Weekly Report Monday 20th January – Sunday 26th January 2020

OAC Club report 20/1/20-26/1/20

With the excitement of our opening club championship race behind us the penultimate week of January saw a large majority of the club knuckle down and return their focus to their respective training plans.

Nonetheless, it seems there were a few sprightly members out and about representin’

Novosco Grand Prix

The man with what surely must be the largest trophy cabinet in Orangegrove (MOD, NYD 2020) was recognised for a fantastic finish of 19th out of 1050 registered runners in the Novosco 10k grand prix series.  Brian’s result seems testament to the talented runner we all know him to be.

NI and Ulster Intermediate and Masters’ Cross Country Championships by Brian Todd

The NI and Ulster Intermediate and Masters’ Cross Country Championships were held, for the first time ever, I think, at Gosford Forest Park near Markethill, Co. Armagh. What a lovely location this proved to be. The course consisted of gently rolling parkland surrounded by pine forest and a meadow containing a herd of magnificent reindeer. Conditions were benign too. It was a perfect day for cross country running, dry, windless and, most importantly, muckless. There were over four hundred runners in the various races. Brian Todd was the representative from Orangegrove, running as a MV65-69 male in the Vet Ladies race. The following were the results from Gosford:

Intermediate Ladies (3 laps/4750M)

Winner: Sarah Kelly (Inishowen AC)….18.02

Team Prize: Finn Valley (31 points)

Veteran Men (5 laps/8K)

Mark McKinstry (NBH)….26.32

Team Prize: FInn Valley (31 points)

Veteran Ladies (3 laps/4750M)

Claire McGuigan (Lifford AC)….17.54

Team Prize: NBH (62 points)

Over 65 Males (3 laps/4750M)

Terry Eakin (North Down)…20.18

Brian Todd (OAC)….22.26 (6/10)

Intermediate Men (5 laps/8K)

Patrick McNiff (Newcastle AC)…25.41

Team Prize: Annadale Striders (72 points)

Parkrun

The Tyro’s continued to fly the flag for Orangegrove in New Zealand with the ever excellent Lyndsey the first lady home at Hamilton Lake parkrun.  Not to be out done Jackie Grant and Brian McFarland travelled to Larne where they could only dream of a post parkrun MaccyD.  Mark Lennon ran a PB at Cookstown and Kimberley Reynolds made it all the way to Bognor Regis.

Wouldn’t it have been lovely to have finished our week with a 10 mile run in Seville (known for its oranges I believe).

Thanks to Hamilton Lake parkrun and Larne parkrun facebook, Gerald Harvey, Steven Gilliland and Jill’s hubby for photos 🙂