Clohisey and Lee win National Marathon Championship 2018

Mick Clohisey Wins Mens Title while Lizzie Lee Takes Womens

SSE Airtricity Dublin Marathon 2018

Sunday October 28th 2018

lizzie lee dublin national marathon winner 2018a

Lizzie Lee wins National Marathon Championship 2018

Atheltics Ireland Report - Feidhlim Kelly

Lee and Clohisey triumph in the capital

Lizzie Lee (Leevale) and Mick Clohisey (Raheny Shamrock) struck national glory with excellent runs of 2:35:05 and 2:15:58 respectively at the 39th SSE Airtricity Dublin Marathon today, Sunday October 28.

For both, it was their first National Marathon Title, with Lee finishing third overall in the women’s race, with Ethiopia’s Mesera Dubiso winning in 2:33:49, followed by her compatriot Motu Gedefa, second in 2:34:22.

Clohisey was sixth overall, clocking the fastest time by an Irishman for 27 years – Tommy Hughes ran 2:14:46 in 1991.

Ethiopia topped the podium in the men’s race also, with Asefa Bekele winning in 2:13:24 followed by the Kenyan pair David Manja, second in 2:13:33, and Joel Kiptoo third in 2:13:42.

Lee triumphs on the Liffey

Lizzie Lee was an ecstatic and emotional winner of the National Title, as she embraced her coach Donie Walsh at the finish.

This capped a great year in the capital for Lee, who won the women’s mini-marathon for the first time this year, and now adds her first national marathon title.

“It’s so good to win in Dublin,” said Lee gleefully. “It’s a brilliant course, with brilliant support all the way around. I really wanted to win the National Title.”

Caitriona Jennings (Letterkenny) ran strongly for second place, in 2:41:17, with Jill Hodgins (Leevale) third in 2:47:53.

It was double delight for Lee, with Leevale unofficially winning the women’s team title also. Nollaigh O’Neill was Leevale's third score, in 34th place in the overall women’s standings, in 3:02:10.

Clohisey Clinches First National Marathon Title

mick clohisey dublin national marathon winner 2018a

Mick Clohisey wins National Marathon Championship 2018

Mick Clohisey clinched his first National Marathon title, finishing 6th overall, following in the footsteps of his coach Dick Hooper – a three time winner of the Dublin Marathon and multiple National Marathon Champion.

The Raheny Shamrock runner was a reluctant leader at the start of proceedings. “I didn’t know what to do at the start,” said Clohisey, who was the fastest Irish man in a National Marathon Championship since Tommy Hughes ran 2:14:46, in 1991.

“I looked around and tried to keep a reasonable pace, waiting for the others to come up to me,” continued the Raheny Shamrock athlete, who holds a personal best of 2:14:55.

The pace increased and Clohisey fell off the leading pack of eight, with some stomach issues, as the Africans took their expected positions at the head of proceedings.

Meanwhile, a strong battle was taking place in the National Marathon Championships, with 44-year-old Gary O’Hanlon in pursuit, along with his Clonliffe teammate Sergiu Ciobanu. They eventually finished second and third in 2:17:11 and 2:17:28 respectively, in what was the strongest National Championship for many a year. Raheny’s Mark Kirwan was less than ten seconds behind, in fourth place in 2:17:37.

Clonliffe Harriers unofficially won the men’s title with David Flynn, the club's their third scorer, in fifth place overall, in 2:19:49