Kelly wins Woodie’s Cross country

Keith Kelly of Drogheda & District Athletic Club yesterday had good reason to punch the air in triumph when at 31 he won the Woodie’s DIY Inter Club Cross Country men’s senior title over a 12,000 meters course at Sentry Demesne in Dublin.

Amazingly, this was Kelly’s first time to compete in a national cross country championship and his impressive victory came after a decade of harrowing injuries that had severely curtailed his hugely promising athletics career at Providence College in the USA.

It is over ten years now since Drogheda native Kelly turned in a brilliant performance to win the US Inter Collegiate Cross Country Title in Iowa - a performance that promised great days ahead for the Providence College track scholarship student.

That same year Kelly combined with Seamus Power, Peter Matthews and Gareth Turnbull to win bronze medals for Ireland in the European Cross Country Championships in Malmo, Sweden.

A year later Kelly notched up another excellent international performance when finishing 24th in the World Cross Country Championships in Belgium.

However, what followed these brilliant performances was a long period of frustrating injuries and a total of nine stress fractures which derailed Kelly’s blossoming career.

However, yesterday’s victory in Santry was especially sweet for Kelly and his army of fans who had travelled from Drogheda to cheer on their local hero.

Kelly made his intentions clear from the gun as he raced into an early lead and his only serious challenge came from Clonliffe Harriers runner Mark Kenneally who also led for a short period before Kelly again took control at the front to finish strongly in 38 .19.

‘I had been suffering with a sore knee since I finished second in last Sunday’s Ras na hEireann cross country race in Drogheda, ‘ Kelly said.

‘However, even though I had missed a few days of training, I still decided that I was going to tough it out and compete in the nationals.

‘It was tough out there and I was hurting from half-way but when you go through a lot of injury problems you just get really angry and there was no way I was going to let anyone pass me on those final laps.’

Mark Kenneally, who has also had his own share of injuries, made a gallant effort to contain Kelly on the final two laps but in the end, and just three seconds adrift, he had to settle for the silver medal and the consolation of leading Clonliffe Harriers to another team success with 30 points from Raheny Shamrock A.C, 48 and Rathfarnam/WSAF, 87.

Vinny Mulvey of Raheny Shamrock filled the individual bronze medal position in 38.40. Gary Thornton of Galway City Harriers finished fourth ahead of Mark Hanrahan of Leevale A.C who placed fifth.

Race winner Keith Kelly is unlikely to run in the World Cross Country Championships in Jordan later this month but he is considering competing in the Great Ireland Run road event in the Phoenix Park on Sunday, 5 April.

‘My real big ambition going forward is to be part of the Irish men’s team that competes here in Santry in the European Cross Country Championships at the end of the year,’ Kelly said.

‘I believe that we can have a medal winning team for this event and that we could also have a potential winner of the men’s championship in Martin Fagan.’

Kelly returns to America this week where he works for sports company Reebok.

‘I just recently learned that I was being laid off work, but then came the good news that as part of a restructuring at Reebok I was going to be rehired because that did not want to lose me,’ he said. ‘Everything seems to be working out well for me in the end.’

Maria McCambridge of Letterkenny A.C led from the start of the senior women’s race over 8,000m and coasted to an impressive victory in 29.17, well clear of Linda Byrne of DSD who took second in 30.25 and Annette Kealy of Raheny Shamrock A.C who placed third in 30.52.

Dundrum South Dublin Athletic Club won the team title with 50 points from Donore Harriers, 60 and Raheny Shamrock A.C, 67.

This was an impressive and controlled front running performance by Maria McCambridge who is training for the Paris Marathon just five weeks away.

‘I have been logging over 100 miles a week in training up in Donegal and I am getting stronger all the time,‘ McCambridge said.

‘I will be concentrating now on my marathon training and I did not really ease down too much for today’s event. It felt really good to win the national title and I am happy with the way things are going right now.’

Ian Ward from Finn Valley A.C in Donegal played a waiting game in the men’s junior race over 8,000m and came through in the final laps to win the title in 27.26 from barefoot runner Michael Carmody of Emerald A.C who placed second in 27.29 and early leader Liam Tremble of Metro/St Brogid’s A.C who took bronze in 27.42.

Clonliffe Harriers won the team title with 56 points from St Malachy’s A.C. 59 and Finn Valley, 70.

The ffrench O’Carroll twins, Charlotte and Rebecca, dominated the junior women’s event with Charlotte taking the title in 23.42 from Rebecca, 23.54.

Laura Shaugnessy of Loughrea A.C finished third in 24.13. DSD won the team title with 14 points from Raheny Shamrock A.C, 68.

Both ffrench O’Carroll twins, who are presently studying at UCD, are now hoping to take up athletic scholarships in Providence College, Rhode Island, USA in September.