For the second weekend in a row all cross country running fixtures were cancelled in advance due to the existing weather, but in the nature of these things and just to rub what little salt there was left into the wounds, conditions were back to normal by the time Saturday came round. But by then  many runners had been claimed for Christmas shopping duties so the joys of Dromore's infamous mud and hill will have to wait until next year.  The question is what do you write about when there's nothing to write about? Do we make up stories about what might have happened if events had gone ahead or relive past glories, always providing there are any?  It's probably best to do neither, better  to look forward to what's in prospect in the next few weeks.

Me, I just took the opportunity to develop a chest cold which rapidly turned into deep depression due to all the “entertainment” lavished on me from the TV screen.

Apart from several races scheduled for   Omagh and the North West region which are unlikely to attract a lot of runners from this part of the world, the next action is on Saturday in Tollymore Forest Park when the McGrady Financial Services Junior Cross Country series resumes at 10.00am with the team competitions wide open, with Newcastle leading East Down in the Girls challenge by 32 points to 27 and the Boys by 36 to 15.  So there's all to run for with 3 rounds still to go.

Things hot up over the Christmas period with the 25th anniversary of the Greencastle (Co. Tyrone) 5 Mile Road Race on Sunday 26th with the nearer home Burren Townland  6 and 12 mile races at 10.30am on the same date and if you finish that in time you can have a go at the Turkey Trot which starts at 12 noon near the Trassey Track.

Then it's on to the Christmas Cracker in Castlewellan starting at 1.00pm on Tuesday after Christmas and covering a distance estimated at between a long way and a helluva long way.  It's unique attraction is that like trousers, scissors, knickers and partridges at Christmas it only happens in pairs. So get someone you can keep up with or someone you don't like and can run away from, pool your energy and you ages and turn up in Castlewellan on 28 December for one of the best events of the year.  And there's soup and refreshments afterwards, or at least there was last year and that's why I'm doing it again this year – anything to get away from turkey sandwiches.

And just by way of a preliminary reminder, the Rollercoaster races will take place on Saturday 29 January next year at Downpatrick Race Course with races from Primary School to senior level around the perimeter road, beginning at 12.00 noon.


Joe Quinn
12 December 2010