Last Wednesday evening the 1st of July the Coillte 10k road race was ran for the 41st consecutive year. An entry of 496 athletes signed up for the race which included 23 under 20 years of age juniors running 5k one lap as part of the two lap 10k race. On a good evening for racing with a slight breeze the rain came down after the leaders had finished but at least all the athletes got off to a dry warmup and start. Starter for the evening Michael Guinan blew the whistle to set them on their way.
On the first lap a breakaway group of athletes soon emerged made up of previous winners William Maunsell Clonmel and Michael Harty East Cork. They were joined by two Clare lads David Meehan Tulla and Jake O’Regan St Johns and on his first trip to Dundrum Billy Coogan Kilkenny City Harriers. Making up the front runners and on his third trip to run the race Josh Burgess from Lewes Athletic Club in England. Back into the village to head out on the second lap and the group had started to break up with William, Billy and Michael gone clear with the trio setting a scorching pace up front. Then as they came inside the last kilometre the three lads were still in contention for victory. Into the last 100metres and the trio were still locked together with William snatching victory in the last 30 metres in a super time of 29:58 with Billy on his heels in 29:59 and Michael a magnificent third in 30 minutes flat.
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| William Maunsell Clonmel Athletic club winner of the Coillte 10k road race in Dundrum being presented with the Tim Crowe trophy for also being the first Tipperary athlete to finish the race by Domonic Moore. William ran a super time of 29:58 in winning the race. |
Michaels super run knocking a whopping 56 seconds off the National Over 45 men’s record. Once ratified it will be the fifth National Record set on this course in recent years. William Maunsell also won the Tim Crowe Memorial Trophy for the first Tipperary athlete to cross the finish line for the second time. The trophy presented to him by its instigator Dominic Moore in memory of a great Tipperary athlete in the early nineteenth century. To crown off a great night for the Clonmel man he also set a new over 40 course record of 29:58. Josh came clear of the chasing pack to take 4th in a personal best of 30:29. David won the battle of Clare to take 5 th from Jake in 6 th in times of 30:45 and 30:59 respectively. The first six athletes all under 31 minutes confirming to the speed of the course. Also, the first 13 athletes across the line all came from different clubs indicating the continuing support running clubs have for the race over the years.
The women’s race was also of a very high standard with Hannah Steeds of Leevale and former winner Niamh O’Mahony An Riocht battling it out over the two laps. In the end the Kerry girl came home a very convincing winner in a super time of 34:41 five seconds faster than her winning time in 2024.Hannah came home in second place in 35:51 followed by Dee Grady from Ennis Track in 36:16 matching her 3 rd place finish of last year. Amy Murphy West Limerick held off Cork girl April Quinn Togher for 4 th 37:49 and 5th 38:14 respectively. Super running by all in a field where the first nine girls were all well under 40 minutes.
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| Niamh O'Mahony An Riocht Athletic club in Kerry first Woman in the Coillte 10k road race in Dundrum being presented with her prize by Stephen Moore Coillte. |
The Master men categories were also fiercely contested in the Over/40 section Dermot Gorman Carrick on Suir 32:27 was well clear of Padraig Sheehan Eagle in 34:16 for 1 st and 2 nd respectively. The Over/45 had a Cork battle with Michael Herlihy North Cork 1 st 34:33 and Garrett Lordan Cork Track Club 2 nd in 34:47. The Over /50 had Kieran McKeown Grange Fermoy 35:49 1 st from David Ryan 2 nd in 36:42.The ever consistent Eugene O’Keeffe Carrick on Suir was first in the O/55 37:26 and his great friend William O’Donoghue Mooreabbey Milers was first O/60 in 40:30.Sam O’Meara Templemore 43:11 and James Sexton Kilmurray Ibrickane North Clare 50:57 who made the long trip from Clare were first O/65 and O/70 respectively.
The Master women categories as in the men were keenly contested. In the O/40 category Olive McCarthy St Nicholas was well clear of Clare Madden Togher with times of 38:34 and 41:26 respectively. In the O/45 category Katie Hickson St Finbarr’s got the better of local lady Catherine Fogarty Dundrum in times of 40:53 and 42:11 respectively. In the O/50 category it was all Cork one club battle with Watergrasshill Lisa Crowley and Gwen Conroy first and second in times of 43:13 and 44:31 respectively. Incredibly the winners of the O/55 category 51:31 and O/60 category 58:38 had the same name Martina Ryan with the Thurles Crokes Martina winning the younger age group.
The Junior 5k race had a decent entry of twenty-three athletes. Here we had a family double from that great sporting Maher family in Ardmayle. Albert Maher Dundrum winning the boys race in 17:10 to make it two in a row wins. With his consistent challenger Luke Duggan Templemore second in 17:51 The girl’s race had a clear win for Alberts sister Ellen Maher Dundrum in 22:17 from her clubmate Elisse Kelly in 22:23.Excellent running by all these athletes still in their early teens.
All prizes were presented after the race by Coillte Representative on the night Stephen Moore who himself finished third over fifty in the race and whose company Coillte are the main sponsors of the race and have been involved with the event since the first race in 1986.
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