After the hectic nature of last week’s cross country activities, this week was a quiet one in terms of races but never fear, we always have the usual Parkrun events to report on and will take this opportunity to remind you about some forthcoming events, to which we can all look forward. The cover photo is a reminder of the fabulous turn out we had at our own Laganside event last September and serves as a rally cry to you all to sign up early for this year’s kids’ race (and of course for the 10k race for any keen parents!!) the details of which have just been released. We would love to replicate last year’s hugely successful day with another great club turn out. It’s an opportunity for us to show what we are made of and how much we continue to thrive in the service of our local young people. We are rightly proud of what we represent here at North Belfast – not only do we have some of the finest athletes across the country in all age groups, but we can truly say we are leading the way in providing a service and facility which nurtures local kids, providing a healthy, sporting outlet for children and young people across all ages and stages, promoting and celebrating those who run for a sense of personal achievement or for the reward of team participation, who run for fun or for fitness, for personal growth or national acclaim, for a sense of belonging, or a sense of achievement, no matter what that may look like come race day. We hope that throughout the year, culminating at Laganside in September, you will help us share in a celebration of ourselves as a positive force for good in the community!
Now over to this weekends Parkruns…
Waterworks Parkrun 5k
Fair play to all of you who rolled out of bed, opened your curtains and saw the grey, rainy, miserable weather and thought I am going to do this anyway! Fastest finisher at the Waterworks from the Club was Alex Reid in a superb time 20:26 and big congrats to Oran Steele who got a new PB of 23:36 – what a great start to the year!!
| 14 | Alex REID | 20:26 |
| 15 | Dara CASSIDY | 20:38 |
| 42 | Orán STEELE | 23:36 |
| 116 | Sophia KIELTY | 27:35 |
| 220 | Katie-Louise GOODFELLOW | 32:38 |
Ormeau Parkrun 5k
Over on the south side of the city, we send our congratulations to Niamh McMillan on a fab new PB of 23:39– well done Niamh – another great run!
| 82 | Niamh MCMILLAN | 23:39 |
Waterworks Parkrun Junior 2k
It was a Club 1, 2, 3 with Lucas Mooney, Oisin Caldwell and young Luke Doris looking promising as the fastest 3 finishers on the Sunday morning 2k run – well done to you all boys and keep up the good work!
| 1 | Lucas MOONEY | 07:08 |
| 2 | Oisin CALDWELL | 08:39 |
| 3 | Luke DORIS | 08:58 |
| 8 | Sophia KIELTY | 09:33 |
| 9 | Lucy JONES | 09:40 |
| 11 | Annie CULLEN | 09:53 |
| 13 | Ellen CULLEN | 10:22 |
| 16 | Eva MOONEY | 10:52 |
| 18 | Olivia MCAVOY | 11:01 |
| 32 | Hollie BRENNAN | 13:43 |
| 45 | Katie KIELTY | 17:28 |
Woodvale Junior Parkrun 2K
Over at Woodvale and it is a well done again to Finn McConnell in an excellent 6th place– go Finn – love to see you running, helping your friends and with a gigantic small on your face – that’s what it’s all about!
| 6 | Finn MCCONNELL | 16:30 |
Jordanstown Junior Parkrun 2k
And last, but by no means least, what a fantastic run by Lois Usher who finished in 1st place at Jordanstown in a very fast time of 8:12 – excellent running Lois – congratulations to you too! We look forward to seeing what else you do in the year ahead!!
Some photos of our young people at the various Parkruns are served up below.
| 1 | Lois USHER | 08:12 |
Future Events
So back to remind you that we would love as big a turnout as possible for the Club’s Laganside Junior Mile Event in September -remember all participating children will get a chipped time and medal. It is a very popular event and although it seems far away, it does sell out, so booking early will avoid disappointment –https://in.njuko.com/laganside-10k-and-junior-mile-2026
Another event to look out for is the ever popular Queens 3km race, which is earlier on the same evening as the Elite 5k event – a spectacle that the kids would enjoy watching as it attracts some of the fastest runners in the country looking for personal best times over a quick course. The races take place on the evening of 11th March 2026 and the link to sign up is here https://in.njuko.com/deep-river-rock-queens-5k-and-3k1766789809984?currentPage=select-competition
We look forward to many of our children and young people participating in the upcoming Ulster Schools District Cross Country races which kick off on Tuesday 27th January at Ormeau Park for the secondary school aged children and the Belfast Primary School Cross Country races are on Thursday 26th March 2026. We will be keeping an eye on how the kids perform for their various schools and we extend our best wishes to all the Mini Stags taking part in those events in the next few weeks!
Finally, but importantly, we have a request – could any other parents who can, but are not yet involved in the Club, let us know how you too can help by volunteering for the club in any way – whether by coaching, with lights at the end of training, or with the rota for the run report – the Club only operates as successfully as it does due to the fact that the dedicated team of Coaches and other regular volunteers are helped by parents of members- this ensures the smooth running of the club and its continuing success. We would very much appreciate any assistance you can offer so as to ensure that we can continue to thrive and grow. Please send a message in to the group or approach a coach at track to let us know how you can help. Your contribution will be greatly appreciated!