Castlebar AC athletes make a big impression in Cork
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Freya Sweeney finished 12th and Lauren Hanrahan came home 10th in the Under 11 girls event at the recent 123.ie National Novice and Uneven Cross-Country Championships.Image 2 of 4
Jessica Fahy, Sarah McGrath, Ruby McNamara, Lauren Hanrahan and Freya Sweeney made up the Castlebar AC Under 11 girls team for the national finals recently.Image 3 of 4
Eimear Hughes put in an amazing performance to finish ninth in the Under 19 women’s race at the recent 123.ie National Novice and Uneven Cross-Country Championships.Image 4 of 4
Lauren (Under 11) and Isabelle Hanrahan (Under 13) impressed for Castlebar AC in Cork.ON Sunday, December 4, when mighty Mayo woman Sinéad Diver was breaking marathon records, athletes from all over the country were eagerly looking to take on the challenging terrain of Conna, Co. Cork, at the 123.ie National Novice and Uneven Cross-Country Championships.
Athletes from Castlebar AC were no exception and certainly put their stamp on the cross country scene on the day.
From the thrills and spills of the unforgiving Mellett's Hill in Swinford to the tall, springy grass of Roscommon Racecourse, Castlebar AC athletes confidently punched their ticket to the national finals in style.
The Under 11 girls' commitment to training consistently helped in no small way to their claiming a Mayo gold medal and Connacht silver medal.
They topped that off in Cork with two top 12 finishers in Lauren Hanrahan, running up an age, and Freya Sweeney. Lauren and Freya were instrumental in the Mayo and Connacht teams winning gold.
Ruby McNamara, Sarah McGrath and Jessica Fahy crossed the finish line strongly as well to wrap up their cross-country season.
Special mention to Jess Fahy, who lost her shoe early in the race but in true cross-country style carried on regardless!
Meanwhile, after a late start to the season due to injury, the irrepressible Isabelle Hanrahan ran a gutsy race out of age, showing that the sky is the limit for this very promising young athlete.
Elsewhere, Niamh Moran (Under 15) has made a brilliant return to form after injury. Following on from her fine run in the Connachts, she showed true grit in Cork to run a well-paced race in tough conditions.
Eimear Hughes (Under 19), Castlebar AC's stalwart runner, put on an amazing performance on the day of the national finals over a very cut up course to finish in an incredible ninth place. Eimear consistently achieves at national level.
Katie Gibbons represented Castlebar AC again on the day in true class and continues to be an outstanding role model for the club's younger athletes.
Castlebar AC would like to thank all the coaches, the wonderful parents and the hard-working marshals and volunteers for their ongoing commitment.