On Tue 29th June, we had some good runs in the The Irish Prison Service-sponsored BHAA 5km trail run in the Phoenix Park. Bernie Stapleton continued her excellent vein of form when she placed 5th in her category in a very quick 22 mins 23 secs as she built on her fine performance in Dunshaughlin just three days earlier. Once again Eileen O’Brien did not disappoint as she secured 3rd place in her category in 24 mins 29 secs following her string of excellent performances in the Trinity Track races just over two weeks ago. Gareth Fereday continued his excellent 2010 so far with another fine outing, this time over this tough 5km trail course. Gareth raced to a fine time of 18 mins 18 secs for 24th place overall. Stephen Rynne, too has been very busy this year, racing regularly over all distances and produced another excellent display in covering the difficult 5km course in 21 mins 15 secs. Gerard Moloney was back competing after his eventful night at the Trinity track races and produced another fine run this time cover this 5km course in 21 mins 24 secs. It was great to see Vinny Murtagh back competing after a long lay-off. It didn’t take Vinny long to shake off the cobwebs as he produced an excellent display in clocking a time of 22 mins 18 secs.

On Sun 27th June, Lucan had a large female representation at the Palmerstown Family Fitness Festival 5km road race. Deirdre Counihan led the way with her outstanding third place finish overall in a fantastic time of 23 mins 03 secs. This was Deirdre's first 5km outing of the year but this success should come as no surprise as Deirdre has been having a terrific season having previously posted personal best times over the 10km and half marathon distances over the last two months. Deirdre has just been going from strength to strength since her excellent marathon in Dublin and no doubt there will be more to come from her over the coming months. Ann McGee had a busy weekend, running two races but show little sign of fatigue as she raced to an excellent time of 32 mins. This time was extremely close to Ann's time from the Pieta House 5k in early May and is even more impressive considering that Ann still had the 10km in her legs from the previous evening. Josie Dignam continued her fine season with another excellent showing over the 5km distance. Josie came home in an excellent time of 34 mins 37 secs despite the scorching hot conditions prevailing on the day. We also had an excellent performance from Maria Byrne who has recently returned to the club following her return to Dublin from Galway. Unfortunately we have not received her official time as yet but will include in next report.

On Sat 26th June, we had teams competing in the Juvenile National Team Competition Championships in Templemore. In the U10 girls event Sarah Robinson & Anne-Marie Byrne competed in the ball throw and 60 metre sprints competitions. The girls produced excellent performances in both events. In the ball throw competition Sarah & Anne-Marie came 7th overall following a string of tremendous throws in the competition. In the 60 metre sprints competition Sarah and Anne-Marie continued their excellent recent form finishing 13 th in the competition. These performances were even more remarkable considering that this was their first competition at National Level. In the U11 Boys category Lee Browne & Max Carey flew the flag for Lucan and as ever both athletes put in superb displays in their two events -the long jump & 60 metre sprints. In the long jump competition both athletes produced a number of excellent leaps that secured our team 10th place in the competition. Onto the 60 metre sprinting completion and Lee and Max demonstrated their great versatility as athletes as their outstanding performances secured Lucan 3rd place in this competition. It was great to see both teams competing brilliantly for Lucan Harriers and to see all four athletes get a taste of National Level competition at such a young age.

On Sat 26th June, Brian Farrell competed in the Hell of the West Triathlon in Kilkee, County Clare. Brian Farrell headed southwest at the weekend to compete in the aptly named "Hell of the West" triathlon. Comprising a 1,500 metre swim, 44 km cycle and 10km run, Brian put in an outstanding display finishing 19th overall from 540 competitors. Brian commenced his competition by covering the 1,500 metre swim in an impressive 24 mins 37 secs and was in 57th place as he entered transition 1. Onto the bike and once again Brian made some inroads on the leaders with a superb cycle covering the 44 kms in a swift 1 hr 13 mins 09 secs which incidentally was the 23rd quickest time of the day. With Brian now well placed heading into the final transition and out for the 10km run, Brian produced a brilliant run cruising under the 40 minute barrier with his fantastic time of 39 mins 33 secs, the 22nd quickest run of the day. This gave Brian a total finishing time of 2 hrs 19 mins for the event.

On Sat 26th June, our athletes put in some outstanding displays at the Dunshaughlin 10km road race. Nicola Kavanagh was the first Lucan lady home in a brilliant time of 45 mins 58 secs. This was Nicola's first 10km race of the season but this strong performance on the day comes as no surprise as Nicola has been in scintillating form over the 5km distance throughout 2010 so she has made light of the step up in distance. Bernie Stapleton was hot on Nicola's heels in 46 mins 33 secs. This was very close to Bernie's seasons best time of 46.01 from 3 weeks ago as Bernie continues her hectic racing schedule, producing one strong display after another, week after week. Ann McGee continued her excellent season completing the 10km course in 1 hr 00 mins 42 secs. Despite her busy season so far, this Ann's first outing over the 10 km distance but once again she put in an outstanding performance finishing first in her category. Nina Healy made a welcome return to racing when she completed the Dunshaughlin 10km course in 1 hr 01 min 33 secs. This was Nina's first race in a number of months but she made light of this in producing an excellent performance on the day, competing in her first 10km road race since the Womens' Mini Marathon on June 1st 2009. James Nealon led the Lucan charge when he came home in a time of 39 mins 24 secs. This was an exceptionally strong performance from James whose time was over 90 secs quicker than James' time of 40.57 from the KClub 10km race in Straffan two months ago. Alan Cassells was the second Lucan man home in a very impressive time of 40 mins 05 secs. This was yet another fine performance from Alan over the 10km distance building on his excellent run over the same distance back in February. Alan has got back racing regularly this summer and the benefits of this can be seen in his results over recent weeks which have been impressive to say the least. Gerry Byrne senior continued his fantastic second as he was the third Lucan athlete across the finishing line in 41 mins 38 secs. This fantastic time from Gerry was nearly four minutes quicker than his 10km time from 2009 and no doubt is only the start of things to come from Gerry in 2010. Damien McDonald & Stephen Rynne had a great battle on the day and could only be separated by three seconds as Damien crossed the line in a time of 44 mins 19 secs & with Stephen pushing him all the way as he clocked a time of 44 mins 22 secs. Damien's time was a seasons best run by nearly 30 secs bettering his time of 44.43 from the ARC race in the Phoenix Park on May 3rd as Damien continues to impress over all distances this year. Damien has obviously fully recovered from his 35km mountain walk the previous weekend. Stephen Rynne, too, has been a model of consistency all year and his performance on Saturday was his second impressive run over 10 kms in 2010 following his excellent run in Straffan at the end of April. No doubt we will see more super performances from Stephen over the coming weeks as the road racing season is now in full swing.

On Sat 26th June, our juvenile athletes once again put in commendable performances at the Dublin Track & Field relay events in Tallaght. In the girls U14 relay, our team of Sarah Reihill, Katelyn Weafer McGovern, Catherine Sexton and Tara Andrews excelled themselves in finishing second overall in an extremely competitive team event. Individually these athletes have been in great form throughout 2010 so it comes as now surprise to see them blend seamlessly in the team event. In the U13 team event, our team of Saoirse Reihill, Laura Quigley, Rachel O'Neill and Catherine Sexton also did our club proud as they finished 6th in yet another ultra competitive race. Having shown great dedication and endeavour in their training and races over the last number of months we are sure to see further excellent performances from these athletes over the coming months.

On Sat 19th June, Joe Lynch set a new course record in winning the Mullaghmore Sprint Triathlon in County Sligo. Joe Lynch continued his unbelievable season when he won the Mullaghmore Sprint Triathlon in a new course record of 1 hr 00 mins 28 secs. Comprising a 750 metre swim, 20km cycle and 5km run, Joe came out victorious by 36 secs over his nearest challenger. Joe started the competition by covering the 750 metre swim in 11 mins 04 secs. This had Joe in 20th place heading out for the 20k cycle. As per usual this year, Joe made huge inroads in the cycling discipline and indeed clocked the quickest time of all the competitors, covering the 20 kms in 30 mins 44 secs. With plenty of fatigue in the legs Joe headed onto the roads, this time minus the bicycle, to run the final 5 kms.Joe produced an outstanding display of running, covering the 5k in 16 mins 41 secs. This was the quickest run of the day, more than 30 secs clear of the second ranked runner and was a minute quicker that the time Joe produced on the course in 2008. This performance adds to Joe's amazing achievements so far in 2010 where he has won the National Duathlon championships, finished 4th in the TriAthy, won the first round of the Dublin Duathlon series. We are sure there is plenty more to come from Joe before the summer ends.

On Fri 18th-Sun 20th June, our athletes displayed great ability and confidence at the recent Dublin Juvenile Track & Field championships at Morton Stadium. In the U12 girls category Saoirse Reihill gave a great display of track & field athletics when she produced 4 great performances in 4 different events. Saoirse put in an outstanding performance in the high jump competition where she was crowned the champion.Saoirse also excelled in the ball throw competition where she finished just outside the medals in 5th place.In the long jump competition, Saoirse put in yet another fine performance finishing in 6th place overall. Finally onto the track for a middle race and Saoirse once again showed some promise in finishing 8th, having produced a great display. Rebecca Slattery competed in two events in the U12 girls category and put in two very strong showings. In the 600 metre race, Rebecca had a fantastic run in finishing 7th displaying great endurance and fitness levels as the race progressed. On the the shorter 80 metre sprint distance and Rebecca demonstrated speed to match her endurance as she produced another brilliant display, finishing just outside the medals, Gina Cohen, too, showed us that we have some very talented juvenile sprinters in our ranks as Gina produced a magnificent run in the 80 metre sprint being unlucky in finishing outside the medals.In the long competition, Gina showed her talent in the field events as her excellent jump secured her 6th place in the competition. Jack Andrews represented us in the U12 boys event, producing two excellent displays in the ball throw and shot putt competitions. In the ball throw competition Jack was desperately unlucky to just miss out on a medal as his superb throw gave him 4th place overall in the competition. In the shot putt competition ,Jack once again demonstrated his terrific strength as his excellent throw gave him 4th place in this competition also. In the boys U13 events we had Sean Townsend & Niall Flanagan representing the club. Niall had a busy weekend competing and excelling in three events. In the sprints over 80 metres Niall displayed great speed finishing an excellent third in a very competitive race. In the 600 metre race, Niall produced his second noteworthy performance on the track finished just outside the medals after another excellent run. In the field events Niall competed in the long jump competition and once again got on the podium and his fantastic leap secured him third place in the competition. Sean Townsend also had a busy weekend competing in the 80 metre and 600 metre events. In the 600 metre race Sean produced a magnificent display that suggests that we have a very talented middle distance runner on her hands. Sean put the boot down from the gun and didn't let up as he sprinted to a superb victory. In the 80 metre race, Sean showed us the he has speed to match his strength and he raced to a brilliant 4th place finish, just outside the podium positions. In the girls U14 category, Lucan athletes were to the fore as Sarah Reihill, Katelyn Weafer McGovern and Tara Andrews demonstrated their growing potential. Tara Andrews had an exhausting and extremely successful weekend as she competed in five events and medaled in four of them! In the long jump competition, Tara produced a number of excellent leaps that were rewarded with an outstanding victory in the competition. In the high jump competition, Tara further underlined her versatility as an athlete as her brilliant jumps secured Tara of her second victory of the championships. To further underline her adaptability Tara demonstrated superb strength in the javelin competition as her excellent throws produced her third first place finish of the weekend. Onto the track and more specifically, the sprint competition and Tara was once again in the medals as she excelled in the 75 metre hurdles race. Tara rounded off her excellent weekend when she competed in the 200 metre race and produced another stirling performance in finishing 6th. Sarah Reihill, too, had an extremely hectic weekend, competing in four events and underlined her growing reputation with a number of eyecatching performances. In the shot putt competition, Sarah produced a catalogue of excellent throws that secured her third place overall in the competition. In the javelin competition Sarah further demonstrated her growing strength as her fine throws gave her 5th place in this competition. In the 800 metre event on the track, Sarah showed great maturity in racing to an excellent 5th place in an extremely competitive race. In the 1,500 metre race Sarah further underlined her growing reputation as a middle distance runner as she ran another very sensible race in finishing 6th , Katelyn Weafer McGovern completed a weekend of superb performances by our U14 girls as she produced 4 outstanding performances over the weekend. In the 100 metre sprint Katelyn demonstrated great natural speed, as she finished just outside the medals. In the field events, Katelyn put in three excellent displays in three different events. In the shot putt competition, Katelyn's strength shone through as she finished 5th overall. This strength was further underlined in the javelin competition which saw Katelyn's sequence of excellent throws being rewarded with a 6th place finish. Finally in the long jump competition, Katelyn rounded off her busy weekend with a series of excellent jumps that secured her 6th place overall in this competition. The boys U14 competition was certainly a fruitful one for Lucan as Adam Doran & Harry Larkin secured medals in all events that both athletes competed in. Adam Doran competed in six events, securing 5 victories and one second place finish. On the track Adam focused on the sprint events - the 100 & 200 metre races - and this was certainly a wise choice as Adam showed great speed from start to finish in these events in securing two wins. In the field events Adams' focus were certainly on strength as he secured two victories in the discus & javelin competitions and a second place finish in the shot putt competition. in all three events Adam got into his rhythm early on throwing a catalogue of long throws in all three events that left his field under pressure as Adam showed little sign of easing up. It was in the long jump competition that Adam secured his final victory as his series of excellent jumps was enough to see him come out on top. Harry Larkin's focus on the weekend was very much on the middle distance events as he competed in both the 800 metre and 1,500 metre events. In the 800 metre race Harry proved a shrewd operator as his wily racing brain coupled with his outstanding talent at middle distance running ensured the Harry was in control throughout the races and was able to secure a victory in the process. Harry further emphasised his natural talent for middle distance running when he towed the line for the 1,500 metre race. Once again Harry showed great maturity over this distance in racing to another excellent victory. In the girls U15 category Rachel Briggs had an eventful weekend competing in 5 events. In the walk competition, Rachel had a super outing finishing 2nd. Onto the sprints and Rachel displayed a great level of speed running an excellent race in finishing 8th. Competition in her final event on the track, the hurdles, Rachel put in another amazing performance in finishing 4th in this highly competitive race. In the field events Rachel demonstrated further outstanding potential. In the javelin competition, Rachel secured her second medal of the weekend as her brilliant throwing gave her 3rd place. In the shot putt competition Rachel was extremely unlucky to not secure a third medal as her fine throws gave her 4th place in the competition. In the same category we also had Shannon Browne competing in the walk event and Shannon proved that Irish superstar Olive Loughnane may have competition in this event over the coming year as Shannon produced a sensational performance in winning the event. Last but not least in the boys U15 category, Jack Carey flew the flag for Lucan competing in the 100 metre and long jump event. Jack certainly did not disappoint as his produced a string of excellent jumps to finish in fourth place in the long jump competition. Jack also displayed great finishing speed in the 100 metres finishing just outside the medals.

On Sat 19th June, Lucan athletes participated in the Ring of Imaal 35km walk in Donard, Co Wicklow. On Saturday morning, Lucan athletes were out bright and early to support and partake in a leisurely Saturday morning 35km mountain walk organised by An Oige!!!! Starting (at 7.30 am) and finishing in Donard, Co Wicklow and comprising a distance of 35 kms and a combined climb of 1,800 metres, Freda Comiskey, Myra Nolan, Emer McCarthy, Claire Buckley, Colum Maddox and Damien McDonald completed the event in the 9 hr 30 minute territory. This was a tremendous achievement by our athletes as the walk covered six summits including Lugnacoille which is the highest mountain in Leinster. Well done all on completing this event and having the fitness levels to stay active for over 9 hours without a break.

On Thur 17th June, a large Lucan contingent travelled to Trinity College for the annual BHAA Trinity relays track meet. For the ladies Bernie Stapleton and Eileen O'Brien had busy evenings, with both ladies competing in all 3 races over 800 metres, a mile and 3,000 metres. Bernie made a superb start to the evening finishing 2nd in the 800 metre race. Bernie ran a very sensible race running even splits and coming through strongly from fourth place to finish second in 2 mins 58 secs. In the same race Eileen O'Brien also put in a very strong showing. Eileen, too, ran an intelligent race getting into her rhythm early on and was able to produce a very impressive time of 3 mins 56 secs for the half mile distance. In the 4 lap mile race Bernie once again employed sensible racing tactics and got stonger as the race progressed finishing 4th in 6 mins 48 secs. Eileen also ran yet another sensible race drawing on her experience to finish very comfortably in 7 mins 37 secs. Bernie and Eileen rounded off their evenings by competing in the 3,000 metres race. Bernie showed little sign of tiredness over this longer distance in cruising to a great time of 13 mins 33 secs over the 7 1/2 laps for 6th place. With two previous races under her belt Bernie ran very sensibly by running even splits to finish very strongly, very close to securing 5th place. And what more can we say about Eileen. She just got stronger as the races came and the 3,000 metre race was Eileen's most impressive display of the night as she produced an excellent performance in finishing 8th in 14 mins 55 secs. For the men Gerard Moloney led by example competing in the 3 races. Gerard commenced his campaign for the night by putting in a brilliant performance in the Mens 13-16 800 metre race. Gerard completed the 2 laps in 2 mins 50 secs, producing a very strong finals 200 metres as he just out kicked Stephen Rynne in a very tight tussle.In the men's mile race, Gerard showed little fatigue as he put in yet another fine display, running sensible even splits to come home in 6 mins 32 secs. Gerard rounded off his extremely busy evening by putting in possibly his strongest run of the evening over 3,000 metres. Gerard ran a brilliant race completing the longer distance in 12 mins 48 secs. This performance was all the more impressive considering that Gerard already had two races in his legs. Stephen Rynne competing in his first track races of the season, putting in very strong showings over the half mile and mile distances.Stephen ran very hard from the off in the 800 metre race and was rewarded with a very strong time of 2 mins 50 secs in a very tight race. In the Mens 13-16 mile race Stephen looked like he had just used the 800 metre race a few minutes earlier as a warm-up as he put in a super performance completing the mile in 6 mins 18 secs as he got stronger as each lap passed. Having had a superb last 18 months, the BHAA rewarded Gerry Byrne senior by moving him up a standard to compete in the mens' 9-12 races. In this mens' 800 metre race, Gerry looked right at home in this new company finishing 8th in a brilliant time of 2 mins 28 secs having run a very even paced race. In the Mens 9-12 3,000 metre race Gerry excelled, employing conservative early tactics but got stronger and stronger as the laps elapsed and managed to close on and overtake a number of athletes in the closing stages to finish 8th in 11 mins 05 secs. Liam Landers, too, competed in the Mens 13-16 mile race and continued his fine run of performances over the last 6 weeks with a great showing over the shorter mile distance. Liam completed the mile in a swift 6 mins 12 secs and no doubt this outing over the shorter distance will stand to Liam over the longer distance racesin the coming weeks. In the mens 17+ 800 metre race Fergal O'Brien competed in his first ever track race but made up for this by hitting the front from the gun splitting the field wide open over the opening 400 metres. Fergal continued with this strong running over the second lap and had plenty in the tank over the last 100 metre to sprint home in 4th place overall in an impressively quick 2 mins 39 secs in his debut track and 800 metre race. Derry McVeigh put all his eggs into the mile basket and it turned out to be a very wise decision as Derry clocked an outstanding time of 5 mins 13 secs in the mens 9-12 mile race. This gave Derry 6th place from a large field of 25. The time was impressive but the performance even more so as Derry sat patiently in the pack for 1,400 metres before making a decisive move in the closing stages to finish most impressively. Daithi O'Murchu, who trains with the club, looked very impressive in finishing second in the Mens 13-16 800 metre race in 2 mins 27 secs.

On Sun 13th June, besides our many volunteers on the sidelines making the race a success, we had athletes competing in our annual race, the Tom Byrne Memorial 5km road race. New member Sarah Barragry represented our ladies and it looks like we have uncovered a gem. Sarah covered the 5km distance in 22 mins 33 secs. This was a fantastic display by Sarah, even more so considering that this was Sarah's first race since joining the club. This performance ensured the Sarah takes home the Tom Byrne Memorial trophy for being the first Lucan lady across the finishing line. Derry McVeigh led the Lucan male brigade home when he clocked a time of 18 mins 31 secs for the 5km distance. This was Derry's third 5km race of the year and he has shown great consistency over the distance, this been Derry's second quickest time ever over 5 kilometres. This performance place Derry 21st overall from nearly 190 finishers. James Nealon continued his fine run of form as he came home in a time of 18 mins 59 secs. This was just 2 seconds outside James' season's best time from the Bob Heffernan race but considering the slightly less favourable weather conditions, James can be well pleased with his morning's work. Ken Robinson was the third Lucan man home. Ken produced another brilliant performance in the Lucan colours clocking a time of 19 mins 47 secs for 4th place in his category. Pat O'Dwyer completed the Lucan team, coming home in a time of 20 mins 52 secs. This was very strong running from Pat who was competing in his first 5km race since joining the Lucan set-up recently. This fine run placed Pat 9th in his category. A special thanks to Nicola Kavanagh who took the superb photos in Griffeen Park .. see attached link. It looks like Nicola is multi-talented judging by her athletic and photography skills! Some great photos taken by Nicola Kavanagh. Results.

On Sat 12th June, our juvenile athletes were once again in the medals over all disciplines in the Dublin Championships Track & Field Team events in Tallaght. In the U10 Girls Ball throw Sarah Robinson and Anne Marie Byrne were second after throwing a combined score of 30.10 metres. This tremendous performance was just .04 metres short first place as both athletes continue to show outstanding promise over numerous disciplines. This is testament to the dedication and quality coaching that all our juvenile coaches are providing week after week. In the boys U11 long jump, Lee Browne and Max Carey came out on top with combined jumps of 6.46 metres. This was 0.30 metres clear of their closest challengers on the day and came after both young athletes produced numerous strong jumps. In the girls U10 60 metres Anne Marie Byrne and Sarah Robinson combined to great effect once again finishing second in a lightning quick time of 21 secs. The versatility shown by these athletes is great to see but should come as no surprise as Sarah's father Ken is producing great performances regularly in the senior men's section while also taking time to coach our juvenile athletes and Anne Marie is the granddaughter of one of our founder members - Tom Byrne - whose contribution to the club we remember each year with the Tom Byrne memorial race. In the boys U11 60 metres sprint Lee Browne and Max Carey were once again in the groove as they produced another scintillating performance coming home second in 19.5 secs. It looks like Lee & Max will continue to excel in both the track and field events over the coming weeks , months and years so Usain Bolt and his Jamaican comrades had better watch out because Lee & Max are coming for you soon!. Sarah, Anne Marie, Lee & Max now go forward to represent Lucan Harriers in the National team events in Templemore on Saturday next. I'm sure you'll join me in wishing these talented athletes the best of luck in the competition.

On Sat 12th June, Gerry Byrne Sr and Daniel Byrne ran in the Patrick Bell Memorial 5km road race in Bohermeen. Gerry Byrne senior had yet another fine outing over 5kms in 2010 when he crossed the line in 18mins 57secs.This was a season's best run from Gerry bettering his 19 mins time from Enfield 4 weeks ago as his season goes from strength to strength once again this year. Gerry's son Daniel produced another excellent performance over 5kms. Daniel covered the distance in 21 mins 50 secs. This was another excellent run from Daniel to add to his prize winning performance earlier in Enfield back in May.

On Mon 7th June, a number of our athletes competed in the Flora Women's Mini Marathon 10km in Dublin City. Bernie Stapleton led the ladies home having posted a brilliant time of 46 mins 01 sec. This was a season's best run from Bernie, bettering her Straffan run from April by over 50 secs. This was all the more impressive considering the wet conditions prevailing on the afternoon. Deirdre Counihan was the second Lucan lady home in an impressive time of 46 mins 27 secs. This was very close to Deirdre's personal best time of 46.19 from April and only for the adverse conditions on the day, Deirdre could very well have posted a new personal best for the 10km distance. Nonetheless Deirdre has had a terrific season so far impressing over all distances. Eileen O'Brien was the next Lucan lady to finish. Eileen had yet another outstanding run, completing the 10km course in an absolutely brilliant time of 48 mins 05 secs. This excellent run secured Eileen third place in her category and her time was more than three minutes quicker than Eileen's 10km time from 2009 which shows us that she is getting better and better each year. Sinead Keogh was our fourth finisher in a time of 1 hr 00 mins 32 secs.This was Sinead's first race since joining Lucan and her excellent time over 10km in atrocious weather conditions suggest that Sinead will be running sub 1hr comfortably over the coming months. Josie Dignam and her daughter Donna, walked the distance and came home in a fine time of 1 hr 39 mins. Josie has performed superbly since returning to competitive action and both she and Donna proved to be swift walkers as well. This is despite the fact the there was a huge field on the day and that the weather for the afternoon was atrocious. Sharon Geraghty, Anita O'Neill and Nathalie O'Connor also had fine performances on the day. We believe that these ladies completed the course in a very impressive time of in and around 1 hr 10 mins to add their excellent performances over 2 - 4 mile distances in the Meet & Train series in recent weeks. Unfortunately the official results only seem to contain the results from the athletes wearing chip timing on the day so we are chasing up times for all our participants.

In the recent track and field league in Tallaght, our juvenile athletes were in superb form showing tremendous ability and skill over all disciplines in track and field. In the U10 girls category Sarah Robinson was third overall with 39 points in total just 5 points shy of the overall winner. Sarah picked up numerous points over all disciplines. Sarah impressed in all her events from long jump (where she was 3rd), ball throw (which she won) in the field to 60 metres, 300 metres 500 metres and 200 metre events on the track. Sarah has been in excellent form all year excelling in cross country and indoor track events so far in 2010. Anne Marie Byrne also competed in the girls U10 category and despite the fact that she competed in less events than those ahead of her Anne Marie still finished 6th overall from 22 athletes with 18 points. It was certainly a case of quality over quantity for Anne Marie as she excelled in the ball throw, long jump, 60 metre, 500 metres and 200 metre events. In the girls U12 events Saoirse Rehill represented Lucan in the high jump event and was impressive in securing two points for Lucan in the event. In the girls U13 category Danielle Murray was our sole representative and certainly did not disappoint in the javelin competition as she secured 7 valuable points.It looks like Danielle has a bright future in this event as this 7 points gave Danielle first place in the javelin competition. Sarah Reihill, Tara Andrews and Katelyn Weafer flew the flag for Lucan in the girls U14 category. All three performed brilliantly in this category. Sarah Reihill was 7th overall with 12.5 points just 2 1/2 points outside the top 6 positions.Sarah showed great promise in the field events especially in the shot putt competition where she secured 4 points and on the track in particular in the 80 metres sprint where she secured a further 4 points.Tara Andrews, too, excelled in the two events that she competed in securing 7 points in the long jump competition tat she won and a further 3 points in the discus competition. Katelyn Weafer showed great promise in the javelin competition where she picked up 4 points after finishing 3rd. Katelyn also showed promise in the 80 metre sprint and over the 200 metres hurdles. In the boys U10 events Oisin Smyth led the charge for Lucan finishing 10th with 7 points. Oisin was especially impressive in the long jump competition where he finished second. Luke Byrne also impressed in the ball throw event in U10 category. Had Luke been able to compete in more events there is no doubt that he would have shot up the table. In the boys U11 category Max Carey continued his fine run of form this year with a fourth place overall finish on the league table.Max was consistent in all his events - the ball throw, long jump, 60 metre sprint and the 200 metres.Niall Larkin competed in 600 metre in this category and put in an impressive performance in securing 2 points. In the boys U13 events Lucan had two athletes in the top 6. Sean Townsend was second overall in the category with 35 points. This was well deserved by Sean as he excelled in all the track competitions where he secured all 35 points.Sean won the 600 metre races, was 2nd in the 80 metre sprint and secured 3rd place in the 500 metre and 200 metre races. Conor Heffernan was 4th in the boys U13 category. Conor was very impressive in the field events winning both the shot putt and javelin competitions. Niall Flanagan was the third Lucan athlete to compete in this category and put in a very strong perforrmance in finishing 9th overall. Niall showed that he is just as apt in both track and field events as he picked up 4 great points, having produced a great performance in the long jump competition where he finished 3rd. Onto the track and Niall showed that he had great speed in the 80 metre race and endurance over the 200 metre & 600 metre races where he picked up a further 7 points. In the boys U14 category Harry Larkin secured a top 6 finish while Adam Doran also impressed in 8th place overall. Harry secured 4 victories that helped him to a total of 35 points. Harry came out on top in the 1,200 metre ,800 metre, 500 metre & 400 metre races which leads us to believe that Harry will have a bright future in the middle distance events. Adam Doran, meanwhile, excelled himself in the field events winning both the high jump and discuss competitions.

On Sat 5th June, Joe Lynch continued his superb season as he finished an outstanding 4th from 691 competitors in the TriAthy Olympic distance race. Joe commenced battle with a fine swim over 1,500 metres which he covered in 24 min 06 secs. This placed Joe in 44th place overall heading out for the 40 km cycle. Once again Joe produced an amazing display on the bike covering the distance in a sensational time of 59 mins 10 secs. This was the 7th fastest time on the day and had Joe well placed as he tackled the 10km run to complete the race. Once again, Joe showed great stength and fitness levels as he finished the race very strongly, completing the tough 10km course in 38 mins. This impressive & consistent display by Joe over the 3 disciplines secured him 4th place in a combined time of 2 hrs 03 mins 06 secs and is all the more impressive as less that 3 1/2 mins seperated the first 4 athletes.

On Sat 5th June, Brian Farrell made the trip north to compete in the Crooked Lake Sprint Triathlon in Camlough, Armagh. More. Comprising a 750 metre swim, 20 kilometre cycle and finishing with a 5km run, Brian put in an outstanding display finishing 11th just seonds outside the top 10 from 366 competitors.Brian made a fine start to the competition completing the 750 metre swim in 12 mins 37 secs. This had Brian in 45th position heading out for the 20km cycle. Brian made superb inroads on the leaders during the cycle segment, being the tenth quickest in 27 mins 58 secs. Brian completed the course by running a personal best of 17 mins 21 secs for 5km for 9th place overall in this disclipline. This was 6 seconds quicker than the time posted by Brian in the Bob Heffernan race and is all the more impressive coming on the back of a tough swim and cycle beforehand. These outstanding performances gave Brian an overall finishing time of 1hr 00 mins 42 secs.

On Wed 2nd June, Derry McVeigh had a fine run in the 800m at the Dublin Graded Meet 4 in Irishtown Stadium. Derry made his track debut when he ran in the D 800 metre race. Derry had a fantastic run, clocking a time of 2 mins 18.06 secs. Despite this being Derry's first track race, he ran it like a man with years of experience as he showed great discipline over the first 600 metres, sitting in the pack before increasing his speed with 200 to go and producing his now trademark quick finishing kick over the last 50 metres.

On Wed 2nd June, Joe Lynch in 3rd place overall was the top Lucan athlete home in the Runways Dublin Duathlon in the Phoenix Park. For the first 2.7km run, Joe ran just off the pace in the second lead pack but still produced a brilliant split time of 8 mins 54 secs.Having produced a quick first transition onto the bike Joe cruised his way to the top of the field covering the 13kms in 17 mins 30 secs,This gave Joe a 40 second lead at this stage heading into the second transition and final 2.7km run. With the hard blow-out now completed Joe sat back on this run in preparation for a big challenge at the weekend , but still ran a very impressive time of 10 mins 28 secs. This excellent performance gave Joe third place in a total time of 38 mins 05 secs. Stephen Byrne, too ,competed in his second duathlon of the series and put into another fantastic showing. Stephen finished 19th from 300 athletes Emerging from the first 2.7km run in a superb time of 9 mins 23 secs, Stephen found himself in 24th position overall. Having produced a quick T1, Stephen put the boot down on the cycle, covering the 13kms in 18 mins 55 secs which was 13th quickest time overall. Stephen completed the duathlon challenge by producing an exceptionally quick final 2.7 km run in 11 mins 13 secs. These brilliant performances gave Stephen a total finishing time of 41 mins 02 secs. Gerard Moloney, competed in his first duathlon, we believe, and produced a scintillating display as he completed the 18.5km distance in an outstanding time of 51 mins 25 secs. Gerard opened his race with an excellent 2.7km run in 12 mins 09 secs. Onto the bike for 13k and Gerard showed that he is also a fine cyclist, cycling to an impressive time of 23 mins 16 secs. After an impressive T2, Gerard produced a very strong final 2.7km run, covering this distance in 12 mins 47 secs. We have seen that Gerard is a very accomplished runner over the last number of months so it is now great to know that we have another multisport athlete in our ranks.

On Tue 1st June, Lucan athletes were out in force for the Government Services (Cultural Diversity) 5 mile BHAA road race in Dunboyne. Bernie Stapleton led the Lucan ladies home in a fantastic time of 36 mins 25 secs. This was a season’s best run by Bernie who bettered her 36.51 RTE time by more than 25 seconds. This performance gave Bernie 6th place in her category and also ensured that Bernie was the 1st scorer on her Ladies Accountants A team. Running her 4th race in a week and a half, Eithne Richardson showed little signs of fatigue as she raced to a superb time of 37 mins 01 sec. Eithne has competed in races from 3 miles - 5 miles over the last week or so and has demonstrated great quality in her performances, leading our ladies home in the two Meet and Train races in this period. Deirdre Counihan, too, is in superb form this summer as demonstrated by her personal best runs over 10 km in the KClub race at the end of April and over the half marathon distance in the BayRun in Bantry at the start of May. This race was no exception as Deirdre sprinted to a fine time of 38 mins 05 secs. This bettered Deirdre’s best time over the 5 mile distance from 2009 when she clocked a time of 38.12 in this same race. Gareth Fereday was first across the line for our men when he secured 28th place overall in a very large field of nearly 300 athletes. Gareth covered the 5 mile distance in an outstanding time of 28 mins 39 secs and was the second scorer on his Swords Lab team that finished 4th in the team event. This time by Gareth was nearly 75 secs quicker than his time from the RTE race a month ago. James Nealon was the second Lucan athlete home having run a super race. James completed this good 5 mile course in 30 mins 33 secs as he continues to get better and better as the season progresses. This was James’ third race in a week and a half so he has obviously attained great fitness levels over the winter months. Shane McCarthy was next across the line for Lucan in a fantastic time of 30 mins 57 secs. This brilliant run ensured that Shane was the second scorer on his Irish Prison Service team that secured 6 th place in the team event. Shane has been showing great consistency in the times he’s posting over these distances (5 mile – 10kms) over the last number of weeks which is testament to the great work he did during the cross country season. Gerry Byrne senior, too, produced a season’s best run in completing the 5 miles in a superb time of 32 mins 16 secs. This run was 25 secs quicker than Gerry’s time in Donnybrook a month ago as Gerry continues to show fantastic form both in training and races. Perhaps the biggest hero of the night was Stephen Rynne who had a great run in 33 mins 21secs. This run gave Stephen second place on the Food A team that performed well in the team event but even more impressive was the fact the Stephen secured victory by 5 seconds against his arch nemesis (who shall remain nameless for now!) Liam Landers continued his recent hectic racing schedule with another fine outing in Dunboyne. Liam covered the 5 miles in 33 mins 51 secs. This was more tremendous running from Liam who was competing in his third race in just a little more than a week and who must also still have some residue in his legs from the Belfast marathon in May. Damien McDonald continued his fine season with another noteworthy run over 5 miles. Damien covered the 5 miles in 35 mins 16 secs which was very close to the time he ran on the quick Terenure course in the Sportsworld 5 mile race on the 16 th of May. No doubt these shorter distance races will benefit Damien when he competes over the half marathon distance later on in the year. Fergal O’Brien completed his second road race in just over a week. Fergal built on his excellent 5k performance in Enfield with an impressive 36 mins 44 secs clocking here. This was a huge personal best performance from Fergal bettering his 42.12 time from the Adamstown 8km race 12 months ago by 5 ½ minutes!!!