Orangegrove AC

East Belfast

Menu

Author Archives: Michael O'Donoghue

  1. Queen’s 5K – Club Championship

    Comments Off on Queen’s 5K – Club Championship

    3K

    The perfect weather and the river setting promised a night of magnificent running and so it turned out. Stephen Orr returned to competitive running after a long spell of injury and achieved 23rd place in a very respectable time of 11:03. Trackside support for this race and the 5K was very good, so thanks to the Orangegrove contingent and other friends who cheered us all on. The winner of the race was Tim Scott (Lagan Valley AC) in a time of 09:42. First lady was Kelly Neely (City of Lisburn AC) in a time of 9:49.

    5K

    Fifty five Orangegrove runners made it to the start line and did indeed fill the lens with orange. The start was timed by digital watch on the sound of the horn, so those starting at the back were at a definite disadvantage. The first mat at the finish displayed the names of the runners for the commentator, but it foxed the race leader who stopped there rather than at the correct second timing mat, losing valuable seconds. The third mat was for backup timing. Therefore, you should always run hard to the final mat.

    The junior runners Rory Hall-Thompson, Ben Hall-Thompson and Iseult Fahy all ran very well. Rory was sixth male club member to finish in a time of 19:29, Ben achieved a personal best time of 21:29, Iseult achieved a personal best of 22:35, third place on the junior female podium. Andy McIntyre ran a brilliant personal best time of 17:30 to be first male club member. Congratulations to Trudy Brown first female club member in a time of 20:22. Brian Todd did his club championship chances no harm with a great run to set a new personal best time of 19:38. Michael O’Donoghue managed to pass Brian on the final lap to beat him by 2 seconds and achieve a significant personal best time himself. Reg Sanlon also kept himself well up in the club championship with a very good run, first in his category, despite having travelled from Cork to Belfast on race day. Jacqui Maxwell maintained her recent good form by winning her category. Many others excelled themselves to set new personal best times and a number have battled back from injury or illness to take part. To mention only a few, David Fletcher has been injured since last summer but recorded a personal best time in his come back race and Jill Holland, just recovering from illness after the Cardiff Half Marathon, was two seconds off her personal best time. Thanks to all our trainers who give up their time to lead us at Mary Peters Track and elsewhere.

    The race was won by Gary Murray (Conliffe Harriers) in a time of 14:51. Shalene McMurray (Newcastle & District AC) was first female home in a time of 17:32. Paul Pollock, winner of the race for past two years was absent through injury. Thanks to Queens University, the sponsor Deep River Rock and Glenn Grant of ChampionChip Ireland.

    This being one of my favourite events, I would want to return next year, regardless of the timing system used, except sundial.

    Results:

    Andrew McIntyre 00:17:30 PB
    Desmond Fahy 00:18:15 PB
    Timothy Robinson 00:18:48 PB
    Eric Fairfield 00:18:51 PB
    Darren Houston 00:19:19 PB
    Rory Hall-Thompson 00:19:29  
    Michael O’Donoghue 00:19:36 PB
    Brian Todd 00:19:38 PB
    Jonathan Weston 00:19:55 PB
    Robin Montgomery 00:19:55  
    Rodney Corrigan 00:19:55  
    Trudy Brown 00:20:22  
    David Fletcher 00:20:25 PB
    Martin O’Brien 00:20:34 PB
    Graeme Bennett 00:20:44  
    Mark Williamson 00:21:04  
    Julie McKimm 00:21:11 PB
    Ben Hall-Thompson 00:21:29 PB
    Ian Grant 00:22:07  
    Gerald Harvey 00:22:09 PB
    John Neill 00:22:10  
    Carolyn Beattie 00:22:20  
    Martin Doherty 00:22:27  
    Iseult Fahy 00:22:35 PB
    Lisa Rodham 00:22:48 PB
    Jacqueline Maxwell 00:22:55  
    Reg Sanlon 00:22:57
    Jill Holland 00:22:59  
    Emma McWilliams 00:23:12  
    Fintan Hurl 00:23:49  
    Kerris Hamilton 00:24:05 PB
    Alan Martin 00:24:06  
    Paul Gruhn 00:24:31  
    Jenny Powell 00:24:35 PB
    Alison Hall-Thompson 00:24:37 PB
    Brian McFarland 00:24:40 PB
    Kirsty Buchanan 00:24:55  
    Ian Wilson 00:24:57  
    Judith McCann 00:25:00 PB
    Adrian Sproule 00:25:01 PB
    Karen Russell 00:25:04  
    Anna Rankin 00:25:20 PB
    Martin Walker 00:25:27  
    Sarah Malcolmson 00:25:44 PB
    Catherine Fearon 00:26:08 PB
    Nicola Downey 00:27:27  
    Hilary Bradshaw 00:27:31 PB
    Beverley Martin 00:27:56
    Sharon McFarland 00:29:19
    Catherine Lavery 00:29:40
    Neal Killen 00:30:12
    Stephen Craig 00:30:37
    Anne Devlin 00:30:39
    Ian Reid 00:31:43
    Deborah Killen 00:35:27

  2. Weekend Report – April 17th

    Comments Off on Weekend Report – April 17th

    This weeks racing takes us up hill and down dale, across all kinds of terrain and even to a place far, far away. For some of us it was past a significant landmark.

    HILL & DALE RACE 1 – CASTLEWELLAN

    Castlewellan Forest Park is home to all sorts of outdoor activities with its lake, maze, play structures and forest offering 27km of scenic mountain bike trails, walking trails and a permanent orienteering course.

    Thursday evening saw 257 athletes arrive to take part in the first race of this year’s Hill & Dale Series, an increasingly popular race Series hosted by Newcastle AC. The race covered approximately 5 miles with 900ft of ascent (and descent – Race 4 finishes at the top of Binnian).

    Read the full race report here

    CASTLEWARD CHALLENGE

    The Castle Ward Estate, owned and managed by The National Trust, was the setting for the 5th Annual Castleward Challenge Half Marathon and 10K Race/Walk, organised by the Born2Run team with their motto Great races in great places.

    The start line was in the shadow (yes, the sun was shining) of the 18th century Castle Ward mansion and runners enjoyed a tour through the estate which is combination of forest trail, open pastures and shoreline paths along the banks of Strangford Lough.
    Orangegrove was represented by four runners in the 10K race, supported and photographed by Linda Carson-Craig.

    Castle Ward has known a little controversy in the past: a difference of opinion between husband and wife regarding the style in which to build resulted in one half of the house being built in a classical style and the other a Georgian gothic. The GPS watches were not in agreement on Saturday with most reading a distance in excess of 10K but there seemed to be consensus that the event provided a great day out.

    The results were as follows: Martin Melville (Newcastle AC) took the win in 00:37:12. Murlough AC’s Niamh O’Connell was first female across the line with a time of 00:47:45

    And for the club:

    Mark Williamson 48:52
    Sarah Malcolmson 1:01:55
    Shona Pryde 1:12:05
    Mairead Napier  1:14:08

    PATSY KELLY 5K

    On Saturday evening, Brian Todd and Gerald Harvey headed south and out of the jurisdiction to Dundalk (Brian’s home town) for the Patsy Kelly 5k road race.

    Read the full race report here

    STAR WARS 10k and Half Marathon

    I’m not sure it was the only reason for the trip, but Saturday saw Jill Long taking part in the Star Wars 10K, Florida. In true Disney style:

    “The Star Wars 10K is packed with 6.2 miles of running excitement. The thrills begin at Epcot® where you’ll wind your way through Future World and World Showcase, then on to Disney’s Hollywood Studios® running down Hollywood Blvd and on to the ESPN Wide World of Sports for an exciting Star Wars 10K finisher celebration”

    The results list a time of 1:03:55 which reflected some lost time as a result of a battle with the storm troopers and an unmissable photoshoot with Darth Vader.

    Not satisfied with 10k?

    “Darth Vader throws down a challenge of galactic proportions in the Star Wars Dark Side Challenge. Put the force to work for you in this ultimate test of your strength and endurance that combines the Star Wars 10K on Saturday with the Star Wars Half Marathon on Sunday. Choose your alliance – run for the light or run for the dark – then get set for an amazing 2-day, 19.3 mile-run. Runners who finish both races are awarded the Star Wars Dark Side Challenge Finisher Medal in addition to the Half Marathon”

    Jill took up that challenge and succeeded, completing the Half Marathon in a time of 2:44:06 to bring home all 3 medals.

    KILLEESHIL 10K RUN

    On Sunday, this “very, very undulating course” in County Tyrone saw a second race of the week for Sharon Dickenson and Darren Marshall… and Sharon claims to be coming back slowly! This time the undulations followed a bitmac route and was Sharon’s first road 10k in a year. Darren was reported as having a fab run. Results were not available at time of writing.

    PLYMOUTH HALF MARATHON

    Following Thursday’s Hill & Dale, Michael O’Donoghue headed across the water for Plymouth’s Half Marathon, running Pymvalley parkrun while in the vicinity. The Half is billed as a stunning and varied run; coastal views, charming harbour and the beautiful National Trust grounds of Saltram Park, as well as the iconic Plymouth Hoe, where Sir Francis Drake played bowls!

    Michael completed the Half with a time of 1:44:15.

    CRAWFORDSBURN 10K AND 5K

    I understand that Eric Fairfield, VerIty Conford, Rachael Woodman, Paul Woodman, Alan Montgomery, Robin Montgomery, Stephen Anderson and Ian Reid took part in a fundraiser event for the MS Society at Crawfordsburn Country Park on Sunday. With an eye on marathon training, Robin, Stephen and Eric, and perhaps a few others allowed the race to form part of a 10 mile run.

    PARKRUN

    Belfast Victoria parkrun saw a number of significant events.
    Kirsty Buchanan celebrated a significant birthday, reaching the big 40! 40th parkrun that is – on her 30th birthday. Happy Birthday Kirsty;)

    Deborah Killen ran a new PB at with 35:27, joined by Trish Magill with a 25:14.
    Owen Powell ran his first Victoria Parkrun with Orangegrove, running a 30:26.
    Lyndsey Tyro ran her 100th parkrun with another good sub-20.

    Meanwhile, in other locations:

    • Peter Scullion was at Stormont where he ran a parkrun PB of 21:18.
    • Over at Ormeau, Aimee McConnell ran a PB with 30:31.
    • Bangor saw a delighted Catherine Lavery achieve a parkrun PB of 29:55, breaking 30 minutes for the first time.

    Well done everyone!

  3. Patsy Kelly 5K

    Comments Off on Patsy Kelly 5K

    On Saturday evening, Brian Todd and Gerald Harvey headed south and out of the jurisdiction to Dundalk (Brian’s home town) for the Patsy Kelly 5K road race.

    This is a seriously fast race which bills itself as probably the fastest in the country. It is a single loop route which straddles the railway tracks in the north of the town. The race was launched in 2012 in memory of Patsy Kelly, a stalwart of the local Clan na Gael Gaelic Athletic Club.

    Strangely, the only prize awarded in the form of a trophy on the evening (there were also plenty of Euro prizes) was the impressive Patsy Kelly Trophy for the winner of the M60 category which was won by Brian Todd for a time of 20.12 (84th/759), considerably slower than his time last year of 19.48. However, this year a fairly brisk northerly wind affected at least two kilometres of the five kilometre race and times were generally slower, particularly given the absence of the Project Africa athletes this year.

    Gerald Harvey too had a great run to finish in 22.56 (203rd/759). He too would surely have bettered his personal best at this distance had that wind not been blowing. The Patsy Kelly 5k race was won by Garry Campbell (Dunleer AC) in 15.25. First lady was Esther Dickson (Newry AC) in 18.46. As is usual with any GAA organised event the organisation, hospitality and general warm welcome to visitors were second to none. More of us should try this one. You can get a train to the start line!

    Thanks and congratulations to Brian Todd, race reporter and trophy-holder.

  4. Hill and Dale Race 1: Castlewellan

    Comments Off on Hill and Dale Race 1: Castlewellan

    Castlewellan Forest Park is home to all sorts of outdoor activities with its lake, maze, play structures and forest offering 27km of scenic mountain bike trails, walking trails and a permanent orienteering course.

    Thursday evening saw 257 athletes arrive to take part in the first race of this year’s Hill & Dale Series, an increasingly popular race Series hosted by Newcastle AC. The race covered approximately 5 miles with 900ft of ascent (and descent – Race 4 finishes at the top of Binnian).

    The Series has been popular among those who have taken part in previous years and a number of Orangegrove members were disappointed to be unable to take part in the race. Among the 257, however, were six representatives looking bright eyed and bushy-tailed.

    “What shoes should I wear?” One question often heard in anticipation of a good night out. Well, the experienced Michael O’Donoghue found his Hokas to be less than ideal at the top. Despite two falls he still managed to be the first Orangegrove runner to cross the finish line. Darren Marshall was next across the line with a strong finish in his first Hill & Dale race.

    The shoe theme continued with Sharon Dickenson who, with determination, would not be put off a challenging race despite having forgotten her orthotics. Unfortunately the steep climbs and muddy technical sections proved too much without appropriate footwear and Sharon had to pull out. Sharon has indicated that she will be back with orthotics glued to her feet!

    Verity Conford put in a strong performance and Stephen Craig and Judith Dalzell followed across the line to complete their first Hill & Dale.

    Reigning Champions William McKee (Mourne Runners) and Shileen O’Kane (Lagan Valley AC) retained their titles from last year’s race with times of 00:32:54 and 00:41:55
    Our club results were listed as follows:

    87 Michael O’Donoghue 45:18
    123 Darren Marshall 48:30
    213 Verity Cornford 55:27
    243 Stephen Craig 1:07:37
    245 Judith Dalzell  1:09:29

    Despite shoe problems, it seems that a good night out was had by all.

    Thanks to Anne Devlin for the photographs and support.

    If anyone is considering the Hill & Dale Series I would recommend it. I only managed two races last year but there was a strong sense of camaraderie not only among club members but among all those taking part. There are specific requirements regarding registration and safety, details of which can be found on the Newcastle Athletics Club web site.

  5. Weekend Report – April 10th

    Comments Off on Weekend Report – April 10th

    Considering the congested calendar over the Easter period, the past week was relatively quiet on the home front, but as usual orange vested athletes toed the line in a variety of events both local and national.

    North Down AC Track Meet

    The first of North Down’s well run track events offered runners of all abilities the opportunity to test how their winter training had progressed and with a variety of distances on offer from 150m to 3000m there was something for everyone to get their teeth into. Thanks to Alan Martin for his roundup of Orangegrove participants:-

    This was the first outdoor meeting of the season for the sprinters. First off was junior Reegan McKenzie in the year 8/9 150m who ran a terrific time of 24:31 6th overall and 3rd in age. Next up Beverley Martin also running in the 150m with a time of 26:56 and being the only master athlete in the race an age category win. The next race saw 2 OAC sprinters in action and action it was with Sophia Campbell in her first race for the club just snatching a 3rd place from Lucy Armstrong finishing 4th with respective times of 20:93 and 21:72. The final OG sprinter in action was Jim Harris who also running 150m put in a fantastic age winning performance of 23:45. A great start to the season, well done to all.

    Next meet will be at the same venue on Tuesday 24th May and remember it’s open to all, not just the sprint group.

    parkrun

    After last weeks backwards parkrun/Victoria Shield frivolity it was a return to the tried and tested anti clockwise model for Saturday’s parkrun. Incidentally, have you ever wondered why track races are run in a counter clockwise direction? A number of theories exist, The dominant limb – statistically more people are right hand and right leg dominant. On an anti clockwise track, the right leg covers more ground and does more work. The earths rotation – all current track records were set on northern hemisphere circuits where the rotation of the earth benefits anti clockwise running.

    The sentimental reason – because running in the opposite direction to the hands of a clock symbolises the athletes battle against time.

    As you can probably guess from the deployment of those useless facts, not much happened on planet parkrun this weekend. In Victoria Park 224 athletes benefitted from the favourable rotation of the earth, however the only event of note was the continued progress of Rory Hall-Thompson (20:05) who was not only first junior but first Orangegrove athlete overall. Well done Rory. Stormont was the place to be for Orangegrove PB’s this week, Lyndsey Tyro (20:14) was 2nd lady and 8th overall in claiming hers whilst Matthew Sykes ran 25:49 (56th place) to eclipse his previous best. Andrew Tees (23:50, 16th/ 108) and Sarah Steer (27:58, 56th) ran the Cabinteely parkrun in the southern suburbs of Dublin, but unsurprisingly the parkrun tourism award goes to Michael O’Donoghue, who couldn’t resist a pre Manchester marathon loosener at Heaton parkrun (25:30 266th/ 605)

    As always, we finish the parkrun roundup with a request for volunteers, why not check the future roster on the Victoria parkrun volunteer page and pick out a weekend that works for you. Some roles require no training and any that do will be fully explained by one of the core team. Should you want to get in touch you can contact Gerry Ward on belfastvictoriahelpers@parkrun.com

    Manchester Marathon

    Spring has allegedly sprung and with the day’s getting longer so too has the mileage being racked up by the clubs marathon group. London, Belfast and Edinburgh will all see Orangegrove participation, but first up from the spring alumni were Rodney Corrigan and Michael O’Donoghue. For Rodney the rather conservative aim was to dip under four hours and for Michael it was simply another weekend of mega mileage.

    With only 54 metres of elevation the organisers claim Manchester to be the flattest marathon course in the UK, and with both men in fine form hopes were high for fast times. In the end both acquitted themselves superbly with Michael running 3:46 and Rodney posting 3:37 (30 min PB!). Closer analysis of the results shows that both went through the 10k mark in around 50mins and hit halfway in slightly over 1:45. Rodney obviously came on strong in the second half to finish slightly ahead of MOD, however a curious statistic in the results indicates that Rodney’s average speed at the 30km mark was a whopping 42km/hr, which begs the obvious question – did Fermanagh’s finest hire a cab in an effort to get one over on Orangegrove’s long distance specialist? On this occasion I think we’ll assume it was a computer glitch and congratulate the lads on a job very well done, enjoy the beers.

    Titanic 10k

    The main event of the weekend in terms of club participation was undoubtedly the 10th annual running of the 10k road race around the Titanic quarter of Belfast. The area, which is most famously associated with the ill fated cruise liner, has seen significant redevelopment in the past decade however the race itself is one that most runners, the writer included, have a love/hate relationship with. The flat and fast course offers huge potential for quick times and has delivered in the past for many, however if the perennial coastal breeze decides to play up the runner can very quickly feel like they’re fighting a losing battle against a harbour wind tunnel and with little about the Airport Road end of the route to inspire a recovery it can make for a fairly tough day at the office.

    Nothing ventured nothing gained however and with that and similar inspirational mantras in mind a total of 14 Orangegrovers set off to tame the Titanic course. As expected the wind was howling along Sydenham Road towards the Odyssey Arena making the outward leg difficult, but Airport Road was less affected and the runners were treated to a strong tailwind in the last stretch towards the finish. Fast times were still possible and in the end many delivered. Over 1000 participated in the event which was eventually won by Thomas Frazer (St Malachy’s AC) in 30:48 with Kerry O’Flaherty (Newcastle AC) taking the honours for the ladies after posting 34:17. Orangegrove AC:-

    Andy McIntyre 36:42 (43rd place)
    Robin Montgomery 37:39 PB (3rd in age category)
    Paul Tyro 37:58
    Des Fahy 38:32 PB
    Lyndsey Tyro 39:55
    Brian Todd 41:48 (2nd in age category)
    Martin O’Brien 43:58
    Ian Millgate 46:08
    Gerald Harvey 47:16  
    Reg Sanlon 48:40 PB
    Fintan Hurl 49:02 PB
    Chris Downey 58:02

    Another outstanding run from Andy, with Robin and Paul not far behind. Great to see a strong contingent of sub 40’s and so many either running a PB or being within touching distance. In the juniors mile, the club was well represented by Iseult Fahy who ran a speedy 6.47 for 36th place. As always, thanks to the support team for the endless encouragement and to Monty for the top quality photography.

    Hilltown 10K

    Elsewhere, but over the same distance, Thomas Leitch togged out in Hilltown, County Down and performed admirably to take a fine 5th place in a time of 38:02.

    With it being a slightly quieter weekend than normal on the running front I thought I’d flesh out the report with a bit of a preview of the upcoming London marathon.
    Sunday 24th April 2016 is a day that has been etched in the minds of 36,000 athletes from around the world since the moment they received their London marathon magazines, emails or in my case, notification that I had been drawn out from the club ballot in autumn last year. To run a marathon has become the Everest of running challenges for the novice athlete, to run a fast marathon the target for the more experienced and to run as close to 2 hours the pursuit of the elites. The beauty of our sport is that everyone will toe the line and undertake the same challenge in London, whether it be world record holder Dennis Kimetto, celebrity DJ Chris Evans or the 10 person Orangegrove contingent, all parties will fret over the weather, panic about sleeping in and feel that hollow sensation when you arrive at the start and know that the pain is all ahead of you.

    When Pheidippides ran 25 miles from Marathon to Athens, announced Greek victory over the invading Persians, and before he subsequently died from exhaustion, he may have been comforted to know that by the end of the 19th century the Olympic Games would honour his memory by incorporating his 25 mile run as their ultimate test of endurance. He would doubtless have been touched that in 1908, during the London games, the royal family would take such an interest in the commemorative event that they had it extended to 26.2 miles so they could observe the spectacle as it passed Windsor Castle. It’s questionable, however, whether he would have considered his sacrifice worthwhile had he known that in 2010 a man by the name of Jack Woodward would pay his respects by running 26.2 miles around London dressed as a giant testicle.

    Dressed in regulation orange, the club will be represented by 10 of its members in London, with Club captain Robin Montgomery leading the pursuit of excellence, both Robin and Thomas Leitch will be hoping that when all is said and done they register a time beginning with a two. Paul Tyro shouldn’t be too far behind, although he faces a battle, with wife Lyndsey, to win the award for ‘fastest in house’. Incidentally, Mrs Tyro gained her entry by running 3:13.58 in last years London marathon and subsequently earned a championship place, the first time this significant honour has been bestowed upon our club, very well done Lyndsey. Stephen Anderson and Pauline Bayliss both conquered the Belfast marathon last May and although Pauline has faced injury problems this time around they are both experienced enough campaigners to get the job done in the big smoke. Jill Long and Trish Magill have the added bonus of having previously completed the London marathon, and will know how to master the course. Speaking of experience Alan Montgomery has been there and done that, albeit 25 years ago in his debut marathon, but we all know that Monty has the necessary grit to see him through the sequel in style.

    From my own point of view, this will be my fifth marathon, but first as a member of a running club. Although I’ve not made it to as many of the group long runs as I’d like to have had, and have run a fair bit of solo mileage, I’ve noticed the benefit of the group effort, whether it’s a nugget of advice or just an arm around the shoulder when things haven’t gone as planned. The group have trained hard and deserve to do well, but as we all know part of the lure of the marathon is that it is a difficult beast to tame and even the elites will need everything to be in their favour. Research into what it will take to run a sub 2 hour marathon found that it could only be achieved in optimal cool and calm conditions, with a flat course, few turns and a large group of elite runners capable of sharing the load of pace making until the very end of the race. When you consider that even if all these conditions were in place, the runner would have to have themselves optimally prepared in terms of conditioning, nutrition and mental attitude it’s clear to see why few, if any, can claim to have mastered the marathon distance.

    I think it’s fair to say that none of us will break 2 hours any time soon, but my hope is that we all get out of the weekend what we wish for, and when we sit down to dinner together feel proud that we lived up to the club motto – Working together we accomplish more.

  6. Weekend Report – March 27th

    Comments Off on Weekend Report – March 27th

    Omagh Half Marathon, Cardiff Half Marathon, Two Oceans Half Marathon and parkrun.

    OMAGH

    2016 marks the 27th SPAR Omagh Half Marathon Race & 5Km Fun Run/Walk. Entries have increased steadily over the years from 240 in the year 2000 to almost 4,000 in 2015, all down to the slick organising of the Omagh Harriers Half Marathon committee. There is a quality technical t-shirt guaranteed for the first 2000 Half Marathon entries plus new medals for 2016.

    Running through the streets of the surrounding town the Omagh Half Marathon was originally a hilly race. However it has been re-routed to become an undulating course which will please the many runners who take part in this increasingly popular race. Runners start and finish at Omagh Leisure Complex.

    …and pleasing it proved for our representatives on Saturday (start time 11am), who, in the attached photos proudly adorn their new shiny and well-earned medals. In a race, won by Gideon Kimosop of Project Africa Athletes in 1:05:53 and 1st Lady Laura Graham of Mourne Runners in 1:18:07, Orangegrove fielded a very strong team consisting of:

    Robin Montgomery 1:23:45
    Paul Tyro 1:24:23
    Eric Fairfield 1:28:05
    Lyndsey Tyro 1:30:55 (6th Lady)
    Darren Houston 1:38:08
    Anne Moore 1:38:47
    Lisa Fleming 1:48:58 PB

    Seriously good running folks and a very well done to each of you (but especially to Darren who, whilst I was trying to figure out where Anne (23rd?) & Lisa finished in the Ladies, eschewed the figures, by representing both sexes on the day! That ‘F40’ category needs sorting…

    CARDIFF

    The World Half Marathon Championships held in Cardiff on Saturday were hailed a roaring success after the event attracted some of the planet’s best athletes to Wales.

    The capital city played host to the global gathering of runners as 20,000 participants followed an elite field male and female competitors.

    Kenya’s women managed an impressively dominant top three finish before Mo Farah took bronze in the men’s race after a close sprint finish in atrocious conditions.

    The Met Office issued a severe weather warning for the whole of Wales on Saturday, and the forecasters did not disappoint. All I can say is…if Thomas Leitch says it was rather cold…it was freaking baltic!

    But despite torrential rain and wind, thousands of runners took to the streets of Cardiff to complete the 13.1-mile course, in the footsteps of the world’s greats.

    Residents, visitors and 1,200 volunteers lined the streets of the entire city before entrants finished in Cathays Park.

    Our collection of cruising, crusading, charismatic, curious, climatic-challenging, chaste Cardiff chasers consisted of:

    Andy McIntyre 1:21:48 PB
    Thomas Leitch 1:23:00
    Jill Holland 1:46:43 PB
    Catherine Fearon 2:02:41

    Apart from that, and the dreadful weather (!), there actually did appear to be some light at the end of the tunnel as you can see from the Fantastic Four’s brilliant results in that onslaught of rain and wind. Congratulations and I can only admire some of these consistently good performances being executed week in, week out.

    I forgot to add that….indeed, even with this weather, Jill managed a PB of nearly 4 mins!! Yes…4 mins! Fantastic performance and time. I am also reliably informed that Andy might also have obtained a Half Mara PB, no wonder with sub 1:22, what a time. I guess all 4 will be begging for more terrible weather in future races…!

    We trust you had a good time in Cardiff afterwards (the last time I was there I had more than 1 pint of Brains Smooth and more than 1 Brains Pie(!)).

    TWO OCEANS HALF MARATHON

    Now I don’t know if Chris and Nicola Downey were trying to ‘rub it in’ to our Cardiff contingent but…they won the farthest representation trophy again this week in what is described as ‘The World’s Most Beautiful Marathon’. Chris completed the Half Marathon and Nicola the 5.6km Fun Run.

    I hope Chris didn’t forget his TOMTOM watch because the OMTOM (Old Mutual Two Oceans Marathon) embraced 2 Oceans…the Indian and the Atlantic Ocean.

    In what appears to be a most picturesque route the Half Marathon (route in attachment below) started in Newlands/Claremont, processed through Constantia, skirting the Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens at the eastern foot of Table Mountain in Cape Town with a view of the 12 Apostles sea-side before finishing at the University of Cape Town.

    Chris ran a super 1:36:40 along with 16,000 South Africans singing the ‘Shosholoza’ in the dark. Yes, the race started in the dark and, not to be in the dark about the Shosholoza, it’s is a Ndebele folk song that originated in what is now Zimbabwe but was popularised in South Africa. The song is a traditional South African folk song that was sung by Ndebele all-male migrant workers that were working in the South African mines in a call and response style. The song is so popular in South African culture that it is often referred to as South Africa’s second national anthem.

    A mighty race for a mighty competitor. Well done Nicola too on wearing the club vest and we all wish you have as good a holiday as it looks!

    PARKRUN

    As if a half marathon wasn’t enough, Thomas Leitch ran in the Cardiff Parkrun as a warm-up and Chris Downey ran in the Rondebosch Common Parkrun as…a warm-down.

    Closer to home but no less special were 50th Parkruns at Victoria Park for Alison Hall-Thompson and Deborah Killen. Congrats to both on what is a landmark and a proud achievement (I never thought I’d reach 50 when I started).

    A big shout out to Hilary Bradshaw for a cracking PB of 27:34 at Victoria, an impressive time, and a small whisper (cos he’ll be too tired to read this) to Stephen Anderson who squeezed in a parkrun before doing 21 miles on Sunday.

    At Ormeau…Des Fahy was 10th with a super 19:14, Michael O’Donoghue (on his quietest weekend ever) ran 23:37 whilst there were Ormeau PBs for Reg Sanlon (24:00) and Fintan Hurl (25:02).

    Impressive Bangor debut times of 22:33 and 23:37 for David Fletcher and Lisa Rodham respectively; Melinda Wilkinson achieved 27:27 at Stormont whereas, Judith McCann got a fantastic PB of 26:44 at a puddly Stormont. Well done… and to Paul Gruhn who was high up the leaderboard at Colin Glen with 26:17.

    Yes folks, from the temperate (Omagh) to the torrential (Cardiff) to the gorgeous (South Africa)…the club was ably and proudly represented by its members in the last week, not to mention, during all the parkruns and we’re only starting to Spring forward…

  7. Weekend Report – March 13th

    Comments Off on Weekend Report – March 13th

    Jimmy’s 10K

    After the rigours of the Stormont XC, the fourth round of the club championship drew many of us to Downpatrick for Jimmy’s 10K, named after Jimmy Murray who was a teacher and founding member of East Down AC.

    Read the full race report here.

    Addiction NI 10K

    A race I really like, low key, well organised and most importantly,flat. The course is run anti-clockwise round Ormeau Embankment and Ormeau Park. Antra Balcuna finished first female and 22nd out of 111 runners with a time of 44min 50sec. Antra has been injured recently and not in her best form since the Christmas Cracker last year, despite a spirited performance at the Lurgan XC, so very well done.

    Glenariff Mountain Race (9.5K)

    The race starts and finishes at St. Patrick’s Primary School, Waterfoot and involves 370m of ascent over part of the Ulster Way. The race was won by William McKee, Mourne Runners, in a time of 43min 8sec. Three members of the club bravely took part in this demanding event:

    23rd/98 Paul Woodman 54min 9sec
    75th/98 Eoghan Rainey 75min 3sec
    83rd/98 Sharon Dickenson 83min 23sec

    Thanks to Jayne Bell / NIMRA for the photos

    Deeside Ultra Marathon, Aberdeen (53K)

    I have never really liked Aberdeen, maybe it is due to memories of cold winters, spartan B&B’s and long helicopter trips offshore in all weathers. Michael O’Donoghue, on the other hand probably could not wait to get there, as he loves running and the longer the race the better. The route follows the Deeside from Duthie Park to Banchory and back.

    The race was won by Joe Symonds (Shettleston Harriers) in 3hrs 21min 26sec. I am pleased to report that Michael survived the cut off point and posted a time of 5hrs 12min 10sec, 152nd/335.

    Parkrun (Saturday 12th March)

    In many ways the weekly parkrun is at the core of our running and the reason why some of us got into running and joined a club. Well done to all those who achieved a PB this weekend. For those who did not – just running 5K is an achievement in itself, indeed just making it to the start line for 9:30 on Saturday morning and beginning to run takes some courage.

    This week the Jog Belfast East group, organised jointly by Orangegrove AC with Victoria Park and Connsbrook AC, did their graduation 5K run at Victoria Park after ten weeks of training, often in poor weather conditions. Well done to all of them and their dedicated trainers.

    Also at Victoria Park, Colin Haddick completed two hundred and fifty parkruns and was presented afterwards with two black t-shirts and one red one to represent his total number of runs. I hope his very special parkrun t-shirt arrives soon. Parkrun always needs volunteers so contact Gerry Ward at: belfastvictoriahelpers@parkrun.com and help out when you can.

    Club members who achieved a parkrun PB:

    Victoria Park: Chris Downey (18:47); Jacob McKittrick (20:23)
    Stormont: Lisa Rodham (22:54); Neal Killen (30:25)
    Colin Glen: Paul Tyro (19:54); Lyndsey Tyro (21:16)
    Comber: Reg Sanlon (25:07)
    Bangor: Catherine Lavery (30:35)

  8. Jimmy’s 10K – Club Championship

    Comments Off on Jimmy’s 10K – Club Championship

    After the rigours of the Stormont XC, the fourth round of the club championship drew many of us to Downpatrick for Jimmy’s 10K, named after Jimmy Murray who was a teacher and founding member of East Down AC.

    Two years ago I watched such luminaries as Brian Todd and Terry Eakin run past. I thought this 10K malarkey looked hard, if not positively life threatening. A nearby medic assured me it was safe, though I had my doubts. One thing is sure – it is never easy.

    Thankfully the weather was perfect and the sun came out to really set off those orange vests. The course was slightly different to recent years. The start and finish was in Ballydugan Industrial Estate, Ballydugan Road and the river section was therefore shorter. My favourite part of the race was the homeward section (surprise) along the river and through the leafy suburbs of the town.

    The race was won by Paddy Hamilton (Slieve Gullion Runners) in a time of 31min 37sec. Well done to Andy McIntyre and Lyndsey Tyro on being the highest placed Orangegrove runners and to Jacqui Maxwell in winning the female F55 prize.

    Thanks to Joe Quinn and EDAC for all their hospitality and help. I am sure the club will want to return in strength for the race in 2017.

    Results:

    Andrew McIntyre 00:36:40 73.41% PB
    Robin Montgomery 00:38:14 77.77% PB
    Desmond Fahy 00:39:10 76.51%
    Eric Fairfield 40:00:00 71.54%
    Timothy Robinson 00:40:07 73.58% PB
    Darren Houston 00:40:57 71.51%
    Lyndsey Tyro 00:41:54 72.39%
    Brian Todd 00:42:19 81.76%
    Stephen Anderson 00:43:22 69.68%
    Andrew Allen 00:44:00 69.20% PB
    Julie McKimm 00:44:28 70.50%
    Martin O’Brien 00:44:44 63.97%
    Ian Grant 00:45:28 60.70%
    Mark Williamson 00:45:28 62.50%
    Ian Millgate 00:45:56 62.30%
    Gerald Harvey 00:47:43 71.85%
    Jacqui Maxwell 00:48:51 74.96%
    Emma McWilliams 00:48:54 65.99%
    Reg Sanlon 00:49:51 70.68% PB
    Jill Holland 00:50:03 67.80%
    Lisa Fleming 00:50:50 63.48%
    Alison Hall-Thompson 00:51:55 60.39% PB
    Fintan Hurl 00:52:13 52.54%
    Alan Martin 00:53:27 60.87%
    Anna Rankin 00:54:09 58.66% PB
    Paul Gruhn 00:54:15 50.57%
    Kerris Hamilton 00:54:21 57.34%
    Kirsty Buchanan 00:54:21 55.81%
    Brian McFarland 00:54:51 55.52% PB
    Martin Walker 00:55:46 52.12%
    Jenny Powell 00:56:03 55.61% PB
    Melinda Wilkinson 00:57:01 56.59%
    Judith McCann 00:57:27 54.25% PB
    Catherine Fearon 00:58:00 52.30%
    Selina Myles 00:58:00 52.64%
    Stephen Craig 01:00:13 54.03%
    Sarah Malcolmson 01:00:58 50.25%
    Anne Devlin 01:02:48 56.82%
    Eleanor Acheson 01:02:52 49.58%
    Beverley Martin 01:04:51 55.74%
    Linda Craig 01:05:20 56.81%
    Sharon McFarland 01:05:21 51.93%
    Mairead Napier 01:06:00 47.50%
    Catherine Lavery 01:06:05 53.32%
    Shona Pryde 01:08:06 44.74%
    Ian Reid 01:16:18 38.10%

  9. Weekend Report – March 6th

    Comments Off on Weekend Report – March 6th

    This week’s activities range from coastline and riverside to mountain top with club participation as far afield as Colchester. We have a number of significant achievements throughout the Club too, so, warm-up complete; let’s go.

    SLIEVE GULLION MOUNTAIN RACE

    As the cross country season ends, this race, organised by Armagh AC, marks the start of the hill running season.

    The race is described as a short race, covering around 3.9 miles, over a fairly well defined route, suitable for athletes of all standards. Add 340 metres of climb over the distance, mixed terrain including challenging technical sections, a pre-race hail shower standing in your race vest and shorts, and you have the first mountain race of the year.

    Weather conditions during the race seem to have been good, but there was plenty of mud around as evidenced in the excellent photos by Jayne Bell, available via the informative NIMRA website. The 85 competitors included our very own Sharon Dickenson, an experienced and enthusiastic mountain expert.

    The race was won by Jonny Steede who led from the start, with Newcastle AC’s Mari Troeng first over the line for the ladies. The full results were not available at time of writing but Sharon’s smile says enough!

    I have only taken part in two mountain races, both at the tail end of last year, but the reports and photos have left me excited by the prospect of getting out there again this year.

    Photo by Jane Bell (NIMRA)

    CARLINGFORD HALF MARATHON AND 10K

    Travelling a little further south, the Carlingford Half and 10k races were organised by 26Extreme again this year with the race in aid of St. Brigids Special School in Dundalk.

    The Half Marathon began in the picturesque village of Carlingford, taking in the beautiful surrounds of the Cooley peninsula, Ballagan Point, Mourne Mountains & Carlingford Lough, finishing back in Carlingford.

    The 10K race followed a shorter loop finishing along the same route into the village.
    The organiser’s description added: “… a few small hills along the route but nothing major!”

    Sarah Malcolmson was the only Orangegrove member to take part in the 10k race, reporting that, “it was a beautiful crisp sunny morning and it was actually quite hot when we were inland. The first 3 miles were slightly hilly – gentle hills but quite a few of them. The final 2 miles were flat but the headwind was brutal. Pleased to have finished just under the hour (59:50) – that was my goal.” Great work.

    Andrew McIntyre finished in a very impressive 21st place of the 636 competitors who took part in the half marathon with a time of 01:24:05, having had a great day apart from the brutal two miles into the strong head wind.

    Michael O’Donoghue, having completed 62miles in training last week, completed his first Half since Dambusters with an excellent Personal Best of 01:33:43 – an improvement of some four minutes!

    The ladies were represented by Verity Conford with a time of 01:54:43, and Catherine Fearon with 02:05:22.

    SSE AIRTRICITY WALLED CITY 10 MILE CHALLENGE

    The course was billed as a radically improved course this year and is considered to provide good preparation for the Walled City Marathon on June 5th and the Larne Half Marathon on March 19th.

    Unlike the Bay Road 5k last year, the route took great advantage of the River Foyle. Starting at Ebrington Square, running out via St Columb’s Park and the Waterside Greenway to cross the Foyle Bridge, the course continued for four miles inland along the Foyle past the beautifully restored Guild Hall and the Craigavon Bridge. The route then doubled back along the Foyle Road to cross the Peace Bridge, with a fairly sharp climb back up to Ebrington Square.

    Following a warm-up parkrun in the Maiden City, Chris Downey, our sole representative at the Walled City 10 Mile Challenge this year, achieved an impressive time of 1:07:27, finishing well up the results table at 42nd out of 311.

    The race was won by Gideon Kimosop of Project Africa Athletics, who many will remember from our Kenyan style training session at Grosvenor Grammar School (and who could forget the delayed onset muscle soreness!), with a time of 0:50:04; Natasha Adams, Letterkenny A.C., was first female across the line with a time of 0:57:51

    ST HELEN’S 10K

    Mark Williamson was in Merseyside this weekend with his visit taking in a rugby match at Langtree Park. Mark even made a special appearance on the pitch – as part of the St Helen’s 10k.

    Mark pointed out that the race was started in 2011 by St Helen’s ex rugby league player Steve Prescott. Steve got a rare form of cancer in 2006 but still managed to raise £500,000 for charity through taking on extreme running, cycling, rowing and swimming events and was made an MBE. Unfortunately Steve passed away in 2013 but his charity still lives on.

    The race started and finished at the Langtree Park rugby league ground, following an undulating course in cold but dry conditions. The 1711 finishers included Steve’s wife. Mark finished 197th in a time of 0:45:04.

    PARKRUN

    Our first special mention goes to the speedy Paul Woodman who was second across the line in Bangor on Saturday with a time of 18:22 to complete his 100th parkrun. Congratulations Paul.

    Anne Devlin achieved a new PB at Belfast Victoria with a time of 00:29:20.

    The Stormont course saw a significant number of PB’s this week, possibly, though not necessarily, as a result of a reduction in the course length to bring it down to a corrected 5k distance. Orangegrove took first and second female across the finish line with great runs from Lyndsey Tyro (00:20:21) and Jill Holland (00:23:12).

    Emma McWilliams was first female across the line at Colin Glen (00:23:47)

    Linda Craig represented the club at Colchester Castle with a time of 00:27:31

    As mentioned in most reports, we have a great team keeping everything running smoothly at Belfast Victoria Parkrun. We must express our thanks to this week’s team: Carole Bell, Lemuel Black Jnr, Jim Harris, Gary Keenan, Elizabeth Leitch, Alan Martin, Darren Moan, Liz Murray, Selina Myles, Emma Smith and Gerry Ward

    The great attitude and friendly smiles of those who help out make it appear as if it is no trouble but there is an ongoing need for volunteers to help lighten the load. Find out what you can do to help by contacting Gerry at belfastvictoriahelpers@parkrun.com

    Thanks to Jane Bell (NIMRA) and Davy O’Brien for the photos.

  10. Weekend Report – February 21st

    Comments Off on Weekend Report – February 21st

    Armagh International Road Races, Northern Ireland XC Championships – Lurgan,  Omagh CBS 10k, Castle Ward challenge and parkrun.

    Armagh International Road Races

    Long established as the ecclesiastical capital of Ireland the cathedral city of Armagh has for at least the last quarter of a century been the holy grail for runners in search of a fast track and a quick time. A race with a fascinating history, it has its origins as one of a series of events, including two cross country races, to be included in Armagh’s inaugural International Sport & Cultural Week back in 1975.

    Read the full race report here

    Northern Ireland XC Championships – Lurgan

    The penultimate round of the cross country league saw the cream of the local mud running brigade gather in the spectacular setting of Lurgan Park, lured by the promise of double points and the potential to make a move up the league table at what is officially deemed the NI championship race.

    Read the full race report here

    Omagh CBS 10k

    Undeterred by his lung bursting exploits on Thursday night, Des Fahy was at it again on Saturday, this time in his hometown of Omagh. Despite running on what were doubtless fatigued legs, Des managed to finish in 40:26 for 20th place out of 183. The race was won by Conan McCaughey of Derry Track Club in 32:32

    Castle Ward challenge

    Selina Myles completed the 8.4 mile Castle Ward challenge (results have been difficult to track down but Selina assures me it was a sociable run and that she didn’t pay much attention to the time).

    Parkrun

    10479104_10153022439804001_4214861480823048457_oOn a wet and windy Saturday morning, and with legs being rested for the afternoon’s activities in Lurgan, PB’s were always going to be few and far between in Victoria Park this weekend and as it turned out they were scarcer than hens teeth, but there was still plenty to warm the cockles not least the birthday of one of Orangegrove’s finest.

    Always the first with a smile and a word of encouragement, Gerry Ward encapsulates everything good about parkrun and it was a pleasure for us to share his 83rd birthday with him, many happy returns Gerry and thanks to Liz Leitch and Liz Murray for arranging the cake. Out on the course Alan Martin (23:41) celebrated parkrun number 150 with his usual graceful determination, Neal Killen (30:21) brought up his half century and will enjoy bragging rights over wife Deborah, but having run number 46 today and with a time not far off a PB, Mrs Killen is in form to bring up her own half century in style by the middle of next month.

    Over at Queens, Paul Tyro (22:15) was incorporating parkrun into his long run as training for London progresses whilst Michael O’Donoghue (25:22) continued to relentlessly quench his thirst for miles with a 5k detour on the way to Lurgan Park. At Ormeau, Paul’s better half Lyndsey was third female in 21:19 and at Stormont, junior member Nicholas Thomas (24:34) ran the club’s only parkrun PB of the day, whilst Gerald Harvey (24:23), Reg Sanlon (26:25) and Judith McCann (28:31) were all within touching distance of a similar feat. Anne Devlin (30:52) ran Cannon Hill parkrun in Birmingham.

    As ever, I’d like to finish with an invite to the parkrun party at Belfast Victoria. We are lucky to have a dedicated team in Gary Keenan, Gerry Ward, Liz Murray, Darren Moan, Carole Bell, Jim Harris and Imelda McConnell who fulfil most of the roles most of the time, but always need more volunteers and should you feel the urge to join Gary’s band of merry men and women you will be given a warm welcome and all the training you require, you can contact Gerry at belfastvictoriahelpers@parkrun.com