On Wednesday 5th of March, Fossa National School competed at the Cumman na mBunscol County Cross Country Championships in Tralee. A strong team of 16 travelled to compete in dry, breezy conditions, quite unusual for cross country running this time of year and most definitely a welcome change from the heavy rain and gale force winds of previous years.
First up were the 3rd and 4th class girls. With over 120 girls running, the start was chaotic with everyone battling to be first to take the turn. With a few girls falling at that first corner, the Fossa girls navigated their way around the course safely. The team packed well and finished strong with both Marielle Nomikos finishing strongly in 13th with Sadhbh O’ Reilly in 14th place. Both Fiadh Driver and Kate Doyle gave it everything in the closing 100m which made all the difference where they secured the County Team championship and gold medals for the team. A special mention to Chloe O’ Sullivan who missed out through illness and will be back stronger and faster next year. A big thanks to Kate Doyle for stepping up to support the girls last minute and help secure team gold!
Next up were the 3rd and 4th class boys. Another chaotic start saw more fallers in the first 200m. Finn Cronin started strong and found himself in the top 10 after 200m. As the race progressed, Finn picked off one athlete at a time and finished strongly to secure 7th place and a county medal. A great achievement! Conor Brosnan was just outside the medals and battled his way around the 1km loop and placed inside the top 20. Both Cillian Murphy and Cian Vaughan can be proud of their individual races, with both boys representing Fossa N.S against boys a year older than them. They will both have the chance to race in this age group again next year. Well done!
After the boys 3rd and 4th class race, underfoot conditions began to deteriorate as the ground became more muddy. Another full capacity race of up to 120 girls took to the line for the 5th and 6th class girls race. The Fossa girls started the race conservatively and positioned themselves in the middle of the pack. Sienna Birdthistle worked her way through the field as the race progressed and after the first kilometre, she was in the top 20. Sienna pushed on little by little and finished the race in 11th place, just outside the medals. She was supported by teammates Dearbhla Kiely, Julia O’ Gorman and Gemma Chkheidze who all ran superbly.
The final race of the day saw the boys 5th and 6th class students toe the line for the 2km race. Some steady running in the first kilometre saw the Fossa boys packing closely with Aaron O’ Sullivan, Seán Doyle and George Nomikos all in the top 20 with Tristan Cryan a bit further back. As the race progressed to the business end, Seán and Aaron picked off one athlete after another as they worked their way through the field. In a frantic last 200m, both Seán and Aaron swapped places but it was Seán who got the upper hand to finish 9th and secure a county medal. Aaron had a brilliant race and just finished outside the medals in 11th. George gave it everything to finish in 27th and Tristan finished in the top 40. The boys team were desperately unlucky not to win a team medal.
Comhghairdeachas le gach duine a ghlac páirt sa rás tras tíre. Táimid bródúil an domhain as gach duine a rith sa rás tras-tíre.
Many thanks to Mr Noel Rice who organized the school teams and mentored the children at the event in Tralee .
