Tullamore Harriers report – April 26th, 2026

O’Connor hits European standard in Iowa.

Ava O’Connor put on another fine display in the 3000m Steeplechase at the Drake Relays in Des Moines, Iowa on Saturday last, the 25th of April. In this the 116th running of the American Athletic Classic at Drake Stadium, Ava was competing against a world class field. The youthful Tullamore Harrier raced aggressively covering the first kilometre in 3:11. She then showed great determination as she raced on. Having slowed marginally in the succeeding laps she rallied over the last lap running that final 400m in 76 seconds. Ava’s finishing time of 9:39.85 is a big step on from her previous best and the Tullamore Harriers club record of 9:45.00. Ava has also met the standard of 9:50.00 that Athletics Ireland has set for the European Athletics Championships which take place in Birmingham in August. In addition, Ava needs to achieve a qualifying place through her World Rankings position, but she is well on track to do that.

National Relay Championships

The National Relay Championships took place today, April 26th, in Raheny village. Hosted annually by Raheny Shamrock AC, this event is always a thrilling spectacle, bringing together a mix of endurance and track athletes competing for national team

medals. The race is run over a mile-long looped course, with a three-leg format: the opening leg covers one mile, followed by a demanding two-mile second leg, before the final runner takes on a fast-paced one-mile dash to the finish. Tullamore Harriers was represented in the highly competitive Over 50 race by Ollie

Neary, Mick O’Brien, and Barry Minnock. This is the same trio who claimed gold team medals at the National Marathon Championships just a few months ago, and they knew they would face stiff competition in Raheny.

Ollie led off on the opening leg, clocking 5:26, before passing the baton to Barry, who covered the second leg in 10:34. Mick brought the team home with a strong final leg of 5:15.

It was a great team performance, with all three running superbly to secure a commendable 6th place finish, in a fiercely tight race.