The Woodie’s DIY National Championships Marathon will take place on Monday the 31st of October as part of the National Lottery Dublin Marathon. A number of Irish marathoners will be chasing national titles and targeting Olympic qualifying standards. Sean Connolly of Tallaght A.C should be the top Irish contender in the men’s race. Last April Connolly ran 2:17.23 for his marathon debut in Rotterdam.
He is aims to run comfortably inside the Olympic Marathon A qualifying standard of 2 hours 15 minutes on Monday. Mark Kenneally of Clonliffe Harriers recently achieved the standard at the Amsterdam marathon; the Kildare man ran 2:13.55.
Coached by former three times Dublin Marathon winner and former Olympian, Dick Hooper, Sean Connolly has the form to run inside the Olympic qualifying standard –especially if the weather conditions are favourable on race day.
Another serious contender will be Andrew Ledwith from Fr. Murphy A.C in Meath. Ledwith has turned in some impressive road performances since coming back home from America earlier this year. A former athletics scholarship student at Iona College, USA, Ledwith will be making his marathon debut in Dublin. Sergiu Cibanu ( Clonliffe Harriers) last year’s champion will be also be looking to be in the mix. While Joe McAllister, (St Malachy’s A.C) and Brian Maher, (KCH) are two other Irish athletes who can be expected to deliver top drawer performances.
The race for the Irish women’s marathon championship title promises to be strongly contested with Maria McCambridge (Letterkenny A.C) and Dundrum South Dublin runners Linda Byrne and Ava Hutchinson among the favourites to take the title. Other close contenders will include Rosemary Ryan, (Bilboa A.C), Siobhan O’Doherty, (Borrisokane A.C) and Gladys Ganiel and Breege Connolly from Belfast.
The Olympic marathon A qualifying standard of 2:35 will be the other big target for the Irish women and Maria McCambridge will be hoping to improve on her personal best time of 2:35.29 set in Paris two years ago. Just five months ago, McCambridge became a mother for the first time and the arrival of baby Dylan has not hindered training for the Dublin native who now lives in Donegal with her husband and coach, Garry Crossan.
Linda Byrne will be making her marathon debut in Dublin and her recent time of 1:59.42 for a three quarter marathon event in Athlone suggests the former DCU scholarship student could be on course for a special performance. Byrne is coached by former Irish international athlete Enda Fitzpatrick.
Byrne’s DSD club mate Ava Hutchinson, is the current Woodie’s DIY women’s cross country champion and half-marathon gold medallist and another runner who could deliver big on Marathon Monday. Rosemary Ryan of Bilboa A.C won the recent Limerick Women’s Mini-Marathon and Siobhan O’Doherty, Gladys Ganiel and Breege Connolly are each capable of delivering something special on the day.
The Marathon Mission- a joint project by the Dublin Marathon and Athletics Ireland- aimed at reviving Ireland’s proud history in the classic event- has been a great success and the leading Irish contenders in Monday’s race have all benefited from this innovative programme
In the Men’s team event last year’s winners, Clonliffe Harriers A.C will be looking to regain their title but they will face tough opposition from Raheny Shamrock A.C, City of Derry A.C., Beechmount Harriers A.C. and Galway City Harriers A.C. While in the women’s side reigning team champions Raheny Shamrock A.C. will be tough to beat.
