Impressive Podium Places for Tom and Thomas at Castlewellan

By The Buggy Pusher

Castlewellan Forest Park was the destination on Saturday past as a small number of Newcastle and District AC runners braved the very difficult elements in the final race of the Born 2 Run series.

Prior to the starter gun going for the 10k race the weather really closed in on all the runners who were gathering at the start line. The runners had to listen to the final race instructions from the organisers in a torrential downpour and gale force gusts.

 

Crudgington First Home

The youthful Tom Crudgington made it two Born 2 Run 5k race wins in a row following his recent win at Tollymore in early January.

In total 214 took part in the 5k race. It proved to be a slow and cagey affair with nobody wanting to take the race by the scruff of the neck until the first major climb at the half mile point when the Newcastle pair of Crudgington and Goodman made their move and stayed in front to the finish.

Tom remarkably posted the exact same time as in Tollymore of 17.28 (5.37 per mile average pace). Tom managed to hold off Newcastle AC’s Niall Goodman with Niall finishing an impressive 2nd in 18.09.

Aoibheann O’Gorman was the only female participant for Newcastle AC on the day and she put in an impressive performance to finish 51st in 26.26.

 

Podium Finish for O’Gorman

Lining up for the 10k race for Newcastle and District AC were Hilltown native Thomas O’Gorman, Brian McVeigh and Hugo Rodgers in a field of 414.

Star of the show for Newcastle was Thomas who managed to hold onto 3rd place in a tight finish and bag an impressive podium place. Thomas finished 3rd in 36.24, Brian finished 6th in 38.59 and Hugo finished 219th in 56.42.

A move which surprised many onlookers post-race was the sight of Thomas opting for two battered mars bars over the post-race Born 2 Run refreshments. When questioned by The Buggy Pusher Thomas confirmed he was getting his energy levels up for the trip to Coleraine where he would compete in his second event of the day at the national Cross Country event. Two hours and two battered mars bars later O’Gorman was pulling on the spikes and toeing the line in Coleraine for the red and yellow of Newcastle.

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