ATHLETICS/Cross Country National Inter-club Championships:After the fast and furious excitement of the European Indoor championships it's back to more old-fashioned running at tomorrow's National Inter-club cross-country championships - where the heavy, soggy Sligo Racecourse will demand all the classic traits of the cross-country specialist.
David Gillick, the European indoor 400-metre champion, actually tried cross-country during his early years at Dundrum South Dublin, but it's hard to imagine him handling this ground, even if he were there in the last 400 metres to deliver his trademark finish. Whoever emerges with titles in Sligo tomorrow will have triumphed with endurance more than speed and will definitely have earned them after a hard-fought slog.
At least it's not the hilliest course in the land, though it will be a big change from Santry Demesne, where Athletics Ireland have staged these championships for the past two years.
Moving the event west does add some variety, though it's likely to hit spectator numbers, which had been particularly strong in Santry.
Titles will change hands too, notable in the senior women's race (over eight kilometres). Last year Maria McCambridge collected her first title after three successive silver medals, but unfortunately the Dundrum woman has endured a horrid time since. A bone spur in a foot kept her out of training for almost six months, and as soon as she got over that, another one developed in the other foot - and she's still trying to get back to regular running.
Her absence inevitably takes from the race, though there still promises to be an epic battle for the title between Wicklow's Fionnuala Britton - the intercounties champion and European under-23 silver medallist - and Sligo's Mary Cullen - the local favourite and seventh-place finisher over 3,000 metres at the European Indoors last weekend.
After Birmingham, Cullen spoke of her great desire to win this title in front of the home crowd, admitting it won't be easy.
Britton has underlined her breakthrough this season with a couple of excellent runs in other European races, including a fifth place in the Great Edinburgh Cross Country. The heavy ground and eight-kilometre distance in Sligo are likely to suit her best - and there's a chance she could run away with it.
The men's senior race, over 12 kilometres, is much harder to call, though it does include Dublin's Vinnie Mulvey - who last year became the first Raheny Shamrocks man to win the senior individual title. Unfortunately he too has had a hard time with injury, knee trouble curtailing his training in recent months.
While that should clear the way for a new champion, the race still seems wide open.
The intercounties champion Mark Christie has opted out after his disappointing show in Birmingham, and it could be that the redoubtable Séamus Power - a three-time champion - could still prove the man to beat at age 35.
The Clareman displayed plenty of his old form when winning Rás na hÉireann last month, but among those he'll need to beat are the champion of two years back, Donegal's Gary Murray, Dublin's Mark Kenneally, and the hometown favourite, David Kelly.
Athletics Ireland are selecting only the individual winners for the World Cross Country in Kenya later this month, a wise move given the daunting challenge that awaits any European travelling to that event.
Tomorrow's programme starts at 1pm with the junior women (6km), followed by the junior men (8km) at 1.30pm, senior women (8km) at 2.15pm, and senior men (12km) at 2.45pm.
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