GR8 Dundrum!
We dun Dumdrum. 10 Ballymena runners made their way down to where the mountains of mournes sweep down to the sea for the gr8 Dundrum run 2023.
Joining up to 1000 runners descending on the small County Down village to take on the multi terrain 8.4 mile run. Perfect conditions although a little balmy 19 degrees. Stunning scenery, which included road, gravel, beach and boardwalk.
Brilliantly we had music blasting along the way with great encouragement from the Marshalls keeping us motivated right to the end. As per usual this was a very well organised yearly run by Murlough AC and amazing hospitality followed at the finish line. Definitely a run we will do again!
Before we hit the road we cold water dipped in Murlough beach then quenched our thirst with a pint of the cold stuff! A team building day like no other. We know how to run a town!
BRAC Runners at Dundrum
Fantastic masters
Sixteen Ballymena Runners masters(35 years and over)put on their spikes and lined up in this years Northern Ireland Masters XCountry Championships and trials for the annual 5 countries international to be held in Scotland in November.
A podium finish guarantees automatic selection in all 5 year age groups and gold medals for Noel Connor and Brigid Quinn, silver medals for Sharon Leetch, Paula Worthington and Ray Curran.
After a few hours delay the selectors picked Kathleen Law, first club finisher in the three lap testing course at Queens Playing Fields and 4th in her age group along with Susanna Allen also 4th finisher in her age group.
Ben Morrow was first Ballymena Runners male finisher in the 4 lap(8k) event, closely followed by Kieran Scullion, Brendan Kerr, Mike Bennett and Noel Connor( having the race of his life). Ben, Kieran and Brendan all got the selectors votes with Mike first reserve in his age group. Well run guys.
Well run Geraldine Quigley, Jim Moore, James McCleron, Robert Clyde and Timothy Bamber who all represented the club with distinction.
BRAC at NI Cross Country Championships
Malaga 10k
A distance of 1024 miles south of Ballymena lies the city of Malaga. This epicentre of modern gastronomy and culture is nestled between mountains and the rich turquoise hues of the Mediterranean. The city and surrounding area is an ideal location for mountain running, track, cross-country (simply called cross in Spain) and of course road running.
On this occasion club member Peter Fleming was making a return trip to race the 2023 Carrera El Torcal-La Paz 10k around the city streets. The route begins in the north of the city and is deliberately plotted to link a couple of neighbourhood districts in the city. Despite a 10am start time the temperature crept into the mid 20s and Peter commented that following his warm-up he was already drenched in sweat whilst the local Spanish running community were lightly glistened.
After a congested start the 750 runners made their way towards the broad palm lined avenues which the city is well renowned for and skirted the coast where, for a short time, the breeze was welcomed by all. Other observations made by Peter include the fact that in Spanish races there are a number of runners who have the responsibility of carrying defibrillator devices. They are marked out in a similar fashion to marathon pacers and wear a small antenna topped off with a flag. The flat course was also fully closed off to traffic and the finishing area had the welcome relief of free water, beer and electrolyte drinks in that order.
The organisation was top notch, and it is remarkable how the goody bag, the race itself and great quality garment is delivered for a price of 8 Euros. Peter completed the distance approximately 10 seconds faster than last year in a time of 45mins 13secs and placed 179th from 718 eventual finishers. The first male was Javier Arcas Garcia running 32.25 & the first female, Belen Infantes Rojas finished in a time of 36.4. Next up for Peter and a number of other local athletes is the Malaga half and full marathons in December. The attached video shows how the chip timing system automatulucally records your time when crossing the finish line.
Amsterdam Marathon
Well done to Stephen Gage who ran Amsterdam Marathon in 2:48:03 this morning despite missing a few weeks training - another stellar performance after London & Belfast earlier in the year with Dublin still to come.
