All-Ireland Schools Track & Field Championships A fruitful weekend for Rathfarnham WSAF AC sprint and middle distance athletes at the All-Ireland Schools Track and Field Championships in Tullamore on Saturday. In the 200m Junior Girls race Ellie Oldrey was fast away from the blocks leading around the turn and powered down the home straight away from the field to claim a clear win and brilliant gold medal in a PB run of 25.65s, likely a club record. Ryan O Neill took to the start for the concluding race of the day in the senior boys 1500m. In a tactically run race Ryan lead through the opening 800m and signed off on his schools career in a hard fought final lap taking 2nd place and silver medal in a time of 3.59. Aoibheann NicMhathuna also competed in thd Junior girls shot out throwing 9.15. A fantastic showing of young talent from these young athletes and great credit to sprint coach John Hayes, endurance coach Paul Fleming and throws coach Angela Mac Mhathuna. Other races: Sprint club athletes competed at the Stratford Speed meet in London with Stephen Gaffney running a blistering 10.69s over 100m and Isabella Doyle 26.14 in 200m. The Slieve Donard. Rathfarnham runners took on the oldest mountain race in Ireland. Slieve Donard celebrated its 80th edition this year, with an up and down race from Newcastle up to the summit at 853m, a total of 9.5km. this race forms part of the IMRA Irish championships. David Power 12th M Peter O'Farrell 23rd M Laura Flynn 27th F Matt Kane finished 2nd in Howth IMRA on Wednesday too.

Another busy week for club athletes on the roads and on tracks. Tuesday evening 20th May 2025, saw the Tom Brennan 5k road race where Dermot Shields fresh from Wicklow Way endeavours was 1st club runner home in 17.16 followed by Ronan Byrne 19.03 and Michael Stewart 19.50. The club juveniles took centre stage on the weekend 24 - 25th May with 60 boys and girls competing in Dublin track and field championships at Santry and Tallaght. Some impressive performances with Ellie Oldrey taking 250m u15 hurdles gold and Lucy Blessington u14 800m and Calum Kelly u17 boys 300h Silver medals and Sarah Murphy u19 400m H and Aoibheann Nic Mathuna u15 shot put getting bronze medals. These athletes now progress to National championships in Tullamore at the end of June. Also in action at the weekend with notable results were Kevin Donagher taking the win at the Grocers 4 mile at Leopardstown racecourse and Louis McCarthy 3rd Newry City 10km and David Power, 4th, Calcutta Run 10km, Phoenix Park.  Overseas we had Cillian McCabe run 50.28s in 400m and Stephen Gaffney run 10.75s over 100m at the IFAM meet in Brussels. We also had Aoibheann Nic Mhathuna qualify for All Ireland Schools in the Junior girls Shot Putt. 2nd place finish in Leinster and she now joins Ryan and Ellie in Tullamore for National Schools Finals next weekend and we wish them good luck.

At the third Dublin Graded Meeting on the Tallaght track on Wednesday 21st May 2025, we had some notable runs by our athletes. Paul Stephenson won bronze in the Dublin Championships 10,000m in a time of 35.04 and Alexy Marchenko was 4th in 35.14. In the 400m Cillian McCabe won the Dublin Championships bronze medal in 50.75 and Callum Kelly ran 59.68. In the womens 400m Orla Murray ran 1.23 and Vanessa Sallier ran 1.26. In the Hammer Vanessa threw 21.48M. In the mens mile Jared Murray ran 4.28 and Aiden O'Connor ran 4.53. In the womens mile Louise Gaffney was first home in 5.27, followed by Aisling O'Connor in 5.43 and Caitriona Dowling ran 5.54, in her come back race. Well done to all. The full results are on the Dublin Athletics live site at http://live.dublinathletics.com/graded-25-3/menu.html

At the National 5k Championships in the Phoenix Park on Saturday 17th May we had 17 competitors. First home was Shane O'Neill in 16.12. Shane was followed by Paul Fleming 16.37 and Sean McCreery 17.38. Shane, Paul and Sean won gold in the M50+ team category. Next came David Reidy 17.41, Michael Murphy 17.52, Colm Murray 18.04, Louise Gaffney 18.47, Aisling O'Connor 19.18, Ronan Byrne 19.22, Gerry Boyle 19.35, Richard Deeney 19.34, Caitriona Dowling 20.08, Alexander Dunne Martin 19.57, Donna Mahon 20.54, Sheelagh Jones 21.17, Ester Lawlor 21.52 and Vanessa Sallier 22.27. The results show that Rathfarnham WSAF AC won silver in the F50+ (Donna, Sheelagh and Vanessa) and silver in F35+ (Louise, Caitriona and Sheelagh). TThe M35+ team were 9th. Well done to all who ran. A busy week for club athletes aside from Wicklow Relay and National 5k road championships. In the Leinster schools finals Ryan O Neill finished 2nd in the senior boys 1500m and Ellie Oldrey finished 1st in Junior Girls 200m and 2nd in hurdles and both advance to National Schools finals in Tullamore in a few weeks time, good luck to both. We also had Aoibheann Nic Mhathuna qualify for All Ireland Schools in the Junior girls Shot Putt, 2nd place finish in Leinster. Club runners took part in Wednesday’s BHAA 5k beach run in Sandymout with Colm Murray winning M55 anc Vanessa Sallier 2nd in F50. In the Tullamore May Open today Cillian McCabe competed in 400m hurdle finishing 56.8s Over East coast Stateside, Patrick Hickey ran a fine 800m PB of 1.58.6. At the Bear organised Half Marathon in Clondalkin on Sunday 18th May, Amy Cooke in her first run on returning to the Club, ran 1.42 to finish strongly as 13th woman home. Well done to all.

Rathfarnham WSAF AC continued a 20+ year record in the 22nd Wicklow Way Relay on Saturday 17th May 2025. The green and black team finished 3rd after the 8 runners had covered over 100km in over 8 hours. First timers on the team were Patrick Macgabhann, Dermot Shiels and Gráinne Black, who did really well. The usual drama and intrigue was woven into a hot sunny day across the Garden County. Team captain John McAuley lined up a solid team, with lots of experience. Clare Shiels, Louis McCarthy, David Power and Marc Fitzachry held their place. Ciarán Aylward was the team's essential volunteer. Well done to East Cork AC for taking the win for the 3rd year. Other Rathfarnham club members running included Laura Flynn and Paul Stephenson.

A busy weekend for our club athletes on the roads and tracks gave us some excellent performances. Friday evening 9th May saw the Le Cheile 5k road race in Leixlip where ever green Mark Ryan came home in 3rd place with an impressive time of 15.26 and Dermot Shields winning M50 and remarkably just 2 weeks from Hamburg marathon, breaking 17min for first time (16.58). Saturday 10th May saw almost 50 of our juvenile girls and boys competing in Dublin league in Santry jumping in and out of a ton of events - high jump, long jump, javelin, discus , 60/80/800 races. Great to see the aspiring athletes trying everything and practicing for their Dublin championships competing ahead of the championship races. Also on Saturday Paul Fleming sent out 3 of his emerging track athletes and all 3 came away with PBs with Ryan O Neill running Irish Milers race series in Belfast 1500m in 3.54. In Dublin Graded races in Santry Jarrod Murray lowering his 1500m time to 4.02 and Aidan O Connor dropping his 5000m time to 16.46. Aisling O Connor took the Dublin 5000m race in 19.20. Finally lots of club participants in Terenure 5m on Sunday 11th May notably Patrick MacGabhann 7th overall 26.15 and Colm Murray first M55 30.29 and Martin Kelly 31.52 first M65 and Claire Shiels 34.15 F45 and W40 team first place comprised Claire Sheils, Grainne Black and Lian Brady. Well done all and good luck next weekend to club runners in Wicklow Way Relays and National 5k road championship.

Well done to all our athletes who competeted in the Dublin Graded Meeting 2 at Morton Stadium, Santry on Sunday 11th May 2025. Pride of place goes to Aisling O'Connor who won gold in the 5,000m Dublin Championships in 19.20 and Jared Murray who won silver in the 1,500m Dublin Championships in 4.02. Aiden O'Connor ran 16.46 in his 5,000m. In the 200m Isabelle Doyle ran 25.71 and Vanessa Sallier 38.40. Cillian McCabe ran 22.96 in his 200m and Callum Kelly ran 25.65. In the Javelin Isabel Mullarney threw 28.24 to win the bronze medal in the Dublin Championships and Vanessa Sallier threw 11.69. Well done to all.

Well done to all our athletes who took part in the first Dublin Graded Meeting in the Morton Stadium on Sunday 03 May 2025. In the womens 3,000m Aisling O'Connor ran 10.57, Louise Gaffney 11.12, Sophie McGrath 11.53 and Kate Connolly 12.47. In the mens 3,000m Mick Murphy 10.20, David Reidy 10.27 and Tom Cuddy 10.54. Stephen Gaffney ran in the 100m as did Orla Murray. Orla also competed in the shot putt, long jump and high jump where she won a Dublin Championships bronze medal. Isabel Mullarney also competed in the shot putt and won the bronze medal in the Dublin Championships with a throw of 8.79m. The full results are on the http://live.dublinathletics.com/graded-25-1/menu.html site. Well done to all.

NATIONAL M50 ROAD RELAY CHAMPIONS Fantastic running in the National Road Relays on Sunday 27th April 2025 in Raheny, with our M50 team taking National Gold. In the 1st leg over 1 mile Sean McCreery stuck with the hot pace in the lead pack, running 5.25. On the 2nd leg over 2 miles Shane O'Neill stretched out into a clear second place in 10.30. On the 3rd leg over 1 mile Paul Fleming Reeled in the leader and stormed to a terrific win in 4.59. Celebrations on the double for birthday boy Paul on the day. At the Hamburg marathon on Sunday 27th April Ross Griffin ran 3:01, Colly Murray ran 3:03 and Denis Daly ran 3:16. In the Boston marathon on Monday 21st April Jos Lawlor came home in 3:10. Well done to all.

Well done to all our athletes who ran in the Great Ireland 10k Run in the Phoenix Park on Sunday 13th April 2025. Pride of place must go to Aisling O'Connor who came second in the womens race in 38.48. Other god results were Colm Murray (38.11, 1st M55), Tom Cuddy (40.52, 1st M65), Gerry Boyle (41.22, 2nd M65) and Laura Ryan. Well done to all.

We had some great runs in the Tallaght 5k on Monday 17th March. First home was Liam Dunne in 16.45, followed by Dermot Shiels 17.29, Michael Murphy 17.38, David Reidy 17.47, Colm Murray 18.27, Laura Ryan 18.28, Aisling O'Connor 18.41, Tom Cuddy 18.58, Clare Shiels 20.56 and Grainne Black 21.58. In the Dublin Novice Road Championships our mens team (Liam Dunne, Dermot Shiels, Michael Murphy, David Reidy) were 5th team. At the Mullingar Half Marathon on 17th March, David Power was 7th in 74.29. Well done to all.

At the Bohernameen half marathon on Sunday 09 March, we had a big club entry with Matthew Kane the leading club runner in 14th place overall. Bohermeen was tough even though it's flat and there's no wind on the course. Some PBs were set and the times were Matthew Kane 1.11, David Power 1.15, Gael Hernandez 1.18, Dermot Shiels 1.22, Colm Murray 1.22, Martin Kitson 1.22, David REIDY - 1.24, Jos Lalor 1.26, Micheál MURPHY 1.27, Gavin Murphy 1.27, Martin Kelly 1.28, Denis DALY - 1.30, Michael STUART -1.37, John MC CABE - 1.45 and Catherine Kelly 1.59. Great running everyone! Some other noteworthy results over the weekend (08 - 09 March) from Rathfarnham WSAF members were Jared Murray continues his comeback with a fine 6th place at the National Indoor 800m in Athlone with a fast time of 1m 56s.. Tom Cuddy took gold in National masters Indoors M65 3000m in 11m 13s. Paul Fleming took 3rd place at the concluding BHAA xc race in ALSAA. And down in Sydney, Australia 2 times National senior women’s 1500m champion, Carla Sweeney posted a PB of 2m 45s on the track over 1000m. Think about that folks next time doing 1k reps. Great running all Reports by Sean McCreery and David Power.

𝗔𝗹𝗹 𝗜𝗿𝗲𝗹𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗦𝗰𝗵𝗼𝗼𝗹𝘀 𝗖𝗿𝗼𝘀𝘀 𝗖𝗼𝘂𝗻𝘁𝗿𝘆 This Saturday the All-Ireland Schools Cross-Country took place in Galway where close to one thousand secondary school athletes took part in the climax of the All Ireland schools cross country races over four age groups. The venue was on the famous Galway, Ballybrit race course. The Fianna Fáil tent and helicopters may have been missing by the atmosphere was electric with the country’s best young athletes vying for much coveted national medals. Rathfarnham WSAF had 2 athletes, Fionán O'Keeffe and Ryan O Neill running for Terenure College in the opening boys minors and closing boys seniors races. The minor boys race was the typical frantic dash from the gun with Fionán O'Keeffe digging in to produce a very impressive 8th place finish. In the concluding senior race Ryan O Neill was at the business end from the first lap and the initial lead group of 10 soon whittled down to 6. Ryan despite a fall on the 3rd last corner while in 4th, somehow got back on his feet and kept his head to take 3rd and secure a brilliant podium finish. Fantastic running lads and a credit to your coaches, families and school.

At the All Ireland Cross Country races in Wesport on Sunday 09 February 2025 we had some fine performances by our masters teams who brought home several all Ireland Medals. In the M65+ race Tom Cuddy was 2nd home overall and 2nd M65 category. Tom was followed by Donal Murphy 12th and 9th M65, John McHugh 13th and 9th M65 and Terry Clarke 17th and 10th M65. Tom, Donal and John won team Gold in the M65 and also scored on the Dublin Gold medal winning team. Next up was the Masters F50+ Women's race. First home was Donna Mahon 58th and 7th F50, followed by Sheelagh Jones 78th and 1st F65, Vanessa Sallier 94th and 9th F50 and Helen French 112th and 12th F50 to bring our F50+ team homein 4th position. Donna and Sheelagh scored on the Dublin silver medal winning team. In the Masters Men M35+ race Mark Ryan was 5th and 1st M45, followed by Matthew Kane 8th and 5th M40, Louis McCarthy, 16th and 8th M40 and David Power, 21st and 10th M40. These 4 lads took home the M35+ Club silver medal, while Mark, Matthew and Louis scored on the Dublin Gold medal winning team. Well done to all. The full results are on Myrunresults website at https://myrunresults.com/events/123ie_national_inter__masters_xc_championships/5624/results

Whilst the club xc season concluded prior to Christmas the school xc season has just begun with Leinster Schools South, West and East Cross Country Championships taking place in January in Phoenix Park with over 2,000 athletes taking part. The Schools Cross Country Championships allow athletes to swap their club singlets and represent their schools. The age groups include: Minor (Under 14), Junior (Under 15), Intermediate (Under 17) and Senior (Under 19). Many of Ireland’s top long-distance runners have competed in the Leinster Schools Cross Country Championship, using it as a stepping stone to national and international success. Placing in first 12 in regional race qualifies athletes for the Leinster Schools Final on 12 February with the opportunity then to qualify for National Schools Finals in Galway on 8 March. Well done to all club athletes who competed with some fine qualifying performances including Fionnan O Keeffe 1st Minor Boys, Ryan O Neill 2nd Senior Boys, Amelia Byrne 5th Junior Girls, Lucy O Neill 10th Inter Girls Sarah Murphy 11th Senior Girls and Aidan O Connor 12th Senior Boys. These athletes can next look forward to upcoming provincial final. Good runs also from, Keely Sheridan 20th, Aoife Reidy 21st Junior Girls, Ciara MacDonnacha 28th Inter Girls East, Kate Connolly 28th inter Girls West Sarah O Reilly 50th Girls Inter, Lily Lonegan 29th Junior Girls and Philipa McGlynn 26th Senior Girls and Ava McGill.