They may have relinquished their hold on the team title, but there was ample consolation for East Cork Athletic Club as Tim O’Donoghue powered his way to an impressive victory at the Cork County senior cross-country championships at White’s Cross.

Mark Hanrahan of Leevale Athletic Club led home an entry of well over 3,000 yesterday in the annual Ballycotton 10-mile road race in East Cork.

Sergiu Ciobanu of Clonliffe Harriers coasted to a comfortable victory in yesterday’s Ballycotton 10-mile in East Cork — the 37th edition of this famous road race classic.

Poland’s Bartosz Mazerski denied Clonliffe Harriers’ Gary O’Hanlon a fifth marathon victory in eight weeks at the Cork City Marathon yesterday, winning in 2:28:29 while 2008 Beijing Olympian Pauline Curley ran a new women’s course record of 2:47:44.

A trickle of blood from the occasional stumble, lots of dribbling sweat, but no sign of tears as the fitter citizens of Cork and Dublin took to the streets to give each other’s city marathon a run for its money.