Saturday October 14th was a busy day for
Tallaght Athletic Club with our first report coming from the Dublin
Athletic Board Juvenile Cross Country League. Round 3 of this
competitive series was staged in unseasonable balmy conditions in Tymon
Park. Darren Hogan made his competitive debut is a hot U10 race and was
bang in contention until the last 200 metres but he can be well pleased
with his top 10 finish and he will be a live contender in future races.
Conor Murray followed up his 4th place finish last week with a podium
position in 3rd place and he is another who will stake a claim for
County honors later.
John Daly and Killian Morris led in the Tallaght Boys U12 Squad to take the Silver Team
medal with Dean Loughlin packing superbly throughout
the race.
Jennifer Grant and Megan Byrne made their presence felt at U11 and U13
degree and are improving with every race.
Sean Fitzsimons
can be well pleased with his finish of 8th in the U14 Category.
Roisin O Hanlon fought hard in the dying stages of the U15 event but had
to settle for 3rd place as did Eoin Hennessy in the boys U16 Race.
AoibheanTierney ran a superb race to take 4th in a combined U17/U18/U19
race with some top athletes in opposition. Peter Fitzsimons finally got
just reward for his application to his training when he fought a ding
dong battle with two promising Dundrum South Dublin athletes to take 1st
place and David Somerville consolidated his leading position in the U19
league coming home in first place again.
Later that afternoon Tomas Fitzpatrick was the clubs only representative
in the Dublin Athletic Board Intermediate Cross Country Championship and
he ran an absolute cracker in the 10K race to take 5th place out of 38
in a fine time of 38.17.
Elsewhere Ronan Kearns continued his fine run of form when taking 3rd
place at the BHAA Teachers Cross Country Event at Castleknock College
with a time of 19.40.
Earlier in the week the Clubs Lady athletes certainly made their
presence felt at the inaugural running of the Fit4life series at
Rathfarnham. Laura Mc Donnell was 2nd female home in 12.55, Aileen
Connolly was 5th and Niamh Oman also secured a top 10 placing in 9th
place. These more experienced athletes were well supported by the rest
of the Tallaght ladies who made their 2006 road race debuts with
Michelle Fitzpatrick leading home Susan Holland, Susan Adams,Mary Jenner,
Patricia Clarke and Colette Wright.
Desie Shorten capped off a super week for the Club when he celebrated
his birthday one day late in the Gerry Farnham International Cross
Country Trial at the Phoenix Park. Having turned 50 on Saturday, Desie
who has just returned from the US made little of the tough 5 mile course
to finish in 3rd place in the Male over 50 category and will represent
Ireland at the Five Nations Championships in Scotland on November 18th.
In so doing Desie had to overcome formidable opposition including last
years National Champion and his time 29.14 tells its own story.
Sunday 15th October two of our Tallaght
athletes competed in the 31st Amsterdam Marathon. On Amsterdam's flat
and fast course Denis Cahill finished with a time of 03.30.59, and Karl
Geraghty not far behind in 03.36.00.
At a presentation disco for the Dublin Juvenile
Athletics Board Track and Field League Series, held in St John Bosco
School Hall, Navan Road last Saturday evening 14th October, three
Tallaght athletes received awards.
Aisling Johnston, after excelling in the long
jump, shot putt, 800m, 1500m, javelin and discus during the 4 meet
league series was awarded the winners trophy at U16 level, whilst Jade
Johnston was awarded a trophy for 4th place overall in the U11 age group
and Dylan Murphy 6th place trophy at U12 level.
The Club will expect a strong show from its talented juvenile squad in
the Dublin Athletic Board County Championships which will held in
Cabinteely Park next Sunday. At stake are individual and team county
medals and the opportunity to represent the Club and Dublin at the
National finals in Dungarvan County Waterford on November 26th.