9th
June 08 GRANT TO SCORE IN BUNCRANA
Diarmuid Grant hopes to make a winning return to the northwest
after a year spent in Dublin completing the practical experience
side of his Engineering Degree at the University of Ulster JordanstownNow
back home in Donegal, Grant is bypassing tonight’s fourth race
in the Furey Insurances 5K to concentrate on winning the Buncrana
10K in his adopted hometown.
The City of Derry athlete has been logging
up weeks in excess of eighty miles after a momentous winter
that saw him take third in the NI & Ulster Senior Cross-Country
as well as represent Ireland at the World University Games in
Germany.
“I’ve good mileage done but now I want to sharpen
up during the summer months,” said Grant. “I’m not sure yet
if I’ll do any track races, my main target is probably the Donegal
5K championships in September.”
In the absence of Grant tonight (Wednesday
- 11th June), Gregory Roberts should win the his third fixture
in the 5K Series after winning the opening race at the Bay Road
and taking victory in Buncrana two weeks ago.
Aaron Doherty who won the second race in Lisnagelvin
remains overall leader and should do enough to retain the yellow
jersey.
Similarly women’s leader and defending champion,
Cathy McCourt, is favoured to maintain her place in the vanguard
of the females.
Meanwhile Kevin Holian was the winner of the
weekend’s road race in Donegal Town. The Finn Valley athlete
crossed the finish line in a modest 15 minutes 45 seconds and
had six seconds to spare from Paul Blayney who was one of a
number of North Belfast Harriers to make the trip to Donegal
for the race.
Letterkenny’s Ivan Toner took third in 15:53.
Blayney was the leading Master M35 while the other categories
on offer went to Michael O’Connell from Sligo (M40/16:18), North
Belfast’s Matt Shields (M50/16:43) and another Sligo man Terry
Hayes took the M60 award in 19:59.
Teresa McGloin completed a Finn Valley double
of the major awards when she led a small field of Senior women
home in an excellent 17:47. North Belfast’s Louise McClean who
had won the half-marathon in Newry at the end of last month
took second in 18:03 with her club colleague Cathy McCourt having
another excellent run to seal third another six seconds back.
McClean was also the leading F35 in the Masters’
classifications while the F40 award went to ultra-distance performer
Helena Crossan (18:20) from the Inishowen club. Finn Valley’s
Norine Bonner was the leading F50 in 23:01.
There were 81 finishers of whom disappointingly
only 13 were females.
.
Malcolm
