Orangegrove AC

East Belfast

Menu

Author Archives: Catherine McIntyre

  1. Weekly Report Monday 23rd December – Sunday 29th December 2019

    Comments Off on Weekly Report Monday 23rd December – Sunday 29th December 2019

    OAC Weekend Report 23rd – 29th Dec

    It might have been Christmas week but OAC athletes were still out and about racing (and running off the turkey and mince pies!).

    Below is a full round up of all the Christmas action.

    Greencastle 5 Mile Road Race, Boxing Day 2019 – By Brian Todd

    If you are looking for a serious road race on the 26th December then most roads will lead to the remote Sperrins village of Greencastle Co. Tyrone. If you are based in Belfast it may seem like a long way to travel for a shortish race. However, the traffic is usually sparse and the superb organization implicit in this event make it worthwhile. The course is a roughly rectangular one beginning and finishing at one of the high points in the area and adjacent to the enormous St. Patrick’s GAA club which is race headquarters and post-race festivities centre. The first couple of miles are generally downhill, followed by an undulating section which prepares you for ‘the hill’. This is one hell of a hill which appears to go on forever. However, the final kilometre is downhill and very fast. The organizers have to be congratulated for what is a magnificent community effort to welcome and indulge the runners, all 750 of them. Slick car parking marshals, efficient registration, superb marshalling around the course and much encouragement from the many spectators. At the end of it all a magnificent goody bag which contained, amongst many things, a dozen free range eggs! Greencastle’s green credentials were confirmed by the distribution of boxed water rather than plastic bottles at the end of the race. The usual generous country spread concluded the day. The results spreadsheet is not far short of a work of art, colour coded with mile splits, mile pace and mile rank included. The prize list was very generous too with three prizes up for grabs in every age category. All for a £12 entry fee!! What was there not to like!

    Orangegrove was represented by Edwina Ternan, Brian Todd, Eric Fairfield and Keith Weir and their results were as follows:

    Keith Weir….30.52 (40/760)

    Eric Fairfield….31.45

    Edwina Ternan….34.09 (F35-39 category prize, 1st)

    Brian Todd….39.30 (M65-69 category prize, 1st)

    The Greencastle 5 Mile Road Race was won by Neil Johnston (Springwell) in 24.54. Emma Mitchell (Team Nike) was first lady in 29.20.

    Castlewellan Christmas Cracker – 28th Dec 2019

    On Saturday 28th December, the running fraternity of Northern Ireland descended on the small Co Down town of Castlewellan for the annual Christmas Cracker event, organised by Newcastle AC.

    The unique race is and typically sold out weeks in advance and marks the highlight of the Christmas racing calendar. Running events are usually individual affairs however the ‘Cracker’ as it is affectionately known requires a team of 2 (either male / male, female / female or mixed). Teams do not have to stay together during the race, but must cross the finish line together! Fancy dress is encouraged but entirely optional!

    The course changes each year and stays a closely guarded secret by Newcastle AC – teams do not know what to expect! However hills, fields and mud are generally anticipated! The exact distance is also never advised, however runners were told to expect around 8.5 miles! The sense of mystery is really what makes this race special!

    The weather on the day was unseasonably warm, much more like Spring time than Christmas time as teams made their way through the town centre into the spectacular Castlelwellan Forest Park. The course took in a brief run past the lake before climbing up the Bannastown Road and into the trails of the park. The climbs totalled about 900 feet –OAC’ers probably felt like fish out of water being more used to Victoria Park, however all teams put in great performances with most opting for fancy dress!

    The milder weather lead to a much cleaner race underfoot with less mud than previous years. The hills were still as hilly and the views of The Mourne Mountains still as spectacular.

    Everyone descended the climbs safely to the lake where we were greeted by our support crew (Sharon, Brian and Dawn) and a rapturous applause.

    Following a couple of swift pints in Maginns and review of Garmin devices to compare course length (!!), it was the bus home back to Belfast.

    A great day out was had by all including Crayons, Flamingo, Lama, Bathers, Christmas Suits, Cavemen and Women, Elf, Christmas Tree and Pimp!!!!

    Thanks to Newcastle AC for another cracking race!

    Below is a list of OAC (full and part teams). Well done everyone who took part.

    David Carberry / Gavin McGucken Male 80 – 99 01:17:46

    Colin Simpson / Heather Flint Mixed 80 – 99 01:23:17

    Jonathan Weston / Carolyn Beattie Mixed 80 – 99 01:25:10

    Edwina Ternan / Gillian Logan Female Under 80 01:33:49

    Steven Gilliland / AC Jody O’Boyle Club Male Under 80 01:34:16

    David Sweeney / Eoghan Rainey AC Male 80 – 99 01:36:57

    Sharon Howe / Barry Burns Mixed 80 – 99 01:37:43

    David Gilliland / Ciaran Kearney Male 100 – 119 01:40:21

    Kerris Hamilton /Verity Cornford Female 80 – 99 01:42:41

    Lisa Fleming / AC Cathy Fraser 80 – 99 01:44:41

    David Fletcher / AC Ian Wilson Male 80 – 99 01:45:09

    Judith McCann / Jenny Powell Female 80 – 99 01:50:09

    Ciaran Faloona / Martin Doherty Male 80 – 99 01:51:44

     

  2. Weekly Report Monday 9th December – Sunday 15th December 2019

    Comments Off on Weekly Report Monday 9th December – Sunday 15th December 2019

    ORANGEGROVE AC WEEKLY REPORT 9th DECEMBER TO 15th DECEMBER 2019

    A quiet week on the racing front with the main event being actually being a non running event when the lycra was substituted for sequins for the annual OAC Christmas dinner. 

    MALAGA MARATHON FESTIVAL

    Our own marathon man decided to do his last marathon of 2019 (and 102nd in total) in the southern Spanish town of Malaga. Michael O’Donoghue was joined by Colin Simpson for the full 26.2 miles and Verity Cornford tackled the half marathon course. There were 2407 finishers in the marathon with Colin finishing in 3:39:49 and Michael in 3:53:48. Verity achieved a time of 1:59:19 in the half marathon.

    PARKRUN

    As always the biggest representation was at Victoria Park and congratulations to Lisa Nevin who achieved a PB. Across the city Gavin McGucken got a PB at Ormeau. Paul Tyro also PBed at Sixmilewater. 

    A consolidated club report can be found in the link below:

    https://www.parkrun.com/results/consolidatedclub/?clubNum=17953&eventdate=2019-12-14

     

  3. Weekly Report Monday 2nd December – Sunday 8th December 2019

    Comments Off on Weekly Report Monday 2nd December – Sunday 8th December 2019

    Club Report, 2nd – 8th December, 2019.

    ‘Look in the mirror. That is your competition’ (Anonymous).

    PARKRUN, 7th December, 2019.

    Only a week had passed since last arriving at the Victoria Park tunnel. However, it was not a Groundhog Day: the main car park was closed this time. Though a storm was forecast, there was only a few seconds of drizzle that blew across the course at the Shelter, like the spray from a large wave. Here and elsewhere there was strong running from the OAC participants.

    Personal Best times: Gemma Blake, 19:46 (Belfast Victoria Park); Rodney Corrigan, 20:53 (Stormont); Steven Gilliland, 22:28 (Stormont); Alison Canning, 22:44 (Stormont); Verity Cornford, 25:25 (Castlewellan); Elaine Weston, 26:26 (QUB); Adrienne Savage, 28:18 (Stormont).

    First Timers: Danny Bradley, 1st place at Stranmillis; Brendan Bannon, 17th place at Orangefield Park.

    Thanks to all the volunteers and remember to help out, at least twice a year, by contacting: belfastvictoriahelpers@parkrun.com

    JINGLE ALL THE WAY 5K/10K BLITZEN RUN, Stormont Estate, 8th December, 2019.

    It was cold, wet and blustery at Stormont Estate on Sunday and the place seemed to be deserted just before the 11:00am start. A solitary table with bottled water on it suggested the run was on, alternatively, the whole thing had been called off due to Storm Atiyah. Actually, the runners had gathered in front of the Maynard Sinclair Pavilion, then crossed the playing fields to the combined (uphill) start at the green gate on the parkrun route. The 5K course was quite tough, taking in the Prince of Wales Avenue and the trails on both sides, like the parkrun, but more hilly and mostly in the reverse direction. It was a mystery how anyone knew where they were going. The marshals were definitely needed here.

    Two brave Orangegrove AC ladies took on the challenge of the 5K. Elaine Weston ran well to be inside the top twenty with a time of 25:46, 19th out of 214 runners. Marcia Sharkey finished with a time of 40:32, 193rd place. The race was won by Neil McCready in 19:08. The 10K race was won by Matthew Rice in 37:50.

    The event was in aid of the Northern Ireland Children’s Hospice and was sponsored by AIB (NI). A well-insulated Glenn Grant (ChampionChip Ireland) was on hand with his equipment to provide the chip timing.

    CARRICKFERGUS REINDEER RUN (5K, 10K, Half Marathon) 8th December, 2019.

    I am not sure if the weather was any better for the three off-road races at Carrickfergus Mill Ponds on Sunday. Lisa Fleming ran in the 10K (six laps) with former club mates Melinda Wilkinson and John Neill to finish in 1:07:39, 27th out of 39 runners. The race was won by Paddy Hannan in 43:45, closely followed by Karen Wilton in 43:53.

  4. Weekly Report Monday 25th November – Sunday 1st December 2019

    Comments Off on Weekly Report Monday 25th November – Sunday 1st December 2019

    OAC Senior Report 25th November – 1st December by Michael O’Donoghue

    This week in NI the decks tend to be cleared for the Seeley Cup which is one of the last big races before the xmas season. I journeyed down to Cork for a marathon, and there was lots of parkrun action.

    Seeley Cup – Saturday 30th November

    In its 38th year, and one of the most high profile and oldest races on the calendar, the Seeley Cup had over 830 runners at the start line.

    This year we had many strong performances, not just from our club, but all round with over 20 runners completing the 10k in under 32 minutes. The winners in the race were Ben Branagh (St Malachys) 30:25 and Ann-Marie McGlynn (Letterkenny) 33:41.

    We had been specifically training for this one and our coaches did a great job, and as it turns out, the recent training had benefits for those not doing Seeley and targeting parkrun instead as we’ll see.

    The times were:

    Danny Bradley 34:38 PB

    Thomas Parkins 37:04 PB

    Keith Weir 37:35

    Eric Fairfield 37:45

    Jonny Weston 39:45

    Edwina Ternan 40:09 PB

    Gemma Blake 40:31 PB

    Lyndsey Tyro 41:10

    Rachel Woodman 42:44 (5 year PB)

    Pauline Bayliss 43:35 PB

    Martin O’Brien 44:39

    Brian Todd 45:39

    Brendan Bannon 49:17

    Elaine Weston 53:47

    Solid results from everybody and it’s great to see Lyndsey and Rachel make returns to form.

    Clonakilty Waterfront Marathon X – Saturday 30th November

    Reaching its 10th year, and selling out for the first time with a total number of entrants well over 2000, Clonakilty is an event I’ve had my eye on for some time. It’s quite a high profile marathon in a rather scenic part of West Cork. These days with the rise of organisations like EAMS and EOI it’s nothing special to have marathons throughout winter, but 10 years ago a marathon set at the beginning of December seemed crazy when marathons traditionally were set in either spring or autumn.

    When actually doing the race it did occur to me that running a marathon at this time is indeed a crazy idea as the weather was pretty appalling with strong winds and rain for much of the event. The race made sure to visit the coastline with the pretty beaches at every opportunity for maximum exposure to the wind. It was also pretty hill for a road marathon with some 1400 feet of climbing.

    I didn’t let all this dampen my spirits too much and got round in a time of 3:54:25, to be treated to some decent hospitality at the hotel at the finish line.

    The winners were Freddy Sittuk (2:47:24) and Anne Curley (3:18:37)

    Parkrun

    With Seeley on the horizon that day parkrun attendance was slightly subdued, but there was some quality parkrun tourism and some impressive PB’s.

    Gavin McGucken got an amazing PB of 18:08, making decent gradual progress towards a sub 18 time. Gillian Logan also did amazingly, knocking nearly a minute off her previous PB with a time of 21:26, even beating her time in Downpatrick the previous week under race conditions. James McClean got a PB in the not entirely flat trail route of Castlewellan going sub 21 for the first time (20:54). Steven Gilliland also got a Stormont course PB of 22:43. There was also OAC representation at other Belfast parkruns like Queens, Ormeau and Orangefield like you’d expect.

    What you wouldn’t expect to see is 3 intrepid members appear in the Lower Drummans parkrun results on the north coast. Also known as HM Prison Magilligan, the parkrun is considered a holy grail for local parkrun tourists as you need special permission to be able to do it. Amongst the parkrun enthusiast community it isn’t actually required to complete to be able to call yourself a “regionnaire” (doing all parkruns within a region) but there is a demand for it. It was a good occasion to do it as it was also its 100th event and had quite a few runners from other clubs joining the prisoners. The route itself consists of several laps of the exercise yard, which as it turns out was conducive to good times. Kim Reynolds scored herself a parkrun PB with a time of 22:51. As did Alison Canning with a time of 21:54, a PB of at least a minute. David Doey was also in attendance and got a time of 27:14.

     

  5. Weekly Report Monday 18th November – Sunday 24th November 2019

    Comments Off on Weekly Report Monday 18th November – Sunday 24th November 2019

    Orangegrove AC Senior Club Report Week beginning 18th November 2019  

    It was a quiet week on the racing front with presumably a large contingent of OAC athletes fine tuning before next weekends Seely cup or just taking advantage an early Christmas break! Parkrun appeared to dominate the weekend running as many OAC members used it as a last time trial or tempo as a bit of a sharpener before Seely but the dynamic duo Brian Todd and Gerald Harvey couldn’t resist the muddy charms of the Malcom Cup Cross Country followed by the Ballyclare Christmas lights switch on! 

    Last Friday evening the club in its drive to help improve performance and enjoyment of running for all hosted a self-massage and manipulation seminar aimed at helping prevent and reduce injury layoffs. The seminar was held in Knocknagoney Church Hall and there was a large turnout keen to benefit of the knowledge of physio and international runner Debbie Matchett of Ballydrain Harriers. Debbie well known on the running circuit has been running competitively for over 15 years shared her experiences and techniques with practical demonstrations and lots of chances of participation from the audience. It was a fun and enjoyable evening which I’m sure we all picked up some good tips and  benefited from. Many thanks to Debbie for coming along and Alan Montgomery and the club committee for organising such a great and informative evening. 

    Malcom Cup Cross Country 

    Sixmilewater Park, Ballyclare, 23rd November, 2019. [Report by Gerald Harvey] 

    After prolonged weekend rain, the Six Mile Water was almost in flood by 1pm on Saturday when racing began with the Ladies’, Veteran Ladies’ and Veteran Men’s Race (officially 3 miles) and as it had just stopped raining, they had the best of the soggy conditions. At least it was all over relatively quickly as the usual distance was shortened by approximately a quarter of a mile. 

    The race was won by Chris McKeown, M35 (Spa Striders) in 16:23 and first lady was Robyn McKee, FO (Dromore AC) in 18:04, 14th out of 269 runners.  OAC results: Brian Todd, 22:13, 1st place in the M65 category,99th overall; Gerald Harvey, 25:37, 195th place. In the Malcom Cup (officially 4 miles) the race was won by Conall Kirk (Annadale Striders) in 21:27. This was round 4 of the 2019-2020 NI Athletics Cross Country League.   

    Parkrun 

    23rd November 2019 

    We don’t always focus too much on parkrun in the club report as we all know it’s a ‘timed run and not a race’ but with little racing elsewhere there was a large club participation in Parkruns right throughout NI and UK mainland. 

    With many great runs by OAC athletes and several top positions picked up indications are there appears to be some in form athletes ahead of next weekend. Rachel Woodman was the stand out performance with 2nd lady home at Victoria Parkrun with a magnificent pb run of 20:43, Gemma Blake was looking strong as always with a 2nd lady and a time of 22:02 over the tough Stranmillis course, Gavin McGucken had a strong run to take 3rd overall with a time of 19:14 at Stormont and Keith Weir stretched the legs with 19:34 for 3rd at Comber Parkrun. In all 50 OAC members ran at 11 different Parkruns and you can get a full round up by following the link below.

    https://www.parkrun.com/results/consolidatedclub/?clubNum=17953&fbclid=IwAR0XWeyOQHnAhe6N5ZBFCQ3GKpzpiYdnHU7g_6XR85YZ73EYU5U0wRO4U3o

    Photo credits: Brian Todd, Michael O’Donaghue and Rodney Corrigan.

  6. Weekly Report Monday 11th November – Sunday 17 November 2019

    Comments Off on Weekly Report Monday 11th November – Sunday 17 November 2019

    ORANGEGROVE AC WEEKLY CLUB REPORT 11-17 NOVEMBER 2019

    By Martin O’Brien

    A week of running around in the dark, a president, a 250th joint parkrun, a 100th marathon and…an old nag running at Aintree (sorry Brian!)…another varied and busy week for Orangegrove!

    Run in the Dark 5 and 10k – Wed 13 Nov

    This was a chilly evening only heated up by the warm atmosphere amongst the vast crowd and the fear of running up that Stormont Hill (twice by choice). Also warming up was Michael O’Donoghue…for his 100th marathon! Yes, not quite the choicest of pre-marathon races but nothing fazes Michael and…he finished in 34th place out of 971!

    Emily Paisley was a bit wiser not doing that hill twice by running the 5k and Luke Harte just decided to get it over with asap by just…winning the 5k race! Well done Luke.

    The 10k race was won by Noel McNally and Aine Hughes in 35:50 and 41:23, respectively, whereas; the 5k was won by Luke Harte (who was representing Team RBAI) in 18:16 and Clair Quigley of North Down AC in 21:19.

    Luke Harte 5k 18:16 1st/1,021

    Emily Paisley  5k 30:40 280th/1,021

    Michael O’Donoghue  10k 43:50 34th/971 (3rd in Age Cat)

    Martin O’Brien 10k 47:12 78th/971 (New bloomin’ Age Cat!)

    OG AGM – Thu 14 Nov

    At the Annual General Meeting Darren Houston deservedly won the President’s Trophy, as chosen by the majority of member votes, primarily, I’m sure for the splendid work carried out with the fantastically prepared and orchestrated NI Road Relays Championships. Congratulations Darren.

    Other presentations included prizes for the top 3 female and male club championship finishers, special club kit for those who completed enough of the races and the Club London Marathon Ballot, never mind the actual AGM motion business.

    British & Irish Grand Masters International Cross Country, Aintree – Sat 16 Nov

    Report by Brian Todd

    This year the British and Irish Masters’ International Cross-Country Races, involving England, Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland, were hosted by England at the iconic Aintree Racecourse, traditional home of the Grand National. It was indeed an interesting location for those of us who previously associated Aintree with only four-legged running. Aintree is an absolutely enormous complex with the magnificent voluminous grandstands contributing to the atmosphere. The cross-country races were held on a flat, grassy inner area in the shadow of the grandstands and adjacent to the start and finish line of the Grand National. The course may have been flat but the going was quite bumpy mainly due to the many hoof marks. Nevertheless, it all made for comfortable running because, despite the very heavy recent rain, it was mercifully dry under foot and comparatively warm and windless too.

    Brian Todd and Ruth Perioli (second claim) were the two Orangegrove representatives at Aintree. Brian ran in the final Open race (6k) having earlier decided to withdraw from the MV65-69 international team due to the remnants of an annoyingly persistent chest infection. He took it sedately and got around in 27.35 to break no records whatsoever. Ruth ran in the FV60-64 team race and completed the three laps in 28.29. The races were followed by a very enjoyable dinner, prize distribution and disco at Southport’s fine Theatre and Convention Centre.

    There was considerable individual success at Aintree for the Northern Ireland contingent. Mark McKinstry (North Belfast Harriers) had a magnificent individual gold medal winning run in the MV35-39 category. Terry Eakin (North Down) took the MV70-74 gold medal and Brigid Quinn (Ballymena Runners) took gold in FV70-74 category. The Northern Ireland MV35-39 team won bronze as did the FV35-39 team while the MV50-55 team won gold. England were the clear overall victors over the four international races. Full results, both individual and team, can be viewed on the England Masters’ Athletic Association website.

    Tollymore 10k/Half Marathon/Marathon – Sat 16 Nov

    It would take a lot for a fellow Orangegove member to dare to upstage the glamorous trio of Verity, Jill and Lisa at Tollymore and David’s 13th position in the Marathon but selfishly, Michael O’Donoghue has wrestled the spotlight from them, and justly so, as he chose this Tollymore Trail Marathon (not a wee flat, fast one in a moderate temperature in an idyllic European city) to complete his…ONE HUNDREDTH MARATHON!

    Huge congratulations to Michael from the Club for this momentous achievement. Before he left me for dead at Stormont Run in the Dark, Michael briefed me about the contact he had from the exclusive 100 Marathon Club and that a representative personally presents him with his 100 Club Clobber.

    Despite all the marathons Michael has done and the tonnes of medals and t-shirts gathered, this medal and 100 Marathon Club vest must be special.

    Now back to poor David whose performance was nearly overshadowed! A super time of 3:42:51 achieved in this Trail Marathon.

    Congrats to Steven Gilliland and Adrian Sproule also for putting in the miles recently and for their fine performances in a tough Half Marathon course.

    Last but not least (blame MO’D), a very well done to Verity Cornford, Jill Holland and Lisa Fleming who finished well up the ranks in, again, not a normal 10k.

    David Carberry 3:42:51 Mara 13th/73

    Michael O’Donoghue 4:13:19 Mara 27/73

    Steven Gilliland 1:56:56 Half 103/272

    Adrian Sproule 2:22:35 Half 214/272

    Verity Cornford 52:18 10k 28/84

    Jill Holland 55:23 10k 36/84

    Lisa Fleming 56:00 10k 39/84

    County Down 5k Championships – Sun 17 Nov

    Report by Gillian Logan

    Gillian Logan travelled to Downpatrick for the annual Co Down 5km Championships hosted by Tel’s Fitness.

    The events take place right in the centre of Downpatrick on a flat and fast 7.5 lap course around the Main Street and shopping centre. There are 3 races split by expected finish time (Sub 18mins, 18-25 mins and 25 mins and over) which started at 12pm, 11am and 10am respectively.

    The weather was crisp and sunny with any coldness leaving before the day’s proceedings got underway.

    Gillian was aiming for a 5km PB and met that goal producing a solid time of 21:34 (PB by 14 seconds) in the 18-25 min category event.

    The elite sub 18 race attracted some of the big names in local running with father and son duo Tommy and Eoin Hughes competing in the men’s race and well known North Down runner Rachel Gibson heading up the female elites. Eoin and Rachel won the men’s and ladies titles in blistering times of 15:09 and 16:50.

    Tommy was possibly the real star of the show as he managed to break the world record 5km for his age category in a time of 16:13! That off the back of running for his country in the Masters XC at Aintree the day before! Incredible!

    The atmosphere and support on the course were superb and the post-race hospitality first class. Competitors were treated to warming soup, tea, coffee and cake which was gratefully received alongside an Orange technical running T-shirt (perfect for OAC training!).

    Thanks to all the organisers for a super morning of running and we hope to see more orange vests on the course next year!

    Parkrun

    Several highlights this week with none more so than Lyndsey and Paul Tyro both completing their 250th Parkruns on the same day at Ormeau Parkrun! A fabulous achievement and occasion, well done.

    Edwina Ternan and Caroline Steele achieved fantastic overall Parkrun PBs of 19:09 and 22:45 respectively at Victoria Parkrun, whereas, the following achieved location-specific Parkrun PBs at:

    Eric Fairfield         18:19 Victoria Park

    Gavin McGucken 19:43 Orangefield

    Gemma Blake      21:42 Stranmillis

    Alison Canning     23:18 Orangefield

    Brendan Bannon  24:35 Stormont

    Also notable was Heather Flint’s 50th Parkrun and a few running further afield with Anna Rankin partaking at the famous Bushy Parkrun; Mark Lennon at Cheltenham; Trish Magill at Heslington, York and; Elaine Weston at Sixmilewater.

    Photos

    Thanks to David Carberry, Alan Montgomery and Ormeau Parkrun.

     

     

  7. Weekly Report Monday 4th November – Sunday 10 November 2019

    Comments Off on Weekly Report Monday 4th November – Sunday 10 November 2019

    This was a remarkably quiet week for racing, which was probably a relief for many runners given the weather in recent days. Wind and rain are definitely not ideal race conditions but we have still been out training hard in the harsh conditions as many of our athletes prepare for Seeley Cup 10k at the end of the month.

    Below is a roundup of all the weeks action:

    Sperrin Harriers Winter League – Davagh Forest 10k

    The annual Sperrin Harriers Winter League kicked off on Saturday at Davagh Forset  on the outskirts of Cookstown. On what can only be described as abysmal conditions, 3 hearty OAC’ers made the trip to the heart of Mid-Ulster to take part in the 10k event. The trail race comprises a small loop and a larger loop around the picturesque forest park. 

    Michael O’Donoghue (MOD) was first OAC’er home in a time of 46.30. MOD was using the event as taper for this 100th marathon in Tollymore this weekend. Good luck MOD and congratulations on an outstanding achievement.

    Colin Simpson (2nd claim member) was not too far behind MOD in a time of 49:57. Catherine McIntyre continued her run of good form with a solid 1:02:16.

    We are advised of a good spread laid on afterwards to allow all athletes to defrost and dry-out after the cold and wet conditions!

    The Winter League comprises 5 events in picturesque venues across Co Tyrone which are well organised, attended and all with post-race hospitality. Perhaps one of the remaining 4 events could make it onto your race diary:

    Lough Fea 5k, on 14th December 2019

    An Creagan 5M, on 11th January 2020

    Drum Manor 10k, on 1st February 2020

    Parkanaur Forest 10M, on 15th February 2020

    Run to Remember 5K

    On Remembrance Sunday the Ballynahinch Branch of The Royal British Legion alongside Atlas Running hosted ‘Run to Remember 5K’ with the fitting tribute of a Poppy shaped medal for all finishers. The first 80 to cross the line were also rewarded with a free pint of Bud Light from the local pub!!!

    Elaine Weston was representing OAC and produced a super time of 29:20. All the months of racing and training are paying off for Elaine!

    ParkRun

    As always, we’d a good representation of OAC at ParkRun’s all over NI and some further afield.

    John Girbben was running in Huddersfield, Lyndsey Tyro was 1st female at Orangefield. Keith Weir 4th at Queen’s and new member Mark Lennon 13th at Ormeau!

    A consolidated view of all OAC ParkRunners can be seen below:

    https://www.parkrun.com/results/consolidatedclub/?clubNum=17953

    This week, we look forward to Run in The Dark, Tollymore Marathon events and The Co Down 5k – hopeful that the weather will pick up for some more good racing!

  8. Weekly Report Monday 28th October – Sunday 3rd November 2019

    Comments Off on Weekly Report Monday 28th October – Sunday 3rd November 2019

    After last week’s Club Championship finale at the Stormont Cup, many club members are now looking towards Seeley Cup at the end of the month as the next major training goal. This perhaps explains the small turnout at this week’s races. Nonetheless, there was at least one orange vest at the XC at Sixmilewater, and some impressive performances on the roads of East Belfast in the Decathlon 10K. Thanks to Brian and Gillian for contributing race reports.

    While some us were watching the titanic struggle between the English and South African rugby teams unfolding on Saturday morning (and perhaps indulging in a touch of schadenfreude), other OACers were out Parkrunning across Belfast and beyond. 

    Winning the award for most exotic parkrun location of the week is Reg Sanlon, who took part in the Taman Pudu Ulu Parkrun in Kuala Lumpur!! 

    Across the narrow sea Eric, Heather and Marcia were at Portobello Parkrun in Edinburgh. Eric managed an impressive 4th place. Closer to home, Gemma Blake was within a hair’s breadth of a sub-20 at Victoria, as she set the first of what would be two PBs in two days, with a new parkrun PB of 20.04. No doubt that 20 minute barrier will fall very soon.

    The consolidated parkrun club report can be found here: https://www.parkrun.com/results/consolidatedclub/?clubNum=17953

    On Sunday morning, Michael O’Donoghue took part in the Carrickfergus Marathon. Organised by We Run Wild NI, this marathon comes with an instruction manual (a la IKEA?), from which competitors must follow a set of directions to complete the course across a mixture of road and trails. Like a man building a Billy bookcase, MOD planned to forego the instructions entirely and trust his instincts instead… or maybe follow the directions of his GPS watch, in which he had cunningly stored the route from last year. Either way, MOD made it back to Carrickfergus Castle successfully and across the finish line in 5:06:59. This was Michael’s 99th marathon, and he will be aiming to pass the magical 100 marathon milestone at Tollymore in a couple of weeks!

    85th McConnell Shield, Saturday 2nd November, 2019.

    Report by Brian Todd

    It was a beautiful autumnal afternoon at the Sixmilewater Park in Ballyclare for the 85th running of the McConnell Shield, hosted very efficiently by East Antrim Harriers. Despite very heavy overnight rain the ground at the Ballyclare venue was surprisingly firm. The trees were absolutely magnificent in their Autumn colours and it was both a pleasure to be there and to be able to run in what were almost balmy conditions.

    Only Brian Todd was present to represent Orangegrove, still, as he was, suffering from the remnants of a viral infection. He probably shouldn’t have been running at all but with Southport looming large he thought he better make the effort.

    As per regulations Brian ran in the 3 lap (3 miles) ladies race, getting around in a rather pedestrian 23.00 minutes exact. The ladies race was won by Sarah Lavery (Beechmount Harriers) in 18.42 and the ladies team prize was also won by Beechmount Harriers.

    The McConnell Shield race is traditionally the 5 lap (5 miles) men’s race. Eskander Turki (Annadale Striders) was the comfortable winner of the shield in 27.37. Acorns won the men’s team prize.

    Incidentally, the indomitable John McKeag was a guest at the race. John won the McConnell Shield as a 17 year old in 1939, eighty years ago! He had the medal he won on that occasion with him on Saturday, a medal he had to wait several years to collect due to wartime conditions. Now, well into his 90s, he greeted every runner over the line. What a gentleman. Not a dry eye in the house!

    Decathlon 10K – Sunday 3rd November 2019

    Report by Gillian Logan

    The Magnificent 7 take on Decathlon 10K!

    Sunday 3rd Nov saw the return of the popular Decathlon 10K event on what was a beautiful crisp, calm autumn morning – perfect racing conditions!

    The course starts and finishes at the Decathlon store at Holywood exchange over a loop back course through the harbour estate. Not the most scenic of runs, but flat and fast for runners pushing for Personal and Season’s bests! 

    The event is was very well organised by the Decathlon team with chip  timing, plenty of marshals, kids race and entertainment and a goody bag comprising water bottle, running gloves and fleece lined head band – perfect for the up-coming winter training!

    Orangegrove AC were well represented on the morning with 7 athletes taking to the start-line. Luke Harte continued his growth as a formidable young runner to take 10th place in a time of 36:10. The future is bright for Orangegrove! 

    Ever-improving Gemma Blake had a storming run to produce a personal best time of 41:12 which saw Gemma take the 2nd place podium spot in the female race! Congratulations Gemma on yet another super run. 

    Rachael Woodman and Gillian Logan produced season bests (and coincidentally their best 10k results in a number of years). Rachel finished 7th female in a superb time of 44.07 with Gillian placing 10th female in 45mins exactly. 

    Next to finish was Alison Canning who continued her fine form to clock a huge PB of 46:40. Well done Alison! 

    Edwina Ternan and Jason Lanyon were both using the event as part of their longer training runs but still produced super times of 51:10 and 53mins respectively.

    All in all it was a tremendous morning of running for the magnificent 7 OAC athletes and it’s great to see the hard training coming together!