Ciobanu cruises to Ballycotton hat-trick
Ciobanu led from an early stage, with Brian Maher of Kilkenny City Harriers tracking him closely for the first four miles. Ciobanu and Maher were together as they led the field of over 2,500 runners through the first mile in 4 minutes 42 seconds. Also in close contention at this point were Mick Clohisey, (Raheny Shamrock), James McCarthy, (East Cork), Tim O’Donoghue (East Cork), Sean McGrath, (East Cork) and Alan O’Shea (Bantry).
However, when Ciobanu went into cruise control after four miles, he quickly went clear to finish strongly in a personal best time of 49 minutes 17 seconds — his third straight victory in this event.
