Springwell Running Club - Press Release – June 30th 2019

The more observant among you will be aware of a certain golf competition taking place in Portrush from the 14th – 21st July. As so many resources are required to manage this world class event a number of this year’s local events have been very successfully rearranged to alternative dates, including three longstanding road races that Springwell RC are associated with.

This year the Milk Run will take place from the Joey Dunlop Leisure in Ballymoney on the 26th July with this year’s event sponsored by Lakeland Dairies. This popular 5 Mile Road Race is organised in association with Causeway Coast and Glens Council and there are technical t-shirts available for the first 200 entries. The race is part of the Baker McKenzie Super 5’s series of Road Races. Online entries are available at https://athleticsni.org/Fixtures/Lakeland-Dairies-Milk-Run

The Kennedy Kane McArthur Festival of Running, organised in association with the Dervock Community Association will take place on the 3rd August. The Festival will include a 5 mile Road Race and the iconic ‘Dark Hedges’ Half Marathon, afforded competitors the opportunity to run along the ‘Kings Road’. This year the Half Marathon will once again to part of the Pure Running Half Marathon series of events. Online entries are available at https://athleticsni.org/Fixtures/Dark-Hedges-Half-Marathon

The Edwin May Nissan 5 Mile Classic Road Race, which is also part of the Baker McKenzie Super 5’s series of Road Races, is on the 14th August this year. The event is again organised in association with Causeway Coast and Glens Council and will take place from Coleraine Leisure Centre. This popular race around the town centre always attracts a large crowd and technical t-shirts are only available for the first 200 entries. There have already been a considerable number of entries for this event so the number of t-shirts remaining is very limited. Online entries are available at https://athleticsni.org/Fix…/Edwin-May-Nissan-5-Mile-Classic

David Hughes and Emma Burrell modelling the Lakeland Dairies Milk Run T-Shirts

Bob & Bert’s 10k

The sunshine on Thursday evening attracted a large crowd of competitors to Portrush for the Bob & Bert’s 10k which took place on the 27th June. Over 300 runners started on the East Strand, adjacent to the Watersports Centre, enjoying the scenery as they ran to the White Rocks and climbed to the Bushmills Road to run back into Portrush. Having passed the Watersports Centre they then ran past the Arcadia and out along Landsdowne Crescent before completing a lap around Ramore Head and running back to finish on the East Strand.

Springwell RC was well represented at the event with four members finishing in the top 10. Rhodri Jones finished in 2nd place in a time of 37.43 with Stephen Fillis 6th in 39.20, Fergus Irwin 9th in 40.22 and Maurice Walker 10th in 40.29. The other Springwell RC members running were, 16th Rodney McPhee 41.47, 19th David Sexton 42.48, 23rd Aoife Carr 44.15, 26th James McMullan 44.21, 27th Alison Rankin 44.28, 52nd Anne Marie Carr 47.22, 55th Mandy Stewart 47.30, 80th Mark Neely 49.38, 83rd Pauline Mullan 50.18, 89th Richard Pollock 51.02, 100th Claire Ramsey 51.49, 117th Alan Platt 53.26, 119th Lorraine Mullan 53.30, 125th Alanna Millar 53.44, 126th Andrew Wilson 53.49, 138th Liz Dowey 54.30, 140th Rosie Little 54.39, 143rd Sylvia Pollock 54.44, 153rd Deborah McPhee 55.41, 202nd Laura Wilson 59.39, 203rd Alison Kelly 59.39, 219th Ingrid Hamilton 1.01.05, 223rd Aisling Hynes 1.01.26 PB, 225th Karen Robinson 1.01.54, 241st Julie Virtue 1.03.34, 245th Alison Duncan 1.04.15, 247th Roisin Walker 1.03.40, 251st Andrew Kincaid 1.04.31, 256th Heather McLaughlin 1.05.50, 277th Emma Thorpe 1.09.36, 279th Deborah Archibald 1.09.37 and 283rd Pauline Duke 1.10.59.

Ards Half Marathon

After being cancelled last year the Ards Half Marathon returned to the running calendar in 2019, under the management of Scrabo Striders Running Club, with a very successful evening of running on Friday 28th June. Springwell RC had four members at the event with Martin Smith 132nd 1.48.43, Adele Tomb, in her first half marathon, 182nd 1.55.31, Carolyn Crawford 222nd 1.59.12 and Emer Thompson 394th 2.25.46.

Naked Run

It’s not what you think, the ‘Naked Run’ is one in which the runner doesn’t wear a watch or have access to any other timing device. The runner submits a predicted finish time and the winner is whoever finishes closest to their predicted time. On Wednesday 26th June Ballymena Runners organised such an event, in aid of the Children’s Cancer Centre and raised the magnificent sum of £670.00. Springwell RC had two members at the event where Kenneth Bacon produced a master class of pacing to finish 3 seconds under his predicted time of 36.10, which placed him 4th male while Rhona Laverty was too quick for herself, finishing 2m 27s under her predicted time of 34.00.

Antrim Coast Marathon

The Antrim Coast Marathon was re-established in 2018 by Larne AC to celebrate their 30th anniversary and was so successful that they staged in again this year on Saturday 29th June. While the run along the coast road provides some stunning scenery the topography of the road limits the number of entrants to 150. Despite that Springwell RC were well represented at the race with Alister Jamison 29th 3.24.24, Michael Johnson 44th 3.41.42, Michael Mulvenna 87th 4.04.07, Paul Dornan 127th 4.40.04, Colin Connolly 128th 4.45.06, Alison McAllister 133rd 4.57.28 and Andrew Wilmot 142nd 5.10.15.

Colin Connolly, Paul Dornan, Michael Mulvenna, Andrew Wilmot and Michael Johnson

And the Rest

The Newell 10k in Coalisland on Friday 28th June saw a large and competitive field take part in Ireland’s fastest 10k. Christopher McNickle finished 35th with a time of 38.29 and Chris Holmes was 61st with a 39.58. On Sunday 30th June David Campbell took part in his first East Antrim Marathon Series event when he finished second in the ‘Skools Out’ Half Marathon with a time of 2.10.05.