Course Records Set in Men’s and Women’s Race in Dublin City Council Dublin City Half Marathon

SEAN Tobin (Clonmel AC) and Sorcha Nic Dhomhnaill (West Limerick AC) proved that class is permanent by storming to victory at an ultra-competitive Dublin City Council Dublin City Half Marathon, both setting new course records on the way to securing their wins.

Tobin (31), who struggled with injuries and illness in the past year, was delighted to win his first competitive ‘half’ in 63 minutes and 11 seconds after a tough tussle in the elite men’s field. He eventually came home 32 seconds clear of Dundrum South Dublin’s, Paul O’Donnell (63:43) and Donore Harrier’s John Travers who put in a great late surge to take third in 63:54 ahead of last year’s winner Killian Mooney (64:11) in fourth.

Tobin said: “I got in front at 2km and probably pulled 100 metres ahead but I knew, based on the claps from the crowd, that if I let up at all from 16km onwards that Paul could sweep by me, so I kept the foot down and felt incredibly smooth the whole way.”

The race also marked a notable return for Nic Dhomhnaill, a 41-year-old schoolteacher from Newcastlewest in Limerick who won the women’s title in 71 minutes and 25 seconds. This was a course record and over six and half minutes faster than the time run by last year’s winner Nichola Sheridan.

“Conditions were perfect, there was no headwind and I kept the pace pretty steady. My plan was to break 72 minutes so I’m delighted with that,” she said. “I’ve actually been off work for the past year because I had a baby last April. I’m going to back to school on Tuesday after a year off so, thankfully, it’s a bank holiday weekend and I can recover tomorrow,” she said.

The women’s runner-up, Maebh Brannigan (Galway City Harriers), made her first major podium in a personal best time of 74:47 and third-placed Sheila O’Byrne, from Wicklow, who trains alongside Nic Dhomhnaill at Dublin Track Club, knocked over three minutes off her personal best.

In the men’s wheelchair Patrick Monahan was a clear winner in 51:38 from Tian Bosch 62:13.

In only its second year, the Dublin City Council Dublin City Half Marathon, which starts in O’Connell Street and takes in all of the Northside’s biggest landmarks, proved why it is such a huge addition to the road racing scene by attracting a sell-out of 13,200 runners.