Olympian Aoife Cooke turns up the heat at Great Glenville Run
Aoife Cooke, winner of the Great Glenville Run four-mile in a course record of 21:30, receiving her prize from Liam Tracey. Picture John Walshe
Olympian Aoife Cooke continued on her record-breaking way with another course best at the Great Glenville Run four-miler, following a similar performance two weeks before at the Eyeries five-mile event on the Beara Peninsula.
Finishing sixth overall of the almost 300 finishers in a time of 21:30, the Eagle athlete knocked 14 seconds from the previous record which she herself had established back in 2019.
“I was very happy with it, I’d forgotten how hilly it was so I had to work hard enough, but it’s a great course,” admitted Cooke.
"I was a bit off pace after the first mile which is all uphill so then I had to try and make that up in the next two miles, which I did.
Second was last year’s winner, Sharon Rynne from Clare who works in nearby Watergrasshill.
The Kilmurry-Ibrickane athlete clocked 23:56 with Donore visitor Eadaoin Corr taking third in 25:06.
The men’s race was a close affair with Gavin O’Rourke getting the better of last year’s winner, Alan O’Shea, over the last mile to cross the line in a time of 20:12.
O’Shea, now 42, recorded 20:35 which was almost a minute slower than the 19:40 he ran 12 months ago.
However, this was the first race for the Bantry man since his third-place finish at the Cork City Marathon last June in 2:24:44.
O’Rourke, a native of Rush in Co Dublin, had won the St Luke’s Home 5km in September on his last outing on the Cork roads.
“It’s been a good year with plenty of races on the track and cross-country, so now it’s a bit of an off-season before the indoors,” said the Leevale athlete.
Racing every weekend doesn’t seem to do Donal Coakley of Leevale any harm as he had another fine run to take third in 20:37, just 24 hours after crossing the line first at the Killarney parkrun in a time of 17:05.
In an era of ever-increasing entry fees, the Watergrasshill AC promotion at just €15 (of which 10% went to Breast Cancer Ireland) showed just what can done by a dedicated and enthusiastic club.
Along with prizes in all categories, there was a pink themed travel mug for finishers along with ample refreshments afterwards in the local Glenville school.
1 G O’Rourke (Leevale) 20:12; 2 A O’Shea (Bantry, M40) 20:35; 3 D Coakley (Leevale) 20:37; 4 M Walsh (Leevale) 20:56; 5 B Twohig (St Finbarrs, M40) 21:11; 6 B Meade (Banteer) 21:32.
1 A Cooke (Eagle, F35) 21:30; 2 S Rynne (Kilmurry-Ibric NC) 23:56; 3 E Corr (Donore) 25:06; 4 I Eighan (St Finbarrs, F40) 25:31; 5 A Locke (St Finbarr’s, F35) 25:57; 6 L Murray (unatt, FJ) 26:46.
