After a week's layoff, if you ignore last Sunday morning's exertions in Tollymore Park, it was back to racing again on Saturday with the NI Veterans Association 5 Mile Road Race over part of the Joe Seeley course in the Ormeau Park. Certainly it made a change from the recent diet of cross country racing and starts a little series of alternate surface running over the next 4 weeks as next week sees the return to the mud of Ballyclare for the Malcolm Cup meeting, back to the roads the next week for the Joe Seeley and then back to the strength sapping experience that is Dromore in mid December.  But they say variety is the spice of life though runners might have other words for it!

Anyway to the racing – conditions were about as ideal as you could get at this time of year, dull, dry and cold but not too windy and a field of almost 150 set off on the quest for glory over the almost 3 lap route. The race was won by Annadale's Eddie McGinley from current NI 10,000 metres champion Brian Campbell withLarne's international star James McIlroy in third. First Vet (O/35) home was North Belfast's Paul Blaney, in overall fourth place. The redoubtable Robert Wilson (Willowfield) winner of the first Jimmy's Ten, was first O/50 man home, a remarkable achievement just 3 weeks after winning the  Over 50 All Ireland marathon championship title in Dublin, where he posted 2 hours 52 minutes. The Ladies race saw North Belfast chalk up a double as the ever consistent Cathy McCourt (30.56) finished comfortably ahead of Dromore's Gillian Burns (31.17).

East Down fielded a quartet in the Men's race and Mark Quinnmarked his return to full form with a splendid 30.29 – not only that but he claimed the scalp of the ageless ironman himself, Desi McHenry and must be delighted with his afternoon's work.  Just 3 places behind him, with yet another personal best, came Liam Keenan (30.47) in the O/45 category, probably the most competitive category of all at present.

Further down the field and engaged in their own personal battle came Declan Teague, suffering from a head cold, and Joe Quinn, wishing he had the same symptoms to enable him to keep up.  In the event Declan prevailed in 34.53 with Joe next in on 35.06.  Maybe it was the prescription drugs?  Battle will no doubt resume in the Seeley.

And while the seniors were having it practically on their doorstep give a thought to young Patrick Sheridan who travelled all the way to Tramore in Waterford for the All Ireland Under 12 Cross Country championships and in a field of over 200 runners finished a highly commendable 36th.  Well done to him and his Dad too for taking him there and back.

Look out too for news of a new and exciting event to be staged by East Down AC on Down Racecourse on 24 January which will provide something for everyone in a unique setting.  Final plans are being drawn up for “something different” in the week between the Junior and Senior Cross Country Championships.

It also looks likely that the Club post Christmas dinner will take place on Friday 30th January – more details soon and see also www.spanglefish.com/eastdownac  so members are asked to keep the date free.