JUNIOR CROSS COUNTRY
Castlewellan Forest Park on a warm and sunny Sunday afternoon was the venue for the first round in this year’s junior interclub cross country series, once again generously sponsored by McGrady’s Financial Services. Junior athletes from East Down AC, Newcastle AC, Burren AC, Dromore AC and 3Ways AC will compete against each other over the five race series throughout the winter months for both individual and team prizes.
Once again the first race in the series was well supported and a large crowd of spectators were treated to an afternoon of competitive racing as the young athletes battled for both personal and team glory.
Our thanks to Newcastle AC for setting up a splendid course, their very efficient registration and the hospitality extended to all.
The next fixture in the series is due to take place in Dromore on Sunday 18th October.
Lurgan Park 10K
Also on Sunday St Peter’s GAC organised a 10K run in Lurgan Park in aid of the Southern Area Hospice and East Down AC had three runners in attendance to support their event. Ciaran Denvir was the first East Down AC finisher, in a terrific 12th place overall, coming home in a fast time of 38:55. Next home was the ever-improving Liam Smyth in 40:27 and 14th overall with Michael McKeown completing the trio in 43:34 and 25th place.
Bangor Aurora 10K
On Saturday 26th September over 500 athletes took part in the Bangor Aurora 10K road race with two runners from East Down AC making the journey to compete. Liam Keenan was a late entry, keen to put a perceived poor run in the recent Laganside 10k behind him, and he can be very satisfied with his time of 39:57 which was good enough to take 37th place in a high quality field. Kristoffer Fegan was the other East Down AC representative and he too will be pleased with his time of 43:00 and 79th placing.
Causeway Coast Marathon
Also taking place on Saturday and billed as ‘the beaches, bays and cliffs marathon’, the Causeway Coast event gives competitors a choice of distances ranging from a straightforward 10K to a seemingly impossible 60K Ultra Marathon, all of which take in the stunning scenery of the North Coast. The popularity of this event continues to grow with over 1,000 athletes taking part this year including an intrepid band of 10 from East Down AC. No-one selected the ‘soft’ 10K option with Stephen McCartan, Liz O’Hagan, Cathy Burke, Eithne McGrattan, Bernice McCann and Helen Vint all taking part in the half marathon and all can be very proud of their performances. Philip Vint took 30th spot in the marathon event in a very solid 4:09:26 followed in 46th place by Mark McDowell in 4:32:44. Simon McGrattan and Linda Cunningham were the only two hardy East Down runners electing for the ultra-race, which set off from Portstewart Strand at 7:15 am and then on to Ballintoy, where they would turn and re-trace their steps back to the atmospheric finish at Portballintrae. A great achievement by both and hopefully they are now enjoying a few days well-deserved rest!
Road Relay Championships
This forthcoming Saturday sees the annual Northern Ireland Road Relay Championships take place in Victoria Park, Belfast with the first race due off at 11:10 am. East Down AC will be well represented in all categories and the Club gazebo will be erected with refreshments provided for all runners and supporters. The day is promoted as a ‘festival of running’ and is a unique event with a terrific atmosphere so come along and support the teams and enjoy a great day out.