Road
A number of the club’s athletes competed at the Dublin 5k road championships which were held in Ratfarnham on
Sunday 24 th October. Edel Monaghan, Clíona Murphy, Sorcha MacAllister and Cristín Scollard ensured that DCH
would comfortably take the team title over two minutes clear from Ratfarnham A.C. Meanwhile, Órán O’Hare put in a
great performance finishing 21 st overall in a time of 15.29 while Christopher McGloughlin finished in 17.25. Aoife Ní
Bhroin finished 2 nd at the Simon Home Run 5 mile race in a time of 32.17, while Ellen Byrne finished in 19.30 at the
St. Anne’s Park Parkrun. Over in Scotland, sisters Niamh and Aoife Carr raced 17.08 and 18.05 respectively over 5k.
Cross Country
The cross country season got underway on Sunday 8 th October in Tymon Park with the Dublin Novice championships.
For many of the club’s athletes, this was a first taste of cross-country racing, but that did not dissuade the team from
displaying a memorable performance. The women’s team put on a dominant show with Elizabeth Gahan and Cristín
Scollard taking the top two spots on the podium. The battle for the team title appeared to be a tight competition
between DCH, Clonliffe Harriers, and Crusaders A.C. for much of the race. Clare O’Connor and Katie Greene worked
together throughout the course and a phenomenal performance over the final lap by both athletes ensured that DCH
would retain the team title. Niamh McInerney, Lorna Walsh, Sarah Jane Brennan and Aisling Purdy rounded out the
team with strong individual performances that will instill confidence in the club’s ability to make it four consecutive
team titles next year. Elizabeth’s individual win was also the third consecutive DCH winner at the Dublin Novice
Championship, after Celine Galvin and Faye Dervan took the titles in 2021 and 2022 respectively.
The newly flourishing men’s squad were next to take to the start-line, with Órán O’Hare and Oisín Mckinley both
placing themselves comfortably in the early leading group. Meanwhile, Mark Gilligan, Alex Crowley and Conor
Murphy packed into the chasing group for much of the race. While Oisín and Órán finished nicely inside the top-10,
tenacious efforts from Mark and Alex enabled the team to secure DCH’s first Men’s team medal in over 30 years with
3 rd place. The team was rounded out by Christopher McGloughlin, Jonathon Hartnett, Ciarán Ryan, Ivan Briody, Joe
Fogarty, Adrian Watson and Paul McGloughlin, resulting in a total of 12 DCH finishers on the men’s side.
Training & Upcoming Racing
After a busy month of training in September, the cross country season has finally gotten underway and will continue
through the winter. While the women’s team will aim to retain titles at all championships, the men’s team will aim to
establish a reputation as consistent contenders for medals. Next on the calendar will be the National Cross Country
Mixed Relay Championships and Autumn International Cross Country held in Abbottstown on Sunday 15th September.
Dublin City Harriers 