Rain Fails to Dampen Spirits as Five Mile Get Series Off to Flying Start

John Coghlan (Metro AC), son of Eamonn, won the Lifestyle Sports-adidas Irish Runner 5 Mile road race in the Phoenix Park in a dramatic photo finish with Kilkenny’s Brian Maher. Both runners crossed the line in a time of 23:49, with Coghlan just getting his foot to the line in front of Maher. Current National Champion Seriu Ciobanu (Clonliffe Harriers) was a mere 5 seconds behind them.

The three runners provided one of the most exciting finishes to the race in recent times. Part of a five man pack that had held a comfortable lead from the of, they broke away as they turned into the final bend, Coghlan just shading it in the end. The Metro AC man, who recently spent eight weeks in a cast with a stress fracture, was surprised by his victory.

“To be honest, I wasn’t expecting this, I guess it’s my strength from all my training during the winter that saw me through” he said after his victory “I’m only getting back into my training now, with light jogging, and I’m no where near track fitness”

“It was good running conditions out there today, a little windy maybe, but nice and overcast and a little cooler than it’s been. Having the five man pack pushing each other along really helped as well, Brian and Sergiu on my heels were certainly an incentive to keep pushing it out there today”

Maher, who is part of the Marathon Mission Team, was 3rd in the race last year and was 2nd in the National 10k, while Ciobanu is the National and Cork Marathon Champion with his sights firmly set on the Dublin Marathon again this year.

Maria McCambridge (Letterkenny AC) took the women’s title in 27m, just 8 seconds ahead of Breffni Twohig. The former DSD runner was delighted with her finish.

“I wasn’t pushing myself too hard, as I’ve two more races this week” she said “But I felt really comfortable out there today, the wind didn’t really bother me to be honest, and I have to say, the fantastic crowds and atmosphere really makes for ideal running conditions. It’s great to get a win under the belt”

A record field of 6,000 runners took part in today’s race, the first in the Lifestyle Sports-adidas Race Series. The rain held off for most of the race, however the final finishers and those making their way back to their cars were treated to an early shower with a torrential downpour damping the spirits of runners and supporters alike.

Former rugby star Shane Byrne was cheered over the line by his children, finishing in 51:38, while actress and journalist Holly White clocked up an impressive 44:13 in her first ever road race.

The next race in the series, the Frank Duffy 10 Mile is on Saturday August 21st.

Lifestyle Sports-adidas Irish Runner Five Mile

Men’s Top 3
John Coghlan (Metro AC) 23:49
Brian Maher (Kilkenny City Harriers) 23:49
Sergiu Ciobanu (Clonliffe Harriers) 23:54

Women’s Top 3
Maria McCambridge (Letterkenny AC) 27:00
Breffni Twohig (DSD) 27:08
Barbara Sanchez (Raheny Shamrocks) 27:33