It was another successful week of racing for NBH athletes who competed in events far and wide in Tullamore, Limavady, the Mourne Mountains, Ards and Drumlough near Lisburn. The usual large quota of members also took part in one of Saturday’s parkruns. A new course record and a new attendance record were set at Waterworks as members and friends came to celebrate big milestone runs by Rosy Ryan and Philip McIlwrath.
Drumlough 5m (Wed 28 June 2017)
On Wednesday evening on the 2 lap Drumlough 5m course John Murphy represented the Harriers to record a fine overall 4th place finish and a M40 category win. With a relatively small field of 52 athletes, it was a case of quality over quantity with the winner recording 27:22 and 28 athletes inside the 40 minute barrier around the hilly circuit. John’s time of 32:16 was just a few seconds faster than he recorded over the same track last year. Full NBH results:
| Pos | Athlete | Time |
| 4 | John Murphy | 32:16 |
Jude Gallagher Memorial – Round the Bridges 10 Mile (Thu 29 June 2017)
On Thursday evening the annual round the bridges 10 miler took place in wet and windy conditions in Limavady. Happily the headwind was mostly a factor in the first half of the race; with a nice tail wind and rain keeping the athletes cool, running conditions improved considerably for the second half. A total of 641 athletes were led home by our own Andrew Annett who continued his recent run of good form to win by over a minute in a fantastic time of 52:25. Gary Slevin and Allan Bogle of City of Derry Spartans made up the other podium places in 53:38 and 54:22 respectively.
Supporting Andrew for the club, Vernon Shiels had a fine run to claim 14th place just outside the hour mark in 1:00:15. Evergreen Matt Shields claimed 18th place in a remarkable 1:01:17 to narrowly take the M60 win by just under 10 minutes from Greg McClure who ran 1:11:05.
For the ladies, ex-harrier and Olympian Breege Connolly took the win in 58:52, comfortably ahead of Ciara Toner (Springwell) in 1:02:05. Our own Ruth Murphy, a native of Limavady, came home just outside the 85 minute mark in 1:25:39. Full NBH results:
| Pos | Athlete | Cat | Time | Cat Pos |
| 1 | Andrew Annett | MO | 52:25 | 1 |
| 14 | Vernon Shiels | MO | 1:00:15 | 12 |
| 18 | Matt Shields | M60 | 1:01:17 | 1 |
| 117 | Greg McClure | M60 | 1:11:05 | 2 |
| 393 | Ruth Murphy | F45 | 1:25:39 | 19 |
Ards Half Marathon (Fri 30 June 2017)
The annual Ards half marathon attracted a total of 17 harriers last Friday evening. Continuing her recent run of good form Gladys Ganiel led the ladies home in 1:19:53. Louise Smith ran strongly to finish 4th lady behind Gladys, Amy Bulman of (Willowfield Harriers) and Caitrona Jennings (Letterkenny Athletic Club). Helen Weir also ran well to take 3rd place in the F45 category in 1:36:57.
In the men’s race, Kevin Maunsell (Clonmel AC) ran hard from the start to record a fine win in 1:10:11 just a minute ahead of our own Mark McKinstry who put the disappointment of Lisburn behind him to claim 2nd place. Mark was well supported by Philip Goss in 5th place with 1:16:49. Greg McClure ran a steady race to take the M60 win in 1:37:36.
A word for the pacers who took on the tricky task of helping athletes achieve personal time targets; Gerard MacNamara and Paul Williams carried the 1:45 balloons, Paddy McShane paced the 2hr runners and Jack Carberry and Thomas (Tucker) McKinstry paced those targeting 2:15. Full NBH results:
| Pos | Athlete | Cat | Time | Cat Pos | |
| 2 | Mark | McKinstry | MO | 1:11:16 | NA |
| 5 | Philip | Goss | MO | 1:16:49 | 3 |
| 16 | Gladys | Ganiel | F40 | 1:19:53 | 1 |
| 29 | Louise | Smith | F45 | 1:24:48 | 4 |
| 30 | Martin | Rea | M40 | 1:24:56 | 5 |
| 33 | John | McConnell | M40 | 1:25:49 | 6 |
| 51 | Brendan | McNally | M40 | 1:29:06 | 13 |
| 54 | Arran | Rutledge | M40 | 1:29:27 | 14 |
| 55 | Noel | McNally | MO | 1:29:30 | 14 |
| 91 | Colin | Simpson | M45 | 1:35:35 | 11 |
| 104 | Helen F | Weir | F45 | 1:36:57 | 3 |
| 114 | Greg | McClure | M60 | 1:37:36 | 1 |
| 214 | Gerard | MacNamara | Pacer | 1:44:34 | NA |
| 326 | Paul | Williams | Pacer | 1:52:22 | NA |
| 404 | Philip | McIlwrath | M40 | 1:57:39 | 75 |
| 462 | Paddy | McShane | Pacer | 2:00:01 | NA |
| 611 | Jack | Carberry | Pacer | 2:14:52 | NA |
| 612 | Thomas | McKinstry | Pacer | 2:14:55 | NA |
Spelga Skyline Race (Sat 01 July 2017)
On Saturday over 70 athletes tackled the latest event in the NIMRA mountain series. Starting and finishing at Spelga car park, the route saw competitors visit the peaks of Meelbeg, Loughshannagh, Muck, Moughanmore, Pierces, Rocky, Hen and Cock in a total distance of over 20km with a total elevation gain of around 1,500m. Simon Reeve and Martsje Hell represented the club in this one with Simon achieving 12th position overall and Martsje 4th lady. Full NBH results:
| Pos | Athlete | Cat | Time |
| 12 | Simon Reeve | MV40 | 3:10:38 |
| 24 | Martsje Hell | FO | 3:33:53 |
Irish Life AAI National Masters Track & Field Championships (Sun 02 July 2017)
On Sunday in Tullamore, David Clarke won gold in both the V55 800m and 1500m events. In the 800m Davey just pipped John Baldwin from Kilcoole by 0.12 seconds, while his margin of victory of nearly 3 seconds in the 1500m over Tom O’Connor from Liffey Valley AC was more comfortable. Meantime, in the M60+ shot putt Jim McClean was a comfortable winner with 10.72m, exactly 40cm further than Willie O’Toole in 2nd place. Full NBH results:
M55 800m
| Pos | Athlete | Club | Time |
| 1 | CLARKE David | North Belfast Harriers | 2:21.68 |
| 2 | BALDWIN John | Kilcoole A.C. | 2:21.80 |
| 3 | CORNYN Michael | Dunboyne A.C. | 2:22.30 |
M55 1500m
| Pos | Athlete | Club | Time |
| 1 | CLARKE David | North Belfast Harriers | 4:45.90 |
| 2 | O’CONNOR Tom | Liffey Valley A.C. | 4:48.73 |
| 3 | BALDWIN John | Kilcoole A.C. | 4:49.27 |
M60+ Shot Putt
| Pos | Athlete | Club | Dist |
| 1 | MCCLEAN Jim | North Belfast Harriers | 10.72 |
| 2 | O’TOOLE Willie | St. L. O’Toole A.C. | 10.32 |
| 3 | FARRAGHER Thomas | Corofin A.C. | 10.13 |
parkrun (Sat 01 July 2017)
Club members were out in force at the Waterworks, wearing their club vests in support of our own Rosy Ryan and Philip McIlwrath as they completed their 100th parkruns. Adding to the occasion there was also a new attendance record of 400 runners and a new course record by Ben Branagh of 14:58. With cake aplenty and 5k graduations from Girdwood JogBelfast and ERC C25K and the weather also playing it’s part the atmosphere in the park was fantastic. Full NBH results were:
Waterworks parkrun, Belfast # 351 – 01/07/2017
| Pos | parkrunner | Time | Note | Total runs |
| 2 | Conor CURRAN | 16:46:00 | PB stays at 00:16:09 | 36 |
| 3 | Thomas SIMMONS | 17:33:00 | PB stays at 00:17:08 | 27 |
| 8 | Ray CAMERON | 19:15:00 | New PB! | 94 |
| 9 | John Gerard MURPHY | 19:27:00 | PB stays at 00:18:49 | 308 |
| 11 | Frankie SMYTH | 19:41:00 | PB stays at 00:19:28 | 19 |
| 13 | David CURRAN | 20:05:00 | PB stays at 00:19:01 | 77 |
| 16 | Lauren COX | 20:41:00 | New PB! | 54 |
| 30 | Paddy MCCAMBRIDGE | 21:33:00 | PB stays at 00:20:36 | 71 |
| 43 | Tony REID | 22:34:00 | PB stays at 00:21:50 | 318 |
| 44 | Terence MCATAMNEY | 22:44:00 | New PB! | 7 |
| 59 | Jack CARBERRY | 23:52:00 | PB stays at 00:21:14 | 209 |
| 63 | Mia MCDOWELL | 23:59:00 | New PB! | 9 |
| 72 | John GRIBBIN | 24:35:00 | PB stays at 00:22:27 | 152 |
| 76 | Donna MCLAUGHLIN | 24:38:00 | PB stays at 00:24:32 | 59 |
| 78 | Sarah Jane STEWART | 24:44:00 | PB stays at 00:23:59 | 13 |
| 80 | Greg MCCLURE | 24:46:00 | PB stays at 00:18:41 | 282 |
| 111 | Fiona MAGILL | 26:02:00 | New PB! | 9 |
| 124 | Sam CARR | 26:39:00 | PB stays at 00:20:29 | 76 |
| 127 | Magdalena BISEWSKA | 26:50:00 | PB stays at 00:26:16 | 37 |
| 129 | Heather WILSON | 26:53:00 | New PB! | 6 |
| 137 | Clare O’HARA | 27:17:00 | PB stays at 00:27:08 | 127 |
| 138 | Eadaoin DONALDSON | 27:18:00 | PB stays at 00:24:26 | 127 |
| 146 | David JOHNSTON | 27:34:00 | PB stays at 00:27:09 | 14 |
| 157 | Roisin HUGHES | 27:56:00 | PB stays at 00:19:26 | 87 |
| 158 | Colin SIMPSON | 27:57:00 | PB stays at 00:19:33 | 181 |
| 163 | Catherine MCKILLEN | 28:11:00 | PB stays at 00:26:45 | 29 |
| 170 | Philip MCILWRATH | 28:24:00 | PB stays at 00:25:21 | 100 |
| 172 | Nial O NEILL | 28:29:00 | PB stays at 00:26:33 | 10 |
| 179 | Lynn MCKENNA | 28:45:00 | New PB! | 12 |
| 183 | Sonia MILLAR | 28:58:00 | New PB! | 4 |
| 194 | Lynn MCCULLOUGH | 29:25:00 | PB stays at 00:23:37 | 82 |
| 197 | Jim CLINTON | 29:27:00 | PB stays at 00:21:37 | 322 |
| 211 | Sandy CARR | 30:09:00 | PB stays at 00:22:55 | 170 |
| 212 | Jacqueline LAWLOR | 30:10:00 | PB stays at 00:28:48 | 125 |
| 214 | Elaine HOLMES | 30:14:00 | PB stays at 00:23:48 | 56 |
| 215 | Geraldine MURPHY | 30:15:00 | PB stays at 00:23:41 | 16 |
| 223 | Thomas MCKINSTRY | 30:48:00 | PB stays at 00:23:09 | 151 |
| 225 | Margaret STEPHENS | 30:52:00 | PB stays at 00:28:23 | 159 |
| 227 | Emma TONER | 30:57:00 | PB stays at 00:29:47 | 12 |
| 239 | Philomena DONALDSON | 31:32:00 | PB stays at 00:27:50 | 167 |
| 244 | Eimear NUGENT | 31:46:00 | PB stays at 00:26:53 | 22 |
| 245 | Monica O’KANE | 31:49:00 | PB stays at 00:29:46 | 57 |
| 246 | Joan GRIEVE | 31:49:00 | PB stays at 00:27:03 | 56 |
| 247 | Bronagh CONLON | 31:50:00 | PB stays at 00:27:20 | 67 |
| 250 | Nuala MAHON | 32:00:00 | PB stays at 00:27:02 | 96 |
| 251 | Dirdre MURPHY | 32:01:00 | PB stays at 00:29:43 | 38 |
| 254 | Dermot MCGRATH | 32:11:00 | PB stays at 00:28:46 | 67 |
| 257 | Michele FLOOD | 32:19:00 | PB stays at 00:30:28 | 31 |
| 260 | Orla MCCAMBRIDGE | 32:26:00 | PB stays at 00:23:58 | 43 |
| 261 | Bernadette DUFFY | 32:27:00 | PB stays at 00:29:29 | 150 |
| 263 | Ita MCCAMBRIDGE | 32:30:00 | PB stays at 00:20:55 | 108 |
| 266 | Eileen KEENAN | 32:34:00 | PB stays at 00:30:45 | 13 |
| 269 | Catherine O BOYLE | 32:37:00 | PB stays at 00:32:11 | 15 |
| 272 | Lorna MCGRATH | 32:41:00 | PB stays at 00:30:16 | 40 |
| 282 | Orla YOUNG | 33:03:00 | PB stays at 00:30:44 | 37 |
| 291 | Pauline MCKEATING | 33:45:00 | PB stays at 00:31:18 | 12 |
| 299 | Clare MORGAN | 34:46:00 | PB stays at 00:33:46 | 7 |
| 313 | Marilyn FOSTER | 35:43:00 | PB stays at 00:32:42 | 22 |
| 326 | Emma SHEEHY | 36:47:00 | PB stays at 00:22:56 | 35 |
| 329 | Claire HAMILTON | 36:56:00 | First Timer! | 1 |
| 362 | Rosy RYAN | 43:41:00 | PB stays at 00:36:00 | 100 |
| 376 | Paul WILLIAMS | 48:46:00 | PB stays at 00:20:23 | 226 |
Queen’s parkrun, Belfast # 276 – 01/07/2017
| Pos | parkrunner | Time | Note | Total runs |
| 13 | Damien GILL | 21:42:00 | PB stays at 00:20:03 | 189 |
Wallace parkrun, Lisburn # 213 – 01/07/2017
| Pos | parkrunner | Time | Note | Total runs |
| 5 | John MCCONNELL | 19:39:00 | PB stays at 00:18:24 | 227 |
Ormeau parkrun # 210 – 01/07/2017
| Pos | parkrunner | Time | Note | Total runs |
| 8 | Laurence JOHNSTON | 18:46:00 | PB stays at 00:17:59 | 79 |
Larne parkrun # 182 – 01/07/2017
| Pos | parkrunner | Time | Note | Total runs |
| 5 | Ethan GLENN | 22:31:00 | PB stays at 00:19:13 | 30 |
| 8 | Carol CLARKE | 23:02:00 | PB stays at 00:21:54 | 32 |
| 10 | David CLARKE | 23:06:00 | PB stays at 00:18:11 | 25 |
| 14 | Trisha CAMPBELL | 25:15:00 | PB stays at 00:21:04 | 25 |
Stormont parkrun # 96 – 01/07/2017
| Pos | parkrunner | Time | Note | Total runs |
| 9 | Sean MCSHANE | 20:22:00 | First Timer! | 139 |
