The return of the St Stephen’s Day 5k at Finn Valley AC brought some festive cheer to the area.
Having been absent from the calendar in 2020 due to a Covid-19 lockdown, the event was back to help mark the 50th anniversary of Finn Valley AC.
The race was won by John Travers, Donore AC’s Irish international, who finished in a very impressive 14 minutes and 48 seconds.
Finn Valley AC’s Oisin Ó Gailín, home for a Christmas break from Wyoming University, was second in 15:05. Oisin has been in fine form Stateside and it was great to welcome him to his home race.
The Flanagan twins, Eilish and Roisin, both finished in 17:21.
After the race, Finn Valley AC presented Eilish Flanagan with a special necklace to commemorate her participation at the Olympic Games in Tokyo earlier this year.
The presentation of the necklace, sourced from Cowpers Jewellers in Limerick, was made by Finn Valley AC stalwart Catriona McGranaghan, who retuned as the fourth female in the race (19:13).
There were 284 participants. While the number was down from previous years, in these Covid times it proved an encouraging reminder of the importance of such events, from competitive, social and mental points of view.
