Mary Cullen Wins Penn Relays 3,000m
Natalie Davey Wins 4-Mile Roadrace

Despite steady rains on Thursday, Penn Relays had a 3-day attendance total of 112,277 (Thursday 22,346, Friday 39,104, Saturday 50,827). There's usually a big Irish presence and the 2002 (108th) Penn Relays was no exception.

St Malachy's Gareth Turnbull won the Olympic Development Mile race in a personal best time of 3:57.61 with teammate Conor Sweeney, also running a PB of 4:01.58 for fourth. Aidan Walsh (Fairleigh Dickinson University) was 13th in 4:16.83. Click here for a story, quotes & photos from the Penn Relays Mile race.

The other Irish individual champion was Providence College's Mary Cullen (Sligo AC) who won the 3,000m in 9.39.75.

Mary Cullen
Penn Relays photos by Tim O'Dowd

Mary Cullen

Alistair Cragg, from Arkansas via South Africa has recently declared for Ireland. Cragg ran 13:22.07 for 5k last week at Mt SAC and is the reigning NCAA Indoor 5,000m Champion. He is coached by the legendary John McDonnell, himself a Mayoman from Crossmolina.

Cragg anchored his Arkansas Razorbacks to victory in the most prestigious of Penn Relay events, the Championship of America Distance Medley Relay (9.31.21) needing only a 4.00.5 mile split to easily beat rival Stanford. Cragg also anchored the victorious 4 x mile relay in 4.04.2. There will be more on Cragg's citizenship in an upcoming irishrunner.com article.

Johanna Doyle (Bray, Co. Wicklow) who competes for Harvard placed 16th in the hammer with a throw of 51.00m.

Alistair Cragg

Alistair Cragg

Providence College's Pat Guidera (Clonmel, Co. Tipperary) ran 9.06.67 to place 7th in his section of the 3,000m steeplechase.

Raheny's Vinny Mulvey (Iona College) placed 8th in the College 5,000m running 14.12.93 with teammate Sean Connolly 18th (14:23.85). Connolly's time of 14.23.85 was a new Iona College Freshmen record, formerly held by the infamous Patrick McCarthy of Ratheale, County Limerick set in 1982.

Sligo's Mark Smyth, running unattached was 12th (14.18.60) in the Olympic development 5,000-metre event. Dubliner Westley Alkin (University of Arkansas) ran 29.31.74 to place 5th in the College 10,000m race.

Sean Connolly

Sean Connolly

Karen Shinkins (Dublin City Harriers) placed third in 400m (52.21) and Peter Coghlan (Crusaders AC) was sixth in the 110m hurdles (13.73, +1.7) at the Meeting du Conseil Général (IAAF Permit) meeting in Fort-de-France on 27th April. Shinkins ran 52.04 to win the 400-metre event at the Meeting International de la Guadeloupe meeting held in Pointe-à-Pitre, France on 1st May. Coghlan ran 13.74 (-0.4) to place third in 110m hurdles.

In the category of Corkmen racing in America, in Montana Thomas Quaid of North Cork was 7th in the 400m (52.08), while in Texas Damien Bateman was 5th in the 800m (1.52.42) and Will Morris was 7th in the 5,000m (16.01.94).

Richard Girvan (Annandale Striders) was third in the 800m (1:50.61) at the Oregon Invite Twilight Session held at the University of Oregon in Eugene on 27th April.

At the Drake Relays in Des Moines, Iowa, Colm Rothery won the Vets-40 mile in a time of 4:16.54. Rothery set the outdoor Masters M40 World Record in 2000 when he ran 1.50.69.

Conor Sweeney's Stretch Run
at Penn Relays

Conor Sweeney

Michelle Scott's Western Kentucky University Hilltoppers were in action at the Cardinal Open held in Louisville, Kentucky on 27th April. East Cork's Olga Cronin finished second in the 1,500m with a time of 4:35.28, and followed with a fifth place finish in the 800m in 2:18.72. Her club mate Terri Hennessy was sixth in the 5,000m with 18:00.12, and 17th in the 1,500m with 5:00.41. Enda Grandfield from Kerry won the 5,000m in 14:48.73.

Natalie Davey (Mayo AC) ran 20.53 to win the Sabates Eye Centers Trolley Run 4-Mile Road race held in Kansas City, Missouri on 28th April.

Una English ran 13.36 to place seventh in the 4.19-kilometre Luzerner Stadtlauf Road race held in Lucerne, Switzerland on 27th April. Kenyan Leah Malot won the race in 13.02.

Olga Cronin at Mt SAC
Randy Miyazaki, DitPhoto.com

Olga Cronin

 

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