Gerry Brady

17 September, 2011

The 11th World Masters Mountain Running Championships were held in Paluzza in Northern Italy on an up and down course. Helen White (Sportsworld) finished 3rd in the W45 category to win a World bronze medal to add to her silver from 2010. All five Irish teams won medals and will stand on the podium at the prize-giving ceremony. This constitutes an excellent overall performance by the strong Irish contingent. A total of 877 runners from around 26 countries competed.

The W40 team won silver with close packing from the three Rathfarnham runners in 13th (Zoe Melling), 17th (Vanessa Sallier) and 18th (Maria Dolan). The M40 also won silver with Neil Carty in 15th with the fastest Irish time of the day, John Brennan (Rathfarnham) 18th and Cormac Conroy (Sli Cualann) 31st with Leo Murray (Tir Chonaill) edged out of the medals for a second year in a row in 32nd.

Anne Sandford (Newcastle) 14th and Patricia Blackburn (Bilboa) 36th combined with Helen White for bronze W45 medals. Mike Cunningham (Bilboa) had an excellent run in 12th and with Keith Ryan (Limerick) 21st and Tom Blackburn (Bilboa) 23rd the team won M45 bronze.

Mags Greenan's (Clonliffe) injury problems meant it was not to be four wins in a row but 4th was still commendable. The M50 team repeated their silver from 2010 with Gerard Maloney (St. Pauls Wexford) in 8th, which was a very good performance, Martin McDonald (North Laois) 9th and Ger Griffin (Bilboa) 20th.

Peter O'Farrell (Rathfarnham) threw off a recent illness to finish 13th in the M35 category. Jenny McCauley had an excellent 7th in the W35 race.

So the elusive team win remains a dream. The World Masters are on early in 2012 on May 19th in Buhlertal Germany, see http://www.imra.ie/events/view/id/918/

There will also be a European Masters in Bludenz Austria on July 1st (World Masters was held here in 2007, see http://www.imra.ie/events/view/id/922/

35-50 age groups = 10,980m

W35 Individual (33 finishers)
1. Ivana Sekyrova (CZE) 57:38
2. Maria Laura Fornelli (ITA) 59:39
3. Jutta Brod (GER) 59:45
7. Jenny McCauley 01:02:48

M35 Individual (78 finishers)
1. Massimo Galliano (ITA) 47:52
2. Diego Filippi (ITA) 49:11
3. Emanuele Marchi (ITA) 49:51
13. Peter O'Farrell (Rathfarnham) 56:01

W40 Individual (30 finishers)
1. Maria Pia Chemello (ITA) 59:53
2. Cristiana Bonassi (ITA) 01:00:20
3. Oksana Petrova (UKR) 01:01:10
13. Zoe Melling (Rathfarnham) 01:09:33
17. Vanessa Sallier (Rathfarnham) 01:13:11
18. Maria Dolan (Rathfarnham) 01:13:40

W40 Team
1. Italy 9
2. Ireland 48

M40 Individual (118 finishers)
1. Antonio Molinari (ITA) 49:12
2.Lorenzo Della Pietra (ITA) 49:49
3. Corrado Bado (ITA) 49:57
15. Neil Carty (North Belfast) 53:37
18. John Brennan (Rathfarnham) 54:17
31. Cormac Conroy (Sli Cualann) 58:25
32. Leo Murray (Tir Chonaill) 58:50
46. Richie McCauley 01:01:07

M40 Team
1. Italy 6
2. Ireland 64
3. Germany 125

W45 Individual (41 finishers)
1. Tracey Jayne Greenway (GBR) 01:01:30
2. Barbara Stich (GER) 01:02:17
3. Helen White (Sportsworld) 01:05:43
14. Anne Sandford (Newcastle) 01:12:57
36. Patricia Blackburn (Bilboa) 01:33:47

W45 Team
1. Italy 17
2. Czech Republic 33
3. Ireland 53

M45 Individual (124 finishers)
1. Craig Roberts (GBR) 49:23
2.Lucio Fregona (ITA) 49:54
3. Rostislav Petras (CZE) 50:07
12. Mike Cunningham (Bilboa) 55:05
21. Keith Ryan (Limerick) 58:21
23. Tom Blackburn (Bilboa) 58:47

M45 Team
1. Italy 11
2. Great Britain 25
3. Ireland 56

W50 Individual (29 finishers)
1. Mari Heilig-Duventaster (GER) 01:01:44
2. Marie Hynstova (CZE) 01:07:59
3. Iris Bonanni (ITA) 01:09:28
4. Mags Greenan (Clonliffe) 01:11:09

M50 Individual (96 finishers)
1. Claudio Amati (ITA) 51:08
2. Ales Stransky (CZE) 52:27
3. Matt Ebiner (USA) 52:59
8. Gerard Maloney (St. Paul’s Wexford) 57:40
9. Martin McDonald (North Laois) 58:04
20. Ger Griffin (Bilboa) 01:00:11
35. Pat McCavana (GEN) 01:04:10
36. Dominic McGreevy (Mourne Runners) 01:04:44
59. Seamus Greenan (Clonliffe) 01:12:35

M50 Team
1. Italy 11
2. Ireland 37
3. Great Britain 50

8,680m

M55 Individual (94 finishers)
1. Leonid Tikhonov (RUS) 41:01
2. Gianpaolo Englaro (ITA) 41:11
3. Alfonso Vallicella (ITA) 42:07
69. Willie John Brown (Mourne Runners) 01:00:03

M70 Individual (28 finishers)
1. Georg Gross (GER) 37:39
2. Peter Covey (GBR) 38:53
3. Raimund Krausse (GER) 38:56
25. Mick Kellett (GEN) 55:35