Adrian Sproule, Author at Orangegrove AC

Author Archives: Adrian Sproule

Weekly Report Monday 21st October – Sunday 27th October 2019
November 6, 2019 3:29 pm Comments Off on Weekly Report Monday 21st October – Sunday 27th October 2019
A relatively quiet week on the race front with just the last race of the club championship and the Dublin Marathon having Orangegrove representation.

STORMONT CUP SATURDAY 26th OCTOBER 2019

The final race of the club championship took place around the Stormont parkrun course. As usual, times were handicapped according to your best 5k time in the last 18 months. Congratulations to Selina Myles who took first place and Chantal Hemphill and Gemma Blake who completed the top three. Results are as follows

Position Name Finish Time Actual Time

1 Selina Myles 27:58 25:28

2 Chantal Hemphill 28:22 26:07

3 Gemma Blake 28:55 20:25

4 Jenny Cochrane 29:00 26:30

5 Alison Canning 29:03 22:48

6 Eric Fairfield 29:08 18:23

7 David Carberry 29:17 19:32

8 Michael O’Donoghue 29:20 20:05

9 Michael Broadhead 29:22 17:37

10 Martin O’Brien 29:27 21:42

11 Ross Robinson 29:33 18:48

12 Marcia Sharkey 29:49 27:04

13 Keith Weir 29:57 18:57

14 Steven Gilliland 30:09 22:39

15 Anna Rankin 30:10 25:40

16 Rodney Corrigan 30:12 20:42

17 David Montgomery 30:22 19:22

18 Ryan Kerr 30:30 21:00

19 David Fletcher 30:50 21:20

20 Elaine Weston 30:53 27:38

21 Jacqui Maxwell 31:06 25:51

22 Chris Woods 31:10 21:25

23 Hannah Montgomery 31:42 31:42

Final positions and prizes will be given out at the club AGM. Thanks to club members who helped with the starts and times as well as the photographs.

DUBLIN MARATHON SUNDAY 27th OCTOBER 2019

Over 18000 took to the streets of Dublin on Sunday in near perfect conditions. Dubbed “The Friendly Marathon” the 40th running of this event saw Michael O’Donoghue make the start line and finished with an excellent time of 3:32:40. Well done Michael.

A side note was the decision of the Dublin Marathon committee to introduce a lottery system for next year’s event. Having received a lot of feedback against a purely lottery system, the committee decided that if any runners had entered the marathon in the last three years then they would be guaranteed an entry. However you need to be quick as there is only a short window for you to avail of this.

PARKRUN

There were a number of Orangegrove members touring this week. Stephen Orr was a first timer at Edinburgh, finishing a creditable 12th place. Edwina Ternan was first female finisher in Enniskillen with a PB. Team McIntyre were first timers at Birkenhead (Andy preferring to be out of the country as his football team crashed to defeat on Saturday). James McClean ran a PB at Stormont and Lynsey Tyro was first female finisher at Orangefield.

A consolidated club report can be found via the link below

https://www.parkrun.com/results/consolidatedclub/…
Weekly Report Monday 7th October – Sunday 13th October 2019
October 21, 2019 10:55 am Comments Off on Weekly Report Monday 7th October – Sunday 13th October 2019
After the excitement of the NI relays and for me 24 hour jail escape races, it was back to a relatively normal calendar for OAC with a 10k, a couple of local half marathons, and a World Majors Marathon.

Kells and Connor Half Marathon Saturday 12th October

Located along the side of the A26 to Ballymena, the Kells & Connor half marathon is a community event that starts and finishes in the village of Kells itself, using a number of the quiet backroads in the area before a considerable ascent (some 900 ft) towards Tardree Forest. The hill itself is called Lady Hill, though this wasn’t indicated anywhere. For me the summit was indicated by an antenna and a lone person playing the bagpipes as encouragement. The combination of the forest backdrop, horrendous hills, bagpipes, and a large number of Ballymena vests (a quarter of the 120 athletes in the half were Ballymena Runners) reminded me a lot of Race Over The Glens, though it wasn’t in any way a trail race.

What goes up must come down and the last 4 miles were a rather enjoyable continuous downhill stretch where I was able to make up for some lost time. I finished with a time of 1.42.18 at Kells Community Centre to be treated to a barbecue. I did the race to test whether my legs still worked after the previous week and I seem to have survived ok. The winner was David Simpson (unattached) with a new course record of 1.12.28 and first lady was Karen Alexander (1:25:14).

Run Groomsport Half Marathon & 10KM Saturday 12th October by Gillian Logan

Run Groomsport 10KM and Half Marathon made a welcome return to the racing calendar last weekend to help raise funds for MS Society.

The date had shifted from August to October but the same one lap course for the 10KM and two laps for the half marathon will be familiar to many. Starting in the picturesque village, runners climb in land for a undulating run towards Donagadee then back onto the main A2 to return to Groomsport.

The weather was gloriously sunny but with a stiff breeze which made the climb back towards Groomsport tough, but the encouragement from the marshals along the route keep everyone going.

OAC had 3 runners in the 10k:

Barry Cox 49:07
Ref Sanlon 52:10
Elaine Weston 58:34

Gillian Logan was the only OAC’er to take on the half marathon and finished in 1.44.38 to finish 4th female.

Well done everyone on a good mornings running.

All runners were treated to well deserved tea, coffee and buns on the return to Groomsport, alongside a lovely medal and technical tee shirt.

It’s great to see the event back again supporting such a good cause. Well done to the organisers and marshals from Ward Park Runners. We hope to see you again next year.

Saintfield 10k -13th October

We were lucky with the weather on Saturday, but there were pretty poor conditions on the Sunday for the Saintfield 10k. Regardless, there were reasonable numbers with the 5k and 10k attracting nearly 300 runners. In its 2nd year of running, the event was organised by Atlas Running and Saintfield Striders. The race was 15th of 18 races in the Novosco Grand Prix series which no doubt boosted numbers.

From OAC we had the dynamic duo of Lyndsey Tyro and Judith McCann attending the 10k and they did well. Lyndsey was 4th lady with a time of 42.47. Judith finished with a time of 53:11. The winner was Gareth Lyons (NBH) in 33.15 and first lady was Amy Bulman (Willowfield) in 40:28.

Chicago Marathon, Sunday 13th October, 2019 by Brian Todd
I will, of course, begin with Keith and Danny before relating my tale of woe. Both the more youthful Orangegrovers would appear to have had seamless runs on the day. You don’t run a sub three-hour marathon and have notable issues. Well done to both of them, Keith (2.53.23) and Danny (2.59.41). My run was slightly more problematic! I managed to cough and splutter my way through the 29 neighbourhoods of Chicago that make up the course, spreading disease and pestilence as I went! I had developed a chest infection, which I have rarely ever had before, in the week and a half before the race. By race day it was on the wane but still making running difficult. So, off I set and everything was going great, with 3.43 a distinct possibility, until about mile 23 when the wheels (legs) came off. I found the final three miles of the Southern Loop section very tough indeed mainly because of the strong wind and low temperatures. In fact, with about 200m to go, with minutes having ebbed away in those final miles, my legs began to go. I had never before experienced ‘wobbly legs syndrome’ in any running race, but here it was with the finish line in sight. I don’t remember too much about those last few hundred metres or even getting over the line. It took a lot of will power to overcome the pleasant thought of just stopping and sitting down. Very disappointed not to have attained 3.42 or 3.43, but given the scenario I was probably lucky to finish at all (3.48.21)…….thirty-six seconds slower than last year’s New York marathon run in almost perfect conditions. Lessons that have been learned? Despite all the planning I went out too fast. In my case to be well ahead of the 3.42 pacer at 15 miles was probably ridiculous and well over the pace I had intended to run (8.30 pace). I particularly suffered from the cold, not helped by the remnants of the chest infection. On the start line I made the split-second decision to continue wearing a long-sleeved t-shirt below my vest which I had intended to dump. I would rarely use a base layer, but had I not done that I probably wouldn’t have been able to finish. Even at my fastest running pace I couldn’t generate any heat at all, even with the base layer. Ah well!

It was still an amazing experience and a great place to run a marathon in that it is almost totally flat and superbly well organized and very runner friendly.
Next marathon for me, London 2020.

Keith Weir…….2.53.23 (6.37 pace)
Danny Bradley…..2.59.41 (6.52 pace)
Brian Todd…..3.48.21 (8.43 pace)

The Chicago Marathon was won by Lawrence Cherono (Kenya) in 2.05.45. Brigid Kosgei (Kenya) was first lady in 2.14.04 (new World Record).
Weekly Report Monday 30th September – Sunday 6th October 2019
October 14, 2019 9:32 pm Comments Off on Weekly Report Monday 30th September – Sunday 6th October 2019
Report by David Doey

NI RELAYS 6th OCTOBER

This week saw the biggest event in the Orangegrove calendar as the club hosted the annual NI Relay championships. These were held on a Sunday this year with record numbers attending. Once again the members of Orangegrove put together a memorable event and thanks to all those who were involved in any way from organising to marshalling to catering. There was home representation in all of the senior races.

The Senior Ladies team of Edwina Ternan, Lyndsey Tyro and Jemma Smyth finished a fantastic 10th out of 30 with East Down AC A team taking the spoils.

The Masters Ladies team of Julie McKimm, Pauline Bayliss and Heather Flint finished an excellent 11th out of 48 with North Belfast Harriers taking he top place on the podium.

The Senior Mens team of Gavin McGucken, Michael Broadhead, David Carberry and Danny Bradley were 20th out of 30 teams in a high quality race where North Belfast Harriers claimed victory and a new course record.

The Masters Mens team of Stephen Orr, Ross Robinson, Keith Weir and Jonny Weston finished in 18th place in a field of 52 teams. Once again North Belfast Harriers were victorious with another course record.

There was representation in the juniors with 11th place finishes for Luke Harte in the U17 Boys and Robert Hill in the Under 15 boys. Elijah B and Elijah S ran strongly in the Under 13 Boys race and there were creditable runs from Isaac (3:02) and Esther (3:03) in the Primary School Races.

CARDIFF HALF MARATHON (Report by David Gilliland)

Cardiff half marathon done & dusted. The second largest half marathon in the UK apparently (behind the Great North Run) & my first ‘big city race’.

Lots of personal learning points – how to prepare in a hotel room & how to kill 45 mins standing around in your pre-race ‘holding pen’ spring to mind.

The atmosphere around the city was amazing, with noisy support right along the 13.1 miles. In certain parts, the crowds seemed to be 10 deep. Being tracked by a BBC camera man on back of a motorbike up beside Roath Park also added to the experience (is my head up?, how’s my form?, am I drooling or anything?). Hopefully that will be on the cutting room floor.

The course itself wasn’t as flat as I thought it would be. Fairly flat first couple of miles, followed by a sharpish drop down to Cardiff Bay, then a steady climb from about mile 4 onwards to the finish, with a real killer of a hill at mile 12 (beside Cardiff cemetery funnily enough). The weather was unexpectedly very warm & quite a few people were talking about sunburn afterwards. Definitely not a day to miss one of the water stops, which were positioned at each 5k marker. That, along with the steady climb, ensured a tough second half ensued. At least the troublesome quad muscle held out though, which had been a concern over the past couple of weeks.

Finishing time of 1:49:31was outside what I had been hoping for, but the experience surpassed any pace or timing angst. Of course, given the tragic news we learned when we got back to the hotel, times don’t really matter.

Overall, a great experience & a race I would recommend for anyone to consider if they get the opportunity in the future.

CHESTER MARATHON

Runners leave the racecourse and head into the City centre passing the Town Hall, Cathedral, split level Middle Ages “Rows”, Eastgate Clock, Amphitheatre and through the Roman Walls before heading out of the City across the Old Dee Bridge.

The route then leaves Chester past the Duke of Westminster’s estate, through Pulford, before crossing the border into Wales and the villages of Lavister and Rossett.

Keeping to the rural lanes runners complete a small loop before entering the historic village of Holt. Then crossing the ancient Roman bridge at Farndon to return to England and the home stretch running through Churton, Aldford and Huntington.

On re-entering the City, runners pass the River Dee along the Groves and Castle Drive before a triumphant finish at the racecourse!

The route is largely flat with some short hills or gradual climbs which are predominantly in the second half of the course. 70% of runners achieved a personal best marathon time.

Dave Gribben donned his orange vest to complete the course in 3:41:17.

ON THE RUN FROM THE CRUM (Report by Michael O’Donoghue)

On the Run From The Crum is the first race of its type in Ireland, but it was inspired by an event in England, Escape From Meridan. It consisted of an “escape” from Crumlin Road jail followed by a race where you need to run as far as you can, as the crow flies, in 24 hours. You choose your own route, and the trackers that everyone carries determines the distance you’ve run. There were over 40 runners doing the race, with some running solo and some as teams. For this race I’d spent months working out the exact route and assembling a support team. The choice of route was crucial as you want a route that’s as straight and as flat as possible, accessible for support cars and with shops that are open late for supplies. At 9.30am we started the race, did a lap of the exercise yard and headed out into Belfast city centre. I headed straight towards the Lisburn Road to Lisburn, but I could see on the map already that there was quite a scattering of runners with some heading North and some going through West Belfast to get to Lisburn. Others went the most obvious route towards Dublin. I continued to Moira, Lurgan and Armagh and it started to rain quite heavily, and it didn’t really stop for 12 hours. Thankfully waterproofs were a requirement for this race and I made it to Monaghan for the main break in the race. By this point a number had dropped out either due to getting lost or being affected by the weather. I continued going straight to Clones and Belturbet, running through the night. Once daylight came I was in Belturbet and branched off onto the backroads passing Milltown in Cavan and on the road to Killashandra. At 9.30am on the Sunday I’d run well over 80 miles, and was counted as having run 73.23 miles as the crow flies. Other runners who’d chosen very similar routes to me did well. First place was Michael Regan (89.31), 2nd was Kieran Lappin (83.5) and first team was Jill McCann/Finn O’Mara (83.28) First solo lady was Frankey McGivern (64.95)

FLAHAVANS PRIMARY SCHOOLS CO DOWN CROSS COUNTRY

Our athletes all did great. Esther came an amazing 2nd out of 70 in her race. Isaac was 4th out of 78. We also had Lucas McKeown (9/80), Benjamin Crowe (16/80) and Oliver Crowe (43/80).

PARKRUN

Furthest travelled this week were Kimberly Reynolds and Alison Canning who made it to Las Aniolowski parkrun in Poland. Gemma Blake also was a tourist in Portobello, Edinburgh whilst Marcia Sharkey travelled north to Letterkenny. Paul Woodman was a first timer at Stranmillis as was Keith Weir at Waterworks. Keith was also first finisher! Danny Bradley ran his first parkrun at Carrickfergus and finished 2nd. Lisa Nevin ran a new PB at Victoria Park and Jason Lanyon ran his 200th parkrun there too.

A consolidated club report can be found via the link below: https://www.parkrun.com/results/consolidatedclub/?clubNum=17953&fbclid=IwAR09IqL7rGFUJvSnu1MTUaoWShUwyL0-5-CH3dKyUCikzT0p32Z_tgfuT1E
Weekly Report Monday 23rd September – Sunday 29th September 2019
October 8, 2019 9:41 am Comments Off on Weekly Report Monday 23rd September – Sunday 29th September 2019
Summer’s over, schools are well back, the muddy scent of cross-country air is almost beckoning, a faint morning dew is threatening to settle, a hurricane is-a-coming and Orangegrove AC just keep on running.

With preparations well under way for the upcoming NI & Ulster Road Relay Championships and the Club trying to make it a day to remember for over 1,100 runners…there was still time to do what they’re even better at…the actual running:

Bangor 10k Monday Saturday 28/09/2019

26 Extreme Causeway Coast Half Marathon & 10k Saturday 28/09/2019

Albertville 5k Sunday 29/09/2019

Parkrun Saturday 28/09/2019

BANGOR 10K

This featured a big turn-out for the club, influenced somewhat by this being the penultimate race in the Club’s own Club Championship. Whilst things are hotting up in that league table, most club members were almost on fire in Bangor.

As I couldn’t trump how the one and only Jacqui Maxwell pre-described the course, I’ll just quote Jacqui! (If I’ve stepped out of turn, there could be extra laps as punishment):

“It’s a nice enough course with a good fast start, (once you turn left after the mat). Use the downhill to give you momentum and then settle into your planned pace along towards Ballyholme and then it’s left, right, left towards the roundabout. After the roundabout you’ll be in the country, there’s a few undulations towards and through Groomsport, but levels out again at the roundabout on the return.

Hopefully the wind will not be too strong along the seafront, so keep focussed and push on if you can. There’s the sting in the tail at 9K, but it’s not the worst hill so just push up it knowing that you’re nearly home. (I always count my steps to get up it).

You’ll then turn left and the run in is fast and flat. The entrance to the park comes a lot earlier than you think in my experience. Once in the park give it all you’ve got to the line!”

This also gives a good insight in to how the OG coaching and assistance doesn’t just stop ‘at the track’. The race itself was won by Gideon Kipsang of 1zero1 Athletes in 30:15 and Emma Mitchell of Clonliffe Harriers in 34:44. Well done to all OG-ers who ran and performed so well…especially as youse were all forewarned by Jacqui and had no excuses!:

Danny Bradley 36:26 42nd/926

Keith Weir 38:17 65th

Dave Gribben 41:47 116th

David Carberry 41:44 122nd

Michael O’Donoghue 41:58 135th

Gemma Blake 42:24 138th

Lyndsey Tyro 43:06 155th

Edwina Ternan 43:12 157th

Rodney Corrigan 44:06 172nd

Brian Todd 45:03 192nd 1st in Age Cat

Julie McKimm 45:06 195th

Pauline Bayliss 48:09 273rd

Alison Canning 48:52 318th

Steven Gilliland 48:56 303rd

Reg Sanlon 52:26 458th 1st in Age Cat

Jenny Cochrane 52:44 450th

Judith McCann 53:03 467th

Anna Rankin 53:05 484th

Chantal Hemphill 53:09 468th

Catherine McIntyre 54:49 532nd

Darren Moan 55:44 564th

Marcia Sharkey 56:20 581st

George Gribben 57:20 620th

Martin Walker 58:08 641st

Elaine Weston 58:37 658th

Hannah Montgomery 1:11:23 867th

26 EXTREME CAUSEWAY COAST HALF MARATHON & 10K

26 Extreme promote themselves as staging “Great events in the great outdoors” and “We don’t do easy”, so, bearing in mind a coastline course Lisa, Sharon and Brain mustn’t do easy!

With plenty of options available including an Ultra Marathon, Marathon, Half Marathon, 10km and Challenge Walk along the 26 mile route of the Causeway Coast Marathon, Lisa opted for the Half and Sharon, Brian and Jenny chose the 10km.

This Event was fully marked along the paths, tracks, beaches and coastline of the Causeway Coast Way – probably one of the most spectacular coastlines in the whole world. It passed through magnificent coastline scenery with views of bays, beaches, cliffs, rocks and not so far from the famous Giant’s Causeway stones.

The Half Marathon was won Stephen McLeod in 1:29:49 and Alison Stocks in 1:45:55. Well done Lisa on such a challenging HM course:

Lisa Fleming 2:33:09 231st/463

Sharon and Brian placed really well on a varied course and couldn’t wait to get finished so they could sample the best of the local food après-race. Jenny also survived the numerous steps and mention of possible ‘death’ in the small print!:

Brain McFarland 1:04:14 56th/240

Sharon McFarland 1:08:28 79th

Jenny Powell 1:20:25 167th

The 10k race was won by Andrew Maclaine and Amy Teasdale in 42:22 and 48:03, respectively.

ALBERTVILLE 5K

Conversely, contradictorily, conflictingly compared to the Causeway Coast race we have a coolly, calculatedly, centennial course chosen by Lyndsey Tyro where the course is completely flat without a hill or rocky path in sight!

Yes, Albertville Harriers were this year celebrating their 100th year as a running club! Congratulations to them from Orangegrove AC. To mark the occasion they were hosting a special 5k road race on Sunday September 29th 2019 (instead of the usual Thursday night?).

The club began in 1919when a bunch of lads attended a bible class in the Albert Hall on the Shankill Road, Belfast. The club then found premises in Ardoyne Village which is now long gone. Ardoyne Village was a cluster of white washed cottages from Ardoyne up towards Ballysillan on the site of the old Everton School.

In 1939, the lads who were in the club and who had joined the Territorials were mobilised. A club member collected the club trophies and any club information he could gather, he put them in a bag and stowed them away in a coal shed. Club members were scattered across the world and the war years began….

By 1952, Albertville Harriers had secured premises at 2a Olive Street (Woodvale). On Saturdays, a zinc bath was filled with warm water for club members to have a wash, the club also rigged up a type of shower which scattered icy cold water in all directions.

From Olive Street, the club moved to a scout hall in Bray Street for training and from there they moved to Woodvale Recreation Centre until Ainsworth Community Centre offered the club accommodation.

After a few years, it was decided that Ballysillan Leisure Centre had better facilities (and warm showers!) and it was while based there the club flourished.

Back to OG’s own history-maker, Lyndsey Tyro – Lyndsey appeared to have ran this full-on race after running at Bangor 10k the day before! In an extremely quick and competitive field, Lyndsey ran a cracking sub-20:

Lyndsey Tyro 19:55 38th/157

Matthew Lavery of North Belfast Harriers and Robyn McKee of Dromore AC won it in 15:28 and 18:24, respectively.

PARKRUN

The weekly Saturday Parkrun continues to excel and expand and the following are a few OG highlights: Victoria Park produced a 2nd position for Luke Harte, a 199thparkrun for Jason Lanyon and a tidy 22:10 by Rachel Woodman. Robert Hill was 3rd in Carrickfergus with 21:35 and Selina Myles had a course PB at Orangefield Parkrun.

Upcoming Races of Interest:

NI & Ulster Road Relay Championships 2019 Sunday 6 October 2019!

Stormont Cup & the final race of the Orangegrove (internal) Club Championship!

Photo Credits:

Chris Woods and Sharon McFarland
Weekly Report Monday 16th September – Sunday 22nd September 2019
September 26, 2019 10:57 am Comments Off on Weekly Report Monday 16th September – Sunday 22nd September 2019
Report by David Fletcher

It wasn’t the busiest of weeks in the calendar but still an exciting weekend of racing for Orangegrove AC with the main event being the Belfast Half Marathon in which there was a sizeable club representation. As ever there was also some interest in races abroad with members taking part in the Scottish Half Marathon in Edinburgh, the Dam tot Damloop 10 mile Race in Amsterdam and various Parkruns throughout the UK and Ireland.

Belfast City Half Marathon

Sunday 22nd September 2019

It was an early start for many on Sunday as 25 runners plus supporters from Orangegrove congregated at the OAC HQ Gazebo in Ormeau Park for the 7th running of the Belfast Half Marathon which is becoming a firm favourite amongst the running fraternity for its relatively flat and fast course and usually pleasant September weather. Instead of the usual sharp fresh coolness we are accustomed to with a 9am start conditions were sultry and humid from the off and not long into the race runners faced a downpour of almost biblical proportions! This made the already muggy conditions more difficult as literally everyone and everything was soaked through. Some further downpours failed to dampen spirits though and all 25 OAC athletes battled their way through the 13.1 miles to the finish in Ormeau Park where refreshments were gladly received at the OAC gazebo! Despite the awful running conditions there were some very notable performances and strong runs which shows the benefits of following a good plan and consistent training. The ever-improving Gemma Blake was first OAC lady home with a fantastic time of 1:32:49 to record another PB. Other great runs to note were that of Alison Canning putting in a tremendous run to secure a PB of 1:48:35, Adrienne Savage with a PB 1:53:29 and also Judith McCann with a big PB running 1:56:55. It was also great to see former Club Captain Jill Holland returning to form with a strong run, Jemma Smyth taking on her 1st half marathon distance and debut in the club vest and Martin Walker putting in a big improvement over his time at Larne earlier in the year.

The Half Marathon was won by Gideon Kimosop of 1Zero1 in 1:06:58 and 1st woman was Anne-Marie McGlynn of Letterkenny AC in 1:12:58.

A full list of Orangegrove AC results are as follows:

Eric Fairfield 124:04, Keith Weir 126:45, Johnny Weston 1:30:0, David Montgomery 1:32:31, Gemma Blake 1:32:49 PB (7th F40 / 378), Edwina Ternan 1:34:02, Michael O’Donaghue 1:36:47, Brian Todd 1:40:56, Heather Flint 1:44:26, Alison Canning 1:48:35 PB, David Gilliland 1:51:18, Jill Holland 1:53:15, Heather Shanks Millar 1:53:07, Jemma Smyth 1:53:22 (1st Half Marathon), Adrienne Savage 1:53:29 PB, Judith McCann 1:56:55 PB, Gerald Harvey 1:57:40, Sharon Howe 1:56:10, Barry Burns 1:56:10, Brian McFarland 2:02:05, Jason Lanyon 2:04:21, Catherine McIntyre 2:06:18, Marcia Sharkey 2:09:47, Martin Walker 2:11:06, John Ferris 2:20:00.

Scottish Half Marathon

Sunday 22nd September 2019

This report was kindly provided by Gillian Logan though seeing as she had spent the good part of 3 days in the company her former clubmates of Larne in Scotland I’ve had to refer to the Ulster Scots Dictionary to provide a few translations!

Steven Gilliland and Gillian Logan made the trip to Bonnie (Beautiful) Scotland over the weekend for the Scottish Half Marathon. Kindly invited by their former running club Larne AC to join the annual club trip. It was an early start for the bus and boat trip from Larne on Saturday morning to base camp Edinburgh. The Scottish Half Marathon is an annual event which attracts around 3,000 runners and has an associated 10k on the same day. Billed as a flat and last course, runners start at Meadow Mill Sports arena about 11 miles outside Edinburgh and follow a point to point course to finish at Mussleburgh Race Course. The weather on the morning was almost as perfect as you can get for running with dry and calm conditions around 14 degrees. Runners begin inland and descend onto a coastal road to a turning point around 6 miles, then pick up the road again for a straight run into Mussleburgh. The course is coincidentally very like Larne HM which made everyone feel very at home! Gillian was on fine form and went a dinger (ran very fast) to cross the finish line for a PB of 1hr 38mins 52 seconds. Steven was not far behind to clock a braw (good / pleasing) time of 1hr 50mins 53 seconds. Pure dead brilliant running from both the lad and lassie! (Larne speak for both ran very well) Larne runners Billy Larne runners Billy Thompson, John Agnew and Sean McAlister all picked up category prizes! Well done lads! The event was very well organized with great finish line atmosphere, medal (complete with tartan medal) and T-shirt. We can highly recommend making the trip across! Haste Ye Back! (Come back soon) All runners enjoyed a few wee drams (Drink of the Motherland) back in Edinburgh to round off a belter of a weekend! Maybe a possible future trip for OAC?

Dam tot Damloop 10 mile Race

Sunday 22nd September

With our usual OAC Distance Globetrotter Michael O’Donaghue dropping down in distance this week to the Belfast Half it was up to Elaine Weston this weekend to fly the OAC flag in Foreign Fields! Elaine is fast becoming one of the most recognizable faces on the local road running circuit as her insatiable appetite for mileage shows no sign of abating. This weekend Elaine fancied a bit of a city break from the local scene and travelled to Amsterdam to take on the Dam tot Damloop 10 mile Race. This is a point to point race from central Amsterdam across the Noordzee Canal finishing in the city Zanndam to the North. As with most races in the Netherlands this is flat route and now attracts a very big entry and many elite runners with around 50,000 runners taking part this year. (A possible club championship race to replace Frank Duffy next year! 😉) From my interview with Elaine at Tuesdays training she reported that conditions had been very hot but she completed the 10 miles in around 1 Hr 40 mins and had a very enjoyable weekend away. The race was won by Ethiopias Solomon Berihu in a not too shabby 45 mins 51s and Kenyas Evaline Chirchir was first woman in 50:32.

Parkrun

As always there was a good club representation at Parkrun across many locations. Follow the link for a consolidated club report. https://www.parkrun.com/results/consolidatedclub/?clubNum=17953&fbclid=IwAR3aT2Ml43doLWeO8WLkangZ7hlhjJo69IXu7AQ5BxQbtZ1MsDSPE8b32fY

Photo credits: Sharon McFarland, Alison McConnell, Kimberly Reynolds and Andrew McIntyre.
Last chance for NI & Ulster athletics clubs to enter Road Relay team event
September 21, 2019 8:06 am Comments Off on Last chance for NI & Ulster athletics clubs to enter Road Relay team event
Orangegrove AC is gearing up for the club’s 8th annual hosting of the Festival of Running in the verdant setting of Victoria Park, Belfast on Sunday 6 October, in association with McFarland Consulting and O’Reilly Stewart Solicitors.

With the entry deadline of 23:59 on Sunday 29 September looming, athletics clubs who have yet to enter teams into the Athletics Northern Ireland Championship event will need to move quickly to get a piece of the action in the Relay and Junior events.

Building on the success of last year, when the Belfast club welcomed over 200 teams from across the province, the club’s massive volunteer effort is once again being deployed to deliver a fantastic day out for runners and spectators alike.

Hundreds of Ulster’s top club runners are expected to compete over a fast 3380m course for a cash prize pot. The fund will be distributed to 1st, 2nd and 3rd-placed teams in the Man’s and Ladies Senior and Master’s relay races.

Last year saw Queen’s University Belfast, led out by Northern Ireland 5000m & 10,000m record holder Emma Mitchell, take the Senior Ladies’ title, but their time was over a minute outside Newcastle AC’s 2015 record that had been set with the aid of Olympian Kerry O’Flaherty.

More top-class performances resulted in every other victorious team posting winning times less than a minute outside the course records. St Malachy’s AC was victorious in Senior Men’s category, Beechmount Harriers took the win for the Masters Ladies and North Down AC won the Masters Men’s race.

The organisers are expecting this year’s fastest teams to again make an attempt on these records, chasing down the £200 cash bonus, which is generously sponsored by McFarland Consulting and O’Reilly Stewart Solicitors, up for grabs for any record-breaking team.

Orangegrove AC member Darren Houston commented “The organising committee and our sponsors are hoping for a quality competition, and that promise of a prize bonus will lead to the course record being broken this year.”

The Festival also incorporates individual races for Junior and Primary Schools. Over 100 children competed for individual prizes across eight age categories in last year’s event, and next month’s competition is sure to generate similar interest.

Orangegrove is keen for clubs and supporters to join in the festival atmosphere, and clubs who wish to set up their own team tent or gazebo in the park for the day are encouraged to do so.

Further details and online entry forms are available on the event website: http://orangegroveac.co.uk/ni-relays/
Weekly Report Monday 2nd September – Sunday 8th September 2019
September 12, 2019 4:06 pm Comments Off on Weekly Report Monday 2nd September – Sunday 8th September 2019
Report by Gillian Logan

We’d a fairly quiet week to bring in the Autumn as many of our athletes focus on Belfast & Edinburgh Half Marathon campaigns, both being held on 22nd September.

Nevertheless, OAC athletes took part in races in Switzerland, Newcastle Upon Tyne and Wiltshire, alongside some local events.

Tuesday, 3rd September

Mill Hill Mile 2019, Castlewellan, Co. Down. By Brian Todd

It is more an institution than a race as such; it is you against that frightful hill that stretches from Annsborough to the Castlewellan Market House. You tend to park the car in Castlewellan and then run downhill to the start. So, the warm-up is not a problem! At the start everything happens quickly. At the first break in the traffic the off is sounded and away you go. There is no perception of racing other people but there are plenty of them about. Most are used to hills being from the Newcastle, Mournes, Murlough and East Down clubs. Many of them are children and most of them can run very well indeed. This was my fourth consecutive Mill Hill Mile. In the last three years I managed 8.05, 8.07 and 8.09. This year I at least expected 8.11, maybe even quicker than last year’s 8.09. Unfortunately, it was a disappointing 8.21 despite the perception of running quite well. In fact, my watch said 8.17. So, where did all those extra seconds come from? Increasing age maybe. Roadworks on the hill didn’t help as they required an S manoeuvre which undoubtedly broke everybody’s pace and momentum. The hoards of children didn’t help either, many of them running about my pace. You had to be very careful not to trip over them or trip them up. They are so good they probably deserve their own race. Anyway, it was only a bit of fun. The rain stayed off and the post-race chips were very good indeed.

For the record Zak Hanna (Newcastle AC) reached the Market House in 5.11(!) and Joanne Mills (Newcastle AC) was first lady in 7.08.

Brian Todd…8.21 (34/120 and M65 category winner)

Wednesday 4th September

Wiltshire 10 mile

On Wednesday 4th September, Ali McConnell headed off with work colleagues to Wiltshire for a 10 mile championship race. Promises of a flat course and pbs were more than a little misleading. The race took place on the airfield at RAF Lyneham. It was 2 laps of 5 miles each. Between long inclines and strong winds on an exposed course, it made for a hard day at the office. Ali was happy with how she raced. She was 217th out of a field of 392 competitors, and was 32nd Female out of 120.

The after party in the Sergeants mess that evening more than made up for the false promises of a fast flat course.

Sunday 8thSeptember

10KM na Ceathrún Gaeltachta 2019

To mark the end of Organ Donation week the 10KM na Ceathrún Gaeltachta 2019 took place on Sunday 8th September. Spearheaded by the Donte4Dáithí charity, set up for a young boy named Dáithí who was born with a very rare heart condition called Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome, and now requires a heart transplant to save his life.

Starting and finishing at the Cultúrlann McAdam Ó Fiaich on The Falls Road, the route took runners on a climb up The Glen Road, down into Andersonstown, back onto The Falls Road before a small loop of Falls Park then onto the finish.

Gillian Logan was the sole OAC athlete in attendance and finished in 46.24 for 5th female. The atmosphere and support along the route was fantastic as a sea of pink T-Shirts made their way around the course, definitely one for your race diary next year!

Simply Health Great North Run

Billed as ‘The Most Famous Half Marathon in the World’, the iconic GNR took place on Sunday 8th September. Jean Stone was lucky to secure a place in the ballot for this years race, which takes participants on a 13.1 mile journey starting in Newcastle Upon Tyne city centre and finishing in the atmospheric South Shields. Runners are treated to a display by The Red Arrows while running along the famous Tyne Bridge – It really is a spine tingling event and a must do for any avid runner! Jean was coming back from injury and did really well to finish in just under 3 hours and even managed to complete Newcastle ParkRun on Saturday as a warmup! Well done Jean and we really hope you enjoyed your weekend on The Toon!

Jungfrau Marathon Switzerland – By Tony Liken

The Jungfrau Marathon is one of the best known mountain marathons in the world, in full view of the famous Eiger, Mönch, and Jungfrau mountains in the Bernese Oberland area of the Swiss Alps. Which in hindsight is a ridiculously difficult 1st marathon to choose. As always I learned a lot the hard way. I learned that I ate too much pasta for breakfast because all the other runners in my hotel were eating it. I also learned that as tough as cave hill was to climb in my training runs I might have underestimated running in the Alps.

The 42.195-kilometre (26.219 mi) course starts in the town of Interlaken and climbs 5,960 feet (1,823 m) in elevation to the finish at the Kleine Scheidegg. The race begins in central Interlaken and circles around the town centre before moving east to Bönigen, where runners briefly run along the shore of Lake Brienz. The race proceeds southwards to Wilderswil at the 10 km mark. From there the course heads upward through Zweilütschinen (at 15 km) to Lauterbrunnen (at 20 km).The first 13 miles climbs around 550m over asphalt, grass, gravel and trail. This was the supposedly ‘easy’ part of the race completed. The course loops south of the town before returning to Lauterbrunnen and then heading eastward up the alpside. It is at this point that the runners are greeted by ‘The Wall’. This is the steepest part of the race zigzagging up the hillside and climbing 450 m in the 5 km route to Wengen. In the information pack we were urged to respect the wall or we would pay the price later in the race. I was paying the price halfway up it with cramps in my feet and calves. If you eventually make it to Wengen the course heads southeast and relentlessly upward over the Wengernalp, turning east and then northeast beneath the Eiger toward the finish. It reaches its highest point of 7,234 feet (2,205 m) around the 40 km point, and then heads steeply downhill for the last kilometre to the finish at Kleine Scheidegg at an altitude of 2061 m. The views from Wengen to the finish were incredible, they helped put the smile back on my face after a grueling 18 miles. Thankfully at mile 18 I had digested all that pasta and i started to feel normal 😀 this meant I was was able to really enjoy the final part of the race. The last 8 miles is more of a hike or a scramble with as much running as you can squeeze in on the lesser inclines. At about mile 25 and 2300m elevation they have a bagpiper blowing the tunes, a sweeter sound I cannot describe! This meant i was about to be treated with a 1km downhill to the finish line. I manage to make it in a time of 6 hours and 20 mins, unimaginably difficult run for me but an incredible experience.

ParkRun

As ever, we’d a good representation of OAC club members at ParkRun events all over Northern Ireland and further afield!

Special mentions however go to:

Jean Stone – Warming up for the GNR at Newcastle!

Gemma Blake – First female in Stranmillis!

Ross Robinson – 3rd at Orangefield!

Below is a consolidated report of all OAC athletes taking part in ParkRuns on 7th Sept:

https://www.parkrun.com/results/consolidatedclub/?clubNum=17953
Weekly Report Monday 26th August – Sunday 1st September 2019
September 4, 2019 3:11 pm Comments Off on Weekly Report Monday 26th August – Sunday 1st September 2019
Report by Gerald Harvey.

ARDS 5 MILE CHALLENGE, 30th August, 2019. [Report by Brian Todd]

For Brian Todd and Reg Sanlon it was very much a matter of turning up and running steadily in this, the final round of the Baker McKenzie Super 5s. The hard work had really been done in the previous rounds to obtain positions in the order, and nothing was really going to change at Ards unless something catastrophic happened to either one of us or our immediate competitors. Though it was a blustery and damp evening, the rain held off for the entirety of the race. The route was a roughly rectangular one which started and finished at the superb Londonderry Park Leisure Centre. The initial mile and a half was along the coast road in the Portaferry direction before a left turn into Finlay’s Road. Each of these legs presented their individual challenges. The scenic coast road section was into the face of a stiff breeze, but at least it was closed to traffic from the Newtownards direction until we passed. Finlay’s Road brought the beginning of the hilly section which continued after the next left turn into Bowtown Road. However, the final mile was very distinctly downhill back to George’s Street in Newtownards and from there flat and fast back to the Leisure Centre.

The Ards 5 Mile Challenge was superbly organized and presented by Scrabo Striders. Orangegrove AC was well represented by Brian Todd, Reg Sanlon, David Gribben, Darren Moan and the indomitable Elaine Weston.

The race was won by Gareth Lyons (North Belfast Harriers) in 28:14 and Catherine O’Connor (East Down) was first lady in 30:41.

David Gribben…33:18

Brian Todd…34:59 (M65-69 second prize)

Reg Sanlon…39:42

Darren Moan…41:49

Elaine Weston…43:29.

BAKER McKENZIE SUPER 5s AWARDS PRESENTATION. [Report by Brian Todd]

Following a fine supper and the main race prize distribution, there was an awards ceremony for those who were involved in the Baker McKenzie Super 5s series. The Super 5s series was an idea developed by Glenn Grant of ChampionChip Ireland and very generously sponsored to the tune of several thousand pounds by the Baker McKenzie legal firm. As the name would suggest it involved a series of both 5K and 5 mile races (twelve in total) throughout the province, most of them 5 miles and taking place on Friday evenings. It was age graded, but cumulative over the series, so to feature seriously in the final results meant committing to all the races. Missing one or two would mean free fall! Sarah Fowler of Baker McKenzie presented the awards. From the Orangegrove AC perspective, Brian Todd finished on the podium in third place (£400) and Reg Sanlon, who unfortunately missed one race, finished in 7th place on £150. The series was won by Patricia Brown (Newry City Runners) who is currently the fastest F60-64 in the United Kingdom (£600). In second place was the exceptional North Belfast Harriers’ M40-44 runner Gareth Lyons (£500). Cash awards were made down to twelfth place (£50). The rumours are the series will return again next year. It offers a manageable focus and hopefully a few more from OAC will give it a go!

PARKRUN, 31st August, 2019.

If the wet and blustery conditions at QUB Playing Fields were anything to go by, parkrun on Saturday was quite tough. However, it was better to brave the conditions, than take a week off, in case it becomes two weeks and then maybe three or four.

Personal best times: Ross Robinson, 19:05 at Belfast Victoria Park; Lyndsey Tyro, 21:35 at Orangefield Park; Keith Patterson, 28:33 at Ormeau Park.

First Timers: Gemma Blake at Stranmillis; Brendan Bannon at Waterworks; Chantal Hemphill at Antrim; Selina Myles at Portrush.

Remember to volunteer several times a year by contacting: belfastvictoriahelpers@parkrun.com

LAST ONE STANDING ULTRA, Florence Court, Co. Fermanagh, 31st August, 2019. [Report by Michael O’Donoghue]

Now in its third year of running, Last One Standing, Florence Court is a spin-off of the popular Castle Ward Last One Standing race. This year it was a golden ticket for the Big Dog Backyard Ultra in Tennessee, which is run by Lazarus Lake of Barkley Marathons fame.

The formula for these races is that each runner must do 4.2 mile loops within an hour and start again on the hour until everyone quits or gets timed out bar the winner. There is no defined finish time to the race, making it possibly Northern Ireland’s toughest race, if there are enough runners able to go the distance. Florence Court is a beautiful setting for this event. Managed by the National Trust, it is an 18th century house and estate in the foothills of Cuilcagh Mountain, with well-preserved gardens, a forest and two rivers, though considering the time sensitive nature of the event I didn’t have much time to look around!

Forty-six runners started at midday on Saturday, including myself and Adrian Sproule. Adrian bowed out after lap 4 or 16.8 miles which was his target. Some more dropped out in the next few hours until I decided to call it a day at 12 laps or 50 miles, having attained the medal for reaching that number, and deciding that fatigue would overtake me before the dawn on this occasion.

Thirty-one other runners continued, with trickles of runners dropping out during the night. Eleven made it to 24 hours and became this years’ 100 mile club. Some say that is when the Last One Standing race truly begins and it turned into a battle between Bobby Irvine, Denis Keane and Shane Brady. Gillian Connolly (Seapark AC) was first lady having done 27 laps or 113.4 miles. In the end Denis Keane (An Ricoht) was the victor, having done 37 laps or 155.4 miles.

LAGANSIDE 10K, 1st September, 2019.

In these days of Brexit uncertainty, it was certain that Sunday marked the end of summer and a change to more autumnal weather, though it was quite warm during the race. At 2:00pm the runners went off in a staggered start down the main avenue through Ormeau Park towards the Ravenhill Road, then completed two riverside laps between Albert Bridge and Ormeau Bridge, finally returning up through the park to the finish near the Ormeau Bowling Pavilion. The slices of orange and Jaffa Cakes went down well afterwards.

The race was won by John Black (North Belfast Harriers) in 31:37 and first lady was Emma Mitchell (Unattached) in 33:57, 14th out of 936 runners.

OAC Results: Danny Bradley, 35:50 (PB) 37th overall; Gemma Blake, 42:24, 164th overall; Edwina Ternan, 42:35; Brian Todd, 43:43, 3rd in the M65 category; Jemma Smyth, 47:00; David Gilliland, 48:53; Gerald Harvey, 52:38; Jason Lanyon, 53:09.

Thanks to North Belfast Harriers, who organized the race in support of the Marie Curie Hospice and ChampionChip Ireland who did the chip timing. This was round 12 of the Novosco 10K Grand Prix.

Photos of presentation after the Ards Challenge race: Baker McKenzie/ChampionChip Ireland.
Weekly Report Monday 19th August – Sunday 25th August 2019
September 3, 2019 3:54 pm Comments Off on Weekly Report Monday 19th August – Sunday 25th August 2019
Report by Michael O’Donoghue.

Portrush 5 Mile Road Race – Friday, 23rd August, 2019 by Brian Todd

Baker-McKenzie Super 5s duty took Brian Todd and Reg Sanlon to Portrush at the weekend. The weather couldn’t have been better. Dry and warm but with a cooling breeze off the sea to keep things right. The course was a simple one! The race started on the promenade of the West Strand and was ‘out and back’ along the road towards Portstewart. The start and finish along the promenade made for a great running spectacle for the many Friday evening Bank Holiday weekend spectators. The climb up from the promenade to the top of Black Hill was not for the faint hearted and it was even more challenging from the reverse side on the return journey. By no means a personal best course, but the views were amongst the best you will get in any race anywhere. Post event prize distribution and festivities were held in the magnificent Portrush Yacht Club overlooking the harbour…a super venue.

The Portrush 5 Mile Road Race was won by Roberto Aguilera (Bellingham Distance Project) in 26.38 and Shaleen McMurray (Newcastle AC) was first lady in 29.23.

Brian Todd…34.46 (M65-69 prize)

Reg Sanlon…40.22.

Only one more race to go in the Baker-McKenzie series, the Ards 5 Mile Road Race on Friday, August 30th.

Warriors Run – Saturday 24th August

An amazingly popular race in Sligo with over 1100 runners, it has been one that Steven Gilliland is a big fan of, having done it several times.

Its a 15k multi-terrain race with 9k on road and a 6k section which involves climbing up 700 feet up Knocknarea. It really does sound like our very own Lurig. The area is steeped in history of battles between Celtic rulers, which gives the race its name.

Steven had no problem with the difficult climb and descent, finishing in 1.29.29

KBC 10 Mile Frank duffy 10 miler – Saturday 24th August

The OAC club championship rumbles on and we have now reached the 10th event out of 12. It doesnt get much more high profile than this. 4000 runners lined up in the middle of Phoenix Park for the Frank Duffy 10 Miler. Marketed as part of the Dublin Marathon series now, this race has been running for a couple of decades. Portaferry aside, we don’t tend to run that many 10 mile races. Consequently, you would expect plenty of PB’s from running around the biggest park in Ireland. On the day though it did turn out quite warm and there were a couple of unexpected hills to face, thought the announcer did mention the long drag in the last mile. Still, club bus trip

Danny Bradley 1.01.02

Keith Weir 1.05.09

Eric Fairfield 1.06.13

David Montgomery 1.08.37

Edwina Ternan 1.12.50

Michael O’Donoghue 1.13.30

Julie McKimm 1.15.26

Rodney Corrigan 1.16.26

Heather Flint 1.19.52

Robin Montgomery 1.22.14

Ali McConnell 1.22.18

Adrienne Savage 1.31.11

Catherine McIntyre 1.32.33

Jill Holland 1.32.43

Judith McCann 1.32.54

Selina Myles 1.33.36

Brian McFarland 1.35.57

Anna Rankin 1.36.10

Elaine Weston 1.39.46

Sharon McFarland 1.47.50

Marcia Sharkey 1.49.46

Yared Derese (Carrick Aces) won in 49.05 with well known running him close Irish Olympian in 49.35. Breege Connolly (City of Derry Spartans) 58.29.

As a result in the club championship Edwina got maximum points putting her in 5th and Julie, Heather and Ali cementing their positions in 2nd, 3rd and 4th. In the mens competition Danny edges closer to Keith at the top of the table with David Montgomery in 3rd. All eyes are on the Bangor 10k next

Mourne Sprint Triathlon – Saturday 24th August

Organised by Olympic Triathlon Club, this was a 0.75km swim in Castlewellan Lake, followed by a 20k bike ride towards Katesbridge (plenty of hills) with a final 5k run around the lake. Anne Devlin looked like she had a great time, and certainly a bit of a change from the running up mountains that we usually get up to in Castlewellan.

Storming the castle – Sunday 25th August

A race that can genuinely call itself flat and fast is Storming the Castle in Carrickfergus. Attracting incredible numbers of close to 900 its either a sellout or close to sellout each year it’s been on. Organised by Seapark AC it starts at the Amphitheatre Wellness centre, heading out towards Belfast, with the finish line at the famous Norman castle itself.

Lyndsey Tyro made a great return to form with a time of 44.18,and we hope to see her racing again soon. At the front of the field North Belfast made a strong showing with 4 of the top 10 places with regular podium fixture Gareth Lyons winning in 34:01. Fiona McQuillan (NDAC) was first lady in 40:29.

Lurgan Rock The Lough 5k – Sunday 25th August

Organised by local club St Peter’s AC this charity race is on the picturesque Oxford Island at the Lough Neagh Discovery Centre. There was both a 10 mile race and a 5k “rock the Lough Run, which took place entirely within Oxford Island. We know Elaine Weston did this, but no official results yet!

Parkrun

It still being holiday season we had a bit of a scattering of parkrun tourism in the club with participants in Abingdon, Portrush and Buncrana. Gemma got a course PB at Stormont, and Luke Harte was in 6th place overall at Victoria.

A consolidated club report is at https://www.parkrun.com/results/consolidatedclub/?clubNum=17953
Weekly Report Monday 12th August – Sunday 18th August 2019
August 22, 2019 2:23 pm Comments Off on Weekly Report Monday 12th August – Sunday 18th August 2019
Report by Gillian Logan

This week saw Quads, Connswater, Yorkshire and Castles feature in events across endurance and track disciplines to make a busy week of racing both close to home and over the water. Without further delay, here’s a round-up of all the action!

North Down AC Track 7 Field Open Meeting

Tuesday, 13th August

We continued with our Club Championship at North Down AC Track and Field event, with OAC athletes vying for points in either the 200m or 3000m events. The weather was fair for the evening races at Bangor Sportsplex and the below results were produced:

200M:
27.55 Steven Gilliland
Time unknown at present: Reg Sanlon

3000M:
11:57.84 Gemma Blake
11:58.25 Michael O’Donoghue
12:53.09 Heather Flint
13:46.95 Alison McConnell

Well done to all our tack stars! We continue our Club Championship with a road trip to Phoenix Park for the Frank Duffy 10 mile this Saturday! This race also serves as a good test of fitness for our athletes who are in a solid training block for both Belfast & Edinburgh half marathons on 22nd Sept. Good luck to everyone running and enjoy the day.

The Edwin May Coleraine 5 Mile Classic Road Race – By Brian Todd

Wednesday, August 14th

Next stop on the Baker-McKenzie Super 5s trail for Brian Todd and Reg Sanlon was this midweek road race in Coleraine, sponsored by the local Nissan dealer, Edwin May, and hosted by Springwell Running Club and the local Leisure Centre. We travelled by train and the weather was forbidding to say the least as we headed north. However, the skies cleared as we approached Coleraine and it turned out to be a fine evening for running, if a little warm. The route was a mainly urban one starting at the Leisure Centre and finishing in the fine pedestrianized main shopping street (Church Street). After a brief tour of the town we routed out the Mountsandel Road parallel with the River Bann and then back to the town centre via the main Newbridge Road. The finish through The Diamond and along Church Street was excellent with plenty of spectators and much razzmatazz. There was the usual fine feast served back in the Leisure Centre prior to the prize giving. The entire event was very well organized and presented and well done to all concerned.
The Edwin May Classic 5 Mile Road Race was won by Craig Simpson (Foyle Valley AC) in 24.57 and Gemma McDonald (Ballycastle Runners) was first lady in 29.48.
Brian Todd….34.49.
Reg Sanlon….39.30.
Brian Todd was erroneously awarded the M65-69 prize! The indomitable and very fast Hugh Boyle of Springwell was the worthy winner this time. By the time the error was discovered Brian had spent his winnings!

Quadrathon

Thursday 15th- Sunday 18th August

Back for 2019 was the famous Quadrathon event presented by Extreme North. The event takes place in the stunning county of Donegal and sees runners complete back to back half or full marathons over a period of 4 days (Thursday – Sunday) known as the Quest and Warrior challenges respectively. At the end of each event, runners get a medal which interlocks to make an ornate shield which is very coveted in running circles. The over all course across the 4 days takes an anticlockwise loop around Inishowen, starting and finishing in Moville.

We had two OAC members taking part in the event. Selina Myles was new to the event and is carving out an impressive endurance career after taking part in this years Energia 24hr challenge. Selina had the Quest challenge in her sights and did so with a smile on her face as always.
Our endurance specialist Michael O’Donoghue (MOD) has completed the Quad Warrior challenge several times before but could not resist the temptation to complete the challenge again.

Both runners were supported by fellow OAC’ers on the ground Verity, Lisa, Heather and Edwina across the 4 days which we are sure provided much needed motivation and sustenance!

Below are the times for Selina (Half Marathon distance) and Michael (Full Marathon distance)

Day1: Kinnego Bay 02:23:33 / 05:28:03

Day 2: Malin Head 02:25:28 / 05:32:10
Day 3: Mamore 02:40:36 / 05:12:51
Day 4: Muff 02:19:28 / 05:07:03

Well done to both runners on a super challenge and we’ve no doubt each of you will return next year!

Connswater 5 mile Challenge

Friday 16th August

Friday evening saw the inaugural Connswater 5 Mile Challenge, presented by fellow East Belfast Club Victoria Park and Connswater. Another of the Baker McKenzie Super 5 series which started and finished in the idyllic CS Lewis square. Runners negotiated a multi terrain course which included trail, grass and road surface as they made their way through the inner and outer paths of Victoria Park and the lower section of the Comber Greenway. With a lively atmosphere and lovely sunny weather, the event was enjoyed by 10 OAC members who were all rewarded with a bespoke medal and finish line refreshments. A great way to start the weekend, right on our doorstep!

Special thanks to all the marshals and support along the route and to VPAC for a really enjoyable evening.

The OAC results are listed below:

Jonathan Weston: 00:32:03
Gemma Blake: 00:34:47
Brian Todd: 00:35:02
Gillian Logan: 00:37:45
Reg Sanlon:00:39:30
Gerald Harvey:00:40:21
Jenny Cochrane: 00:41:52
Chantal Hemphill 00:43:25
Darren Moan:00:43:15
Alan Montgomery: 00:46:43

Irish Life Health Masters Track & Field

Sunday, 18th August

We’d 5 Masters athletes in action at the Irish Life Health Masters Track & Field held in Tullamore. The 3 hour journey was very worthwhile with OAC bagging no less than 7 medals! Official results were not available at time of writing however we are reliably informed of the below unofficial results:

John Gribben: Gold 100m, Silver 5000m (75-79 cat)
Jim Harris Gold 400m, Bronze 200 (70-74 cat)
George Gribben Bronze 100m bronze 200m. Bronze long jump, 4th 400m (65-69 cat)
David Quigg, 4th 400m (60-64 cat)
Stephen Orr 4th 800m (40-44 cat)

Well done to all the Masters track and field stars!

Hillsbrough Castle and Gardens Running Festival

Sunday, 18th August

This week saw another new event series presented by events company Run Through at the picturesque Hillsbrough Castle Gardens in Co Down. Runners had their choice of 5k, 10 and Half Marathon distances. On what was a tough but scenic course, OAC athletes ran the below times:

5km:

Luke Harte (OAC Junior) 18:44 (2nd overall)
Ross Robinson 20:33 (1st in age category & 5th overall)

Special congratulations to Luke on 2nd place!

10km:

Alan Martin 55:27
Elaine Weston 57:40
Sharon McFarland 1:06:05
Beverly Martin 1:07:03
Well done all runners and thanks to Alan and Beverley for providing fabulous post-race hospitality at their home nearby.

Punk Panther Dalesway Challenge – By Dave Carberry

So the 17th August has been a fairly big date on my calendar this year having entered the Punk Panther Dalesway Challenge when it was announced to commemorate the 50th Anniversary of this famous long distance walking route.

Starting in Bowness-on-Windermere and finishing in Ilkley, a small town in West Yorkshire, some 82 miles away. Having only joined OAC in May my priority was to get some long races in the bag so I haven’t made it down to too many regular sessions. Hopefully that can all change now as the 17th has been & gone along with a bit of the 18th for good measure!

An 0830 race start meant a 0500 rise and shine to make the laid on bus up to the Lake District. Along with another 120 odd lunes we reached the official start point of the route & waited for the off. Weather was overcast but set to brighten having raining constantly for the previous few days. Away we went and so the looooong day began. Mainly an off road course so navigation had to be right we began our journey up & down dale, often tracking alongside a river where it was immediately clear that dry feet were not on the cards. Having said that the sun did indeed shine, too much really as it was quite exposed in places so no escaping it until late afternoon. The route did include some fairly long uphill sections on road & tracks which bizarrely gave you a rest…from running at least! 7 checkpoints along the route kept us hydrated & offered as many sweet things you could imagine. I craved savoury & my wish came true at CP4…Cottage Pie, yummy! There were a few retirements here too but we’d just hit 40 miles so it was getting tough & worse was to come….more long hills, open moorland & soon the DARK! Earlier in the day I’d been running with a few others which really helps & the chit chat certainly sees the miles tick down. Now though the field had thinned out so often there was no one else in sight. Bizarrely in Kettlewell with headtorches on full beam there was a scarecrow competition where nearly every house had one on the doorstep in some fancy dress outfit…the mind starts to play tricks but I’m sure I saw Donald Trump at one point, hair like straw so must have been him
Then out onto Grassington Moor in total darkness (not a time to recollect that great 80’s movie, American Werewolf in London!)…stock to the paths Fortunately it wasn’t quite a full moon but I did come face to face with a cow, we almost hit it off but she had udder plans!

2 more CP’s in the final 20 miles and I could feel a wave of relief that it was nearly over & I was going to finish in one piece. I even managed to find some pace in the last 6 miles so I’ll give credit to Eric for that due to his mad paced Sunday runs!

Cruelly you had to run a good quarter of a mile past the finish tent to reach the official ‘End of the Dalesway’ and then back again to check in for your finish time…20 hours 20 minutes 19 seconds since we began. Thankfully no lasting injuries, no lost toenails, no trench foot and no way I’m doing that again…

David Carberry – 22nd in 20.20.19
Winner – Keith Wigley in 14.35.53
129 starters
108 finishers

ParkRun

As always we had a host of OAC’ers taking on local ParkRuns, with Gillian Logan celebrating her 50th Park Run at Victoria Park. Alison Canning was further afield in Washington DC for the Roosevelt Island ParkRun while the Quadrathon support crew went to Buncrana for their 100th event.

A consolidated report of all OAC ParkRun results for 17th August is available here:
https://www.parkrun.com/results/consolidatedclub/?clubNum=17953