North Belfast Harriers Race Report 26th May – 1st June 2025
As May came to its conclusion and the bright days of June beckoned, members of North Belfast Harriers continued to evidence their love for running at races on roads, tracks and parks, testing themselves against their peers at distances from 800m to over 50 miles, with podium places and some stunning performances as well.
It’s Gold for Emily Haggard Kearney and Conán McCaughey, Silver for Natasha Henderson and Bronze for Mark Cornett in the Athletics NI Championship meet, at Mary Peters Track, as the Harriers Shine on Sunday!
Sunday saw some superb performance from several athletes from North Belfast Harriers at the Athletics NI championship meet at Mary Paters Track, Belfast. Stand out performances were Emily Haggard Kearney and Conán McCaughey, who won the Women’s and the Men’s 10,000m races in 34 min: 46.53 secs and 31 min: 20.24 secs, respectively, whilst Mark Cornett was third in 34 min: 00.34 sec. Natash Henderson finished second in the 1,500m in 11 min: 03.39 secs. Well done to all the competitors on some exemplary running and great achievements.
Women’s 10,000m Race
| Position | Number | Name | Time |
| 1 | 149 | Emily Haggard Kearney | 34:46.53 |
Men’s 10,000m Race
| Position | Number | Name | Time |
| 1 | 151 | Conán McCaughey | 31:20.24 |
| 3 | 153 | Mark Cornett | 34:00.34 |
| 4 | 152 | Zak Wilson | 34:07.27 |
| 5 | 144 | Colin McDowell | 36:24.85 |
Women’s 3,000m Race
| Position | Number | Name | Time |
| 2 | 138 | Natasha Henderson | 11:03.39 |
Senior Men’s 800m Race
| Position | Number | Name | Time |
| 5 | 78 | Hugo Reilly Stewart | 2:01.07 |

Louise Smith at the finish of the Almac 10k. Photo courtesy of Matt Shields.
Louise Smith Leads the Harriers Home at the Almac 5k and 10k, Saturday 31st May
Louise Smith was on the podium, as first lady home in the Almac 10k race. On a relatively flat, fast course, Louise ran a great race finishing in 40 min: 27 sec, 1st female and 20th overall. The city park around the Craigavon lakes was the venue for the Almac 5k and 10k races on Saturday morning, and several Harriers made the journey to compete, with most of them opting for the 10k distance. Well done to all the runners, who seemed to have enjoyed the experience.

Almac 10k
| Position | Number | Name | Category | Gun Time | Chip Time |
| 20 | 1089 | Louise Smith | 40:33 | 40:27 | |
| 396 | 808 | Ita Weir | 1;17;01 | 1:16:20 | |
| 398 | 1132 | Michelle Harkley | 1:19:07 | 1:18:26 | |
| 399 | 1133 | Kathleen Montgomery | 1:19:10 | 1:18:29 | |
| 400 | 1111 | Catherine Carleton | 1:19:11 | 1:18:31 | |
| 404 | 1117 | Paula O’Reilly | 1:20:24 | 1:19:44 | |
| 407 | 1121 | Denise Fuenzalida | 1:21:29 | 1:20:44 | |
| 410 | 1147 | Elisabeth French | 1:23:01 | 1:22:19 |
Almac 5k
| Position | Number | Name | Category | Gun Time | Chip Time |
| 286 | 472 | David Waugh | 32:50 | 32:30 |
Connacht BYU Championship Ultra Race, Saturday 31st May
Veteran ultra marathon runner, Greg McClure travelled to Clarinbridge outside Galway for the Connacht Backyard Ultra (BYU) championship race, at the weekend. Set in the picturesque Kilcornan Forest, the race was extremely well organised by “Galway Trail Runners” and saw about 100 runners set out to engage with that familiar mantra of the BYU ‘just one more loop’. Each of the loops were 6.7km. Greg managed a total of 13 loops (13 hours) for a total distance of 54.16 miles, missing the time cut-off at the end of his 13th loop. Congratulations Greg on another amazing achievement.
Information and photo courtesy of Greg.
Parkruns, Saturday 22nd March
The dry weather and intermittent sunshine of Saturday morning, locally, drew many to the parks and outdoor spaces. As ever, members of North Belfast Harriers were ubiquitous at Parkruns at home and abroad, partaking in the camaraderie, craic and convivial collective engagement, that are at the core of every Saturday 5k Parkrun.
Worth a special mention this week are Brandon McMinn and Colin McDowell, who were first finishers, Sarah-Jane McFadden and Emily McRitchie, who were first female finishers, (Emily was also third overall) and Erin Beattie, who was a third female finisher. Congratulations to Kieran Quinn, Isaac Mooney, Terence McAtamney, Ray Cameron, Joanne Boal, Fergus Jamison and Séadna O’Hare Lynch, who all recorded new PBs.
Well done to all those who participated, the runners and especially the volunteers, without whom the events could not be staged.

North Belfast Harriers show their support for Falls Parkrun. Photos by J Gallagher.

Parkrun Takeover- Harriers Show their Support for their colleagues at Falls Parkrun.
On Saturday morning members of North Belfast Harriers made the short journey to West Belfast, to show their support for the great bunch of volunteers and runners, who organise and participate in the Falls Parkrun. Many Harriers, with extensive experience at the Waterworks, volunteered to help marshal the course, whilst others challenged themselves by running the 5k route and taking on the infamous hill. As would be expected, the hospitality was mighty and the craic was great, as were the refreshments afterwards in the Cultúrlann. Well done to all involved.
Falls Parkrun
| Position | Name | Age Grade | Time | Remarks |
| 7 | Sarah-Jane McFadden | 69.23% | 22:06 | First Timer & First Female |
| 8 | Joe Gallagher | 76.66% | 22:17 | First Timer |
| 15 | Kieran Quinn | 57.03% | 23:56 | New PB |
| 16 | Una McConnell | 65.85% | 24:36 | First Timer |
| 18 | Nola Rafferty | 65.66% | 25:20 | First Timer |
| 22 | John Casey | 66.08% | 26:23 | |
| 24 | Martin Rafferty | 54.37% | 26:29 | |
| 31 | Joanne Curran | 59.24% | 27:58 | First Timer |
| 32 | Catherine Seawright | 60.63% | 27:59 | First Timer |
| 39 | Katie-Louise Goodfellow | 57.38% | 30:35 | First Timer |
| 40 | Derek Goodfellow | 46.60% | 30:39 | First Timer |
| 43 | Maurice Palmer | 53.94% | 31:05 | |
| 47 | Eadaoin Kelly | 47.53% | 31:40 | |
| 50 | Evelyn Palmer | 60.29% | 33:37 | First Timer |
| 52 | Lorraine Hibburt | 49.20% | 35:24 | |
| 54 | Cathy Scullion | 44.86% | 36:29 | First Timer |
| 64 | Philomena Donaldson | 37.80% | 56:08 |
Waterworks Parkrun
| Position | Name | Age Grade | Time | Remarks |
| 6 | Alex Reid | 71.39% | 19:52 | |
| 8 | Paul McAllister | 71.42% | 20:00 | |
| 11 | Dara Cassidy | 67.93% | 20:10 | |
| 12 | Isaac Mooney | 76.80% | 20:33 | New PB |
| 15 | Matthew Carleton | 60.99% | 21:09 | |
| 16 | Frank Hughes | 72.43% | 21:13 | |
| 19 | Thomas McLaughlin | 67.29% | 21:24 | |
| 27 | Simon Reeve | 66.31% | 22:04 | |
| 34 | Zak Wilson | 57.33% | 22:30 | |
| 66 | Niamh McMillan | 60.59% | 25:35 | |
| 74 | Chris Callaghan | 62.52% | 26:02 | |
| 76 | Conal McCambridge | 49.30% | 26:10 | |
| 79 | Emmett Sullivan | 61.65% | 26:15 | |
| 91 | Georgia O’Shaughnessy | 65.65% | 26:44 | |
| 98 | Sophia Kielty | 64.76% | 27:06 | First Timer |
| 112 | Rachel Aicken | 54.09% | 27:44 | |
| 113 | Lynn McKenna | 63.54% | 27:45 | |
| 120 | Annie Cullen | 60.41% | 28:15 | |
| 121 | Malcom McKenzie | 60.20% | 28:16 | |
| 129 | Patrick Hamill | 56.19% | 28:32 | |
| 149 | Grainne Stephens | 50.37% | 29:25 | |
| 156 | Gillian Roden | 51.90% | 30:19 | |
| 158 | Tony Reid | 53.21% | 30:25 | |
| 169 | Liam Daniel | 47.60% | 31:14 | |
| 186 | Matthew Purvis | 40.63% | 32:49 | |
| 198 | Margaret Stephens | 60.69% | 33:55 | |
| 207 | Jack Carberry | 62.65% | 34:24 | |
| 209 | Ellen Cullen | 49.14% | 34:44 | |
| 219 | Jim Clinton | 46.61% | 35:39 | |
| 232 | Paul McCusker | 43.95% | 36:29 | |
| 249 | Martin McLarnon | 35.30% | 41:47 | |
| 251 | Stella Harrison | 47.17% | 43:38 | |
| 255 | Denis Loughran | 48.48% | 44:27 | |
| 261 | Paul Jenkins | 32.09% | 46:20 | |
| 268 | Paul Williams | 30.14% | 53:42 |
Valley Parkrun
| Position | Name | Age Grade | Time | Remarks |
| 60 | David Johnston | 53.30% | 29:20 | |
| 137 | Aisling Doherty | 24.71% | 64:53 |
Victoria Parkrun
| Position | Name | Age Grade | Time | Remarks |
| 14 | Matthew McCombe | 71.03% | 18:28 | |
| 15 | Matthew McNutt | 71.78% | 18:29 | |
| 72 | Peter McClelland | 64.46% | 21:40 |
Ormeau Parkrun
| Position | Name | Age Grade | Time | Remarks |
| 210 | John Davidson | 58.05% | 26:42 | |
| 590 | Mannix McAlister | 21.74% | 19:20 |
Paisley Park Parkrun
| Position | Name | Age Grade | Time | Remarks |
| 14 | Thomas McKinstry | 56.89% | 27:43 | |
| 22 | Lynn Murray | 50.11% | 36:37 |
Citypark Craigavon Parkrun
| Position | Name | Age Grade | Time | Remarks |
| 304 | Elisabeth French | 36.28% | 47:22 | First Timer |
| 305 | Ita Weir | 37.21% | 47:23 | First Timer |
| 306 | Michelle Harkley | 34.19% | 47:23 | First Timer |
Antrim Parkrun
| Position | Name | Age Grade | Time | Remarks |
| 32 | Brian Stewart | 82.16% | 22:20 | |
| 96 | Alina Biskupska | 58.53% | 26:41 |
Larne Parkrun
| Position | Name | Age Grade | Time | Remarks |
| 11 | Erin Beattie | 60.91% | 24:18 | Second Female |
| 49 | Greg Lavery | 32.20% | 46:10 |
Carrickfergus Parkrun
| Position | Name | Age Grade | Time | Remarks |
| 1 | Brandon McMinn | 75.07% | 17:11 | First Finisher |
| 39 | Nichola Swann | 61.81% | 27:48 | First Timer |
| 51 | Geoff Swann | 53.36% | 29:48 | First Timer |
Colin Glenn Parkrun
| Position | Name | Age Grade | Time | Remarks |
| 9 | Terence McAtamney | 53.01% | 25:45 | New PB |
Sixmilewater Parkrun
| Position | Name | Age Grade | Time | Remarks |
| 3 | Emily McRitchie | 75.02% | 19:57 | Third Finisher & First Female |
Crawfordsburn Country Parkrun
| Position | Name | Age Grade | Time | Remarks |
| 14 | Ray Cameron | 63.76% | 22:57 | New PB |
| 48 | Kevin McCann | 52.99% | 29:00 | First Timer |
Knockbracken Reservoir Parkrun
| Position | Name | Age Grade | Time | Remarks |
| 136 | Joanne Boal | 63.88% | 27:16 | New PB |
Hillsborough Forest Parkrun
| Position | Name | Age Grade | Time | Remarks |
| 13 | Dermot Coy | 65.97% | 21:39 | First Timer |
| 96 | Stephanie Coy | 57.23% | 28:01 | First Timer |
Limepark Playing Fields Parkrun
| Position | Name | Age Grade | Time | Remarks |
| 61 | Fergus Jamison | 45.41% | 35:01 | New PB |
Lurgan Park Parkrun
| Position | Name | Age Grade | Time | Remarks |
| 132 | Jason Reid | 44.76% | 30:03 | First Timer |
Newry Greenway Parkrun
| Position | Name | Age Grade | Time | Remarks |
| 8 | John Gerard Murphy | 77.50% | 20:00 | First Timer |
| 23 | Matt Shields | 78.66% | 22:25 | First Timer |
Finsbury Parkrun
| Position | Name | Age Grade | Time | Remarks |
| 5 | Conor O’Rawe | 72.40% | 17:49 | |
| 211 | Ciara O’Rawe | 60.37% | 24:31 | First Timer |
Launceston Parkrun
| Position | Name | Age Grade | Time | Remarks |
| 18 | Gerard M Heaney | 58.43% | 22:20 | First Timer |
Falcarragh Parkrun
| Position | Name | Age Grade | Time | Remarks |
| 76 | Paul Lavery | 37.02% | 46:36 |
Clonmel Parkrun
| Position | Name | Age Grade | Time | Remarks |
| 1 | Colin McDowell | 85.53% | 17:58 | First Finisher |
Parkrun Gorzów Wielkopolski
| Position | Name | Age Grade | Time | Remarks |
| 7 | Glenn Beattie | 61.72% | 20:54 | First Timer |
Illaunmanagh Parkrun
| Position | Name | Age Grade | Time | Remarks |
| 25 | Séadna O’Hare Lynch | 70.08% | 24:17 | New PB |
Ekebergsletta Parkrun
| Position | Name | Age Grade | Time | Remarks |
| 94 | Philip McIlwrath | 49.34% | 30:08 | First Timer |
| 168 | Rosy Ryan | 28.28% | 60:00 | First Timer |
Bundoran Promenade Parkrun
| Position | Name | Age Grade | Time | Remarks |
| 25 | Brendan McConnell | 49.57% | 28:49 | |
| 63 | Leanne McConnell | 33.41% | 48:59 | |
| 65 | Finn McConnell | 32.28% | 49:38 |