Murphy and Mooney crowned as senior cross country champions

The 2024 Offaly Cross Country season concluded with a very impressive finish at Faithful Fields in Kilcormac last Sunday week. On a day that many counties held their final cross country meeting for the year, this marked the fourth time the senior championships were held at this venue, and thanks to the dedication of the organisers and volunteers, the course was in excellent condition for the day's races.

Hosted by Offaly Athletics, the championships saw participation from nearly every athletic club in the county, including a debut appearance by Rhode AC. The Rhode AC athletes made an impressive first showing, with the ladies' team securing bronze medals and the men's team finishing in a strong 5th place.

A big congratulations to all the athletes who participated, especially those stepping onto the cross country course for the first time. It’s always inspiring to see new faces taking on the challenge, adding to the excitement and spirit of the event.

Despite an early drizzle, the rain cleared before the races began, leaving a strong breeze as the main challenge for the competitors. The conditions, however, were overall quite favourable for cross country running.

The ladies’ race began with Tullamore Harriers Chairman Adrian Curley blowing the whistle to set the 25 participants in motion. The coveted Martina Conlon Trophy was at stake for the senior cross country team competition, alongside the individual county medals.

The trophy holds a special place in Offaly athletics history, named after Martina Conlon, the first-ever Offaly Senior Cross Country champion nearly 40 years ago. Martina continues to inspire as an active competitor and was racing on Sunday alongside her Tullamore Harriers clubmates — a testament to her enduring passion for running.

From the very start, Laura Mooney of Tullamore Harriers established herself as the one to beat. Coming off an impressive 7th-place finish at the European Cross Country Championships in Turkey the previous weekend, Laura dominated the race, leading comfortably from start to finish to secure the win.

Behind Laura, her clubmates Sarah Flanagan and Pauline Curley, along with Sarah McNamee of Rhode AC, delivered standout performances. Sarah Flanagan broke away to secure 2nd place, while Pauline fought hard to claim 3rd, followed closely by Sarah McNamee in 4th.

In the team competition for the Martina Conlon Trophy, it was Tullamore Harriers who triumphed, thanks to stellar runs from Mooney, Flanagan, Curley and Michelle Mullaney.

The Naomh Mhuire AC ladies claimed 2nd place with excellent efforts from Lisa Murphy, Emma Hart, Mairead Scally, and Fiona O’Connor. In their debut season, Rhode AC impressed with their ladies’ team taking the 3rd-place position, led by Sarah McNamee, Karen Kellaghan, Tracey Dillon and Claire Conway.

Immediately following the ladies' race, the focus shifted to the 41 men lining up for their 9km challenge. The race attracted a strong showing from the majority of Offaly clubs, with a mix of experienced competitors and fresh faces eager to test themselves.

The men began with two 500m laps, followed by five circuits of the 1600m loop, mirroring the structure of the women’s race but adding an extra two laps for the greater distance.

From the start, Barry Minnock of Tullamore Harriers AC set the early pace, leading with impressive strength. However, it wasn’t long before Harry Lupton of Ballyskenach AC surged ahead, taking control in the early stages.

As the race unfolded, Michael Murphy, also of Tullamore Harriers, ran tactically, staying just behind Harry and biding his time. In the final 1000m, Michael made his move, taking the lead, but all the while Harry was never too far out of contention.

Paul Mitchell of Tullamore Harriers, last year’s champion, had a very solid run, taking the bronze medal for 2024. Again, the Harriers men secured the team win with Kevin Minnock making up the 4th scorer.

Naomh Mhuire AC was 2nd team with the men from the Daingean club well bunched in 9th, 12th, 13th and 16th place: Jimmy Coughlan, Darren Bermingham, Kevin Looby and Brendan Donagher. Ferbane AC finished as 3rd team with Paul Buckley, Donagh McBrearty, Kevin Brazil and Dermot Egan.

Following the races, the medals and trophies were presented by John Cronin, President of Athletics Ireland. Kilcormac Killoughey AC kindly served the post-race refreshments in the club house. As always, Offaly Civil Defence provided great service which is very much appreciated. Thank you to Christy Todd of Offaly GAA for his assistance and support leading up to the championships.

The next cross country event is the Leinster Intermediate and Masters championships on January 18, hosted by Offaly Athletics in Faithful Fields once again.

Ladies’ results

Laura Mooney (Tullamore Harriers AC) 22.10; Sarah Flanagan (Tullamore Harriers) 24.41; Pauline Curley (Tullamore Harriers) 26.17; Sarah McNamee (Rhode AC) 28.37; Lisa Murphy (Naomh Mhuire AC) 28.46; Carmel Murray (Birr AC) 29.19; Emma Hart (Naomh Mhuire AC) 29.36; Michelle Mullaney (Tullamore Harriers) 29.42; Karen Kellaghan (Rhode AC) 29.47; Mairead Scally (Naomh Mhuire AC) 29.54; Hilary Duncan (Tullamore Harriers) 31.42; Mary Galvin (Tullamore Harriers) 31.59; Tracey Dillon (Rhode AC) 32.25; Marie Nevin (Kilcormac Killoughey AC) 33.28; Fiona O'Connor (Naomh Mhuire AC) 34.01; Margaret Kilmartin (Kilcormac Killoughey AC) 34.02; Claire Conway (Rhode AC) 34.33; Martina Conlon (Tullamore Harriers) 34.54; Helen Chambers (Naomh Mhuire AC) 35.01; Caroline McLoughlin (Rhode AC) 35.31; Eithne Carroll (Kilcormac Killoughey AC) 36.30 Pauline Colgan (Naomh Mhuire AC) 38.53; Sharon Jones (Naomh Mhuire AC) 38.53; Tracey Burns (Naomh Mhuire AC) 38.53; Mary Carroll (Kilcormac Killoughey AC) 39.39.

Men’s results

Michael Murphy (Tullamore Harriers AC) 32.37; Harry Lupton (Ballyskenach AC) 32.48; Paul Mitchell (Tullamore Harriers) 33.28; Kevin Minnock (Tullamore Harriers) 33.29; Barry Minnock(Tullamore Harriers) 34.07; Jonathan Dunne (Tullamore Harriers) 35.01; Luke Duffy (Tullamore Harriers) 35.24; Eimhin Kenny (Tullamore Harriers) 36.15; Jimmy Coughlan (Naomh Mhuire AC) 36.29; Paul Buckley (Ferbane AC) 36.57; Donagh McBrearty (Ferbane AC) 37.44; Darren Bermingham (Naomh Mhuire AC) 37.46; Kevin Looby (Naomh Mhuire AC) 38.02; Daniel Molloy (Tullamore Harriers) 38.38; Glen Finlay (Tullamore Harriers) 38.56; Brendan Donagher (Naomh Mhuire AC) 39.28; Darren Butler (Tullamore Harriers) 39.48; William Delahunt (Ballyskenach AC) 39.55; David Hollywood (Tullamore Harriers) 40.15; Alan Mitchell (Tullamore Harriers) 40.15; Brian Fogarty (Birr AC) 40.34; JP McLoughlin (Rhode AC) 40.52; Dervish Bartlett (Birr AC) 41.42; Kevin Brazil (Ferbane AC) 41.49; Dermot Egan (Ferbane AC) 41.55; Joe Brophy (Birr AC) 42.12; David Hackett (Kilcormac Killoughey AC) 42.46; Nicky Dunne (Birr AC) 42.51; Ger Cleary (Naomh Mhuire AC) 43.40; Patrick Claffey (Kilcormac Killoughey AC) 43.59; Ger Minnock (Naomh Mhuire AC) 44.35; Adrian Delaney (Naomh Mhuire AC) 44.37; Jonathan Geraghty (Rhode AC) 44.45; Dermot Hartnett (Rhode AC) 44.59; David Brady (Rhode AC) 45.51; Donal Mannion (Birr AC) 46.12; Mark Delaney (Kinnitty AC) 47.59; Gordon Kerrigan (Rhode AC) 48.15; Mattie Flanagan (Naomh Mhuire AC) 50.29; David Craven (Kilcormac Killoughey AC) 50.54; Gerard Keller (Naomh Mhuire AC) 51.09.