GOWRAN in County Kilkenny is the Mecca this Sunday for what promises to be an exciting day of cross country running, as athletes from all over the Ireland go in search of glory at the national senior, junior and juvenile even age championships.
It will be the first time the senior championships have been hosted in Gowran on what is said to be a rough agricultural going adjacent to Gowran Park racecourse.
For the cream of the cream, aside from precious national medals, there is selection on offer for the first three in the U20, U23 and senior categories to next month’s European Cross Country Championships in Brussels.
UCD AC’s Darragh McElhinney returns to defend his senior men’s title against some daunting opposition, including Irish 5000m record-holder Brian Fay and recent Autumn Open Cross Country winner Keelan Kilrehill.
There will be no shortage of support for the local athlete Peter Lynch, the 2022 bronze medallist who has returned from the USA, while others in contention include Efrem Gidey, Hiko Tonosa, Sean Tobin and dark horse Cormac Dalton, who ran well recently in the Atapuerca cross country in Spain.
Finn Valley’s Sean McGinley and Candour TC’s Callum Morgan will be eyeing European spots in the U23 race, run alongside the senior men.
In the absence of reigning champion Sarah Healy, a new champion will be crowned in the senior women’s race. Also missing are last year’s second through fourth finishers (Ciara Mageean, Michelle Finn and Ann Marie McGlynn).
Paradoxically, the new kid on the block is the 38-year-old mother of two Íde Nic Dhómhnaill, who will look to add another title in a remarkable year in which she has already won a national gold on the track in the 5000m, as well as claiming victory at the recent Autumn Open.
Armagh’s Fionnuala Ross carries northern hopes.
Tyrone teenager Nick Griggs starts hot favourite to successfully defend his junior men’s (U20) title and make it three consecutive victories in the race.
The Newmills 18-year-old will be using the competition as a warm-up for the Euros on December 10, where he will be aiming to go one place better than his silver medal last year.
Main opposition is likely to come from Jonas Stafford, who performs well on cross country going.
North Belfast Harrier Roise Roberts should secure a podium place and Euro spot in the corresponding U20 women’s race.
Lifford-Strabane AC’s Ed McGroarty is one of the two athletes selected to represent Ireland at the World 24-Hour Championships in Chinese Taipei next month.
McGroarty will accompany Anne Jennings of Dublin Bay Running Club.
McGroarty set the Irish 24-hour record last September at the European championships in Verona when he covered a mighty 258.82 kilometres.
Before that, he had retained his Irish title in Belfast with a 255.8km distance and brought in the new year 2023 running through the countdown at the Le Chéile AC track in Leixlip to set a new national 12-hour record of 142km.
Last year, the Raphoe resident became the first Irish ultra-runner to surpass 250km when he set a new mark of 256.57km.
McGroarty also holds the record for running from Mizen Head to Malin Head, having completed the distance in a time of three days, one hour and 55 minutes (3:01:55:00) in June 2021.
McGroarty and Jennings will also be competing in the World Masters Athletics 24-hour Championships run in conjunction with the open event.
Ultra-running has become extremely popular in recent years with events throughout Ireland all year round.
But one of its best exponents did the sport no favours when Joasia Zakrzewski, a leading British ultra-marathon runner and world 24-hour record-holder, was banned this week for 12 months by a UK Athletics disciplinary panel for using a car during a 50-mile race.
Zakrzewski eventually admitted that she had jumped into her friend’s vehicle during the 2023 GB Ultras Manchester to Liverpool race in April.
She originally claimed she had only done so after telling marshals that she was injured and was no longer competing.
However, after making her way on foot during the final stages to the finish, the 47-year-old accepted the trophy for third place finisher.
Zakrzewski, who finished 14th in the 2014 Commonwealth Games marathon and set a new world 48-hour distance record of 255.668 miles in February, initially denied deliberately cheating but failed to explain covering a mile in under two minutes during the race.
After admitting cheating by accepting a lift for 2.5 miles, she offered the excuse that she was not thinking straight after arriving from Australia the previous evening.
