East Down fielded a small but talented team in Round 3 of the Young Athlete's League at Mary Peters track on Wednesday night and while all hope of the Club qualifying for the finals has gone there was the opportunity for individuals to impress sufficiently to merit selection for the Chairman's Select Team.  And it has to be said that the trio who turned out grasped the opportunity with both hands.  Patrick Sheridan gave another of his trademark front running performances in the Under 13 Boys 1500 metres, leading from start to finish and must be a leading hope for a medal in the Finals, while Paddy Erskine, making his debut not only for the Club but also on the tartan track, displayed tremendous potential and a fighting spirit in the very difficult 800 metres race. The trouble with 800 metre running is that the question of  how fast to run the first lap isn't usually answered until you're well into the second one, by which time it's too late to discover that it should have been much slower than you just did.  But having made that common and educational mistake Paddy gritted his teeth and battled to the finish in a magnificent 2nd place against his fast finishing opponents.  His verdict was that he felt he had made the right decision in opting for the 1500 metres in next weekend's Age Group Championship.

Elaine Burch was the busiest athlete of the night, competing in 200 and 800 metres and the Long Jump – times are not available at the time of writing but she was optimistic she had set a new PB in the 200 metres, completed just after a tough 2 lap battle and between rounds of the Long Jump where she lead during the early stages. All in all a morale boosting work out ahead of the forthcoming Age Group Championships.

Saturday proved a memorable day for the Club at 2 very different venues.  James O'Hare continued his great season with a Silver medal in the NI Senior Championships 1500 metres at Antrim Forum, just edged out by North Belfast's Stephen Scullion, but setting a new PB of 3.53.29 in the process and edging closer to the European qualifying time of 3.51. Word has it he is running out of space to keep his trophies in and the signs are his problem will increase over the next few years.

Meanwhile some of James's more senior club colleagues were taking on the challenge of the first ever Mourne Way Marathon, an almost entirely off road race from Newcastle to Rostrevor, a route described as the organisers as affording opportunities to see the beauty of the mountains at their best, without having to climb any of them.  Nevertheless the pre-race view of most experienced marathoners was that it would be tough and would take at least an hour longer than normal marathon time. So weeks of hard training on the rough trails in Tollymore Park were aimed at acclimatiastion to the anticipated conditions. Unfortunately for me my final runs were the result of a visit from an unwelcome bug and while my running mates were busily gathering together mandatory gear to cater for adverse weather conditions or injury I was packing 50 metres of toilet roll and a large nappy..  However after a night of toilet breaks and only just managing to ensure that I maintained head and tail co-ordination, a new concept in multi-tasking if ever there was one, I decided not to run and provide some measure of team support instead. The day began in warm, sunny conditions and got progressively hotter as the 150 plus runners set off on their steps into the unknown. I have to say I think my decision was the best one I ever made as in my view the route was probably the most difficult I have ever seen and must have been hell for the novices in the field. The uneven underfoot conditions and the overhead sun applied discomfort at both ends, and the only respite was the foot cooling visit to some bogland on the approach to Rocky Mountain.  I haven't got the official results yet but a magnificent last 10K saw Philip Vint stride home in 4 hours 40 minutes having made up at least 30 places in that distance and looking like he could go round again. Next home was Declan Teague his long time partner on the way, followed by Brian Hamilton, Michael McKeown and Gerry Burns – Well Done to you all, take a break until the Lisburn Half Marathon on Wednesday!

But what about the Girls?  It takes a special type of courage to undertake these extreme type events and the intrepid Linda Cunningham and Heather Lindsay proved they have it in abundance, as without prior experience of open mountain running their's was a challenge second to none.  But meet it they did and in some style, crossing the line around the 6.15 mark, having taken the pre-race advice to take it as it comes and enjoy the scenery.  Make no mistake this was one tough cookie of a race and the two ladies deserve hand and foot attention for the next week for their performance.

And a special word of congratulations to the organisers for a very well co-ordinated event – the first of many no doubt


14 June 2009