Athletics: Power battles through pain barrier to take ninth title
Rosemary Ryan (Bilbao) won the women's title for a second time and local star, Mark Christie, enjoyed an impressive first junior title.
Not for the first time, the Clareman had to come overcome a crisis to take the title that has become his own although this time it may not have appeared as serious as Ballyhaise a few years ago when he literally came from nowhere to win.
This time, however, he went into the race suffering from a bad cold similar to the one that kept Catherina McKiernan at home yesterday and before halfway he was gasping from air and later bent over with a stitch as his old sparring partner, Peter Matthews, and fellow Dubliner Vinny Mulvey took control of the race.
Earlier, he had shown all of his old flair slipping clear of the field after some early skirmishes and stretching a 40-metre lead to one of over 80 metres. He appeared to be coasting with the proverbial ton in hand.
But before the end of the second lap he was struggling. Matthews sensed there was something wrong and raced up to join him with Mulvey on his shoulder. And when they took over the lead and the pace quickened, Power was hanging on for dear life.
"He is gasping for air. He has had a cold all week," his coach Ritchie Clifford said, but there was no need to point out he was in distress as he passed his mother and pointed to his side. Now everyone in the crowd, estimated in excess of 6,000, was rooting for him.
He suffered, rallied and moved back up to join the two leaders and he was looking comfortable going into the top part of the course, out of view of the spectators, on the final circuit.
On his return he had a lead of a few metres and he increased this marginally to finish three seconds clear of Matthews with Vincent Mulvey another five seconds back and clear of the Under-23 champion Robert Connolly.
"I had a pretty back cold all week but I was not telling anybody," he admitted afterwards. "I was going well and suddenly it hit me. I felt empty. I had no energy and when I tried to make a move, I got a stitch. Obviously the other boys sensed what was happening and the pace quickened. That did not help.
"But I always expected a tough race coming here. I knew Peter Matthews was running well and was getting better every day, so I had to did really deep.
"There was pressure on me all week and when you know that everyone expects you to win and you know you are not 100% it is difficult. Every victory is sweet but this is the sweetest of all."
There may have been huge disappointment when Catherina McKiernan, who missed training due to cold last week, did not show up on the line, but Rosemary Ryan made up for everything with a powerful front-running display that literally destroyed the field.
She finished 36 seconds clear of US-born, Jolene Byrne, to reclaim the title she last won in Carrignavar in 1999 and put the frustrations of a prolonged injury behind her. Anne Keenan Buckley, the defending champion, had to be content with third place this time.
She led the chase when Rosemary Ryan made her escape with Jolene Byrne from Indiana who is married to Dubliner Karl Byrne, Aoife Byrne, the Under-23 champion and Roisín McGettigan, a late arrival from the US in pursuit.
McGettigan dropped away and the defending champion was overtaken by the other two, but when Jolene Byrne went clear Anne Keenan Buckley fought back to reclaim the lead only to be passed again with the line in sight.
"It would have been nice if Catherina (McKiernan) was her today, but it is more important that she be with us in Edinburgh in two weeks' time," she said.
"It is good to be back again after the injuries. I could possibly have come back last June but I did not want to take any chances and just wanted to get strong. Next year is a very important one for me."
Mark Christie knew that there was only one result that would satisfy the home fans in the junior men's race but he elected to hang back when Sean Smith from Cavan led the Cork-based Meathman, Andrew Ledwith, clear.
A lap later, however, there was only going to be one winner as Christie, a scholarship student at Dublin City University, turned on the style.
Ledwith, a nephew of the legendary Val Ledwith, stayed with him for as long as possible but, in the end he strode stylishly to the line 27 seconds clear with a most of the most promising young distance runners in the country strung out behind him.
"I know the course inside out and that was a help," he said. "It was important for me to win here. The world championships next year are the priority right now but I am looking forward to the Europeans."
The teams for the European cross-country championships in Edinburgh will be announced today.
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