Aoife Cooke from Youghal AC on her way to crossing the line as best Irish female finisher in the 2019 KBC Dublin Marathon. That time was all that mattered – the automatic qualifying standard for the Tokyo Olympics. That left the Cheshire Elite Marathon as one of her final chances. That left wiggle room for any mishaps over the latter half but they never arrived, Cooke the first woman home in 2:28:36. The 41-year-old Letterkenny AC athlete produced the race of her life, clocking a Northern Irish record of 2:29:34 despite a mid-race pit-stop.

Source: Irish Independent April 26, 2021 01:40 UTC