The main event of the running weekend was the ever-popular Seeley Cup 10K on Saturday. This year saw the 42nd running of the flat and fast 2-lap course round Ormeau Embankment and Ormeau Park, with over 800 runners taking on the challenge.

Among them were 14 Scrabo Striders, the first of whom to cross the finish line was Martin Strachan in a fantastic time of 35:46, followed by Andy Haylett with a Personal Best (PB) of 38:42. Close behind was Norman Mawhinney claiming 1st place in the M60 age category in 38:57, followed just a few seconds later by Gary Lyttle, claiming a PB of 39:11. Next was Matt Bell in 39:23, Gareth Davies with a PB in 40:06, Niall McIver (42:02), a PB from Michael Burgess in 42:34 followed a second later by Trevor Woodside (42:35) with Graeme McGowan very close behind in 42:39 and James Cole-Boyle 4 seconds later in 42:43. Craig Simpson claimed a PB with 43:49, followed by Naomi Magowan in 55:18 and Emma McCracken in 1:07:18.

For those favouring a more scenic and undulating race on Saturday, Born2Run’s Run Forest Run series of trail races continued with this week’s venue of Gosford. With both 5K and 10K routes on offer, over 500 athletes crossed the start line. In the 5K, first Strider across the line was Willow Farrington in 22:36 followed by Rory Braniff in 27:38. Three more Striders took on the 10K, headed up by Luke Braniff crossing the line in 46:33, with Karen Wilson coming in in 1:05:05 and Chris Edwards in 1:07:33.

Sunday saw the NI Hospice Festive 5K in Valley Park, Newtownabbey. Among the 430 runners, many of whom were in Christmas attire, were Striders David Morton and Naomi Fleming. David finished in 33:09 followed by Naomi in 36:37.

Jonathan Winter opted for longer distance this weekend, traveling to Valencia for 26.2 miles round the city’s streets in the Valencia Marathon.  Joined by over 28000 other runners taking on the challenge, Jonathan crossed the finish line in a time of 4:15:58.

No running weekend would be complete without parkruns and this week they were as popular as ever among the club’s members with 50 Striders running in 15 different venues. Comber parkrun saw Matthew Halus finish in 2nd place overall, with PBs for Mark Halus and Keara Simpson among the 18 Striders in attendance. Other notable achievements were recorded by Catherine Cauley who finished 3rd female at Stormont, and Sonya Summersgill who clocked a Course PB at Hillsborough Forest.

At junior parkruns on Sunday, Keara Simpson took the 2nd female finisher spot, earning a PB in the process, followed by Joe Brown (3rd M), Rory Braniff, Elijah Ferguson, Rachel Brown (3rd F), Olly Simpson, Charlie Stewart, Lydia Blair and Leo Williams. Bangor junior parkrun saw Lyla McNamara claim a Course PB, followed by Harriet and Nathanial Frazer, while Willow Farrington ran Magherafelt junior parkrun for the first time and crossed the line in 2nd place overall.

Scrabo Striders is a friendly and welcoming club open to new members all year round. Offering an encouraging atmosphere where runners of all abilities train together in mixed and inclusive sessions, it could be what you need to start your running journey or give it a new lease of life. Offering up to 4 coach-led training sessions per week, as well as 3 social runs per week, there’s something to suit everyone, not to mention members-only running events and social occasions through the year. Why not come along and try a few sessions free of charge to see if it’s the right fit for you? For more information search for Scrabo Striders Running Club on Facebook or visit scrabostriders.com.