Strabane-based Ann-Marie McGlynn added another title to her long medal list with an emphatic win in Sunday’s Irish Senior Cross Country Champs at Castle Irvine Estate in Irvinestown.
The 44-year-old again belied her age to essentially toy with the opposition over a difficult but firmish 7.5-mile event when she broke clear well before the halfway mark.
She was full of confidence after her Belfast Half Marathon win in September, which followed her Dublin Marathon victory in 2023.
Lucy Foster on her way to winning the Girls’ Under-18 race at Irvinestown
2023 winner Fiona Everard was a clear threat, but she could not cope with McGlynn’s continuing pressure, which resulted in an 11-second gap early on which was never relinquished.
In the home straight, she clearly relished an easy win in one of her rare cross-country outings.
This now makes her a certainty for Irish selection for December’s European Cross Country in Turkey.
Other Northern Ireland successes for the women included gold for Willowfield’s Lucy Foster in the Junior race plus bronze for Lisburn’s Madison Welby in the Under-16 event.
Former European Junior bronze medallist Nick Griggs of CNDR Track AC had high expectations in the men’s event and looked comfortable vying for the lead at an early stage with Keelan Kilrehill of Moy Valley.
However, Griggs was not able to sustain this position and eventually faded back to seventh, some 48 seconds behind winner Kilrehill.
Griggs had the consolation of being top Under-23 finisher, with team-mate Connall McClean in 11th place.
CNDR took the team prize on 61 points, with Finn McNally (12th) and Andrew Milligan (13th) ensuring North Belfast secured silver medals.