Farren and Scanlan scoop Donegal Cross Country crowns

Donal Farren scorched his way through the O’Donnell Park muck to win the Donegal Senior Cross Country title on Sunday.

Farren led the way for Letterkenny AC to claim the team golds and club-mate Noeleen Scanlan was the women’s race victor, with Finn Valley AC taking the team honours.

University of Galway medicine student Farren was unrivalled on the day. As the black Nike baseball cap raced through the bell, signalling the final lap, Farren had around 400m to spare on Letterkenny AC colleague Mark Grennan.

“I’m absolutely delighted,” Farren told Donegal Live. “I diid’t expect to be in that sort of shape for the first race of the season. The ten weeks or so of training has paid off.”

Burke fifth in international cross country as Finn Valley dominate medals in Ulster even ages

Letterkenny AC's Nakita Burke and Natasha Adams were inside the top ten in the Bobby Rea International Cross Country 2022 while Finn Valley AC won eight team medals in the Ulster even ages cross country

Grennan took silver with Jon Jo Doherty of Finn Valley edging LAC’s Mark Wallace in a sprint finish for bronze.

The leading pack get off and running in the Donegal Cross Country Championships

Letterkenny AC had five of the top six men with Ciaran McGonagle fifth and club captain Eoghain McGinley sixth. Raymond Birch in 15th completed the scoring LAC team.

Finn Valley AC were second team with Milford AC, led by Marty Lynch in 12th and Peter O’Donnell in 13th, third.

Farren said: “I just wanted to come and help the team so the individual performance is a bonus.

“I felt good and just pressed on. The main target is the nationals in November so it’s good to get off to a winning start.”

John McElhill and Pauric McKinney in a battle.

Scanlan was an impressive winner in the women’s race, which she led from gun to tape.

The St Patrick’s NS, Murlog schoolteacher took her first Donegal Cross Country title in fine style, winning from Finn Valley AC’s Leoni Cooke and Helen McCready of Rosses AC.

“It’s amazing,” Drumkeen native Scanlan beamed.

“I’m really happy with the run. I’m over the moon with it.

“A gap started building, but I had to keep pushing because there was always the worry that someone could come up behind you.”

Scanlan will be among the black and amber charge that will defend the national title next month in Rosapenna.

Finn Valley AC celebrate winning the women's title

Cooke was joined by Catriona Devine (4th), Stacey Leonard (5th) and Maggie O’Hora (10th) as the scorers on the winning Finn Valley AC team.

Remarkably, Devine has scored on every winning Finn Valley AC team at the Donegal Cross County Championships since she first broke through to the senior ranks as a 16-year-old in the early 1990s.

Kirsty Downey, Sara Marie Doherty, Caoimhe Ni Shuible and Patricia McLaughlin bagged the team silvers for Inishowen AC.