Drake University names Mark Carroll new director of track and field and cross country

It was announced yesterday in the Des Moines Register that former Irish athlete Mark Carroll was named as the new director of track and field and cross country at Drake University in Iowa.
Mark is from Knocknaheeny in Cork City and went to the North Mon school. He was one of the top Irish international athletes back in the 90's.

From the article...."Prior to coaching, Carroll was a successful athlete himself. He competed in both the 2000 and 2004 Olympic games in the 5,000-meter run, and qualified for World Championships six times. He also set Irish national records in the 3,000, 5,000 and 10,000-meter races. In 2000, he won the European Indoor Championship in the 3,000."

Links...


1) Drake names Mark Carroll new director of track and field and cross country ...Des Moines Register (27th June 2017)

Sarah Palin runs Half-Marathon in Iowa

I came across this news item recently. The controversial American politician Sarah Palin took part in the Storm Lake Half-Marathon in Iowa at the start of September. Running under her maiden name of Sarah Heath, the 47 year old Palin ran 1:46:10 and finished 2nd in the Over 40 womens category which is pretty impressive (Results HERE).

It is rumoured that she is getting ready for a full Marathon which may be used as a qualifying time for a future Boston Marathon. She has already completed one Marathon back in 2005 when she ran 3:59:10 in Anchorage, Alaska.

Other famous American politicians to run Marathons were Al Gore who ran 4:54:25 in 1993 while he was vice-president and George W.Bush who ran 3:44:52 in Houston, Texas in 1993, eight years before he became president.