Strangford Festival 5/10K
It was a jam packed weekend for many East Down AC members with plenty on offer runningwise starting with Friday Evening when an enthusiastic bunch headed to Strangford for the Festival 10K and 5K. The town was buzzing with music, food and entertainment and the racing provided the perfect side-show with spectators lining both sides of the streets to offer encouragement to the runners. The 10K went off first the 5K runners being held back to create a 5 minute gap. Both races headed out of the town and into Castleward where the road soon turned to trail. with a few puddles and slightly uneven surface the pace slowed slightly. There was a turnaround point to send the 5K back to the town and the 10K continued further into the estate and included a challenging drag of a climb to the entrance which took a lot out of the legs. The reward was the downhill finish once the racers got their breath back.
10K – Aaron makes Podium
From the gun EDAC’s Aaron McGrady worked hard to stay with local man Robbie Hagan but as the second half played out, a slight gap opened which allowed Robbie to take a lead which he held for a worthy win. It was an exciting race for the onlookers but both runners were relieved to cross the line after the long tussle, Robbie in 33.51 and Aaron in 34.05 to take second overall. Meanwhile EDAC Club Chairman Martin Willcox was plugging away as usual and his time of 39.42 placed him 9th and gained him an age category prize. 
Eamon Kelly was chuffed to run the 10K in 45.55 a whopping 10 minutes quicker than his previous attempt! Patrick Smith was also happy with his time of 54.09 given the terrain and the hills.
5K Race
Quite a few of the EDAC athletes cannily picked the 5K knowing how tough the route was going to be. Joe Napier was club lead man placing 3rd overall in 19.34. Alex Robinson was 11th overall and 3rd Junior in 22.12. Sharon Madine not fully recovered from a recent bout of Covid did well to place 2nd Female in 22.43 and EDAC Junior Sarah Gilchrist had a fantastic run (25.01) to take the Junior Female prize. Between these two prize winners came 2 other juniors, Luke Napier (24.29) and Jarlath Kearney (24.37). 
Marguerite Robinson dipped under 26 minutes in 25.46. Suzy Smith, Malcolm Leick and Roisin Gaffney were closely packed in 26.28, 26.32 and 26.44.
John Taylor and son William finished in 27.07 with his wife Nuala and daughter Alice also taking part (30.22) to make it a family affair. Gavin McConvey after a long lay off was back in the ring with 28.49, Aine Grant was well under 30 minutes with 29.36 and Aoife Gilchrist (younger sister of Sarah) ran a steady race in 30.35.
After the prize giving, there was plenty of fun to be had and many stayed on to take full advantage. The feedback was overwhelming positive with tributes paid to Brendan Kerr and his dedicated crew of helpers. The registration team, the efficient marshals, the support from onlookers and the post race refreshments are all worthy of a mention. Definitely one for the diary next year.
EDAC RUNNERS PACE CASTLEWELLAN PARKRUN
Bright and early the next morning many of the runners from the night before were back in action in Castlewellan Forest Park. For several weeks EDAC runners of every age and ability have been working on their pacing skills in order to be able to provide reasonably accurate pacers for the Castlewellan Parkrun on Saturday 27th August. The morning dawned clear and sunny with only the slightest hint of an autumnal predicting nip in the air giving ideal conditions for the pacers and all the others who had come to be a part of the weekly adventure that is Castlewellan parkrun. They gathered at the starting point at the bottom of the Lake with the Pacers from EDAC easily identifiable by their distinctive tabards, showing the groups they were pacing from 20 to 32 minutes. Jacob Crawford and Catherine O’Connor led the way for the 20 minute hopefuls followed by Paul Burns and Mark O’Connor 22 minutes Seamus Savage with Leanne Spick on 24 mins, Niamh Kellett and Sharon Madine on 26 mins, Tom McClean and Maureen Kelly 28 minutes, Suzy Smith and Patrick Smith on 30 mins and Aine Grant and Malcolm Leick on 32 minutes. Well done to each and every one of them who all led their groups home as close as possible to the stated times. There were another half dozen or so from the Club also taking part as non pacers, two of whom at least managed personal bests for that course. Alice Brear-Clarkson has been hoping for sub 20 on the Castlewellan course for a while and came home in 19.42 and Helen McGinley was paced perfectly to reach her goal of sub 28 minutes. Both delighted with the encouragement from the EDAC team.
My Morning (Joe Quinn)
It was, as I said earlier, a beautiful morning to be out for a run or in my case a walk, through the idyllic surroundings of Castlewellan Forest and I was able to give most of my “running” partners from East Down AC, a wave and shout out of best wishes as they swept past me. Yes I started about 5 minutes ahead of the runners which gave me a bird’s eye view. The fact that the officials kept the timing chute open for me to finish, even though it had taken me almost an hour to complete the shortened lap of the lake, was very much appreciated and underlines the fact that parkruns are for everyone. You don’t have to be fast to go and enjoy the 5K any or every Saturday, in fact just turn up and complete it in your own time, even if it takes you an hour or more the craic and camaraderie will make it worth your while. You’ll make friends for life and later on picking out a pacer for your targeted time will give you the incentive to try your best. The icing on the cake literally was the offer of buns and a cold drink. What better way to start the day!
Antrim Coast Half Marathon
On Sunday Gordy Graham was out to race in the Antrim Coast Half Marathon. He got stuck into the race with conviction and recorded a time of 1.12.37 which placed him 8th overall. While this was about a minute slower than last year, several runners commented that the new route was a bit more challenging than the previous one plus it was hot day for the mileage so Gordy is to be congratulated on placing in the top 10 of a very competitive field. Neil Curran who has been focusing on track and shorter distance also took part and although he felt sluggish to start he soon got into a good rhythm and was happy with his 1.18.04 finish. Also representing the club was Ryan McVeigh, who has been slowly building up some miles as he prepares for Dublin Marathon at the end of October. He ended up with a last minute place at Antrim Coast Half Marathon and went along to see how he would fare. The heat and the hills took a toll and at times he struggled to maintain his goal pace but he was pragmatic enough to know that it is part of a process and his time of 2.07 is a sound baseline at this stage with 9 weeks of hard graft ahead. We wish him well as he continues his campaign.
Hardman Long Distance Triathlon
Gavin Hynds and Stephen Heasley are well known within the Club for their love of taking on challenges. They seem to thrive on adversity and testing their endurance to the limits. At the weekend they took this to extremes when they travelled to Killarney to represent Down Triathlon Club in an ironman distance triathlon. After a 3.8K swim and an arduous 180K cycle on the Ring of Kerry, they came to the running part – 42K most commonly referred to as a marathon. For many the run alone would be enough but after the exertions of the swim and a very tough bike, it was a big ask. Even for Stephen who bangs out long miles at the drop of a hat and for Gavin a multiple marathoner, it was the run section that nearly broke them but true to form, they refused to quit and crossed the finish line in jubilant form. Gavin took 12 hours 47 and Stephen was not that far behind in 13 hours 11 minutes. Huge kudos to them both.
East Down AC – 35th Anniversary Dinner
To celebrate 35 years since the formation of East Down AC, an Anniversary Dinner has been planned which will take place in the Burrendale Hotel on Saturday 5th November 2022. All members both past and present, coaches, sponsors and friends of the Club will be made very welcome. Tickets will be go on sale in September – please get in touch via info@eastdownac.co.uk to find out more.