Medals for the boys in blue

The Leinster junior and under 23 championships recently took place in Navan and there were five athletes from the Tullamore Harriers sprint group who competed in their respective age categories. First off to start the day was Patrick Heffernan, who competed in the 110m hurdles in the junior category and took a silver medal. Paddy ran a very quick race and will be hoping to improve his personal best, however times for all events have not yet been published by the Athletics Council. Darragh McNamara, Eoin Delaney and Larry O Reilly were next up with the 200m. Both Darragh and Eoin competed in the Junior category with Larry in the under 23's. Darragh, a regular 400m athlete took a step down to run the 200m and ran a very well to finish a strong 4th with Eoin also running well, finishing 7th overall. Larry finished his 200m race in a strong 2nd to take the silver medal. The afternoon saw four athletes compete in the 100m with Patrick, Eoin and Dean Power qualifying for the final in the junior category. All athletes ran superbly well and are just awaiting the official times. Dean Power showed great strength and composure to finish a tight second in the final. This is Dean's first year competing in the juniors and shows much potential for success in the years to come. Larry took another 2nd place in his under 23 100m final to earn the silver medal. Joe Mulligan was competing in Dunboyne in the same competition and was crowned Leinster U23 Shot and Discus championship. All athletes performed very well during the weekend and this was great preparation for the national junior and under 23's championships, which are due to take place in Tullamore Harriers on Sunday next, June 24. The club wishes the very best of success to all the athletes taking part in the championships that weekend. Portumna Forest Marathon The Forest Marathon, 50km, and 100km Races took place in the National Forest Park in Portumna, Co. Galway, Ireland on June 16. This was the third year of the event and this was the biggest event yet with record numbers in the marathon, 50km, and 100km races . Tullamore Harriers were represented in both the marathon and the 50k events. Marathon man Larry Rigney added this to his long list of 26.2mile races and crossed the line in a time of 4.24.59. The other competitor Denzil Jacobs finished his first ultra 50k challenge posting a fantastic time of 4hrs 20mins. This was no mean feat just six weeks after his Cork Marathon. Forest 5k Fun Run/Walk On Friday, July 13, Tullamore Harriers are hosting a 5k Fun Run/Walk in the grounds of Charleville Demense. It's through the beautiful forest and surrounding grounds and is open to anyone wishing to race, jog or walk the 5,000m distance. It can be a competitive race or fun evening for the family. All members are encouraged to support this event.. A donation from the event will be given to Living Links Suicide Support Group for the Midlands. details from Maurice Fitzgerald (087 0666060) or Adrian Martin (086 8727311) or any club member.