Sometimes, the only thing harder than winning a National Cross-Country Championship title is winning it back. Depending on who leads home the senior men’s race at the Templemore Sports Complex in Derry on Sunday, there could be 10 different winners in as many years.
A repeat winner in the senior women’s race is almost as rare of late, and the tight course and tough conditions in Templemore on Sunday mean both senior races are once again relatively wide open.
Keelan Kilrehill is unable to defend the men’s title he won at Castle Irvine Estate in Fermanagh this time last year, perhaps clearing the way for 2023 champion Cormac Dalton to claim his second title in three years. Although 2022 champion Darragh McElhinney will also have a say in that.
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“The goal going into any national cross is always to win, that’s what I’m hoping for,” says Dalton, the 27-year-old from Mullingar Harriers who finished third last year. “At the same time, I’m not expecting to win it, but I’d really like to emulate what I did two years ago.
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“I’ve struggled the last year to find my full rhythm again, but I feel I properly have it back now and shown that in my last race. So excited to give it another lash, it’s always a fun weekend.”
Mick Clohisey from Raheny, was the last man to win more than one title, the 2016 Olympian winning in 2014 and 2015. The last Irish woman to win back-to-back titles was Shona Heaslip in 2016 and 2017.
Dalton enjoyed a sixth-place finish at the San Sebastián International cross-country on November 2nd. That run was not long after an altitude training camp at Font Romeu in the French Pyrenees with an Athletics Ireland endurance group that included McElhinney and Nick Griggs, the 20-year-old from Tyrone in contention for his first senior title on Sunday.
“We’re all close, aligned in our schedules and training and all that,” Dalton says of training with his rivals. “But once the race gets going, I can only concentrate on what I can do best. Cross-country racing is very intuitive, and you’re just making the moves based on what that last corner was like.
“I’m excited. In terms of the preparation, I don’t think it could have been more perfect. And feeling really good. I always say I don’t love running through the mud, but I seem to be able to perform in it. I’m confident, but ultimately it’s about qualifying for Europeans, performing really well there.”
The top three senior men and women on Sunday all gain automatic selection for the European Cross-Country Championships in Lagoa, Portugal on December 14th. After winning the 2023 title by just two seconds, Dalton placed eighth in Europe, the Irish team finishing fourth. The ambition of a team podium place this time around is no secret.
For Dalton, who also works part-time with engineering firm FPK, the shorter 7.5km race also makes things more unpredictable (the race was 9km when he won in 2023, both men’s and women’s races now standardised at 7.5km).
Dalton has been working on his “top-end speed”, with Sport Ireland strength and conditioning coach Martina McCarthy also being part of the group in Font Romou. His long-time coach, Joe Ryan in Mullingar, also made a name for himself this summer as the man behind Cian McPhillips and his breakthrough 1:42.15 to finish fourth over 800m at the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo.
“I’ve trained with Cian since he was 14, 15, and he first came into Mullingar under Joe. I always poke fun that I just dragged him around for tempo sessions for six weeks, and he eventually got fit.
“But no, we’ve always seen how talented he is, and it’s cool to see Joe get that kind of result too, he works hard for all of us.”
