Large crowd enjoy cross-country races

Large crowd enjoy cross-country races

23 November 2011

THE third round of the McGrady Financial Services-sponsored Junior Cross-Country Series took place in a damp and muddy Delamont Country Park, near Killyleagh, on Sunday.

Conditions underfoot were slippery as the recent heavy rain had saturated the ground. Nonetheless, the East Down AC crew, ably marshalled by Joe Quinn, did a magnificent job in marking out a challenging course for the young athletes.

Their efforts were well rewarded as a record 101 runners registered for the races, 63 from Newcastle and 38 form East Down. Racing got under way as scheduled at 1.30pm and a large crowd of spectators were on hand to lend their support to all of the competitors.

The Seeley Cup is traditionally the blue riband event of the Northern Ireland road running year and fast times are taken for granted in the competition.

In previous years, Deon McNeilly was usually in the mix and Dermot Donnelly, Gareth Turnbull and Joe McAllister are among the illustrious list of past winners.

This year saw one of the most exciting finishes as only a second separated winner Andrew Ledwith (30:47) and Paddy Hamilton.

Mark Christie from Mullingar made his journey worthwhile clocking just below 31 minutes to take 3rd place in what was a very exciting race.

David O’Flaherty was the best of the Newcastle contingent in a race finished by 804 athletes. In a race identified as the Club 10k Championship, O’Flaherty can feel proud of his achievement.

He ran steadily throughout, ensuring that his 5k splits were relatively even and can be pleased with his performance.

Mark Kendall showed that he is more than a one-trick show pony with an impressive run. Having recorded a new PB over the 26.2 miles of Dublin’s fair city, he ran a hard and fast paced race around Ormeau Park to record a classy 36:05.

Quail and Steele ran well to break 37 minutes and others packed in well, with nine breaking the 40-minute barrier.

Kerry Harty completed her altitude training with a great run in an international event in Spain last weekend.

Kerry finished 22nd in a race won by World silver medallist Linet Masai from Kenya, followed by a number other leading Africans. Fionnuala Britton was placed a superb sixth in this race.

Sunday sees the Griddle Race, around the town lands of Saul, organised by East Down AC. For those who like a hilly, but scenic 10k, with great post-race refreshments this is the race for you.

There is a great atmosphere at the races and the event is extremely well organised.