Niall and James make their mark on the mountain

Niall and James make their mark on the mountain

20 September 2023

ON Saturday morning, East Down AC’s mountain men Niall Gibney and James Cuffey equipped themselves with their maps and compasses to take on the massive task which is the Mourne Mountain Marathon. 

Niall and James were entered into the six-hour class, so, in brief, they have six hours to reach as many checkpoints as possible. 

Each checkpoint is worth different points, with more points afforded to the checkpoints that are more difficult to get to. There are strict penalties in place for exceeding the six-hour time limit. 

The visibility and ground conditions were the worst the pair had experienced for some time, but working well as a team they racked up 340 points along the way and just got back in time under the six-hour time limit. 

In doing so, the duo were delighted to be placed third team out of 35 pairs taking part. 

James and Niall managed to cover 18 miles with 5,400 feet of elevation – a great effort for this new team in very poor conditions.

Belfast Half Marathon

Sunday morning saw the tenth running of The Mash Direct Belfast City Half Marathon. 

This is the largest half marathon event in Northern Ireland and has seen a massive growth, selling out four years in-a-row. 

This year’s race began on the Ormeau Embankment and took in the south, east, north and west of Belfast, including a new section in the east of the city. 

The race also used more of the greenway, instead of Sydenham Bypass, before travelling through Victoria Park and the Titanic Quarter. 

The conditions were cool and very wet, meaning some runners would approve of the weather, but others were not so happy with the dampness.

With ten East Down AC athletes on a very wet start line, Neil Curran headed to the front of the race and paced a great half marathon, crossing the finish line in Ormeau Park in 49th position in a time of one hour 17 minutes 42 seconds – great running from Neil. 

The second red and yellow vest to cross the finish line was the ever-improving Matt Bezzant, in a new personal best time of one hour 25 minutes 44 seconds. He will be happy with how he paced the race, considering the conditions. 

The next personal best time to finish was Daniel Giles, who has had a great year over the distance with a number of new personal bests. 

He was over the moon with a time of one hour 28 minutes 52 seconds. 

The club’s first lady to finish was the ever determined Niamh Kellett, who seemed to be pacing Barrie Atkinson around the course. 

Niamh finished 29th lady in the race in a time of one hour 29 minutes 19 seconds, with Barrie not so far behind in one hour 29 minutes 33 seconds.

Paul Lloyd will be happy with his time of one hour 33 minutes 18 seconds, placing in front of training partner Dee Murray, who crossed the finish in one hour 35 minutes 23 seconds. 

Eamon Kelly, who is a jack of all trades, ran a steady race and finished in 860th position in one hour 41 minutes 51 seconds. 

The second Kelly to cross the line was Gareth, a stalwart of the club, who finished in one hour 54 minutes 40 seconds. 

The second lady to finish in a new personal best time was Clare Forster, who is delighted with her day’s efforts – well done Clare.

Next weekend sees the Northern Ireland Road Relays in Victoria Park, which is a great team event for East Down AC.