Google+ Running in Cork, Ireland: Lizzie Lee from Cork qualifies for the Rio Olympics after running 2:32 in Berlin Marathon

Sunday, September 27, 2015

Lizzie Lee from Cork qualifies for the Rio Olympics after running 2:32 in Berlin Marathon


Lizzie Lee of Leevale AC ran an amazing time of 2:32:51 in the Berlin Marathon on Sunday the 27th of September. Lizzie's previous best was 2:38:09 which she set back in Berlin in Sept 2013 so this is a huge jump.

18     F31     » Lee, Elizabeth (IRL)     W35     Leevale AC         02:32:51     02:32:51 



Lizzie's time of 2:32:51 is the 5th fastest time for an Irish woman which is pretty amazing. To put it into perspective, that's about 5:50 per mile for 26.2 miles.

1    2:22:23    Catriona McKiernan    Amsterdam    1 Nov 1998
2    2:28:07    Carey May        Osaka    27 Jan 1985
3    2:29:01    Sonia O'Sullivan    Flora    London    17 Apr 2005
4    2:31:46    Fionnuala Britton    ZΓΌrich    16 Aug 2014
5    2:32:51     Lizzie Lee        Berlin    27 Sep 2015
6    2:32:56    Regina Joyce-Bonney    Scottsdale AZ    4 Dec 1982
7    2:33:28    Nicola Duncan    London    13 Apr 2014
8    2:33:59    Marie Davenport    New York NY    6 Nov 2005
9    2:34:15    Sinead Diver    Melbourne    12 Oct 2014
10    2:34:19    Maria McCambridge    Dublin    27 Oct 2014
11    2:34:49    Monica Joyce        Sacramento CA    2 Dec 1984


The qualifying standard for the Marathon in the 2016 Olympics in Rio is 2:42. The problem with qualifying though is that Ireland can only send three athletes for the women's marathon. For the 2012 Olympics in London, four had the qualifying time but only three could go. It may well happen again that more than three will qualify for Rio but Lizzie's time of 2:32:51 is just over 9 minutes inside the standard. That should mean that Lizzie is almost certain to go to Rio.

Post race intervew...

In the mens event, four got inside the 2:17 qualifying standard.

21     Seaward, Kevin (IRL)     M30     St Malachy's AC         02:14:52     02:14:52 
24     Ciobuna, Sergiu (IRL)     MH                 02:15:14     02:15:14
29     Clohisey, Michael (IRL)     MH     Raheny Shamrock         02:15:35     02:15:35
30     Pollock, Paul (IRL)     MH     Annadale Striders         02:15:38     02:15:38

39     Thornton, Gary (IRL)     M35                 02:17:19     02:17:19 
41     Hehir, Sean (IRL)     M30     Rathfarnham Wsaf Ac     02:17:48     02:17:48
48     Kirwan, Mark (IRL)     M30     Raheny Shamrock Ac     02:19:30     02:19:30
54     Murray, Gary (IRL)     M35     Clonliffe Harriers         02:21:09     02:21:09
55     Hanrahan, Mark (IRL)     M30                 02:21:13     02:21:13
60     Fitzpatrick, Thomas (IRL)     M30     Tallaght AC         02:22:18     02:22:18
96     Hoare, Martin (IRL)     MH     Celbridge Ac         02:26:49     02:26:42
106     Murphy, Brian (IRL)     M30     Iverragh             02:27:05     02:26:59
107     Reed, Declan (IRL)     M40     City Of Derry Spart...     02:27:16     02:27:08

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

Great running well done. Also great to see so many Irish men giving it a proper go with 9 of them still in the mix to make the standard very late in the race.

Anonymous said...

Delighted for Lizzie Lee and in a great time too.

Let's hope three fit athletes turn up this time. I found it bad sport the last time one of the three athletes who travelled hid her injury just so she could take part in an Olympics and ended up finishing more or less last. The sob story sure made great TV but I felt awful for the fourth person who had qualified but didn't make the team and was quietly forgotton about.

Liam Treacy said...

Lizzies peacemaking was incredible. Her 40k split is almost exactly 8 times her 5k. πŸ‘πŸ‘πŸ‘πŸ‘πŸ‘πŸ‘