North Belfast Harriers Race Report 28th March – 3rd April 2022
It was weekend that was busy and varied in terms of race participation, with members North Belfast Harriers running over a range of distances, geographic locations and terrain. And as always there were some very commendable and exceptional performances.
East Antrim Marathon Series, Saturday 2nd April
Three members of North Belfast Harriers took part in the latest race in the East Antrim Marathon Series on Saturday 2 April. With tongue firmly in cheek, the organisers of this event entitled it, “I pity the Fool!”, however finishers of the challenging event might well have concurred literally with the sentiment. Entrants covered a course of 10 miles from Greenisland, climbing around 2,500 ft to the Knockagh Monument and back, with options of 1 lap, 2 laps or 3 laps giving race distances of 10 miles, 20 miles and 30 miles. Worthy of a special mention is Greg McClure, who finished 6th in the 30 mile race, in a time of 4 hours; 59.03 seconds. Running in the 10 mile race were Robbie Speers and Elizabeth French, who both crossed the finish together in 2 hours 58.52 seconds. Well done to all participants.
Photos courtesy of Elizabeth French, Conal McCambridge and Greg McClure.
Titanic 10k, Sunday 3rd April
Gareth Lyons took a podium finish for North Belfast Harriers, as the runners took to the roads again on the Titanic 10k. As well as finishing 3rd overall, Gareth was also 1st in the M40 category. Brian Stewart was 1st in the M70 category, with Laurence Johnston 2nd in the M60, and Hugo Reilly 3rd in the MJ category. As the Titanic 10k Race returned to the Harbour Estate, North Belfast Harriers were well represented. The organisers had offered options for those wishing to participate in a Family 1k Race as well as a Virtual 10k Race. However, over 700 runners lined up at the start, and all seemed eager to participate in a 10k road race, in the conventional format. Although the course was advertised as being new and improved, it still involved a run round the fast, flat roads of the harbour estate. Starting and finishing on Airport Road, near Heron View, the runners completed two laps, running in a clockwise direction on the rectangular course encompassing Airport Road on one side and Heron Road on the other, before running down towards the aircraft factory, overlooking Victoria Park, and then turning to finish on Airport Road. Well done to all the runners, especially those who achieved top three category places and those who achieved PBs.
Photos courtesy of Titanic 10k Facebook and Catherine Carleton.
| Place | Bib No. | Name | Category | Gun Time | Chip Time | 5k Split |
| 3 | 224 | Gareth Lyons | M40 | 0:32:38 | 0:32:25 | 16:27 |
| 36 | 497 | Paul Butcher | M45 | 0:36:59 | 0:36:56 | 18:39 |
| 61 | 223 | Laurence Johnston | M60 | 0:38:46 | 0:38:43 | 19:07 |
| 70 | 218 | April Clarke | FO | 0:39:12 | 0:39:08 | 19:28 |
| 74 | 227 | Hugo Reilly | MJ | 0:39:32 | 0:39:17 | 19:53 |
| 112 | 226 | Christopher Murray | M35 | 0:41:37 | 0:41:25 | 20:49 |
| 124 | 811 | Joe Gallagher | M60 | 0:42:22 | 0:42:12 | 20:59 |
| 133 | 220 | Roma Doherty | F35 | 0:42:54 | 0:42:39 | 21:50 |
| 144 | 228 | Brian Stewart | M70 | 0:43:21 | 0:43:13 | 21:46 |
| 184 | 1016 | Carol Clarke | F50 | 0:44:43 | 0:44:28 | 22:14 |
| 196 | 217 | Matty Carleton | MO | 0:45:13 | 0:45:09 | 22:28 |
| 224 | 216 | Chris Callaghan | M55 | 0:46:29 | 0:45:35 | 23:51 |
| 242 | 672 | David Hurst | M35 | 0:47:34 | 0:47:23 | 22:37 |
| 261 | 225 | Peter McClelland | M40 | 0:48:05 | 0:47:28 | 24:21 |
| 404 | 219 | John Davidson | M50 | 0:52:36 | 0:51:56 | 26:04 |
| 476 | 222 | Karlene Graham | F35 | 0:55:07 | 0:54:38 | 27:42 |
Omagh Half Marathon and 5k, Sunday 3rd April
North Belfast Harriers were represented at the Omagh Half Marathon. Now in its 32nd year this racing event returned to the streets of the County Town of Tyrone for the first time since 2019. Organised by Omagh Harriers, the event was last run in its traditional format in 2019, with the 2020 races being virtual and the event cancelled completely in 2021. Starting at Omagh Leisure Complex, runners on the 13.1 mile course made their way on a circumference of the town. With thousands taking to the streets, this was surely a celebration of running as well as a challenge against time and terrain. Congratulations to Ryan Moore, who was first home for the Harriers in 17th place. Well done to all participants.
| Place | Bib No. | Name | Category | Gun Time | Chip Time |
| 17 | 1578 | Ryan Moore | M35 | 1:17:11 | 1:17:11 |
| 34 | 1063 | Arran Rutledge | M45 | 1:19:30 | 1:19:29 |
| 673 | 1399 | Mary Reid | F55 | 1:52:50 | 1:52:20 |
| 1423 | 571 | Martin McLarnon | M45 | 2:50:57 | 2:49:38 |
Manchester Marathon, Sunday 3rd April
Manchester Marathon, billed as the 4th largest marathon in Europe and one of the fastest marathons, was staged for the second time since lockdowns decimated all mass running events, and North Belfast Harriers were represented as usual, with participants recording some very impressive results. Running in the elite race, North Belfast Harrier, Gladys Ganiel ran a strong race finishing 47th in a field that included some of the best distance runners in Britain and Europe. Four North Belfast Harriers ran in the mass event and all of them produced impressive performances. Mark McAvoy, in particular, deserves great credit, coming home in 127th place out of a field of over 24,000 runners, in a fantastic time of 2 hrs, 36 min, 48 sec. Patrick McAuley, running in the M40 category finished in under 3 hours, whilst running in the M45 category, Neil Mercer and Gabriel McAvoy were just over the 3 hour mark. Well done to everyone for some outstanding running.
| Place | Bib No. | Name | Category | Chip Time Finish | 10k Split | Half Split | 30k Split |
| 47 | 23 | Gladys Ganiel | F45 | 2:41:44 | 37:24 | 1:18:56 | 1:53:20 |
| Place | Bib No. | Name | Category | Chip Time Finish | 10k Split | Half Split | 30k Split |
| 127 | 1241 | Mark McAvoy | SM | 2:36:48 | 37:15 | 1:18:13 | 1:51:12 |
| 761 | 3498 | Patrick McAuley | M40 | 2:54:36 | 41:39 | 1:28:04 | 2:04:43 |
| 1493 | 2802 | Neil Mercer | M45 | 3:03:51 | 42:48 | 1:30:30 | 2:08:50 |
| 1674 | 4863 | Gabriel McAvoy | M45 | 3:07:05 | 42:19 | 1:29:30 | 2:08:01 |
ParkRuns, Saturday 2nd April
As the season’s influence on the vernal flora became more evident, and despite the recent drop in temperatures, runners from North Belfast Harriers continued to turn out in force, to participate in, and celebrate their love of running, and the accompanying camaraderie and craic that are at the heart of every local ParkRun. This week we saw Harriers running in central and eastern Europe in Berlin and Warsaw as well as Donegal, Manchester, and a range of courses locally. Worthy of a special mention are Mark McKinstry, who was a first finisher, Conor O’Rawe and Terence McAtamney, who were second finishers, Alex Reid, David Curran and Matt Shields, who were third finishers in their respective ParkRuns. Also, congratulations to Sabrina Nulty, Matthew Purvis, Senan Steele, Terence McAtamney and Lucinda McAvoy, who all recorded new Personal Best times at their respective courses. Well done to all participants.
Waterworks ParkRun
| Position | Name | Age Grade | Time | Remarks |
| 2 | Conor O’Rawe | 70.18% | 18:13 | |
| 3 | David Curran | 77.50% | 19:11 | |
| 4 | Thomas Simmons | 70.18% | 19:11 | |
| 6 | John Gerard Murphy | 75.65% | 19:54 | |
| 14 | Fionnuala O’Hare | 69.87% | 21:11 | |
| 17 | Seamus Leheny | 64.13% | 22:07 | |
| 35 | Chris Callaghan | 67.23% | 23:39 | |
| 48 | Sabrina Nulty | 64.04% | 24:34 | New PB! |
| 55 | Matthew Purvis | 55.78% | 24:57 | New PB! |
| 56 | Paul Williams | 63.15% | 24:58 | |
| 73 | Maurice Palmer | 62.69% | 25:49 | |
| 88 | Senan Steele | 57.20% | 26:45 | New PB! |
| 97 | Chris O’Donoghue | 50.12% | 27:14 | |
| 106 | Lyle Carleton | 57.64% | 27:35 | |
| 107 | Gillian Roden | 55.74% | 27:36 | |
| 120 | Matthew Carleton | 44.92% | 28:43 | |
| 141 | Stella Harrison | 66.27% | 29:42 | |
| 153 | Sandy Carr | 48.86% | 31:29 | |
| 155 | Michael Lawlor | 50.90% | 31:30 | |
| 170 | Martin McLarnon | 43.26% | 33:01 | |
| 175 | Margaret Stephens | 56.59% | 34:17 | |
| 176 | Grainne Stephens | 43.14% | 34:17 | |
| 186 | Michael Harkley | 41.28% | 38:07 | |
| 189 | Denise Rainey | 40.51% | 40:54 | |
| 193 | Bernadette Duffy | 46.03% | 44:02 | |
| 194 | Philomena Donaldson | 46.01% | 44:03 | |
| 198 | Denis Loughran | 43.85% | 45:48 | |
| 200 | Gerry Anderson | 29.71% | 51:16 | |
| 202 | Catherine Carleton | 31.42% | 1:00:54 | |
| 203 | Paula O’Reilly | 30.54% | 1:00:54 |
Belfast Victoria ParkRun
| Position | Name | Age Grade | Time | Remarks |
| 45 | Peter McClelland | 58.33% | 23:24 | |
| 64 | Tony Reid | 63.96% | 24:39 | |
| 167 | Paul Jenkins | 46.06% | 31:31 | |
| 172 | Jim Clinton | 50.89% | 31:48 |
Queen’s ParkRun
| Position | Name | Age Grade | Time | Remarks |
| 78 | John Lavery | 57.18% | 28:18 |
Falls ParkRun Belfast
| Position | Name | Age Grade | Time | Remarks |
| 2 | Terence McAtamney | 62.33% | 21:17 | New PB! |
Citypark ParkRun Craigavon
| Position | Name | Age Grade | Time | Remarks |
| 8 | Colin McDowell | 79.63% | 18:49 | |
| 137 | Caroline Frizzell | 47.26% | 32:33 |
Ormeau ParkRun
| Position | Name | Age Grade | Time | Remarks |
| 18 | Niall Armstrong | 63.76% | 20:14 | First Timer |
| 110 | Karen McClean | 65.42% | 26:16 | |
| 151 | Lucinda McAvoy | 58.34% | 27:46 | New PB! |
| 300 | Mannix McAlister | 29.69% | 43:27 |
Antrim ParkRun
| Position | Name | Age Grade | Time | Remarks |
| 99 | Brian Stewart | 62.49% | 28:13 |
Larne ParkRun
| Position | Name | Age Grade | Time | Remarks |
| 14 | Janice Plumb | 70.04% | 24:32 |
Carrickfergus ParkRun
| Position | Name | Age Grade | Time | Remarks |
| 3 | Alex Reid | 72.86% | 21:00 | First Timer |
| 46 | Phoebe Reid | 54.96% | 31:56 | First Timer |
Valley ParkRun, Newtownabbey
| Position | Name | Age Grade | Time | Remarks |
| 19 | Anthony Steel | 50.09% | 26:51 | |
| 22 | Orán Steel | 51.82% | 27:59 | First Timer |
Orangefield ParkRun
| Position | Name | Age Grade | Time | Remarks |
| 34 | Fergus Jamison | 53.17% | 29:09 |
Sixmilewater ParkRun
| Position | Name | Age Grade | Time | Remarks |
| 1 | Mark McKinstry | 84.24% | 15:58 |
Garvagh Forest ParkRun
| Position | Name | Age Grade | Time | Remarks |
| 3 | Matt Shields | 81.09% | 21:04 | First Timer |
Dungloe ParkRun
| Position | Name | Age Grade | Time | Remarks |
| 5 | Joe Drain | 66.54% | 22:43 |
South Manchester ParkRun
| Position | Name | Age Grade | Time | Remarks |
| 103 | Sean McShane | 62.76% | 23:19 | First Timer |
Hasenheide ParkRun, Berlin
| Position | Name | Age Grade | Time | Remarks |
| 100 | Damien Gill | 59.23% | 27:33 | First Timer |
ParkRun Pole Mokotowskie, Warsaw
| Position | Name | Age Grade | Time | Remarks |
| 20 | Philip McIlwrath | 47.95% | 30:02 | First Timer |
| 38 | Rosy Ryan | 26.99% | 1:00:01 | First Timer |
