Seeley Cup
The 42nd Podium 4 Sport Seeley Cup is always a big fixture in the running calendar. Almost one thousand runners converged in Ormeau Park for this iconic 10k, arguably the number 1 10k each year attracting both high level performers, club runners and social runners.
As always Ballymena Runners were well represented with over 30 members competing and doing themselves and the club proud.
Results (apologies for anyone missing as club name not in)
94 Kieran Scullion 35.40
103 Tony Scullion 35.58
124 Jack McKenna 36.17
126 Daniel Hanna 36.34
144 Dale Kirkwood 36.50
156 Brendan Kerr 37.04
165 Jamie Scott 37.23
187 Sean Hasson 37.46
266 James Turtle 38.54
311 Mark McCauley 40.18
342 Cian Young 41.16
401 Tim Bamber 41.57
404 Robert Clyde 41.59
405 Hall Booth 41.56
439 Denver Robb 42.38
461 Jimmy Graham 42.59
468 John Donnelly 43.05
470 Mark Adair 43.13
501 Paul Connolly 43.46
508 John McClelland 44.02
623 Alison Foster 47.47
631 Raymond Ruck 48.01
636 Elle Forest Reid 48.02
705 Gerry McClintock 5035
715 Patrick Millar 51.11
734 Billy Bamber 53.09
750 Gemma Clyde 54.25
758 Sam Jackson 55.10
778 Norman Murphy 57.32
780 Skye Walker 58.16
781 Darren Walker 58.38
Fuengirola
On Sunday 01 December Geraldine Quigley took part in a trail/cross country race in Fuengirola, Spain while celebrating her mum's 75th birthday.
The race consisted of 4 laps which were just over 1km long which was a hilly and very rough terrain course.
Thankfully the ladies race was first with around 100 in it as the temperature was heating up .
Geraldine said “With such a challenging course I was so happy to finish 4th female and win f50 and receiving a keepsake age category medal and tshirt.
Thank you so much to the organisers who made feel so welcome and to my amazing mum my number 1 supporter.”
Lanzarote International Marathon
Elle Forrest Reid ran the Lanzarote marathon last Saturday along with 3000 runners who took on the concurrent 10k, half marathon & marathon events.
With warm temperatures and a strong headwind on the return leg it was one to enjoy rather than compete.
The event was well organised, with a great atmosphere and featured lots of other NI & ROI runners including Elle's husband Trevor who ran the 10k.
The after party was enjoyed by all!
Malaga Marathon and Half Marathon
The 2024 Generali Malaga Marathon and half marathon took place on Sunday, December 15th, 2024, in the beautiful Andalusia region.
This year's event saw a fantastic turnout with 16,000 runners from around the world participating in one of Spain's most prestigious road races. The weather was ideal for running, with clear skies and mild temperatures, providing perfect conditions for both the marathon and half marathon participants.
A number of Ballymena Runners made the trip over, including regulars at the event and many new faces too.
A super choice of flights and accommodation along the Costa del Sol make it an ideal event for anyone wishing to run overseas. Combining the marathon/half marathon on the Sunday with a kids race and 5k run the day before makes it an ideal trip for families too.
Both distances started at 8:30 AM, with over 16,000 runners setting off from Paseo del Parque in front of the Ayuntamiento de Málaga. The course, known for its flat terrain, offers scenic views of Malaga's historical sites, including the Alcazaba Moorish fortress and the Roman Theatre.
Crowds of supporters lining the streets added to the vibrant atmosphere. Included along the route were members of the Walker, Connolly, Clyde, Kirkwood families and coach Ray cheering on the runners. They also took the opportunity to grab some great photos (see attached) too.
The Expo event, held on the days leading up to the race, was also a hub of activity where Ballymena Runners collected their race numbers and explored various stalls offering running gear, nutrition products etc. This year you were able to have a haircut and a tattoo at the Expo however we are pretty sure no-one got 'inked'. There was a great deal on previous event t-shirts which were heavily discounted and the Ballymena folk recognising a bargain cleared out most of the stock.
Pack collection was also a great opportunity to catch up with the many other runners from local clubs who had made the journey.
Included in that mix was Jack McKenna who was racing in the half marathon event wearing his Carnethy club colours.
On Saturday, December 14th, the day before the main event, the city hosted a kids race and a Brunch run. The kids race was a real spectacle, with young runners showing off their enthusiasm and energy.
The Brunch run, a more relaxed event, allowed participants to enjoy a leisurely 5k (well almost) followed by a delicious brunch, building on that sense of community and camaraderie present in the running scene.
In the marathon, the men's race was dominated by Vincent Kipkorir Kigen, who finished first with a time of 02:08:05, followed by Micah Kipkosgei Chemweno at 02:09:21, and Andrew Rotich Kwemoi at 02:10:20. The women's marathon saw Aynalem Desta Gebre take the top spot with a time of 02:25:10, followed by Adanech Mesfen Mekonnen at 02:26:01, and Gojjam Tsegaye Enyew at 02:26:13.
Ballymena Runners had a strong presence at the event, with members achieving impressive times including a number of personal bests.
The sole entrant from Ballymena in the marathon distance was John Hasson who has previously raced the Malaga Half in 2022 and 2023. John had a remarkable race recording a time of 3.02.56 finishing 21st in his age category from a field of 729. Making this more remarkable was that John had ran 3hrs 00mins 00sec two weeks earlier in the Valencia Marathon. Those of us who spotted John along the course saw a controlled race where he was bombing along the course knocking off the km markers like skittles. A fantastic pace on course with John running an average of 4mins 20sec/km.
First home in the half marathon for Ballymena Runners was Dale Kirkwood. Dale, a relative newcomer to this distance took around 10 minutes off his pb finishing in a remarkable 1.20.45. A superb run and undoubtedly there is more to come from this athlete. A proud day for the Kirkwood family (particularly Dale's father), who were all over to support his efforts.
Next to cross the line was Darren Walker who warmed up for the half marathon by running the brunch run on the Saturday with his daughter Skye alongside Gemma Clyde. The shake-down run worked a treat as Darren raced home in 1.31.04 and looked amazingly fresh in the finish area. A strong run given the recent months of training missed from injury and undoubtedly on any other day Darren would have smashed the 90 minute barrier.
Returning to this event was Peter Fleming who ran a negative split race averaging 4.33 mins/km to finish with 1.36.11 taking over 2 mins off his 2023 result. Peter was particulary delighted to have an opportunity to top up the tan before his next race (mountain) in Tenerife in January.
Paul Connolly also made a return, travelling with extended family to make a real trip of it. Paul put in another strong performance and strided across the finish line to record 1.45.54.
The next club member to star in the half and make the trek across to Malaga was Daniel Kuczur. Another piece of solid running from Daniel who raced along the finishing straight to complete the 21km course in 1.48.10.
Not to be outdone by her father John, young Anna Hasson ran under the 2hr barrier in the half distance for the first time. Paced by her mum Aine, they both crossed the line together in a super time of 1.57.33. Well done both and a great spot of pacing from Aine who has been nursing a few running niggles over the last number of months.
Starring in her first (but undoubtedly) not her last overseas race was Gemma Clyde. Having raced at the brunch run on Saturday, Gemma also took on the 21km challenge and crossed the finishing line with plenty of smiles bringing it home in 2.15.44. Given the amount of designer bags Gemma was spotted with on the return flight she had saved some energy for a spot of retail therapy with her Mum the following day.
It would be an oversight not to mention three further performances in the half distance. Dominic Hasson (unattached) flew in to compete again in the event and was delighted to see the progress from recent training to bag a time of 1.51.26. A great return to racing following his race in Santa Cruz, Tenerife only a couple of months ago.
Next up a shout out to Chelsey Kirkwood (unattached). Not to be outdone by Dale she picked up the pace right through the race who cruised along the sun-kissed streets of Malaga crossing the line in 2.18.59.
Last but not least a special shout out to Ballymena man Jack McKenna now residing, training and racing mainly in and around Edinburgh. We are proud to call him one of our own. The talented athlete ran for Carnethy HRC on this occasion. Digging in deep over the last 2kms Jack recorded a pb for the distance finishing in 1.14.14 and grabbing 38th position overall in what was a high quality field of competitors. Well done Jack.
Post race everyone was able to enjoy more sunshine, tapas and the great shopping which this city and coastline offers.
For anyone interested there is another opportunity to run the half marathon distance in a separate event in March 2025.
Finally everyone racing in the events over the weekend wish to say thanks again to all of the travelling support for the shout outs and photos.
