St Patrick’s Day Out

With St Patrick’s Day offering a midweek holiday for many, what better way to spend it than running in a race? A few EDAC members travelled to Belfast to take part in the Craic 10K which is described as an urban road race taking in the city sights. It was an early start at 9am and while it was nippy at first, it soon warmed up. The route wasn’t too hilly apart from the last couple of kilometres leading into the finish at the Ormeau Park and there was good support for the crowd so it was an enjoyable event.

Deirdre Weatherall had a storming run in 43.28 which placed her 173rd out of 1750. Clare Carson came in in 49.03 breaking 50 minutes with ease. Donal Smith who is in the midst of running every day for 50 days in the lead up to his 50th birthday was happy to have company to tick a day off and was pleased with his 56.42 as part of his comeback venture. Kevin Kelly was out as a pacer and encourager and finished comfortably and smiling. All agreed that it was a good day out.

Larne 10 Mile

On Saturday 19th March Sam Anderson as part of her build up to Belfast Marathon took on Larne 10 Miles. The coast was spectacular in the sunshine and she felt that the views helped the time to pass while running.  She clocked 2.03 – she was happy with that time but more importantly felt comfortable with the distance which will boost her confidence no end.

Closer to Home

The  Fallows race, the 2nd round of the NI Mountain Running Association  (NIMRA) Championships took place the same day as Larne. Starting in Kilbroney Forest Park in Rostrevor, the route  then took the runners out on to Slieve Martin with 800m of climbing in the 16km distance. The first early climb took about 30 minutes for the front pack so it was tough from the get go.

Timothy Johnston of Mourne Runners took the overall win in 1.14.58. East Down AC was well represented by Aaron McGrady. Having come 3rd in Jimmy’s 10 the week previous he might have been excused for taking the weekend off but he couldn’t resist the mountains. It was a perfect day, dry and bright with blue skies so the scenery was at its best. He kept up with the lead bunch for well into an hour of racing but the second big climb took its toll and he was left hanging on for the finish. At one stage he was 3rd behind Jonathan Scott but a pass by Adam Cunningham (both Mourne Runners) put him into 4th. Aaron finished in 1.17.01 approximately 2 minutes behind the leader which is a commendable performance. Despite missing podium, he thoroughly enjoyed his race and is looking forward to the next outing.

What’s Next?

With Jimmy’s 10K done and dusted, East Down Athletics Club is getting back to business as usual. The annual Membership Night takes place on Monday 28th March in the Club rooms. Both returning and new adult members are welcome 7.30-8.30pm to sign up for the year ahead. If you are considering joining for the first time and want to find out more please contact membership@eastdownac.co.uk. (The Junior Section is at capacity so unfortunately only current athletes are invited to renew at this time. Sign on from 6.30-7.30pm.)

There are lots of races looming from 5K to marathon and beyond so have a look at the fixture list  https://athleticsni.org/Fixtures to set yourself a Spring goal and then get yourself out the door and get running. It is the best time of the year to enjoy the benefits of sport.