Veteran Vaughan gets victory she craved

VALERIE VAUGHAN (Blarney/Inniscarra) got the victory she had always wanted when she finished clear of defending champion Anne Keenan-Buckley (North Laois), to win the Evening Echo Cork Women’s Mini-Marathon yesterday, when she defied the tight corners and series of energy-sapping climbs that punctuated the new course to cover the five miles in 27 minutes 45 seconds, and that was just nine seconds clear of the runner-up.

It was a day that belonged to the women who travelled from around the country to join the thousands from Cork and help swell the field to a record that was well in excess of 5,000 and, by depriving Anne Keenan-Buckley of a fifth successive title, Valerie Vaughan reclaimed the title for the home fans after a lengthy absence.

The defending champion only decided to run at the last minute, as she is just over a week back in full training, having taken a well-earned break after the European championships in Munich. where she was one of the Irish representatives along with Sonia O’Sullivan in the 10,000m.

“I had to return the trophy but now I am glad I ran,” she said after chasing the Cork athlete across the line.

“It was a hard race today. It was worth at least two or three week’s training to me.”

And Valerie O’Mahony, too, was glad that her international team-mate decided to take part, pointing out that it was great for both the fans and the participants to have an athlete of her calibre in the field. “She is such a brilliant athlete, you get great satisfaction out of finishing in front of her,” she said. “You always knew she was behind you and you never dared to look to find out just how far.”

The teak-tough Laois woman, who battled it out for control of the race for the first mile and a half, was never far behind. The pair slipped clear of the field shortly after the start and a 5:10 first mile ensured that they would have the race to themselves. But then, half a mile later, Valerie Vaughan pushed forward and opened up a lead that, although it was enough to relax, provided her with just the cushion she needed. “It was a tough course. I don’t know how they came up with it,” she said afterwards. “But around every corner there was a hill, so you never got that chance to take a breather. At one point when the pace dropped, I knew Anne was close behind, so I had to apply the pressure again. I always knew she was there.”

“We were together for the first mile and a half or so, but when she got clear I knew there was little point in trying to chase her down. I am just back training and I just did not have that type of work done,” Anne Keenan-Buckley said. Back behind, the race specialists who give fans so much excitement every year, were battling it out for third place. Niamh O’Sullivan (An Ríocht) who was living in Cork when she first ran the race, eventually took third place in 29:24 with Claire Gibbons (Leevale), a former US athletics student, who finished third last year 10 seconds further back in fourth ahead of Louise Cavanagh (UCC), Carmel Parnell (Leevale), who has seldom if ever been out of the top six, and another former winner, Mary Sheehan (Grang/Fermoy).

Former international Valerie O’Mahony-Collins, also a former winner of the race, just enjoys her running those days and seldom competes. She set herself a target of 35 minutes when she turned out for charity yesterday and finished 12th in 33:01. The junior title went to the East Cork schoolgirl, Joyce Curtin, who is one of the rising young stars on the current scene.

Valerie Vaughan and Anne Keenan-Buckley will both compete in the Rathfarnham 5k in three weeks before joining Sonia O’Sullivan on the line in the Great Ireland Run in Loughrea a week later.