Lucan had a very successful weekend with our two representatives, Tara Andrews & Adam Doran securing second place in their respective events. Tara Andrews has been having an amazing season and rounded this off with a second place finish in the girls U14 multi-events competition. Tara has already competed in National competition this month when she delivered a bronze medal for Lucan in the National javelin competition as well as impressing in the high jump and long jump competitions. Tara certainly has the temperament for the big occasion as she always delivers on championship day. Adam Doran too has been in scintillating form all year and competing at National level for the second succesive weekend,Adam was rewarded by finishing second in his event - the boys U14 multi-events competition. This was Adam's second National medal in July, building on his gold medal in the National long jump competition on the 3rd of July. Adam, too, has the head for the big occasion as he showed no sign of nerves competing on the big day.

On Sat 31st July, Conor McGee won the Run for Roch 5km road race Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Conor competed in his first race of 2010 but made light of this as Conor recorded a superb victory in the Run for Roch 5km race. Run on a hilly course Conor raced to a brilliant time of 16 mins 18 secs as he came out on top in this tough race. This performance is all the more remarkable as Conor has just returned to action following a frustrating I.T. band injury but it looks like Conor has wasted little time in hitting top form on his return.

On Wed 28th July, we had some quick mile times at the BHAA Aviva Mile in Irishtown stadium. Eithne Richardson had a fantastic run completing the mile in a very swift time of 6 mins 26 secs. Eithne has been very busy racing throughout the year and her times just ge bettter and better. This was Eithne's first track race over 1,500 or mile distance since 2006, we believe, but Eithne made light of the change in surface as she took her excellent road racing form onto the track.Bernie Stapleton was making a return to competitive action after a short break but the rest obviously did her good as Bernie raced to a fine season's best time of 6 mins 38 secs, bettering her time from the Trinity race by 10 seconds. Bernie looks in top shape once again as we head into autumn. Gareth Fereday had yet another outstanding run as he was the second quickest athlete of the night for the mile distance when he clocked a time of 4 mins 50 secs. This was the quickest mile by Gareth since he joined Lucan. Gareth is one of the most versatile athletes we have at the club as he has proven his class over distances ranging from the 400 metre hurdles to the marathon over the last 12 months. Derry McVeigh looked very impressive over the mile distance as he once again impressed on the track. Derry posted a terrific time of 5 mins 12 secs for the mile which was also a personal best run and even more noteworthy given that Derry had a tough 10km race in his legs from the previous Saturday. Gerry Byrne senior, once again, proved his class on the track as he ran a personal best time of 5 mins 18 secs for the mile. Gerry knocked 10 seconds off his previous best time for this distance with his outstanding run, which is a tremendous achievement but should come as no surprise, given all the hard work Gerry has done over the summer. Star of the night for Lucan was Vinny Murtagh who ran a very impressive race looking smooth throughout. Vinny was involved in a tight tussle the whole way through, but never lost his composure in taking the race to the field over the last 400 metres and was rewarded with a terrific time of 5 mins 44secs. Vinny has had a very frustrating year with injury and illness over the early months, but has worked extremely hard on his return to training, so it comes as no surprise to see him hitting top form again so soon. Like Derry, Stephen Rynne, showed little sign of fatigue following his outstanding second place in the Guide Dogs for the Blind race the previous weekend as he raced to another brilliant time of 6 mins 04 secs for the mile distance. Stephen shows no signs no sign of easing up as he continues to impress over all distances. This has been Stephen's most productive year as he's been hitting superb times and personal bests all year which is testament to his great work ethic.

On Sun 25th July, Joe Lynch continued his remarkable season with yet another podium finish, this time in the Beast of the East Triathlon in Roundwood, Wicklow. Comprising of a 1.5km swim, 40km bike and 10 km run, Joe produced an superb multisport display in finishing 3rd overall in a fantastic time of 2 hrs 12 mins 06 secs. Joe made a solid start to the competition with his fine swim over 1.5 kms in a time of 26 mins 25 secs. This had Joe well placed in 18th position as he headed into his two strongest events, the cycle & run. Onto the bike ride and Joe produced yet another magnificent cycle this year being the second quickest overall over 40 km in 1hr 05 mins, a time that was only bettered by eventual winner, Colm Turner. With Joe now well in the groove he headed out to complete that triathlon with a 10km run. Joe ran an amazing 10km race completing the distance in 37 mins 46 secs which was the second quickest run of the day. Joe is proving an inspiration to us in the club this year with these displays as he competes with and often beats Ireland’s best week after week.

On Sun 25th July, Brian Farrell competed in the Humbert Challenge Half Iron Triathlon in Swinford. Brian headed west at the weekend to compete in his latest multisport challenge, the Humbert Challenge Half Iron Triathlon. Consisting of a 1.9km swim, a 90km bike ride and finishing with a 21km run this event is certainly not for the faint hearted. Brian made light of the challenge as he placed an outstanding 4th overall from more than 100 competitors as he successfully completed the daunting course in a fantastic time of 4 hours 37 mins 38 secs. Starting with the 1.9km swim, Brian got his competition off to a flying start by placing 17th overall in this discipline in a time of 31 mins 34 secs.Following a nifty transition Brian headed out for a painful sounding 90 km bike ride (which is the equivalent of more than two marathons back to back). However Brian wasn't phased by this at all as he cycled the 5th quickest time of the day, completing the 90kms in 2 hrs 28 mins 27 secs. With a second nifty transition under his belt and plenty of lactic acid in his legs, no doubt, Brian set out to tackle the last discipline of the day a half marathon run. If Brian was feeling fatigued, he certainly showed no sign of on the run as he covered the 21km distance 1hr 34 mins 17 secs, the 11th quickest run by all competitors on the day.

On Sun 25th July, our senior athletes ran in the Parkwest 10km road race. New member Eimear McVeigh led our ladies home in a magnificent time of 51 mins 07 secs. This outstanding performance from Eimear comes hot on the heels of her superb run over 6.5 km on Thursday evening last and it looks like our ladies have unearthed another fine athlete to complement the strength in depth we now have in the club. Another new member Jennith O’Hanlon produced a second fantastic display of the week. Jennith competed in her first 10km race, we believe, and cruised home in a time of 1hr 00 mins 53 secs building on her excellent run just 3 days earlier in the Liberties 6.5km race. Ann McGee was competing in her third race in 8 days, following super performances in the Irish Runner 5 mile and Liberties 6.5km races, and she had yet another outstanding performance here as she clocked a remarkable time of 1 hr 01 min just narrowly outside her excellent season’s best time of 1.00.44 that she set in Dunshaughlin on June 26th. For the men Derry McVeigh led the charge with his superb time of 39 mins 02 secs. This brilliant display gave Derry 25th place overall from 648 finishers and was narrowly outside Derry’s season’s best time from the Great Ireland Run in April. However Derry made light of the fact that his racing schedule has been severely curtailed in recent weeks due to a chest infection by sprinting very strongly over the last 200 metres to secure this fine time. Pat O’Dwyer, too, produced an excellent display for our men as he raced to a very impressive time of 42 mins 56 secs in his first 10km race of the season. Pat has already impressed over 5kms in our Tom Byrne race in June so is obviously a versatile athlete over the distance events. We look forward to seeing Pat’s progress over the remainder of the season.

On Sat 24th July, two of our young athletes competed with distinction on day 3 of the Woodies DIY Juvenile Track & Field Championships in Tullmore. Two of our juvenile athletes competed in the National juvenile track and field championships, with Adam Doran and Harry Larkin putting in two outstanding performances to round off excellent seasons for both athletes. Adam Doran competed in the U14 200 metre event and despite struggling with injury, Adam put in an excellent display of sprinting, finishing 6th in his heat in a lightning quick time of 27.24 seconds. Adam just narrowly missed out on a place in the final with this display, but no doubt a fully fit Adam would have been on the starting line for the final in this event. Adam has already proven his class at National level as Adam leapt to a gold medal in the long jump competiton at the beginning of July. Harry Larkin represented our club in the U14 1,500 metre event and continued his superb vein of form with a fourth place finish in this 1,500 metre event.Harry clocked an unbelievable time of 4 mins 36.87 seconds, just narrrowly missing out on a National bronze medal.Earlier in the month Harry secured a gold medal in the U14 800 metre event so it's obvious that Harry has a very bright future ahead of him in the middle distance events.

On Fri 23rd July, Stephen Rynne placed second in the Guide Dogs for the Blind 6k in Baltitore, Co Kildare. Stephen was Lucan's sole representative in the latest Guide Dogs for the Blind 6k race and he certainly did the club proud with a fantastic display. Stephen once again got on the podium by finishing second in his category in an outstanding time of 25 mins 09 secs despite describing the going as tough. Stephen has been in superb form all year as he has been running personal best times left, right & centre. This wasn't Stephen's first time placing this year as he also got on the podium following his excellent run in the Le Cheile 5km rooad race early in the summer.

On Thur 22nd July, we had some good runs at the St James’ Hospital / Liberties 6.5km road race in Kilmainham. Freda Comiskey continued her comeback as she led the Lucan ladies home in an excellent time of 28 mins 29 secs. Freda made light of the hills on the course as she cruised across the finishing line. Freda looks well and truly back in top form following two superb performances in the last two weeks and has made a fine recovery from her niggling injury earlier in the year. Eithne Richardson was hot on Freda’s heels at the end finishing just 12 seconds back in a brilliant time of28 mins 41 secs. Eithne has been producing amazing performances on the roads all year and no doubt there is plenty more to come over the remainder of the summer. Eimear McVeigh was our third finisher as she built on an excellent run in our Tom Byrne 5km road race in the middle of June with another outstanding outing here. Eimear completed the unusual 6.5 km distance in a fantastic time of 31 mins 07 secs, making light of any undulations on the course. Ann McGee was our fourth finisher on the evening, producing yet another outstanding performance and time of 36 mins 26 secs. This followed Ann’s tremendous performance just 5 days earlier where she was first in her category over 5 miles in the Phoenix Park. Ann has been racing consistently all year and is now reaping the benefits of her excellent fitness levels. Our new member Jennith O’Hanlon made a fine start to her Lucan career as she finished right behind Ann in a superb time of 36 mins 40 secs. As Jennith is so new to running there is no doubt that we will see her go from strength to strength over the coming months. With more quality training under her belt the sky will be the limit for Jennith. Winifred Ryan continued her busy year with yet another excellent run. Winifred completed an excellent night’s work by our ladies as she clocked a terrific time of 37 mins 52 secs for the 6.5 km distance in her second race in a week. Winifred has been consistently getting quicker and quicker as the year has gone on so no doubt we will see the best from Winifred over the coming months.

On Sat 17th July, Ann McGee won in her category as Lucan were out in big numbers at the Lifestyle Sports-adidas/ Irish Runner 5 Mile road race in the Phoenix Park. Preparations for this year’s Dublin marathon got underway with the first race in the Lifestyle Sports-adidas series taking place at the weekend. Lucan athletes were out competing in big numbers with our athletes putting in fantastic displays. Pride of place on the day went to Ann McGee who completed the 5 mile distance in 46 mins 50 secs. This excellent time ensured Ann comfortably finished first in her category and the performance is all the more impressive considering the tough nature of this Phoenix Park course that incorporates one especially testing hill. Clare Oman actually led our ladies home in a fantastic time of 41 mins 34 secs. Clare has raced sparingly this year but showed no signs of rustiness as she hit the ground running with this display. This built on Clare's excellent run over 10kms in April when she clocked a fantastic time of 56.23 and no doubt we will see plenty more top class performances from Clare as the year progreeses. Nicola O’Flaherty was our second lady across the line in a magnificent time of 42 mins 34 secs. Nicola has just gone from strength to strength since joining Lucan last year. This was Nicola’s first outing since her brilliant performance in the Kildare Half Marathon in early May in which she clocked an excellent time of 2.05 but she has certainly held her form in the intervening period which is down to her hard work in training. Winifred Ryan continued her fine run of form this year, being our fourth finisher in a brilliant time of 46 mins 56 secs. Winifred produced a number of eye-catching displays in the Meet & Train Series earlier in the summer and this has obviously stood to Winifred over the last number of weeks. Sharon Geraghty was another of our athletes to reap the benefits of some excellent displays in the Meet & Train league as she carried her form into this race with a superb display. Sharon came home in a time of 46 mins 59 secs, a brilliant display as Sharon continues to impress. Sinead Keogh built on her excellent showing in the Mini Marathon 6 weeks ago with another impressive outing here – this time over the slightly shorter 5 mile distance. Sinead had another outstanding run as she made light of the Phoenix Park hill in racing to a superb time of 47 mins, 49 secs. Our seventh lady across the line on the day was another of our newer members, Anita O’Neill. Anita had a fantastic run, completing this tough 5 mile course in 48 mins 31 secs. Anita, like Sharon, was one of our consistent performers in the Meet and Train league and has held her form well in the meantime. It was great to see Barbara Whelan back competing after a short sabbatical. Barbara had yet another fine run in the Lucan colours as she raced to an excellent time of 52 mins 10 secs. This was Barbara’s first outing over the 5 mile distance in over two years, we believe, but Barbara adapted to distance very well with this performance. Helen Ryan competed in her first race in the Lucan colours and can be well pleased with her morning’s work as she produced a noteworthy time of 52 mins 47 secs for the 5 mile distance. This was an excellent debut by Helen and no doubt is only the start of things to come. Eibhlin Ni Chonchuir had another fine run on the day running a huge season’s best time of 55 mins 02 secs. This was Eibhlin’s first outing since the Docklands race and her time was 30 minutes quicker so Eibhlin is obviously getting stronger & stronger as the summer progresses. Josie Dignam continued her excellent comeback in 2010 with another brilliant display. Josie rounded off a great day for our ladies as she came home in a time of 55 mins 22 secs. This too was a season’s best run by Josie, bettering her 55.58 from the Sportsworld race on May 16th. Josie has raced consistently throughout 2010 and her performances continue to get better and better. For the men James Nealon continued his very busy season as he competed in his second race of the week. Building on his excellent run in the DCC BHAA race on Wednesday evening, James produced a season’s best run for 5 miles when he completed the course in under 30 minutes with his excellent time of 29 mins 58 secs. This time was 35 secs quicker than James’ 30.33 clocked in the Cultural Diversity / Government Services BHAA 5 mile race in Dunboyne on June 1st. Damien McDonald had an outstanding run completing this tough 5 mile challenge in a season’s best time of 33 mins 32 secs. This was nearly 90 seconds quicker than Damien’s previous best of 34.58 that he ran in Terenure in May. Damien continues to go from strength to strength this year. Liam Landers, too, has a very busy week as he also competed in two race in 4 days. In this, his second race, Liam clocked a very impressive time of 34 mins 46 secs to add to his fine performance on the previous Wednesday evening. Liam is reaping the benefits of his extremely hectic summers as his performances improve.

On Wed 14th July, Lucan athletes travelled in large numbers to compete in the latest BHAA race, the DCC 5km road race in Ringsend Park. Unfortunately for our athletes looking for season's and personal bests, this race turned out to be 400m short of the advertised distance, a 4.6km race rather than a 5km race. Eithne Richardson was the sole representative for the Lucan ladies but certainly did not disappoint with her performance. Eithne had an outstanding run as she sprinted to an excellent time of 21 mins. Eithne has been a model of consistency all season, especially on the roads, impressing over all distances. Gareth Fereday led the Lucan contingent home in a magnificent time of 15 mins 59 sec to continue his excellent season so far. Gareth’s ambition has been to run under 17 mins for 5km and this time suggests that he will achieve this goal in the very near future. James Nealon continues to impress this season as his times are getting quicker and quicker as the weeks progress. James had yet another outstanding run as he came home in a brilliant time of 17 mins 09 secs. Our current male athlete of the year, Gerry Byrne senior, reminded us just how he won this award as he raced to another excellent performance. Gerry covered the unique 4.6km distance in an eye catching time of 17 mins 18 secs, which would surely have translated into a season’s best time over 5kms for Gerry. Vinny Murtagh was running his second race in as many weeks, following his fine outing in the Irish Prison Service race two weeks. Vinny showed us that he has shaken off his numerous set-backs over the last number of months as he produced a sparkling display in producing an excellent time of 18 mins 39 secs following an intense battle with Stephen Rynne. Stephen has been impressing all year in the BHAA series and this was race no exception as he clocked a superb 18 mins 44 secs on the evening to add to his series of excellent performances since day one of this year. Liam Landers, too, has been in a fine vein of form this summer and continued his fine run of performances, racing to a swift time of 19 mins 08 secs for the 4.6kms. Liam has shown great versatility over the past months as he has raced over distances ranging from 800 metres in the Trinity track to the marathon in Belfast.

On Sat 10th July, Brian Farrell competed in the Salmon Run Sprint triathlon 2010 in Ballina. Brian headed west at the weekend to attack his latest sprint triathlon and put in another excellent performance in the discipline. Taking plsce in horrendous conditions, Brian completed the 25,750 km total distance in 1hr 06 mins 52 secs (accounting for transitions). This gave Brian a brilliant 6th place overall from 246 finishers. Brian made an impressive start to the race covering the 750 metre swim in a quick 12 mins 57 secs, which was the 16th quickest swim of the day. On the 20km cycle Brian also impressed covering the distance in a nifty 33 mins 24 secs - the 12th quickest time of the day. With Brian well placed, he headed out for the final 5km run and put in another excellent display, being the 9th quickest runner of the day with his excellent time of 18 mins 40 secs. Brian also managed to overtake 5 athletes during the run to secure his 6th place finish.It looks like Brian is in excellent form as he prepares to attack a half ironman in Swinford in the two weeks time.

On Wed 7th July, Lucan athletes ran in the South O’Hanlon 5km road race in Senchalstown, Navan. Lucan Harrier athletes travelled across the border to neighbouring county Meath to take part in the latest race in the Meath road race league during the week. Nicola Kavanagh had another superb outing over the 5km distance this year as she finished second in her category in a brilliant time of 21 mins 46 secs. This time was extremely close to Nicola’s season’s best of 21.23 from the Bob Heffernan race as Nicola continues to show great consistency in her performances. It's great to see all Nicola's hard work paying dividends. Freda Comiskey made a welcome return to action after a long lay-off but we wouldn’t have known this by her performance. Freda has an outstanding run coming home in a time of 22 mins 04 secs, finishing just three places behind Nicola. If last year is anything to go by Freda will no doubt kick on from this to post more memorable times over all distances in the coming weeks and months. James Nealon was the sole representative for the Lucan men as he raced to an excellent time of 18 mins 49 secs. This fantastic run was a season’s best performance from James bettering his 18.57 from the Le Cheile race in May. It looks like James’ hectic racing schedule during 2010 is being rewarded with some well deserved season’s best times over recent weeks.

On Sun 4th July, Lorraine Heffernan ran in the Clontarf Half Marathon. Lorraine braved the wet and windy weather conditions to compete in the Clontarf half marathon. Lorraine had an excellent run completing the course in 1 hr 50 mins despite the tough conditions especially along the coast and beach. This, too, was Lorraine’s second outing this year over the 13.1 mile distance as she continues to operate at a completely new level this year.

On Sat 3rd July, Joe Lynch again produced an outstanding performance with Ann McGrane and Gareth Fereday also producing at the TriAthlone Sprint Triathlon in Athlone. Lucan athletes were out in force at the TriAthlone at the weekend. Joe Lynch, Gareth Fereday and Anne McGrane all put in superb performances on the day. Anne McGrane represented our ladies very well as she finished 15th in her category following an excellent display. Anne started her competition with a very strong swim over 750 metres, which she completed in 16 mins 01 sec. Onto an extremely tough 40km cycle and Anne continued her excellent performance apace as she raced to a fine split of 40 mins 16 secs . Following a swift second transition Anne completed the event with a very strong showing in the 5km run, completing the distance in 32 mins 16 secs. Joe Lynch produced what we believe to be one of the greatest performances of his life as he placed 2nd in his category and 8th overall in one of the most competitive sprint triathlons on the circuit -- the TriAthlone. Joe covered the 750 metre swim, 20km cycle and 5km run in a total time of 1 hr 03 mins 49 secs. Joe made a brilliant start to the competition completing the 750 metre swim in an brilliant time 12 mins 08 secs. Onto the bike for the daunting 20km cycle, but Joe made light of this cruising to an excellent time of 29 mins 09 secs. With plenty of lactic acid in the legs, Joe headed out for the final leg of the race -- a 5km cycle and once again showed tremendous endurance and fitness in racing to an excellent time of 18 mins 47 secs. Gareth Fereday made his debut in the triathlon on the day. Gareth has been in scintilling form in the distance running events over the last 12 months so to see him adapt seemlessly to this new sport comes as no surprise. Gareth had an excellent debut completing the 750 metre swim, 20km cycle and 5km run in a fantastic time of 1 hr 20 mins 46 secs. Unfortunately due to a technical hitch we cannot bring you Gareth's split per discipline at the moment.

On Sat 3rd July, Deirdre Counihan ran in the Achill Half Marathon. Deirdre made the long trip across the Shannon and it proved well worthwhile as she clocked a brilliant time of 1 hr 48 mins 54 secsfor the 13.1 mile distance. This was another fine performance from Deirdre over the half marathon distance following her excellent 1.45 in Bantry two months ago and secured her 13th place in her category.


Lucan Harriers had an extremely productive weekend at the National Juvenile Championships in Tullamore at the weekend. All our young athletes performed to an amazing level and secured two gold medals and a bronze medal in the process. In the boys U14 category Harry Larkin secured a gold medal in the 800 metre event. Once again Harry dominated the middle distance 800 metre race showing great maturity at such a young age to secure victory in style. Harry has been in superb form in these middle events in recent weeks so it came as no surprise to see him perform to such a level on the biggest day of the season. In the U14 boys long jump competition Adam Doran did the club proud as his superb jump of 5.28 metres secured a second gold medal for Lucan. Over the last number of months Adam has proven an able performer on both the track and in the field so it’s great to see his versatility being rewarded with a National medal and to perform so well on the big day. Tara Andrews was our third medallist of the weekend as her catalogue of magnificent throws were rewarded with a bronze medal in the girls U14 javelin event. This achievement at the National championships comes as no shock to those of us watching Tara’s development over the last 12 months as she has excelled at all levels of competition. Despite not this long back in action from an injury, Tara also competed in the high jump and long jump competitions. In the high jump competition Tara once again produced a string of fine jumps where she finish 6th and in the long jump competition Tara’s excellent performance was rewarded with a 9th place finish overall. In the U12 girls category, Saoirse Reihill competed in her first ever National Championships, competing in the high jump competition. Saoirse showed no sign of nerves as her outstanding jumps secured her 13th place overall in a tough competition. This is testament to the great dedication being shown by Saoirse to her training. Jack Andrews competed for Lucan in the U-12 boys ball throw and shot putt competitions. Jack produced a series of superb throws in both competitions, finishing in 9th place in the ball throw competition and 12th in the shot putt. The standard in both competitions was immense but Jack looked right at home competing in both competitions in which the National Records were smashed. In the boys U13 600 metres, 60 metre and long jump competitions , we had Sean Townsend & Niall Flanagan representing us. In the 600 metre competition, Sean Townsend did the club proud with his performance. Sean produced an excellent display on the most important day of his season as he raced to a fine 7th place finish in a very fast and competitive 600 metre race. His time of 1:46.95 was a full 7 seconds faster than the time he ran for the same distance indoors this year. In the boys U13 long jump competition Niall Flanagan continued his brilliant vein of form when his super jumps gave him 14th place in another very tough competition. Niall also represented us in the 60 metre sprint competitions. Unfortunately Niall encountered some problems in the blocks and narrowly missed out on a place in the final despite producing a fine finish to his heat. Along with Tara Andrews, we also had Sarah Reihill representing us very well in the girls U14 category. Sarah competed in the shot putt competition for the club and produced a number of eye-catching throws in finishing 15th in an extremely competitive field event. This was yet another fne performance by Sarah in the lucan colours. Adam Doran & Harry Larkin will be competing on the 24th July next in the second week-end of the National Juvenile Championships in the 200m and 1500m respectively as will our girls U/14 relay team so we wish them the best of luck.