DARRAGH McElhinney jokes that he has a love–hate relationship with cross-country running, but he’s firmly in fan mode right now.

The Glengarriff man is part of the Irish senior men’s team that raced to a superb silver medal at the European Cross-Country Championships in Lagoa on Sunday – his third medal on the stage, but his first at senior level.

Back in 2021, Darragh powered to individual silver at U23 level and led the Irish U23 team to gold. There was also an U23 team bronze in 2022.

Four years later, he played his part as Ireland ran to a first senior men’s medal in 25 years with a memorable team silver.

Jack O’Leary (Mullingar Harriers) was the first Irish man home, in fifth, followed by Brian Fay (Raheny Shamrock AC) in tenth, Cormac Dalton (Mullingar Harriers) in 11th, Darragh McElhinney (Bantry AC) in 16th, and Efrem Gidey (Clonliffe Harriers) in 19th – all five Irish men inside the top 20.

‘We are lucky we have so much depth and so many lads at a really good level,’ Darragh says.

‘From my own point of view, I felt that I didn’t bring my best, and usually for Irish teams to win a team medal everything needs to go right and fall into place. This time, though, we had such a good team that it allowed for some not having their best day.

‘It’s three to score and we put five in the top 20, so everyone backed each other up.

‘One thing I always feel about a team event is that there is a lot of luck involved – I was lucky that there are so many good lads on our team that we did well enough to win a medal.

‘For us, after winning U23 medals in recent years, we were waiting for this one, for the next generation to come through and translate that success to senior level. Thankfully, we got the job done on Sunday.’

Glengarrif's Darragh McElhinney in action in the senior men's race at the 2025 SPAR European Cross-Country Championships in Lagoa, Portugal. (Photo: Sam Barnes/Sportsfile)

On a personal note, winning a European silver medal is the perfect end to a year that saw Darragh announce his comeback after a challenging period. On the track, he posted personal bests in the mile, 1500m, 3000m and 5000m, as well as competing at the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo in September. He then switched to cross-country, believing the Irish men’s team had the potential to achieve something special in Portugal.

‘It was a bit strange for myself with the cross-country this year,’ Darragh admits.

‘Initially, I wasn’t going to do it because of the turnaround after Tokyo. I took a lot of time to recover and get my body right, so I didn’t have much training done heading into the national cross-country in November.

‘Knowing there was a possibility of a medal there, because we had such a good team, was a real driving factor to get myself ready for the Euros. After winning silver, I’m delighted I committed.

‘Saying that, I am fairly happy to see the back of the cross-country! It’s a humbling game. I ran really well in Dublin a few years ago but apart from that I struggle with it – I don’t really know why I find it as hard as I do in comparison to the track. Is it the breaking of the rhythm? Or the surface? I don’t know. It’s a different ball game.’

The transition from track to cross-country terrain is difficult to master, but Darragh enjoys the challenge.

‘The big thing is the surface,’ he notes.

‘On Sunday, it was a very hilly course. The entire course was built into one hill, so you were always going up it or down it.

‘The race practice wasn’t there for me either. When you get so used to racing on the track, you are very dialled in to how you should feel at certain points and you are trying to stay as controlled as possible. But a lot of that kind of goes out the window in cross-country – it’s hard from the gun, you have to be on it, and you are always pressing.

‘It takes a different type of athlete and it’s a hard one to master, but it’s still amazing. Cross-country isn’t supposed to be an extension of the track season – it’s supposed to reward different strengths and different traits in a runner, which it does.

‘I am in a position where I know I can compete and be on an Irish team that can win medals.’

The plan now is for a few weeks of rest before Darragh gets back on track for the 2026 season. He flies out to Flagstaff, Arizona, on December 27th for an altitude training camp that he feels he needs.

‘I missed an altitude camp in September because the World Championships in Tokyo were so late, and I haven’t been to altitude since the summer, which is probably the longest period I have gone without a block,’ he says.

Darragh will pick up a few indoor races in the States before jetting back home, as he looks to build on the progress made this year. He’s back on track – and with another medal added to his collection.