1st, 2nd and 3rd place Males in Crooked Lake
Yet another Crooked Lake masterpiece
By Tony Bagnall
Saturday’s Crooked Lake Triathlon was yet another Camlough masterpiece.
As usual the sun shone, the lake was calm and flat and the 400 plus triathletes enjoyed the benefits of the best of village hospitality.
This race was a stunning success story and for the past number of years has unquestionably been the best event of its type in the land. The course was tough and challenging with masses of enthusiastic spectators thronging the lakeside to cheer non-stop for over two hours as top competitors from all across the nation slugged it out over the 750 metre swim, 20 kilometre bike ride and five kilometre run.
Race director Catherine Murphy, Patricia McParland and Chipit’s Paul Quinn plus the hundreds of race officials, with a special mention of the crew who manned the transition area, contrived to ensure the Crooked Lake event was a memorable one. A healthy numbers of these volunteers came from the Shane O’Neill and Carrickcruppen GAA clubs. And this poses the question: is there a better community spirit anywhere in Ireland?
Top 3 Female finishers with Kate McNeill from Decathlon
The 2010 Crooked Lake champion was Conor Murphy, the Portadown youngster blitzing the course in a fantastic 55.31. Conor, who had splits of 9.21 (swim), 28.35 (bike) and 15.22 (run: the fastest of the day), had 50 seconds to spare over Russell White while Newry Triathlon Club’s Sean Featherstone grabbed a brilliant third place with a speedy 58.15, that time also earning him the top spot in his age category.
Setanta’s Mary Laverty won the overall women’s race with a lightning fast 64.23, in the process edging last year’s winner Trudy Brown (64.48) into second place. Another Setanta athlete, Eve McCrystal, was third in 66.37.
From a local prerspective, Newry Triathlon had a host of competitors and all over the field there were running battles with clubmates and with rivals from Dundalk’s Setanta Club. The top three men and women as well as receiving a cash prize also took home a crystal trophy donated by Bright Promotions and a sports voucher for Decathlon store as their part of the NITB Triathlon Series event incorporated into the race.
Two cups were also up for grabs for triathletes from the Bessbrook-Camlough area with Ross Collins picking up the top male trophy in this category with a super-fast 59.23, this time also giving him a sixth place overall.
In the local female sector Teresa Fearon won for the second year in a row with a nippy 71.19 but she was pushed right to the wire by Colleen Mallon who lost out by a mere 19 seconds. Both girls had magnificent races. Sean Featherstone was the top Newry Tri Club finisher but undoubtedly the Crooked Lake performance of the day came from 51-year-old Eamon McConvey who, not only annihilated all the opposition in his age group, but he was a sensational eighth overall finisher. Another Newry Tri man who won his age group and ducked under the magic one-hour barrier was Peter Savage who clocked 59.21.
Further age group winners were Oliver Harkin who was 13th overall and recorded 61.05, Donna Cooke who clocked a super 72.27 in her first Crooked Lake race, Niall McCarron (69.06) and Tony Bagnall (74.22). Others who crossed in the line in high places in the male race were Ciaran Hughes (61.59), Mick O’Connor (64.39), Ironman Glenn Monaghan (65.14), Sean Mallon (65.59), Kenny Bagnall (66.30), Stephen Morgan (66.36), Gareth Taggart (66.56), Mark McGivern (67.12), Paddy Duffy (67.21), Glynn O’Brien (67.57), Dessie McParland (68.23), Mark McElroy (68.51), Mick Dunford (68.52), Shane McKeown (68.56), Pearse McKeever (69.03) and Niall McCarron (69.06).
While in the female sector, as well as the aforementioned Fearon, Mallon and Cooke, there were also outstanding performances from Anne Marie Featherstone (75.00), Sonya Rea (75.48), Paula Boyle (76.56), Andrea Stefko (79.06), Linda O’Hare (79.30), Shauna Clements (82.43), Roisin McLornan (83.25), Caitriona Courtney (83.55) and Michelle Bagnall (84.16).
But in truth everyone who took on this challenging course were winners especially the 50 first-time locals, most of them put through their first faltering strokes in the lake by the dedicated swim coach Myles McCourt.
There was also a GAA battle at the Crooked Lake with ex-Armagh skipper Jarleth Burns crossing swords with Down legend Greg Blaney. The Armagh man edged this contest with a time of 85.18 to the Mourne man’s 86.38.
On the political front Roads Minister Conor Murphy continues to improve and his 83.00 personal best on the course proves his training is going in the right direction. His brother Turlough did 97.48 while Gary Stokes clocked 85.32. Also Irish News GAA writer Paddy Heaney, who did a great two-page spread on the Crooked Lake event last week in his paper, was delighted with his triathlon debut where he finished in 74.02.
Meanwhile the Newry Democrat’s Bessbrook correspondent Gerry Patton had a fine race and recorded a pb of 75.57 but it wasn’t enough to beat arch-rival Paula Boyle.
Finally Newry Tri-Club members Paul and Lorraine McCann designed a trophy called the Spirit of Trathlon that went to the recent Lanzarote Ironman conqueror Glenn Matthews with Newry Triathlon chairman Sean Featherstone presenting this to him at the prize-giving at Carrickcruppen GAA Club. The race orgainisers thanked all those involved with special mention to their main sponsors Newry and Mourne District Council, White Mountain Spring Water and Decathlon Multi Sports Store, Belfast.
