With the Cracker not due until far off Monday it meant that East Down runners at a loose end after Christmas Day had two other local and 2 not so local races to choose from over the post turkey weekend. Declan Teague was the first of the early risers on Boxing Day, travelling to Burren for the annual Townlands race over a challenging 12 miles, and turning in an impressive 83.33 to take 9th place. And just about the time he was finishing Michael McKeown and Tom Dowey were setting off in the record breaking 30th Anniversary 5 Miles Road race in Greencastle (Co.Tyrone). In a high quality field both men could be more than proud of recording 29.47 and 32.08 respectively, for what I am reliably informed is a tough fiver.
On to Sunday morning and I should have been in Victoria Park in Belfast taking part in the Christmas Duathlon, as one half of a relay team, but due to injury and illness neither of us turned up. Truth to tell I doubt if we could have represented East Down better than the father and daughter duo of Paul and Edie Carroll who not only took overall 4th place in a combined time of 52.02, (Edie ran the two mile legs in 13.13 and 13.51 respectively) but also won first prize in the Relay category. Raymond Milligan too returned a very respectable individual time of 62.32 for 35th place in a field of well over 100 athletes.
TURKEY TROT
In a very different location on Sunday afternoon, East Down runners again distinguished themselves in the annual Turkey Trot, which starts at Trassey Track and takes in the Meels and Happy Valley in the Mountain and Fell Runners contribution to the re-distribution of the calories accumulated in the previous 2 days. Neil Andrews caught the eye of many with a striking 6th place in 55.20, three places ahead of Dee Murray in 55.41, with whom he battled for most of the race. Michael Cultra was another who broke the hour placing 23rd in 59.34.
It was good to see Megan Wilson 58.27 back home again and in serious good form. She was 2nd Lady overall, beaten only by Mountain Running champion Diane Wilson, and was also, I suspect, a significant reason for the re-appearance of her dad Brian after a long lay off due to injury. He should be well pleased, though I know he won’t be, with his 58th place in 71.57. Jim Erskine and Mickey Cunningham completed the East Down presence.
CASTLEWELLAN CRACKER
And finally it was Monday when a total of 23 pairings from East Down, some in combination with runners from other clubs, took on the challenge this time, an increase of two on 2014 but which would have been substantially more if others had taken seriously the” Online entries only”, “limited entries” and “No on the day entries” warnings issued by the organisers. Perhaps next year more attention will be paid to these rather mundane details.
I’VE STARTED SO I’LL FINISH
The race itself got off to a fairly chaotic start with hundreds of runners, including Snow White and her grown up seven, wedged into the lane by the side of the GAA Club, allegedly making their way to the start. Eventually the queue broke into a trot amid jokes that the race had started. Only it wasn’t a joke so we just kept going. By the time I was on Drumbuck Road I figured out that we had probably crossed the start line and decided that our prime objective would be to make sure we didn’t miss the finish line as well. However by the time we reached the summit of Slievenaslat all my energy reserves seemed to drain away and it was a long trek home after that. I passed the time dreaming of the hot soup awaiting back at base. The thought occurred to me that it would be a popular innovation if somehow it could be piped to the top of the mountain?
APPEALS FOR HUMANITARIAN AID
And another appeal for change on purely personal grounds -Next year could the race finish closer to the Race HQ. if only to assist the jaded to reach the soup kitchen earlier. Most runners will have experienced how you can keep going until the finish line is crossed and then find it virtually impossible to take another step. On Sunday the prospect of walking another mile into town was far from appealing to me. And yet if the Finish line had been further away and thus closer to the Club house I would have kept going until then! Either that or introduce shuttle buses, even if only for those with passes? Or the novel incentive of warm showers?
EAST DOWN PAIRINGS
Martin Wilcox and Paul Burns were again the best placed East Down duo for the third year in a row, this time taking 11th place in a field of 425 finishing pairs, in 59.07, one of only 13 teams to break the hour and a mere 50 minutes ahead of myself and Iryna. But next year we’re going to start at the front too!
Several excellent performances in the East Down ranks with particular note of the three H&W (husband and wife) pairings of Joanne and Davy Foster, John and Wendy Findlay and John and Lisa Manley.
AND FINALLY
Gareth Fegan turned out again in the Lough 5, near Omagh on New Year’s Eve and rounded off his year in style with a fine 37.18 time.
Best wishes to everyone for a Peaceful, Healthy and Happy New Year in 2016.
Joe Quinn
4 January 2016