Thursday past was a momentous day in the history of athletics in Northern Ireland. On that day the refurbished Mary Peters track was officially re-opened after a £3 million makeover which saw the track extended from 6 to 8 lanes, complete reverse of its layout with the back straight becoming the home straight, a complete upgrade of the infield and at long last, a 400 seater grandstand and changing rooms. Not what you might normally call cutting edge development in this day and age but given the facilities which had existed for almost 40 years previuosly, a major step forward. Continue reading →