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  1. Weekly Report Monday 26th November-Sunday 2nd December 2018

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    By Brian Todd

    As the end of November approaches and December beckons there is really only one place to be this weekend and that is in Ormeau Park for the Seeley Cup 10k, hosted by Willowfield Temperance Harriers (Saturday 1st December at 2.30pm).

    This is a prestigious race and it traditionally attracts some of the fastest athletes around. The course is a fairly straightforward one beginning on the Ormeau Embankment. The runners track towards the Ormeau Road before cutting almost immediately into Ormeau Park and through the Park to the north gate for the next lap along the embankment. One exits the north gate three times, finishing on the third lap adjacent to the old tarmac tennis courts. For the lesser mortals the aim is to get around, set a reasonable time and avoid being lapped by the experts. Easier said than done! It is not a completely flat course and the one or two inclines do take their toll, particularly on that short final lap. The long slog along the embankment three times can be quite tedious too!

    The Seeley Cup this year will also be the final round of the 2018 Novosco 10k Grand Prix Series. As usual, some of the very fast runners will use the Seeley Cup as their sixth qualifying run for the series, dumping out of the money those of us who have been hanging in there over the duration of all seventeen races! Very frustrating at the end of a long season, but that is the way it is. This year there will be a large turnout from Orangegrove, in excess of forty. Many of them will, at least, be hoping to work up a thirst for the evening’s affair at Helen’s Bay Golf Club. One or two may well not be fit for anything following the race!

    Anyway, we shall see! Best of luck to those in the orange vest on the day!

    The day itself proved perfect for running. Although wet underfoot, (requiring a little care in places), from the morning’s heavy rain it was a warm windless afternoon at Ormeau Park for the 850 odd runners and many spectators who turned up for this end of season shoot out.
    And the following times were achieved by Orangegrove runners on Saturday afternoon:

    Men
    Andy McIntyre 35.41, Danny Bradley 37.11, Eric Fairfield 37.54 (pb), David Montgomery 38.59, Des Fahy 39.09, Robin Montgomery 39.11, Jonny Weston 39.17 (pb), Rodney Corrigan 41.11 (pb), Darren Houston 42.08, Tom Smith (JM 15-17) 43.07 (pb), Brian Todd 43.08, Chris Woods 43.09, Stephen Anderson 43.36, Stephen Hamilton 44.54, Ian Grant 45.36, Stephen Gilliland 45.42 (pb), Martin O’Brien 45.53, David Gilliland 47.34, Gerald Harvey 48.46, Reg Sanlon 49.11, Peter Grimley 49.19 (pb), George Gribben 54.33.

    Ladies
    Gemma Blake 43.21 (pb), Pauline Bayliss 43.57, Julie McKimm 44.34, Carolyn Beattie 45.47 (pb), Heather Flint 45.58, Gillian Logan 47.24, Kimberley Reynolds 47.29 (pb), Kerris Hamilton 48.20, Sarah Steer 48.37, Jacqui Maxwell 49.02, Selina Myles 51.16 (pb), Jenny Cochrane 51.32 (pb), Chantal Hemphill 51.38, Catherine McIntyre 52.27 (pb), Jackie Grant 52.51(pb), Judith McCann 52.53 (pb), Adrienne Savage 53.09 (pb), Jill Holland 54.00, Marcia Sharkey 56.25.

    Well done to all from our Club who took part. Particular congratulations to Andy McIntyre and Gemma Blake who led the men and ladies home respectively. Special mention to Tom Smith (JM15-17) of the Junior Club on a very good run, even if he did shunt the elderly writer, (wearing his brand new Hokas!), into a puddle of deep water on the final dash to the line. Clearly, he has inherited at least some of his mother’s sprinting prowess!

    The Seeley Cup was won by Ben Branagh (St. Malachy’s AC) in 30.28 and Nakita Burke (Letterkenny AC) was first lady in 34.57.

    Colin Simpson and Verity Cornford were in Spain over the weekend where Colin was running in the Valencia Marathon, known locally as the Marathon Valencia Trinidad Alfonso EDP. The route is mainly in the outer suburbs of Valencia with a spectacular coastal section. Generally regarded as being one of the top ten marathons in the World the course is comparatively flat and one that invites fast times. Very well done indeed to Colin Simpson and support (Verity) on the excellent time of 3.37.40.

    Our friend and former member Sarah Wilson was running in rather murky conditions on Saturday in the Loughgall 10k (there was also a 5k option). I am glad to report that Sarah achieved the very respectable time of 51.24. Part of the excellent Run Forest Run series the race was held on the trails and byways of Loughgall Forest Park. Since moving to live in Bangor, Sarah has exchanged the orange of Orangegrove for the blue and white of Ward Park Runners. We wish her all the best with her new club.

    We pass on our sincere thanks to the club captains, Jill and Stephen, who retired this week after two years of dedicated service. May they both now just enjoy their running as opposed to the considerable responsibilities of organizing it for others. We also wish the best of luck to Heather Flint and Chris Woods as they take up the mantle. May their patience not be tried too often!

    We have just enjoyed our annual Christmas spectacular at Helen’s Bay Golf Club. When a reasonable period of time has passed additional information and photographs will be released as to what occurred. In the meantime, I can confirm that no members are currently in police custody or in hospital. On behalf of the many who attended I would wish to sincerely thank Sharon McFarland for organizing such a successful and enjoyable evening and for liaising so efficiently between our members and the golf club. Thank you very much indeed, Sharon!

    With so many running in the Seeley Cup it is not surprising that there was a dearth of OAC participation in parkrun this weekend but, nevertheless, there were a few notable achievements that are worth recording. Rory Hall-Thompson (JM 15-17) was first Orangegrove finisher at Victoria Park, Belfast, in 21.57. Jake Dalzell (JM 15-17) was at Ormeau parkrun and got around in the very respectable time of 22.58. Colin Sykes ran a personal best time of 25.44 at Orangefield parkrun.
    Those inveterate OAC parkrun tourists, Paul and Lyndsey Tyro, were at it again, this time at St. Anne’s parkrun (Raheny, Dublin). Paul was fifth finisher in 18.17 and Lyndsey was nineteenth lady in 25.55.

    Don’t forget the volunteering bit! To volunteer contact the core team at belfastvictoriahelpers@parkrun.com.
    Post script…..if you would prefer not to volunteer on the running side there is always the opportunity to do so on the post run catering side. Just let us know!

     

  2. WEEKLY REPORT 19th NOVEMBER TO 25th NOVEMBER 2018

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    By David Doey

    With the darker nights really starting to take effect, there are less races to avail of in the race calendar. The only OAC representation this week was in cross country at Ballyclare in the Malcolm Cup.

    LADIES AND VETERANS RACE

    This was a three mile race with Brian Todd leading the Orangegrove crew home in 21-07 with Heather Flint being the first club lady through in 22-47 (125th place). The full results for OAC are below. The race was won by Rebekah Nixon (Dromore AC) in 17-41

    86 Brian Todd 21.07
    125 Heather Flint 22.47
    146 Kimberley Reynolds 23.26
    170 Verity Cornford 24.11
    186 Lisa Fleming 24.55
    191 Judith McCann 25.06
    200 Jackie Grant 25.23
    203 Jill Holland 25.26
    215 Selina Myles 26.01
    219 Adrienne Savage 26.22

    MENS RACE

    This was a four mile race with Andrew Tees leading the Orangegrove gents home in 23-36. Credit to Brian Todd who ran this race too to ensure the men got full attendance points. The full results for OAC are below. The race was won by Neil McCartan (East Down AC) in 20-32

    42 Andrew Tees 23.36
    78 Danny Bradley 24.58
    84 David Montgomery 25.13
    110 Robin Montgomery 26.20
    113 Rodney Corrigan 26.25
    129 Michael O’Donoghue 27.11
    140 Ian Grant 28.02
    141 Stephen Anderson 28.03
    163 Brian Todd 30.22
    164 Steven Gilliland 30.23
    185 Gerald Harvey 33.00
    189 George Gribben 34.52

    In the current overall standings the men are in 6th place whereas the ladies are in 9th place. The men also currently hold the advantage in the Titanic Cup. But we are only halfway through the series.

    PARKRUN

    As always the biggest turnout was at Victoria Park where Gemma Blake was the first female finisher with a new PB. Tom Smith and Catherine McIntyre also ran PBs. Pauline Bayliss had her 99th run- celebration time this weekend perhaps? Alison Canning was first female finisher at Orangefield.

    A full consolidated report can be viewed in the link below

    http://www.parkrun.com/r esults/consolidatedclub/…

  3. Weekly Club Report, 12th – 18th November, 2018.

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    By Gerald Harvey

    RUN IN THE DARK (5 & 10K), 14th November, 2018. [Thanks to Martin O’Brien for his comments].

    Just under two thousand people took part in the event, held within an atmospheric Stormont Estate on Wednesday night, in support of The Mark Pollock Trust which aids spinal injury research.
    Whether attempting one or two laps of a hilly, multi-terrain 5K course, that is difficult enough, but it was unsurprisingly quite dark, even with the permanent lighting along the main avenues and some temporary lighting. A sizable OAC team, led by Robin Montgomery, were there to help out and essentially keep the runners on the right track. Well done to them all.
    The 5K was won by John Ewing in 18:01 and our only competitor OAC junior Luke Harte was a brilliant 2nd out of 971 in 18:18. Ruth Robinson was first lady in 20:10, 10th place.
    The 10K was won by Mark Smith in 36:42 and Liz Dawson was first lady in 43:41, 28th out of 1015. Well done to the two OAC runners who took part. Martin O’Brien was inspired by the positive vibe, in his comeback race, to finish in 48:07, 133rd place and Alison Canning finished in 54:34, 318th place.

    PARKRUN, 17th November, 2018.

    At Ormeau Park there was more OAC participation than usual, a small expeditionary force in fact, because the Seeley Cup event is here in only two weeks time.
    This is a great place to run, despite recent resurfacing that could have been better. The main park paths were probably laid out in the time of the 2nd Marquis of Donegall (1769-1844). His imposing dwelling (Ormeau House) stood on the now wooded ground to the left of the path where the Seeley Cup 10K race finishes. The house fell into a ruin after 1862 and was demolished before the demesne opened as a public park in 1871.
    This week the following people were inspired to run that bit harder to achieve a PB:
    Ormeau Park: Rodney Corrigan, 20:32; Gillian Logan, 22:26; Jackie Grant, 26:23.
    Orangefield Park: Verity Cornford, 25:57.
    First Timers:
    Ormeau Park: Stephen Anderson; Ian Grant; Eric Fairfield.
    Wallace Park: Selina Myles.
    Further Afield:
    Lisa Fleming was at the Ecos parkrun, Ballymena – it is 20 miles away hey!
    John Gribben was at the Huddersfield parkrun.
    Milestones:
    Robin Montgomery has completed 150 parkruns.

    Remember to volunteer when you can by contacting belfastvictoriahelpers@parkrun.com

    BRITISH & IRISH CROSS COUNTRY INTERNATIONAL, Singleton Park, Swansea, Wales, 17th November, 2018. [Report by Brian Todd].

    The annual masters’ cross country international was hosted this year by Wales in Swansea. Northern Ireland, by far the smallest nation, traditionally struggles at this level, particularly with one or two age group teams this year being incomplete or non-existent. Nevertheless, one of the great moments of the 2018 races was the absolutely breath taking performance of North Belfast Harrier’s Mark McKinstry in what was probably the main event of the day, the Men’s 35-49 Race. Mark stormed into the lead from the start and won the race in 25:10.00 and the gold medal by literally hundreds of yards on a difficult enough course. This created shock waves amongst the other nations.

    Brian Todd (MV 65-69) and Chris Woods (MV 50-54) were Orangegrove’s representatives in Wales. In the first race of the day (6K) Brian ran with the ladies and got around the pleasant but hilly enough course in a fairly satisfactory 26:34 to earn a few points for Northern Ireland. Chris had a more difficult task as reserve for the very good Northern Ireland MV 50-54 team which, in the end, won a silver medal for their efforts. On the day Chris ran in the final race, the Open (8K) and got around in the good time of 34:49. The day was blessed with fine weather and absolutely perfect running conditions. The full results are to be found on the British Masters’ Athletics Association website.

    Co. DOWN 5K, DOWNPATRICK, 18th November, 2018.
    It was fine and dry in Downpatrick on Sunday and the course was flat. Perfect conditions then for some fast running in the three races. Well done to the three OAC runners who were in Race 2.
    David Fletcher finished in 19:42, 4th out of 76. Edwina Ternan finished in 20:56, 2nd female and 12th overall. Rachel Woodman finished in 21:30, 20th place.
    The race was won by Barry Kelly (Flying Horse Flyers) in 18:55 and first female was Lauren Madine (East Down AC) in 20:28, 7th overall.

    MOIRA AUTUMN CROSS COUNTRY, 18th November, 2018. [Thanks to Michael O’Donoghue for his comments].
    Conditions were quite good at Moira Demesne for the Men’s Open Race (8K), the penultimate race in the event, organized by Atlas Running and Jog Moira. Michael O’Donoghue was the only OAC competitor, finishing 22nd out of 34 in 34:02.5.

    The race was won by David Conciffe (Pace Running Club) in 29:31.2.
    Photos: Run in the Dark, Robin Montgomery, Victoria parkrun, Jog Moira, David Fletcher, Brian Todd.

     

     

  4. Weekly Report 29 Oct – 4 Nov 2018

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    By Andrew Tees

    On Saturday, the 84th running of the McConnell Shield cross-country race took place in Sixmilewater Park in Ballyclare. Underfoot conditions could not have been better with firm grass and no mud making a welcome change to previous years’ sloppy conditions. As the race is not part of the Ulster XC League series, there were no club points on offer and it was only Chris Woods and Andrew Tees who toed the line for OAC. Chris was there to compete in the Masters XC series, Andrew didn’t really know why he was there, “for fun?”, possibly.
    Andrew and Chris finished the 5 lap, 5 mile course in 30.16 and 36.12 respectively.
    It seems unlikely that a Belfast running club would have more athletes running in the New York City Marathon than in the Dublin City Marathon. How that comes to pass is anyone’s guess, but that’s how it was in 2018, with 3 Orangegrovers Brian Todd, Michael O’Donoghue and Danny Bradley making the trip across to The Big Apple.
    In another seemingly unlikely scenario, this was to be a first marathon for Brian Todd. One might have assumed that among his years of running and his many successes, that he might have tackled a marathon, but no, maybe he just has (or had) more sense! Brian had put in the miles in training and managed to handle the increased load that comes with a marathon program without getting (too) injured. The training clearly paid off as he crossed the line in an excellent time of 3:47.
    For Michael O’Donoghue, this was his first marathon in a month (which is a long time without a marathon in the land of MOD). Did he train for it? Maybe, maybe not, but Michael is always running and always racing. He has been looking strong at recent cross-country outings, and a finishing time of 3:37 is testament to this.
    Danny was looking to bounce back after disappointment at Belfast Marathon earlier in the year, and he improved considerably by finishing with an impressive 3:28 in New York.
    Well done to all three and hopefully they have a well deserved post-marathon break in NYC.
    Closer to home, the Decathlon 10K took place around Belfast Harbour Estate on Sunday morning. There were a number of Orangegrovers running and also many helping out with the marshalling of the event. Paul Tyro finished in 8th place with a superb 36.56, and Des Fahy also sneaked under 40 minutes with an impressive 39.42. Well done to all who ran, and thanks to all of those who volunteered their time to help out with marshalling. Apologies for not including all club results but the published results do not include club name. The race was won by VPAC runner John Craig in 32.45 and first lady was Mary Slocum in 42.49.
    The consolidated club report for Parkrun activity can be found here: http://www.parkrun.com/results/consolidatedclub/…

  5. WEEKLY RACE REPORT 22-28 OCTOBER 2018

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    By Martin O’Brien

     

    Not one of the busiest weeks of racing for Orangegrove but it’s a major one and been a long time coming around for Michael Broadhead and Jill Long, who chose distance in Dublin over mud in Greenmount, Antrim.

    BOBBY REA XC Sat 27 Oct

    The ever-keen and ever-muddy OG crew gathered in CAFRE Greenmount Campus in Antrim for the Bobby Rea XC in which an even, and certainly not odd, number of 8 ladies and 8 men turned up with their spike and trail shoes to perform admirably.
    The Ladies and Men 60+ race was won by Sinead Sweeney (Senior) of Queens University AC in 21:06 with Catherine Diver of Beechmount Harriers winning the Masters. OG ladies finished in:

    Edwina Ternan (S) 25:27
    Kimberley Reynolds (M) 28:47
    Verity Cornford (M) 29:27
    Lisa Fleming (M) 30:19
    Selina Myles (M) 31:19
    Judith McCann (M) 31:24
    Jill Holland (M) 31:46
    Emily Paisley (S) 32:05

    Frank Rea of North Down AC won the 60+ section in 23:59, with Brian Todd finishing 3rd in 26:08 (I hope Brian didn’t strain his legs too much before New York City Marathon – all the best Brian!).

    Brian Todd 23:59

    The Men’s Seniors and Masters were won by Conor Bradley in 25:01 and Declan Reid in 25:40, both of City of Derry Spartans. The OG muddy male marvels were:

    Andrew Tees (M) 29:24
    David Montgomery (M) 30:40
    Robin Montgomery (M) 33:07
    Michael O’Donoghue (S) 33:16
    Chris Woods (S) 33:49
    Stephen Anderson (S) 35:51
    Steven Gilliland (S) 39:15
    George Gribben (S) 43:13

    Well done everybody!

    SSE AIRTRICITY DUBLIN MARATHON 2018 Sun 28 Oct
    You may be aware that Michael Broadhead was chosen as part of Paul Pollock’s 2018 sub-3 hour attempt at Dublin Marathon. Despite doing well to get chosen, the hard work was yet to come and whilst following an individual athlete’s training programme, as designed by Paul, Michael had to be disciplined and put in the hard miles, whilst also operating smarter (rest vs junk miles). Despite this expert help, experienced guidance and similar company…it doesn’t guarantee a sub-3 hour finish!

    Jill Long also had a personal journey, having had endured major difficulties in last year’s Dublin Marathon, so, a lot was riding for both and scope for improvement potentially there.

    I am happy to say that both achieved massive PBs and Michael did not just gain a sub-3 hour finish but smashed it and finished 371st out of 16,360! Absolutely brilliant and a very well done to you both!!!

    Michael Broadhead 2:54:12
    Jill Long 4:38:54

    I think the support crew also smashed it (and maybe drinking 26.2 pints of Guinness in record time) so thanks to them for their enthusiastic support.

    The Dublin City Marathon 2018 was won by Asefa Bekele in 2:13:23, with Mesera Dubiso taking the ladies title in 2:33:48. Mick Clohisey (Raheny Shamrock AC) took gold in the AAI National Marathon Championships in 2:15:58, while Lizzie Lee (Leevale AC) claimed the ladies National title in 2:35:04.

    PARKRUN

    Continuing on the #DreamRunDublin18 theme, Paul Pollock, now holds the Male Victoria Parkrun Record by finishing in 14:56! He must have been confident with Michael and crew to chillax and sneak in a wee Parkrun before Dublin!

    Talking about famous athletic people, Beverley Martin completed her 200th Parkrun – well done Beverley!

    Stormont Parkrun also had a few stars on show with Pauline Bayliss finishing as 1st lady, Jacob McKittrick finishing 3rd, Gillian Logan and Rodney Corrigan achieving a new Stormont PB.

    Reg Sanlon similarly scored an Orangefield Parkrun PB, whereas, Ali McConnell received a prize for her 2nd in Age Group achievement. Not so quiet in a quiet week…well done all.

     

  6. Weekly Report Monday 15th October, 2018, to Sunday 21st October, 2018

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    By Brian Todd

     

    Two very big events will dominate the local running scene this weekend, both unfortunately on Saturday 20th October (unfortunate, in that they clash!).  Down in Dundrum, in the foothills of the Mournes, hundreds of runners will take part in what has become one of the most popular running events of the year, the GR8 Dundrum Run, which has a little bit of everything. I suspect one or two orange vests will make their way south for this one, particularly those who wish to delay the donning of their spiked shoes for as long as possible.
    Whether we like it or not the majority of us will be at the Billy Neill Playing Fields on the Comber Road at Dundonald on Saturday afternoon for the Comber Cup Cross-Country races, run so well by our friends at Ballydrain Harriers.

    As well as being the first round of this year’s ANI Cross Country League, the event is also the final round of our own 2017-2018 Club Championship. Hence its importance, and the main reason why our numbers in Dundrum will be a little lower than usual. The grounds at Comber Road are ideal for cross country and there is, this year, the added bonus that in 2019 these very grounds will host the International event, traditionally held at Antrim, for the first time ever.

    Starting with Cross Country the day began with a series of primary and secondary school races just to soften up the ground for the older brethren. At 1.30pm the John McKeag Cup race (6k) was run for all women and men over the age of 60 years. At 2.15pm the main event of the day took place, the Comber Cup (8k) for all males up to the age of 60. It was a lovely benign autumn day and conditions were just about perfect for cross country. Regarding the cross-country league, each team’s first four runners decide the team’s finishing position but, in addition, each team finisher up to a maximum of 12 can score a single point each. Each team’s best six events out of eight will decide ultimate finishing position and prizes are available for the top eight teams in the league, both male and female.

    By the way this weekend also saw the hosting of the Mourne Skyline Mountain-Trail Race, part of the Skyrunning UK Series, in fact the final very important round. Many of the world’s best mountain running athletes will be taking part. The route is 35km long and involves 3370 metres of ascent over a notoriously difficult course. The course record is held by Germain Granger in 3.49.39 and the current champion on this course is local Newcastle AC runner Ian Bailey. The race starts on the Promenade in Newcastle and the finishing area is in Donard Park. There might be one or two OAC shirts in the pack. Only time will tell!

    So, how did it all go?

    It was a magnificent day for cross-country running at the Billy Neill grounds on the Comber Road. The weather was perfect. There was no sunshine but, more importantly, there was no wind, rain or even mud. Very unusual! The grounds at Comber Road were in perfect condition and there was evidence of the International course being laid out. It will be a superb venue. Both the OAC ladies and men were able to field full teams to maximize League points and this was probably achievable by the fact that there were OAC Club Championship points at stake too:

    Results (Ladies/The John McKeag Cup/6k)
    Heather Flint…26.43
    Julie McKimm…27.04
    Verity Cornford…28.45
    Kimberley Reynolds…28.52
    Sarah Steer…29.07
    Lisa Fleming…29.22
    Jacqui Maxwell…29.52
    Jenny Powell…30.16
    Judith McCann…30.30
    Selina Myles…31.21
    Emily Paisley…31.42
    Jackie Grant…31.44
    Anna Rankin…32.12
    Jill Holland…32.12

    The ladies race was won by Shalene McMurray (Newcastle AC) in 20.25. The John McKeag Cup (team of four) was won by the North Down AC team.
    The slightly disconcerted and aged Brian Todd ran in the ladies race and finished in 25.04 (MV 65-69 category prize).

    Comber Cup (Men/8k)
    David Montgomery…30.10
    Des Fahy…31.06
    Michael O’Donoghue…31.31
    Chris Woods…31.54
    David Fletcher…32.25
    Rodney Corrigan…32.53
    Ian Grant…34.01
    Paul Tyro…34.22
    Stephen Hamilton…35.15
    Stephen Anderson…35.18
    Reg Sanlon…40.15
    George Gribben…43.07

    The men’s race was won Mark McKinstry (North Belfast Harriers) in 23.49 and the Comber Cup (team of four) was won by North Belfast Harriers.
    In due course the final OAC Club Championship results will be released for you delectation, although at this early stage it is looking very much like Julie McKimm and David Mongomery! If it is, very well done indeed.
    All of us are very grateful to our Club captains, Stephen and Jill, for their hard work and enthusiasm in putting together and administering such an interesting and varied championship programme.

    The GR8 Dundrum Run (8 miles)
    Nearly one thousand runners charged up the main street of Dundrum at 1pm on Saturday and amongst them was a fair coterie of East Belfast orange vests. The following members of Orangegrove appear in the results, although there may have been one or two name changes:
    Jonny Weston…56.31 (52/922)
    Carolyn Beattie…1.03.58
    David Gilliland…1.07.54
    Martin Doherty…1.14.05
    Alison Canning…1.14.31
    John Ferris…1.30.43
    Sarah Wilson…1.30.43
    Jean Stone…1.38.57

    Very well done to all who took on this formidable challenge; particular congratulations to Jonny Weston on a magnificent run.

    The 2018 GR8 was won by Jonathan Roebuck (MRF Running) in 44.59 and Breege Connolly (City of Derry) was first lady in 48.36.

    Mourne Skyline Mountain-Trail Race.

    I could not spot any OAC participants in the results of this year’s Mournes Skyline race although I do believe that Orangegrove’s Andrew Tees was the official tail runner for the event, a challenge in itself and a considerable responsibility too. Well done!
    Correction! Correction! Correction! (in fact the mother of all corrections).

    Club Chairman and general guiding light, Robin Montgomery, was very much in the mix with a fine time of 6.12.02 which placed him in 113th place out of 228 finishers, and there were quite a few who did not finish. Not for Robin a silly old cross-country race without mud! He demanded mountains instead and he got them in abundance. Very well done indeed!
    The Skyline race was won by Brennan Townshend (Scott Running) in 3.45.32 and Martsje Hell (North Belfast Harriers) was first lady in 4.44.00. So, the record was broken!

    And, parkrun continues unabated. It was a beautiful autumnal morning at Victoria Park. The sun did not shine but that did not detract from the wonderful crimson colours which abounded. However, with this afternoon’s cross-country antics at Comber Road there were not too many OAC regulars stretching their legs anywhere at 9.30am. At headquarters the most notable result was that of young Luke Harte (JM11-14) who was 4th finisher in the excellent time of 17.50. Very well done indeed! At Stormont, David Gribben was 6th finisher in 20.23 and Pauline Bayliss was 2nd female in 22.25. Danny Bradley was at Waterworks where he recorded 19.04 as 10th finisher, a pb for him at this venue. At Orangefield Lyndsey Tyro was 3rd female in a leisurely (for Lyndsey) 25.29. Gerald Harvey was 15th finisher at the same venue in 24.44.

    Don’t forget the volunteering bit. It can’t continue if you don’t give a little back. So, contact the Victoria Park team at belfastvictoriahelpers@parkrun.com to offer your services now and again. They will keep you within your comfort zone!

     

  7. WEEKLY REPORT 8th OCTOBER TO 14th OCTOBER

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    ORANGEGROVE AC WEEKLY REPORT 8th OCTOBER TO 14th OCTOBER – By David Doey

    It was a case of “After the Lord Mayor’s Show” this week as Orangegrove athletes seem to take a well-earned rest after the successful hosting and participating in the NI Relay Championships. As the nights draw in it is a sure sign that Cross Country season is upon us and this was one of the two races that there was Orangegrove AC representation.

    NIMAA XC Saturday 13th October

    The first Cross Country event was held at Queen’s Playing Fields and was also trials for the upcoming British & Irish Masters International XC which will take place in Wales next month. Michael O’Donoghue (33:25/60th) and Chris Woods (34:13/66th) towed the line in the men’s 8k which was won by Mark McKinstry of North Belfast Harriers in 25:00. Brian Todd finished a creditable fifth in the Vet 65+ 6k race in a time of 26:13- in a race won by Terry Eakin of North Down in 24:19. Congratulations to Chris and Brian in their selection to represent NI in Swansea. Well done.

    SAINTFIELD 10k Saturday 13th October

    Over four hundred competitors took on the Saintfield 10k and 5k road races organised by Scrabo Striders. Conditions in County Down were more suitable for ducks but credit to the intrepid trio of Eric Fairfield (39:05/8th), Dave Gribben (42:33/24th) amd Sarah Wilson (54:49/136th) who conquered the rural, rugged and undulating roads around Saintfield. The race was won by Peter Gilmore (Narrows TC) in 36:43 and Karen Wilton (Jog Lisburn) in 38:46.

    PARKRUN
    The Tyro’s tour of parkrun worldwide continued as they ran Treviso parkrun with Lyndsey finishing 1st female and 2nd overall. John Gribben was a first timer at Oxford.

    Closer to home the biggest turnout for OAC was at Victoria Park where Tom Smith got a PB of 20:48. Congratulations to captain Jill Holland for reaching her 100th parkrun at Stormont.

    Verity Cornford was a first timer at Orangefield where Selina Myles achieved a PB. A full consolidated club report can be seen via link below:

    http://www.parkrun.com/results/consolidatedclub/…

     

  8. NI & Ulster Road Relay Championships 2018, in association with O’Reilly Stewart Solicitors! Thank you from Orangegrove AC!

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    To all the runners, clubs, volunteers and spectators who joined us in Belfast’s Victoria Park today for the 2018 NI & Ulster Road Relay Championships – thank you! The record number of teams and thrilling racing made this year’s event the biggest and best yet. Well done to each and every runner who participated, we hope you enjoyed your day. Many thanks to our sponsors O’Reilly Stewart Solicitors and Decathlon plus our event partners for their phenomenal support, it’s greatly appreciated.

    You can read a full report on the days events at NI Running – Thank you Ryan Maxwell and team for the support:

    QUB AC, St Malachy’s AC, Beechmount Harriers and North Down AC secure Relay titles!

    Check out Runner Beans Podcast for more local perspective on the event:

    https://www.podbean.com/media/share/pb-gqx7n-9bd88b

    Special thanks to Ben at DedKat Media for capturing this fantastic video of the day:

    https://www.facebook.com/OrangegroveAC/videos/352702638809087/

     

     

    See you all again next year!

  9. Weekly Report 1st October – 7th October, 2018.

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    Club Report, 1st October – 7th October, 2018.
    ‘Slow and steady wins the race…except in a real race’ (Anonymous).

    NI & ULSTER ROAD RELAY CHAMPIONSHIPS, 6th October, 2018.
    The dismal weather on Sunday was a reminder of how lucky we were with the sunny, warm and dry weather on Saturday. The stage was set perfectly for an entire day of running and the OAC team pulled together on and off the track to ensure it went well and afterwards worked hard to quickly restore Victoria Park to its normal condition.

    As usual there was a lot of pent up power in the starting pen of every race. If Scotty (of Star Trek fame) had been in charge, he might have been saying: ‘I cannae hold her much longer Captain’.

    Our most successful runner was Jacob McKittrick who won the U13 Boy’s Race (1 lap) in 5:35, narrowly holding off Ben Acheson (Willowfield Harriers) and Colm McKee (Willowfield Harriers), respectively one and two seconds behind. Brilliant running from one so young and definitely a talent for the future.

    In the adult relays, the highest placed OAC finish was achieved by the Masters Ladies A team, 14th out of 59 and their times were remarkably even, being covered by only 11 seconds. The Masters Men A team did nearly as well, 15th out of 61.

    The fastest OAC man was David Montgomery in 11:39 (leg 4 of the Masters Men race) and the fastest lady was Edwina Ternan in 13:24 (leg 3 of the Senior Ladies race). Michael O’Donoghue, proving you cannot rule him out at almost any distance, ran really well to achieve a PB time of 12:26 (leg 1, Masters Men race).

    The full ChampionChip timed results:
    Senior Men: Jonny Weston, 12:24; Steven Gilliland, 13:29; Darren Houston, 13:13; Danny Bradley, 11:49. Total: 50:54, 28th/36.
    The race was won by St. Malachy’s AC in 40:12.

    Senior Ladies: Victoria Irving, 15:15; Gillian Fisher, 16:01, Edwina Ternan, 13:24. Total: 44:39, 21st/30.
    The race was won by QUB AC in a new record time of 33:19.

    Masters Men:
    A: Des Fahy, 12:16; Eric Fairfield, 11:52; David Gribben, 12:22; David Montgomery, 11:39. Total: 48:08, 15th/61.
    B: Michael O’Donoghue, 12:26; David Roberts, 13:45; Stephen Hamilton, 13:26; David Fletcher, 12:39. Total: 52:14, 39th/61.
    C: Brian Todd, 13:36; Stephen Anderson, 13:38; Ian Grant, 13:31; Rodney Corrigan, 12:37. Total: 53:21, 43rd/61.
    D: Jason Lanyon, 15:06; George Gribben, 17:18; Gerald Harvey, 14:49; David Gilliland, 14:36. Total: 1:01:48, 60th/61.
    The race was won by North Down AC A in 42:32.

    Masters Ladies:
    A: Pauline Bayliss, 14:10; Rachel Woodward, 14:00; Heather Flint, 13:59. Total: 42:08, 14th/59.
    B: Heather Shanks-Miller, 14:52; Sharon Corken, 15:10; Kimberly Reynolds, 14:30. Total: 44:30, 26th/59.
    The race was won by Beechmount Harriers Masters A in 36:42.

    Now it is all over for another year, thanks to all the spectators and O’Reilly Stewart Solicitors who sponsored the event.

    PARKRUN, 6th October, 2018
    Despite the main event at Victoria Park, there was plenty of parkrun activity and several runners managed a PB: Tom Smith, 21:09 (Victoria Park); Judith McCann, 25:40 (QUB).

    Paul and Lyndsey Tyro were first timers at Milan North, Italy with Paul finishing in first place. Andy and Catherine McIntyre were first timers at Salisbury parkrun.

    Also running in England were Antra Balcuna (Worsley Woods, Manchester) and John Gribben (Huddersfield).

    Remember to volunteer occasionally by contacting:
    Belfastvictoriahelpers@parkrun.com

    BANK OF AMERICA CHICAGO MARATHON, 7th October, 2018.
    Gillian Logan arrived late after Aer Lingus cancelled her flight, then by all accounts race day was damp and humid. She did well to finish in a time of 4:07:10.

    The race was won by Mo Farah in a new British and European record time of 2:05:11. The winner of the ladies race was Brigid Kosgei in 2:18:35.

    Photos: Dave Samuel (Scrabo Striders Running Club), Chris Woods, Alan Montgomery, Gerald Harvey.

  10. WEEKLY CLUB REPORT 10-16 SEPTEMBER 2018

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    By Martin O’Brien

    Orangegrovers spread their running magic in all sorts of places this week including as far afield as Harrow, Scotland, and Berlin whilst also more locally in The Mournes and, as I like to call her, Port Glen One!

    RUN’N THE BANN 5K
    Portglenone, meaning ‘The Fort of Eoghan’s meadow’ in Irish, is a busy wee town not far from Ballymena and would be famous enough for its Forest, Abbey/Monastry and Gig’n The Bann Festival, however, neither of those can beat the famous feed you get in The Wild Duck Inn!

    I’m not sure if Orangegrove’s Paul Tyro avoided such a huge feed or was living like a monk but there was no waddling about when he ran a quacking race indeed on Thursday evening in 13th place out of 234 with a very producktive 17:49! Well done Paul. The race was won by Mark McKinstry and Pauline Thom in 15:25 and 19:09.

    Paul Tyro 17:49

    SALOMON RING OF STEALL SKYRACE

    Kilian Jornet and Tove Alexandersson took gold for Spain and Sweden in the final race of the 2018 Skyrunning World Championships on Saturday with both athletes smashing the course records for the 29km Salomon Ring of Steall Skyrace by 20 and 19 minutes and with finishing times of 3:04:34 and 3:46:28 respectively.

    More than 700 runners headed to the Scottish Highlands to take on the technical Skyrace, which includes four Munro summits (Scottish mountains over 3,000ft / 914m) and 2500m of ascent. The weather was the best of the Skyrunning festival weekend, with little wind and a mix of sunny spells, cloud and rain, although many athletes described it as “atmospheric” on the summits.

    I’m not sure if our only club representative, Andrew Tees, found it atmospheric but he must have entered the atmosphere and clouds with the 2500m of ascent which provided spectacular views of Ben Nevis from the Mamores and had him scrambling over areas such as the Devil’s Ridge!

    Andrew made steady and super progress throughout in challenging territory and moved from 217th out of 529 after the Sgorr an lubhair section to 91st at Glen Nevis, 177th at Mamores Ridge and 166th at the finish out of 515 runners left. Congratulations in your feat Andrew.

    Andrew Tees 5:25:57

    MOURNE MOUNTAIN MARATHON

    It’s not time to make a change, just relax, take it easy. You’re still young, that’s your fault, there’s so much you have to know…yes, Father and Son when sung by Boyzone showed what teamwork and a bit of talent could do…and the same can be said of our own Robin Montgomery and his son, Thomas, who took on Day 1 of the Mourne Marathon and came out singing!

    This duet must have been singing off the same hymn sheet by clocking up 280 points on Saturday when overcoming numerous timed sections and finishing 7th on Day 1 with a time of 5:31:08.

    The Mourne Mountain Marathon is Ireland’s only two day endurance and navigation event held each year in the beautiful mountains of Mourne in Northern Ireland. A competitive event for teams of two, who can enter one of four categories, covering between 35km and 55km over two days. Camp overnight and be self-sufficient. Walkers to elite runners.

    At the start of each day teams are presented with a route card listing a number of control markers which are identified by 6-figure map references. They must visit each control in the prescribed order but may choose their own route between each marker and there are three 2 Day classes/courses of different lengths and difficulty – Elite, B Class, C Class and D Class (walkers). There is also a 1 Day Score class of which Robin and Thomas took part in.

    HARROW HALF MARATHON

    There was no harrowing tale to tell when The Modfather, Michael O’Donoghue, visited London and ran in the Harrow Half Marathon on Sunday. In fact, all was well as Michael finished 111th out of 588 runners. Job well done Michael and another event conquered. The race was won by Matthew Robinson of Herne Hill and Sasha Birkin of Metros in 1:16:50 and 1:29:56, respectively.

    Michael O’Donoghue 1:41:51

    BMW BERLIN MARATHON 2018

    Two of our esteemed Orangegrovers took part in the fabulous 2018 Berlin Marathon and…wait for it…a world record was broken! Ok, maybe not by Gillian Logan or Jill Long on this occasion but they still represented their club fantastically on the day.

    Yes, Eliud Kipchoge won with a fantastic world record in 2:01:39, obliterating the world record of 2:02:57, taking the huge margin of one minute, 18 seconds off that time. It is the biggest advance in the men’s marathon world record for over 50 years since the Australian Derek Clayton ran 2:09:36 in Fukuoka in 1967, slicing two-and-a-half minutes from the record. It is also the eleventh world record in the history of the BMW Berlin Marathon.

    History was also made in the women’s race as Gladys Cherono by breaking the course record to run 2:18:11, a personal best and the fastest women’s time in the world this year. Cherono won her third BMW Berlin Marathon title and went to number four on the women’s all-time list. It also set a record for participants of 44,389 runners from 133 countries with a record number of 40,775 finishing the race.

    The weather, location and atmosphere looked fantastic (as were the post-race celebrations I’m sure) and both Gillian and Jill performed great and enjoyed the occasion.

    Gillian Logan 3:48:02
    Jill Long 5:12:05

    PARKRUN

    Of notable Parkrun prevalence was some Parkrun tourism with Kimberley Reynolds in Krakov, Sarah Steer in Crissy Field and Michael O’Donoghue also running at Harrow before the Half Marathon the following day.
    Whereas, PBs were deservedly achieved by Jonny Weston, David Fletcher and Steven Gilliland, with 18:45, 20:46 and 23:10, respectively at Victoria Park….great running guys.

    And…we can’t leave without mentioning Rodney Corrigan’s 100th Parkrun celebrations at Victoria Park on Saturday also…congrats Rodney.
    Don’t forget to volunteer. Email Gerry at belfastvictoriahelpers@parkrun.com to find out what you can do to help out.