Ann-Marie McGlynn storms to National Marathon glory

Ann-Marie McGlynn won her first National Marathon Championship title on Sunday morning.

The Letterkenny AC woman soared to victory in an excellent 2 hours, 34 minutes and 13 seconds.

The National Championships were held in conjunction with the Dublin Marathon, the 42nd edition of which took place.

Around the streets of the capital, McGlynn had just over three minutes to spare. North Belfast Harriers’ Gladys Ganiel was second in 2:37:08 with Donore’s Sorcha Loughnan third in 2:45:31.

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McGlynn was the fifth woman home and the first Irish woman, going 49th in the overall standings.

Ethiopia’s Amente Sorome Negash won in 2:26:22 from Taipei’s Joan Kipyatich, who was second in 2:27:04 with Genet Abdurkadir, also from Ethiopia in third, crossing the line in 2:27:49.

Peninah Jerop was fourth in 2:29:06 with McGlynn fifth in the overall women’s placings.

Twelve months ago, McGlynn was second to Courtney McGuire in the National Championships.

The Letterkenny AC athlete had shown good form when winning the Belfast Half Marathon in 1:14:53 back in September.

McGlynn’s clock started at around 8.45am and went through 10k in 36:20. The watch showed 1:16:11 as McGlynn passed the half-way marker and the 43-year-old emulates some other Donegal representatives to win a National Marathon crown.

Letterkenny AC icon Danny McDaid won four, as did Gary Crossan, whose wife Maria McCambridge was also national champion four times.

Pauric McKinney won a title in 2001 and St Johnston man Seamus O’Donnell grabbed three in the 1990s.