Back to Back New Year Marathons, Carrickfergus 30&31/12/24
Donald Smith rounded off his running year with 2 marathons on the final 2 days of the year in Carrickfergus. With 10k, half marathon and marathon options, the East Antrim Marathon Series events attracted a wide number of entrants running on one or both days in windy and stormy conditions. Runners started at Carrickfergus Castle and ran a short out and back section before running towards Belfast. 10k runners turned around in Greenisland while the half marathon and marathon runners’ route followed the exposed coast road and path offering limited shelter from the wind, especially on day 2, to their turnaround point at Gideon’s Green. Donald finished 6th on both days running 3:45:14 on the 30th and 3:47:18 on the 31st.
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Lough 5, Loughmacrory, 31/12/24
Another regular fixture at the end of the year’s running calendar is the Lough 5 mile road race in Loughmacrory , Co Tyrone. Nearly 800 runners completed the course around country roads from the local GAA club and around the adjoining lough. North Down AC’s Andrew Muir and Pat O’Driscoll were among the competitors enduring cold, wet and windy running conditions for their final race of the year. Andrew completed the course in 39:00 and Pat finished in 58:40.
Race Over The Glens 01/01/25
After the traditional end of year races between Christmas and New Year, the first race of the year for most runners is also one of the toughest – the Race Over the Glens in the stunning surroundings of Genariff Forest Park. Ballymena Runners organise a challenging course which previously varied in distance and elevation each year, but has now settled on a route of a little over 10k. It includes fast, technical descents along the trails to the valley floor and lung-busting climbs past a bagpiper and fast flowing waterfalls before a long final uphill to the finish line.
Seán Nickell was North Down AC’s sole representative at this year’s race, pausing on his way north for a speedy parkrun in Crawfordsburn Country Park as his warm up en route to the glens. He completed the 10.3 km course with almost 400m of elevation in 57:12, 9th in his age group.
Springwell Cross Country, Limavady 04/01/25
Several of North Down AC’s younger runners raced in the first cross country event of the year at the Limavady Wolfhounds GAA grounds on Saturday 4th January. On a frosty morning which saw the cancellation of many parkruns and other events across Northern Ireland the juniors enjoyed the best weather around and produced some fantastic performances with Alex Downey winning the U17 3k race in 10:18. Caitlyn Dickenson was 3rd in the U15 3k in 13:11. Sophie Rankin won the U13 girls’ race, finishing the 1400m course in 5:12. Molly Rankin was 6th U13 girl on the 1k course in 4:35.
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