Gutsy Nuala Bose leads Finn Valley AC to 13th at European Clubs Cross Country

A superb run by Nuala Bose guided Finn Valley AC to 13th in the team standings at the European Champion Clubs Cup (ECCC) Cross Country on Sunday in Albufeira.

Bose was the lead Finn Valley runner, placing 26th overall at the Pista das Acoteias course.

It has been a dogged and determined run over the tricky 9.28km distance on an obstacle-laden route.

Bose had represented Finn Valley AC at junior level in the ECCC in 2022 and 2023 and that experience surely stood to the Maynooth University student, who was joined on the team by Noeleen Scanlan (40), Teresa Doherty (54) and Maggie O’Hara (59).

The 21-year-old Bose was 33rd around the midway point and with a lap to go had climbed into 28th.

Bose, who took a fine bronze medal in the National Novice in December, dug deep across the final loop of a testing and twisty course to finish 26th.

Finn Valley AC has a storied history at the ECCC Cross Country, competing nine times at senior level between 1994 and 2005.  Indeed, Boser’s finish is third in the Finn Valley history books, bettered only by Jill Bruce’s 21st in 1996 and Dawn Hargan’s 25th in 1998.

Scanlan, the principal at Scoil Phadraig in Drumkeen, had competed three times previously in Letterkenny AC’s colours, including at the same course 12 months ago.

Scanlan - who also competed at the ECCC Cross Country in 2022 and 2023 - and Bose tag-teamed the opening couple of loops with Sinead O’Connor and Michelle Finn from Leevale AC (who were eighth team) in between the Finn Valley AC duo.

The experienced Teresa Doherty - a 10-time Donegal senior cross country winner - followed in 54th with Maggie O’Hara five places back in 59th.

O’Hara was drafted in with little more than 10 days’ notice, following the enforced withdrawal of Amy Greene, who had finished seventh at the National Senior Cross Country in Derry.

“They have done the club proud today,” Finn Valley AC team lead Catriona Devine said. Devine was a runner on all nine Finn Valley AC teams to run at this event in the past.

“It was a very proud day. I said beforehand that I would have been happy with a top-15 place and we’ve come 13th. It’s brilliant. 

“We’ve put a point down now today to move forward.”

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Team winners SC Braga were led by Jacline Rotich, who was the lead ECCC competiitor and second in the race behind the Kenyan winner Mirriam Cherop.

Rotich was followed by Marian Machado in fifth and Laura Taborda in ninth with their fourth runner, Vanessa Carvaljo, neatly tucked in 20th.

Braga won on 15 points ahead of Fenerbache and Bilbao AT, both on 23.

The top three of Cherop, Rotich and Elvanie Nimbona (ASD Caivano) were separated by only 16 seconds.