In the absence of both last year’s winners in Saturday’s 6th running of the Dundrum Gr8 Race, there were two certainties, that there would be new names on the champions lists and that neither of them would be mine. The question was, would the near perfect running conditions lead to a new race record time?
The absence of the headwind on the beach contributed significantly to the performances of most runners and it was notable that the winning times were almost 2 minutes better than last year. And yet Brendan Teer’s 2013 record of 44.46 remained unthreatened, with North Belfast Harriers Andrew Annett posting 45.29 ahead of Mourne Runners William McKee 45.34 and North Belfast’s Lindsay Gordon 46.02. Probably the unluckiest runner on the day was another North Belfast runner Brendan Grew who was 3rd last year in 49.31. He ran 47.07 this year, just 1 second short of last year’s winning time and yet finished only 5th!!
COMPARISONS 2014/2015
However East Down’s runners took full advantage of the benign conditions to demonstrate the benefits of club membership and dedicated training throughout the past year. Dee Murray 52.02 was 22nd (19th in 55.39) 45. Ciaran Denvir 52.24 was 24th (72nd in 60.17) Gareth Kelly 57.37 was 99th (213 in 66.28) Phillip Vint 37th in 54.08 (214 in 66.28) Michael McKeown was 114th in 58.37 (261st in 68.37) 2014 places and times in brackets.
Stephen Heasley had by far his best run to date, his 58.01 leaving him with a full half hour to recover before I crossed the finish line with his keys. David Smith 59.42 was another to break the hour with Gavin Hynds 60.32 just a few seconds over in 150th place.
A special word here for Stephen Cassidy who had never run further than 10K in his life, making his mark in his first venture in club colours wit an eyecatching 62.23. The only problem with that Stephen is that you’ll be expected to break 60 next year!
James Maginess was more than pleased to hit the 60 minute mark while it was good to see the Erskine family back in action again, though clearly the children are no respecters of age, Paddy posting a superb 55.28 for 70th place for 2nd Male Junior, younger brother Johnny 60.07 and Dad Jim 61.02. John Manly 67.33 ran his usual well timed race with Gary Small 72.58 heading back towards full fitness again.
LADIES
Niamh Kellett 56.52 had a super run to finish 4th in the Ladies Open category and will be force to be reckoned with in the future. Lisa Milligan also looked assured and comfortable with 68.12 while Clare Carson 70.49 was not far behind. Other first timers Donna Russell and Sharon Carew finished together in 1.21.52 and will undoubtedly benefit from the experience.
GUEST APPEARANCE?
Approaching the finish in the company of my 2nd daughter, and boosted by the cheers of my grandson Joe at the Twelve Arches, we were speculating on whether there would be a celebrity or anyone there to meet us when I saw a sign which read “Prepare to meet thy God” and thought Murlough must have really pushed out the boat to land that sort of “A” lister! In the event He wasn’t there, probably got tired of waiting, but Pamela and Carol remained, so happy days all round.
Best wishes to all the East Down runners and indeed to all those from local clubs who are running the Dublin Marathon next weekend.
McGRADY’S FINANCIAL SERVICES JUNIOR CROSS COUNTRY SERIES
Sunday afternoon and another beautiful day greeted the ever increasing numbers of children who took part in Round 2 of the McGrady’s Financial Services Junior Cross Country series hosted for the first time by Dromore AC. Some superb performances and stirring efforts by every child made for a measure of comfort while Ireland were exiting the Rugby World Cup.
NI MASTERS CROSS COUNTRY TRIALS
Several of East Down’s runners travelled to Belfast on Saturday for the NI Masters Cross Country races, which double as the pre-selection races for the British and Irish Championships to be held this year in Dublin. Probably because of the “home” venue the races were fiercely competitive and only Barrie Atkinson secured his place by finishing 3rd in the M35 Category.
Francis Tumelty was 6th in the ultra competitive M45 Category and must await possible withdrawals as first reserve. Paul Burns tested the water while far from fully fit and will be back next year while Liam Smyth and Liam Keenan will also throw their hats in the ring again.
Catherine O’Connor was 2nd in the Ladies Open ace at the same venue.
GRIDDLE RACE – ONLINE ENTRY
Next local race is the Griddle 10k and 5K Fun Run on Sunday 6 December beginning at 12 noon. Note change of date. Entries will be taken on the day from 10.00am onwards but Online Entry is now available at www.athleticsni.org
SENIOR CROSS COUNTRY LEAGUE and JUVENILE (EVEN AGE GROUP) CHAMPIONSHIPS
The second of the 9 round Cross Country League fixtures takes place on Saturday under the guise of the Bobby Rea Memorial at the University of Ulster campus in Jordanstown. An added attraction which will ensure a big turnout is the inclusion of the NI and Ulster Even Age Group Championships on the programme. T
Joe Quinn
19 October 2015