The final event of this season’s Laois Cross Country Championships will be staged this Sunday, December 17.
Barrowhouse is the venue for the two feature races of the Cross Country season which will be held on the farmland of Colm Burke, a six-time winner of the event over its history.
The Burke family provides an ideal setting for the athletes and spectators with the course in view at all times on each circuit.
Underfoot conditions are expected to be good which should ensure fast pace action in each event.
The senior ladies will commence the activity at 11:30am over 5km followed by the men’s over a distance of 10km.
The Women’s race will see Mary Mulhare returning from the European Cross Country Championships in Brussels to defend the title she has won on several occasions in recent years.
The main challenger on the day will be Cheryl Nolan, a top 10 finisher in the recent National Cross Country Championships. In the team race, St Abbans will aim to take the title, with Portlaoise and Ballyroan/Abbeyleix and District providing very stiff competition.
In the Men’s race it is a very open affair with five or six athletes all capable of taking victory on the day.
Colin Maher won the event last year and will return as favourite to claim victory, although he has competed sparingly throughout the Cross Country season.
Another previous winner, Cian Kelly, is also in good shape having spent some time training at altitude in September.
Jack Fenlon will make his debut on the Senior Cross Country stage in Laois and if he is still in contention in the latter stages, he will be hard to beat.
Barry McEvoy has been in great form throughout the autumn and winter months and recently ran 15:06 in the Jingle Bell 5k where he was tracked all the way by Conal Whelan of Ballyroan/Abbeyleix and District.
If both athletes repeat these performances over 10k they should be in the shake up for medals.
Cian McDonald has been running consistently throughout the Cross Country season and had a great boost of confidence with a top 10 finish at the National Novice Cross Country Championships.
Harry Lupton, another previous winner, has been showing signs recently that he is returning to the form which saw him win the race before.
It will be a very tight affair in the team standings with Ballyroan/Abbeyleix and District, St Abbans and Portlaoise all aiming to take victory. Oughaval will also be in the reckoning, having won the county novice championship earlier in the year.
It will most likely come down to the 5th and 6th athlete to decide where the cup will go this year.
A feature of this year’s event will be the 60th anniversary of the Senior Men’s Championships.
The premier cross country event within the county was upgraded to senior in 1963 and was first staged at St Abban’s AC, Monavea, Crettyard.
The event was won by Jimmy O’Connor of St Conleth’s AC. All of the previous winners of the Men’s Title will be honoured on the day in a celebration taking place in Shanganamore National School in Barrowhouse after the Senior Men’s event.
Previous Winners of the Laois Senior Cross Country Championships:
- Jimmy O’Connor (1963, 1964)
- Noel Coss (1965, 1966, 1968, 1969)
- Dick Mullins (1967, 1973, 1982)
- Pat Scully (1970, 1974)
- Mick Conroy (1971, 1972)
- Willie Deffew (1975)
- Tony Conroy (1976, 1986)
- Jim Hunston (1977, 1979)
- Jim Downey (1978, 1980, 1981)
- Seamus Lawlor (1983, 1984, 1985, 1988, 1989)
- Martin McDonald (1987, 1991)
- Noel Marum (1990)
- Colm Burke (1992, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2004)
- Darren Burke (1993)
- Mick Burke (1994, 1995)
- Tony Reilly (2000, 2001, 2002, 2003)
- Dan Mulhare (2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2015)
- Michael Mulhare (2010, 2014)
- Stephen Lawlor (2016)
- Colin Maher (2017, 2019, 2021, 2022)
- Harry Lupton (2018)
- Cian Kelly (2020)
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