Cross Country
Caitlyn Dickenson put down another good XC race finishing 3rd u15 girl at Springwell Running Club’s cross country races at the Derry GAA’s Owenbeg Centre of Excellence near Dungiven on Saturday. Roberta Dornan raced in the busy female open, masters, U20 and male vets 6.5k course where she finished 8th female and 10th overall in 30:12.
In the East of Scotland District XC league, Mark Carberry had a solid run racing for Central AC, covering the 5.3mile Balbardie Park course in Bathgate in 28:37, an incredible 5:21 min /mile over xc.
Track & Field
At the AAI indoor Games in Dublin, Rachel McCann was the fastest in the women’s 200m clocking 23.97. Daniel Dines was unlucky to be seeded in the slower of two men’s 3000m races but still managed a swift 8:50.20 for 2nd. In the women’s 3000m, Rachel Gibson raced her first indoor race for two years setting a solid 10:23.51.
Born 2 Run, Louhghgall
Pat O’Driscoll was the club’s sole representative at the rescheduled Born 2 Run 10k trail race in the beautiful surroundings of Loughgall Forest park on Saturday finishing 1st M75 in 1:16:30.
Santa Pola Half Marathon
Paula Simpson swapped the cold North Down weather for Spanish sunshine to run the Santa Pola Half Marathon on Sunday. With warm conditions and a Mediterranean breeze she used the race as part of her build up to her next marathon running a steady paced 1:57:23.
Seán Nickell, Montane Winter Spine Race
Last Sunday while most club members were heading out for early Sunday morning runs, getting ready for church or enjoying a relaxing weekend of family activities, chores and sports, Seán Nickell was on the start line of the Winter Spine Race in Edale in the Peak District. North Down’s athletes continued their own busy routines of working, studying, housework, school runs, sleeping, shopping, training and socialising for another 6 days until shortly after 9:30am on Saturday morning, as clubmates were beginning parkruns in Ward Park, Crawfordsburn, Stormont and elsewhere, Seán reached his finish line at Kirk Yetholm in the Scottish Borders. He ran 268 miles non-stop, self-supported along the Pennine Way, the backbone of England in Britain’s most brutal race.
There aren’t really any races to compare to the Spine; approximately 150 of the world’s best ultrarunners gain a coveted starting place in the Winter Spine Race and have 168 hours – 1 week – to run and fast hike the remote Pennine Way, a journey that takes most experienced hikers 3 to 4 weeks. The athletes have no support crew and must carry all their running kit, including all the essential winter safety and shelter gear for the duration of the event, collecting drop bags and getting hot food and drink from 5 checkpoints along the course. The Winter Spine Race is known for its tough winter weather conditions, and this year’s edition was no exception. The race set off in the wake of Storm Goretti, which brought freezing temperatures, snow, and gale-force winds across the country. Rising temperatures over the following days did little to improve conditions for the runners, with melting snow turning to slush and ice, creating unstable terrain and treacherous ice sheets. The conditions led to plenty of DNFs as the snow, ice, and cold got the better of experienced and well equipped runners. North Down members and many of their families and friends all seemed to have the race tracker tab open on their phones and computers, following dot number 209 as Seán relentlessly made his way north from Derbyshire through the Peak District, Yorkshire Dales, Northumberland National Park, along Hadrian’s Wall and through the Cheviots to the finish line outside a hotel in a small borders village. As other runners, including some of the pre-race favourites ,dropped out through injury and exhaustion Seán managed his race carefully, taking care of his nutrition and hydration needs, looking after his feet and his kit and grabbing short sleeps in aid stations. The long winter nights meant that unlike his previous successful Sumer Spine Race in June 2024, much of this race was completed in darkness. 152 runners started the race and over the course of the week 65 endurance athletes had to retire. Seán recounts that the field spread out quickly from the start and outside aid stations he didn’t see any other competitors for 2 days, making the challenge of the race almost as emotionally as it was physically demanding. One of the most special moments of his race, a rare bonus of the darkness and isolation, was coming off Hadrian’s Wall under a perfectly clear night sky under the most incredible canopy of stars.
Seán completed the race well within the cut offs in 145:47:30 – 6 days, 1 hour, 47 minutes and 30 seconds. He was 46th overall, 38th male and the 1st Irish finisher, and has the rare distinction of completing both the Summer and Winter editions of the toughest race in the UK.
aula Seán at Malham Cove, North Yorkshire pc Andrew Hendry
