21 March 2011
LADIES DAY AT LARNE
Having survived the mayhem that was registration and post race refreshments at Jimmy's Ten last Sunday the Larne Half Marathon must have seemed like a stroll in the park to the ladies of East Down on Saturday. In fact such was their enthusiasm they proceeded to turn the clock back a week before it is due to go forward, perhaps trying to stockpile precious minutes against the inevitable hour less in bed. Whatever the motivation however, they can be justifiably proud of their performances as, in near perfect conditions, they racked up PB after PB.
Larne is a unique course in that it consists of an allegedly flat 5 miles out along the coast to Ballygally, beautiful scenery if you have the inclination to enjoy it, a tough climb inland for a mile and a half and then downhill to the coast again to return by the same way. A challenge to test the resolve of most.
First to cross the finish line, knocking an incredible 5 minutes of last year's time came Tracey McDowell followed swiftly by Betty McCartan who breezed home in 1.52, a fantastic debut time for her, and Helen Vint in a comfortable looking 1.54. Linda Cunningham came next in 1.56, followed by Roisin Gaffney whose squeals of delight could be heard in Downpatrick when she discovered that she had broken the 2 hour barrier. Clearly coaching the juniors is inspiring her to lead by example. Not to be outdone, fellow coach Deirdre Mount chipped in with a splendid 2.02 with Frank and Bernice McCann doing incredibly well on 3 legs to record 2.15 with another debutante Lorna McCormick more than pleased with 2.16.
There were 18 East Down club members in action altogether and while the men undoubtedly played second fiddle to the ladies, there were nonetheless some outstanding performances among them too. Stephen Shannon showed he is in fine form as he prepares for the full distance in Edinburgh with a new PB of 1.22, having travelled to the half way point alongside Philip Vint, who was somewhat disappointed with what he described as a somewhat flat performance on the inward half, but nevertheless clocked a highly respectable 1.24. Afterwards as they congratulated each other the pair showed why we could win Olympic medals if synchronised throwing up ever becomes a recognised sport though I'm not sure the environmentalists would be impressed. Surely being sick together is the ultimate in sportsmanship?
Best among the men has to be Declan Teague's 1.27, a massive 5 minutes quicker than last year with Mark McDowell clocking 1.33 after picking up a knee injury on the way back. Just behind is the increasingly confident Raymond Milligan, 1.34 and Norman Mawhinney ducking under 1.37. Most controlled run of the day was Gavin Oakes's 1.39, as after a cautious opening half he pressed the pedal to record a 2 minutes faster second half. Simon McGrattan, fresh from his pacemaking duties last weekend, cruised round in 1.45, just 4 seconds outside his target time, again, with Colm Surginor cutting another 2 minutes off his 2010 time in 1.54 and another debutant Gareth Kimpton breaking through in 1.59.
So a highly successful and enjoyable day all round, topped off by events in Dublin and a little bit of letting down of hair and it's rumoured, a celebratory pint of water later that night. One or two who pushed the boat out and indulged in lemonade instead were seen to try out the throwing up exercise again next morning despite their protests that it was only in preparation for a breakfast fry up.
Next on the agenda is the 5 Mile Race race and Fun Run on 2 April, promoted by Leitrim GAC in association with Newcastle AC while the next East Down event will be a charity 10K and 5K Fun Run in aid of the Impact Romania Group from Bright Community Centre on Sunday 12 June.
Joe Quinn
21 March 2011
