CLASSY CATHAL CRUISES TO TOP SPOT IN CATHEDRAL CITY
No matter the sport, you cannot hide class. It was evident again
last Sunday when Cathal McLaughlin sprinted to fifth place in the second race
of the Lifford AC 5K Series in Raphoe. Three hundred runners turned out on a
mild but breezy morning to break the entry record for the fixture by some
distance.
Cathal McLaughlin |
The Derry City Track Club athlete clocked an impressive 16
minutes and 42 seconds to lead home a strong contingent from Derry City Track
Club. The Greenhaw Road man looked to be
struggling after the opening two kilometres but found renewed energy to battle
through to fifth at the tape. That gave
him victory in the M45 category and leaves him on a maximum 40 points with the
final fixture to come in Lifford early February.
Teenager Matt Doherty warmed up for a midweek schools’ race
with another steady run for 10th place in 17:05, and like his
clubmate, sits on the maximum points in the Junior men’s age group. DCTC club captain Darragh Crossan showed that
he is rounding nicely back into form with an impressive 17:28 clocking for 12th
overall. Behind him, Shaun Deery
continues to improve and was good value for his 18:37 timing in 24th.
Robert Bigger made his debut in the Series a memorable one
with a fine 18:38 mark which left him an easy winner of the M55 category.
Connor McCullagh was another to show signs of a return to top form with a 19:24
timing, just ahead of Zak McGowan (19:24) who was third Junior man home. Malcolm
McCausland followed up his Northern Ireland age group cross-country title the
previous week with a win in the M60 age group and his first sub 20 minutes
timing of the winter season, albeit by a mere second.
Hannah McGowan made the journey home from her studies in
Dublin a worthwhile one by taking third place in the women’s race. Her time of 20:19 was impressive on the
notoriously slow Raphoe circuit and augurs well for a sub 20 minutes timing
sooner rather than later. Her third spot also ensured that she is now almost
certain of a podium place in the final Series standings, needing only to equal
that result in Lifford.