Finn Valley AC woman weather the storms on European return

A state of calamity was declared in Portugal this week.

The backdrop felt rather apt for the European Champion Clubs Cup Cross Country in Albufeira.

The Algarve region had been lashed by all of Storms Kristin, Leonardo and Marta as athletes checked into the area late in the week.

The arrivals included the Finn Valley AC senior women, who took to the stage for the first time since 2005, when they finished 12th in Italy on the last of their nine previous times to grace the compeitition.

The Pista das Acoteias course is laden with obstacles physical and mental. The venue can host BMX, motocross and equestrian events as well as cross country running - and the 9.28km distance set by organisers was another hurdle for competitors to overcome. 

It was some small mercy that the stormy scenes abated for the actual run on Sunday, when Finn Valley were led to a 13th place finish by the battling Nuala Bose, whose 26th place finish outlined an athlete who can perform when the stage is right.

Bose was followed by Noeleen Scanlan (40th), Teresa Doherty (54) and Maggie O’Hara (59).

Bose, a 21-year-old student at Maynooth University, was in 33rd at the midway point and with four of the five laps gone she was up into 28th.

“I didn't know what to expect but I just really enjoyed it,” Bose said, her place the third highest from a Finn Valley athlete in this race after Jill Bruce’s 21st in 1996 and Dawn Hargan’s 25th in 1998. “The spectators were great and keeping us going and we teamed up so well, so I'm delighted. 

“It was a tough distance, tough course; very hilly and there were hurdles and hills and everything. 

The bronze medal winner at the National Novice Cross Country in December, Bose was here twice previously with Finn Valley AC at junior levels in 2022 and 2023. The Churchill resident now has the distinciton of being the only Finn Valley athlete to compete at both junior and senior level.

“This was a different experience altogether, definitely,” Bose said. “I didn’t know what to expect coming into the senior one, but I enjoyed the distance and we had a great team.”

In a race won by Kenyan Mirriam Cherrop, the pint-sized Bose belied her stature as she tackled the hills and a bendy, twisty wooded section with real determination.

Scanlan was at this venue last year when running with Letterkenny AC and the know-how stood to the Scoil Phadraig, Drumkeen principal.

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

“I ran the same course last year so I kind of did know what to expect, but I definitely think I enjoyed it a bit more this year,” Scanlan said. “I'm happy with how I ran. Myself and Nuala worked together for the first two or three laps and then at that stage you're just trying to keep going until you hear that final bell and get round. 

“Overall I'm happy with my run. It was humid out there, it was warm which we're not used to at the minute but it was very good and great running from the girls.”

From the Finn Valley AC team that landed silver medals at the National Senior Cross Country in November, injury ruled Amy Greene out of contention while the US-based Flanagan twins, Roisin and Eilish, were unable to. travel. College commitments at Providence College prevented Cara Laverty from being a live option.

Doherty, a 10-time Donegal Senior Cross Country champion, took a call from team lead Catriona Devine, and stepped into the breach.

She needed to call on all of the big race experience and nous, but it proved vital to have in the locker.

“I’m probably kind of at the end of the running career - I think I might have been the oldest there today - but I found it tough,” the Kinlough native now domiciled in the Rosses said.

“It’s great to be here and great to be here with the trio as well. I’m definitely delighted that I decided to step in. It was a lovely weekend and I was rrally glad to be a part of it.

“It was a tough course and I just hadn’t the work done.”

Across a fabled period of the club’s history, Finn Valley AC’s senior women competed in the ECCC Cross Country nine times between 1994 and 2005. It was during a spell when they won 10 National Senior titles.

Devine, the team lead for the voygage to Albufeira, was a runner on each of the previous teams - going then by her maiden name, Catriona McGranaghan. Indeed before this weekend, only 12 athltes had donned the Finn Valley AC vest for the senior ECCC Cross Country race: Belinda McArdle, Catriona McGranaghan, Clodagh McCool, Dawn Hargan, Helena Crossan, Ita Boyle, Jill Bruce, Kay Byrne, Margaret Synott, Noeleen Porter, Rosaleen Campbell and Rosmary Bogle. 

O’Hara had a little more than 10 days’ notice to get mind and body ready. Called in to fill the void following the enforced withdrawal of Greene - who had placed seventh at the 2025 National Seniors - the Irvinestown native took the baton admirably.

“It was a great first experience for me to be out with the team.” the Irvinestown woman said. “It was a great weekend. It was very difficult logistically for me to make it work, but it was a great opportunity fot me. It’s probably the only time I’ll ever get to do this and it was lovely being with the team and actually experiencing a European compeition.

“It’s a great thing to have on the running CV to have competed in this. It was a good, long, tough course with a bit of everything: It had plenty of those hurdles and a nice wooded area but it was a good experience to do it.”

Devine guided the squad over the weekend and the Castlefin woman believes it could have planted a seed.

She said: “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. 

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“I was so proud of Nuala; I thought she was just going faster and faster. It was a good step for Noeleen moving forward and Teresa, coming back into it, it can be a bit of a starting point for her again. When I called Teresa up, she stepped up within a few hours.

“Maggie jumped in last minute and it wasn’t easy at all. She has two young boys at home and a busy job, but she came out and I’m very proud of them all.

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

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