Plenty of Mayo interest in National Cross Country Championships
While defending senior champion Keelan Kilrehill of Moy Valley AC, Ballina, will be absent for Sunday's 123.ie National Senior, U23, U20 and Juvenile Even Age Cross Country Championships, there's still plenty of Mayo interest in the event.
Templemore Sports Complex in Derry is the venue as some of the stars of Irish athletics chase domestic honours and European selection.
In the running for the Under 23 women's title is Kirsty Maher of Moy Valley AC. She ran strongly at the Autumn Open and looks to be amongst the favourites for the gold medal.
Her rivals for honours are Eimear Maher (Dundrum South Dublin AC), who won bronze in the 1500m at the European Athletics U23 Championships during the summer, Roise Roberts (Candour Track Club), Ailish and Fiona Hawkins (Dublin City Harriers), Avril Millerick (Youghal AC), Amy Greene (Finn Valley AC), Cara Laverty (Finn Valley AC) and Kirsti Charlotte Foster (Willowfield Harriers).
Battling for Under 20 women's honours will be Caitlin Hughes of Swinford AC. Having featured as part of the Irish Under 20 team at the European Cross Country in Antalya last year, she will be hopeful of a strong run and a place on the plane once again this year.
The favourites in this race include Autumn Open champion Emma Hickey (United Striders AC), Emily Bolton (Clonliffe Harriers), who has won several national cross country titles down the years, and Lucy Foster (Willowfield Harriers), last year’s Under 20 national champion.
In the Under 20 men's race, Moy Valley AC's Darragh Mulrooney will fancy his chances of silverware but it's a stacked field, with Noah Harris (Parnell AC), Frank Buchanan (St. Michael’s College AC), Finn Diver (Beechmount Harriers), Caolan McFadden (Cranford AC), Harry McKenzie (Enniskillen Running Club), Odhran McBrearty (Finn Valley AC) and Lorcan Forde Dunne (Ace AC) all among the contenders.
Meanwhile, Kilrehill's absence means there will be a new national senior men’s cross country champion. In winning the title in the colours of Moy Valley AC last year, Kilrehill – a native of Dromore West, Co. Sligo – bridged a gap of 111 years since the last man won that title for a Connaught club. On that occasion, back in 1913, it was Sgt. Francis Joseph 'Frank' O'Neill, who won gold while representing the famed Connaught Rangers wing of the British Army.
The top finishers in the senior, Under 23 and Under 20 events will earn selection for the forthcoming European Cross Country Championships, which are set to take place in Lagoa, Portugal, on Sunday, December 14.
It promises to be a thrilling Sunday in Derry. The action gets underway at 11.30 a.m. with the Under 12 girls 2,000m race, with the senior women’s race starting at 2.10 p.m. and the senior men’s commencing at 2.50 p.m. A ‘finish line feed’ will be in operation on Athletics Ireland’s YouTube channel.