Success in distance running boils down to a relatively simple formula, but for the current crop of Irish athletes the conundrum has proved increasingly difficult to solve.

She ran her heart out, just like always, but as has increasingly been the case for Fionnuala McCormack at the European Cross Country, it just wasn’t enough.

Kevin Ankrom’s first contract as Athletics Ireland’s high performance manager expired last night as the first bars of Auld Lang Syne kicked off and, though there has been no announcement about a follow-up, the American is breezily confident about sticking around.

Athletics: Fionnuala Britton was first woman across the line in the Autumn Cross-Country open 8km race at the Phoenix Park yesterday.

Fionnuala Britton had to settle for fourth at the Antrim IAAF International Cross Country meeting in Greenmount on Saturday, succumbing in the closing stages having led on the last lap of the 5.6km course.

Michael Mulhare produced a solid performance in the Men’s senior race at the 2013 European Cross Country Championships to finish in 15th position.

No David Gillick, Derval O’Rourke down €28,000 despite almost medalling at the recent European Indoors and €12,000 set aside for Kenny Egan despite him having announced his retirement from the ring back in February.

Fionnuala Britton today won Ireland’s second bronze medal at the European Indoor Championships in Gothenburg.

Fionnuala Britton, who takes on Olympic 5,000m champion Meseret Defar (Ethiopia) over 3,000m in Karlsruhe this weekend, was the headline athlete at the announcement of the new partnership between New Balance and Athletics Ireland last night.

As expected, Katie Taylor was last night named the RTÉ Sports Person of the Year for 2012.

European Cross Country champion Fionnuala Britton began the defence of her European title with a fourth-place finish in Burgos, Spain.

Irish record holders Deirdre Ryan and Derval O’Rourke will not compete in the European Track and Field Championships in Helsinki at the end of the month.

Senator Eamonn Coghlan yesterday found the perfect opportunity to help promote his &St Patrick’s Festival 5k and Family Fun Run — in tandem with his mission to improve the physical fitness of the younger generation — when he met a group of transition students from Presentation College, Terenure on a field trip to Government Buildings.

FIONNUALA BRITTON beat a quality field to notch up another victory in Saturday’s IAAF Grand Challenge Cross Country International over a rain-sodden course in Greenmount, Antrim.

FIONNUALA BRITTON beat a quality field to notch up another victory in Saturday’s IAAF Grand Challenge Cross Country International over a rain sodden course in Greenmount, Antrim.

National half marathon champion Ava Hutchinson has achieved the Olympic 'A' standard for the marathon, becoming the latest Irish athlete to qualify for London 2012.

FIONNUALA BRITTON produced the performance of her life to win the BUPA Great Edinburgh cross-country race on Saturday, leaving the best runners from Europe and the US gasping behind her over the hilly and muddy Holyrood Park course.

Father Paul O’Boyle takes an extremely active role in his parish, but this does not mean that he shirks from his religious duties. With concerts, lotteries, visits, baptisms, weddings and funerals, fitting it all in is a full-time job, writes Caroline O’Doherty

John and Edward Grimes are expected to make their first Irish public appearance at the SPAR European Cross Country Championships in Santry Park, Dublin on December 13.

Many of Ireland’s top cross country runners will be in action on Sunday at the Woodie’s DIY Inter County Cross Country Championships looking to secure their place on the Irish team for the European Cross Country Championships.

Athletics Ireland has confirmed that World Champion Marta Domínguez will compete at the SPAR European Cross Country Championships in Dublin in December.

Athletics Ireland has announced a 12-strong team to compete at the European Indoor Track and Field Championships in Turin, Italy next month.

Ireland’s athletes have picked up two more top ten places at the European Cross-Country Championships in the Spanish town of Toro.

Two European Cross Country Champions and an indoor silver medallist have joined the elite field for the Great BUPA Ireland Run which takes place in the Phoenix Park, Dublin on Saturday, April 9 next.