CRAIGAVON LAKES 10K
It seems like a long time ago since I heard of the involvement of 3 East Down AC runners in Craigavon Lakes 10 K , with James Savage leading the way with a fine 7th place overall in 36.37, followed closely by Dee Murray 12th in 37.51. and Gareth Kelly 28th in 40.02. Good running all round but no PBs and just a pity that there were no team prizes on offer. But in fact it was only last Wednesday night – how time flies when there is a lot happening!
HILL & DALE 9
In what is traditionally the most feared / least liked / toughest of them all/ scares the daily input outa me / race of the eleven Hill and Dale series, Thursday night’s event still attracted over 150 entries – over 50 short of the regular turnouts –as Neil Andrews took 5th place in Slieve Loughshannagh with Gavin Hynds in 39th place. Our top lady was also our only female competitor on Thursday night, the indomitable Janine Murray, who has stuck to her task every week of this year’s series and deserves a special note.
MOURNE MOUNTAIN ULTRA MARATHON (52.4 MILES)
Nor does it seem like a year since the 26 Extreme Mourne Way Marathon took place yet at 12.30pm on Saturday the runners were gathered in Donard Park in, mostly in a quandary between the warm sunny conditions that Mother Nature was delivering and what the race organisers were warning of the swollen rivers and very deep boglands that would greet them later on the open mountain section of the route.
Of course no such dilemma faced the 80 odd souls who lined up in Kilbroney Park at 6.06am to tackle the Ultra Marathon (52.4 miles) just as I was pulling up the blankets and reassuring myself that it was such a bad morning that it would lead to the postponement of the ultra race or at least lead to a delayed start. Not a chance of that – it was a case of you’re here now, you’re big enough and old enough to decide what to do, here are the risks out there – so off you go. And off went our two most tenacious runners Oonagh Brétéché and Michael Cultra and when I saw them shortly after 6.00pm that same evening they not only looked as fresh as paint but remarkably clean and sufficiently alert for Oonagh to note that they had cut over 2 and a quarter hours off their 2016 times, crossing the line together in 12.15. If you can both stand up please take a bow. Epic stuff!!
MOURNE MOUNTAIN MARATHON (26.2 MILES)
In the marathon Phillip Vint was back for another spot of fun – he just loves the whole thing – and relishes the prospect of guiding some of the less experienced runners through the dodgy bits – all 25 miles of them!! Anyway he set off with first timer Dermot Cahill and crossed the line some 4 hours and 14 minutes later in highly respectable 17th and 18th places
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Raymond Milligan 38th had some up close and painful experiences with the mountain but thankfully he made the finish line in 4.37, sore but successful. Stephen Heasley was more than happy with 50th place in 4.44. Stephen McCartan 104th in 5.18 was looking forward to a change of footwear and Charlie Ataliotis 180th in 6.33 with typical chivalry, allowed Linda and Paula to cross the line ahead of him. Conditions were described as awful and with rivers knee deep and bogs on occasions waist deep, every step slippery and treacherous, it was extremely fortunate that more of the runners did not suffer serious injuries.
The Ladies too were out in force in the marathon, with Cheryl Denvir leading the way, recording an excellent 4.51, Liz O’Hagan and Patricia Galloway both on 5.46, Clare Carson was glad to see the finish line in 6.02 and the ever reliable Linda Cuningham, happily in the company of Murlough’s Paula McKibbin finishing in 6.33
JOANNE 3RD IN HALF MARATHON
The half marathon, delayed by 30 minutes due to a coach breakdown on the way to the start – a motor coach in case anyone thinks that the pressure got to someone – saw over 330 runners leave Spelga around 2.30pm. Joanne Foster really set the sodden turf alight with a superb 3rd place, 17th overall, in 1.52, just 10 seconds behind Newcastle’s 2nd placed Mari Troeng. Well done to both.
Gareth Kelly, fresh from his mid week efforts in Craigavon completed in 2.08 and Catherine Gilchrist accompanied by husband Paul knocked 18 minutes off her 2016 time – who said conditions were awful? A unique take on spending some quality time together!
Marguerite Robinson, like Raymond Milligan, trying to keep too low a profile, ended up in contact with Mother Earth, though not quite using those descriptive terms, avoided serious injury, and posted a remarkable time of 2.20. Afterwards she had cause to reflect on just how dangerous our sport can be.
Colum Surginor was just finished when I arrived at the finish, having completed in 3.05. Joanne Carson, Mags Flynn and Sean Sealey finished together in 3.25 and a little further back, came the two club stalwarts Bernice McCann and Eithne McGrattan, who see the whole thing as an adventure to be enjoyed by everyone and act accordingly.
A GARDENER’S PERSPECTIVE
Just to put this in perspective, after Oonagh and Michael set off at 6.06am into the wind and rain I had time for another 2 hours beauty sleep, unsuccessful as it turned out, to enjoy a leisurely breakfast, leave my American visitors to Newcastle and settle them into their apartment, go and see the marathon runners off, have lunch, travel back to Downpatrick, dig over a flowerbed and plant approx 40 begonias, have a cup of coffee and travel to Rostrevor to wait anxiously for the arrival of many of those intrepid runners. All the while they were out there battling the elements and their natural desire to pack it in, in the company of all those marathoners, half marathoners and 10K runners – Yes there was one of those too – who had given up their gardening time to be part of it. Guess which I would have rather done?
NEIL THE STAR AT ULSTER SENIOR T&F CHAMPIONSHIPS
While the East Down equivalents of Sherpa Tensing were combating the worst that the Mournes could throw at them, several of their equally determined and mostly younger, colleagues were taking on the best of NI’s T&F athletes at Mary Peters Track. Pride of place has to go to Neil McCartan who came 6th in very high quality 1500 metres field, his time of 3.55.79 sufficient to see off Jimmy’s Ten winner Ben Branagh and double Olympic Gold medallist Michael McKillop.
Andrew Telford ran the 100m but didn’t qualify for the final.
Ellen Erskine and Laura Gardiner were 2nd and third respectively in the Under 20 800m which was run as a time trial in 2 separate races. Laura also got a second place in the Under 20 400m as did Matthew McGrattan in the U18 400m. This means that they all qualify for the All Ireland Championships in a few weeks time. Matthew has also been selected for the 400m and the 4x400m relay as part of the Ulster Team in the Inter Pros at Santry on 24th June. Well done to all of them.
GLENMORE AC 10 MILE CHALLENGE
Carmel Tumelty meantime was forging a lone East Down furrow in the Glenmore AC 10 Mile Challenge in the Cooley Mountains in Co. Louth , and doing it very well, completing the distance in 96.58.
Joe Quinn
12 June 2017