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Offaly Children take Second in Global Marathon Relay Event

Mon 1st Nov 2010
For many people in Ireland, October is marathon month with the annual staging of the Dublin City Marathon.

But for children in primary schools in Co. Offaly, October is set to become Marathon Relay month following the county’s recent sucess in the Maratón Internacional Simultanéo.

The Maratón Internacional Simultanéo, which is sponsored by the Amatuer Athletic Association (AAA) in the UK, is an international event in which teams of 32 children (and 8 substitutes) in various locations and different countries attempt to run a shared marathon faster than either the women’s or men’s world record for the event.  They also attempt to run it faster than all other participating teams. 

Offaly Sports Partnership, a sub structure of Offaly County Development Board, this year received an invitation from the AAA to enter a team in the event.  Trials were held in 25 schools across the county to pick the team and 80 children were selected – 40 on the first team and 40 on a reserve team to act as pacemakers.

Having won the event for two years in a row, London were expected to take the title.  However when times started to appear online after the first 6km were completed, it became clear that the race for honours would be between Ireland and Spain as Castellon, Offaly and Madrid battled it out for the major places.  As the races progressed the Madrid team fell further back and slipped outside world record schedule.  Castellon n and Offaly remained the only two teams ahead of world record pace but the Spainish outfit were adding approximately 10 seconds to their lead over each 6km run.  In the end they took the title in a time of 1 hour 59 minutes and 35 seconds, being the only team to break the 2 hour barrier and breaking the event record of 2 hours 3 minutes and 25 seconds.  The Offaly team came home in a time of 2 hours and 45 seconds, which would have been adequate to win the event in the previous two years.

Afterwards Eamonn Henry, Coordinator with the Offaly Sports Partnership thanked all the children, parents, schools and development officers from the Athletics Association of Ireland for their cooperation.  He said that it was marvelous that 80 children in a mass participation event could work as a team with a shared purpose.  He said it was his wish that this run would be a lasting childhood memory for all that participated and would instill in them a love and passion for sport.  He noted that a number of teachers had come to him afterwards pledging their committment for this project in the future and said that he looked forward to working with the schools again in 2011 to pick a team which hopefully will complete the shared marathon in under 2 hours.

The overall result of the race was as follows –

  1. Castellón - 01.59.33 (00.00.00)
  2. Offaly - 02.00.45 (00.01.12)
  3. Madrid - 02.02.28 (00.02.55)
  4. Huddersfield - 02.04.12 (00.04.39)
  5. Cheshire - 02.05.04 (00.05.31)
  6. Redditch - 02.06.23 (00.06.50)
  7. London Unicorns - 02.07.54 (00.08.21)
  8. Dewsbury - 02.10.24 (00.10.51)
  9. Leeds Thunder - 02.11.52 (00.12.19)
  10. Leeds Lightning - 02.12.10 (00.12.37)
  11. London Lions - 02.12.46 (00.13.13)
  12. Toronto - 02.13.04 (00.13.31)
  13. Manchester Sharks - 02.17.14 (00.17.41)
  14. Manchester Wolves - 02.27.03 (00.27.30)

The first and reserves (pacemakers) for the Offaly team were –

1st Team

  1. Ballinagar NS - Emma Darby
  2. Scoil Bhride NS, Tullamore - Darius Adamonis
  3. Scoil Mhuire NS, Tullamore - Christina Sapovala
  4. Scoil Bhride NS, Tullamore - Cormac Izuchukwu
  5. St Philomena's NS, Tullamore - Annabelle Simonnet
  6. Edenderry Boys NS - Eoin Farrell
  7. Shinrone NS - Niamh Carroll
  8. Ballybryan NS - Aaron Stones
  9. Scoil Mhuire NS, Tullamore - Hannah White
  10. Durrow NS - Anthony Briggs
  11. Presentation Girl's NS, Portarlington - Eva Galvin
  12. Clonbullogue NS - Ruairi O'Neill
  13. Cappagh NS - Cara Todd
  14. Mucklagh NS - Andrew Delaney
  15. Scoil Naomh Eoin Rath NS - Naomi Cleare
  16. Geashill NS - Haig Oman
  17. Scoil Mhuire NS, Tullamore - Michelle Davis
  18. St Francis Boy's NS - Paul Lanier
  19. St Philomena's NS, Tullamore - Laura Doyle
  20. Shinrone NS - Cian Maher
  21. St Broughan's NS, Bracknagh - Sara Jane Cunningham
  22. Ballybryan NS - Lorcan O'Reilly
  23. St Broughan's NS, Bracknagh - Emma Hyland
  24. Durrow NS - Joe Grimes
  25. Presentation Girl's NS, Portarlington - Naomi Luttrell
  26. St Patrick's Boys NS, Portarlington - Niall Reid
  27. St Philomena's NS, Tullamore - Katrina McInerney
  28. Scoil Naomh Eoin Rath NS - Patrick Horan
  29. Shinrone NS - Oonagh Gleeson
  30. St Broghan's NS, Bracknagh - Ciaran Donnelly
  31. Mucklagh NS - Rachel Byrant
  32. Scoil Naomh Eoin Rath NS - Barry O'Meara
  • R1: Shinrone NS - Rebecca Lynch
  • R2: Durrow NS - Ciarán Burke
  • R3: Mercy NS, Birr - Linda Tyrell
  • R4: Durrow NS - Mike McArdle
  • R5: St Philomena's NS, Tullamore - Aisling Fox
  • R6: Ballinagar NS - Anthony Malone
  • R7: St Philomena's NS, Tullamore - Brid Molyneaux
  • R8

Reserve team (Pacemakers)

  1. Scoil Mhuire NS, Tullamore - Jessica O'Connor
  2. St Francis Boy's NS - Sean Tierney
  3. Geashill NS - Shauna Sweeney
  4. St Patrick's Boys NS, Portarlington - Eoin Kennedy
  5. Clonbullogue NS - Vicki Carey
  6. Clonbullogue NS - Donal Kenny
  7. Shinrone NS-  Laura Cleary
  8. St Patrick's Boys NS, Portarlington - Ronan Coffey
  9. Scoil Mhuire NS, Tullamore - Lydia Coyne
  10. St Francis Boys NS, Clara - Callium Egan
  11. Durrow NS - Jessica Mullery
  12. Killeigh NS - Lee Meally
  13. Killeigh NS - Katie Dunne
  14. Killeigh NS - Jenny Lynch
  15. St Patrick's Boys NS, Portarlington - Jordan Fallon
  16. St Philomena's NS, Tullamore - Holly Ravenhill
  17. Geashill NS - Mosaab Hamid
  18. Mercy NS, Birr - Marissa Cleary
  19. Mucklagh NS - Stephen Clarke
  20. St Mary's NS, Edenderry - Katie Mae Farrell
  21. Killeigh NS - Jack Dunne Goodings
  22. Durrow NS - Katelyn Bracken
  23. Mucklagh NS - Patrick Malone
  24. Durrow NS - Dervla Keavney
  25. Clonbullogue NS - Jamie Quinn
  26. Shinrone NS - Francesca Hutchinson Treacy
  27. St Broughan's NS, Bracknagh - Stefan Geoghegan
  28. St Mary's NS, Edenderry - Maeve Brereton
  29. Durrow NS - Jack O'Brien
  30. Mercy NS, Birr - Francis Hoare
  31. Geashill NS - Ciaran Bonnie
  32. Shinrone NS - Niamh Allwood
  33. Geashill NS - Aaron McKenna
  • R1: St Mary's NS, Edenderry - Shannon Collins
  • R2: Edenderry Boys NS - David Scott
  • R3: St Mary's NS, Edenderry - Malwinka Glica
  • R4: Killeigh NS - Cathal Curran
  • R5: St Broughan's NS, Bracknagh - Aoife Mather
  • R6: St Francis Boy's NS - Conor Dupuits
  • R7: St Mary's NS, Edenderry - Fiona Harte
  • R8: St Broughan's NS, Bracknagh - Timothy Dempsey

Further details on this event and other marathon relays in which Offaly is involved can be had by contacting Eamonn Henry, Coordinator Offaly Sports Partnership on 057 93 46843 or 086 7948054