The annual Irish Sugar sponsored Mallow athletic club ten mile road race was held on Sunday. These days it’s hard to decide whether the brilliant warm sunny weather can be best described as spring-like or a continuation of autumn.
Runners came from all over Munster for this popular event, increasing the numbers competing. However, up-front there was just a four man break away group from the start. By the two mile mark of the very flat course, Phillip Harty had a 20m lead from his teenage brother William, who was in turn some 50m clear of Leevale’s Martin McCarthy, with Cathal O’Connell from St. Finbarrs another 20m back.
The next two miles saw a big change as William Harty overtook his brother, with McCarthy now alongside Phillip who was paying dearly for his early fast running. McCarthy slowly closed on the younger Harty, showing signs of his vast racing experience. It was after the six mile mark by the time he caught the leader, while O’Connell overtook Phillip at around the same time.
From there to the finish there were no further changes, with McCarthy content to maintain a steady pace all the way Afterwards he declared himself recovered from the injury problems he had over the Christmas period. Using the race as a ‘tempo’ run, his next race will probably be the Irish championships at the end of February, where he hopes to make the Irish team for the World cross country championships to be held in Dublin at the end of March.
Mary Sheehan of Grange Fermoy easily won the women’s race from Mary Murphy of St. Finbarrs. (Results)