Queen’s Golden Jubilee Award
At an award ceremony on Thursday 22nd August in the Girdwood Community Hub, North Belfast Harriers were the recipients of the Queen’s Golden Jubilee Award for voluntary service by groups in the community; for empowering communities to improve their mental and physical health and well- being through athletics. Councillor Nicola Mallon was delighted to see all the volunteers of North Belfast Harriers recognised in Girdwood with the Queen’s Voluntary Service Award – the very first athletics club in the north to receive it. She stated that the volunteers of this club, at the heart of North Belfast for over 100 years, do not do what they do to get recognition but they deserve every recognition for their dedication and hard work and that it was a pleasure for her to nominate North Belfast Harriers for the Queen’s Golden Jubilee Award. Paddy McCambridge, chairman of North Belfast Harrier, offered his heartfelt thanks to all those who volunteer for our club in any way. He proudly acknowledged this award was earned on the back of voluntary service and that this is part of the reason that the club earned such a prestigious accolade. Our club members should all feel very proud of what we have achieved and he encourages us to being part of an even more community driven club where we marry both the recreational and social elements with the successful elite championship winning athletes. This is our club so let’s continue to make it truly exceptional.
Singled out for special mention was Matt Shiels. North Belfast Harriers presented him with a glass plaque in sincere appreciation for his selfless contribution, guidance and steadfast dedication he has provided to our club members and wider community.
Portrush 5 Mile Road Race (Friday 23rd August)
Three runners, Gareth Lyons, Sarah-Jane McFadden and Sharon Hobbs, from North Belfast Harriers headed to the Antrim Coast to compete in this road race. Gareth Lyons continued to show his prowess finishing as first local runner home and in second position overall. On the new route for this annual race, the runners headed along the West Promenade, up Blackrock Hill and along footpaths towards Portstewart before returning to the finish and on to Portrush Yacht Club for hospitality. Sarah-Jane McFadden had a super run and finished in 31st position in 00:35:27.
| 2nd | Gareth | Lyons | 00:26:50 |
| 301st | Sharon | Hobbs | 00:52:11 |
Rathlin Run (Saturday 24th August)
This year Rathlin Island, off the coast of Ballycastle hosted the 18th Rathlin Run which boasts being the most unique and challenging road race in Northern Ireland. There were 2 races; the classic undulating 10 mile course, with beautiful coastal and inland views, and a shorter, flatter 5km course. Helen Weir was the sole NBH runner in the ten mile race. She was 48th finisher in a field of 240 and was 3rd in her age category. Sinead Toal was the only Harriers who took the ferry to complete in the 5km race. Well done to both Helen and Sinead!
| Rathlin Road Race | ||||||
| 10 mile | 48 | Helen F | Weir | F45 | 1:19:50 | |
| 5km | 87 | Sinead | Toal | F45 | 00:36:42 | |
Lurgan Lakes and Lough – 10 Mile and 5km (Sunday 24th August)
Thomas Norton represented North Belfast Harriers in the Lurgan Lakes and Lough 10 Mile Race on a very sunny Sunday afternoon. Both events started and finished at the Discovery Centre, Oxford Island. The routes were very flat – with only a few minor hills. The 5k event was wholly within the boundaries of Oxford Island and was run mainly over the Island trails, offering great views of Lough Neagh. The 10 mile event involved running on the road for the first 2 miles, with miles 3 to 7 on paths to and around the Craigavon Lakes. Then it was back to Oxford Island where the race continued through the trails to the finish.
| 10 mile | 83 | Thomas | Norton | SEN | 92:30:00 |
Storming the Castle, Carrickfergus, (Sunday 25th August)
What a day for Gareth Lyons and North Belfast Harriers! After finishing 2nd in the Portush 5 Mile Road race on Friday night, Gareth Lyons lead the 869 finishers home, in first place, in 34:01 on a very hot, and sunny late August bank holiday weekend. Joe Malone finished 3rd, Kent Swann 5th and Lawrence Johnston 10th position overall. Kent (M35) and Lawrence (M60) also had age category wins. This is a fantastic, fast, flat course with potential for securing ‘personal bests’ but maybe not in the heat that the runners had to endure whilst running. Starting at Carrickfergus Amphitheatre, it encompassed the picturesque promenade along the Marine Highway and waterfront areas, overlooking the world class marina and views of Belfast Lough before finishing at the impressive 12th Century Norman Castle near Carrickfergus Town centre.
| 1 | Gareth | Lyons | M40 | 00:34:01 |
| 3 | Joe | Malone | MO | 00:34:34 |
| 5 | Kent | Swann | F35 | 00:35:30 |
| 10 | Laurence | Johnston | M60 | 00:37:31 |
| 30 | Patrick | McAuley | M40 | 00:40:25 |
| 36 | Paul | Butcher | M40 | 00:41:01 |
| 135 | Ivan | McAllister | M45 | 00:48:18 |
| 136 | Andrew | Taylor | M35 | 00:48:22 |
| 142 | Diane | Taylor | F35 | 00:48:25 |
| 161 | Karlene | Graham | F35 | 00:49:19 |
| 180 | Gerry | Anderson | M50 | 00:50:18 |
| 205 | Lorraine | Hibburt | F45 | 00:51:23 |
| 212 | Cecilia | Gourley | F55 | 00:51:29 |
| 250 | Eileen | Keenan | F55 | 00:53:10 |
| 286 | David | Hurst | M35 | 00:54:29 |
| 297 | Philip | McIlwrath | M45 | 00:54:42 |
| 316 | Catherine | Seawright | F45 | 00:55:25 |
| 347 | Seamus | Hanna | M50 | 00:56:26 |
| 372 | Paul | Gillen | M35 | 00:57:21 |
| 374 | Nicola | McStravick | F40 | 00:57:38 |
| 397 | Karen | McClean | F50 | 00:58:36 |
| 456 | Francesca | McAreavey | F35 | 01:00:55 |
| 490 | Jennifer | Butcher | F40 | 01:02:41 |
| 589 | Paul | Armstrong | M50 | 01:06:13 |
| 644 | Ita | Weir | F45 | 01:08:51 |
| 659 | Gillian | Roden | F35 | 01:09:30 |
| 726 | Anna | Douglas | F35 | 01:13:16 |
| 743 | Sinead | Russell | F40 | 01:14:14 |
| 803 | Elizabeth | Campbell | F55 | 01:19:14 |
| 804 | Marilyn | Foster | F65 | 01:19:04 |
| 806 | Sonia | Millar | F40 | 01:19:15 |
parkrun results (Saturday 24th August 2019)
As always North Belfast Harriers took part in many parkruns across the country. Congratulations to all who took part in this weekly timed run but especially those who achieved personal bests. Isaac McCollum was first runner home in Antrim parkrun in a PB time of 16:49. Leah McAvoy and Eabha Conway achieved PBs in Waterworks and Belfast Victoria parkruns.
| Waterworks parkrun | |||
| 4 | Paul CURLEY | 18:14 | PB stays at 00:17:40 |
| 14 | Max REID | 20:38 | PB stays at 00:19:12 |
| 19 | Greg MCCLURE | 21:28 | PB stays at 00:18:41 |
| 20 | Drew KNOX | 21:33 | PB stays at 00:18:42 |
| 25 | Ivan MCALLISTER | 22:22 | PB stays at 00:21:38 |
| 37 | Tony REID | 24:03:00 | PB stays at 00:21:50 |
| 42 | Leah MC AVOY | 24:37:00 | New PB! |
| 44 | Laurence ROGERS | 24:40:00 | PB stays at 00:21:23 |
| 49 | Alex REID | 25:01:00 | PB stays at 00:23:54 |
| 50 | Gary BLYTHE | 25:02:00 | PB stays at 00:21:14 |
| 60 | Gerry ANDERSON | 25:43:00 | PB stays at 00:22:13 |
| 71 | Thomas Peter NORTON | 26:35:00 | PB stays at 00:25:24 |
| 72 | Gordon GLENN | 26:36:00 | PB stays at 00:21:04 |
| 76 | Thomas MCKINSTRY | 26:45:00 | PB stays at 00:23:09 |
| 77 | Orla CASH | 26:47:00 | PB stays at 00:22:32 |
| 78 | Chris O’DONOGHUE | 26:56:00 | PB stays at 00:24:31 |
| 81 | Coleen THOMPSON | 27:10:00 | PB stays at 00:23:51 |
| 96 | Nuala MAHON | 28:23:00 | PB stays at 00:27:02 |
| 108 | Heather WILSON | 29:06:00 | PB stays at 00:26:53 |
| 112 | Liam SMYTH | 29:17:00 | PB stays at 00:25:03 |
| 113 | Lucinda MCAVOY | 29:23:00 | PB stays at 00:27:45 |
| 119 | Philomena DONALDSON | 30:03:00 | PB stays at 00:27:50 |
| 126 | Fergus JAMISON | 30:31:00 | PB stays at 00:28:03 |
| 131 | Matthew HIGGINS | 31:07:00 | PB stays at 00:24:26 |
| 134 | Eimear CASH | 31:10:00 | PB stays at 00:27:47 |
| 139 | Eimear NUGENT | 31:20:00 | PB stays at 00:25:41 |
| 141 | Gillian RODEN | 31:30:00 | PB stays at 00:30:07 |
| 145 | Jim CLINTON | 31:35:00 | PB stays at 00:21:37 |
| 150 | Bernadette DUFFY | 32:05:00 | PB stays at 00:29:29 |
| 172 | Sile HANNON | 35:49:00 | PB stays at 00:32:00 |
| 173 | Philip MCILWRATH | 35:53:00 | PB stays at 00:24:47 |
| 180 | Catherine CARLETON | 37:03:00 | PB stays at 00:31:42 |
| 181 | Paula O’REILLY | 37:04:00 | PB stays at 00:31:49 |
| 182 | Joan GRIEVE | 37:05:00 | PB stays at 00:27:03 |
| 185 | Jacqueline LAWLOR | 38:58:00 | PB stays at 00:28:48 |
| 186 | Michael LAWLOR | 38:59:00 | PB stays at 00:25:44 |
| 206 | Rosy RYAN | 58:23:00 | PB stays at 00:36:00 |
| 208 | Elisabeth FRENCH | 58:25:00 | PB stays at 00:41:10 |
| Belfast Victoria | |||
| 2 | Matthew LAVERY | 16:47 | PB stays at 00:16:40 |
| 38 | Ciaran HUNTER | 21:10 | PB stays at 00:20:25 |
| 86 | Fionnuala O’HARE | 24:07:00 | PB stays at 00:22:18 |
| 241 | Éabha CONWAY | 33:32:00 | New PB! |
| Queen’s parkrun | |||
| 131 | Vincent BRADLEY | 29:18:00 | PB stays at 00:21:37 |
| Portrush | |||
| 390 | Ita WEIR | 33:38:00 | First Timer! |
| Gladstone, London | |||
| 3 | Mark MCAVOY | 17:46 | First Timer! |
| Antrim parkrun | |||
| 1 | Isaac MCCOLLUM | 16:49 | New PB! |
| 3 | Gavin MCCAFFREY | 19:14 | PB stays at 00:16:21 |
| Larne parkrun | |||
| 2 | Nat GLENN | 18:42 | PB stays at 00:17:48 |
| 66 | Sandy PLUMB | 33:14:00 | PB stays at 00:22:17 |
| Valley parkrun | |||
| 21 | Joe WILSON | 25:34:00 | PB stays at 00:25:32 |
| Donabate parkrun, Co. Dublin | |||
| 73 | John Gerard MURPHY | 30:20:00 | First Timer! |
| Falcarragh parkrun, Co. Donegal | |||
| 19 | Brendan MCCAMBRIDGE | 23:50 | First Timer! |
| 25 | Ita MCCAMBRIDGE | 24:43:00 | First Timer! |
| 26 | Paddy MCCAMBRIDGE | 24:43:00 | First Timer! |
| 69 | Padraigin BINGHAM | 30:23:00 | First Timer! |
| Tring parkrun, Hertfordshire | |||
| 17 | Matt SHIELDS | 22:42 | PB stays at 00:19:33 |
| South Manchester parkrun | |||
| 214 | Paul MURPHY | 30:32:00 | First Timer! |
All photos from NBH News / Events Facebook page or NBH WhatsApp Groups
