The Mick Murphy Memorial 4-mile road race took place in Ferns, Co. Wexford on last Saturday. Damp but warm conditions greeted the competitors, but a stiff and challenging course awaited.
The race started and soon Peter Somba the Irish-based Kenyan athlete set out his stall as he charged through the opening mile of a town circuit in a fast 4 mins 43 secs. At this stage Evan Fitzgerald was leading the chasing pack as they set out into the countryside. Somba maintained his advantage through miles two and three with Evan by now in a clear second position. The last half mile of the race saw Evan work hard in reducing the gap and with two hundred metres remaining closed rapidly on the leader. Somba had to dig deep to hold off Evan’s sprint with both athletes accorded the same finishing time of 19 mins 38 secs. Yes, that close!
This was the third superb performance over the roads by Evan in as many weeks and another personal best over the four-mile distance. Magnificent running Evan.