrne (28:52) who assisted his team to 3rd place in Grade C, Vinny Murtagh (29:07) and Jeremiah Moloney (30:46). The growing strength of the men's section should give us a very competitive team for the National Road Relay Championships on April 19th. Well done to all.

On Sun Mar 15th, a total of 19 Lucan athletes ran in the Bath Half Marathon. The women certainly did not disappoint and there were a number of personal best performances. First home for the ladies was Freda Comiskey in a season's best of 1:43:28. Freda was closely followed by Claire Buckley who produced an outstanding personal best of 1:44:42, which broke her previous best by 15mins! Myra Nolan was the third Lucan lady home in 1:46:36. Next to finish was Bernie Stapleton 1hr 48:28, followed by Lorraine Heffernan 1hr 48:31, Deirdre Counihan 1hr 48:48, Hazel Craige 1hr 49:34, Michelle Sheeran 1hr 53:01, Emer McCarthy 1hr 54, Una Crowley 1hr 56, Lara Demetriou 1hr 58, Ursula Murphy 2hr 01min, Amber Nugent 2hr 03min, Evelyn McMahon 2hr 03min, Nina Healy 2hr 04min, Bernie Doyle 2hr 05min, Winifred Ryan 2hr 17min. Colum Maddox was our sole representative on the men's side and he produced a fine run of 1hr 54 mins 48 secs. Well done to all on a great day.

On Sun Mar 8th and Sun Mar 15th, our juveniles competed in the individual events of the Dublin Indoor Championships in Santry. There was some fine performances from a number of our athletes. In the U16 category, Mohammed Adnan ran well in his first 1500 metres but was just outside the medals. Mohammed showed his versatility by then placing 3rd in the long jump. In the U17 category, Franklin Muarqa was 2nd in the high jump, 3rd in the long jump, 4th in the 200m and 5th in the 60m sprint. In the U19s, Angelo Muarqa won the high jump, won the 60m sprint, was 2nd in the 200m and placed 2nd in the long jump. In the U10 age-group, Lee Browne was 3rd in the 60m sprint and 4th in long jump while, teammate, Max Carey won the long jump and was 4th in the 60m sprint. In the U11s, Nicole O'Gorman won the 500m, was 4th in 60m sprint and was 4th in long jump. Saoirse Reihill was 5th in the long jump and made the semifinals in the 60m sprints. Blanaid Smyth impressed when she placed in the middle of the field in her first ever 500m race. Jack Andrews had a great run, placing 3rd in the 500m. In the U12s, Katie Doran ran well in her first race for Lucan Harriers in the 60m sprints. Dublin Cross Country Champion, Sean Townsend, added to his string of titles with a win in the 600m. Sean's older brother Liam was a National Community Games Champion in the sprints and National Medallist in the jumps and Sean showed he can sprint and jump too with 2nd in the 60m sprints and 2nd in the long jump. Niall Flanagan made the semifinals in the 60m sprints and placed a very good 7th in the 600m. In the U13s, Adam Doran was 3rd in the 60m sprints. Harry in his first competition for Lucan Harriers placed an outstanding 2nd in the 600m. Albera Adnan ran some great qualifiers in his first competition in the 60m sprints and was just outside the medals. Evan Metcalfe was 3rd in the high jump and just outside the medals in the shot putt. Sarah Reihill made the semifinals in the 60m sprints, was 7th in the 600m and 5th in the shot putt. Distance Queen, Tara Andrews, showed she can compete in almost anything when she won the high jump, was 2nd in the long jump, was 3rd in the shot putt and 5th in the 600m. In the U14s, Rachel Briggs made the semifinals in the 60m sprints, was 4th in the hurdles and 6th in the shot putt. Shannon Browne won the walk and made the semifinals in the 60m sprints. Dearbhla Stobie also made the semifinals in the 60m sprints. Jack Carey was 3rd in the 60m sprints and 3rd in the long jump. In the U15s, Juliette Sejan was 3rd in the 60m hurdles. In the girls U/14 4 x 200m relay, Shannon Browne, Dearbhla Stobie, Sarah Reihill and Tara Andrews had a fine run in the heats and qualified for the final. The girls finished in an excellent 4th position in the final. In the Boys U/13 4 x 100m, Evan Metcalfe, Harry Larkin, Sean Townsend and Niall Flanagan successfully qualified for the final and finished in a commendable 3rd position in the final. Well done to all on these great results.

On Sun Mar 15th, Lucan athletes ran in the KBC-sponsored Metro St Brigids' 5km road race in Dublin City Centre. John Canny was first Lucan athlete home as he produced a superb 16.30 after his recent injury lay off. Alan Cassells was next Harrier home for Lucan with a fine time of 19.08. Terry Meyler continues to show improvement with a time of 21.58 and Jim Dwyer ran a solid time of 25.00. Well done to all.

On Sun Mar 15th, Damien Mc Donald had a great run in the Fleet Half Marathon in Hampshire, England. Damien posted a very strong time of 1.41.16. This is a massive improvement on last week's run in Ballycotton. If we're doing our sums right, this was a full minute per mile faster than Ballycotton, and this time over a longer distance. The crowds in Ballycotton can be overwhelming so it can be difficult to get into your stride. There was no stopping Damien this time around, with no residual tiredness from last week's run in Ballycotton, or the travel. Congratulations Damien on a great run.

On Sat Mar 14th, Gareth Fereday ran in the Gwent cross country on Carmarthen, Wales. Gareth expressed himself very satisfied with his top 20 run of 30.11 in the 5 mile race. Well done Gareth.

On Wed Mar 11th, Jim Dwyer ran well in the NCF-sponsored Floodlit BHAA 5K Cross Country race in Malahide Rugby Club. Well done on another good run, Jim.

On Sun Mar 8th, we had three athletes competing in the Ballycotton 10 Mile race in County Cork. Damien McDonald had a very good outing with a time of 1:17:11. Claire Buckley was hot on Damien's heels with a PB time of 1:17.40. Claire has been running well for a long time and this was her first race of the season. We look forward to seeing Claire in action again soon. Jim Dwyer also ran another good time of 88.11 mins as his fitness continues to improve. Well done to both.

On Sun Mar 8th, David Keogh and Hilary McGee were crowned Lucan club cross country Champions. The womens race was over 2 mile course in Griffeen park and ladies were led home by Hilary McGee in an excellent time of 13mins 34 seconds. Freda Comiskey continued her recent form by finishing in a strong second place in a time of 14mins 12 and hot on Freda heels was Bernie stapleton in 14.17. Well done to all the ladies who took part. Best wishes to Hilary McGee who will be taking time off work to travel in Australia and New Zealand over the next few months. The mens race was run over 4 miles and David Keogh was a comfortable winner in 23.44. David looks in good form entering the outdoor track season. Alan Cassells ( 25.42) had another excellent run in second place. He managed to pull away from 3rd place Colm O Connor on the last lap of the race. Breffni Worral put in another notable performance in 4th place. Well done to all. Full results.

On Sun Feb 22nd, Henry Langton produced an outstanding run in the Kilkenny Cross Country Championships in Gowran. This was a season's best run for Henry over a challenging 10k course. Henry finished in a time of 39.38 which gave him a fantastic 10th place on the day. This run proves that Langton is back to his best and sets him up well for the upcoming track season. Well done Henry.

On Sun Feb 22nd, Lucan's juvenile athletes were in action at the Indoor Winter Warm-up in Santry. In the U10 60m 1st round, we had Lee Browne 1st and Max Casey 2nd. Both qualified for the 2nd round and consequently won their respective races. In the U11 60m, Niall Flanagan was 2nd in his 1st round and he went on to win the final also. Amongst the girls, in the U10 60m, Saoirse Rehill was 3rd in her 1st round and improved to 2nd place in the final. In the U13 60m, Sarah Rehill was 1st in her 1st round race and then again 1st in the final. In the U14 60m, Rachel Briggs was 3rd in her 1st round and showed a winning instinct by rising to the occasion to win the final. Also in the U14 60m, Shannon Browne placed 2nd in her 1st round and placed 4th in the final. In the U-15 60m, the ever-present Juliette Sejan was 2nd in the 1st round and showed her experience to win the final. In the u14 hurdles, Rachel Briggs was 3rd in the 1st round and 3rd again in the final, while in the U15 hurdles, Juliette Sejan was 2nd in the 1st round and 2nd in the final. Well done to all on a great day of results.

On Sat Feb 21st, Eileen O'Brien won her age-category as Lucan were well represented in the Garda-sponsored BHAA cross country races in the Phoenix Park. The womens race was run over 2.5 miles and Eileen O'Brien put in a fine showing with a time of 20.06 whilst winning her age-category to add to her recent successes in Masters competitions. First lady home for Lucan overall was Freda Comiskey in a time of 18.08 which guaranteed Freda a fine 18th finishing position on the day. Hot on Freda's heels was Bernie Stapleton in 18.51. The mens race was run over 4 miles of hilly terrain and Breffni Worrall put in another good performance with a time of 26.43. Breffni was closely followed by Gerry Byrne Snr in 26.57 who put in another strong performance. Stephen Rynne also returned from injury with another determined run and Jim Dwyer also had a solid outing for the senior Men. Well done to all.


On Sun Feb 15th, Gerry Byrne competed in the AAI National Masters Cross Country Championship in Tymon Park. Gerry has been putting in superb performances regularly during this cross country season and Sunday was no exception as Gerry judged the pace of the race perfectly, finishing very strongly in a very good time of 28 mins 42 secs for the 7km course. Well done Gerry.


On Sun Feb 8th, David Keogh placed 7th in the Men's 800m final at the AAI National Senior Indoor Track and Field Championships at the Odyssey Arena in Belfast. On Saturday, David placed 3rd in his heat in a time of 1:57.57, a new club record for the Indoor 800m. This is Davids first Lucan record but this run comes as no surprise to anyone who has been watching David's development. Although David has been running in National Senior Championships for the past two or three years, these were when David was still an underage athlete. In the final itself, David was up against seasoned Senior athletes, every one of whom has run 1:54 or faster. David was not at all intimidated and gave it everything. David placed 7th with another top run of 1:58.27. Clearly, David has the strength to put two of his best runs on back to back days so he will be a big force in the future. This is David's first National senior event as a legitimate senior athlete, and he ran like a seasoned veteran. David's time from Saturday bests the 14 year old Club Indoor Record of 1:58.12 set by Conor McGee in the National Junior Indoor Championships in Nenagh back in 1994, when David Keogh was 5 years old!! No doubt David will revise the club record that is now his many times in the future. Congratulations David!! Results. T.V. recording of David's race.

On Sat Feb 7th, Lucan senior athletes ran in the Aer Lingus-sponsored BHAA cross country at the Aer Lingus Sports Complex in Santry. This was the fourth BHAA cross country race of the season and again conditions underfoot were extremely challenging. On a bitterly cold day, first Home for Lucan in the men's 5 mile race was Gerry Byrne Jnr in a time of 37 mins 29sec and he was closely followed by Gerry Byrne Senior who finished very close behind in 37mins 50 and is continuing to show fine form in the cross country season. Vinny Murtagh and Jim Dwyer were the other senior men finishers on the day. Lucan ladies were well represented by Bernie Stapleton who ran 17.03 in the 2.5 mile womens event. Well done to all. More results.

Recently, David O'Doherty and Ann McGee were presented with awards as Lucan Harriers' Club Members of the year of 2008.

David represented Lucan Harriers in the Dublin Master C/C Championships in a swamp in January and ran a P.B to be the 2nd finisher on the Lucan team. His time was a terrific 25.19 in probably the best C/C race of the year, which is the Garda business house race, again in the Phoenix park. Next, David ran a 24.06, just outside 6min per mile pace for the B..H.A.A 4 mile road race in Raheny but that barrier would fall soon enough. At this stage David was taking over our hill sessions using his experience as an aerobic instructor from his time in the U.S to lead the team through leg strengthening drills. In April, David ran 50.37 in the Kepak –sponsored BHAA 8 mile race and this was another huge P.B. David recorded a breakthrough run in the R.T.E 5 Mile race in Donnybrook, with a time of 29.59 under 6min per mile pace for each of the 5 miles, a huge achievement for any athlete, especially one so late coming to the sport. David beat that time again with a 29.48 in the 5mile Road race in Dunboyne, beating more & more quality athletes as the year progressed. In May, David broke another huge milestone by dropping under 18 minutes for a 5k race with a time of 17.56 in the Bob Heffernan 5K race ….another P.B! David was the 5th selection for our team for the Tom Byrne 5k race but because of the confusion over the final selection, he had to pass over his place to Garrett. The 10k time was the next to fall with a 37.46 in the Dunshaughlin 10k, a huge P.B for David. In the 10 mile Frank Duffy race on the 16th of August, David finished in a P.B of 65.19. All of these races were to lead to the Dublin Marathon in October, which David ran in 3.18, amazingly not a P.B! Once you look at the various results that David achieved this year, you realise that achieved a personal best time in the 5k, 4 mile, 5 mile, 8mile, 10k and 10mile road races as well as P.B’s for the 6k & 7k cross country races. Throw in the fact that he was more than happy to organize a bleep test for the club & sent out terrific results to all those who competed, shows to everyone in the club that David O’Doherty is very much a worthy winner of the Lucan Harriers Club man of the year award. Congrats David on your well deserved male club member of the year award.

Ann McGee has made an enormous contribution to the club not only over the last 12 months but over the last two decades. Ann's influence is felt in all areas of the club. She leads the club's efforts in coaching juvenile athletes. Every underage athlete who has come through the club in the last 15 years or more has come under Ann's guidance. She has many athletes who run or jump just for the enjoyment, and these athletes seem to give her just as much satisfaction as the athletes she has coached to great success. Ann has coached all of the amazing talent to have come through this club in recent times -- the Schools Internationals (David Keogh), National Champions (Conor McCrossan and Liam Townsend), Leinster Schools Champions (Sinead Dowling), Dublin Champions (Sean Townsend) to name just a few. Ann gives generously of her time in attending the cross country and track leagues throughout the year as well as Schools competitions and Championship events. Ann is also a huge motivator to other women in the club and she is especially quick to make the newer members of the club feel welcome. In addition to all of the above, and her membership of the club committee, first and foremost, Ann is a runner, and a very good one at that. She is a perennial Irish cross country international in her age-group. She was selected for the Irish team again in November but, unfortunately, a knee injury prevented her from travelling with the Irish team to Cardiff for the Annual Masters' Cross Country International. Nevertheless, Ann has gotten back into her stride and is picking up prizes again, most recently at the Raheny 5 mile road race. Congratulations, Ann, on all you have done for the club. Hopefully, this recognition as female club person of the year shows you how much you are appreciated.

On Sat Feb 1st, Lucan's women put in some good runs at the latest race in the Womens meet and train cross country League held in Tymon Park. This 2mile race was run in cold but bright conditions. Freda Comiskey had another fine outing as she finished in a 11th position in a time of 10.12. Comiskey was tracked closely by Sinead McIntyre who finished in 22nd and manged to pass a number of competitors in the final 400 metres. Noelle Dunne was third Lucan woman home. More results will be posted when received.

On Sat Jan 31st, Lucan athletes ran in the NCF-sponsored BHAA cross country races in Swords. The soft underfoot conditions and testing course tested the strength of the athletes but the Lucan athletes made light of the conditions. In the men's 5 mile race, Tommy Buggle had another fine run ( 23rd place) and helped his team win the Grade A prize. There were more good runs from Breffni Worral and Gerry Byrne Snr. Breffni strong finish ensured his team finished 4th in Grade C. Gerry Byrne Snr is showing dramatic improvements and looks close to his best once more. Stephen Rynne and Jim Dwyer completed the mens Lucan finishers. There were some more fine performances too from the Lucan ladies in the 2.5 mile event. Bernie Stapleton was first Lucan lady home and is showing a return to form after her recent bout of illness. Eileen O'Brien also put in another fine performance to follow on from her high finish in the Raheny 5 mile road race. More results.

On Sun Jan 25th, Lucan athletes ran in the rain at the Raheny 5 mile road race. The rain did not deter 16 Lucan athletes who ran with over 2000 other athletes from a diverse range of clubs from around the country. In the womens masters , Eileen O'Brien and Ann McGee achieved podium finishes in their respective categories. Ann McGee finished a magnificent 2nd in her age category with a very strong run of 47 mins. The other leading Lucan veteran was Eileen O'Brien who finished an excellent 3rd place in her age category. The senior women were led home by Freda Comiskey who continued her recent fine form with a determined finish over the closing mile to finish in an excellend 35.58. Nicola Kavanagh was next home in 37.20, closely followed by Lorraine Heffernan and Myra Nolan. Thes performances ensured the Lucan women were in 9th position from 20 clubs. In senior mens section John Canny was once more the first Lucan senior male in a superb time of 27.48 with some particularly strong running early on. New Lucan recruit Joe Lynch was hot on John's heels in an outstanding personal best time of 27.50 and just failed to catch John on the finish line. Third men's finisher from Lucan was Gerry Byrne with a new personal best time of 31mins 52. Terry Meyler ran yet another Lucan PB and its great to see all his hard work in training paying dividends. Jim Dwyer continues his return to form and finished in 43mins 15 secs. The Lucan men's performances ensured the mens team finished a commendable 14th place from 32 clubs. Well done to all on great day for the club.
Overall Mens results - John Canny - 27.48, Joe Lynch - 27.50, Gerry Byrne - 31.52, Terry Meyler - 36.27, Jim Dwyer - 43.15.
Overall Womens Results - Freda Comiskey 35.58, Nicola Kavanagh 37.20, Eileen O'Brien 38.40, Lara Demetriou 39.05, Lorraine Heffernan 38.33, Myra Nolan 38.35, Ann McGee 47.20, Barbara Whelan 50.26, Clodagh Ash 52.51, Nuala Murphy 52.51. More.


On Sat Jan 24th, Conor McCrossan had a brilliant run at the AAI Junior Indoor Games in Nenagh. Conor placed 3rd in the 60m hurdles in a new personal best time of 8.88 seconds. This is great form so early in the new year. Conor is currently the reigning Dublin and national U19 110m hurdles Champion. Conor also won the AAI U18 110m hurdles title in 2007. Conor has come a long way from his early days in Lucan where he ran cross country. Congratulations on a superb result and we look forward to more great results from Conor in 2009. More.

On Sat Jan 17th, Lucan Harriers were well represented by six of our senior men at the Eircom-sponsored BHAA 5 miles Cross Country race in Cherryfield Park, Templogue . First home in the Lucan vest was Tommy Buggle in yet another sensational time of 29.30 despite the wet and windy conditions. Tommy battled all the way on a testing course before making a decisive move on the last lap to gain a well earned top 20 finish. This strong run helped his team-mates to an overall 2nd place in the Class 1 section. Hot on Tommy's heels was Gareth Fereday who finished in 25th position overall in a superb time of 30.15. Gareth ran an astute race and ensured that he plenty in reserve for the final lap of the course and he did not disappoint as he powered home in his highest ever finish in a Business house race. Gareth is in fine form at the moment and this latest performance reinforces his recent runs in Wales -- Gareth ran 29.53 for a 5th place finish in Cwmbran 5 Miles on Dec 26th and 17:55 in a very competitive Nos Galan 5k on Jan 1st. Breffni Worrall was the club's next finisher as he produced another notable time of 33:39. This time also ensured Breffni was the first scorer on his team and further consolidates a series of impressive performances. Stephen Rynne (35.13)and Gerry Byrne Snr (35.27) were the next harriers home as they fought a close battle for the duration of the 5 mile course with Stephen making a decisive break over the last 800m. Completing the impressive Lucan performances was Jim Dwyer with another gritty run on a day of fine running for Lucan men. More.

On Sun Jan 11th, Lucan hosted the women's meet and train cross country league race in Griffeen Park, Lucan. The 2 mile race was run in fresh conditions on the day with a total of 90 women running the race in Griffeen Park. Lucan harriers were well represented by a total of 12 women on the day. First home for Lucan was Freda Comiskey with an outstanding run of 13 mins 46 secs. This gave Freda 9th place on the day. This was Freda's first ever top ten finish in the meet and train competition. Spend a few minutes going through the results from the last few years and you will come to the conclusion that this is a result Freda has worked very hard for and one she richly deserves. Freda ran a perfectly judged race and passed many competitors over the last 800 metres with a strong finish. Hot on Freda's heels was Nicola Kavanagh in a great time of 13mins 59. This was a personal best for Nicola over 2 miles and her 13th place was her highest ever meet and train finish. Sinead mc Intyre was the third harrier home with another fine time of 14mins 16secs. Well done to all Lucan harriers ladies on some fine running in the new year. Full Results: Freda Comiskey 9th 13.46; Nicola Kavanagh 13th 13.59; Sinead McIntyre 19th 14.16; Claire Joyce 20th 14.19; Bernie Stapleton 24th 14.37; Claire Buckley 34th 15.05; Deirdre Counihan 35th 15.07; Lorraine Heffernan 43rd 15.24; Celina Barrett 46th 15.33; Amber Nugent 60th 16.53; Winifred Ryan 74th 19.24; Barbara Whelan 78th 20.04.

On Sat Jan 10th, Lucan were very well represented in the South Dublin County Council-sponsored BHAA Cross Country in Tymon Park. In the first Business Houses cross country run of 2009, Lucan harriers had some fine performances from the men's section. The mens race was run over 4 miles in tough conditions. Tommy Buggle was the first Harrier Home running an excellent time of 24 mins 47secs and looked very fresh afterwards. This great run builds on his 14th position overall -- 4th in his age-category -- in the European Civil Service Cross Country Championships in Malaga, Spain, in November. Here, Tommy finished in 25th place overall and was the first scorer for his business on the day. Tommy showed true grit and managed to pass many a runner over the final mile of the race. Next home for Lucan harriers was Breffni Worrall in a time 28mins 39. Breffni started the race extremely quickly and consolidated his position with some determined running over the last 2 miles. Breffni is returning to top form after some excellent training over the winter period. He was also first scorer on Revenue team that performed well in the Class 2 section. Stephen Rynne ran another fine time of 28 mins 58. Stephen ran over 35 secs quicker than last year and managed to beat many of his closest peers in a keenly fought contest on the day. Gerry Martin has had a very busy week and a half. It looks like he plans to race himself into shape early in the new year, Gerry was next home for the men's section after a tough head to head battle with Stephen Rynne throughout the race. This was an excellent run from Gerry after his run in the Masters cross country mere six days beforehand. Jim Dwyer completed a great day for the mens section by running a spirited 38 mins. Jim has put his recent injury troubles behind him and will no doubt be one to watch in the next business houses cross country race on Jan 17th in Cherryfield, Templeogue. More.

On Sun Jan 4th, Gerry Martin ran in the Dublin Masters Cross Country Championships in the Phoenix Pk. On a muddy hilly 4 mile course, Gerry finished in 68th position overall and 14th place in his age category. Congratulations Gerry. More.

On Thur Jan 1st, Gerry Martin ran in the Tom Brennan Memorial 5km road race in the Phoenix Pk. Gerry started off the new year for the club in fine fashion with a very good run. Well done, Gerry.