Athletes eye Olympic qualification in Dublin

LINDA BYRNE will add to an already exciting women’s field in the National Lottery Dublin Marathon this morning with the national championships incorporated in the event.

However, Olympic qualification will be the target for the leading Irish women Maria McCambridge (Letterkenny AC), her former DSD clubmates, Linda Byrne and Ava Hutchinson, teak tough Limerick woman, Rosemary Ryan (Bilboa AC), Siobhan O’Doherty (Borrisokane) and the Belfast pair, Gladys Ganiel and Breege Connolly, who line up for their first big clash over the distance.

The Woodies DIY men’s championship will share the spotlight with Dubliner Sean Connolly, who ran 2:17:23 on his debut in Rotterdam and another exciting talent, Meathman Andrew Ledwith, striving to join their international team mate, Mark Kenneally, in London next year.