North Belfast Harriers Race Report 23rd –29th May 2022
Runners from North Belfast Harriers finished May in style with a string of successes on the track, roads and parks, with a number of podium positions and personal best times across a range of distances from 800m to marathon.
Belfast International Meet at Mary Peters Track, Saturday 28th May
Saturday 28th May saw four North Belfast Harriers racing at the Mary Peters 50th Gold Medal Anniversary Meet. This international meet was organised to commemorate Mary Peters’ success in winning Olympic Gold in the pentathlon, 50 years ago this summer. Fittingly, the venue was the international athletics stadium bearing her name, that was developed as a legacy to support and nurture local athletes. All four Harriers performed well with Conor Curran, Gavin McCaffrey and Cathaoir Purvis all achieving PBs, at this prestigious event. Well done to all.
Photos courtesy of Kieth McClure Photography /NBH Twitter.
| Race | Place | Name | Category | Time | Remarks | |
| T15 800m | 7 | Conor Curran | M45 | 2:03.31 | New PB | |
| T19 3000m | 8 | John Black | 8:40.92 | |||
| T19 3000m | 9 | Gavin McCaffrey | 8:42.16 | New PB | ||
| T19 3000m | 10 | Cathaoir Purvis | 8:42.58 | New PB |
North Belfast Harriers shine at the Ballyclare May Fair Races, Saturday 28th May
Members of the North Belfast Harriers excelled at Ballyclare on Saturday, with no less than three podium places and string of PBs. Peter McGarry took first place in the 5k race, whilst it was 2nd, 3rd and 4th for April Clarke, Natasha Henderson and Fionnuala O’Hare, in the ladies 10k. Peter McGarry ran a great 5k, leading from early in the race. Peter was several seconds ahead of his nearest rival by the 3k mark, and eventually after stretching his lead to 14 seconds, finished first, in a personal best time of 15:17, which also set a new course record for this race. Also in the 5k race was veteran runner David Clarke, who finished 1st in the M60 class, 6th overall, in a really impressive time of 16:47. Additionally, Carol Clarke was 1st in the F55 category, in the 5k, achieving a personal best time of 21:17. In the 10k race 2nd placed female, April Clarke finished strongly in 40:24, followed by Natasha Henderson in 40:52, whilst in 4th place, Fionnuala O’Hare continued her upward trend in races this year, by recording another PB of 41:48. Further success was achieved by Janice Plumb, who finished 1st in the F50 category in the 10k in 43:58, whilst John Davidson and Catherine Seawright finished in 54:17 and 54:49. Well done to all participants for a competitive and entertaining morning of races.
On an almost perfect day for racing, with pleasant hazy sunshine, the May Fair Races returned to Ballyclare, following a two year absence. Organised by County Antrim Harriers, both the 10k and 5k races started and finished in the grounds of Ballyclare Rugby Club. Participants in the 5k race were taken on a course that involved a run towards, and then round the town centre, taking in part of the ParkRun course in Sixmilewater Park on the way. Those who opted for the 10k course, ran a single lap, that took them on a wider circumference of the town, involving a visit to Doagh enroute, before returning to the finish line, adjacent to where they started.
Photographs by Joe Gallagher.
| Race | Place | Bib | Name | Category | Gun Time | Chip Time | Remarks |
| 5k | 1 | 575 | Peter McGarry | MO | 15:18 | 15:17 | 1st and New PB |
| 5k | 6 | 573 | David Clarke | M60 | 16:47 | 16:47 | 1st M60 |
| 5k | 33 | 574 | Carol Clarke | F55 | 21:20 | 21:17 | 1st F55 New PB |
| 10k | 20 | 72 | April Clarke | FO | 40:26 | 40:24 | 2nd Female |
| 10k | 21 | 74 | Natasha Henderson | FO | 40:54 | 40:54 | 3rd Female |
| 10k | 24 | 71 | Fionnuala O’Hare | FO | 41:54 | 41:48 | 4th Female |
| 10k | 37 | 73 | Janice Plumb | F50 | 44:03 | 43:58 | 1st F50 |
| 10k | 132 | 69 | John Davidson | MO | 54:34 | 54:17 | |
| 10k | 134 | 70 | Catherine Seawright | F45 | 55:06 | 54:49 |
Newry City Half Marathon and 10K, Sunday 29th May
Sunday 29th May saw the return of the Newry City Half Marathon and 10k races. As with almost all mass running events, these races saw an enforced two year curtailment. Nine runners from North Belfast Harriers turned out mark the occasion, and to test themselves on the relatively flat, fast course around the canal and river in the greater Newry area, producing some fast finishes, and new personal best times in the process. Gareth Lyons and Mark McAvoy ran in the 10k race, and whilst assisting others with the pacing, finished strongly in 5th and 19th places in 34:06 and 38:29. Running in the half marathon, Ryan Moore finished in a very commendable 12th place, out of a field of over 600 runners, in a time of 1:17:09. David Curran finished in 29th, achieving a new personal best time of 1:22:08, followed by Gabriel McAvoy who finished 68th in 1:29:04. Joe Gallagher recorded a new personal best time of 1:34:30, finishing 116th, followed by Chris Callaghan who finished 182nd in 1:40:49. Robbie Speers and Elizabeth French, two of the club’s stalwart recreational runners from the “Roy’s Rockets” group, made up the contingent, and deserve great credit for being prepared to tackle yet another running challenge, with their characteristic enthusiasm and positive attitude. Well done to all runners.
Photographs courtesy of NBH Twitter, Elizabeth French and Joe Gallagher.
| Race | Place | Bib | Name | Category | Gun Time | Chip Time | Remarks |
| 10k | 5 | 1119 | Gareth Lyons | M45 | 0:34:08 | 0:34:06 | |
| 10k | 19 | 1143 | Mark McAvoy | MO | 0:38:33 | 0:38:29 | |
| Half Marathon | 12 | 554 | Ryan Moore | M35 | 1:17:09 | 1:17:09 | |
| Half Marathon | 29 | 155 | David Curran | M50 | 1:22:12 | 1:22:08 | New PB |
| Half Marathon | 68 | 433 | Gabriel McAvoy | M45 | 1:29:11 | 1:29:04 | |
| Half Marathon | 116 | 238 | Joe Gallagher | M60 | 1:34:37 | 1:34:30 | New PB |
| Half Marathon | 182 | 72 | Chris Callaghan | M55 | 1:41:01 | 1:40:49 | |
| Half Marathon | 619 | 693 | Robbie Speers | MO | 3:33:00 | 3:32:13 | |
| Half Marathon | 620 | 234 | Elizabeth French | F45 | 3:33:00 | 3:32:13 |
Edinburgh Marathon 29th May
North Belfast Harriers were represented in this year’s Edinburgh Marathon by Ian Keys. Running over the 26.2 mile distance of the course through the Scottish capital, Ian finished 384th overall, coming home in a very commendable time of 3:02:38. Featuring a number of races associated with the marathon, this year’s marathon festival boasted a total of 40,000 runners, making it the biggest participation sporting event in Scottish history. Well done Ian for flying the flag for North Belfast and finishing in such a good time in in this iconic event.
| Position | Bib | Name | Gun Time | Chip Time |
| 384 | 704 | Ian Keys | 3:02:56 | 3:02:38 |
Loop the Lough, Sunday 29th May
Thomas McKinstry was the sole representative from the North Belfast Harriers who took part at the weekend, in the gruelling 51 mile ultra race, organised by Atlas Running. As the name would suggest the event involved a race round the shore of Strangford Lough, starting at Portaferry and finishing at Strangford. Thomas had covered the split of 26.2 miles of a conventional marathon in 5:28:08. Ultimately Thomas finished 10th, after covering the challenging 51 mile distance in 11 hours and 26 seconds. Well done Thomas for some impressive endurance running.
ParkRuns, Saturday 28th May
On a pleasant late May Saturday morning, members of North Belfast Harriers turned out in numbers for their weekly ParkRun, to enjoy the camaraderie, craic and outdoor exercise for the good of mind and body. In addition to a variery of local courses, Harriers also ran in ParkRuns in England and Italy. Worthy of a special mention is Una McConnell, who was the first female finisher at the Waterworks. Also worthy of note are: Eoin McConnell, Thomas Coy, Niall McAuley, Martin McLarnon, Max Reid, Alex Reid, Phoebe Reid, Liam Smyth, Ryan Armstrong and David Johnson, who all achieved new PBs in their respective courses. Well done to all participants.
Waterworks ParkRun
| Position | Name | Age Grade | Time | Remarks |
| 7 | Eoin McConnell | 74.39% | 19:04 | New PB |
| 12 | Thomas Coy | 74.39% | 20:34 | New PB |
| 13 | Dermot Coy | 67.69% | 20:38 | |
| 14 | Una McConnell | 73.58% | 21:23 | 1st Female |
| 20 | Seamus Leheny | 65.66% | 21:36 | |
| 27 | Thomas McLaughlin | 63.08% | 22:18 | |
| 29 | Greg McClure | 73.75% | 22:44 | |
| 30 | Simon Reeve | 62.60% | 22:49 | |
| 31 | Peter Dolan | 55.78% | 22:53 | |
| 32 | David Curran | 65.38% | 22:55 | |
| 34 | Gabriel McAvoy | 62.28% | 22:56 | |
| 35 | Mark McAvoy | 56.25% | 22:56 | |
| 36 | John Gerard Murphy | 65.87% | 22:57 | |
| 37 | Sean McShane | 63.39% | 23:05 | |
| 40 | Gerry Anderson | 65.43% | 23:17 | |
| 42 | Niall McAuley | 67.31% | 23:27 | New PB |
| 44 | Kevin McCann | 63.85% | 23:28 | |
| 45 | Patrick McAuley | 59.82% | 23:31 | |
| 50 | Tony Reid | 65.69% | 24:00 | |
| 59 | Matthew Carleton | 52.65% | 24:30 | |
| 60 | Matt Shields | 69.68% | 24:31 | |
| 71 | Jack Carberry | 79.75% | 25:11 | |
| 74 | Sabrina Nulty | 62.11% | 25:20 | |
| 98 | Orán Steel | 53.67% | 27:01 | |
| 99 | Anthony Steel | 49.72% | 27:03 | |
| 105 | Lyle Carleton | 57.96% | 27:26 | |
| 106 | Matthew Purvis | 50.73% | 27:26 | |
| 108 | Oisin Steel | 52.82% | 27:27 | |
| 120 | Gordon Glenn | 52.81% | 28:09 | |
| 121 | Thomas McKinstry | 54.52% | 28:11 | |
| 124 | Thomas Peter Norton | 49.79% | 28:15 | |
| 132 | Stella Harrison | 68.86% | 29:22 | |
| 136 | Lynn Murray | 60.05% | 29:22 | |
| 153 | Martin McLarnon | 47.19% | 30:31 | New PB |
| 163 | Gillian Roden | 48.35% | 31:49 | |
| 165 | Margaret Stephens | 61.16% | 32:11 | |
| 166 | Grainne Stephens | 45.96% | 32:12 | |
| 172 | Lorna McGrath | 59.29% | 33:12 | |
| 176 | Bernadette Duffy | 58.94% | 34:23 | |
| 193 | Ita Weir | 43.01% | 39:27 | |
| 203 | Catherine Carleton | 37.00% | 51:43 | |
| 204 | Paula O’Reilly | 35.95% | 51:44 |
Belfast Victoria ParkRun
| Position | Name | Age Grade | Time | Remarks |
| 7 | Max Reid | 81.54% | 17:04 | New PB |
| 37 | Alex Reid | 74.15% | 20:38 | New PB |
| 43 | Vincent Bradley | 76.88% | 21:03 | |
| 47 | Paul Williams | 73.85% | 21:21 | |
| 159 | Rory Kane | 52.36% | 27:30 | |
| 166 | Paul Jenkins | 52.00% | 27:55 | |
| 170 | Philip McIlwrath | 51.06% | 28:26 | |
| 193 | Phoebe Reid | 57.79% | 30:22 | New PB |
| 248 | Rosy Ryan | 29.45% | 55:35 |
Falls ParkRun Belfast
| Position | Name | Age Grade | Time | Remarks |
| 29 | Jim Clinton | 62.89% | 25:44 |
Citypark ParkRun Craigavon
| Position | Name | Age Grade | Time | Remarks |
| 2 | Colin McDowell | 86.11% | 17:24 |
Ormeau ParkRun
| Position | Name | Age Grade | Time | Remarks |
| 306 | Mannix McAlister | 27.71% | 46:33 |
Carrickfergus ParkRun
| Position | Name | Age Grade | Time | Remarks |
| 29 | Liam Smyth | 60.00% | 26:30 | New PB |
Comber ParkRun
| Position | Name | Age Grade | Time | Remarks |
| 4 | Ryan Armstrong | 69.57% | 19:20 | New PB |
Valley ParkRun, Newtownabbey
| Position | Name | Age Grade | Time | Remarks |
| 40 | David Johnston | 52.71% | 28:54 | New PB |
Knockbracken Resevoir ParkRun
| Position | Name | Age Grade | Time | Remarks |
| 104 | Eadaoin Donaldson | 49.53% | 30:05 | First Timer |
| 105 | Philomena Donaldson | 67.29% | 30:07 | First Timer |
Hillsborough Forest ParkRun
| Position | Name | Age Grade | Time | Remarks |
| 34 | Tony Forde | 64.13% | 25:00 | |
| 89 | Glenn Beattie | 31.66% | 40:45 | First Timer |
Derrynoid Forest ParkRun
| Position | Name | Age Grade | Time | Remarks |
| 9 | Ray Cameron | 64.92% | 22:00 | First Timer |
Stretford ParkRun
| Position | Name | Age Grade | Time | Remarks |
| 20 | Natt Glenn | 81.79% | 18:57 | First Timer |
Milano Nord ParkRun
| Position | Name | Age Grade | Time | Remarks |
| 97 | Paul Lavery | 41.35% | 40:33 |