Scrabo Striders Celebrate Milestone 10th Anniversary!

By Sarah Luce

Scrabo Striders marked their remarkable 10th anniversary on Saturday at the iconic Mount Stewart. The event was generously sponsored by UPS Newtownards and featured both a 5K adults race and a 2K junior race. Over 140 club members participated braving the trail like course. The team atmosphere reflected the club’s ongoing commitment to community, fitness and friendly club competition.

Junior 2K Race

Female junior captain Iona led the way, finishing first with a time of 7.17. The top three male finishers followed closely behind: Logan crossed the line in 7.21, Dougie in 7.30, and male junior captain Josh completed the course in 7.41. Among the girls, Anna secured second place with a time of 8.45, narrowly ahead of Penny who finished in 8.46. Several other juniors also delivered notable performances, with Heath, Hamish, Toby, Parker, Struan, and Angus all completing the course in under nine minutes, joining the podium finishers in this achievement. In the under-10 category, Harry and Alana crossed the line together in 09.03, while Caleb, Michael B, and Elijah all finished in 9.07. Joel, Calum, and Olly followed with times of 09.29, 09.34, and 09.48 respectively. The next group of juniors—Hannah, Caleb P, Nathaniel, and Harriet—each finished in under eleven minutes.Junior member of the month Grace finished in 11.02, just ahead of Leo who clocked 11.08, with Reuben not far behind in 12.07. Lyla, Grace, and Kalia were next across the line, followed by Kendra, Thomas, Kya, Lydia, Jodi, and George, all of whom put in strong performances to round off the junior race.

Adult 5K

Leading the 107 strong pack in the 5K was Max Burton in 19.25 with Andy Haylett hot on his heel 12 seconds later. Harry McCready was third with a time of 20.43 while Matt Bell and Jonathan Caughey completed the top five in 21.03 and 21.12 respectively. James Cole-Boyle, Gareth Davies, Michael Williams, Abrar Hossain were the remaining males before Willow Farrington claimed first female in 23.23. Simon Ferguson and Michael Burgess filled the gap until Alison Busby (24.09) claimed second female followed by Colin Campbell (24.39) and Karen Collins (24.41) Strong results followed across the board from all participants despite the weather changing for the worse towards the end. The volunteers made sure everyone had a hot dog and a warm cup of tea while admiring this year’s purple edition t shirt.

Hill and Dale

The Millstone Hill & Dale Race took place on Thursday, marking the seventh event in the series organised by Newcastle AC and saw Simon Ferguson and Karen Collins take on a tough course that featured approx. 500 metres of climbing. Although dry, a strong wind made the climb challenging especially on the exposed summit of Millstone. Despite this strong performances saw Simon descending across the finish line in 53.33 and Karen in 1.18.38.

Fairhill 5M

The Fairhill 5M Road Race, organised by Ballymena Runners AC winds its way through Ballymena town and runners take in the sights as the course leads through the showgrounds and Ecos Park, before finishing near the Northern Regional College.Known for its flat to gently undulating profile, the route is popular among runners looking for a fast time. This year three Striders took: Trevor Woodside was the first to finish, clocking a speedy time of 31.40. Clare McIlveen followed in 49.34, with Kim Cochrane completing the race in 56.06.

CS Lewis 5M Challenge

The C.S. Lewis 5 Mile Challenge was held on Friday evening in East Belfast, drawing hundreds of participants to tackle the fast-paced course. The route began and ended at C.S. Lewis Square, taking runners along the scenic Connswater Greenway into Victoria Park. Participants encountered loops on a variety of surfaces, including trail, grass, and concrete, before returning to the finish line. Norman Mawhinney was the first of the club’s runners to finish with a time 32.25 and securing victory in the M65 category. Close behind was Trevor Woodside, who crossed the line in 32.28, with Luke Braniff completing the course as the third Strider in 36.03. First female finisher was Karen Collins in 39.23 narrowly ahead of Penny Hamilton who finished in 40.36. May’s male member of the month Andy Scase followed in 41.13, just in front of Maxine Dynes who completed the run in 41.39. Sonya Summersgill achieved a personal best (PB) of 42.36, and Catherine Lavery celebrated a course personal best (CPB) of 43.23. Several Striders finished in under 50 minutes, including Karen Farrelly (45.53), Clare McIlveen (47.23), Ben McCracken (47.46), Peter McGonigal (48.08), Georgia Reid (48.09), and Karen Heaney (48.33). Emma McCracken and Jenna Lavery completed the challenge together in 50.11. Sisters Beverley McKee and Emma Ruddock followed, finishing in 52.11 and 52.12 respectively. Eden Floyd and Cheryl Alexander crossed the line in 52.28 and 53.17, while Miriam Johnston, Hugh Lyons, and Jane Mowat wrapped up the club’s finishers in 53.54, 57.42, and 1.02.16.

Parkrun

Despite a hectic weekend of events, the club saw an impressive turnout at Parkrun, with members participating across nine different venues. At Comber, Curtis McCaw led the way, finishing first with a time of 18.19. Catherine Lavery continued her excellent run of form at the same venue, securing another CPB by crossing the line in 25.35. Elsewhere, Katie Irvine achieved a CPB of 30.57 at Falls, while Gareth Miskimmin notched up a PB of 24.06 at Ormeau. Meanwhile, venturing a little further afield, Trevor Woodside and Clare McIlveen continued their quest to complete the Parkrun alphabet by ticking off another letter at the University of Stirling.

Junior Parkrun

As always, the Junior members wrapped up the weekend by taking part in their weekly 2K Parkrun event. The most popular venue was Comber, where Joshua Bingham achieved an impressive second place finish, Keara Simpson was the first female to cross the line, and Lyla McNamara celebrated with a CPB. Meanwhile, at Bangor, Penny Davies got a PB of 09.53.