Congratulations are due to Patrick Sheridan and Aine McCann who made the long journey to Killybegs last weekend for the Ulster Uneven Age Group Championships and both qualified comfortably for the All Ireland Finals to be held next month in Coleraine. Aine placed 4^th in the Under 17 Girls race, improving her position ahead of some of her conquerors in the Even Age Championships 2 weeks earlier, a sure sign of her recovery from illness and she must be a medal prospect in the Finals. Patrick was a comfortable 3^rd in his Under 13 race, having been missing from the scene recently but should give them all a run for their money at Coleraine. Brendan Teer and Liam Keenan performed well in the McConnell Shield Cross Country the day before, placing 18^th and 35^th respectively, as they both build their way back to full competitiveness.

DUBLIN MARATHON HEROICS

Congratulations are extended to Newcastle AC runners Alan Strachan 2.56.47 Joe McCann 2.57.18, Pascal Toner 3.05.29, Martina Hawkins 3.20.10, Jack O’Hare 3.24.58, Brendan Donnelly 3.34.43, John Findlay 3.49.23 , Wendy Findlay 3.52.39 and Paul Fegan 3.52.37 for their splendid efforts in the Dublin Marathon, the last named only 2 days after completing the Snowdonia Marathon, widely regarded as one of the toughest.

It might seem that with no running event closer than Cookstown on the calendar at the weekend local runners would be taking a well earned breather particularly after these exertions in Dublin just 2 weeks previously. But you'd be wrong. On Sunday morning upwards of 30 runners from the East Down, Newcastle and Murlough athletic clubs, with a few "independents" took to the roads, fields, ditches, hedges, forest tracks, bogs and occasionally the air, around Castlewellan to experience the delights which Marty McVeigh has in store for participants in this year's Christmas Cracker. This is the unique event, to be held on Monday 28^th December, where competitors run in pairs but hope to finish in one piece. I'm not sure whether it's Marty's recently acquired svelte figure ( a Joe McCann description) or the accumulation of years which has influenced this year's route, but if runners get the chance to lift their eyes from where they're about to put their feet, it's actually quite scenic. It also comes liberally sprinkled with hills, mud for slipping on and rocks for landing on – but it's a great event and will no doubt attract record numbers again this year.

But before that next weekend's Round the Griddle 10K in Saul will provide a perfect warm up, with plenty of hills to satisfy the most committed of mountain runner, though it is a road race, and everyone is welcome. Why not come to compare the contours?

www.saul-gac.com, www.spanglefish.com/eastdownac or www.niathletics.org.

Joe Quinn

15 November 2009