Belfast City Marathon
Of course the big event this weekend, on Bank Holiday Monday, will be the Deep River Rock Belfast City Marathon and for a number of Orangegrove members who have braved the winter storms and the drudgery of training in the dark and rain it will be the great test and the culmination of their efforts. May they run well and be well pleased with their times! One or two of the less brave will be running as Orangegrove relay teams and other members will be out and about around the course offering encouragement and sustenance and we thank them sincerely in advance.
And, by late Bank Holiday Monday, the following results were in:
Full Marathon
| Garry Morrow | 3.21.05 |
| Stephen Orr | 3.40.31 |
| Stephen Anderson | 3.45.52 |
| Pauline Bayliss | 3.52.50 |
| Eleanor Acheson | 4.25.55 |
| Susan Anderson | 5.08.07 |
| Paul Edgar | 5.26.48 |
Relay
| Team | Time | Position (out of 1819) |
| Ladies A | 3.04.13 | 30th* |
| Men’s A | 3.07.12 | 32nd |
| Men’s B | 3.13.44 | 38th |
| Men’s C | 3.31.13 | 103rd |
| Ladies B | 3.48.44 | 260th |
* 4th ladies team home and prize winners
Pride of place undoubtedly goes to those who were running the full marathon. We hold them in the greatest respect. Garry Morrow did his Club and himself proud by crossing the finishing line in 3.21.05 despite being considerably slowed in the second half by a painful knee injury. He is probably not happy with his time. The rest of us would give our right arms for it! Super running too from Stephen Orr and Stephen Anderson. Pauline Bayliss, still wearing her trademark blue sunglasses, led the ladies home. Well done Eleanor and Susan, the latter the prettier half of the Anderson pair. The images of Paul Edgar being escorted and encouraged by Paul Woodman, John Neill and the heavily pregnant Rachel Lyle will be in our memory for a very long time. Hardly a dry eye in the house! Well done Paul on a great day at the races! Throw your trainers in a corner and forget about them for a day or two!
At this point it can be revealed that we in the Men’s B relay team had a secret and cunning plan to get over the finish line in Ormeau Park before the Ladies A team. There had been much discussion amongst us as to how this could be achieved. Basically, we hinged on the flawed premise that Louise Browne might struggle against the wind on leg two. However, our planning was reduced to tatters when she came storming along Hillview Road, looking uncannily like a darker version of Paula Radcliffe, about twelve minutes ahead of Michael O’Donoghue. This meant that Leann Gibson got half way up the Antrim Road before I even started; the best laid plans and all that! I blame it on O’Donoghue for running ultra marathons and marathons in the weeks before the Belfast relay. Very inconsiderate! But, in fairness, brilliant running from Louise who certainly justified her selection for the ladies elite team. Even more impressive… she didn’t appear tired at the end of her leg! Now, let us think about next year!
