Striders Weekly Update 06/04/2022

Posted: 6/4/2022

On Friday at midday, a group of 46 runners departed from St James’s Gate Brewery in Dublin with the aim of making it to the Crown Bar in Belfast before 6PM on Saturday. The 107 mile Ultramarathon, organised by Atlas Running, is an annual event which switches direction each year.

Among this year’s competitors were Striders Chris Green and Colin Campbell, closely watched by many club mates on the live race tracking. Chris was able to complete an impressive distance of 78 miles before having to retire at Poyntzpass after 21 hours on his feet. Colin went on to complete the event, providing a nail-biting finish for those following on the tracker; crossing the finish line with 10 minutes to spare. Huge congratulations to both runners for taking on this massive challenge.

In the pleasant sunshine on Saturday morning, approximately 25 Striders ran in the KIPS Community Fun Run at Kirkistown Race Course. Participants could run either 2.5 or 5KM by completing 1 or 2 laps of the race track. The event was organised by Kircubbin integrated Primary School in memory of Harry Steele and raised an incredible £3000 for Air Ambulance NI and school funds. Well done to all who participated in and donated to this event for two worthy causes.

Sunday saw the continuation of the Cinema Coffee 10K series with the Titanic 10K. With 2 of the 16 events in the series completed, Scrabo Striders had 5 teams in the top 12 going into the race, with all points crucial in these early stages. First across the line for the club was Norman Mawhinney in 38:09 followed exactly a minute later by Andy Haylett. Neil Mearns, Graeme McGowan, Daniel Clarke and Peter Stevens were next, all completing the distance under the 45-minute mark. Next, all under 50 minutes were Michael Johnston, Mark Leathem and Glenn Livingstone. Crossing the line before the 55th minute were Olli Seeger, first lady Amanda Martin, Gayle Malaugh, Louise Barnes and Cameron Aulton. Mark Gibson and Kerrie Fox were next, both in just over 56 minutes, followed by Hannah Robinson in 1:04:03 and Laura Aulton in 1:06:14. Well done to all who ran, represented the club and got more points on the board! Special congratulations to Lydia Blair who completed her first ever race at the 1K Fun Run, finishing in 5:45.

Further afield, Dave Stevenson was the lone Strider taking on the Manchester Marathon, completing the 26.2 miles in an impressive 3:18:25. Further south, 4 Striders experienced the sights and sounds of the London Landmarks Half Marathon. The 13.1-mile route through Central London takes runners past many famous sights including St Paul’s Cathedral, the Tower of London and Nelson’s Column. First across the line for the club was David Gordon in 2:11:36, followed by Gordon McEwan (2:27:02), Nicola Forsythe (2:35:01), and Deborah Osborne (2:47:37). Well done all!

As usual the Saturday Parkruns were popular, now with the added incentive of the club’s Parkrun Challenge, running for the next 13 weeks and awarding points for participation, volunteering, milestones and other achievements. This week saw 39 club members running in 13 venues. Congratulations to Matthew Halus, Willow Farrington and Jenna Lavery on new PBs!

A sister competition is also in place for Junior Parkrun, and Sunday saw 8 of the club’s Juniors running in 3 venues. Congratulations to Luke Braniff on a new PB at Comber, and to Ethan Lappin who celebrated his 21st Junior Parkrun milestone, meaning his cumulative distance covered is equal to a marathon.

Scrabo Striders is an all abilities running club offering a welcoming atmosphere to runners old and new. With training sessions available Monday – Thursday evenings, as well as a Friday evening and Sunday morning social run, why not come along and give it a go? Visit scrabostriders.com or search Scrabo Striders Running Club on Facebook for more information.

 

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