Timetable of Events – Previews – Updated Places on the Irish teams for next month’s European Cross Country Championships in Brussels will be up for grabs on Sunday when the Woodie’s DIY National Inter County Cross Country Championships take place at Tramore Racecourse in Waterford. The first three in the Senior, U/23 and Junior events will be guaranteed selection for Brussels. The Athletics Ireland selectors will be hoping to send strong teams to this year’s championships as this is an event that Ireland will host next year in Santry, Dublin.
The senior men’s race over 10 kilometres should be one of the most competitive in years and can be expected to deliver a close contest up front with athletes like Donegal’s Gary Murray, Mark Christie of Westmeath, Antrim’s Gareth Turnbull, Alan McCormack and Mick Clohissey of Dublin, Brian Farrell of Wicklow, Brian Maher of Kilkenny and Mark Hanrahan of Cork all serious contenders for the national title.
Wicklow’s Fionnuala Britton will start favourite in the women’s race where she will defend the title she won in the Curragh last year. Other leading contenders should include Britton’s Wicklow team mate Deirdre Byrne and Dublin’s Linda Byrne, who finished 6th in the under 23 race at last year’s European Championships, should again win this title in Tramore.
The men’s junior race will see another exciting showdown between the highly rated pair Craig Murphy from Cork and Michael Mulhare of Laois. Sarah Treacy, who showed great form when winning a recent cross country event in Mol, Belgium, will be one of the favourites to take the women’s junior race. The Meath runner has high expectations for a top placing in the European Cross Country Championships-an event in which she finished in 34th position last year. Rising star Tara Jameson of Wicklow could also make an impression.
Sunday’s race programme in Tramore will include a number of juvenile championship events in even ages under 12, 14, 16 and 18.
Woodie’s DIY Inter County & Even Ages Championships of Ireland
23rd November 2008
Tramore Racecourse, Tramore, Co. Waterford