Firmus Fab Five

On Thursday 1st September the last of the Firmus Fab Five Track Meets took place. These events hosted by Lagan Valley AC take place at the Mary Peters Track in Belfast

DAME MARY PETERS

A host of Olympic stars pay tribute to Dame Mary Peters, who has had an aircraft named after her to mark the 40th anniversary of her gold medal victory in the 1972 Games

Most are aware that the track is named after Mary Peters but this is a suitable time to recall the occasion almost exactly 50 years ago when the lovely Mary fought tooth and nail to win her Gold Medal at the Munich Olympics in the pentathlon. People like me who actually lived through the rollercoaster events held over 2 days of competition probably assume that everybody knows who Mary Peters is or was. On considering this further I came to the conclusion that many of our current crop of Juniors and in fact many of those who were born after 1972 would not have a notion as to who she was. I know that some of our Junior members had the pleasure of meeting her when she came to our Clubrooms a couple of years ago and were mightily impressed with her personality, humility and genuine love for everyone in every sporting sphere and for athletics in particular. She also produced her priceless Gold Medal for all to see and hold if they wished, so this is by way of a tribute to her for all her contributions to our beloved sport, not the least of which was the efforts she made to raise money towards the cost of building the eponymous stadium and to wish her continued good health, it is indeed a shock to remember that she is now over 80 years of age.  

On the Night

It was a lovely bright evening and a good crowd of EDAC Juniors turned up ready for action. In the U11 Girls Alicia McCaugherty took part in the Long Jump (2.13m) and in the 600m where she clocked 2.35 minutes. In the U13 Girls 100m Abbie Wilson ran 15.25 seconds (8th out of 19 runners). 

U15 Athletes

Moving up in age to U15, EDAC had a trio of runners in the Girls 100m; Rebekah Wilson ran 15.28, Evie Cushnie 15.68 and Amelia Spick 15.84. In the Boys 100m Thomas Magee ran 14.36 in his heat. In the 800m Boys there were 2 heats with 19 runners overall. Alex Robinson placed 15th in 2.29.98 despite having a long lay off with a knee injury. Thomas Magee’s time in the same event was 2.34.94. In the Girls 800m there was a big turnout with 28 runners accommodated in 3 heats. Sarah Gilchrist paced it well to clock 2.42.5 this time placing her 20th fastest time on the night.

Ollie gets Silver in the U17 Race

Finally it was over to the U17 Boys for their 800m. There were only 8 runners. It is often the case as the age categories advance that the number of entries is lower. With exams and other social distractions the commitment to train is tested and therefore only the more competitive athletes tend to show up to race. Oliver Robinson  having had success at the 400m this season was out to trial his pace in the 800m. His previous personal best of 2.20.52 was set way back in 2020 so he was out to mark a new standard.  He managed that in style clocking 2.02.40 and taking 2nd place to Ben Gillen of Lagan Valley AC who incidentally also scored a PB with his winning time of 2.00.96. 

Running in the Mountains

Come the Weekend and East Down AC was well represented at various locations in another busy weekend of racing. On Saturday Paul Burns was up and at it early that morning to take part in the Schlickeralmlauf in Austria Alps. This was the 33rd hosting of this event back on the calendar in 2022 after a 2 year hiatus due to Covid. Paul had an entry carried over from 2020 and for the last couple of months he has been working hard to build strength and fitness in order to tackle this almost entirely uphill challenge. There was a long and short distance on offer but Paul had gamely opted for the full 11.5km race which incorporated 3775 feet of climbing. He placed 29th overall in a time of 1 hour 22 minutes. The chilled beer on the finish line was a welcome sight and once he got his breath back, he was pleased with his efforts. 

British and Irish U17 Mountain Running Championships

Jacob Crawford was also in the mountains at the weekend when he travelled to Ambleside as part of the U17 N I& Ulster Team for the B&I Mountain Running Championships. With the cream of young mountain runners selected to participate, it was always going to be a competitive field and while race day was dry, it had rained heavily the previous night leaving conditions tricky underfoot. Jacob said that the route wasn’t perhaps as demanding as some he has run in the Mournes but the breakneck speed of the pack and some slippy sections on the downhill and tarmac made it a real technical challenge. Nevertheless he held his own, placing 39th out of 60 in the mixed Male/Female U17 category and he thoroughly enjoyed the race as well as the experience of being part of the NI & Ulster team. Well done Jacob.

Dingle Half Marathon

Jonny Holmes was also on tour and also facing a hard task, taking on the Dingle Half Marathon. He commented on how tough the route was especially with the heavy rain showers both before and after the start. He even heard some rattles of thunder as they set off but luckily the conditions improved as the run continued. In the end he came home reasonably comfortably in a respectable 1 hour and 37 minutes and was able to enjoy the hospitality at the finish. He thanked the race organisers for their efforts in putting on a good event and commended their friendly welcome.

The Big Half in London

Dermot Cahill made the trip to London at the weekend and on Sunday he took part in “The Big Half” which is a half marathon through the streets of London city, starting at the picturesque Tower Bridge in central London and finishing at the famous Cutty Sark in Greenwich. Included in the field were some of UK’s elite runners including Mo Farah & Eilish McColgan who took top spot in the Male and Female categories. The very hot and humid conditions made it tough going from the gun. Dermot, aiming to finish in around 90 minutes came home in 1.32.31 which was not far off his goal and placed him in the top ten percent finishers of an 11,000 field. Next up for  Dermot and his East Down AC club mates is Dublin marathon which takes place at the end of October. Good luck to them all as they continue their training.

Laganside 10K

Sunday 4th September was the date for the Laganside 10K. This event is often favoured by runners out to test their speed as it is a fast course. There were 557 runners at the start line in the Ormeau Park. The route took the runners through the Park and out on to the Ravenhill Road where there was a left turn to the Albertbridge Road. From there the pack followed the Lagan Tow Path looping back across the Ormeau Bridge to run along the Embankment then start a second lap. The  finish gantry was back inside the park. After a damp start to the day, the sun broke through the cloud and the heat was oppressive. Sharon commented that her time of 47.52 was not up to her satisfaction but she enjoyed the run despite this. Neil Curran took it steady after his half marathon last weekend and finished in 41.11. Gareth Kelly was hot on his heels and pleased to finish in 41.15. Good work from all three. 

September brings change

Throughout the Summer the EDAC seniors have enjoyed some runs in various locations around the countryside but with the shortening of the evenings they will soon be back to running by streetlights round the town of Downpatrick. They had a last blast at Castleward on Monday past which was well attended. The Juniors have been training on the pitches at Down High throughout the Summer months but with school recommencing, they too will have to move venue. From September 19th Juniors will meet at the the EDAC Clubrooms for Monday and Thursday sessions. Seniors will meet at the Club Rooms on Mondays from that date but continue to meet at the Downshire Estate on Thursdays.