Ivan Smyth catches up with Dean and Dylan Casey who along with Niall Murphy and Mark Hanrahan brought home team gold from the European U20 Cross Country Championships

BACK home after their gold medal heroics in Portugal on Sunday the twin brothers who led Ennis Track to European glory have been reflecting on their feat.

Dean and Dylan Casey ran first and second as Ennis Track secured team gold in the Junior Men’s grade at the ECCC Cross Country Championships.

Niall Murphy produced a gritty display of racing as he crossed the line in 11th place on a morning where Ennis Track simply obliterated the field. Murphy was fourth inside the opening kilometre but despite falling back slightly, he displayed admirable heart to hold on and help his team win gold.

Mark Hanrahan finished in 18th as Ennis Track were the only club to have four athletes finish inside the top 20.

The Casey brothers ran an aggressive race in the early stages and they maintained their form throughout despite fierce opposition in Portugal.

Thomas McGuire and Cian O’Boyle also travelled over as reserves with the duo alongside Luke Griffin, Eanna McElroy, Colin Ryan, Conor Faulkner and Ronan Fahy all helping the club qualify to compete in Lisbon.

Ennis Track President Gerry Hayes believes the success of the team and the Casey brothers in particular will lead the athletics world to sit up and take notice.

“It is a great achievement for a small club in the west of the country. These boys have been winning on the way up so now to win the Europeans is brilliant. It’s a great achievement for Irish athletics as a whole.”

“It puts them in the shop window now. They are doing their Leaving (Cert) this year and I’m sure colleges everywhere will be looking at this.”

With 15 clubs competing in the race from all across Europe, Dean admits it was difficult to prepare for the challenges they would face in Lisbon.

“Going into it I didn’t know what to expect. It was a tough course so I decided to run it as best I could. I thought there would be more people up the front for longer. When I realised, I was ahead I just tried to keep going and not let anyone back in.”

Twin brother Dylan was delighted to secure a silver medal and battle against Dean at the top. He also put Europe on notice by running the challenging 6.2km course in 18 minutes 39 seconds.

“I’m just happy we got first and second. It was good to go out and show what we could do. I knew in training we were fit and ready. There was a good buzz going over and we were fit and ready to compete.”

“It was nice (to compete against Dean). It was like going back to the old days when we were racing at the front. We didn’t know where we were at until the race started.”

Dean insists it was only on the final lap that he could sense an historic gold medal was within touching distance.

“With the individual gold, it was only on the last big lap that I really felt it was on. I had a lead over Dylan and the guy in third.”

“With the team gold I didn’t know where Niall or Mark were or how any of the others teams were doing. It was only when I finished and saw what was happening that I realised we had done it.”

Dylan admits in the closing stages, he was convinced that Rubén Leonardo, who finished in third was close to overtaking him. However, the St. Flannan’s College student crossed the line a whopping 19 seconds clear of the Portuguese racer.

Watch the Casey brothers cross the line first and second

“To be honest I thought on the last lap there was someone right behind me. I kept running as hard as I could because I thought I was battling for second. I was shocked when I got to the line and saw there was nobody behind me.”

The course itself provided plenty of challenges with over a dozen steep hills to navigate as the Ennis Track team needed to ensure they raced hard while conserving energy for the difficult climbs.

Dean states that the team coach Pat Hogan told them to be patient and not push the pace too hard in the opening stages with the hills looming large in the distance.

“He wanted us to get out strong. He told us not to push the pace, to have patience and go from there. Then we could relax and settle in to the race.”

“When we saw it (the track) up close it was very uneven. There were some places tougher than others. There was sand in certain places so we needed to try and find the right lines.”

“On the flat areas we didn’t want to push it too much. It was about trying to keep our energy for the hills.”

Dylan admits the result is a big confidence booster for him and his brother. He also feels he can learn from competing against high calibre opposition.

“I learned to just put myself out there and give myself the best possible chance. It opens doors for us but we are just focusing on getting better.”

Hayes hailed the performance of the four who helped bring home the gold and also the reserves, Thomas McGuire and Cian O’Boyle, The Club President also credited the role of their coaches.

“With Dean we were hoping he would do well. Dylan was a bit of a surprise but he ran the race of his life. Mark (Hanrahan) had been injured for over six months and is only back a few weeks.

“Niall Murphy was up there early doors and he ran hard. They all ran a great race so it’s brilliant for the club to have the talent coming through.”

“For their families and the club it’s great to see what they have achieved as a group. Pat Hogan, Marie Roche, Ita Hanrahan and Ger Casey (Dean and Dylan’s father) have put great work in to the club. We hope to have a girls team coming close to this next year so there is a great production line in the club.”