 Gary Murray of St Malachy's won his first Irish Cross Country title |
Donegal runner Gary Murray won the Irish Cross Country Championships for the first time on Saturday at Santry. The 24-year-old St Malachy's club runner held off Clonliffe's Mark Kenneally to take the title in a time of 37:08 minutes over the 12K course.
Dublin City Harriers' Paul McNamara held off 10,000m national champion Joe McAllister for bronze.
The top three are guaranteed selection for next month's World Championships in St Etienne.
Murray, eighth in last year's event, is the first Donegal runner to be crowned national champion since 1952.
In the women's event, Jolene Byrne also won her first title in edging out Maria McCambridge.
Byrne came home nine seconds ahead of the Dubliner, in 28:25 with 19-year-old Fionnuala Britton in third nearly a minute further back.
MMIX
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