'Superb' Freya Renton first female home in Mayo AC 5k Series

Westport's Freya Renton added yet another string to her impressive athletics bow when she was first female home in this week's leg of the EBS Mayo AC 5k Series.

The 15-year-old ran a superb race to finish in a time of 17 minutes and 18 seconds. The fact that there were only four male finishers ahead of her on the night illustrated how impressive her time was.

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Freya was followed home by her equally talented twin sister, Holly, in 17 minutes 54 seconds, and Hilary Hughes just 37 seconds behind her. Another talented teenager, May Duckett, was fourth female across the line in 19 minutes and 51 seconds.

The event was hosted by Westport AC and showcased an exciting course that featured a combination of loops and an 'out-and-back' segment, including a brief stretch of gravel. The top three finishers in the men's race were:

Mitchell Thompson (Dark Horse Track Club) – 15:33

Ruairi Hollywood (Lagan Valley AC) – 15:58

Alan Dunne (Swinford AC) – 16:03.

Melbourne-based Mitchell Thompson, who led from the start, had recently finished 12th in the National 5k at Phoenix Park. Hollywood and Dunne maintained a close pace throughout the race, with Hollywood making a decisive move in the final stages to secure second place.

Behind the leading trio, Freya Renton and Mayo AC's Michael Rocke engaged in a thrilling battle before Michael came home in fourth place in a time of 17:31.

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Following Michael Rocke, the next three Mayo AC finishers included Tadgh Hanrahan in tenth place with a time of 17:57, Steven Timlin four places behind him at 18:37, and Mike Griffin next home with a time of 18:44.

First of the Mayo AC women was Jo Hughes (W50) with a time of 20:07, closely followed by Eimear Fitzmaurice at 20:11, and Angela O’Connor (W55) achieving an excellent 21:22.

The turnout was impressive, with 225 finishers at this popular venue, marking the second time Westport AC has hosted the event. A total of 44 Mayo AC runners participated, many of whom recorded impressive times and achieved 5k personal bests.

Race 3 in the Series is at Foxford tonight (Tuesday) at 8 pm.