This afternoon (November 20) the village of Hollymount welcomed athletes back for the 57th edition of their annual Road Races.
As usual the excellent local organising team were on duty at the Community Centre, delighted to see familiar faces pick up bibs and t-shirts. The annual visitors from Liverpool had arrived – ten travelled this year – led for the umpteenth time by Neil Chester.
This year’s 10k winner was Michael Flanagan GCH in 35:41. He had a ding-dong race up front with second placed David Hickey Westport AC 35:48. Eamonn Joyce Mayo AC recovered sufficiently from his brilliant recent Dublin Marathon and moved up into third place on the final lap to cross the line in 35:50.
A 10k race for both men and women was contested for the first time. It replaced the longstanding programme which included a separate 6k for women and 10k for men. The change has been muted for some time. Though not universally popular most runners feel it’s a move with the times.
Typical Hollymount weather and ‘not a bad day for November’ as race founder Sean Reilly put it – bright sunshine, a chilly breeze and 8°C round the 3k lap course and most important local showers kept their distance. A good day for running.
The course start is just round the corner from the main street and competitors finish at the top of village having completed three laps on mainly single track slightly undulating roads.
This year’s 10k winner was Michael Flanagan GCH in 35:41. He had a ding-dong race up front with second placed David Hickey Westport AC 35:48. Eamonn Joyce Mayo AC recovered sufficiently from his brilliant recent Dublin Marathon and moved up into third place on the final lap to cross the line in 35:50.
Sean Reilly reminded us at prizegiving that it was a unique day for the event results – it was the first time in the event’s 57 year history that a father and son won the race. Tom Flanagan, father of today’s winner Michael, won the race back in 1967!
The women’s race winner was Mayo AC’s Norah Newcombe Pieterse – she finished seventh overall making a successful return to racing with a comfortable win in a great time 38:06.
Sarah Byrne was always going well and ran a well paced race to come home in an excellent second place in 40.13.
Mayo AC newcomer and Hollymount native Aisling Bell was third making it a podium finish for the club – she ran 43:01.
Hollymount 10k Category prizewinners were:
men:
o40: Andrew Hayes Mayo AC’s second finisher in 37:09
o50: Ian Egan 38:59 – he ran his first Hollymount 10k as a nineteen-year old in 1986!
O60: Tommy Neville 39:57
Women:
o40: Deirdre Moran Smyth 43:17
o50: Patricia Brennan 48:46
O60: Mags Glavey Mayo AC 47:43 – looking fresh and well recovered from her International Cross-Country success last weekend.
Other Mayo AC finishers:
Andy Neary 40:21
Johnny Cribbin 43:29
Paula Donnellan 43:50
Mikey McAndrew 44:22
Tony O’Malley 44:35
Jimmy Feeney 48:47
Noelle Kilduff 49:48
Joan Walsh 52:01
Colette McTigue 63:48
Sean Reilly thanked everyone who made the day possible – organisers, stewards, and refreshments providers.
Well done to all who supported the Hollymount 10k and junior 3k.
Congratulations to the prizewinners
Full results and more photos from the event are at www.mayoac.com
