Byrne London-bound as Connolly fails
It was a huge achievement for the young Dubliner who, according to her coach, former international Enda Fitzpatrick, reached a cross-roads in her career after a disappointing showing in the European cross-country championships in Dublin in 2009.
Fortunately she took the right direction when she opted to run some road races to make money after she had lost her funding — she had been carded on the back of two fourth place finishes in the European junior cross-country championships followed by sixth and 10th places, respectively, at under 23 level.
While the national title was incorporated in the event, yesterday’s race was all about Olympic qualification and she judged it to perfection, ignoring the battle up front, allowing her clubmate Ava Hutchinson her time in the sun and then taking on the favourite for the national title, Maria McCambridge (Letterkenny AC).
“I’m a good judge of my pace,” she said. “I knew I just had to run under six minute miles to get the time. I felt good up to 20 miles.
“I started back training in May and started feeling good again. I felt confident. I had the mileage done and I still have a lot of room for improvement.”
She recalled how difficult the past couple of years had been for her. “When I came out of the under-23 age group there was a bit of a gap and I lost a bit of confidence in myself,” she said.
Her coach, Enda Fitzpatrick, insisted he never doubted she would achieve the standard but admitted it had been difficult at times.
“This girl has had a couple of pretty tough years,” he said. “After the European cross-country in Dublin she was disillusioned and considered quitting the sport. Two months later we decided she would go back and run some road races. She had to survive, she had lost her carding and running on the road was the way she could make a few quid.
“After she ran the first 17 miles of the Dublin Marathon last year with a view to running London in April she was diagnosed with medical issues which took about six months to clear up so she really only started back serious training on May 1. She ran three half marathons, one 10k in Kilkenny and ran a three quarter marathon in Athlone. I knew after Athlone we were ready to go.”
Maria McCambridge was returning to competitive running after the birth of their son five months ago, and finished second Irish woman in 2:40:24 with Gladys Ganiel from Belfast third in 2:42:43 and early pacemaker, Ava Hutchinson, fourth in 2:42:48.
Sean Connolly (Tallaght AC), who ran a debut 2:17:23 in Rotterdam earlier this year, failed in his quest for the Olympic standard (2:15) although he won the national title, finishing 12th overall in 2:18:52.
“It’s bittersweet I suppose,” he said. “It’s nice to get a national title but I didn’t get the time I was hoping for — 2:15 was the plan and that was gone pretty early.
“The plan was (to) go through the half at 67 (minutes) or 67:30 pace but I think we were probably about half a minute off that after just four miles.
“I almost got back on schedule again but we were so far off it the head kind of drifted. I got frustrated and the legs didn’t feel good. My coach Dick Hooper always makes me write F on my hand — Finish — so you know you have to finish and you stick at it.
“I have until April to get the “A” standard for the Olympic Games. I can look at what Alastair Cragg does in December and then you’ve got the likes of Martin Fagan and Joe Sweeney so there are a lot of Irish boys who can get that standard.
“By April I’ll know what I have to do — I’ll know if I have to run faster than Mark Kenneally.”
He was followed across the line by two Cork City Marathon winners, Sergiui Ciobanu (Clonliffe Harriers), 2:20:56, and Alan O’Shea (Bantry AC) 2:23:22.
Paul Hanna (Keady, Co. Armagh) won the wheelchair title in 2:13:58.
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