By Paul O’Neill
Having anchored the Irish Women’s Over 45s to an Outdoor World 4 x800m during the summer, Denise Toner was again on the final leg for the Irish Over 40’s team that broke the 2010 indoor record of 9.25.49 held by the USA ladies.
Four Irish teams in various age categories lined up in the first race of the NIA Live Meet held at the National Sports Centre at Abbottstown last Wednesday evening.
Michelle Cox was the lead runner for the 40s and the Newbridge athlete did a fine job handing over to Ciara Hickey of Brothers Pearse who in turn handed off to Rachel Murphy.
Going into the final leg the team was just outside the time required. Toner remained cool and focused on the job and the crowd really got behind the athletes coming down the home straight and the Knocks’ World and European Champion held her form well to cross the line and stop the clock at 9.24.56, 0.93 seconds faster than the record set in Boston 15 years ago.
Toner, who has dropped down to the 40s category, quipped afterwards; “ Oh to be 40 again!” she laughed, “but in all seriousness when our Women’s Over 45 team were unable to field due to sickness and injury and one of the ladies on the 40s team was unable to compete due to sickness I was only to delighted to answer the call and step in to that team.
“It’s always a pleasure to wear the green singlet and to help up the profile of Irish Masters Athletics. Over the last year through the hard work of Ronan Gately and the Masters’ committee Irish athletes have shown that they are right up there with the best in the world by taking numerous world records right across the age groups from over 35s to over 70s.”
Fermanagh athlete Tina Gallagher of OMG is no stranger to breaking records having already set a new over 60s indoor pentathlon record this season.
The Belcoo lady set another new age-group national record by setting new figures for the 60m hurdles at the Ulster University of Jordanstown Indoor Sprints and Hurdle meet on Saturday.
Gallagher’s time of 11.56 erased the old record of 11.74 which Mary Barrett of Loughrea had set back in 2019. An outstanding achievement and one that cements Tina’s place as one of the leading athletes in the country in her age group.
Armagh International Road Races
On Thursday, the Armagh International Road Races took place around the iconic Mall and once again this superb evening of racing attracted large crowds to the Cathedral City.
The evening kicked off with a juvenile program of races which saw over 1200 athletes between 7-15 compete. The three senior races attracted athletes from all over Europe and even a number from the United States.
The men’s 5k is dubbed the fastest in the world and this year set all sorts of records. The race winner, Andrew Colly of Zap Fitnness in the USA, set a new course record of 13.33, while third-place athlete Sebastian Larstad from Sweden set a new world best for a 16-year-old of 13.36 which bettered the previous best held by Norway’s World Champion and multiple senior world record holder Jacob Ingebrigtsen.
Another record that fell was that 152 athletes finished sub-15 minutes.
The final race of a busy and exciting evening saw another quality field assembled for the Open 3km.
After the usual frantic start, a large group of 23 athletes were still in contention with Aimad Belyad of Team Tribal Castlegar at the head of the field as they passed the finish line with two laps to go.
Frank Buchanan of St Michael’s sat just off the lead and looked controlled at this stage. When the athletes took the bell the next time, the group had been whittled down, before Joseph Grange of Chelmsford hit the front and really injected some pace into the race which split the pack in the space of 400m.
Grange sustained his effort with only Buchanan and Eric Nederheim able to live with the pace up front.
Buchanan bided his time and as they entered the long home straight the Enniskillen man made his bid to take the win. His effort was too much for the English athlete Grange, but Nederheim looked dangerous and with 200m hit the front with the Swede moving through the gears to take the win in a time 8.28, three seconds clear of Buchanan in second, with Grange holding on for third a further four seconds back.
This was an impressive run from Buchanan and one which sets him up for a busy week ahead as he competes in the Ulster Schools’ Cross Country before facing the heats of the 1500m at the Irish Senior Indoor Championships in Dublin on Saturday.
Earlier in the juvenile programme Kate Kelly of Enniskillen Running Club was a very convincing winner of the Girls’ Under15 race over 2300m and post-race was presented with her winner’s trophy by the 2024 European 1500m Champion Ciara Mageean.
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