Cross Country stars set to descend on Derry for national championships

Templemore Sports Complex in Derry is the place to be this Sunday, November 23 as some of the stars of Irish athletics descend on the venue chasing domestic honours and European selection at the 123.ie National Senior, U23, U20 and Juvenile Even Age Cross Country Championships.

The top finishers in the Senior, U23 and U20 events will earn selection for the forthcoming European Cross Country Championships, which are set to take place in Lagoa, Portugal on Sunday December 14th. European Cross Country Championships selection policy is available HERE.

It is an action-packed programme of races with the potential for some surprises. The Senior and U23 women’s and men’s 7500m race will conclude the day’s action. Both of these races look wide open. Keelan Kilrehill (Moy Valley AC) is absent from the entries and will not defend his senior men’s title. Ann-Marie McGlynn (Strabane AC) will be looking for a repeat of the magic which saw her win senior women’s gold in Enniskillen last year but will have plenty of challengers to her crown. Recent national marathon champions David McGlynn (Waterford AC) and Ava Crean (Back 2 Boston Running Club AC) are among a host of intriguing entries.

There will be no shortage of support for the local athletes from City of Derry Spartan’s AC who are hosting these championships. The club have several teams entered across multiple categories.

The action on Sunday gets underway at 11:30am with the U12 Girls 2000m race, with the senior women’s race starting at 2:10pm and the senior men’s commencing at 2:50pm.

• Schedule and course map is HERE
• Entry List is HERE
• Athlete Tracker App (Senior Races only) HERE
• Event and Parking information is HERE
• Spectator Tickets are HERE
• A ‘finish line feed’ will be in operation on Athletics Ireland’s YouTube channel HERE

STACKED SENIOR WOMEN’S RACE: 2:10PM (7,500M)

The senior women’s race looks set to be another enthralling affair this year and defending champion Ann-Marie McGlynn (Strabane AC) is sure to need another huge performance if she is to become the first athlete to go back-to-back since Shona Heaslip in 2016 and 2017. McGlynn was a convincing winner of the title in Enniskillen twelve months previous and finished second in the National Marathon Championships less than a month ago.

2023 National Senior Cross Country champion Fiona Everard (Bandon AC) looked impressive in winning at the Autumn Open back in October. Having made the last two European Cross Country teams, Everard will be hoping to be on the plane to Portugal in December.

Danielle Donegan (Tullamore Harriers) and Mary Mulhare (Portlaoise AC) recently raced at the Cardiff Cross Challenge in Wales, with Donegan finishing inside the top ten (7th) and Mulhare not too far behind (18th). Both athletes were part of the Irish team at Euro Cross last year and will hope to seal their places once again.

Niamh Allen (Leevale AC) has had a year to remember in 2025, and she will be aiming to top it off with a place at the European Cross Country Championships. Clubmate Michelle Finn is an intriguing entry.

Olympian Jodie McCann (Dublin City Harriers) leads a strong contingent from her club, while twins Roisin and Eilish Flanagan (Finn Valley AC), the latter of whom is also an Olympian, have been pivotal scorers on Irish cross-country teams in the past and will be looking for strong runs.

Laura Nicholson (Bandon AC) ran over 1500m at the recent World Athletics Championships in Tokyo and will step up considerably in distance on Sunday, something she will be used to from her NCAA experience. Another athlete to watch who has been based Stateside in recent years is Laura Mooney (Tullamore Harriers).

The battle for the U23 title is also sure to be hotly contested. Kirsty Maher (Moy Valley AC) ran strongly at the Autumn Open and looks to be amongst the favourites for the gold medal. Eimear Maher (Dundrum South Dublin AC) won bronze in the 1500m at the European Athletics U23 Championships during the summer and having spent a stint at altitude recently will be eyeing up a big performance in Derry. Others to watch include Roise Roberts (Candour Track Club), Ailish and Fiona Hawkins (Dublin City Harriers), Avril Millerick (Youghal AC), Amy Greene (Finn Valley AC), Cara Laverty (Finn Valley AC) and Kirsti Charlotte Foster (Willowfield Harriers).

The U20 Women’s race is likely to see the recent Autumn Open champion Emma Hickey (United Striders AC) in the mix alongside the ever-impressive Emily Bolton (Clonliffe Harriers), who has won several national cross country titles down the years.

Last year’s U20 national champion Lucy Foster (Willowfield Harriers) will look to go back-to-back and will lead a strong club side who will be in contention team glory.

An interesting entry to the field is recent national marathon champion Ava Crean (Back 2 Boston Running Club AC), who clocked 2:34:12 on her way to a famous victory on the streets of Dublin last month. Steeplechase specialists Caoimhe Flannery (Skibbereen AC) and Dearbhla Allen (St. Peter’s AC) also can’t be discounted.

Annabel Morrison (Enniskillen Running Club) and Caitlin Hughes (Swinford AC) both featured as part of the Irish U20 team at the European Cross Country in Antalya last year and with strong runs could earn themselves a spot on the plane once again.

NEW CHAMPION TO BE CROWNED IN SENIOR MEN’S RACE: 2:50PM (7500M)

There will be a new national senior men’s cross country champion in 2025 in the absence of Keelan Kilrehill (Moy Valley AC).

Cormac Dalton (Mullingar Harriers) appears to be one of the favourites on paper having memorably stormed his way to gold in Gowran at these championships in 2023 and ran strongly at several European Cross Country Championships. Dalton finished sixth at a recent World Athletics World Cross Country Tour Silver event in Spain.

Dalton’s clubmate Jack O’Leary (Mullingar Harriers) is in a rich vein of form running PB’s over 5000m, 10,000m and 10km road this year. O’Leary hasn’t made an Irish team at the European Cross Country since 2019 and taking the opportunity to correct that will be high on his priority list come Sunday afternoon.

Efrem Gidey (Clonliffe Harriers), Darragh McElhinney (Bantry AC) and Brian Fay (Raheny Shamrock AC) return to racing on Irish soil following the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo in September. With the shorter 7500m distance, having a significant turn of heels could prove crucial in the closing stages.

National marathon champion David McGlynn (Waterford AC) is an intriguing entry to the field, while Pierre Murchan (Dublin City Harriers) and William Fitzgerald (Craughwell AC) were both on the Irish team at the European Cross Country in Antalya last year and will fancy their chances of making the team once again.

A number of U23’s will fancy their chances of getting amongst the senior medals, chiefly Nick Griggs (Candour Track Club) who has performed magnificently in cross country throughout the years. Griggs won silver in the category at the European Cross Country last year and will look to seal his spot on the plane on Sunday, while also aiming for a first national senior cross country medal.

His clubmate Callum Morgan (Candour Track Club) also looks to be in excellent form having won the Autumn Open by a convincing margin. In what is Morgan’s last year as an U23, he will be looking to make his mark.

Niall Murphy (Ennis Track AC) won silver in the Senior Men’s race last year and is eligible for U23 selection once again in 2025, UCD AC duo Lughaidh Mallon and Jonas Stafford will also hold U23 podium ambitions. Matthew Lavery (North Belfast Harriers) is an athlete who has made the last two European Cross Country Championships, and he also can’t be discounted.

The U20 race is equally challenging to predict with several athletes expected to be in the mix for medals and European selection. Noah Harris (Parnell AC), who finished fourth last year, looks set to return from the US to race.

Frank Buchanan (St. Michael’s College AC) is an athlete who has had a breakthrough year, most recently winning the U20 race at the Autumn Open, ahead of training partner Finn Diver (Beechmount Harriers), who is also amongst the entries.

The likes of Caolan McFadden (Cranford AC), Harry McKenzie (Enniskillen Running Club), Odhran McBrearty (Finn Valley AC), Darragh Mulrooney (Moy Valley AC) and Lorcan Forde Dunne (Ace AC) as well as others will fancy their chances of silverware.

It promises to be a thrilling edition of the 123.ie National Senior, U23, U20 and Juvenile Even Age Cross Country Championships.

• Schedule and course map is HERE
• Entry List is HERE
• Spectator Tickets are HERE
• A ‘finish line feed’ will be in operation on Athletics Ireland’s YouTube channel HERE
• Email marketing@athleticsireland.ie to apply for media or photo accreditation in advance of Sunday.