Success for Donegal athletes at Intermediate & Masters Cross-Country

Donegal athletes performed well at the Irish Life Health Intermediate and Masters Cross-Country Championships in Galway this afternoon.

In difficult conditions, so severe that athletes had to be wrapped afterwards as they crossed the line, there were medals aplenty for Donegal.

Nakita Burke, who won a National Novices title before Christmas, took silver in the National Women’s Intermediate race.

Letterkenny AC’s Burke was behind Portlaoise’s Mary Mulhare and beat off Ashley Ryan of Civil Service to take the silver.

Finn Valley AC’s Dermot McElchar is the National Masters O40 champion and Inishowen’s Pauric McKinney took gold in the O50 category.

Donegal was the second team, behind Cork, while there was club silver for Letterkenny AC and bronze for Finn Valley.

Letterkenny’s scoring team was Raymond Birch, Ivan Toner, Karl Doogan and Ciaran McGonigle with Dermot McElchar, John McElhill, Seamus O’Donnell, Kieran Carlin scoring for Finn Valley.

Letterkenny and Finn Valley both finished on 113 points with Letterkenny edging it on a count back.

In the Masters Women, Donegal finished third overall with Caitriona Devine, Fionnuala Diver, Kay Byrne and Marie Harper the scorers.