SUCCESSFUL WEEKEND OF RACING FOR SCRABO STRIDERS

First race of the weekend was Almac 5k at Craigavon Lakes supporting Marie Curie.  The McCready family represented Scrabo Striders.  First home was Harry McCready, who posted an impressive time of 20:15, next was his mum Sarah Luce followed with a solid run in 28:30, quickly followed by little brother Calum McCready close behind in 28:32, rounding off a positive outing for the club on a competitive course.

London Marathon

Several club members headed to London this weekend to take on the infamous London Marathon.  This year over 1 million people applied to take part, with striders having 6 members lucky enough to travel over to complete the iconic distance.

Norman Mawhinney completing his 2nd marathon in 2 weeks was the first home with a strong run of 3:25:46. Jordan McIntyre who was taking on the challenge and raising money for MS Society crossed the line in an impressive 3:38:52.  Alison Busby was the first female strider finished in a brilliant time of 3:51:00.  Duncan McAllister who was raising money for Marie Curie completed the marathon in 4:34:50, while Katy Lyttle finished in 4:47:35.  Beverley McKee completed the course in 5:37:50.

Parkrun Highlights – 25 April 2026

Scrabo Striders were also busy across numerous parkrun events on Saturday morning, with several personal bests being recorded.

At Comber parkrun, standout performances came from Michael Williams, Stephen Tate, Ben Palfreyman, and Alyson Graham, all achieving PBs on a fast course.

Closer to home at Bangor parkrun, Joshua Bingham recorded a new PB with a time of 22:31, while Peter Doggart clocked a course PB. First-timers James Cole-Boyle, Elijah Ferguson, and Karen Collins also impressed on their Bangor debuts.

Elsewhere, Colin Campbell led the Striders home at Stormont parkrun, and Clare McIlveen delivered a notable performance at Garvagh Forest parkrun, finishing first in the field and fastest overall.

Not to be outdone our Juniors completed parkruns on Sunday 26th April with 15 juniors competing in both Comber and Bangor.  Comber saw the McCready brothers both achieving PBs with Harry finishing 1st place in 7.19 and Calum in 8.46.  Keara Simpson was first female in an impressive time of 8.50 with Kya Murdoch received a PB of 14.09.  Iona Chanas completed Bangor parkrun with a Course PB and a 3rd place in a time of 8.09.

Scrabo Striders are also starting a new Couch to 5k programme starting in Londonderry Park on Tuesday 19th May at 7.15pm.  This event is free of charge and welcome to all.

By Nicola Forsythe