Alex Wright sharpened up his preparations for the European Race Walking Cup by winning the 10k race walk as sprinters stole the show at the Leevale Sports in CIT on Saturday.

It's marathon day today, with tens of thousands taking part in events in Dublin and Cork.

Here’s a briefing on some of the stories and issues highlighted on irishexaminer.com today

Good afternoon. Here’s all the news you need to know this lunchtime.

Phil Healy’s epic relay leg for UCC last month may have entered athletics folklore, but her first official attempt at the 400m left no one in doubt of her future potential over the one-lap distance.

“Don’t let me get any notions,” said Lizzie Lee to her husband Paul on the drive back to Cork the day after the European Cross Country Championships.

A late withdrawal from the National Indoor Championships, Ciarán Ó Lionaird reflects instead on the dunes of Owenahincha — and Tallahassee in Florida. 

Men cross-dressing, runners of both sexes, charities jumping for joy — the Evening Echo Women’s mini- marathon attracted it’s usual quota of outrageous outfits, pink wigs and big hearts, all out for a good cause.

Athletics: Sarah Lavin was named female athlete of the meet at the Leevale T&F promotion at the Cork IT yesterday in unusual circumstances.

I always notice people out running. It’s probably because I’m a runner and I’m more tuned in to running than most but whatever the reason I always spot them.

Ciarán Ó Lionáird will be the star attraction for Cork in tonight’s 61st annual Cork City Sports with the Macroom native a strong contender in the iconic mile distance, writes Conor George of the Evening Echo.

A number of fine sprint performances provided the highlight of the Cork County Senior, Junior and Masters Track & Field championships at the Cork IT track.

Ben Reynolds has qualified for tomorrow’s semi-finals of the men’s 60 metres hurdles at the World Indoor Championships in Istanbul.

The Woodies DIY Irish indoor championships will be a vital element of Derval O’Rourke’s build-up to next month’s world indoors according to her coach, Seán Cahill.

CIARÁN Ó LIONAIRD is set to take his place among the great middle distance runners after a cool, calculated and confident run in the 1,500m heats at the world championships in Daegu yesterday.

AFTER big runs over 1,500m (3:41.02) at the weekend and 10,000m (28:32.30) two weeks ago, Ciaran Ó Lionáird is all set for a return to Stanford on May 1 to tackle 5,000m.

CATHERINE WAYLAND was the toast of the Irish team at the Paralympic Athletics World Championships in Christchurch, New Zealand after taking a silver medal in the club throw in the F51 category.

BACK in 1992 Derval O’Rourke watched Gail Devers suffer a crashing fall after clearing the final hurdle when looking certain to claim the Olympic gold medal.

DERVAL O’ROURKE will be back on one of her old stomping grounds on Sunday when she lines up for the 100m at the Leevale Open Sports at the Cork IT complex in Bishopstown.

DERVAL O’ROURKE will commence building on the phenomenal year that was 2009 when she travels to Portugal for warm weather training tomorrow – she already had a session in Cork over the festive season when she sneaked into the CIT track in Bishopstown.

ALISTAIR CRAGG has made no secret of the fact that he fancies his chances in tomorrow’s SPAR European cross-country championships at Santry Demesne and his arrival yesterday added to the air of excitement that surrounds the Irish camp, situated just a stone’s throw from what is a resplendent course.

MARTIN FAGAN will go to the line among the favourites for tomorrow’s senior men’s race at the European cross-country championships in Brussels but the Mullingar Harrier knows it will be difficult to improve on last year’s seventh placing in Toro.

ALAN O’SHEA, tipped as a star of the future, took a giant step in the right direction yesterday when easily winning the Cork City Marathon.

BRIAN MURPHY, a member of the national 4 x 400m squad, is moving up to 800m this season and new special training gear, sponsored by Mahers Sports Therapy, will ensure an early breakthrough.

VINNY MULVEY (Raheny Shamrock) made the 100-metre trip from his apartment to claim the National inter-club cross-country championship title in spectacular fashion at Santry Demesne on Saturday from young Mark Christie (Mullingar Harriers) and his flatmate, Killian Lonergan.

DERVAL O’ROURKE of Leevale achieved her second national record in eight days when she retained her 60 metres hurdles title in a sensational 7.90 seconds at the National Indoor championships at Belfast’s Odyssey Arena yesterday.

A FRUSTRATED Mark Carroll walked away from the New York City Marathon last night admitting: “I’m having a biomechanical breakdown.”

IT is easy to forget that only two years ago, Olive Loughnane was the 12th fastest female race-walker in the world over 20k. But the statistic seemed to get lost in the hysteria after her team-mate and friend Gillian O’Sullivan claimed a world championship silver in Paris.

EIGHT sportspeople have been named in the Athletics Ireland’s World Class Panel, a key component of the Association’s new Performance Plan.

ALISTAIR CRAGG has opted for the short course (4k) race at the world cross-country championships in St Etienne on Saturday week.

Twenty-four-year-old Alistair Cragg ran one of the races of his life as he came through his 5000m heat as a fastest loser, qualifying him for Saturday's 5000m final in just his first major track championship.

MARTIN McCARTHY (Leevale) and Noel Berkeley (DSD) fought out a spectacular sprint finish ahead of a record field of close to 300 at the annual St. Stephen’s Day four-mile road race in Belgooly which was marred by tragedy.

AFTER years of hard grafting Cork’s Cathal Lombard has become an overnight success.

Two disqualifications marred the beginning of day three of the European U23 Athletics Championships in humid Bydgoszcz, Poland this morning.

IT APPEARS as if The AAI are likely to agree to Martin McCarthy’s who asked expressed the desire request to be entered in both the short and long course races at the world cross-country championships in Lausanne at the end of the month.

DERVAL O’ROURKE reaped the rewards of professional preparation when she ran 8.18 secs to win the 60m hurdles at the international meet in Cardiff on Sunday.