Hill & Dale – Meels
The Meels Hill & Dale race does what it says on the tin – it takes in Meelmore and Meelbeg on an up and down course. On Thursday past a crowd of 160 odd runners assembled at Meelmore Lodge ready for the whistle. Although it looked like it might rain, thankfully it held off and while it was blustery at times, it stayed dry. Before the runners set off, many had a quick chat regarding access to the first checkpoint on the summit of Spellach, as there were 3 possible route choices. Decision made they had to stick to it and once past Spellach all the runners stayed together to summit Meelmore and Meelbeg and then make their way back to where they began. 3 EDAC members were in the field. Niall Gibney toughed it out to finish 28th in 52.27. Paddy Erskine took 1.06.39 to come 104th overall and Paddy McDonald was 140th in 1.15.20. The Series comes to an end next week with a Friday night run and prize giving to wrap it up for 2022.
Comber 10K
This popular event hosted by Ballydrain Harriers had been off the calendar for the last 2 years so it was fantastic to see it take place on a balmy evening last Friday.
Forecasts had threatened high temperatures of 22 degrees and higher so the fact that it was overcast was welcomed by most. The course is a 2 lap affair with a few long drags which can take their toll. Almost 700 took part and there was a great buzz in the start area.
Credit – Richard Cowan
East Down AC had a good entry with Neil Curran being the lead man. He went out hard and hung on and while he said that he suffered it was not evident going by his sprint to the line and his creditable time of 35.08 which placed him 16th overall . Dee Murray was delighted to get back to sub 40 with 39.37 on the clock.
Credit Richard Cowan
Niamh Kellett was nervous having not raced 10K in a very long time but she decided just to take it as it came and in the end she really enjoyed the run and was very happy with her time of 42.08. Seamus Savage has a soft spot for this race as in 2017 it was the first one that he completed as a member of East Down AC. His time then was 52 minutes plus, but this year he ran 44.54 with ease. Eamon Kelly has been including regular longer runs and Thursday speedwork in his training on a consistent basis and the combination of the two is paying off handsomely. He got a personal best of 45.26 and didn’t even feel that he was pushed to the wire.
Credit Richard Cowan
Deirdre Weatherall was pacing it steadily and still managed to get a decent result of 46.46. Sharon Madine straight from work as usual jaunted round in 47.03. Alison Carroll commented that one lap would have done her but she ploughed on to finish in 52.11. Roisin Gaffney wasn’t far behind in 53.14 and Janine Murray running as a pacer for her sister in law, Amanda Ross, brought her over the line in 57.48. It is fair to say that all were pleased with their race. The square soon filled up with happy runners sporting their medals. The lure of a free pint for the first 60 to the bar also added to the post race atmosphere. Well done to Ballydrain Harriers for putting on a super race with friendly supportive marshals. The hard work that goes into this event was much appreciated by all concerned.
Dunshaughlin 10K
The Smith siblings (Patrick and Suzy) headed to County Meath last Saturday evening for one of the hottest 10km races on the calendar, the 41st running of the Michael Manning Memorial hosted by Dunshaughlin Athletic Club. Having completed her first Half Marathon a few weeks back, Suzy had the miles in her legs and posted one of her quickest ever times for a 10k race registering 53:47 on the chip. Patrick was pleased with his effort too as he dipped under 50mins. For the record the Ladies’ race was won by Irish Olympian Fionnuala McCormack in 32:08, whilst Efrem Gidey won the men’s race in a swift 28:14. The closest Patrick got to Mr Gidey was back in the sports hall when they stood beside each other having a cup of tea. This 10k comes highly recommended. The streets in Dunshaughlin are closed off and the route through the town is lined with spectators , with many more out in the country at the minor road junctions. The race is superbly marshalled and the course is flat for first 6km with a few climbs back into the finish in the middle of the town. Plenty of refreshments back in the sports hall at Dunshaughlin Community College brought proceedings to a pleasant close.
Niall heads for the hills again
Despite having done the Hill & Dale race only 3 days prior, Niall Gibney headed off to take part in the Flagstaff to Carlingford Race which was organised by Armagh AC. It was his first time doing this race so he was in fairly unfamiliar territory. The race started in the middle of nowhere or that is what it felt like. The was a list of mountains; Anglesey, Clermont, Black mountain, Carnavaddy and finally Slieve Foye all to be climbed. The finish was via a very sharp descent off Foye down into Carlingford. The Cooley Mountains are renown for rapid weather changes which is not ideal when navigation is required but on the whole the runners were treated to almost perfect running conditions with excellent visibility the whole way. Niall found the 10 miles and about 3700 feet of climbing a big ask especially considering the lack of recovery from his mid week efforts . He felt that his performance wasn’t up to his exacting standards but was happy to place 33rd out of the select field of 67.