The 3rd annual Cork City Marathon was held this morning in hot, sunny conditions and it was a great day overall for the Leevale athletes that took part.
Those who competed over the full marathon distance found the going particularly tough, the heat this year being even more intense than in either of the previous two. This didn’t deter Nollaig Hunter, however, as she once again ran faster, bettering her previous time by two minutes to come home 3rd in the ladies’ event in 3:07:55. It was a superb run by Nollaig, who at this rate is fast on her way to becoming one of the top distance runners in the country.
It was also a great day for the Leevale relay teams. The A team, comprising Barry Donovan (who made a mad dash to the airport after his leg!), James Grufferty, Cillian Ó Tuama, George Boyle, and Chris Harrington, ran very well to finish second in 2:29 to a combined Iveragh\Ríocht team. The B team weren’t far back in 2:44, good enough for 8th overall. It was a great achievement for the club to have two teams in the top 10. Carmel Parnell, Jessica Vonhatten, Stephen Walter, John Collins, and John Shine made up the B team.
Several Leevale athletes competed in the men’s event. Among them were Padraig Ó Dubhgáin who ran 3:20, and Fergus McCarthy who ran very well to get 3:29 in his first marathon. Also running was John Hallahan who again went faster than last year in 3:37. The men’s race was won by Michael Herlihy of North Cork in 2:30, which was quite an achievement given that he had never competed over the distance before and only entered for the race at the last minute!
Results
Men:
| Pos | Name | Club | Time |
| 1 | M. Herlihy | North Cork AC | 2:30:36 |
| 2 | C. Merritt | Carraig na bhFear AC | 2:34:34 |
| 3 | W. Sosnowski | Eagle AC | 2:35:36 |
| 4 | R. Fahy | East Cork AC | 2:36:47 |
| 5 | C. O’Connell | St. Finbarr’s AC | 2:37:12 |
| 6 | E. McCarthy | Macroom | 2:41:37 |
Women:
| Pos | Name | Club | Time |
| 1 | L.Brennan | Sligo AC | 2:51:25 |
| 2 | A. McCann | Clonmel AC | 3:03:07 |
| 3 | N. Hunter | Leevale AC | 3:07:55 |
Relay:
| Pos | Team | Time |
| 1 | Metric Milers | 2:19:44 |
| 2 | Leevale AC | 2:28:58 |
| 3 | West Waterford | 2:36:08 |
| 4 | Ballycotton Road Runners | 2:38:35 |
| 5 | Athenry AC | 2:39:30 |
| 6 | Youghal AC | 2:41:10 |
| 7 | Team Eoin | 2:42:06 |
| 8 | Leevale AC | 2:44:38 |