Five club members particpated in the Cookstown half marathon on Sunday, July 31st. This race forms part of the Pure Running Half Marathon Series and as a result, participation came from far and wide with 539 finishers on the day. First over the line from North Down AC was Colin Walker, determined to shake off his rival from Orangegrove in the final stretch. Next in was Terry Eakin, who was taking it relatively easy for once! Philip Mulligan, Valerie McDonough and Pat O’ Driscoll completed the NDAC line-up and despite the undulating course, pronounced the race a success.
Meanwhile, on the same day, Omagh played host to the Muck Hog Marathon, Half Marathon and 10k. The club had two athletes, in the form of Sean Nickell and Cara Hamilton, brave the 26.2 mile course with Ladies’ Captain, Helen Wyse, taking on the half marathon having run 3 miles are a “short” warm-up beforehand! If a picture tells a thousand words, this was not a course for the faint-hearted. Congratulations to Bangor athlete Fiona Prue on her 2nd place finish in the marathon.
On Friday 29th July 2016, over two hundred athletes descended on the Dub Road Playing Fields in Belfast for the 2nd annual running of Dub Runners’ Giants Trail Race. It was worth the short trip to Belfast for club member, Roberta Dornan, who was third lady finisher in a time of 43:25. Colin Walker, Sarah Benton and Andrew Muir also enjoyed the mixed terrain, six mile course which wound its way around South Belfast, including the Lagan towpath. On the same evening, Jodi Smith made her solo trip to Springwell Running Club’s 5 mile Milk Run and amongst a field of almost 200 athletes, claimed first place (ladies) in an excellent time of 30:37.
