Athletics notes - Limerick joy at the Munster Intermediate and Juvenile B Cross Country Championships

THERE was a Limerick double in Riverstick, south Cork at the Munster Intermediate and Juvenile B Cross Country Championships.
Natasha Kelly of Limerick AC is the new Munster champion with a commanding victory in the Intermediate Women’s race clocking 21:42, some 49 seconds clear of her nearest challenger Eileen McCullagh from Moyne.
West Limerick AC starlet and sometimes coach Killian Lynch followed that up with a comfortable victory in the Men’s Intermediate race in a time of 25:28, well clear of 2nd placed Nicky O’Donoghue (25:54) of East Cork.
Earlier in the day Juvenile Rian Noonan was second for Limerick AC in the U9 Boys, clubmates Cian O’Brien (10th), Roan Treacy (18th) and Ross O’Neil (20th) helped ‘LAC’ to the team silver medal.
In the U13 Girls Nessa Halpin, Colclough was 10th for West Limerick.
At U17 Boys Ruadhan Crowley was an excellent second for Dooneen.

READ MORE: Sarah Lavin visits Limerick primary school to promote Dare to Believe initiative

Churchtown 10 Mile
The remnants of storm Claudia forced a late change of route but this popular and very undulating north Cork event did go ahead.
First Limerickman was Karl Lenihan of West Limerick, 7th place overall in a time of 56:49.
Club-mate Thomas Holmes was next,19th in 1:01:49 while Frank O’Regan was 23rd on 1:02:56.
Best for Dooneen were Robert McCarthy in 1:14:48 and Liz Wilmott in 1:17:11.
For Kilmallock Donie Dwane was 4th M50 and 6th overall in 1:16:04 with club-mate Tony McMahon ‘home’ 1:16:04.
Anne Marie O’Connor was first of a large An Bru contingent in 1:28:16, with sisters Helen and Eilis Hennessey stopping the clock on 1:33:17 and 1:42:24 respectively.
West Limerick chair Tara Carr crossed the line in 1:34:17.

Around the Country
Dooneen’s Kieran O’Brien was 4th in the Gap of Dunloe Trail Marathon in a time of 3:02:16.

IUAA Road Relays
The 2025 IUAA road relays took place at Maynooth University. The course was very technical and wet, with athletes coming to a stop around some corners, leading to tough running conditions. Rachel Hosey (Emerald AC) ran the second leg for the UL ‘C’, covering the 3.5km in 13.01minutes as the finished 15 th from 27 finishers.

On the men’s side, UL ‘A’ claimed a dominant victory, winning by almost a minute. It was the first time UL had won the men’s title since 2002 and continues their dominance after winning the cross country and outdoor track titles this year. Aaron Lynch (West Limerick AC) returned from injury to run leg one for TUS. In a lightning quick start Aaron covered the 1.9km in 5.31minutes with the 16th fastest time on leg one. Alan McCutcheon (Dooneen AC) returned from a recent illness to run leg two for the UL ‘C’ team. Alan ran the 3.5km in 10.39 minutes working his way through the field for the 11 th  fastest time on his leg.

Fixtures
The National Senior, U23, U20 and Juvenile Even Age Cross Country Championships take place next week in Templemore Sports Complex Co Derry.
The Athletics Limerick St Stephens Day 10K is now open for entries on Eventmaster, 12 noon, from Caherdavin Community Centre.
The 10th staging Tom Walsh Memorial 10K Race takes place in Caherconlish on Sunday, January 11, it is now one of Munsters most popular 10Ks.
The Run Limerick Series 2026 commences in Castleconnell with a 5K on January 18, enter through eventmaster
A new Junior Parkrun event will commence at Adare Manor Fields on Sunday, December 14 and every Sunday, at 9:30am.

Limerick AC celebrates pioneering Female Athletes
In 1962 a group of seven women, Mary Cronin, Patsy O’Regan, Mary Flanaghan, Chris Kelly, Joan Kelly, Patsy Sheehan and Breda Shaughnessy (RIP) became the first female members of Limerick AC. Supported by Tom Foley, Willie Logan and others ‘Limerick’ became one of the first clubs outside of Dublin to open its doors to female athletes. These women contributed immensely to athletics in Limerick and beyond, paving the way for those who followed. A function will be held in their honour on Wednesday, December 3 at Castletroy Park Hotel, from 8pm and all are welcome.