East Down AC Runners Looking Forward To Jimmy’s 10K
Reports by Allison Carrol.
Armagh 5K and 3K
The return of the Armagh International 5K race caused a great stir both close to home and internationally.
It attracts a high calibre of athlete all hoping to record a fast time on the flat lapped course.
It is held at night and the flood lit course creates great atmosphere. The Women run 3K and the pace is phenomenal.
England’s Alexandra Bell was the overall winner in 9.02 just ahead of Cari Hughes (9.03) & Calli Thackery in 9.12.
An impressive 17 women ran sub 9.30 and 58 broke 10 minutes so it is only for the speedsters.
EDAC’s Catherine O’Connor has raced this several times but has always felt that she didn’t perform to her best. This time however she nailed it.
She managed to keep her head in the mad charge and as a result she ended up with a new personal best of 9.46. She was delighted! with her time and the fact that she was 42nd out of 152.
The Men’s 5K was equally stellar and Shaftesbury Barnet’s Henry Mcluckie went to the fore after the first lap and took complete control of the race.
He was well in the lead but showed no signs of letting up. It became clear he was chasing the course record and he punched the air when he saw the clock. His time of 13.37 shattered the reached and gave him a good gap from Tai Dinger (USA) who ran 13.46.
With 17 men running 5K in less than 14 minutes and 132 in sub 15 minutes, this was a spectacle of excellence and endeavour in equal measure.
Neil McCartan found himself in a whirlwind of runners and managed to pull out a new personal best of 14.38 which pleased him greatly.
This time put him 95th out of 170 and for perspective the runner who was last to cross the line ran 16.17 – a time many would see as an impossible goal.
Adam Withers wisely decided that the Club standard 3K was more his style and he thoroughly enjoyed the whole affair.
The fact that he also produced a new personal best of 9.23 indicates that his training is going in the right direction. This ranked him 34th out of 144. All in all a happy trio as they headed home. Well done all.
Stormont Cross Country
From the tarmac of Armagh to the turf of the Stormont Estate required a reset of the mind for both Catherine and Adam and how their legs would work after the fast running a couple of days before was an unknown but they both turned up to give it their best shot.
The conditions were mild, dry with no wind to speak of and the ground was forgiving but not particularly muddy underfoot. All in all it was a perfect day for cross country.
The racing got underway with the Junior Races then it was the turn of the ladies and the men over 60.
With a goodly field of 190 there was a bit of jostling at the start but Catherine O’Connor went off hard on the heels of Sarah Lavery from Beechmount Harriers.
Oddly enough she and Sarah had clocked the same time in Armagh so they knew that they were on a par but on this occasion.
Sarah was able to get a gap and Catherine sensibly settled into her own rhythm. She was still running well and was fit to take a good second on the line in 19.35.
Sharon Madine as usual was eager to get racing and came 34th in 22.25. Carmel Ross was the next EDAC runner to finish (106th in 26.01).
Alison Carroll surprised herself by enjoying the run immensely and was delighted to finish in 29.29 in 153rd place.
Wayne Giles was in the same race due to his age category and he ran well to clock 26.47.
The Men’s Race
As the women got their breath back, the men were lining up. With 6 EDAC in the mix and 4 laps to be run, there was plenty of opportunity for their club mates to cheer them on.
Adam Withers despite his hard run in Armagh, threw himself into the race with 100% commitment.
He is still experimenting with pacing and tactics and said afterwards that he maybe went off a bit too quickly as he felt that he suffered later on but to his credit, he dug in deep and worked until the line.
He was 42nd in 25.27. Club Chair and XC stalwart Martin Willcox had a great run coming in second of the EDAC pack in 70th place overall (26.46).
Paul Burns, a last minute entry, took it steady to finish in 27.27 (80th). Dee Murray ran the entire race with Paul in his sights and finished on his heels in 27.30 (83rd).
Daniel Giles said he just wasn’t able to find his groove. Despite getting his first sub 20 minute parkrun recently he felt sluggish on the grass but nonetheless he got to the end in one piece – 27.48 (90th).
Adam Morgan tackled the course with his usual dogged determination and ran a commendable 30.40 to finish 148th.
With 208 runners in the race this was a sound showing overall. With only the Senior XC Championships left to take place the cross country season is on the count down.
Looking Ahead to Jimmy’s 2023
All eyes will now move to road racing and for EDAC the main focus is their own flagship event Jimmy’s 10K on Sunday 12th March in the streets of Downpatrick.
The 10K road race (with a relay option) is a major source of funding for the club so they go all out to ensure that they attract a big entry.
With a generous prize fund – £200, £125 and £75 for the first, second and third Male and Female plus age group prizes there is plenty to bring in the big hitters.
There is also a rumour that there will be a bonus cash prize based on time over the ratified 10K distance! Sponsors Finnebrogue Artisan have also announced some exciting spot prizes which are not based on speed so everyone is in with a chance to win.
The first 800 will get a 2023 technical race shirt and there is a post race BBQ (again courtesy of Finnebrogue Artisan).
In short this is going to be a fantastic day out for racers, fun runners, spectators and volunteers. If you aren’t running and would like to be involved, all helpers will get a t-shirt and a ticket for the BBQ so get in touch if you would like to hear more.
Entries are online only and capped to 800 so if you want to take part, you better sign up soon.
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East Down AC turn out for their Schools
Report by Marguerite Robinson.
As a result of their performances at the various District XC events over the last few weeks, many EDAC juniors achieved selection for their schools either as an individual or part of a school team to take part in the Ulster Schools XC Championships.
This was held on a cold and blustery Wednesday at Mallusk Playing fields in Belfast.
The course, which was very similar to that of last year, comprised of loops increasing in distance to suit the ages of the athletes.
Although dry it was bitterly cold and cross winds made running tricky at times. The tail wind in the closing sections of each race was most welcome and allowed for some fast finishes.
EDAC had nine runners representing their schools but running in school colours made it very difficult for supporters to spot them.
aFirst up was Jessica Martin running in the year 9, Minor Girls’ race representing Victoria College Belfast over a distance of 2000m. Jessica placed 59th out of 98 runners.
The Junior Girls’ Race (Year 10 over 2300m) had the most EDAC runners. For all these girls it was their first experience at the Ulsters which can be quite intimidating but also a great learning experience.
Sarah Gilchrist had qualified as an individual in the Districts coming 12th for her school St Colmcilles, Crossgar. She placed 45th out of 112 runners. Charlotte Barr and Erin Moore both qualified as part of the Down High School team and came 41st and 90th respectively.
Alex Robinson and Thomas Magee were representing Down High school and Rathmore Grammar School respectively in the Junior boys race over 3200m. Both had qualified as individuals from the districts.
Alex came 5th in District A race and Thomas 14th in the Belfast District. This was Thomas’s first Ulster race and he had put in a lot of hard training over the previous weeks.
He came 67th out of 134 runners; one of the biggest fields of the day and was pleased with his first race at this level.
Alex, who seems an old hand at these competitions placed 20th. Although initially a bit disappointed he acknowledged the blistering start made pacing tricky.
The Inter Boys’ Race (year 11 and 12) saw Jacob Crawford and Oliver Robinson run 4800m in a field of 117 runners.
Jacob achieved a bronze medal at the Districts and was looking forward to seeing how he could do with the best in Ulster.
Oliver, who admits his training has been reduced due to rugby commitments, had placed 12th at the districts.
Both boys ran well staying close to the front in a very high standard field. Jacob finished narrowly failed to get the All Ireland slot as he was 16th but he was happy with how he tackled it Oliver did well to finish in 20th.
Anna for Gold!
Anna Gardiner was the only EDAC runners in the Senior Girls’ race (3200m.) She did not fail to impress and continued her current brilliant form by winning the Ulster Schools’ title.
She went out hard to assert her authority and then controlled the race in a mature fashion keeping a close eye on the chasers.
She crossed the line a comfortable 15 seconds ahead of second place. A worthy champion.
Juniors at Stormont XC
At Stormont XC only a few days afterwards there were 2 Junior races; U13 followed by U15/U17 both combining girls and boys.
EDAC juniors had 5 runners in total. Freya Cushnie went in the first race and gamely ploughed through to the finish still smiling as she crossed the line.
There were 5 in the U17 boys race with Jacob easily winning in a time of 9.37, 35 seconds ahead of 2nd place who actually placed 6th overall. Between Jacob and the 2nd placed U17 there were 4 U15 boys.
Then it was over to Jacob Crawford (U17) and Alex Robinson, Abigail Elliott and Evie Cushnie (U15).
The numbers were a lot lower than last year probably a result of the Ulster schools Cross country races occurring 3 days earlier.
Alex came 4th in the U15 race (5th overall) in a time of 10.01. When races are combined it is difficult to know who is in your category and after the race Alex said he wished he had known he was in 4th or would have tried to close the gap to 3rd.
He wasn’t sure if this would have been possible as he, like Jacob, was running his third race in seven days. Abigail had a strong race finishing 6th U15 girl in a time of 12.23 with Evie 8th in 14.43.
Well done to these Juniors for flying the EDAC flag with honour.
