Strabane women earn Euro top 10

TWO Strabane women were part of the Letterkenny Athletics Club women’s team which finished an impressive ninth at the European Clubs Cross Country Championships in Portugal.

Ann Marie McGlynn led the way, crossing the line as the first Irish finisher in ninth overall, while fellow Strabane woman, Claire McGuigan, came home 55th as the team achieved their pre-event aim of finishing inside the top 10 over the 9.3 kilometres course in Albufeira.

For McGlynn, who won the 2024 Irish Cross-Country Championship title just three weeks after being crowned Irish Marathon champion, becoming the first person ever to achieve that double, it concluded a remarkable season.

“It was great, it was a great weekend,” beamed the mother of two, who has been rejuvenated by the success she has enjoyed during the 2024 season.

“Ninth overall and ninth team, I have to be happy with that and it was nice to be the first Irish woman home too.

“It finishes off my cross-country season, which was part of the 2024 season and I’m over the moon because I went to Turkey and I was on borrowed time for the European Cross-Country [Championships] and I was tired for that [after her Irish title double]. I didn’t get out of me what I wanted to get out of me but I turned that around in Portugal, so I’m delighted.

“It was one of my best years, so there must be another bit in me! I’ll keep going as long as I can.”

And she was also delighted to achieve her latest success alongside McGuigan, whom she coaches, making more positive memories in the process.

“I’ve been to so many places around the world through running and what I always remember are the [good] memories from it because you have more bad races than good, so what you do remember are the [positive] memories and I tend to go back to the good memories,” she said.

“I know to go and enjoy these kind of races because I’m lucky to be there and I’m delighted. And to have Claire on the team, who I coach personally, it’s huge to see her in a European race. She took to it like a duck to water, she loved it, she ran out of her skin.

“She ran really well, she held her own and enjoyed every minute of it and I said to her it’s all about the memories and even today [Tuesday] on our run, we laughed the whole way around for 60 minutes because we had more laughs than enough. It was just brilliant.”

Running alongside McGlynn and McGuigan for the County Donegal team were Noeleen Scanlan and Nakita Burke, who finished 53rd and 42nd overall respectively.

As well as finishing ninth in Europe, Letterkenny were the first Irish team on the day with Leevale AC, who beat them to the Irish crown, coming 13th.

“Coming away the first Irish club is nice because we were beat by Leevale at the National Championships, so we’ll take that!,” Ann-Marie beamed.