Mark McKinstry Masters International Cross Country Champion

British and Irish Masters XC International (Saturday 16^th November 2019)

Among the athletes representing Northern Ireland, the Republic of Ireland, England, Scotland and Wales were North Belfast Harriers David Clarke, Eamonn White, Neil Carty, Nat Glenn, Laurence Johnston and Kent Swann. Female athlete Penny Lindsay was also part of part of the Northern Ireland squad whilst Janice Plumb and Carol Clarke were reserves. Since its inception in 1988 this race has turned into one of the most important event in the Masters calendar. This year the race took place at the Aintree Racecourse, famous for holding the Grand National. The men ran 8km and the women 6km, 4 and 3 laps respectively of the racecourse. After all the rain that has fallen in recent weeks the course was inevitably heavy underfoot and a difficult terrain to traverse.

Amazing achievements for North Belfast Harriers, Mark McKinstry and Eamon White who were first and second in the respective age related Masters International races. Mark McKinstry dominated the field in the M35-M45 8km category finishing in first place and retaining his Masters title. He completed the course in 24:51 and was over 30 seconds ahead of the next competitor. Eamon White was placed second in the M50-M60 8km race finishing in 26:26. This race had 5 representatives from the club. David Clarke finished in 27^th place overall but was placed 3^rd in the M60 category. Janice plumb and Carol Clarke were reserves for the Northern Ireland team. They competed in the open race after the international races but results are not yet available for this event.

Run in the Dark (Wednesday 13^th November 2019)

Among the 25,000 people in 50 cities worldwide who got up from their armchairs, put on their flashing armbands on Wednesday evening to take part in ‘Run in the Dark’ were a number of our North Belfast Harriers. Almost 2,000 participants ran through the iconic 5km and 10km routes as they traversed the floodlit Stormont Estate before picking up their medals.

Belfast Telegraph Run Forest Run Drum Manor (Saturday 16^th November 2019)

Bernie Scott was the only North Belfast Harrier who took part in the Belfast Telegraph Run Forest Run Winter Race Series. This year runners had the choice of two distances – 5K or 10K. The beautiful hidden gem, Drum Manor Forest Park, Cookstown, is the second race in the Winter Series. Drum Manor is the most centrally located Forest Park in the Province lying immediately south of the Sperrin Mountains and west of Lough Neagh. The race route, predominantly on forest trails, wove its way through the estate, passing by the butterfly and Japanese garden, arboretum, ponds and mixed woodlands.

26 Extreme Tollymore Forest Marathon (Saturday 16^th November 2019)

The Tollymore Trail Marathon advertises itself as the perfect “end of year” trail event. The event is a looped event with participants completing one loop for a half marathon, two loops for a full marathon and three loops for the ultra-marathon (40 miles). Helen Lenny Weir ran the full forest marathon in quite cool conditions and very good underfoot conditions. She was delighted to have finished 14th in this arduous course which had 3143 feet of climbing as 2nd lady in 03:47:31

Run the Line (Saturday 16 November 2019)

Among the many runners who took part in this race was Sandy Carr. ‘Run the Line’ is a fundraising event for Dublin Wicklow Mountain Rescue Team (DWMRT), took place on Saturday 16 November 2019. The event consists of two separate races (13km and 26km) across the Dublin Mountains, starting and finishing in Glencullen Adventure Park, and taking in many spectacular locations along the way offering breath-taking views of Dublin. Sandy Carr completed the 26km course in 3:02:30

Co. Down 5km (Sunday 17^th November 2019)

North Belfast Harriers were out in force in the Co. Down 5km Race dominating 3^rd race with 4 athletes in the top 10 finishers. Gareth Lyons finished in 3^rd place, followed very closely by Connor Curran. This race started at St. Patrick’s Square, Downpatrick and involved running 7.5 short laps on the fast, flat terrain. There were 3 x 5km races starting at different times and targeting different speeds. 10am saw the first event for 25+ minutes; 11am was for 18-25 minute and 12 noon was for the elite athletes who expected to complete the 5 km distance in under 18 minutes. The Co. Down 5km in its third year had chosen to support ‘Downpatrick Autism Family Support Group.’

parkrun results Saturday 16^th November 2019

Congratulations to all North Belfast Harriers who took part in parkruns the length and breadth of the country especially to Mark McAvoy who was first runner home in Valley parkrun. Kevin McCann, Evelyn Palmer, Ciaran Hunter, Noel McKnight, Sean McShane, Linda McEvoy and Paul Williams all achieved PBs on Saturday. Well done, one and all!