Irish athlete Ciara Mageean finishes 3rd in Millrose Games Mile

The Millrose Games in New York were held over the weekend and Irish athlete Ciara Mageean finished 3rd in the prestigious NYRR Women's Wanamaker Mile.

There were 11 finishers in the race made up almost entirely of US and Canadian athletes.

http://results.nyrrmillrosegames.org/

Ciara Mageean sets new Irish Indoor Mile record in New York

Ciara Mageean is one of Ireland's top international athletes and she was in action in the prestigious Millrose Games in New York this weeekend. In the Women's Wanamaker Mile race, she finished in a time of 4m 28.40s to set a new Irish Indoor record.

 

Women's Wanamaker Mile
Place    Athlete    Time                  
1    Shannon Rowbury Nike OP    4:24.39                  
2    Kerri Gallagher Nike    4:26.18                  
3    Amanda Eccleston Brooks    4:26.63                  
4    Heather Kampf Asics    4:27.26                  
5    Morgan Uceny adidas    4:27.99                  
6    Ciara Mageean new balance    4:28.40                  
7    Katie Mackey Brooks Beasts    4:28.84                  
8    Alexa Efraimson Nike    4:28.91                  
9    Heather Wilson New Jersey-New York TC    4:30.80                  
10    Dominique Scott Arkansas    4:31.57                  
11    Leah O' Connor adidas    4:31.83                  
12    Erin Teschuk North Dakota St    4:34.58

The race video can be seen HERE

One Mile (Irish women...Indoor Records)
1 4:28.40     Ciara Mageean 6    Millrose    New York NY    20 Feb 2016
2 4:30.06     Roísín McGettigan     4    Reebok    Boston MA 7 Feb 2009
3 4:30.41     Sinéad Evans    2    NBG    New York NY    8 Jan 2000
4 4:32.29     Mary Cullen    1    NBG    New York NY    20 Jan 2007
5 4:33.4h     Monica Joyce    1        Inglewood 10 Feb 1984
6 4:33.49     Sonia O'Sullivan    1 Boston MA    20 Jan 1991

Irish international Tori Pena was also in action in the Women's Pole Vault competition where she cleared 4.40m. Video clip HERE

Rob Heffernan finishes second in the elite mile walking race in the USA

Rob Heffernan was in action this evening at a mile race at the Millrose Games in New York. 

SUSAN RUDIN MEN'S USATF13 CHAMPIONSHIP MILE WALK (ELITE)
FINAL
PL    Athlete    Team    Final
1    Gustafsson, Andreas    GK Steget-Sweden    5:34.45
2    Heffernan, Robert    Togher AC Cork Ireland    5:39.75
3    Hallman, Jonathan    Shore Athletic Club    6:07.32
4    Adamowicz, Marek    C.A.R.S.    6:25.96
5    Pfahler, Joel    Miami Valley TC    6:40.96
6    Luettchau, Richard    Shore Athletic Club    6:42.61

Video...(Update 18th Feb)
Note that the audio is VERY low.

Ciarán Ó Lionáird runs 3:52 mile in New York...

Catching up on news from last weekend, Ciarán Ó Lionáird from Cork set a new personal best time of 3:52.20 in the Wannamaker mile last Saturday (16th Feb) at the Millrose Games in New York.

 Place    Athlete Name   Affiliation    Time                                  
 1    Lopez Lomong   Nike Oregon TC    3:51.21
 2    Matthew Centrowitz   Nike    3:51.34
 3    Ciaran O'Lionaird   Nike Oregon TC    3:52.10 
 4    Chris O'Hare   University of Tulsa    3:52.98
 5    Lawi Lalang   Arizona    3:54.56
 6    Ryan Hill   NC State    3:54.89
 7    Garrett Heath   Saucony    3:55.55       
 8    Ryan Gregson   Nike    3:55.97
 9    Donn Cabral   Nike    4:00.21
 10    Liam Boylan-Pett   NJ/NY TC    4:05.49

Not only was this over two seconds faster than the his previous best of 3:54.76 which he ran in February 2012 but he also becomes the 4th fastest Irish man over the distance on the Irish alltime indoor list.

Irish Alltime indoor list...Mile sub 4.02.00
1 3.49.78 Eamonn Coghlan 27.02.83
2 3.50.94 Marcus O'Sullivan 13.02.88
3 3.51.20 Ray Flynn 27.02.83
4 3.52.10 Ciaran O'Lionaird 16.02.13 (Old PB 3.54.76 11.02.12)
5 3.52.30 Frank O'Mara 25.01.86
6 3.54.50 Mark Carroll 18.02.01
7 3.55.04 Alistair Cragg 21.01.06
8 3.55.40 Niall O'Shaughnessy 28.01.77
9 3.55.75 David McCarthy 28.01.12
10 3.56.39 Paul Donovan 25.01.86

In the race video below, Ciarán is in the black and green strip and is safely at the back of the pack in about 7th place for the initial few laps...

Post race interview...

Eamonn Coghlan...Still 'Chairman of the Boards'...

Back in the late 70's and early 80's in the USA, races like the indoor mile were huge events and attracted big crowds. One of the most famous races at the time was the Millrose Games Wanamaker Mile in New York. Over this distance, Eamonn Coghlan excelled and won the event in what was then a record seven times. For this achievement, he earned the nickname 'The Chairman of the Boards'.

In 2010, Bernard Lagat set a new record by winning the Wanamaker Mile eight times. He also set the fastest time in 2005 when he ran 3:52.87. It's also worth noting that Marcus O'Sullivan from Cork also won the Wanamaker Mile an impressive six times.

After the most recent event, I had a look back at the previous winning times. It's easy to just look at the number of victories and just say someone won it X times. But was the competition to win in more modern times as intense as when it was back in the 1980's?

Surely consistency must count for something? Who had the fastest average winning time? As you can see from the results below, Eamonn Coghlan won his Wamamaker Mile races on average over a second faster than Lagat and two seconds faster than O'Sullivan.

 The Master is still ' The Chairman of the Boards'.

Millrose games and the Wanamaker mile...

An event called the Millrose Games is being held in a 5,000-seat armory in Upper Manhattan, New York on Saturday. Back in the 1980's, the Millrose Games were the centre of indoor track and field in the United States and Eamonn Coghlan was one it's biggest stars. He won the famous Wanamaker Mile seven times and earned himself the title Chairman of the Boards as a result.

Eamonn Coghlan will be there again on Saturday to watch his son John in action after he ran a sub-four-minute mile indoors for the first time in Boston last month. John will be running anchor for Dublin City University in the distance medley relay at 7:40pm (Sunday morning 00:40 am Irish Time).

The main event, the Wanamaker Mile starts at 9:49 pm (Sunday 02:49am Irish Time). The Irish interest in this is David McCarthy from Waterford who won an indoor mile recently in 3:55. Video in an earlier post.

If you are interested in watching the games, I'll have the link up live here on the blog. Coverage of the Millrose games start at 9pm Irish Time on Saturday evening and I'll put the video link up then.

The complete list of events can be seen HERE. Remember that those times are for the USA. Add five hours for the Irish time.

Eamonn Coghlan to return to the Millrose Games in New York

The Millrose Games is an annual indoor athletics meet (track and field) held on the first Friday in February in New York City. They will be held at the Armory in Washington Heights in 2012, after having taken place in Madison Square Garden from 1914 to 2011. The games were started when employees of the New York City branch of Wanamaker's department store formed the Millrose Track Club to hold a meet. The featured event is the Wanamaker Mile.

August 17, 1985 when Frank O'Mara, Marcus O'Sullivan, Ray Flynn and Eamonn Coghlan broke the world 4xMile relay record in a time of 15:49.08. It remains the world record 26 years later.

Former Olympian and 5,000 metre World Champion Eamonn Coghlan is going back to the Millrose Games in New York, this time as an 'adopted coach.' The seven-time champion of the Wanamaker Mile is helping bring a talented Irish squad from Dublin City University to compete in the Byron Dyce College Men’s Distance Medley Relay in the 105th Millrose Games, Feb. 11, 2012 at The Armory.

"I've known these kids since they were young teenagers," said Coghlan, whose son, John, will be running the 1600m anchor. "I've seen them grow up. The fact that they are all in school together, they can see what running in New York City is all about. It's exciting for their team from Dublin University to go to the Millrose Games and have a chance to do exceptionally well. "The Irish used to come to the Millrose Games to support me, Marcus O'Sullivan (Wanamaker Mile champion in 1986, '88, '89, '90 and '92 and now head coach at Villanova) and Ron Delany (winner of four consecutive Wanamaker Mile titles, 1956-59). People are not aware of the talent coming out of Ireland. It might get them back on the scene again and they potentially could make the Olympic Team come next July."

Recognized as Ireland's 'Dream Team' and Gold Medal winner of the Irish Under-23 Cross Country team competition, the Dublin City squad consists of Irish Junior 800m record holder Mark English (1:47.09), Brian Gregan, Darren McBrearty and 2010 U-23 Irish 1500 meters champion John Coghlan. Dublin City University coach Enda Fitzpatrick will also make the trip.

Earlier this year Eamonn Coghlan introduced to Armory Foundation president Dr. Norb Sander the idea of bringing an Irish team to the Millrose Games. "He asked me if I would be in on the floor activities," Coghlan recalled. "I said we need a bit of the Irish influence back in the Millrose Games again. I said, 'What about bringing an Irish team over?'" Thus Coghlan, nicknamed the Chairman of the Boards for winning the Wanamaker Mile in 1977, '79-81, '83, '85 and '87, will be in attendance to support the talented Irish outfit. "My role there is as a parent, coach and a nervous dad," Coghlan said. "I just want to be with Norb and help keep the Millrose Games going. Enda would like my influence to be with the kids the day before and calm them down, motivate them and help them get ready. "The Millrose Games are close to my heart for obvious reasons. My success in the Millrose Games has been the making of Eamonn Coghlan. Not a week goes by when someone doesn't say something to me about winning the Wanamaker Mile."

The Irish Team will be competing against the country's top college programs including Eamonn Coghlan's alma mater Villanova, Virginia, Duke, Providence, Columbia and Albany. The week prior to the Millrose Games, the Irish team will participate individually in the New Balance Collegiate Invitational (Feb. 3-4) at The Armory.