26/08/2026
Letterkenny AC Impress at Northern Ireland & Ulster 5K Championships
It was another hugely successful weekend for Letterkenny AC, with a large contingent of club athletes travelling to Coleraine for the Northern Ireland & Ulster 5K Championships and producing a fantastic collection of performances, personal bests and category victories.
In the opening race of the evening, Letterkenny fielded a strong F35 team, with Alicia McNulty leading the way in 23:45, closely followed by Niamh McDaid in 23:49. Jodie-Anne McIntyre crossed the line in 24:02, with Doireann Ní Riain completing the team in 24:17.
The third race of the evening saw a large contingent of Letterkenny men take to the start line, and they certainly didn't disappoint.
Danny Mooney produced a brilliant performance to take the overall victory in a time of 14:35. Behind him, Jamie Westerman continued his excellent form, clocking a superb 15:23 to claim 1st place in the M35 category in a new personal best.
There was another fantastic PB performance from John Foley, who smashed his previous best by a massive 30 seconds, stopping the clock at 15:47. Club captain Phillip McHugh followed in 16:16, with Michael Donaghey close behind in 16:20 after another hard-fought battle.
The combined performances of the Letterkenny men saw the team claim an excellent 2nd place overall in the Senior Men's Championship race.
There was plenty more success further down the field. Ciaran Doherty took the honours in the M50 category, winning in an impressive 16:24.
Liam Tinney produced one of the performances of the evening, recording a phenomenal 17:06 personal best to take 2nd place in the M45 category. Not far behind was Ciaran "Crazy" McGonagle, who clocked 17:11 to claim 3rd place in the M45 race.
The rivalry between Cian Friel and Michael Harkin continued, with the pair once again going head-to-head over the 5K. This time it was Cian who came out on top, taking the win in 17:25, with Harkin hot on his heels in 17:30. Harkin also came away with some silverware, claiming silver in the M50 category.
Completing the Letterkenny men's line-up was Clive Monaghan, who recorded 18:21. Remarkably, this was an equal personal best for Clive and even more impressively, it is the third time in as many races that he has run exactly 18:21!
A Busy Sunday for Letterkenny AC
It was a busy Sunday for Letterkenny AC athletes, with club members competing on the roads and in the mountains, producing some outstanding performances across the country.
It was an early start for Danny Mooney and John Foley, who travelled to compete in the Antrim Coast International 5K. A 4:30am wake-up call and a 9am start certainly didn't hold either man back, as both produced superb personal best performances.
Mooney ran an excellent 14:08, recording his first personal best since 2015. John "Double Cream" Foley was also in fantastic form, stopping the clock at 15:40 and rewriting the personal best he had set just 36 hours earlier. Two excellent performances from the Letterkenny pair. In the same race Nakita Burke represented team Ireland in the female race, coming home in a fantastic 7th place overall with a time of 16:20.
Over at the Antrim Coast Half Marathon, LAC club men Stephen McAuley and Michael "Foxy" Fox were once again mixing it at the business end of the race. It was a particularly special day for Stephen as he made his debut for Team Ireland, representing his country for the first time with a strong performance. McAuley continued his phenomenal run of form, smashing his personal best with a superb 1:04:32 and finishing 2nd of the Irish team finishers as well as securing a top-20 finish. Foxy showed signs of his excellent 2025 form, crossing the line in a strong 1:08:37. Dale Corbett followed home in a time of 1:42:42.
Closer to home, Michael Donaghey took victory at the Letterkenny Rovers 5K, powering to the win in an impressive 16:26. Paddy McDaid also produced a fine performance, finishing in 5th place with a time of 19:13.
While most of the club were tackling the roads, Donal Farren swapped the tarmac for the mountains, taking on the popular Warriors Run in Sligo. The challenging event features a 700-foot climb of Knocknarea Mountain, a loop around Queen Maeve's Cairn at the summit, before a steep descent back towards the Strandhill beachfront. Farren handled the demanding course superbly, securing an excellent top-five finish in 58:18.
