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  1. Orangegrove AC Weekly Report 11th to 18th November 2017 by David Doey

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    As the nights close in the first frost of the season appeared at the beginning of the week but there were still a number of events to warm the hearts of all those involved with Orangegrove AC.

    RUN IN THE DARK (report by Brian Todd)
    Running hell for leather up the Prince of Wales Avenue hill twice in the dark was for me probably not well advised given the close proximity of the British and Irish Cross Country International over the weekend, this year in the Maiden City. However, Mark Pollock was one of my pupils at RBAI in the late 1980s and early 1990s and given the enormous amount of Instonian influence behind the organization of the Belfast Run in the Dark I was determined to run in the 10k race under the Orangegrove/RBAI banner. The Run in the Dark is, of course, an attempt to raise much needed funds to aid research into a cure of paralysis. On the same Wednesday evening thousands also ran in London, Manchester, Dublin, Cork and elsewhere. The Belfast event traditionally takes place in and around the Stormont estate. However, this year the race was entirely contained within the estate, avoiding the Stoney Road and the main Newtownards Road. This probably slowed the race a little as some parts of the route required just a bit more concentration and caution in terms of the loose surface and darkness, although the organizers made every effort to ensure a safe and enjoyable race and with excellent marshals and plenty of flood lighting it was a joy to partake. Some of those excellent marshals were from OAC and it was encouraging to hear the odd shout of encouragement as one passed. The crowds were enormous, well over 2500 altogether, and with every runner wearing a red flashing arm band the view from the top down the avenue towards the gates was truly spectacular and like nothing else you are likely to see or experience in running. For the record I managed 46.17. (91/1291) a full two minutes slower than last year! Oliver Cook won the 10k race (2 laps) in 36.33 and Ann Terek was first lady in 40.55. The 5k (1 lap) race was won by Niall Porter in 18.09 and Anna Kilpatrick was first lady in 21.30. Other OAC runners achieved the following times (apologies for any omissions)

    Andy McIntyre 57:53
    Catherine Fearon 57:54
    Marcia Sharkey 59:13
    David Doey 59:29
    Kimberley Reynolds 1:00:40
    Karen Russell 1:03:59
    Judith McCann 1:05:52
    Sharon McFarland 1:06:57
    Jean Stone 1:09:20
    Hilary Patterson 1:09:54

    EAMS MONKSTOWN WOOD MARATHON (report by Michael O’Donoghue)

    The East Antrim Marathon Series have been putting on a lot of events recently with a Halloween Marathon and Wedding themed marathon amongst others. On Thursday 16th November they conducted the more low key event of the Monkstown Wood Marathon. The route started and finished at Monkstown Boxing Club and would consist of 14 laps heading down Monkstown Road before heading onto the paths of the Newtownabbey Way. The route itself was quite pleasant with a variety of terrain and was well supported by the marshals.
    Possibly due to the sheer number of recent marathons and it being mid-week there were 17 runners in the marathon and 7 in the half marathon. In the marathon Norman Mawhinney had a commanding win with a time of 3:13:57. First lady was ultra veteran Helena Dornan with a time of 3:56.09. I was in overall 6th place with a time of 3:51:01 and it was a PB for me at the East Antrim events.

    BRITISH AND IRISH CROSS COUNTRY CHAMPIONSHIP, GRANSHA, LONDONDERRY (report by Brian Todd)

    The annual British and Irish Masters’ Cross Country International was held over the weekend in Londonderry. This was a major event involving over five hundred cross country runners from England, Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland and the Irish Republic. Nearly every hotel bed in the Maiden City was occupied over the weekend and the Gala Dinner and Presentation on the Saturday evening was reputedly the largest event ever hosted by the Hastings Everglades Hotel. I have been to two previous internationals, in Nottingham and Dublin, and this one was by far the best organized and delivered. Great credit is due to the Derry Spartans’ Club, the event organizing committee, our local NIMAA and the local council for a wonderful event which showcased Northern Ireland and the north-west at their very best. The races were run at the Gransha grounds, familiar territory to many of us at OAC. Even the weather played fair. It was dry, sunny and autumnal, even if a little soft underfoot. Nevertheless, the course was beautifully laid out although undoubtedly those of us who ran in the early races got the best of the conditions. There were three international races altogether, all females and males M65-M75 (6k), all males M50-M60 (8K) and all males M35-M45 (8k). There were also two open races, all females and M65-M75 (6k) and males M35-M60 (8k). The full results are available on Ryan Maxwell’s super NI Running website. It is a substantial document! However, to cut a very long story short each nation submitted male and female teams of four in each of the age categories from 35-75. In each category the best three of each four counted. Orangegrove’s representatives following last month’s NIMAA Dub trial were Jacqui Maxwell (F55) and Brian Todd (M65). Brian and Jacqui ran in the first international race of the day and finished in in 27.29 and 31.10. England were the overall winners, followed by the Republic of Ireland, Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales. Undoubtedly Northern Ireland’s hero of the day was Jim Patterson (Newcastle AC/M70), World Masters Mountain Running Champion, who won the gold medal in the M70 category international race.

    B2R RUN FOREST RUN SERIES DRUM MANOR

    The second race in the popular Run Forest Run Series took place in Drum Manor Forest Park just south of the Sperrin Mountains. Just as two weeks ago conditions were bright and crisp. There were three OACers who took part and pride of place goes to Edwina Ternan who finished a magnificent 3rd female. Full placings and times are below. Gavin McCaffrey of BAAC (36:20) and Julie Murphy of Lagan Valley (41:13) were top finishers.

    35 Edwina Ternan 00:44:38
    200 George Gribben 00:56:49
    271 Jason Lanyon 01:01:26

    PARKRUN
    There was Orangegrove representation at 12 parkruns across the world with pride of place for tourism going to Darren Moan who completed Dunedin parkrun in New Zealand. Also overseas but not as far was Ben Magee at Guernsey parkrun. As always the largest representation was at Victoria Park where Andrew Tees (4th finisher) and Chris Woods achieved PBs and Adrienne Savage completed her 50th parkrun. Emma McWilliams was a first timer at Ecos. Andew McIntyre was 3rd finisher at Antrim in a new PB. Shona Pryde got a PB at Valley parkrun. However Stormont seemed to be the place to be with a plethora of runners achieving PBs Michael O’Donoghue, Ian Grant, Pauline Bayliss, Julie McKimm and Jenny Powell. Jacob McKittrick was third finisher.

  2. Orangegrove AC Club Report – Monday 6th November-Sunday 12th November, 2017

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    by Brian Todd

    The week beginning Monday 6th November would appear to be a rather quiet one on the running front. However, I have said that before and then ended up writing loads! Listed for this weekend is the Davagh 10k on Saturday, the first race in this year’s Sperrin Harriers’ Trail Series, starting at 12.00 noon at the Davagh Forest Trail Head. Also on Saturday there is the Tollymore Trail Marathon, half marathon and 10k race by 26Extreme, all within the confines of the Tollymore Forest Park. Sunday will see the running of the fifth King of Gullion 10k, starting at 10am at the Slieve Gullion Forest Car Park, near Newry.

    Most of this weekend’s endeavour in running events came from Michael O’Donoghue. Now, there is a surprise! Michael is an aficionado of the East Antrim Marathon Series and when two of their regular runners, Gary Connolly and Gillian Barnhill of Seapark AC, decided to get hitched and then to help organize and run a marathon on their wedding day, the quirkiness of the scenario struck a chord with MOD and he joined about one hundred others to make a memorable day of it. The pair were married at Carrickfergus Castle on Friday morning and immediately set off on the run which was an out and back (several times) route along the Belfast Road towards Loughshore. There were 5k and 10k options as well. A special medal was commissioned for the run, designed by the newly weds as a very fitting token of their day. Gary and Gillian will honeymoon in Tenerife, where they have pencilled in a local marathon just because it is there. If this is the Maraton Santa Cruz de Tenerife on Sunday it certainly doesn’t give the happy pair too long to recover from their EAMS exploits. You would have though they could have found something else on which to expend their energy. Like O’Donoghue they must be bonkers! Of course, our Michael plumped for the longer distance and his Strava account shoes that he completed the race in 4.15.58, dressed in an inflatable tuxedo?

    Very well done indeed and I publish his own account of the proceedings below…

    EAMS Wedding Marathon – 10th November by Michael O’Donoghue.

    Gary Connolly and Gillian Barnhill were some of the earlier participants in the East Antrim Marathon Series and Gillian was one of the first ladies in Northern Ireland to join the Irish 100 Marathon Club. These days it is possible to do around 100 marathons in Ireland in a calendar year and more people are donning the coveted MCI 100 vest. Gary and Gillian have now done over 300 marathons between them.

    It was only natural in those circumstances that they would want their own marathon for their wedding! The event was organised in collaboration with the East Antrim Marathon Series. It would be like any of the other events they do each month with some changes. Gary and Gillian designed the medal. It would take place on a Friday afternoon, soon after the wedding ceremony in Carrick castle. The event also included 5k, 10k and half marathon options so everybody could get involved. The route was from the Castle along the coast to Loughshore Park. The marathon runners would run between the 2 locations 3 times to bring up the distance to the accurately measured 26.2 miles.

    There was a great atmosphere on the day with many in wedding themed outfits. Some running marathons in full wedding outfits. Suits for the men and wedding dresses for the ladies! I had an inflatable tuxedo suit but thought better of running along the coast in that wind! There was a lot of media attention with the BBC providing 2 camera crews and their Facebook Live crew.

    The marathon was a fairly relaxed affair but there were some good performances. At the front of the pack Drew Fowler (Ballydrain) made a strong start only to be caught by Mark Walker (Unattached) towards the end. My time was 4:15:58

    Winner was Mark Walker with a time of 3.03.58 and first lady was Anne Jennings (3.43.14).

    Once they finished the marathon Gary and Gillian headed off to Tenerife to run another marathon, but they promised to rest after that!

    That was on Friday. On Sunday Michael headed for Co. Armagh to take part in the fifth running of King of Gullion 10k race over the mountain roads and trails of this beautiful area in the vicinity of the Ring of Gullion. The race starts and finishes in the Courtyard of the Slieve Gullion Forest Park. If the weather permits the route will include the summit of Slieve Gullion at 573m. Michael should perform well in this one. His love of skyline running, mountain terrain and hill and dale will stand him in good stead. We wait in anticipation for Strava to tell the tale! However, MOD will certainly not have it all his own way on Slieve Gullion. I understand that Andrew Tees too will be tackling the mountain and he has most certainly made a name for himself recently on the hills and in the dales. Andrew McIntyre may also run and Catherine Fearon too is likely to compete. We await the results sheet and photographs with bated breath!

    The results appeared quite late on Sunday evening and indicated a great overall OAC performance:

    Andrew Tees…49.01 (4th/124)

    Andy McIntyre…53.06 (7th/124)

    Michael O’Donoghue…1.05.09

    Catherine Fearon…1.33.26

    Very well done indeed to Andrew, Andrew, Michael and Catherine. The King of Gullion this year is David Hicks (Newcastle AC) (45.15) and his queen is Mari Troeng (Newcastle AC) in 58.08.

    My grateful thanks to Andrew Tees for the following account of the Slieve Gullion race…

    King of Gullion 10K.

    The King of Gullion race was back for its fifth year on Sunday 12th November. The event is organised by the charitable organisation Southern Area Hospice Services to raise much-needed funding.

    Starting from Slieve Gullion Forest Park, the course skirts around County Armagh’s highest summit in a rising traverse, with magnificent views over the Ring of Gullion. After 4k on solid forest roads, suddenly the runners are diverted onto a mountain path of steep rocky steps and boulder-strewn bog which winds up the mountainside to the top of Slieve Gullion. Upon reaching the summit cairn its a fast return along the same route back to the finish.

    There were four brave Orangegrovers who drove through the rain and wind to Newry on Sunday morning. Their lunacy, sorry bravery, was rewarded with crisp winter sun as the rainclouds cleared away in time for the 10am start, although admittedly it was still ‘baltic’ and it even snowed, just a little bit!

    The climb was leg-sapping and lung-busting, the descent hair-raising and bone-jarring, the views were spectacular if and when you could lift your head to appreciate them! Overall, a highly recommended event, a really enjoyable race in a beautiful location (one that most of us based in Belfast probably have never visited..), plus a great hill-session workout for the legs!!

    Verity Cornford, the Mayor of Casterbridge’s daughter, was at home this weekend in England and took in the Tatton Park 10k, a lovely autumnal run around the magnificent grounds of the 1000 acre National Trust Property at Knutsford, Cheshire, the former stately home of the Egerton family. Verity always runs well on her home soil and Saturday was no exception. A much better runner than she ever gives herself credit for, she completed the course in a considerable personal best time of 48.15 which placed her well up the results sheet of over 1200 runners. Very well done indeed, Verity. Now, relax and indulge yourself! Yes, I said relax!

    The 2016-2017 Club Championship culminated recently after 11 events. It was a wonderful championship with a bit of just about everything, track, trail and road. We are very grateful to the club captains, Stephen and Jill, for their monumental efforts in planning the runs, advertising them to the membership and administering the results. Well done to Andy McIntyre who emerged victorious on the male side, closely followed by Andrew Tees and Michael Broadhead. Edwina Ternan has enjoyed a superb year and thoroughly deserved to win the ladies title. Well done too to Julie McKimm and the ever-improving Heather Flint who completed the rostrum positions. Awards will be handed over at the Club AGM ON Thursday evening, 30th November.

    Parkrun, of course, never eases off and never ceases to amaze and there will be a full complement of this intoxicating fare at 9.30am on Saturday morning throughout the country. Parkrun really is an incredible phenomenon. It all started at Bushy Park in London in 2004 and it took another three years before a second event was launched at Wimbledon Common. From then until now parkrun has spread far and wide, and globally too. By April 2016 over 100,000 people were running each Saturday morning at about 730 locations. At the heart of parkrun is the encouragement to the individual to see it as a timed run rather than a race. There is only your own previous time to beat and it is not a life or death issue if you don’t! The post-race coffee and the accompanying socialisation are more important than the actual run time itself. Also, central to the parkrun phenomenon is the volunteering spirit and the idea that the runs are run by the runners themselves. Long may it continue, and it will.

    After the concentration of orange at Castlewellan last week for the Club Championship event it was back to normal this week with most of us at Victoria Park, but a fair number elsewhere. The majority of our brethren were at Victoria Park parkrun as usual, where Paul Woodman had a great run to finish in third place in 17.36, only 16 seconds short of his personal best for this location. There are not too many personal bests to report, but significant amongst them was Ian Grant (20.43) and Pauline Bayliss (20.54). You would have thought that the two of them could have run in together, given that they were running together. Men these days just do not have any class! Well done too to Catherine Fearon who achieved a personal best of 26.31. The Victoria Park parkrun was particularly notable this weekend for the presentation of a cheque for £110 to the Children’s Heartbeat Trust. The money was donated by members on the day of the Stormont Cup club championship event at Stormont parkrun earlier this year. The winner of the Stormont Cup was Susan Anderson and it was Susan who chose the very worthwhile Children’s Heartbeat Trust charity. Anne Devlin finished second and Jackie Grant third on the day and they too were present as the cheque was handed over. Well done ladies!

    At Stormont George Gribben showed that he is making a good recovery from injury by running a personal best for this location of 25.30. Very well done! A notable performance at Ormeau was that of Jacob McKittrick (JM 11-14) who ran 20.52 to finish in 14th place overall. Having said that he has a personal best of 18.42 at the same location!

    There was a little bit of parkrun tourism this weekend. Shona Pryde was at Portobello, Edinburgh, in 31.39. Sarah Steer was at Cabinteely (south-east Dublin) in 25.12. Lyndsey Tyro was first lady at Monaghan in 20.15 and her other half, Paul Tyro, circulated the same course in 24.07.

    Now, not to forget the volunteering bit. There is always a job or two to be done on Saturday morning to enable the parkrun machine to run smoothly. If you are a runner, and even if you are not, you should try to volunteer once or twice a year. You will not be thrown in at the deep end. There isn’t a deep end anyway! Contact Gerry on belfastvictoriahelpers@parkrun.com

    Thanks to Colm Fearon for the pictures

  3. Orangegrove AC Club Report 30th Oct – 5th Nov 2017

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    By Andrew Tees

    It was a busy weekend for OAC athletes, partly due to last minute changes in the XC competition schedule, which triggered a change of venue for the final Club Championship race of the year. Elsewhere, the Born 2 Run and Velocity Man trail series got under way and Decathlon held their annual free 10K event here in east Belfast. Read on for a full run-down of the weekend events. Thanks to Brian Todd, Gerald Harvey, David Doey, Anne Devlin and Gillian Sykes for their contributions to the report!

    Castlewellan Parkrun, CC Race 12 (by Gerald Harvey)
    Twenty nine people from the club travelled to Castlewellan Forest Park for the 12th and final round of the club championship. The parkland and forest looked magnificent and the granite facade of the castle looked brand new in the strong autumnal sunshine as the runners gathered for the start of the 7th Castlewellan parkrun. After a crowded start on the narrow path, it was 2 kilometres of lakeside trail running before the route deviated from the waterside, uphill along a narrow lane for approximately 0.7 kilometres. Though not a steep climb, the orange cones that marked the turning point were a very welcome sight. Reaching again the junction with the lakeside trail, there remained a 1.6 kilometre sprint to the finish. Much easier said than done I might add.
    As so often this year, Andy McIntyre was the first OAC runner home in a personal best time of 18:22, 5th overall in a field of 277 runners. Second was Michael Broadhead in 18:54 and third was Eric Fairfield in 19:00. Edwina Ternan, 20:34, was first female in a field of 135 runners, 17th overall. Similarly, Heather Flint was second in 21:37 and Julie Mckimm was third in 21:48. Great running ladies and well done Orangegrove.
    Results.
    Andrew MCINTYRE 18:22 (PB)
    Michael BROADHEAD 18:54
    Eric FAIRFIELD 19:00
    Edwina TERNAN 20:34
    Robin MONTGOMERY 20:43
    Tony LIKEN 20:45
    Michael O’DONOGHUE 20:53
    Stephen ANDERSON 21:27
    Heather FLINT 21:37
    Julie Patricia MCKIMM 21:48
    David FLETCHER 22:05
    John NEILL 23:09 (PB)
    Jacqueline MAXWELL 23:46
    Gerald HARVEY 23:58
    Reg SANLON 24:17:00
    Jill HOLLAND 25:06:00
    Harriet ANDERSON 25:16:00
    Anna RANKIN 26:02:00
    Kirsty BUCHANAN 26:54:00 (PB)
    Judith MCCANN 27:42:00 (PB)
    Catherine FEARON 27:51:00 (PB)
    Karen RUSSELL 27:59:00
    Jackie GRANT 27:59:00
    Hilary PATTERSON 28:00:00
    Sharon MCFARLAND 28:41:00
    Melinda WILKINSON 28:47:00
    Selina MYLES 29:28:00
    Ian REID 36:58:00
    Deborah KILLEN 42:20:00

    83rd McConnell Shield Cross Country, Ballyclare (by Brian Todd)
    The 83rd running of the McConnell Shield cross country race took place on Saturday 4th November, 2017, at the usual location in central Ballyclare at Sixmilewater Park. Conditions were extremely autumnal; cool, dry, bright and with a beautiful spread of golden leaves to mark the way. Numbers were a little down on previous years but the welcome was, as usual, warm and friendly from the East Antrim Harriers Club which organizes the race. The course was set out nicely and there was much to view and appreciate as one circulated. The two adult races were the ladies race, which also incorporated male vets over 60, and the all male McConnell Shield race to end the day. Orangegrove was represented by only two members, Emma McWilliams and Brian Todd. The latter’s advanced age meant that they both ran in the same race, a race which was particularly notable for an extremely heavy shower of rain in the middle of it which ruined a few expensive looking coiffures amongst the ladies. Conditions underfoot were fine, just a little bit soft in places but not enough to consume one’s foot ware. I have experienced much worse in the past at the same location. The ladies/male vet race was three laps, about three miles…
    Brian Todd…21.29
    Emma McWilliams…24.58
    The ladies race was won by Laura Bickerstaff (Dromore AC) in 18.19. The indomitable Matt Shields (MV60/North Belfast Harriers) finished in a very impressive second place (18.29) in the ladies race to win the inaugural Bertie Grimason Trophy to the memory of a former President of the East Antrim Harriers Club, who died recently. The trophy is to be awarded to the fastest finishing over 60 male in the ladies race. The men’s race (the McConnell Shield Race) over about five miles was won impressively by Gideon Kipsang in 26.40, although North Belfast Harriers won the McConnell Shield on team positions. Grateful thanks to the East Antrim Harriers Club for a fine day at the races!
    In the U14 race, the Orangegrove Juniors had a very strong showing, with Jacob McKittrick finishing in 3rd and Ronan McPeake who came in 4th. Congratulations to them on these results, very impressive running, and great signs for the future!

    Born 2 Run Minnowburn 5k & 10k
    This was the first race in the 2017/2018 iteration of the Belfast Telegraph Run Forest Run Winter Race Series’organised by Born 2 Run Events. There were two distances on offer, 5 and 10 kilometers, with both races starting and finishing on the familiar surface of the Mary Peters Track. From the track, the route heads out through the National Trust property at Minnowburn, along forest trail and country road, bringing the runners back along the banks of the Lagan and onto the finish line at MPT.
    There were three participants from Orangegrove AC taking part on Saturday, results below:
    Stephen Craig 0:29:07 (5k)
    Anne Devlin 0:30:14 (5k)
    Jason Lanyon 1:01:01 (10K)
    The 5k race was won by Kelly Neely of City of Lisburn AC in 17:46, with the mens’ race being won by 2nd placed Mark Harvey of Belfast Running Club in 18:05.
    The 10k race was won by Kent Swann of North Belfast Harriers in 36:53, and the ladies race was won by Willowfield’s Amy Bulman (6th overall) in 39:25

    Garvagh Trail Run – Velocity Man Trail Series (by David Doey)
    Sunday saw the first of a seven race series organised by the Northern Velocity company in Garvagh. There was a 5k distance and 10k distance available with the 10k being a second loop of the 5k route. Fifteen minutes before the start the heavens opened and a large number of unenthusiastic runners made their way from the registration building to the start point at Garvagh Forest. Any hope that you would warm up as the race started was quickly diminished as the rain continued to fall and a cold breeze meant that my decision not to wear a second layer was not a wise one. Thankfully the rain relented and the second half was completed in much better conditions. The course itself was challenging with two distinct climbs within each loop but the downhill finish was a nice way to end. I managed to just about break the hour mark 59:40. At the time of typing, there were no official times released. The link below shows the other races available in the series for anyone who may be interested.
    http://www.northernvelocity.co.uk/trail-run-series

    New York City Marathon
    The New York City Marathon is the largest marathon in the world, with 51,394 finishers in 2016, and 98,247 applicants for the 2017 race. Organized by New York Road Runners, it has been run every year since 1970, with the exception of 2012, when it was cancelled due to the landfall of Hurricane Sandy. The course takes runners through the five boroughs of New York City. Along with the Boston Marathon and Chicago Marathon, it is among the pre-eminent long-distance annual running events in the United States and is one of the World Marathon Majors (thanks Wikipedia!)
    OACer Lisa Fleming was fortunate enough to have a place in this prestigious event, which has the added benefit of providing a good excuse for a nice holiday in the Big Apple.
    Lisa finished in a very respectable time of 4 hours, 56 minutes and 20 seconds.
    Well done Lisa, we hope you enjoyed the running and the atmosphere on race day, and enjoy the rest of your trip to NYC!

    Decathlon 10K
    This annual race, organised and funded by our local branch of everyone’s favourite French sports retailer was on for its 4th(?) iteration on Sunday morning. Being free to enter, but also without an official timing system, the event is an attractive prospect for those looking to stretch the legs on their Sunday run rather than take on a serious race. With an extremely flat course along Airport Road and Heron Road, it is an ideal opportunity to measure progress for those looking ahead to the Seeley Cup in a couple of weeks. This year there were approximately 20 Orangegrovers taking part in the race, with numerous others out on the course as volunteer marshals.
    Well done to all that took part, either as runner or marshal! As the local running club, it is great that we support this type of family friendly event that can help introduce newcomers and kids to running!
    Special mention to Pauline Bayliss and Kimberley Reynolds, who both achieved new 10K PBs, and to new club member Ali McConnell who clocked her best time since 2005!! Excellent running ladies! Apologies to any other PBers who I have missed!

    Parkrun
    Despite a large contingent of the club being at Castlewellan Parkrun on Saturday, there were still a number of members taking part in Parkruns across the province and beyond…
    The consolidated club report can be found at the link below:
    http://www.parkrun.com/results/consolidatedclub/…
    A couple of Parkrun performances which deserve a special mention…
    Pauline Bayliss finished first female at Victoria Park, congrats!
    Lyndsey Tyro clocked an impressive time of 20:03 at Lisburn
    The globe-trotting Darren Moan ran at St Peters Parkrun in Sydney, Australia

  4. Orangegrove AC Club Report 23rd October – 29th October 2017

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    Spooktacular 5k – Friday October 27th October

    With the advent of parkrun we don’t see that many competitive 5k races in the province but they do tend to have a good deal of popularity when they’re on.

    The Spooktacular 5k organised by Enniskillen Running Club was a Halloween themed race set at night through the town of Enniskillen and proved to be a runaway success with over 1100 entrants.

    Des Fahy was the only OAC entrant and finished in 41st place with a time of 19:23

    Podium mainstay Gideon Kipsang won the race and broke the course record with a time of 14:32. Heather Foley (unattached) was first lady in 18:05.

    Saintfield 10K & 5K Saturday 28th October by Sarah Wilson

    One of a number of new running clubs which have sprung up in the area over the last couple of years, Saintfield Striders was formed on 31 October 2016 and now boasts over 120 members.
    The Saintfield Striders 5k/10k race was held on Saturday 28 October to celebrate the club’s first anniversary. Given that it was taking place on the eve of the Dublin marathon and on the same day as the Bobby Rea XC in Rostrevor, I’m sure the organisers were slightly concerned that the event would not attract the high turnout they might otherwise have expected. However, they needn’t have feared! In the end, a total of over 400 runners, representing 30 running clubs, descended on the pretty County Down village to take part in the inaugural Saintfield Striders 5k and 10k road races. Orangegrove was represented by the super speedy Lyndsey Tyro and me (not quite so speedy!), with both of us opting for the 10k route.

    Starting on Comber Street and finishing at the nearby Sports Club, the 10k race involved a loop of the rural roads to the south of the village, part of which was along the boundary wall of Rowallane Gardens. We were treated to a scenic but highly undulating course which, for me at least, proved quite a shock to the system! On reflection, I’m not sure why I was so surprised. It’s not as if I’ve had no prior experience of the low (and not quite so low) rolling hills of County Down! However, the challenging course and blustery conditions on the day itself did not detract from my overall enjoyment of what was a very well organised event. Special mention must be made of the post-race hospitality, which was probably the best I have ever seen at a race of this size.

    A total of 258 athletes took part in the 10k race, with Lyndsey Tyro running superbly to take second place in the ladies’ race with a time of 41:45 (13/258). Congratulations Lyndsey on another well-deserved podium place! I crossed the line in 53:24 (95/258).
    Chris McGuirk (unattached) and Amy Bulman (Willowfield Harriers) won the 10k race with times of 34:44 and 39:30 respectively. First finishers in the 5k race were Glenn Donnelly from Acorns AC (16:37) and unattached athlete Karen Wilton (19:32).

    Bobby Rea Memorial XC – Saturday 28th October

    Now into the 2nd race in the league the cross country season is well underway. The Bobby Rea memorial race floats around the province with it being set in the scenic backdrop of Kilbroney Park in Rostrevor this year. The event also included the NI & Ulster Even Age Group Championship for juniors.

    Comber wasn’t a targeted race for the club and we didn’t have teams present only individuals, but we got a good turnout for our league debut in Rostrevor with close to 20 athletes making the journey down for the 3 races.

    Conditions were pretty much as good as you can hope for in XC with it not being unreasonably cold and the ground was firm meaning very little loss of traction due to the muck and no frozen feet! It was also the first experience of XC for some and no-one said that they would never return to a type of running that people tend to either love or hate!

    Hopefully we get a good turnout for the Mighty Oaks XC on 9th December!

    Results were as follows:

    Senior Men

    Andy McIntyre 27:59
    Eric Fairfield 29:36
    Michael Broadhead 30:10
    David Montgomery 30:15
    Des Fahy 31:17
    Chris Woods 32:08
    Michael O’Donoghue 33:01
    Tony Liken 33:37
    Ian Grant 34:04
    Stephen Anderson 34:04
    Robin Montgomery 37:59

    Senior Ladies

    Edwina Ternan 20:46
    Pauline Bayliss 21:23
    Jacqui Maxwell 23:39
    Emma McWilliams 24:36
    Jill Holland 25:44
    Catherine Fearon 28:06
    Victoria Murray 35:39

    Masters Men

    Brian Todd 21:41 (5th)

    In the juniors boys under 14 race Ronan McPeake ran 09:00

    The winner of the senior men’s race was Scott Rankin (Foyle Valley) 23.46. In the senior ladies race Dromore took both top spots with Rebekah Nixon and laura Bickerstaff getting times of 17:51 and 18:02 respectively. In the masters men’s race Gerry O’Doherty won with a time of 19:34.

    Dublin City Marathon – Sunday 29th October

    Always a popular marathon for the club, just behind Belfast and London in numbers, the event has gone from strength to strength with 20000 overall participants this year, the highest ever.

    This year it proved to be as excellent event as ever with superb organisation, great conditions and a great level of support from the organisers on the course and from the many supporters and fellow club members who came down to cheer us on.

    The route was the same as its been for the last few years taking in Phoenix Park on the north side of the city before travelling through the suburbs of South Dublin and finishing back in the city centre. There were highs and lows as with any big marathon but we achieved several PB’s in the process.

    Results as follows:

    Paul Woodman 03:05:33
    David Gribben 03:24:13 PB
    David Roberts 03:41:16 PB
    Sharon Corken 04:06:19 PB
    Michael O’Donoghue 04:00:26
    Heather Shanks-Miller 04:00:29 PB
    Ian Wilson 05:27:06 PB

    The race was won by Benar Rotich 2:15:53 and first lady was Nataliya Lehonkova. Gary O’Hanlon was crowned AAI Marathon Champion and Laura Graham retained her AAI National Marathon title.

    Parkrun

    In the world of Halloween parkrun there was OAC representation at Victoria, Stormont, Queens, Portrush, Cairns in Australis, Queens, Castlewellan and Stormont.

    Julie McKimm got a PB in Victoria with a time of 21:28. It was Harriet Anderson’s first parkrun with a time of 26.22 in Belfast Victoria.

  5. Orangegrove AC Report 9th Oct – 22nd Oct

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    Compiled by Gillian Logan

    In fortnight that saw some of the worst weather conditions any of us have ever seen, OAC athletes training was curtailed slightly but many braved the elements (and more sunnier climates) to take part in a number of races across a mixture of terrain and distances.

    Read on for a round up of all the action.

    GR8 Dundrum 8 – Saturday 14th Oct by Brian Todd

    There are two runs in the year that I look forward to most. One is in March, the magnificent Larne Half Marathon, and the other is in October at the nether end of the Province, the GR8 Dundrum Run, eight miles of magnificence. In its short life the GR8 has become one of the most anticipated occasions of the calendar and must rank as one of the great runs of Europe, possibly the world. It has just about everything, scenery, a super variety of terrain, two miles of magnificent beach, undulating sand dunes, fast safe tarmac sections and all overseen by the sullen majesty of the Mournes. Add to all this magnificent organization by the Murlough Club, hospitality second to none and a welcoming village, what more could you ask for?

    The route is superb. The runner heads south on the main road to Newcastle for a few hundred yards before turning right on to Old Road to continue parallel with the main road for the section to the Twelve Arches Bridge over the Ballybannon River. This section of road, Old Road, contains the only significant hill on the route, but it is early in the race and should present no real difficulty. After the Twelve Arches Bridge the route is across the main Newcastle to Belfast road. You will not have to dodge the cars, however, as the police will stop the traffic to allow the runners to pass. Fine, as long as you are not a motorist! On the other side of the road you then enter the trail known as The Cut for a lovely one mile section along the side of an arm of the beautiful Dundrum inner bay. Just short of the Downshire Bridge there is a right turn along Keel Point Road towards Murlough House. Near the House the route takes you right on to undulating boardwalk down to the beach. The beach section is truly magnificent as long as the tide is right and you have firm sand on which to run. On this section the wind may be helpful, or otherwise. The beach section is about two miles long. You will see Newcastle in the distance. At a point just short of the most northerly extremity of the magnificent Royal County Down Golf Course you will be guided on to the boardwalk which will take you through Murlough National Nature Reserve to the car park on the main Newcastle Road. After that you take a sharp right turn for the long, fast sweeping section back to Dundrum where a warm village welcome will await you. This year the hospitality was provided in the village centre rather than the parish hall and very substantial it was too.

    In 2017 Orangegrove took this run by the scruff of the neck and made it a round of our Club Championship. A coach was provided which made travel easy and relaxed. Once again we thank Eric Fairfield for his organization and particularly for his good humour too in its execution. This is a race for just about anybody. Every moment of it is enjoyable and there is a very distinct sense of achievement on reaching the end of it in one piece. If you can break the hour, well and good! If you can’t, so what! The following times were recorded by those wearing the very distinctive orange vest (chip times). I am aware that one or two of our brethren may have been running other people’s numbers. Please inform us and the results will be amended…

    Andy McIntyre…49.31 (7/904), Andrew Tees…51.35 (13/904), Eric Fairfield…53.03 (25/904), David Montgomery…54.30 (43/904), Chris Woods…57.11, Jonny Weston…57.04, Edwina Ternan…57.54, Brian Todd…59.59, Martin O’Brien…1.00.15, Darren Houston…1.00.55, Ian Grant…1.01.01, Tony Liken…1.01.35, Heather Flint…1.02.33, Steven Anderson…1.03.41, Pauline Bayliss…1.03.55, Andrew Bennett…1.03.55, Julie McKimm…1.04.16, Robin Montgomery…1.05.17, Chris Heaney…1.05.38, Sarah Steer…1.05.58, Jacqui Maxwell…1.07.39, Reg Sanlon…1.07.46, John Neill…1.07.32, Ali McConnell…1.08.02, Gerald Harvey…1.09.22, Sarah Wilson…1.10.36, Ian Millgate…1.11.56, Anna Rankin…1.12.38, Emma McWilliams…1.13.31, Kimberley Reynolds…1.13.42, Ian Wilson…1.13.43, Lisa Fleming…1.15.44, George Gribben…1.16.30, Jill Holland…1.16.42, Sharon Corken…1.16.44, Jason Lanyon…1.16.32, Ben Magee…1.17.38, Jackie Grant…1.18.09, Adrienne Savage…1.18.07, Catherine Fearon… 1.18.23, Brian McFarland…1.19.52, Marcia Sharkey…1.20. 00, Judith McCann…1.22.07, Karen Russell…1.22.07, Sharon McFarland…1.25.12, John Ferris…1.27.26, Anne Devlin…1.33.55, Jean Stone…1.33.55.

    The 2017 GR8 was won by Jonathan Roebuck (MRF Running) in 46.58 and Laura Graham (Mourne Runners) was first lady in 48.51.

    The above results have already been incorporated in the Club Championship table which can be viewed elsewhere. Grateful thanks to the Club Captains for their hard work in this area and to all members of the committee for their diligence and contributions. Saturday 14th October, 2017, was a super club day for Orangegrove. To have four club members in the top 50 was exceptional. To have such a large turnout of runners overall, regardless of where they finished, most certainly made it a day to remember and one of which to feel truly proud.

    Comber Cup – Saturday 14th Oct

    The first event of the Athletics NI XC league was the Comber Cup which is hosted by Ballydrain Harriers AC at the Billy Neill complex just outside Dundonald.

    Males in the Open category, under 20’s and masters compete in The Comber Cup race which covers a distance of 8km.
    Females in open, masters, under 20’s and male vet 60+ complete in The John McKeag cup, covering a distance of 6km and named after the well known stalwart of Ballydrain Harriers. Orangegrove AC was represented in both races with the results below:

    Paul Woodman 0:33:35.2
    Paul Tyro 0:36:38.1
    Lindsey Tyro 0:26:06.1

    Well done all on the race opening of the XC season! There will be a few more Orange Vests at this weekends Bobby Rea Memorial XC!

    Palma Marathon – Sunday 15th Oct by MOD

    This event on the popular holiday location of Mallorca had a 10k, half marathon and marathon distance included. The Half Marathon distance was easily the most popular of the races with 3900 entrants with 2600 runners doing the 10k and 1000 doing the full marathon.

    I tend to do longer distance races if I’m travelling abroad so decided to go for the full marathon distance having heard good reports from people in OAC from previous years
    The route starts and finishes in Parc de La Mar next to the impressive Cathedral next to the Port. It would then go west along the coast for 5k before returning to the cathedral and doing an extensive tour of the old town passing several palaces and churches. The marathon was a 2 lap course of the half marathon route which meant that at the half finish I was directed to pass the finish line and go round again which is tough for the morale!

    It was 27 degrees on the day which would easily be the warmest conditions I’ve faced in a race. On the second lap along the coast I was making a determined effort to get some shade in the old town as quickly as possible! Thankfully it was a well supported race with water stops every 5k with sound systems playing Balearic House tunes. There were several local runners present that I knew from Ballydrain, Dub Runners, Magherafelt and Sperrin Harriers which added to the experience.

    My finish time was 4.06.44. I got to halfway in 1h55m but the sun took its toll! The Spanish dominated the podium places. The winner was Cristofol Castaner Bernat with a time of 2.31.19 and first lady was Casado Prieto (2.57.13)

    Garmin Mourne Skyline Mountain-Trail Race – 21st Oct

    All eyes of the mountain running community were on Northern Ireland this weekend as the scenic Mourne Mountains played host to the final event of the SkyRunning UK Season.
    Organised by local events and running news outlet, NI Running the event saw competitors from all over the world descend on the picturesque Co Down town of Newcastle for the start of the event on Saturday Morning.

    The route is 35km in length with a tough 3370m of ascent and 9 peaks to take on, including Northern Ireland & Ulster’s highest mountain, Slieve Donard.

    Competitors take on a route comprised of forest path, fire roads, single track, granite trail and tough uneven broken fell making for a tough challenge.
    Sharon Dickenson has kindly provided this summary of her and Darren Marshalls experience of the event…

    Toeing the line for the Skyline was a big decision this year with the storm conditions predicted to hit and right up until the day before it was unconfirmed if contingency plans were being put into place…..A weather window appeared and the race director released a statement that the race was going ahead with the full route but the cut off at halfway was being strictly enforced with anyone between 3-3:15 being advised if they continue conditions were expected to deteriorate and they continue at their own risk. By the col it was clear it was going to be a tough day both above and below conditions where horrendous. Darren Marshall managed to stay on his feet….most of the time and battle the gale 40mph winds off the Commedagh ridge and Donard…to finish with a sub 6 pb of 5:53:43…..in fantastic 50th place brilliant running. Further down the field things began to deteriorate after making the cut off at Fofanny and preparing for a second onslaught of the Skyline home every piece of regulation kit was swiftly in place at Ott. Thoughts of the mini bus 1 mile down the road taking all the other cold wet n exhausted athletes back to Newcastle was never far away…..by Loughshannah summit the winds increased and the weather front hit….sadly over the next few summit’s the idea of an emergency route became more likely and the conditions on Bearnagh had to b seriously contemplated as unsafe to continue with a risk of exposure being a reality. Meelmore Summit with 2 marshals and another athlete safely in tow …the run off Meelmore to a warm car was initiated with quite a few painful slides encountered….credit in this event goes to the race organisers who endeavoured to give everyone a chance to race but unfortunately the weather took it’s casualties such is the nature of fell running. The mountains were there again this morning basked in blue skies….

    A special mention goes to OAC’s Andrew Tees who volunteered as a tail runner for the first half of the race. Where he had to follow behind the slowest runners to make sure nobody got lost or injured between the start and the half-way checkpoint. Andrew reports that It was a really grim day on top of the Mournes. Strong wind and lots of rain from storm Brian meant it was really cold and wet… the conditions underfoot were incredibly slippery. Without volunteers like Andrew these events could not be possible so well done!

    Local athletes Ian Bailey (Newcastle AC) and Shileen O’Kane (Lagan Valley AC) were the male and female winners of the event.

    2017 Masters XC Trial – 21st Oct – with help from Jacqui Maxwell

    It’s not often you get a Storm named after you to celebrate your 66th Birthday! Happy Birthday to club favourite Brian Todd who was one of the brave OAC athletes to take part in the annual Masters International XC trial in what was described as extremely muddy conditions!

    The Masters XC is an annual trial for athletes aged 35 and over who are also members of the NI Masters Athletics Assoc. The trial consists of a women’s 6K and men’s 8K at the Dub playing fields.

    The first 4 males and females (plus 2 reserves) in each age cat make the NI Masters Team for an International XC event including NI, Ireland, Scotland, Wales and England. It’s NI’s turn to host in 2017 and the race is on 18 Nov in Gransha, Derry.

    I am pleased to report that both Jacqui Maxwell & Brian have qualified to represent their respective age categories next month! The club is very proud of you and we know that both Julie McKimm & Chris Woods turned out brave performances and it will only be a mater of time before both don the Norn Iron jersey!

    Good luck to Brian and Jacqui next month!

    Red High 10k – Sat 21st Oct

    George Gribben was the only Orangegrove entrant in the Red High 10k in Downpatrick George reports a hilly but enjoyable route and was rewarded with first place in this age category, clocking 54mins 54 seconds (unofficial). Congratulations George!

    NI Duathlon Kirkistown – Sunday 22nd Oct

    Brian Todd and Gillian Logan made the journey down to Kirkistown race track on Sunday morning to take part in a Duathlon hosted by local events outfit, NI Duathlon. The conditions for the 2 mile run, 10 mile cycle and finishing 2 mile run were windy (Brian brought the storm and the milk chocolate digestives!)

    Brain finished the course in: 1:11:35
    Gillian finished the course in 1:13:17

    Parkrun

    As always there was a good turnout of OAC athletes at Park Run events all over the country.

    A consolidated list of all runners is available here:
    http://www.parkrun.com/results/consolidatedclub/…

    A special mention to Edwina Ternan & Lyndsey Tyro who finished 1st female at Belfast Victoria and Stormont respectively!

    Edwina capped off a great run of recent performances to clock a superb time of 19:47. Edwina has been working hard all summer and it is great to see her go under that coveted sub 20 minute 5km!

    Lyndsey continued her good form to produce a new Park Run PB (20:12). Super running indeed!

  6. NDAC Open Track Meet – Club Championship round 4

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    Championship event No.4 was a significant departure from the usual, taking place at the Bangor Sportsplex in an event hosted by North Down AC and including the use of starting blocks! The challenge: compete in two races, one 300m, one 600m, with times for each race added and ranked.

    Alan, as Sprint Coach, was keen to ensure that no-one went into the event cold. Preparation for the event had included training and practice in use of the blocks, and a pre-race brief had been arranged.

    While a good number of our club are in training for marathons and unlikely to find this event a good fit with their objectives, a good number of athletes were game and available for the challenge on a bright, dry and mild evening.

    Results

    NAME 300m 600m TOTAL Position Points
    Jacqui Maxwell F 1:01:77 2:22:99 3:24:76 1 20
    Jill Holland F 1:03:79 2:22:51 3:26:30 2 19
    Mairead Napier F 1:07:59 2:37:26 3:44:85 3 18
    Catherine Fearon F 1:12:62 2:39:02 3:51:64 4 17
    Andrew Tees M 43:26 1:37:35 2:20:61 1 20
    Michael Broadhead M 43:75 1:39:34 2:23:09 2 19
    Andy McIntyre M 45:11 1:39:66 2:24:77 3 18
    Ian Wilson M 47:74 1:58:94 2:46:68 4 17
    Martin Doherty M 53:03 2:00:29 2:53:32 5 16
    Ian Grant M 56:59 2:04:19 3:00:78 6 15
    Alan Martin M 50:84 2:10:05 3:00:89 7 14
    Jim Harris M 53:90 2:07:33 3:01:23 8 13
    Brian Todd M 55:88 2:08:61 3:04:49 9 12
    Keith Patterson M 53:94 2:11:12 3:05:06 10 11
    Darren Houston M 55:59 2:10:68 3:06:27 11 10
    John Neill M 57:77 2:09:95 3:07:72 12 10
    Michael O’Donoghue M 58:64 2:11:01 3:09:65 13 10
    Stephen Craig M 1:03:22 2:21:15 3:24:37 14 10
    Reg Sanlon M 1:04:75 2:21:74 3:26:49 15 10
    Stephen Orr M – 1:32:71 – – –

  7. Queen’s 5K – Club Championship Round 3

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    Wednesday saw super conditions for an annually super race entitled ‘Race Round the River’ which starts on the Annadale Embankment and finishes outside the PEC on the Stranmillis Embankment after 2 and ¾ laps. This is flat and so fast, brutal and lung-busting that the 3 R’s could mean ‘Robust, Relentless and Riveting’… a bit like our wonderful support on the day, some might say!

    Yes, Queen’s 5k produced a fantastic club turnout, great support from all, superb performances, lovely t-shirts and even some fresh & hot pizza slices (if you had any reflexes (or elbows) left to grab them!). I would personally recommend doing this race at least once, whether you are in PB form or not, just to take part in such a high profile & quick field and also to experience the buzz (or terror) and to stretch your limits.

    Conor Bradley (City of Derry) and Kerry O’Flaherty (Newcastle AC) won this NI & Ulster 5k (Road) Championship Race in 14:44 and 16:18 respectively.

    To PB or not to PB…that is the question…well quite a lot chose to PB & with some cracking times too with a few under 18, Andy’s sub-17 and Iseult’s Junior time, never mind the huge individual strides made by others and an Age Cat win for Brian Todd. A very well done to everybody who represented the club:

    Andy McIntyre 16:58 PB
    Paul Tyro 17:40  
    Stephen Orr 17:45 PB
    Michael Broadhead 17:49 PB
    Eric Fairfield 18:29 PB
    Des Fahy 18:52
    Andrew Tees 19:07 PB
    Michael O’Donoghue 19:42  
    Robin Montgomery 19:55 (pacing)
    Martin O’Brien 19:55 PB
    Darren Houston 20:09  
    Ian Grant 21:04  
    Brian Todd 21:13 1st M65
    Julie McKimm 21:28  
    Pauline Bayliss 21:45  
    Carloyn Beattie 22:26  
    Stephen Anderson 22:26 (pacing)
    Louise Browne 22:39  
    Andrew Bennett 22:39  
    John Neill 22:40  
    Iseult Fahy 23:12  
    Fintan Hurl 23:14  
    Sharon Corken 23:28 PB
    Andrew Allen 23:28  
    Gerald Harvey 23:30  
    Ian Millgate 23:30 (pacing)
    Brian McFarland 23:40 PB
    Reg Sanlon 23:45  
    Emma McWilliams 23:52  
    Ian Wilson 24:08  
    Lisa Fleming 24:11  
    Trish Magill 24:23 PB
    Jacqui Maxwell 24:38  
    Anna Rankin 25:07  
    Jenny Powell 25:06  
    Karen Russell 25:16 PB
    Hilary Bradshaw 25:18 PB
    David Doey 25:41  
    Sarah Wilson 25:53  
    Catherine Fearon 26:44  
    Stephen Craig 26:57  
    Sharon McFarland 27:02  
    Melinda Wilkinson 27:26  
    Adrian Sproule 27:27  
    Ian Reid 27:41 PB
    Jean Stone 28:32  
    Adrienne Savage 29:04  
    Jackie Grant 29:05  
    Jim Harris 29:23  

  8. NI & Ulster Senior XC at Lurgan

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    On Saturday Northern Ireland’s largest urban park, Lurgan Park in County Armagh played host to the NI & Ulster Senior Cross Country Championships. The picturesque park has proved a popular choice of venue with competitors over the last number of years and nearly 300 taking part in the event. This event also incorporated the final fixture of the Athletics NI XC League 2016/17, with double points on offer for clubs. There was a fantastic turnout from the club in both the female (6k) and male (12k) race. The heavy rain on Friday made for soft conditions under foot.

    In the ladies race the top three ladies for Orangegrove were Edwina Ternan (27:34), Julie McKimm (28:17) and Emma McWilliams (30:52). The race itself was won by Jessica Craig (North Down AC). It was great to see the ladies contribute three times to the team competition only bettered by two other clubs. Full results for the ladies are below.

    Pos.
    39 Edwina Ternan 27:34
    47 Julie McKimm 28:17
    70 Emma McWilliams 30:52
    78 Sharon Corken 31:43
    79 Kerris Hamilton 31:46
    89 Jenny Powell 33:16
    91 Jacqui Maxwell 33:46
    92 Trish Magill 33:47
    105 Anna Rankin 35:24
    107 Judith McCann 35:51
    112 Sharon McFarland 36:31
    122 Anne Devlin 44:25

    When the men took centre stage Andy McIntyre (45:44) was first home for the club followed by Michael Broadhead (49:10) and chairman Robin Montgomery (51:16). The race itself was won by Aaron Doherty ( City of Derry Spartans AC). Orangegrove were one of four clubs to contribute twice to the team competition. Full results for the men are below. We wish Ian Reid a speedy recovey from his injury he picked up in this race.

    Pos.
    46 Andy McIntyre 45:44
    62 Michael Broadhead 49:10
    80 Robin Montgomery 51:16
    82 Timothy Robinson 51:45
    92 Michael O’Donoghue 53:36
    96 Brian Todd 54:18
    102 Ian Millgate 54:57
    109 Darren Houston 55:51
    110 Andrew Allen 56:07
    114 Rodney Corrigan 56:44
    115 Stephen Anderson 57:00
    122 Eoghan Rainey 1:03:42

  9. Neal Killen Shield 2017

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    The Neal Killen Shield, formerly Victoria Shield is, along with a liking for baked treats, one of our young club’s longest held traditions. There is an element of predictability with most races, but with this handicap race anything can happen with the clubs fastest runners often struggling to make the podium. It rewards those who make the biggest improvements in their 5k speeds in the 6 months before the event.

    On this occasion 47 club members toed the line at Victoria Park for the running of this event and it turned out to be a thrilling event. Continuing the changes made to the event last year which means the first runner, who starts without a handicap time, begins running at the same time as the normal parkrun. Every other runner is let go after their assigned handicap time lapses.

    Ian Reid made good use of being 2nd away by building up a lead that couldn’t be closed down. Finishing with a time of 32 minutes 24 seconds (actual running time 29 minutes 39 seconds) he ended up with a PB. He was more than a minute ahead of 2nd placed Stephen Craig who finished with a time of 33 minutes 45 seconds and Adrian Sproule got the last place on the podium with a time of 34 minutes 28 seconds (27:13) The times weren’t PB’s for Stephen and Adrian but an indicator of a welcome return to form for the pair.

    The first lady to finish, and 4th overall was Heather Flint, whose only previous recorded parkrun time was 28:05 the previous week, and she managed to knock that down to 26:44 which is a great result. Just behind Heather were Ian Wilson and Sharon Corken who both ran parkrun personal best times, Ian by nearly a minute with a time of 23:46.

    Known PB’s were also obtained by Karen Russell, Heather Shanks-Miller and Andy McIntyre. Andy recorded the fastest time on the day with a scorching time of 17.07. Armagh 5k next year Andy?!

    Full Results below

    Parkrun Time 5K Time
    1 Ian Reid 32:24 29:39 PB
    2 Stephen Craig 33:45 29:00
    3 Adrian Sproule 34:28 27:13
    4 Heather Flint 34:59 26:44 PB
    5 Ian Wilson 35:01 23:46 PB
    6 Sharon Corken 35:07 24:07 PB
    7 Sharon McFarland 35:08 26:53
    8 Alan Montgomery 35:14 25:29
    9 Ian Grant 35:15 21:00
    10 Hilary Bradshaw 35:20 26:05
    11 Karen Russell 35:21 25:36 PB
    12 Trish Magill 35:27 24:27
    13 Judith McCann 35:36 25:36
    14 Anne Devlin 35:42 30:57
    15 Beverley Martin 35:50 27:50
    16 Adrienne Savage 35:53 27:53
    17 Brian McFarland 35:59 24:29
    18 Andy McIntyre 36:07 17:07 PB
    19 Pauline Bayliss 36:09 22:09
    20 Melinda Wilkinson 36:15 28:00
    21 Martin O’Brien 36:16 20:46
    22 Robin Montgomery 36:18 18:48
    23 Edwina Ternan 36:21 21:06
    24 Andrew Tees 36:22 19:37
    25 Heather Shanks-Miller 36:24 23:54 PB
    26 Graeme Bennett 36:24 20:39
    27 Brian Todd 36:26 21:11
    28 Andrew Allen 36:28 21:28
    29 Andrew Bennett 36:29 22:14
    30 David Roberts 36:30 21:00
    31 Sarah Steer 36:32 25:02
    32 John Neill 36:36 22:51
    33 Paul Tyro 36:42 18:12
    34 Alan Martin 36:43 24:28
    35 Lisa Fleming 36:44 24:29
    36 Sarah Wilson 36:47 25:17
    37 Reg Sanlon 36:48 24:18
    38 Darren Houston 36:52 20:07
    39 Martin Doherty 37:03 23:18
    40 Catherine Fearon 37:11 27:41
    41 Jacqui Maxwell 37:16 24:16
    42 Gerald Harvey 37:18 23:48
    43 Selina Myles 37:27 26:42
    44 Anna Rankin 37:28 25:28
    45 Deborah Killen 37:49 37:49
    46 Jean Stone 38:19 31:04
    47 Martin Walker 39:08 27:08

    Looking at the times a lot of them were very close together from 35 minutes onwards, so the organising committee did a great job on estimating the handicaps and the event generally. Thanks to the captains, timing maestro Darren Moan and to Deborah Killen who presented the prizes and made a lovely address to the club. The whole event was a great tribute to Neal’s memory.

  10. Castlewellan Christmas Cracker 2016

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    The Newcastle Athletics Club Annual Castlewellan Christmas Cracker Pairs Race took place on Tuesday with usual race colours abandoned in favour of much more varied and colourful fancy dress.

    The race covers a distance of approximately 8.5 miles of road and forest tracks in and around Castlewellan and is suitable for all hill, cross country and road runners. Competitors take part in two-person teams (capped at 600 teams) with prizes for male, female and mixed teams and best fancy dress. I suspect that the costumes may have led to some debate regarding category qualification!

    Newcastle AC report that the race has grown exponentially since it was taken over by Newcastle AC and relocated to Castlewellan in the early ‘noughties’ and remains one of the most unique and popular races in the annual ANI calendar… in 2004 a total of 54 teams crossed the line.

    Whether a result of competing in teams, fancy dress, or both, participation is enthusiastic.

    Pos Time Category
    109 1:10:03 Eric Fairfield & Colin Simpson Male 80-99
    247 1:21:49 Andrew Allen & Ian Millgate Male 80-99
    281 1:24:59 Brian Todd & Emma McWilliams Mixed 100-119
    379 1:36:00 Verity Cornford & Kerris Hamilton Female U 80
    386 1:36:49 Fintan Hurl & Louise Browne Mixed U 80
    387 1:36:54 Liz Leitch & Zdzislaw Malkinski Mixed 100-119
    394 1:38:31 Sarah Malcolmson & Jane Holland Female 80-99
    401 1:39:25 Anna Rankin & Keith Patterson Mixed 80-99
    412 1:40:22 Jenny Powell & Alison Hall-Thompson Female 80-99
    467 1:50:25 Ian Wilson & Mary Magill Mixed U 80
    468 1:50:29 Patricia Magill & David Magill Mixed 80-99
    495 1:55:08 Sharon Corken & Melinda Wilkinson Female 80-99
    506 1:57:40 Linda Craig & Lauren Craig Female 80-99
    511 1:59:28 Sharon McFarland & Karen Russell Female 80-99
    514 2:01:28 Reg Sanlon & Mairead Napier Mixed 100-119

    1st Male Team: Mark McKinstry (North Belfast Harriers) & Seamus Lynch (Newcastle AC) – 49:47
    1st Mixed Team: William McKee (Mourne Runners) & Laura Graham (Mourne Runners) – 57:53
    1st Female Team: Amanda Perry (Ballydrain Harriers) & Denise Logue (Ballydrain Harriers) – 1:05:32

    More importantly, Orangegrove brought home a collection of prizes. Sharon and Karen, Liz and Zdzislaw, Reg and Mairead, and Ian and Mary collected some of the headline prizes – for fancy dress.

    Liz, Zdzislaw, Louise and Fintan even made it to the Irish News.