Conor Gallagher and Lorraine Mullarkey have scored victory in the Donegal Ultra 555 endurance race, with a new record also set for the event.
Mullarkey, who has made a name for herself racing in the Middle East in recent years, had a very successful race as she not only won the women’s event but also broke the women’s course record.
Gallagher, a former Irish international road rider, was the first cyclist home in Donegal in the early hours of this morning having set out first thing on Friday morning.
He clocked a time of 17hrs 49mins 21secs for the mammoth ride around Donegal on exposed and unforgiving roads. From Co Mayo and now riding for UCD Cycling Club, he is a former international at junior and youth level.
He was on the Irish team for the Junior Tour of Ireland in 2018 and his win in Donegal today is not his first in the county as he won the Errigal Youth Tour in his U16 days.
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His sister, Maeve Gallagher, is a top Irish road rider
and international triathlete. Conor Gallagher finished the Donegal Ultra 555 in
Letterkenny at about 2am this morning.
He was 39 minutes up on the runner-up,
Colombian rider Julian Pedraza; his participation in the race a
reflection of the international field it is attracting.
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Conor Meehan of Donegal Cycling Club rounded out the
podium, with a great ride for the home county, and he came home in 19hrs 34mins
5secs.
In the women’s race, Mullarkey swapped the sunnier and warmer climes of Dubai, where she lives, for the challenging conditions in Donegal but showed her strength with her record-breaking win.
The Co Monaghan woman went head-to-head at the front of
the women’s race with Fermanagh's Vanessa Fursden. However, in the latter
stages of the event Mullarkey got ahead and then pulled away from her rival.
In the end Mullarkey clocked a winning of 21hrs 20mins 49secs
to set a new women’s record. She had 29:57 in hand on Fursden on the line.
Mullarkey (36) has been living in Dubai for the past 3½
years where she works as a PE teacher. She has ridden for Emyvale CC in Ireland
and has been racing in the Middle East in recent years.
Experienced ultra racing rider, Sean Hernon, won the unsupported
category, in a time of 22hrs 1min
51secs.
Tir Chonaill GAP - Jamie Meehan, Ronan Harper, David Mc
Kelvey and Luke Cape – won the four-man team category. Team Errigal - Kevin
Holian, Shaun McDaid, Troy Hegarty and Damien Holian - were 2nd in that
category.
Pol McKeown and Alan Glendinning, racing as Team Lilac,
won the two-man team category. Mother and son team - Evelyn Donnelly and Joe Doherty – were the
first mixed team.
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