Belfast man Stephen Scullion completed third within the males’s race on the Dublin Marathon as Ethiopian winner Kemal Husen set a brand new course report of two hours six minutes and 52 seconds.
Husen went to midway in 1:02.56 and ultimately bettered Othmane El Goumri’s 2019 mark by one minute and 14 seconds.
Uganda’s Geofrey Kusuro was second in 2:10.45 with Scullion clocking 2:11.51.
Scullion received the concurrently run Irish Championship with Ann-Marie McGlynn taking the nationwide girls’s title.
Ethiopia’s Amente Negash received the general girls’s race in a private greatest of two:26.22 as she was 42 seconds forward of Kenya’s Joan Kipyatich with one other Ethiopian Genet Abdurkadir an extra 45 seconds again in third.
Kenya’s Peninah Jerop was fourth in 2:29.06 with 43-year-old Strabane-based McGlynn, who set her private greatest of two:29.34 in 2021, thrilled together with her efficiency in fifth as she clinched the Irish nationwide marathon title for the primary time with a 2:34.13 time.
North Belfast athlete Gladys Ganiel, 46, was second within the Irish Championship as she took eighth total in 2:37.08 – 26 seconds exterior her private greatest set in Dublin 4 years in the past – whereas Donore’s Sorcha Loughnane was the following lady over the road as she accomplished the rostrum positions within the nationwide occasion.
‘I wanted to consider in myself once more’
After ending total Dublin runner-up in a time of two:12.01 in 2019, Scullion secured one other podium spot as he produced his fourth-fastest marathon of his profession and his quickest run over the 42km distance since his Irish report efficiency of two:09.49 in London three years in the past.
The 34-year-old Belfast man went to midway in 1:05.37 and maintained his type impressively within the damp situations to carry off Kenya’s Kimal Kipruto for the ultimate total podium place by 4 seconds.
After talking frankly about his psychological well being battles on earlier events, Scullion was delighted together with his efficiency after what he described as a “tough interval”.
“I wanted to consider in myself once more,” stated the 34-year-old, who admitted {that a} disappointing current half-marathon efficiency had led to extra doubts about his future.
“I ran 70 minutes and 40-something seconds for a half-marathon 5 or 6 weeks in the past and I raced that… I did not maintain again.
“We thought there was one thing higher there however you simply by no means know.
“All you must give attention to is ‘are you having fun with your self?’ What is the crowd doing? Are you content to be right here?”
Scullion certified for the Tokyo Olympics solely to drop out amid the searing warmth in Sapporo however the Dublin efficiency ought to give him renewed perception that subsequent yr’s Paris Video games is an achievable goal for him despite the fact that the qualifying mark is a penal 2:08.10.
As was the case earlier than Tokyo, there’s one other path to Paris which is able to allow athletes who safe top-five finishes in one of many globe’s 14 platinum marathons, which embody the likes of London, New York, Chicago and Berlin, to earn qualification.
One other Ethiopian, Asefa Bekele, was additionally underneath 2:12 as he clocked 2:11.57 to take fifth.
Leevale’s Ryan Creech was second within the Irish Championship as he ran 2:14.08 – a minute and 5 seconds exterior his private greatest – for seventh total with Newcastle AC’s Ryan Forsyth finishing the nationwide occasion podium spots as he was eighth total in a powerful 2:14.43 on his marathon debut.
Husen’s course-record profitable males’s time additionally took one minute and 17 seconds off his earlier private greatest set when he positioned sixth on the Dubai marathon in February.
The Ethiopian’s job was made simpler after final yr’s winner Morocco’s Taoufik Allam dropped out early on with an obvious hamstring damage.
Kildare man Patrick Monahan earned his seventh wheelchair race victory in Dublin as he clocked 1:41.04.
Monahan will probably be again in motion at subsequent Sunday’s New York Marathon the place he has beforehand achieved a top-five end.
