Minnowburn 5k &10k, 01/11/25
The first races of this year’s Born 2 Run Run Forest Run series were held at Minnowburn on Saturday. Starting and finishing on the Mary Peters Track, runners were treated to beautiful forest trails and country roads beside the River Lagan.
Selina Patchett 28:42 and Valerie Sullivan 43:56 ran the 5k while Jacob Sullivan 49:24 and Pat O’Driscoll 1:16:52 chose the 10k option.
https://www.born2runevents.com/run-forest-run-minnowburn-results/
McConnell Shield XC, 01/11/25
East Antrim Harriers hosted the McConnell Shield XC in fine conditions despite the recent wet and windy weather, at Six Mile Water Park in Ballyclare on Saturday. North Down AC were well represented on the podium with wins from Daly Seaton at U12, Sebastian Mair and Sophie Rankin at U14, Carter Rolston in the U16 race and Tara McDonough in the womens’ race.
The under 12 athletes ran 1/2 mile with Daly Seaton finishing first in 2:26 closely followed by second placed Harrison Mair 2:30, Logan Fowles 2:39, Rory McCullough 2:43, Fox Neill and Finn McCullough 2:46, Thomas Close 2:51 and Jodi Tomalin 3:01.
Sebastian Mair was first on the U14’s 1 mile course in 5:27 with Isaac Hall 3rd in 5:52 and Sophie Rankin was 1st girl and 4th overall in 5:54. Eric Pinkett was 6th in 6:08, Jessica Fowles 6:35, Kristyn Edwards 6:35 and Molly Rankin 7:13.
In the U16 2 mile race Carter Rolston was the winner in 11:51 with Caitlyn Dickenson 2nd girl in 6th place in 14:16.
Simon Boyle and Terry Eakin competed in the vet race over 3 miles; Simon was 2nd in 19:27 and Terry Eakin was 1st M75 in 22:05.
The mens’ race saw Daniel Dines take 2nd in the 5 mile McConnell Shield race in 26:20. Dean Varley continued his return to fitness in 30th place in 31:22 and Jeremy Tomalin completed the NDAC finishers in 36:20.
The senior women secured the best team performance of the day, placing 2nd with Tara McDonough taking an emphatic win in the women’s 3mile race, coming home 24 seconds clear. 17 year-old Holly Blease had a great run to place 13th in 19:53 with strong performances from Clair Quigley 22:03, Glynis Boyle 22:12 and Claire Scott 25:28.
New York Marathon, 02/11/25
It’s one of the most iconic marathons in the world and a race that almost every marathon runner wants to compete in. Starting in Staten Island to the strains of Frank Sinatra’s “New York, New York,” the New York City Marathon takes runners on a tour through each of the city’s 5 boroughs, crossing into Brooklyn, Queens, Manhattan the Bronx before returning to Manhattan and the finish line in Central Park. This year’s marathon set a new world record for the largest number of finishers at a marathon with 59,226 runners completing the course.
2 North Down AC runners were among the record breaking crowds in the Big Apple for Sunday’s marathon with Declan Magee finishing in a fantastic 2:58:02 and Sarah Gibson running a superb 3:11:57, just a week after the Dublin Marathon.
Port Devine Half Marathon
And finally, in addition to excellent running in real life around trails, XC courses and big cities, eagle eyed viewers of the first episode of Season 5 of Hope Street spotted several North Down AC athletes in Port Devine for the seaside town’s inaugural half marathon. Runners including Hope Street cast members and the undoubted stars of the opening sequence, June McMinn, Claire Scott, Nicola Ingram, Aaron Beggs and Donald Smith, ran a route around the lighthouse and the Commons, in multiple retakes, as drama unfolded on the course and immediately after the first runners crossed the finish line! The shot in which Claire Scott finished first in a fine sprint finish sadly ended up on the cutting room floor, however all the runners had a long, but thoroughly enjoyable day with the friendly and professional cast and crew from the local drama series.
Running Away – Book launch
John McCreedy began his athletics career as a middle distance runner at North Down AC in the 1980s, where his first coach was Billy Brannigan. His latest book, “Running Away” tells the story of his early life in Bangor and his journey to leave the ongoing Northern Ireland Troubles behind by pursuing an athletic scholarship in the USA, and ultimately overcoming adversity and finding true purpose in life.
John will speak about his book which he describes as “a message of hope for anyone whose dreams don’t come true the first time around” at the launch at Bangor Library on Thursday, 13th November at 6.30 pm before being interviewed further by David Seaton. All are welcome to attend.
