On Saturday 11th June in the stunning grounds of the Mount Stewart estate, Scrabo Striders Running Club celebrated their 6th Anniversary with the traditional 4 mile club run and 2K junior race.

Thankfully the downpour of rain immediately before the start subsided and the Junior race got underway at 6pm, with 32 athletes racing through the estate. In an extremely close finish, Ollie Hanna took first place in 7.28, followed by Luke Braniff in 7.29 and Riley Hanna in 7.30. Willow Farrington took the first female position in 8.50, followed by Eva Coey in 8.51 and Isabella Haylett in 8.56. Well done to all the junior members who ran.

Next up was the adults race with 115 runners taking on the undulating 4 mile course – with one particularly large undulation being the path up to the Temple of The Winds towards the end of the route. The rest of the run comprised gravel paths and forest tracks around some of the perimeter of the estate. For the third time that evening, there was just a second separating the top two runners, with Marc Neil taking first place in 22.47 followed by Martin Strachan in 22.48. Third place was Thomas Steele in 23.14.

First lady across the line was Shannon Clegg in 27.47 followed by Jenny Taylor in 31.01 and Andrea Thompson in 31.36. Well done to all participants.

The club committee would like to extend thanks to all volunteers and marshals for making the event possible, as well as all runners for participating – whether this was your first time or your sixth!

On Sunday, Norman Mawhinney was the sole strider to travel to Phoenix Park in Dublin for the Irish Runner 5 Mile race, incorporating the National 5 Mile Championships. Norman completed the race in a fantastic time of 30:24, securing 3rd place in his age category.

As the club’s Parkrun challenge enters its final weeks, 35 Striders attended 12 different venues this week. Lynn Sheldon was 2nd lady across the line in Crawfordsburn, and at Comber 3rd female was Amanda Martin. Ally Gray got a PB in Craigavon and course PBs were claimed by Karl Henderson and Elaine McGonigal in Bangor; and by John Neill in Hillsborough. In Exmouth, Barry Tate completed his 50th Parkrun event.

At the Junior Parkruns on Sunday, the club had 11 runners. Bobby McGonigal secured a PB and 3rd Place at Comber, while Lexie Brown was 3rd Female. A short distance away in Bangor, Riley Hanna also claimed a PB, and Willow Farrington was 1st Female.

Also on Sunday at the Carrick Castle Triathlon, Striders Duncan McAllister (representing Peninsula Tri Club) and Gary Hunsdale completed the Sprint distance (750m swim, 20km cycle and 5km run). Duncan finished in 1:20:26 and Gary in 1:26:43.

Scrabo Striders is an all abilities club with multiple training sessions and social runs every week. Newbies are welcome to come and try a few sessions before signing up so why not give it a go? Search Scrabo Striders Running Club on Facebook or visit scrabostriders.com for more information.