McGlynn clinches national half marathon title in Tullamore

STRABANE Athletic Club's Ann-Marie McGlynn produced a superb performance at the weekend as she stormed to victory in the Bord na Mona Tullamore Half Marathon, which also doubled as this year's All-Ireland Championships.

Battling through wet and blustery conditions, McGlynn showcased all of her experience and strength to cross the line in a fantastic time of 75 minutes, securing yet another senior women's national title to add to her already impressive collection.

The testing weather made fast running difficult, but her composure and determination shone through as she controlled the race from start to finish to take her first half marathon title in impressive fashion - and in her native village.

Her victory further cements her reputation as one of the country's most consistent and talented distance runners, and it also highlights the depth of talent within Strabane Athletic Club.

The Strabane AC athlete crossed in a time of 1:15:10 which saw her finish ahead of Caithlyn Harvey (Roadrunners AC) 1:19:31 and Noureen Brouder (Sportsworld AC) 1:21:15.

Speaking after the race, she said: “It was like a winter’s day out there, but it’s a national half and its running through my village, so I couldn’t not do it.

"(The) plan now will be to get back and recover from this which was slightly faster than marathon effort, so I shouldn’t be too long getting back.

"I’ll focus in on another block of training and then it’s all eyes on the Dublin Marathon”.

Adding to the family celebration, Ann-Marie was joined on the start line by her husband, Trev, who was making his debut over the half marathon distance.

A former international sprinter, he showed that his talent extends well beyond the shorter track events, posting a highly respectable one hour 40 minutes on his first attempt at the 13.1-mile distance.

It proved to be a memorable day for the pair and for Strabane AC, with Ann-Marie's national victory and Trev's impressive debut performance providing plenty of inspiration for their clubmates and the wider running community.