COOKSTOWN SIZZLER
What is green at the bottom, white at the top and clear and juicy in the middle? No, it’s nor Shrek and it’s not a Yuletide cocktail either. The answer is specifically, the cross country course at Saturday’s League fixture at the Mid Ulster Arena outside Cookstown.
Having left Down’s balmy temperatures and unrelenting rain on Saturday morning it was something of a surprise to see the landscape transformed into a Winter wonderland with several inches of snow glistening in the by now sun bathed countryside as we approached Dungannon about one hour later.
The problem was caused not by the snow but by the surface water which remained from several days of torrential rain on already saturated ground. Anyway its pristine appearance was soon turned into a quagmire of in places knee deep, freezing liquid mud. Luckily us older guys had the “advantage” of running first with the Ladies, so we benefited from the better ground over 3 tortuous laps but were responsible for churning it up for the Men who had 5 laps to complete afterwards.
I managed a podium position in the Masters race for the first time this year as there were only 4 pensioners allowed out to take part. Positively the worst conditions I have ever experienced. A final word on the underfoot conditions – I wouldn’t like to be a groundsman at the Sports Arena on Monday!!
3 FROM EAST DOWN but LYNCHED AGAIN.
Three stalwarts from East Down turned out in the Mens open race and in spite of the conditions all three gave highly creditable performances, placing in the top 50 in the race won by Newcastle’s Seamus Lynch. How come he doesn’t sink in the mud like the rest of us? He simply glided round the 5 miles in an incredible 30.13 – a superb effort by an athlete right at the top of his game. Nevertheless Michael Cultra’s 29th place, Paul Burns 42nd and Mark O’Connor’s 49th laid a firm foundation for a good team placing – but unfortunately as it takes 4 to make a team we didn’t score.
HINDSIGHT
So if I had opted for running with the big boys to make up a team and had finished last, which I would have difficulty doing, we would have taken 4th place!! Which could have been 3rd if any other of our members had turned up and finished. OK so it’s too late in the season now to make a significant impact on our League placing but what if? Admittedly there are 3 League fixtures in December, in the weekends leading up to Christmas, in Ballyclare, Cookstown and Derry, which are time consuming to participate in and thus not particularly family friendly but this excuse is not really valid. How many football teams fail to fulfil their fixtures at this time of year because of shopping duties or indeed how many dedicated runners miss out on their Christmas parties to spend more time shopping. Certainly the likes of Manchester United or Liverpool would be as red faced as their jerseys if their players said “Sorry, can’t make the game this weekend, Boss, it’s too far to travel and my wife won’t let me go.” Anyway that’s the end of my weekly rant and the last before Christmas – but I’ll be back!
CROSSGAR’S SANTA RUN
Sunday afternoon saw the first ever race event staged by Crossgar Harriers and what a well organised and highly enjoyable event it was. Literally hundreds of local runners answered the call to come along complete with Santa hats and outfits, in fact the real Santa flew past me on his way to a pick up from the local toy store.
The 5K was won by East Down’s Daniel Atkinson from club mate James Smyth with Ballydrain’s Curtis McCaw in thitd. I do not have the 10K results to hand at the time of writing, though to some extent event they are superfluous to what was a Charity Fun event, other than to say with certainty that I didn’t win.
NEXT WEEK
Cross country action again ,this time in Gransha Park in Derry for the next round of the League.
Joe Quinn
14 December 2015