Club Report 22nd -28th January 2018.

By Gerald Harvey

NIALIVE, Blanchardstown, Dublin, 25th January, 2018.
Stephen Orr was at The Sport Ireland National Indoor Arena on Thursday night for the second NIALIVE event of the year. He came second in the mile race, in a new club record time of 4:52.97, beating his old club record by nearly eight seconds. Well done.

26EXTREME MOURNE WAY 10K, NIGHT EDITION, 26th January, 2018.
The race route followed the Mourne Way 10K from Santa’s Cottage to the Cloughmore Centre in Kibroney Park, Rostrevor. The weather was poor and it was dark, but five OAC runners took to the start line.
Results:
Ian Wilson, 1:00:48
Brian McFarland, 1:03:01
Sharon McFarland, 1:04:43
Sarah Wilson, 1:08:30
Alison Hall-Thompson, 1:08:30
The race was won by Ray O’Shaughnessy in 00:40:34.

PARKRUN, 27th January, 2018.
Parkrun has now expanded to include parkwalk. At Victoria Park this week there were about 30 walkers in a total field of 276 and that was fine. My worry is that the numbers grow to the extent that parkrun becomes a victim of its own success.
Andy McIntyre was second at Castlewellan in a personal best time of 17:50 and Heather Flint was in good form at Victoria Park, finishing first lady and eighteenth overall in a personal best time of 20:58.
First Timers: Marcia Sharkey, Victoria Park, Belfast and Catherine Fearon, Portobello, Edinburgh.
Well done to all who volunteered, ran or walked. Remember to help out by contacting Gerry Ward at: belfastvictoriahelpers@parkrun.com

NI & ULSTER INTERMEDIATE & MASTERS XC, 27th January, 2018. [Report by Brian Todd]
The Northern Ireland and Ulster Intermediate & Masters’ Cross Country races were held at the Billy Neill Soccer Centre of Excellence grounds, Comber Road, Dundonald on Saturday. It was a dull and blustery day but the elevated nature of the course gave the runners some magnificent views of the beautiful surrounding Co. Down countryside, if they cared to look. Athletics NI had come up with an interesting and quite technical course designed to test one’s stamina, pace and endurance and it certainly did just that! I understand there are proposals to bring the Antrim International races to this location in the future. If this does occur, the Billy Neill grounds and facilities will host an absolutely magnificent event. However, the recent heavy rain had turned significant parts of Saturday’s route into a liquid quagmire and the going was soft to say the least.
Orangegrove had only four runners on the day (too few for a team). There were two males in the Ladies and Men over 65 race, Brian Todd and Jim Harris, the first race of the day, and two in the main Men’s Masters’ race, Michael O’Donoghue and Chris Woods. The following times were achieved by the OAC quartet:
Ladies and Male Vets over 65 race (4K)
Brian Todd….19.11
Jim Harris….24.30
Men’s Masters’ Race (8K)
Michael O’Donoghue….39.02
Chris Woods….39.18

The ladies race was won by Catherine Diver of Beechmount Harriers in 15.40 and the men’s race by Ian Bailey (Newcastle AC) in 27.42 after an epic race long shoulder to shoulder duel with Neill Weir (Willowfield Harriers) in 27.44

Photos by John Glover and Gerald Harvey.