It started in the cold and rain, the mud and the sleet on Tuesday morning and ended on Sunday in drier, calmer and slightly warmer conditions but the result was the same on both occasions – impressive victories for Lauren Madine. Firstly in the 3rd round of the Flahavan’s Porridge Primary School Cross Country League in Donard Park and then in the 4th round of the McGrady’s Financial Services Junior Cross Country League. On Tuesday she displayed remarkable maturity for one so young as she stalked the early leaders through the first lap before accelerating away to record her second win in the series and qualify for the Ulster finals to be held next month at Mallusk. She was in the lead from the start in Delamont Park on Sunday and dominated proceedings throughout. Certainly a starlet to look out for in the months and years ahead. On Sunday Lauren led home Anna Gardiner who had taken 9th place the previous day at Greenmount in the Primary School Race. This too was an eyecatching performance from another prodigious local talent. Continue reading →

As a relief from the drudgery of never ending training schedules Team Captain Paul Burns arranged a 5K Time Trial for Thursday night, in which members were challenged to predict the time it would take them to run 5K, with the winner being whoever came closest to their prediction. The one pre-condition being that the wearing of watches, Garmins etc was forbidden. In the event 32 men and women turned up for what proved a very enjoyable competition, and amazingly 11 of that number came within 10 seconds of their predictions. However it later transpired that several of this number had already posted very similar times in earlier runs around the route, while for some of us it was the first attempt at the distance with nothing to base predictions on. Not that I would mention it though. However based on my own prediction and what I was actually credited with I was convinced that either the course was short or the time recording watches were fast. Perhaps there was a special rate for pensioners? Not that it mattered though as my actual time was the slowest on the night, as was my prediction, and even allowing for a 3.09 better than prediction performance I was well outside the prizes. But next time!!

WINNERS and LOSERS
Joint winners with a mere one second difference were Dee Murray and Neil Andrrews, with Ben Hanley and Mark McDowell at 2 seconds, Wendy Findlay at 3, Michael Cultra at 4 and Catherine O’Connor at 5. Fastest on the night was James Savage 17.44, but as this was 16 seconds faster than his prediction he was well outside the prizes. Only 9 runners, including the joint winners, had slower times than predicted, so all in all it was an excellent exercise in pace judgement and for some an encouraging indication that things are improving.

NORTH WEST CROSS COUNTRY
The East Down team, with 4 runners all running together in the same race this week, it was a proper team, through necessity if not choice, and it was great to be part of it, made the second visit to the North West in as many weeks when it travelled to Gransha Park in Derry on Saturday for the North West Cross Country. Continue reading →

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. Continue reading →

It seems like a long time ago but in reality it was only last Tuesday that East Down’s Lauren Madine was repeating her success of last Sunday in the McGrady’s series in Kilbroney Park, when representing her school St Brigid’s, in the Flahavan’s Porridge Primary Schools Cross Country League fixture at Henry Jones Playing fields in Belfast.
On Friday night the Club held its first Junior awards night for some time and alarm bells were ringing early at the forecasts of the weather for Saturday’s junior cross country in Ballyclare. Not only that but alarms were literally ringing like sleigh bells shortly after the proceedings started, due to an over sensitive heat sensor, which was clearly powered by a well known battery as it was still going strong 2 hours later. Continue reading →

Far from ideal conditions greeted the almost 1000 runners for the Seeley Cup 10K on Saturday in Belfast’s Ormeau Park, with strong winds, lower than of late temperatures and threatening showers on the menu. Not weather conducive to fast running according to those in the know. However as always in such instances someone always comes along with an eye catching pb to confound the critics.

OFF COLOUR?
As ever eyes are usually fixed on the leading runners, though life is not made easier for those of us for whom 20/20 vision is a distant memory, by the failure of some East Down runners to wear the Club colours. Continue reading →