On Friday, over six hundred runners finished the annual Ards Half Marathon, which was also the first race of the second half of the Pure Running-ChampionChip Ireland Half Marathon Series, as well as the Athletics NI Half Marathon Championships and the ninth race in the Morth Down Grand Prix. Sixteen club members were among them with Stehen Wylie the first in in 5th overall in the the strong Championship field and close to his pb with 1:14.13 hr. David McKeague, Terry Eakin, David McMeechan and Ben Caughers all had good runs with Terry first at M50 (the oldest category available at this race but well outside his actual age). The hilly Ards course is a tough ask for a pb so Ben’s pb by nine minutes was astonishing. Catherine Roberts was again the top club lady in 6th female place and 3rd F40 in 1:31.54. Sarah Benton, Nikki Heywood and Helen Ryan were next.
Nick Irvine did not race but still leads the North Down Grand Prix mens division but only by a couple of points or so from Ben while Stephen continues to charge up the table. Catherine extended her already big lead even further in the ladies division and still leads in the F40 section of the Pure Running Series.
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Full Results: Ards Half Marathon 2014 Results
North Down Results
| Pos | No | Athlete | Cat | Finish | Half Way | Chiptime | M/F Pos | Cat Pos |
| 5 | 547 | Stephen Wylie | MO | 1:14:13 | 36:43 | 1:14:12 | 5 | 5 |
| 38 | 430 | David McKeague | MO | 1:26:05 | 43:04 | 1:26:02 | 36 | 22 |
| 51 | 386 | Terry Eakin | M60 | 1:28:51 | 1:28:51 | 48 | 1 | |
| 57 | 419 | David McMeechan | M45 | 1:29:22 | 44:16 | 1:29:19 | 53 | 6 |
| 63 | 481 | Ben Caughers | MO | 1:30:14 | 45:19 | 1:30:10 | 59 | 30 |
| 76 | 229 | Catherine Roberts | F40 | 1:31:54 | 45:21 | 1:31:50 | 6 | 3 |
| 129 | 11 | Gordon Wilkinson | M50 | 1:37:45 | 47:59 | 1:37:44 | 116 | 10 |
| 213 | 370 | David Balmer | MO | 1:44:26 | 51:17 | 1:44:20 | 187 | 92 |
| 217 | 259 | Sarah Benton | F40 | 1:44:49 | 50:46 | 1:44:43 | 27 | 9 |
| 231 | 436 | Nikki Heywood | FO | 1:46:19 | 51:36 | 1:46:15 | 30 | 15 |
| 233 | 469 | Helen Ryan | FO | 1:46:28 | 52:16 | 1:46:22 | 31 | 16 |
| 368 | 65 | John McGarvey | MO | 1:57:03 | 52:25 | 1:56:57 | 299 | 151 |
| 404 | 183 | Simon Cummings | M40 | 1:59:20 | 58:29 | 1:59:03 | 328 | 70 |
| 407 | 286 | Heidi Rodgers | F40 | 1:59:29 | 57:44 | 1:59:21 | 77 | 19 |
| 474 | 57 | Janice Sheppey | F45 | 2:06:05 | 1:02:14 | 2:05:44 | 107 | 11 |
| 519 | 58 | Janice McCartney | F45 | 2:11:13 | 1:27 | 2:10:52 | 126 | 14 |