Club EventsRoad RacingTrack and Field

weekly roundup 01/09/24 Coastal 5k, Laganside 10k, Waterside Half Marathon, NI & Ulster Combined Event Championships, 50 years of NDAC

Coastal 5k, Glenarm 30/08/24

The Coastal 5k follows the beautiful coast road from Carnlough to the finish line in Glenarm and this year 2 North Down runners enjoyed perfect conditions for their Friday evening run. Willy Hoey completed the run in 24:31 closely followed by James Gage in 24:54.

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Laganside 10k 01/09/24

The Laganside 10k always attracts a large field of runners to one of the flattest and fastest 10k races in Northern Ireland on a course starting and finishing at Ormeau Park. This year almost 1000 runners finished the 10k and as ever North Down AC athletes produced some excellent results; Craig McMeechan 30:43 led the NDAC contingent home in 3rd place. Jamie McMeechan was 11th in 33:53. Marc Neil 34:11 14th and Oliver Playfair 34:28 finished 16th smashing his PB by 1:45! David Massey 38:37, Daren Edgar 38:42, Simon Boyle 39:25 and 3rd M55 and Sarah Grant 39:49 and 2nd female all finished comfortably  inside 40 minutes. Nigel Playfair 42:51, Lisa Tomalin 43:25, and Luke Hamilton 44:27 were followed by 2nd F60 Glynis Boyle 45:49, Olivia Cumming 47:25 and Heather Beattie 47:37. Lisa McMeechan 52:37, Beth Mulree 54:51, Karen Keery 56:40, Emma Hegarty 56:56, Jenny Keery 57:54, Sophie Hamilton 58:32 and Caroline Gilmore 58:53 were the next finishers before Pat O’Driscoll came in with a time of 1:15:24 to take 1st M75 honours.

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The event also featured a junior 1k race where several junior NDAC athletes put in excellent performances. Seb Mair 4th in 4.49, Daly Seaton 15th in 5.23, Caitlyn Dickenson 5th female in 5.26, Harrison Mair 25th in 5.38, Casey Seaton 28th in 5.45 and Abigail Orr 14th female in 6.28.

 
Waterside Half Marathon 01/09/24
 
The enduring popularity of the Waterside Half Marathon in Derry/Londonderry was demonstrated by race entries once again reaching full capacity well ahead 0f race day. 3 North Down AC athletes were among the 2453 finishers who ran along both sides of the River Foyle as the route incorporated all 4 of the Maiden City’s bridges – the Craigavon Bridge, Foyle Bridge, Peace Bridge and the new Bay Road Bridge. Chris Downey 1:27:04 was the first of the trio to reach the finish line in Ebrington Square followed by Sarah Wilson 1:41:11 and Jill Aicken 1:55:14. 
 
 
NI & Ulster Combined Event Championships, MPT 31/08 – 01/09/24
 
North Down AC’s multi-talented, multi-discipline athletes were in action at the Mary Peters’ Track on Saturday and Sunday.
 
Anna Moran won gold in the U17 girls’ heptathlon with a total score of 3782 taking multiple event PBs in the 7 disciplines – 80m Hurdles, High Jump, Shot Put, 200m, Long Jump, Javelin and 800m.
 
Josh Liggett won the gold medal in the U 17 boys’ Octathlon with 2858 points from the Long Jump, Shot Put, High Jump, 400m, 100m Hurdles, Discus, Javelin and 1500m.
 
Caoimhe Fenlon secured bronze in the U15 girls’ Pentathlon. Lying 2nd overall after 4 events, including a 1.39m PB in the High Jump and the Shot, Long Jump and 75m Hurdles she did enough in the 800m with a 3:05 to hold on for bronze. 
Nyla Hughes won the U13 girl’s pentathlon.
 
Callum Hunter finished 6th in the senior decathlon with 1910 points from the 100m, Long Jump, Shot Put, High Jump, 400m, 110m Hurdles, Discus, Pole Vault, Javelin and 1500m.
 
Triathlon
 
On Saturday 31st August at the Portrush Aquathon Sophie Rankin, who is 12, took part in the over 18 race and completed the 500m swim and 3k run in 23.50. She was the first female to finish and 2nd overall. 
 
Sophie and her sister Molly also took part in the South Lakes Triathlon last weekend. Molly was 7th in the 10-11 year category, whilst Sophie was 1st finisher in the 12-13 year category (beating all males and females).
 
50 years of North Down AC
 
As part of the club’s 50th anniversary celebrations, many club members donned club colours to meet for club photographs in front of Bangor Castle in glorious Saturday afternoon sunshine. Club members are looking forward to further events to mark this milestone in the history of the club.