On Sat 27th Feb/ Sun 28th Feb Lucan athletes competed with distinction at the Dublin Juvenile Indoor Championships held for the first time in Tallaght. In the U10 girls category Sarah Robinson built on her excellent performances in the Dublin Juvenile Championships Indoor Field events with more noteworthy performances in the track events. Sarah was second in her sprint heat and also produced another strong performance over the longer 500 metre distance where she finished fourth. In the U11 boys category Lucan was well represented by Lee Browne, Niall Larkin and Thomas Heffernan. Lee Browne competed in the sprint final and the 600 metre final. Lee placed a fantastic second overall in the sprint event and also showed great endurance over the 600 metre event, finishing in fifth place. Niall Larkin pushed Lee all the way in finishing 6th after a great performance. Thomas Heffernan completed a strong Lucan presence in the 600 metre race finishing in 9th place after some very strong running. In the U12 girls category Saoirse Reihill continues to show promise after her fine run in the sprint heat, being unfortunate to just miss out on the final qualifying time. Saoirse also competed in the 600 metre race and produced another excellent performance on the day, finishing in 8th. Laura Quigley was our second competitor in the U12 girls sprint race and did Lucan proud with her performance where she narrowly missed out on the final qualifying time. For the U13 girls, we had Rachel O’Neill competing. Rachel was running in her first distance track event and by all accounts equipped herself very well, finishing just outside the medals after running a very good race. In the U14 girls category, Lucan athletes were to the fore when it came to the podium positions. Tara Andrews built on her superb performance in the field events the previous week by securing another winners medal in the 60m hurdles event. Tara also competed in the 800 metre event and finished a commendable 6th in this particular race. Sarah Reihill also competed in both races and secured medals in both. Sarah finished 3rd in the 60 metre sprint event and led all the way in the 800 metre race but was just caught before the line to take second place. These performance comes as no surprise as Sarah shows great dedication to her training and racing. Caitlyn Weafer Maguire also built on her achievements in the field events with a fine showing in the sprint event. Caitlyn ran an excellent sprint race, finishing just outside the final qualifying time. For the U14 boys Adam Doran and Harry Larkin got among the medals, producing three between them. Adam won his sprint event and finished second in the hurdles. It looks like we have another very talented sprinter on our hands in Adam. Harry Larkin, meanwhile, competed in the 800 metre race and did not disappoint as he finished first after a great performance. In the U15 girls category, Shannon Browne was going very well in the 60 metre sprints before she had to pull up injured. Unfortunately this injury ruled her out of the remaining events. We are sure that Shannon will be back to top form very soon again after this set-back Lucan also had Rachel Briggs competing in U15 category. Rachel ran a very good sprint race, finishing just outside the final qualifying time. Rachel also competed in the 60 metres hurdles where she finished 5th after a great performance and rounded off a busy day by competing in the 800 metre event, where she finished in the middle of the field in a very fast race. For the U15 boys, Daniel Kehoe ran a very good sprint race, being unlucky to finish just outside the final qualifying time. We are sure it is only a matter of time before we see Daniel competing in the finals as he continues to show great commitment and talent in training.

On Sat 27th Feb, Lucan athletes performed at the BHAA Garda / St Raphaels cross Country races in the Phoenix Park. As has become the norm in the winter series of BHAA races, Lucan athletes were once again to the fore. Bernie Stapleton once again represented our ladies and had another excellent performance over the 2 mile course. Bernie ran a very even paced race in tough underfoot condition and secured an excellent finishing time of 15 mins 26 secs. This secured Bernie 3rd position in her category and 2nd second place on her team Accountants Ladies A that finished just outside the prizes in 4th place in the team event. The men's race was 4 miles and Joe Lynch, Tommy Buggle and Gareth Fereday were involved in a tight tussle throughout in what proved to be a thoroughly enjoyable race with less than ten seconds separating all three at the finish. Joe Lynch sat off the early pace on the first lap as he got a feel for the race but over the remaining two laps Joe pushed on and was the first Lucan man to finish in a brilliant time of 22 mins 57 secs. This ensured Joe 18th position overall. Joe was also the first scorer on his team ComReg that finished 4th on the day. Tommy Buggle was our next athlete home. Tommy has been in scintillating form in this series and on this undulating course he was rewarded with a fine time of 23 mins 1 sec which secured Tommy 21st position overall and 2nd in his category .This performance help Tommy’s team - The Irish Prison service - to a second place finish in the team event as Tommy was the third scorer on this team .This was after a great battle with Gareth Fereday over the course of the race but especially over the last lap in which their positions chopped and changed. Gareth was hot on Tommy's heels at finish with his time of 23 mins 05 secs for 22nd place as he continues his impressive streak of performances. This performance ensured that Gareth was the first scorer on his team, Swords Labs, that finished just outside the top 5 in 6th place overall. We look forward to seeing Gareth's performances over the duration of this series. John O’Leary continues to turn out the performances and Saturday last was no exception as John produced yet another fine performance with his time of 26 mins 03 secs on the tough Phoenix Park course. Our next athlete to finish was Shane McCarthy who continued his comeback from a knee injury with another fine outing. Shane produced a time of 26 mins 18 secs for the tough 4 mile course as he heads into the road racing season in great form once again. Stephen Rynne followed Shane home in an excellent time of 28 mins 09 secs. Stephen doesn't do easy and this attitude ensured that Stephen produced yet another brilliant performance finishing 12th in his category and was also the second scorer on his team Food A as he goes from strength to strength during the cross country season. Well done to all.


Sarah Reihill competed in the U13 girls 'B' Championship and produced another brilliant performance over 1,000 metres being desperately unlucky not to secure a medal after her fine 4th place finish in a very strong competition. This was yet another great performance by one of our most dedicated athletes at the club. Harry Larkin, meanwhile, competed in the boys U13 'A' 1,200 metres, a race that was rescheduled from last November. Harry produced another excellent performance and was unlucky not to get among the medals after his superb fifth place finish overall in a field of over 70 athletes. Harry was first man from the Dublin team home on the day. We are sure to see more great performances by Harry as the year progresses. Congratulations to both athletes on these great performances.

On Sat 20th Feb, our juvenile athletes were once again to the fore at the Dublin Juvenile Championships Indoor Field Events in Santry. Our juvenile athletes were once again to the fore at the Dublin Indoor championships, picking up numerous medals and with many also qualifying for the National Indoors at the end of March. In the girls U10 category Sarah Robinson continued from where she left off last year. Sarah finished a magnificent third in the tough long jump competition as she continues to show great versatility and potential as a young athlete. In the boys U11 competition Max Carey secured a silver medal in finishing second in the long jump competition. This was yet another fine performance from Max who is showing great promise at the moment. In the U13 boy events Niall Flanagan had a busy day competing in both the long jump and high jump and producing medal performances in both events. Niall won the competitive long jump event and finished third in the high jump. This is a great achievement considering that we do not have a high jump facility in the club at present. Niall now goes forward to represent Lucan in the National Indoor Championships in Nenagh at the end of March. Also representing Lucan in the National Indoors will be Adam Doran who produced three outstanding performances in the boys U14 category. Adam won the shot putt competition after some very strong throws. Adam then proceeded to compete in the long jump competition and also came away with a win in this competition. Adam rounded off his hectic day by competing in the high jump competition and came away with another medal here after finishing second in a strong competition. It looks like Adam has a very bright future ahead of him in athletics. In the girls under 14 category we had Tara Andrews and Caitlyn Weafer MaGuire competing. Tara Andrews is one of the most talented and dedicated young athletes that we have. Tara competed in three events -- the high jump, the shot putt and the long jump -- and secured medals in all three. Tara won the high jump competition very impressively. Tara then competed in the shot putt competition and once again did not disappoint with her performance here. Tara’s excellent throws secure her second place in the competition. Finally Tara competed in the long jump and produced another medal winning performance in this competition in finishing second. Tara will also be heading to Nenagh at the end of March to compete at the National level where she will be a real medal contender we believe in all events, while incidentally, she will be attempting to retain her National title in the high jump. Caitlyn Weafer MaGuire also showed great versatility in her athletics on the day. Caitlyn competed in both the shot putt and in the long jump. Caitlyn was very unlucky not to secure a medal finishing 4th in the shot putt after some great throws. Caitlyn then competed in the long jump and also finished 4th in this event after yet another great performance. Caitlyn has also qualified for the National championships where we look forward to seeing her progress.

On Sat 13th Feb, Ann McGrane and Alan Cassells ran in the Cupids 10km road race in the Phoenix Park. Anne McGrane had a very productive outing in this tough 10km race on an undulating Phoenix Park course. Anne covered the distance in 56 mins 18 secs as she continues to show great versatility in her athletic career.Josie Dignam continued her competitive comeback with another fine performance. Josie produced a time of 69 mins 18 secs for the 10 kms to build on her excellent run in Raheny two weeks ago. Alan Cassells flew the flag for the men and certainly did not disappoint with his superb performance. Alan smashed the 40 minute barrier with his outstanding clocking of 38 mins 59 secs for 22nd place overall. This performance comes as no surprise having witnessed Alan’s form in training over the last number of months.


On Sat 13th Feb, Lucan once again had a large contingent of athletes in action in the latest BHAA race held at the Aer Lingus Sports Complex beside Dublin airport. Bernie Stapleton continued her recent hectic racing schedule with another great run in the ladies 2 mile race. Bernie produced another excellent performance and time of 15 mins 16 secs for the course. The secured Bernie 3rd position in her category - her second podium finish of the year. Eileen O'Brien ran her second race in as many weeks and for the second time in two weeks secured victory in her category with her outstanding time of 16 mins 14 secs. Tommy Buggle continued his fine run of form in the men's 5 miles with a 22nd place finish in a super time of 30 mins 19 secs. This was over 10 seconds quicker than Tommy's time from last week’s race and shows us that Tommy is in great form again this year. Shane McCarthy was the second Lucan athlete to finish. Shane built on his excellent run from last week with his great 33 mins 41 secs clocking . Shane, too, is getting quicker and quicker as this time was 40 seconds quicker than last week. This is all the more impressive as Shane is just recovering from a knee injury. Joe Corcoran continued his comeback from his exertions of 2009 with another impressive outing. Joe produced a very impressive time of 33 mins 51 secs adding to his great run from last week. Stephen Rynne followed Joe home in a time of 36 mins 28 secs. This was yet more strong running from Stephen who has had a very busy start to this year. Gerard Moloney was the fifth Lucan man to cross the finishing line. Gerard is showing great versatility in his running as he is producing very good times over the shorter distance despite the heavy training load that Gerard is currently undertaking. On Saturday, Gerard clocked a time of 37 mins 25 secs building on further strong performances over the last month. Vinny Murtagh finished just behind Gerard after another strong run. Vinny clocked a time of 37 mins 42 secs for the 5 mile distance. This was over 10 seconds quicker than a week previous so Vinny is getting stronger and stronger as the year progresses. Well done everyone.

Club member Fergal O'Brien qualifies for the China Snooker Open. Congratulations once again to Fergal O'Brien who's been at it again. This time Fergal had a 5 - 2 victory over Sam Baird in the qualifiers for the China Open on Friday evening last and will now be heading to the Orient for the first round of the competition where he will take on John Higgins. We wish Fergal the best of luck in this competition.

On Sun 7th Feb, our women ran in the Meet and Train Winter Series Round 4 at Balheary Park, Swords. Lucan ladies were once again to the fore among the 90 finishers. Freda Comiskey was our first finisher in an outstanding 11th place overall in a time of 13 mins 08 secs. This was in fact the quickest time that Freda has produced in this series of races and is testament to the terrific work Freda has been putting into her training. Hilary McGee was hot Freda's heels at the finish, securing 14th position overall in an absolutely brilliant time of 13 mins 23 secs. Hilary, too, saved her best for last as this was the quickest time ( being 22 seconds quicker than in her great performance 2 weeks ago) and highest position produced by Hilary in the series. Bernie Stapleton was running in her second race of the weekend at the same venue but made light of this as she produced another excellent performance completing the 2 mile course in 13 mins 57 secs for 21st place overall. Bernie has continued to get better and better as this series has gone on and indeed as the year has progressed. Claire Buckley completed the scoring for our team with her fine 52nd place finish in an impressive time of 15 mins 19 secs. Claire ran a very smart race and finished very strongly passing people on the home straight. Claire’s time was two minutes quicker and 18 positions higher than her previous outing in Tymon Park and shows that Claire has been hard at work with her training over the last number of months. Well done to all.

On On Sat 6th Feb, David Keogh ran in the 800m at the Woodies DIY National Senior Indoor Athletic Championships at the Odyssey Arena in Belfast. David Keogh competed in the heats of the 800 metres at the National Indoor Championships on Saturday, February 6th. David, who was competing with the best 800 metre runners in Ireland, had a superb run, covering the half mile distance in 2.00.18. David ran strongly from the start and was very unlucky not to secure a place in the final. With all the work David put in for these championships we are sure to see the benefits throughout the year. Well done David.

On Sat 6th Feb, Lucan athletes continued to turn out in force for the latest BHAA race, the North County Farmers BHAA cross country races at Balheary Park, Swords. Run over a relatively flat course, with some difficult patches, the organisers decided to add some small obstacles in the guise of bales of hay! The early indications are that we had no fallers. Bernie Stapleton continued her fine run of form in the women's 2.5 mile race. Bernie produced another fantastic performance as she covered the course in 18 mins 59 secs. The secured Bernie 4th position in her category as she continues her impressive sequence of results in this series of races. Eileen O'Brien, running her first race since her outstanding performance in the Dublin Masters championships had another superb run here as she produced a great time of 19 mins 52 secs to secure victory in her category. Tommy Buggle continued his excellent string of performances in the BHAA series by being the first Lucan man home in 30 mins 31 secs for the 5 mile course. Tommy has proven his class week after week in consistently helping his team - Irish Prison Service - to get among the prizes. Gerry Byrne senior and Joe Corcoran had a very close battle throughout with Gerry managing to outkick Joe over the last few hundred metres to post yet another great time of 33 mins 39 secs . Gerry has become renowned for his sprinting prowess at the end of races. Joe Corcoran, meanwhile was making his first return to competitive action following his great marathon performance in October and can be well pleased with his comeback performance of 33 mins 40 secs for the 5 mile course. John O'Leary was our fourth male home in 33 mins 44 secs. John has been in fantastic form in 2010 following his superb performance in the Dublin masters a short while ago and has kept this form going. Shane McCarthy made a fine return to competitive action for his first race of the year. Shane recorded a terrific time of 34 mins 20 secs for the 5 miles and was our fifth athlete home. Stephen Rynne, too, is in fine fettle this winter/ spring as his continues to race regularly. Stephen had yet another fine outing at the weekend, posting a great time of 35 mins 51 secs, improving on his time 2 weeks ago by 15 seconds. Stephen attacked the race from the start so this fine time was well deserved. Gerard Moloney was our next athlete to finish. Gerry clocked a time of 36 mins 58 secs for the challenging course as he builds on his excellent run from two weeks ago in Templeogue improving his time by 40 seconds .Gerard is in great shape at the moment as he is putting in serious miles as he prepares to the Barcelona marathon in a month’s time. Following Gerard home was Vinny Murtagh. Vinny produced another very good time of 37 mins 54 mins as he continues to hit top form once again. Vinny, too, took off a high speed as he set about keeping Stephen in his sights and was rewarded with a fine time. Well done to all