Track Season Opener
On Thursday the first track meet of the Firmus Fab Five Series got underway at Mary Peters Track in Belfast. Hosted by Lagan Valley AC it accommodated a record entry as the athletes flocked to run, jump and throw in the many categories on offer. It was a glorious sunny evening and the races ran to time despite the tight schedule. There were only 3 EDAC juniors due mainly to it being in the midst of the Easter holidays but the athletes who did attend had a great experience.
Each person can enter up to 3 events so Conan Pleasants (U15) was able to try his hand at the javelin as well as run 100m and 800m. This is useful for younger or inexperienced athletes who are unsure of their strengths and preferences. Conan made a great go of the 100m running strongly right to the line and almost taking the win in his heat. His time of 13.24 placed him 5th overall out of 13 once the other heats were complete. Even though he had little prior instruction, he also took well to the javelin improving with each throw. He came 5th overall. He found the 800m a little long for his liking and said that his legs could barely hold him up in the 2nd lap but he still managed to finish 4th in his heat in 2.34. 
Abigail Elliott also U15 showed impressive consistency in the long jump and made it through to the final 6. She had to switch into running mode to take part in the 100m where she held her own clocking 15.95 . Undeterred by the effort in the sprint, she returned to the pit for the jump off and jumped well enough to come 5th overall out of 16 entrants. Alicia McCaugherty in the U11 age group had a go at the turbo javelin and came 7th. She then went on to run a well paced 600m and was pleased to finish in 6th place in 2.31. 
These 3 deserve praise for being brave enough to enter and hopefully seeing how well they performed will not only encourage them but also their club mates to take part in the rest of the series. The next meet is on May 12th with online entries at https://ani.opentrack.run/en-gb/x/2022/GBR/firmus-may-2022. There are no “on the day entries” and the online portal closes on May 6th.
Hill & Dales
Finn and Niall Gibney
On the same evening there were EDAC members at Tollymore Forest Park for the second Hill & Dale Race of the series. Both juniors and seniors ran the same distance unlike the week before when the juniors joined in mid race. The course covered approximately 4.5 miles with a fair bit of climbing. Paddy McDonald and Brian Hamilton enthused by their first run at Castlewellan returned ready and willing and were joined by several other EDAC runners. First home for EDAC was Niall Gibney who was a creditable 37th out of 228 finishers. Paddy Erskine placed 147th, John Taylor 163rd and new sign ups Alice Brear Clarkson and Paul Brear Clarkson finished 171st and 172nd. Paddy McDonald was happy with 197th as he works his way back to full fitness and Brian Hamilton was right behind him in 198th. A good effort all round and it was good to see so many representing the club.
EDAC juniors Jacob Crawford and Finn Gibney came 2nd and 3rd overall in the Junior U16 Race. Jacob with a win under his belt from the week before learnt that mountain running literally has its ups and downs. Having lost a shoe early on and he then tore his shorts on a rock but despite these set backs he forged on to the line. No doubt he can see the humour in it now but at the time it wasn’t so funny! Finn in contrast had a nigh perfect race and making podium in third place was significant as he was possibly one of the youngest taking part. There are 2 more Junior races in the series and hopefully these 2 boys will be back for more. The juniors will have to wait till June 2nd for their next chance but the seniors will race again next Thursday on Slieve Martin at Kilbroney Forest Park. All information on the Hill & Dales can be found on the Newcastle & District AC website.
Social Sunday
On Sunday a group from the club met at Carricknab for a run out as part of their preparation for the upcoming Belfast Marathon Relay. It was a breezy morning and chilly despite the bright sun but the undulating 10K route soon had them warmed up. The views along the way were spectacular with a stretch along the beach as well as a tour of the back roads and so the mood was cheerful as they ticked off the miles. 
When all the runners were back at the starting point they availed of coffee at the Lis Mocha coffee van while they drew up plans to be in the right place at the right time in order to complete the 26.2 mile route on Sunday 1st May. Best of luck to them and to the others who are taking on the full distance.
Donal’s Day Out
Tuesday 19th April as well as being Donal’s 50th birthday marked the end of his 50to50 challenge. The FunRun and Walk that he had been planning was the final part of this and it went off extremely well with a good crowd turning up to take part. The weather was perfect evening and all enjoyed the craic. As a result of donations £2000 was raised which will be split between the Irish Injured Jockeys Fund and the Irish Red Cross Ukraine Appeal. Donal wants to take the opportunity to thank his friends and family especially Suzy and Patrick for all their hard work in hosting the event and also to mention the Minerstown Tavern for allowing use of their facilities on the night. He is very grateful to all who turned up to take part as well as those who were unable to attend but had bought tickets in advance. It was great to raise such a fantastic amount for these worthy charities.