This week many of our juniors rested their legs in preparation for next week’s NI and Ulster Even Age Group Championships. But it wasn’t just our mini stags that prepared for next week. Mother nature arrived in all her glory dumping a gazillion tons of rainwater (give or take a few litres!!) ensuring that conditions for next weekend would be absolutely perfect.
With only Park Runs to report on this week we will get straight to it.
Park Run – 5km
Saturday morning saw relatively calm, autumnal conditions for our juniors, with 14 of them striding out to complete their local 5km park run. Special mention this week must go to Dara Cassidy, Séadna O’Hare-Lynch, Oisisn Caldwell, Eimear Coy and Mason Mercer who all achieved PB’s.
Well done everyone.
Waterworks – 5km
| Position | parkrunner | Gender | Age Group | Club | Time | |
| 4 | Leo MCAULEY | Male | JM11-14 | North Belfast Harriers | 18:28 | |
| 5 | Dara CASSIDY | Male | JM15-17 | North Belfast Harriers | 18:35 | PB |
| 32 | Senan MCCONNELL | Male | JM11-14 | North Belfast Harriers | 22:37 | |
| 35 | Séadna OHARE LYNCH | Male | JM10 | North Belfast Harriers | 23:01 | PB |
| 38 | Niamh MCMILLAN | Female | JW15-17 | North Belfast Harriers | 23:17 | |
| 50 | Oisin CALDWELL | Male | JM11-14 | North Belfast Harriers | 23:37 | PB |
| 64 | Georgia OSHAUGHNESSY | Female | JW10 | North Belfast Harriers | 24:39 | |
| 92 | Ruby Mae MCLAUGHLIN | Female | JW10 | North Belfast Harriers | 26:20 | |
| 131 | Orán STEELE | Male | JM15-17 | North Belfast Harriers | 28:42 | |
| 244 | Hollie BRENNAN | Female | JW11-14 | North Belfast Harriers | 46:09 |
Ormeau Park – 5km
| Position | parkrunner | Gender | Age Group | Club | Time |
| 95 | Eimear O’REGAN | Female | JW15-17 | North Belfast Harriers | 23:20 |
| 391 | Erin O’REGAN | Female | JW11-14 | North Belfast Harriers | 29:41 |
Valley Park – 5km
| Position | parkrunner | Gender | Age Group | Club | Time | |
| 46 | Eimear COY | Female | JW11-14 | North Belfast Harriers | 27:56 | PB |
Sixmilewater – 5km
| Position | parkrunner | Gender | Age Group | Club | Time | |
| 4 | Mason MERCER | Male | JM11-14 | North Belfast Harriers | 19:36 | PB |
Junior Park Run – 2km
Now we move on to Sunday. Yes folks. SUNDAY. A day when Mother Nature decided to hit us with as much rain as possible in a 24 hour period. And what was in the middle of this 24hr deluge of rain…..You guessed it. Junior Park run. Was it cancelled. Not a chance. Runners don’t care about “a wee bit of rain”. So, it’s off to our local parks were 8 traumatised kids were sent out to participate whilst their parents looked on from the comfort of their cars or under a large golfing umbrella (or both).
No PB’s (understandably) but huge shout out to our 8 warriors who battled the elements and completed the 2km run. They were Isaac Mooney, Sophia Doris, Oisin Caldwell, Séadna O’Hare-Lynch, Luke Doris, Eva Mooney, Finn McConnell and Katie-Louise Goodfellow.
Waterworks – 2km
| Position | parkrunner | Gender | Age Group | Club | Time |
| 1 | Isaac MOONEY | Male | JM11-14 | North Belfast Harriers | 07:44 |
| 2 | Sophia DORIS | Female | JW10 | North Belfast Harriers | 08:32 |
| 3 | Oisin CALDWELL | Male | JM11-14 | North Belfast Harriers | 08:36 |
| 4 | Séadna OHARE LYNCH | Male | JM10 | North Belfast Harriers | 08:39 |
| 5 | Luke DORIS | Male | JM10 | North Belfast Harriers | 09:26 |
| 8 | Eva MOONEY | Female | JW10 | North Belfast Harriers | 10:30 |
Woodvale – 2km
| Position | parkrunner | Gender | Age Group | Club | Time |
| 10 | Finn MCCONNELL | Male | JM10 | North Belfast Harriers | 15:02 |
| 16 | Katie-Louise GOODFELLOW | Female | WWC | North Belfast Harriers | 27:34 |
NI and Ulster Even Age Group Championships
We would like to wish all of our juniors who are competing in the NI and Ulster Even Age Group Championships on Sunday 26th October 2025 at Billy Neill MBE Country Park the very best of luck.
Provisional times and race distance are below.
Parents, please ensure you arrive with their children 1 hour before their race. This will allow them time to collect their race numbers and have a walk around the course with the rest of their team mates before they start to warm up.
Preparation prior to each race is paramount. This ensures all participants know what is happening and where they will be running, reducing any anxiety they may have.
Important messages from the coaches
Ulster Uneven Cross Country Championships
Anyone wanting to enter their children into the Ulster Uneven Cross Country Championships which takes place on the 9th November 2025 in Donegal, please complete the spreadsheet that was sent into the NBH Girls Model WhatsApp group on Saturday 18th October. The club have also organised a bus to take competitors and their family members to and from the event, so please complete the necessary details in the second spreadsheet (also sent on Saturday 18th October) if you wish to avail of this. Cost for the bus is £3 per person which is payable on the day.
This is the second of two major races in the Cross Country Calander and is what our coaches have been preparing our junior stags for.
The club will pay and process all entries, however, the closing date is fast approaching so please ensure all details are inserted into the relevant spreadsheet prior to Friday 24th October 2025, when entries will close.
Types of training
Some of the older juniors have been discussing different types of training they have noted through discussion or on-line. While we would encourage their interest, it’s important to bear in mind the laws of training that forms the basis of our programme and all our training. Please see the word document entitled “Laws of Training” sent into the NBH Girls Model WhatsApp group by Margaret Stephens on Monday 13th October.
No Training Sessions
There will be no training at the Girls Model Track on:
Thursday, 30th October
Tuesday, 4th November
Seamus and Alan may organise cross-country training instead — please watch the NBH Girls Model WhatsApp group for updates.
Safeguarding & Educational Talks – Tuesday, 11th November
Our Safeguarding Officer will be at the track to introduce themselves to newer members and deliver the bi-annual Safeguarding/Bullying Talk.
Additionally, Coach and elite athlete Gladys will give a short talk to girls P7 and upwards on how the menstrual cycle can affect training and performance.
If your child is below P7 and you’d like her to take part, or if your child is P7 or older and you do not want her to participate, please message us. Otherwise, silence will be taken as consent.
Cold Weather Reminder
The dark, cold nights have arrived! Please ensure your child comes to training in warm, bright clothing. They should have a hoodie or jacket for after training.
Medical Information
If your child requires an inhaler, please make sure they bring it with them to training.
If there are any other medical issues we should know about, please speak in confidence to one of the coaches.
Injury & Illness
If your child is injured or feeling unwell, please do not send them to the track. Allow them sufficient time to recover and only let them return to training once they are well enough.
Track Lighting
The dark nights have returned, and the mobile lights used at the track are back in operation. If anyone is available to help set up and/or take down the lights, please talk to the coaches. It only takes a couple of minutes but is a great help to our volunteer coaches and allows them to get home a little earlier.
Thank you for your continued support!
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