Harriers whip up an Abbotstown Storm..

The Clonliffe meet and train group were out in Abbotstown this morning for the 4th Meet and Train race of the year at the National Cross Country Course. Elaine McLoughlin continued her fantastic season with a 3rd place finish. (Full report below)

On a bitterly cold Sunday morning, the Meet and Train Ladies XC teams went head to head with Storm Denis. This was the final race in the series with all to play for. With the clouds darkening, rain was inevitable. Right on cue, the rain poured as the ladies took on the three lap course. It may have only been two miles, but they had to contend with icy winds, waterlogged grass and hills. Harriers they are and not snowflakes so from the off, Elaine McLoughlin settled in nicely and held 4th place for a bit. Next up was Emma Byrne picking up speed each lap. Orla Deighnan powered up the hills having really developed her XC elbows. Anne Lyons and Rachael McBride were hot on the pursuit along with Yvonne McDonough, Cathy Dowling and Catherine Dempsey. With a wave to the fans Nollaig Donohue, Susan Kelly, Evelyn Brennan and Janette Reid all dug in deep, picking off their competitors. The storm troopers out in force, Ciara, Mel and Mary cheered on Elaine as she moved into 3rd position powering up the hill on the 2nd lap. Emma seeing her move, pushed on fiercely and so followed the rest of the team. On the final lap, we seen the ladies determination and strength come out. With a 100m to go, Elaine fiercely battled to keep a Sports World athlete at bay. Denis proved no menace as Elaine crossed the line in 3 rd position. Emma finished a strong 23rd and many of the ladies noted they had saved the best for last. All will be revealed as to which clubs finished in the top rankings. The ladies really did “whip” up a storm as there were cakes, buns and bracks galore. True competitors, it turned into a bake off! There really is nothing like cake to get them to run faster. Massive thank you to Yvonne for all the organising, to the M&T train organisers for a very enjoyable series and all our fans/supporters especially Ciara Peelo. Until next time…