Busy Weekend!!

It was a very busy weekend for Monaghan Phoenix athletes as they competed far and wide.

First up was the opening round of the County Spring League held at the Peace Link on Friday night.  Although our numbers were down, the club did well securing valuable points.  There were wins for Deirbhile Keenan, Aimee Peppard, Caoimhe Cudden, Tom Doherty, Senan Cudden and Andrew McKenna, as well as some relay wins.   Well done to all those who took part, and also thanks to the parents for their assistance.  The 2^nd round takes place on Friday 27^th April In Carrickmacross, and we hope to have more of our members in attendance.  More details at training or on social media.

The Irish University Championships were held at the Mary Peters Track in Belfast on Friday and Saturday.   Niamh Malone, representing Ulster University secured a superb gold and National title in the 400m Hurdles, winning with a decisive finishing kick. Niamh also anchored her college 4x100m relay to 4th place, and led her 4x400m relay to a third place finish. Paul Peppard, representing DCU ran a strong 3rd leg of the 4x400m relay to help his team secure the gold medal, narrowly missing out on the Irish University record. Well done to them both, and to their respective colleges for some fine performances.

The Aran Islands Half Marathon is not for the faint hearted, and the club well represented by Brenda, Emer and Martina.  Despite the long journey to the start line, all did well and help raise valuable funds for Temple Street.  Well done to all those from Monaghan that took part.

Phoenix athletes also competed in the Patsy Kelly 5k in Dundalk.   Andrew McKenna finished 3rd junior while Audrey Harraghy was 2nd in her category. Well done guys, and well done to all those who took part.  The busy weekend continued on Sunday when Órán Ó’Caoláin made the trip to Dublin for the Garmin Great Ireland 10k Run. Órán ran a great race with a time of 37.57 to finish second in the junior category.

Monaghan Phoenix is proud to be part of the latest running group in Monaghan.  The Monaghan Phoenix Over 50 JOGGERNUTTS were launched officially last Sunday, and we welcome them all to the Phoenix Family.  Well done to Leslie Crawford for identifying a gap in the community, and filling it.  This group meets every Tuesday and Sunday.

Training continues for our juveniles every Tuesday at 6:15 in Beech Hill.  New members are always welcome, and so are new parents. Coaches willing to help out at training.  No experience necessary, but plenty of fun working with our young members.