Kildare Road Race successes
Ella Hanlon of Suncroft-Curragh, Kildare, competed in the Girls Discus at the Cairn Community Games National Track, Field and Relay Finals at SETU in Carlow. Photo: Seb Daly/Sportsfile
A big Kildare following made their way home from the brilliant event that was the European Championships in Birmingham. With that journey brought renewed enthusiasm, inspiration and motivation. There was plenty of opportunities to put those new found traits into action last week as two Kildare clubs hosted road races. Firstly Celbridge AC hosted their annual 5km road race with an attendance of 654. The winner was Dylan Wright (Lucan Harriers). Kelly Breen (North East Runners) won the ladies event. Three days later it was the turn of Kildare AC, who held a road race as part of the 70th anniversary of their clubs existence. Over 200 athletes competed over three distances: 3.5km, 5km and 10km. Local athlete Robert Hewison won the 5km event with Barbora Hurt Hrubesova being the first female across the line.
Celbridge Summer 5km The Celbridge A.C 5k Summer Road Race took place last Thursday, with 654 participants starting and finishing at the club grounds. A flat course that gives way to fast times, the current course record was set by Sean Tobin (Clonmel) at 14.10 minutes. The female time by Ide Ni Domhnaill (West Limerick) at 15.52 minutes. So fast is the course that the record has been smashed twice over the past three years. In the line-up was last year’s runner up Dylan Wright (Lucan) who it was rumoured has his eye on the top prize this year.
There was no hanging about for the top guys as the pace was rapid from the gun. Wright along with Eanna O’Bradaigh (DSD), Sean Doran (Clonliffe), Adam Foy (Donore), Archie Bremer (Dublin) with Ronan Keaney (Tullamore) just behind them took the participants through the first kilometre in 2.58 minutes. Behind these six athletes a group of over 20 runners were following the pacers, just a meter or two behind. That meter or two increased over the next kilometre as the leading group pushed on.
By the 3km mark Wright, O’Bradaigh, Doran and Foy has pulled slightly ahead with Bremer and Keaney now running side by side. For the ladies Kelly Breen (North East Runners) was now comfortably ahead of Lauren Tinkler (DCH) with junior athletes Iris McCartan and Rachel Keaney racing for the junior honours. Over the final two kilometres Dylan Wright looked strong as he push the pace a bit more. It was a fast final kilometre, with Wright clocking 2.55 minutes as he crossed the line in 15.16 minutes. Wight has run this race for the past three years, finishing 7th in 2024, runner-up last year and finally getting his gold in this years iteration.
Sean Doran and Eanna O’Bradaigh had a 200m sprint finish to decide the second and third spots with O’Bradaigh coming out the better of the two to take second place in 15.23, two seconds ahead of Doran. The top three places were now decided. While Adam Foy make have got the better of Ronan Keaney, Keaney’s 6th place finish in 15.53 was an incrediable run for the 17 year old who took the top junior prize. He as 40 seconds ahead of the second placed junior Sam Cooney. Celbridge’s own Zian Soobaya was the thid junior in a time of 17.09, a great race for the 15 year old. Mick Silke (Le Cheile) clocked 16.02 in 7th place and was the first over 40 across the line. 15 seconds later Ruben Bartlelink (DSD) was the first over 40 to finish.
Amongst the ladies Kelly Breen had increased her lead over Lauren Tinkler and crossed held her hands high in victory as she recorded a winning time of 16.31 seconds. Tinkler finished second in 17.18. Iris McCartan (Clane) after a long hard fought run managed to get the better of Rachel Keaney to finish as the 3rd female in 17.36 minutes with Keaney just three seconds behind in 4th. These two girls took the first and second junior girls spots. The 5th place lady was the ever enduring Maria McCambridge who at 54 years of age clocked 17.31 to take the first over 50 spot. Ironically almost a minute ahead of the first over 40 lady Laura McDonnell. The over 60s did very well with Michael Counsel (Raheny) just so close to the National masters 5km road best at 16.52. Cathlyn Brady was the first lady over 60.
The team events always create a bit of excitement, none more so when they are mixed. Two male and two females were to score. It was Dundrum South Dublin who took the top prize. The team consisting of Eanna O’Bradaigh, Maria McCambridge, Jessica Quinn and Ruben Bartelink. Two Kildare teams occupied the other two podium places. Le Cheile took second place with the over 40 winner Mick Silke, leading the team of Aisling Loughlin, Lauren O’Sullivan and David Power. Local team Celbridge finished third thanks to Gary Cribben, Martina O’Sullivan, Zane Soobaya and Linda Earley.
This year was is a special year for Kildare AC as the club celebrates its 70th anniversary. What better way to celebrate 70 years of running that with a road race. Participants could choose from three distances: 3.5km, 5km and 10km, the 5km proving to be the most popular with 93 finishers.
Starting with the 3.5km, it was Jayden Murphy (Newbridge AC) who took the top honours in a time of 11.25 minutes, comfortably ahead of clubmate Harry Boland who was second in 11.52. Boland just back from supporting the Irish team in Birmingham. Rian Coleman was 3rd, six seconds behind Boland. The first female was Robyn Browne (Newbridge) who finished 5th overall, clocking 12.18 at the finishing line. Second female was Robyn Rainbow (Newbridge) with Saoirse Evan’s in third place. 62 athletes completed the 3.5km course.
The most popular race the 5km was won by local Kildare athlete Rob Hewison. Hewison better known as an 800m runner (he has been a previous national senior bronze medalist), comfortably completed the 5km course. From the oneset Hewison was happy to stay with the leading pack. It was clear he was not under pressure as passed through the first kilometre mark, smiling and breathing comfortably. From there he moved ahead racing consistently over the remaining four Kilometres, pulling further ahead as the race progressed.
With 400m to go he used his 800m speed to push things a little more, to far ahead of anyone else in the field to be challenged. Hewison crossed the line in the red singlet of Kildare AC in 17.09 minutes to take the top spot. It was almost a two minute wait to the second placed individual. Two minutes behind Hewison a family affair was gathering. Three members of the Guther family; Patrick, Alexander and Dad Iosif who had raced most of the distance together as a team, were now head for head against each other eyeing those podium spots. It was 16 year old Patrick who finished second to Hewison in a time of 18.55, with Alexander four seconds behind getting the better of Dad Iosef by one second.
The first female to cross the line was Barbora Hurt Hrubesova who clocked 21.16 minutes, three and a half minutes ahead of Lucy Shirren in second and Kristyn Kenny in third.
The 10km event was won by Andrew O’Brien with Kildare AC’s Seamus Cardiff in second place. O’Brien was a clear winner in 33.57, running solo for most of the race and finishing over 4 minutes ahead of Cardiff. Bartosz Iwanski was third in 40.01. The top three females were Itene Lopez (45.03) who pushed ahead of Anita Rimmer over the final kilometre and Jocilene Olivera in third.
This race followed on from a night of memorabilia at the Silken Thomas in Kildare, where photographs, results, trophies, old singlets and other such memorabilia were on display, representing the 70 years of Kildare athletics history.
Kildare AC was founded in July 1956 at Fair Green Kildare as an NACA club. The sport being split between two organisations NACA and BLE. The first president was Kelly Tommy with Jimmy Morrissey the secretary and John Kelly the teasurer. There was plenty success in that first year. Starting with the county championships where John Kelly won was a triple medal winner, winning the 100, 220 and 440 yard races. Anthony Fitzsimons, grandfather to Irish International John Fitzsimons won the 880 yards, 1 mile and 3 mile events. Kildare AC had taken a clean sweep of gold in all the running events. A year later the club won the senior cross-country. With scores of young athletes now rising in the ranks, national success soon followed. In the 1963 national youth championships at Naas racecourse the national title was won by Eddie Peelin (Milltown AC) with Kildare AC’s Paddy Murphy finishing second. Peelin subsequently joined Kildare AC in 1968 and became chairperson in 1972. Women’s races were not common in those early years. But by 1965 Margaret Allen won the clubs first female medal when she took the county 100 yards title. In 1968 John Morrissey was third in the national u16 All Ireland Cross-country.
Since those early year’s there has been plenty of success for the club: the Breslin sisters, Anthony and Bridget Fitzimons, Paddy Murphy, Brendan Downey, Liz Foy, Breda Farrell, right up to todays young stars John Fitzsimons, Rob Hewison and Noah Treacy.
We will have more on this event in next week's paper.
