Lurgan Park Intermediate & Masters XC – Mud, Mayhem & Mic-Free Legends
Lurgan Park delivered full-on cross-country conditions today, with persistent rain turning the course into a slippery, energy-draining mudfest. Our Ballymena runners are well acquainted with suffering, and the weather did nothing to dampen spirits.
Cherith Wright had a cracking run, finishing 4th overall and 1st Ballymena lady in 17:08, proving that mud is merely a suggestion, not a barrier.
On the men’s side, Brendan Kerr led the Ballymena charge in 33:38, showing strong form on a course that punished every misstep and questioned all life choices.
The conditions were tough, the mud was generous, and the legs were thoroughly tested — exactly how proper XC should be.
A special mention (or lack of it...) goes to Ray Curran, club stalwart and five-time winner of this race in his younger years , who completed today’s race only to be denied even a mention, much to his disappointment . Even legends deserve airtime
8k
Brendan Kerr 33:38
Jason Wilson 34:23
Ian McCracken 34:23
John Nicholson 35:30
Tony Scullion 37:06
4k
Cherith Wright 17:08
Paula Worthington 17:38
Judith Worthington 19:20
Nena Cormican 20:32
Lisa Ewart 20:55
Ray Curran 21:36
Sinead Scullion 22:37
Brigid Quinn 33:52
Another solid team outing, plenty of laughs, and enough mud to take home as souvenirs in our socks. XC season doing what it does best.
Lisa Ewart
BRAC compete in Owenbeg XC
On Saturday afternoon four Ballymena runners competed in only the second XC event hosted by Springwell Running Club at Owenbeg GAA Centre of Excellence.
First up in the Ladies and Male Vets 60+ were the usual consistent runs from Brigid Quinn, Patrick Millar and Sam Jackson, all three keeping up their XC participation.
Last race was the Open Men and Masters Men where Ballymena Runners sole competitor was Ian McCracken who had an excellent run to finish 13th overall and 1st M45.
A very well organised event and a big thanks to Springwell RC for their commitment and effort to make this event happen!
Robert Clyde
Mallusk Cross Country: Mud! Mud! Glorious Mud?
Anyone who has ever found themselves "Going On A Bear Hunt" will understand that nature often delights in throwing obstacles in our path: grass, forests, rivers... and mud. Perhaps author Michael Rosen was standing on the City Of Belfast Playing Fields when he conjured up the "squelch, squerch" sound effects for his poem. Because there was much squelching and there was much squerching at today's Mathieson Cup XC in Mallusk.
Relieved as we all were to see the end of last week's snow, its melting didn't bode well for a cross-country meet the same weekend. And neither did Barra's Yellow Weather Warning for heavy rain in the hours leading up to the event.
But Cross Country-ers are a resilient bunch, and 18 of Ballymena Runners' hardiest squelched their way to the start line, ready to squerch through whatever the course had to offer.
On a fine day, the course at Mallusk is a good one: three (or four) laps of the football pitches, with a few short, sharp uphills and downhills along the way. Challenging, but doable.
However, the addition of several inches of melted snow and several hours of heavy rainfall makes things a lot more... interesting.
Uphills become the Gladiator Travelator, downhills become mudslides and muddy corners quite frankly become a nuisance.
But despite all the challenges, Ballymena Runners put on a strong show, with Cherith Wright leading the Ladies Team home and Brendan Kerr bringing the Men's Team across the line.
A special mention to Paula Worthington (1st F45) and Brigid Quinn (1st F80). A shout-out also to those whose shoes remained attached to their feet, and also to those who made it across the finish line despite having had a little "sit down" along the way...
Full results available at https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1Gs39UZesm/
Mud: We can't go over it. We can't go under it. We HAVE to go through it. And that's just what we did!
Ladies Team: Brigid, Catherine, Helen, Lisa, Geraldine. Nena, Paula, Cherith
Men's Team: Paddy, Ray, Thomas, Darren, Brendan, Mark, Robert, John, JD, Tony
Ballymena runners at Mallusk XC
Turkey Trot!
The Turkey Trot is a long-running festive Boxing Day calorie-burner for mountain runners.
The 7.5km clockwise circuit of Slieve Meelmore packs in a tasty 400m of climb and never fails to deliver a proper workout.
Conditions were very cold but sunny — perfect weather for a blast around the Mournes.
This year, Ballymena Runners fielded their two biggest turkeys — William Fleck and Mark Alexander!
The festive raiding party proved fruitful, with the Broughshane turkey picking up his age category prize. Well done Willie!
However, running can be a humbling affair as both runners were greeted at the finish line by the earlier finishers, including the turkey and snowman pictured!
Thank you to BARF for a superbly organised event. We run off the turkey!
William and Mark
Greencastle 5 mile
On Boxing Day, seven Ballymena Runners made the journey to Greencastle for the annual 5-mile race, now celebrating its 40th year.
Raced in glorious sunshine, the route took runners through the rolling hills of County Tyrone. Recent hill training proved invaluable when tackling the monster climb at mile four, before the welcome reward of a downhill final half-mile run into the finish.
It was a very successful afternoon for the club. Kathleen Law secured a podium finish, crossing the line as third lady overall.
The Ballymena ladies also claimed the team prize, rounding off an excellent collective performance.
There were also strong age-category performances, with Linda Pettigrew finishing second in her category, Nena Cormican taking third, and both Áine Hasson and Brigid claiming wins in their respective categories.
As always, Greencastle delivered a superbly organised race with fantastic hospitality, making it a thoroughly enjoyable day for all involved.
Tony Scullion 30.39
Kathleen Law 31.07
Nena Cormican 36.43
Linda Pettigrew 40.18
Aine Hasson 41.16
Anne Marie Millar 1.01.11
Brigid Quinn 1.01.33
Reindeer Run Riot Round Renowned Race!
T.S. Elliot once remarked that, "Only those who risk going too far can possibly find out how far one can go."
And certainly this is true of many runners, with longer distances, faster times and tougher routes being accomplished.
But there are times when some runners take this to a new level altogether, swapping mince pies for mountains, movies for mud and TV for trail paths.
Crackers, you could say.
Take the Castlewellan Six as an example. While most runners satisfied their need for speed today with a trot around their local parkrun, Santa and his reindeer headed to the foothills of the majestic Mournes to participate in The Castlewellan Christmas Cracker along with 1500 crackers of characters. And it would be fair to say that this festive bunch blended in perfectly at the start line, standing shoulder-to-shoulder with Bananas in Pyjamas, Traitors and Oxo Cubes alike, not to mention Bill & Ben (of Flower Pot Men fame).
The Castlewellan Christmas Cracker is a traditional Christmas event, held on the Saturday between Christmas Day and New Year... that period when few people know what date, never mind what day, it is. Runners compete in pairs, with both participants having to cross the Finish Line at the same time. Dressing up isn't a requirement, but widely encouraged (and commonly done, it should be noted!). Not one person raised an eyebrow when, just as the race was about to start, a frantic Santa desperately searched for a Plum Pudding.
Crackers.
For the casual reader, it wouldn't be out of order to assume that the event name "Christmas Cracker" is a simple play on festive words.
But you'd be wrong.
The "Cracker" element in fact references the actual gesture of pulling Christmas Crackers... where you don't know what you'll get until you've got it. And that sums up the event entirely; competitors have no idea of route, terrain or distance until they arrive and collect their numbers.
Today's "surprise" was 8.5miles of ascending, descending and re-ascending paths of heights up to 900 ft along the trails of Castlewellan Forest Park, as well as venturing along the odd field and road for good measure. For a seasoned Cracker, it would be fair to say we got off lightly!
4 Crackers of teams represented Ballymena Runners today: Trisha MacRory and Helen Cavan, Catherine Stewart and Barbara Patterson, Jim Stewart and Nikki Hassan, Paul Esler and James McCann.
Well-received support, applause and encouragement came from Kerry Alexander, Laura McMullan, Davy & Colette Rainey.
The Castlewellan Christmas Cracker should be given serious consideration in any racing calendar. But proceed with caution: the uphills are long, the downhills are arduous, and the fancy-dress stakes are high.
Thank you to our friends from Newcastle Athletic Club for organising such a fun and original event. It truly was, as you may have already anticipated....
It's a Cracker... it's the way I tell 'em!
Our Reindeer at the Christmas Cracker