Without tempting fate, so I’ll whisper it…but the evenings are getting a grand auld stretch and with March around the corner we can look forward to brighter evenings for the juniors training sessions.
It was a quiet enough week due to mid-term break but that didn’t stop a few of our young stags lacing up for various parkruns and a cross country event in Larne. In this week run report we also have details on a forthcoming road race in Belfast aimed at junior runners as well as a call for volunteers for the club.
East Coast Athletics Club Junior XC Series – Sunday 19th February
Several of our Juniors took the short drive up the A5 on Sunday Morning to take part in this well run and friendly cross-country series.
First up was the Minor Girls 1300m race and we had 6 juniors who performed brilliantly in this race with Emily Gamble first over the line in 4th place quickly followed by her 5 teammates in succession. Its great to see this number of girls represent the club and perform so well!
| Finish position | Runner | Time |
| 4 | Emily Gamble | 6:34 |
| 5 | Grace McKenna | 6:39 |
| 6 | Phoebe Reid | 6:43 |
| 7 | Eva McLoughlin | 6:53 |
| 8 | Aoife Lemon | 6:58 |
| 9 | Betsy Taylor | 7:14 |
Next it was the turn of Isaac Mooney in the Minor Boys 1300 race and he ran his heart out. Isaac finished in a fantastic 4th place and was only pipped to a 3rd spot and podium finish by one second! Another great run by Isaac who continues to improve.
Finally our last representation was in the Junior Boys 1750m race with three of our juniors running an exceptional race. A big congratulations to Josh McClune on finishing in 1st place (6:59) and Alex Reid finishing in 3rd place (7:34) on what was a very competitive field, well done boys! Also a big shout out to Tom McLoughlin who finished in 10th place (8:10).
Full results can be found via this link: https://www.eastcoastathleticclub.co.uk/East%20Coast%20AC%20Junior%20XC%202023%20(Event%202%20-%20LGS).xlsx
Waterworks 5km Parkrun – Saturday 18th February 2023
Well done to our three juniors who tested themselves over 5km at the Waterworks.
| Finish position | Runner | Time |
| 13 | Cormac Leheny | 20:50 |
| 26 | Dara Cassidy | 21:52 |
| 137 | Matthew Purvis | 29:13 |
Enniskillen 5km Parkrun – Saturday 18th February 2023
Congratulations to Charlie for getting a PB way down in Enniskillen
| Finish position | Runner | Time |
| 6 | Charlie McLarnon | 21:45 (PB) |
Waterworks Junior Parkrun – Sunday 19th February 2023
Four of our Juniors participated in the Waterworks 2km junior parkrun and they achieved a 1,2,3 finish to top off great running. Special shout to Thomas on getting a new PB, demonstrating the benefit of a good run with club mates!
| Finish position | Runner | Time |
| 1 | Cormac Leheny | 7:13 |
| 2 | Thomas Coy | 7:16 (PB) |
| 3 | Leila Jones | 8:22 |
| 9 | Pearse Leheny | 10:11 |
The Sunday junior parkrun is a great way for the juniors to test themselves against others their same age and to put their training sessions to practice. If your child hasn’t tried it before then you can register here https://www.parkrun.org.uk/waterworks-juniors/
Queens 3km Fun Run – 23 March
The annual Queens 5km attracts some of the fastest senior runners locally for its fast flat course that laps the lagan river along the embankment.
Prior to that race there is a 3km race for younger runners and this may be of interest to some of our juniors. It takes place at 6.50 in the evening and is well worth considering. Details and registration for the 3km race is via the below link:
https://ani.opentrack.run/en-gb/x/2023/GBR/queens-5k/
Club Volunteers Required
As we approach the Annual General Meeting (AGM) for this year and election of committee members we are looking for new volunteers to be on the Committee as well as volunteers for other roles within the club.
We currently only have 5 committee members and this isn’t nearly enough to run a club of our size.
This year we thought we would suggest a couple of more specific roles that people could take forward or assist with and these are outlined below. Not all of them would require you to be a committee member. Also if we can attract more than one person for various activities then it lessens the load all round.
- Sourcing a new kit supplier & kit distribution – we think it is time to source a new kit supplier or at the very least look around the various options out there. As part of this role you would co-ordinate the distribution of existing kit (vests) and any new supplies we get.
- Co-ordinating volunteers for the Belfast City Marathon/half marathon – we need a volunteer to liaise with BCM organisers to co-ordinate volunteers/supporters from NBH along the route from Clifton circus to the waterworks.
- Clubhouse management – this would involve the organisation of opening and closing clubhouse as well as managing/flagging any maintenance or annual checks required.
- Fire Marshall – this could be someone who has appropriate training for this from work or other area.
- Social event co-ordination – this could include organising transport to events, arranging get togethers after specific races, Christmas dinner. This could include developing a proposal for potential events to agree financial support.
If you would like to be involved and are interested in taking up one of the roles then email clubsecretary@northbelfastharriers.com
The club belongs to every one of us and if we want to attract others and run a successful club we all need to join in and help out.
That’s all for this week folks, remember training for our juniors continues every Tuesday and Thursday at The Girls Model running track. Primary kids 6-7 and Secondary kids 7-8pm.