Saturday 28th September was the 10th anniversary of the Causeway Coast Marathon and over 1000 runners took to the beach, cliffs, bays and headlands of the North Coast in unbroken sunshine to celebrate with event management company 26 Extreme.
This popular event provides competitors with a choice of distances with a 10k, Half Marathon, Marathon and a 40 Mile Ultra Marathon to choose from. Starting at 7.30am the Ultra Runners gathered on Portstewart Strand as the sun rose to start their run from Portstewart, through Portrush to Portballintrae before following the cliff path along the coast through Dunseverick, Whitepark Bay and Ballintoy to Larrybane Quarry, where they turned to run back to the finish at Portballintrae.
The Marathon at 9.30am took the runners from Portballintrae to Larrybane Quarry and back while the Half Marathon at 12.30pm started in Larrybane and saw by far the largest field of runner’s race along the coast to the finish. This years 10k event took on a new route with runners starting and finishing in Portballintrae having run through the Giants Causeway and climbed the challenging Shepherds Steps to the top of the cliffs.
Kerrie McIlmoyle, Adele Tomb and Carolyn Crawford at the Causeway Coast Marathon
Springwell RC was well represented in all the events with six of them, Helena Dornan, Ali Shaw, Nicky Frizelle, Jason Scott, Kerrie McIlmoyle and Darren Walsh engaging in the role of ambassadors to advise and assist fellow runners as they took on the challenges of the Causeway Coast.
Jason Scott at the Causeway Coast Marathon
In the 10k event Barry Mullan produced a time of 43.06 to finish second and in the Ultra Marathon, taking on the distance for the first time Michael Johnson was the first Springwell RC member home in 24th with a time of 7.04.32. Many of the club members were taking on the terrain and distances for the first time and a lot of determination and effort on the day saw the achieve their goals.
10k – 2nd Barry Mullan 43.09, 5th Maurice Walker 46.12, 43rd Alanna Millar 1.00.24, 69th Debbie Tutty 1.07.28, 80th David McClean 1.08.33, 106th Aisling Hynes 1.11.59, 144th Pauline Duke 1.17.26, 145th Amanda Scott 1.17.26, 190th Lorraine Abernethy 1.32.13
HM – 7th Alister Jamison 1.38.06, 68th Carolyn Crawford 2.02.09, 82nd Kerrie McIlmoyle 2.05.48, 85th Adele Tomb 2.06.22, 103rd Lesley Logan 2.09.21, 128th Darren Walsh 2.14.57, 130th Ryan Gray 2.15.07, 150th Peter Fleming 2.18.57, 176th John McAllister 2.22.59, 234th Elizabeth Deighan 2.38.57, 267th Aaron McCracken 2.41.29
Marathon – 34th Jason Scott 4.43.21, 87th Nicky Frizelle 5.16.26, 113th Sarah Dickinson 5.37.17, 158th Rodney McPhee 6.20.30, 159th Deborah McPhee 6.20.30
Ultra Marathon – 24th Michael Johnson 7.04.32, 27th Ali Shaw 7.20.41, 28th Dale Corbett 7.20.47, 36th Alan Nevin 7.36.30, 88th Helena Dornan 9.11.42, 89th David Campbell 9.12.02
East Donegal Half and ¾ Marathon
Sunday 29th September saw over 700 runners gather in Ballybofey for the East Donegal Half and ¾ Marathon. Starting at Jackson’s hotel the course took competitors on a fast course along the River Finn and then back to Ballybofey on the opposite riverbank.
Mervyn Thompson, Emer Thompson, Maria Quinn, Fran McFadden and Andrew Wilmot at Ballybofey
In the Half Marathon Springwell RC were represented by seven members – 77th Barry McCluskey 1.46.46, 120th Mervyn Thompson 1.51.57, 226th Maria Quinn 2.06.15, 282nd Heather Mclaughlin 2.15.06 PB, 295th Emer Thompson 2.17.10, 309th Alison Duncan 2.19.30 and 319th Andrew Wilmot 2.21.56
The 20 Mile ¾ Marathon saw a further six Springwell RC members in action – 53rd Ryan Kennedy 2.27.43,138th Fran Mc Fadden 2.46.05,272nd Margaret Kearney 3.03.57,326th Jim Bradley 3.12.45,337th Kate McNicholl 3.14.30 and 434th Colin Connolly 3.36.38
Great Scottish Run
The Great Scottish Run in Glasgow on Sunday 29th September with almost 10,000 runners taking part in the Half Marathon and 10k events. Starting in George Square in the City Centre the course took competitors on a tour of Glasgow’s finest venues and buildings as they crossed the river Clyde and ran through Pollok and Bellahouston Park before finishing on Glasgow Green.
In the 10k Rhona Laverty finished 4336th in 1.05.54, Kenneth Bacon was 5640th in 1.16.37 and Joan Trengove was 6001st with a time of 1.22.44.
In the Half Marathon Aoife Carr produced a time of 1.33.49 to finish 671st, Anne Marie Carr was 1761st in 1.44.47 and, on his return from injury Philip Tweedie ran 1.50.50 to finish 2569th.
Joan Trengrove, Kenneth Bacon and Rhona Laverty at the Great Scottish Run
