Bandon AC ace Fiona Everard wins National Cross Country ahead of Leevale's Niamh Allen

Ronaan Fay (Raheny Shamrock AC) and Fiona Everard (Bandon AC) stormed to senior victories at the 123.ie National Cross Country Championships held in gruelling conditions at the Templemore Sports Complex in Derry.

In the women’s race Fiona Everard (Bandon AC) sprung somewhat of a surprise to win her second national senior cross title having previously won in 2023. The Cork athlete, who is based in Galway, passed Niamh Allen (Leevale AC) who had done much of the early running with just over a lap to go and from there never looked back.

Everard secures her selection now for a third successive European Cross Country Championships.

“I’m honestly so happy,” she said. “I felt really relieved crossing the line, but I’m delighted to make the team and win as well, I couldn’t be happier,” Everard told Athletics Ireland afterwards.

I really wanted this. All season I was running with my aim to win this…

"I didn’t put too much pressure on myself, but I knew it was possible. I always like muddy and hilly courses so when it was flat I said if I got some mud, I’d take that.” 

There was a repeat of the silver and bronze medal winners from last year with Allen, who had led for most of the way, finishing second and Danielle Donegan (Tullamore Harriers) crossing the line in third.

Senior team honours went the way of Allen’s club Leevale.

RECORD

Fay, who is the Irish record holder over 5000m, needed to utilise all of his track speed to see off the challenge of Nick Griggs (Candour Track Club) and Cormac Dalton (Mullingar Harriers), with the trio still matched stride for stride as they turned into the home straight.

The Dubliner’s kick proved to be the strongest and in near biblical rain he roared in delight as he crossed the line to win his first senior cross country title becoming the ninth different winner of this race since 2016.

“It’s brilliant…I’m happy to come here and get the win,” Fay told Athletics Ireland afterwards.

“My outdoor season tailed off, I was racing too much, and I got too tired. I reset, took a break, got a few races done in Australia and built back up the mileage. I knew I was coming into good shape,” he added.

Fay will now look forward to the European Cross Country Championships in three weeks’ time, his victory sealing selection for the annual event.

“I’d love to do great there as an individual, but I feel like this is a year we can really push for a team medal, that’s the goal,” he said. “I want to help the team in any way that I can.” 

Griggs held on for silver and in doing so won the U23 national title, while Dalton battled hard for bronze. U23 silver went to Jonas Stafford (UCD AC), with last year’s champion Niall Murphy (Ennis Track AC) winning bronze.

Candour Track Club won the senior men’s team title, with Griggs leading the Belfast club to glory.

In the battle for podium places in the U23 race, Roise Roberts (Candour Track Club) came out on top ahead of Amy Greene (Finn Valley AC). European U23 1500m bronze medallist Eimear Maher (Dundrum South Dublin AC) won bronze.

Noah Harris (Parnell AC) shook off jet lag to win the Men’s U20 national title, the Wicklow athlete having only returned from America where he is studying earlier this week. Harris was a comfortable winner finishing ahead of Caolan McFadden (Cranford AC) and Tom Breslin (Clonliffe Harriers) who rounded out the podium.

Elsewhere, Emma Hickey (United Striders AC) was a runaway winner of the Women’s U20 and Girls U18 titles, the 16-year-old having an emphatic twenty second margin of victory. The Wexford athlete led from the start and never relented in her pursuit of glory. Last year’s champion Lucy Foster (Willowfield Harriers) had to settle for silver, while Eimear Cooney (Ace AC) won bronze. Andrew Hinds (Togher AC) won the Boys U18 title.

There was no shortage of drama and quality action during earlier juvenile races. Twin sisters Freya and Holly Renton (Westport AC) won gold and bronze respectively in the U16 Girls race. Freya defended the title she had won twelve months ago in Enniskillen. Darragh Whelan (Limerick AC) proved unstoppable as he won the U16 Boys race.

Daniel Greene (Kilkenny City Harriers) and Sinéad Fitzpatrick (St. Abban’s AC) triumphed in the U14 races, while Sadhbh Callan (Foyle Valley AC) won the U12 Girls race which opened the day’s proceedings. There was great delight for the host club as Lukas Janosik (City of Derry Spartans AC) stormed to victory in the U12 Boys race.