Big numbers Set For GloHealth Novice & Uneven Ages In Dungarvan

The GloHealth Novice and Uneven Ages Cross Country Championships are set for the proverbial cavalry charge in St Augustine's College, Dungarvan on Sunday.

The Novice grows from strength to strength with big fields in both the men's and women's races with the juveniles returning for another bite at the cherry for their club, county and province after the Inter Clubs in Santry Demesne.

The men's 6,000m Novice race has a deep field with a number of runners in contention. Damien Landers will look to lead a strong Ennis Track Club team which includes Chesser brothers, Dara, Patrick and Kevin.

In the women's race Rachael Smyth (St Coca's), who ran on the U23 team at the European Cross Country Championships in Samokov last year, will be bidding for victory in the women's 4,000m race.

A sea of energy, nerves and blissful abandon gets the race card underway at 11:30am in the U11 age groups. Eager girls and boys will navigate the 1500m distance as they taste the early throes of national competition.

Many of the juveniles will be dropping down, or going up, an age group with some familiar names taking to the starting stalls in the U13 age group and upwards to the U17s.
Amy Rose Farrell (Blackrock) and Darragh McElhinney (Bantry) look set to be the leading lights in the U17s.