Curley cruises to victory in first leg of Spring League

League was run off on Tuesday of this week. It was run over 3000 metres on the tarmac circuit on a cool breezy night. Thirty-six runners competed and right from the start Adrian Curley went to the front but was followed closely by Mick Murphy and Jody O"Reilly. At the halfway stage, O"Reilly began to lose ground on the leading pair. Adrian Curley kept pushing the pace and with 1000 metres to go started to open up a gap on Murphy. It was a gap that Curley increased and he came home a clear winner, seven seconds ahead of Mick Murphy. Jody O"Reilly finished in third position while Anthony Rickard had a fine run to finish fourth. In the team standings it appears provisionally that Fran Mollen"s team B have a clear lead over team A led by Martina Conlon, with Larry Rigney"s team C further adrift. Next Tuesday, the second leg will be run over a mile on the track and the third and final leg will take place on April 7th with a 5000 metre race on the tarmac circuit. Results 1 Adrian Curley 9.42; 2 Mick Murphy 9.49; 3 Jody O"Reilly 10.03; 4 Anthony Rickard 10.10; 5 Declan Madden 10.21; 6 Johnny Feery 10.29; 7 Luke Mitchell 10.34; 8 Tony McCormack 10.41; 9 Vinny Conlon 10.54; 10 Maire Triona Keane 10.56; 11 Liz Cuskelly 11.00; 12 Adrian Martin 11.01; 13 Darren Butler 11.06; 14 Nick Devery 11.08; 15 Liam Dunne 11.14; 16 Rosemarie Masterson 11.24; 17 Maurice Fitzgerald 11.36; 18 Joe Wrafter 11.39; 19 Pat Conlon 11.41; 20 John O"Connell 11.43; 21 Mary Daly 11.44; 22 Sinead Rigney 12.38; 23 Brendan Kennedy 12.38; 24 Una Mullen 12.45; 25 Martina Conlon 12.48; 26 Jim Langan 12.49; 27 Larry Rigney 12.55; 28 Ger Kavanagh 12.58; 29 James Grogan 13.00; 30 Anthony McCormack 13.17; 31 Mary Walsh 13.50; 32 Jim Dolan 13.59; 33 Pauline Curley 15.13; 34 John Cronin 15.13; 35 Catch Grennan 15.14; 36 Tom Feery 15.44. Connemara Marathon The Connemara Marathon took place last Sunday on a scenic but hilly course. The previous day, a group of sixteen hardy souls, including Tullamore"s Larry Rigney, completed the marathon course and Larry recorded a time of 4.53. The next morning Larry lined up for his second marathon of the weekend and, showing no signs of tiredness from the previous day"s exertions, he ran a good race and finished in a time of 4.18.51. There was also a half marathon in Connemara and here the Conlon brothers flew the flag for Tullamore. Vinny Conlon, who has been flying of late, had a great run to finish in a time of 1.29.27 over a tough course. Pat Conlon was also happy with his run and recorded a time of 1.38.22. Business Houses The National University/AIB Cross Country took place in the grounds of Maynooth University last Saturday. The race was run over four miles and John Todd ran well to finish in 29th place overall and 2nd over 55 in a time of 23.58. Mountain Running Liz Cuskelly took her first foray into mountain running last Saturday when she competed in a 7.7 km race held in Crone woods in Wicklow. Despite it being a baptism of fire for Liz, she acquitted herself well and completed the gruelling course to finish in 55th position overall in a mixed field of 140 athletes and was the 6th woman to finish. Liz"s time was 47.05. Boston Scientific Road Run The annual Boston Scientific 4 mile road run takes place this year on Sunday, 3rd May. This is a charity run that attracts a huge number of walkers, joggers and runners and is a great fun event for everyone. Best Wishes Best wishes are extended to Adrian Brennan from the club members for a speedy recovery from his recent illness. Sympathy Tullamore Harriers would like to extend their deepest sympathies to the family of Nancy O"Connor, Pearse Park, on her recent death. Fixtures Tuesday March 31st: Spring League mile race at 7pm; April 5th: Bupa 10k, Dublin; Tuesday April 7th: Final Leg, Spring League: 5,000 metres at 7pm; April 19th: National road Relays in Raheny, Dublin; April 26th: National 10k Road Championships. Navan.