Clean sweep of medals for Louth runners
North East Runners ladies dominate at Louth Cross Country Championships
The final day of the Louth Cross Country Championships was held in McCrystals Track in Jenkinstown on Sunday. The Intermediate competitions for the ladies and men battled out on a very testing course. The ladies headed off first on a 4km course with plenty of sharp uphill and turns.
It was clear from the whistle that North East Runners would dominate the field as a team of four emerged into the lead with Claire Smyth, Kelly O’Brien, Clíodhna Hyland and Rachel McArdle all packed up front.
With the team secure for first place it was down to podium positions and Clíodhna Hyland took the lead before the halfway mark. The gap increased over the course and Hyland took the title of Intermediate Championship, having just missed out on the win in 2019.
All eyes were on the remaining positions, and it was neck and neck with Claire Smyth and Rachel McArdle. The last 200 meters saw Smyth turn on the jets and take second place and a deserved third for McArdle for her first XC season.
Kelly O’Brien took fourth place, a great result on the back of the Dublin Marathon two weeks prior. Rounding the team was Anita Bolton with a supreme XC season and Chloe Lynch had a strong finish too - a clean sweep for the Black and White Ladies with First Team and all three podium medals.
The North East Runners men were eagerly awaiting their start with such a huge result from the ladies team. Over the course of four laps, the front runners emerged at the latter end of the race, with two North East Runners looking for medals, Liam Fergus and Oisín Hughes in the lead.
The team was uncertain as many positions changed between NER and Glenmore, with some men off the back of Marathons like Mark O’Connor (NER) and Ian Cosgrove (NER).
The Intermediate winner, however, went to Shane Lynch from Glenmore AC who cruised in the first place, followed by Fergus and Hughes in second and third respectively.
Eyes were still on the rest of the field, and North East Runners finished team finished second, with Donal Hegarty and Ian Cosgrove, losing out by only four points with Glenmore AC, and Drogheda and District AC in third place.
Notable runs also by Mark O’Connor, Ronan Halpenny, Gerry Hughes and Seamus Falls made for a good day of racing.
North East Runners AC, with support from Dundalk Credit Union, will be having a coffee morning on Saturday, 16th November from 11:30-12:30 in the Dundalk CU office at 4-5 Clanbrassil Street.
Come along if you want to find out more about joining the North East Runners and celebrating their 25th anniversary and 25 years of running in Dundalk. More information about training times on North East Runners Dundalk Facebook and Instagram pages.