On Sunday morning, 28 Scrabo Striders joined over 3000 other runners to take on the 26.2 miles of the Belfast City Marathon. Gathering at the start line at Stormont Estate following months of hard and dedicated training through the winter were first timers and seasoned marathon veterans alike. Also toeing the start line were runners taking on the first leg of the team relay event; with teams of 5 taking on a section each of the full marathon course. Striders were well represented here too, with 4 teams comprised solely of club runners.

The famous Strider support was out in force too, with groups across the city cheering on club mates, giving many a much needed shout of encouragement as well as the odd jelly baby or two!

Marc Neil was first across the Ormeau Park finish line for the club, completing his first marathon in an incredible time of 2:57:12, closely followed by Norman Mawhinney, also claiming the coveted sub-3 hour achievement in 2:59:37.

Next, a string of 6 Personal Bests in a row, led by Colin Harper in 3:15:39, followed by Abrar Hossain (3:22:28), Justin Clegg (3:25:28), Neil Mearns (3:27:52), Vic Atkinson (3:27:50) and Peter McGonigal (3:36:17). Completing the sub-4 hour group for the club were Scott Wilson in 3:43:36 with Jonny Kinney following in 3:53:35.

David Parkinson was next to complete the distance in 4:10:53, followed by Christopher Murdock (4:17:17) and Peter Briggs with a PB of 4:16:34. Michael Burgess claimed a time of 4:19:40 for his first marathon, with Leanne Campbell following in 4:24:18 and Emma Clements with a PB of 4:24:51.

First timer Richard Bovill was the next Strider over the line, in 4:24:52, with Fiona McAvoy and Martina Finn finishing together in 4:35:12. Three more first timers next, with Peter Gray (4:36:55), Lyndsey Blair (4:38:32) and Claire Briggs (4:41:44), followed by Colin Campbell in 4:51:23 and Clare McIlveen in 4:58:05 (PB), completing the club’s sub-5 hour group.

Another group of 3 marathon first timers were next in, with Emma McCracken and Vanessa Mannis crossing the line together in 5:24:09, followed by Steven Pearson in 5:43:02. Chris Green completed the club’s full marathon line-up with a time of 5:44:52.

In the relay event, the club’s first team, “5 ask why?” comprised of Lesley Semple, Barbara McKechnie, Karen Donaghy, Martin McConnell and Andrea Thompson claimed a combined time of 3:32:12, followed by “Jager Bombers” (Stephen Campbell, Gareth Clarke, Olli Seeger, Kurtis Hunter and Gary Clarke) in 3:43:51, "Generation Gap" (Laura Aulton, Cameron Aulton, Natalie Ferguson, Davy Gordon and Debbie Osborne) in 4:21:52, and “Fabulous Five” (Joanne Wray, Karen Clarke, Kathy Henderson, Michele Ennis and Karen Farrelly) in 4:47:51.

Bank Holiday Monday saw Thomas Steele travel to Milton Keynes for the MK Marathon. Finishing inside Stadium MK, Thomas was the third Strider of the weekend to claim a place in the sub-3 hour club with a phenomenal time of 2:57:28.

Wednesday saw 3 Striders make the trip to Dundalk for the 10K road race in the town. Norman Mawhinney was first across the line in 38:39, followed by Mark Arnold in 50:56 and Jill Long in 53:22. Well done all for making the journey to reprtesent the club!

Thursday evening saw the continuation of the Hill & Dale series, organised by Newcastle AC. Striders’ resident mountain goat James Lappin completed the 4 mile Sleive Martin course encompassing over 1600 feet of elevation to claim 3rd place in his category and 19th overall in a time of 40:01.

Parkruns were popular as ever on Saturday, with 43 club runners in various locations, as well as a host of Strider volunteers in Comber for the club’s “take over” of the event. Well done to Luke Braniff, Graeme Farrington, Bobby McGonigal and Ally Gray for new PBs, and to Ian McCallister on his 25th Parkrun milestone. The club’s ongoing parkrun challenge continues to provide plenty of competition and entertainment with members awarded points for various achievements, as well as ever-changing weekly tasks for bonus points.

Sunday saw a 11 Strider juniors attending the various Junior Parkrun locations, with Luke Braniff taking 1st place overall in Comber, and Eva Coey & Isabella Haylett 1st and 2nd Female. In Jordanstown, Willow Farrington was 2nd overall.

Scrabo Striders is an all-abilities club, with training taking place most weeknights and 2 social runs per week. Information about the club, as well as training schedules can be found on the club’s website and on Facebook. Why not come along and see if you enjoy running with us?