Letterkenny AC’s Ann-Marie McGlynn has made history.
She romped to victory in the Senior Women’s Cross Country National Championships today at the Castle Irvine Estate in County Fermanagh, just weeks after securing her second National title win in the Dublin Marathon.
Her win marks the first time anyone has won the Irish National Marathon title and Irish National Cross Country title in the same year.
McGlynn cruised to victory by over ten seconds in a dominant performance, that will qualify her for the European Cross Country Championships in Turkey next month.
Speaking with Athletics Ireland after her incredible performance Ann-Marie said today was just her day.
“I can’t believe it,” Ann-Marie told Athletics Ireland.
“I’m not even going to lie this wasn’t in the plan. I went to the Dublin Marathon, I didn’t have to go to the well and I came off it in great knick, I wasn’t sore. I took a full week off running.”
“I didn’t do anything apart from staying in contact and all of a sudden then I landed at the front. I kept that same momentum, I didn’t do anything stupid or crazy, my strength paid off in the end. It was a tough, honest course. There was no real let-up, it suited me. It was just my day, I’ll take it.”
Letterkenny AC’s women’s team also secured the silver medal in the race, thanks to the efforts of McGlynn and her teammates Shauna McGeehan, Claire McGuigan, Nakita Burke and Noeleen Scanlon.