A relatively quiet week this week, with many of our Mini Stags no doubt resting up for the forthcoming Ulster Schools Championships in Mallusk on Wednesday, and perhaps some others put off by the endless rain which has taken over our little corner of the world. But as ever, some of our Juniors still pop up in a couple of different events and even the odd far-flung Parkrun, and there are a few other events to report on to which we can still look forward.
Armagh International Road Racing
In what has become a world-renowned race for serious runners looking for seriously fast times, the 2026 event took place in a fantastic atmosphere and saw historic and inspirational performances from various NI athletes on home turf. In the Men’s International 5K, Nick Griggs claimed victory with an incredible time of 13:37, becoming the first Irish winner in 32 years. And a fantastic run for the club came in the International Women’s 3K with our very own Emily Haggard-Kearney winning convincingly in a superb time of 9:07. Two of our own Juniors ran in the same race, in what was a hugely enjoyable run for both, given the fantastic buzz around the course. Both girls stepped up to the occasion, running impressively fast times over the pacey road course; finishing close together Hollie Collins crossed the line in 10:37 and Cassie Curran in 10:39 just behind her. Great running girls!!
Stormont XC Races
There was an unusually quiet turn out from the Juniors, on a thankfully dry and sunny morning. Conditions underfoot were soft and mucky after the torrential rain of late, making the going tough for all the participants.
In the U13 Boys race Mason Mercer ran a commanding race, leading from the very start and making the tough conditions look like a breeze, Oisin Caldwell looked determined as usual, finishing in 10th place and Milo Purvis put in a solid performance finishing in 14th place. In the U13 Girls race, the only club rep Georgia O’Shaughnessy finished strongly in 11th place.
In the U15 race, again our only Junior in the event, James O’Shaughnessy ran a spirited performance finishing in 5th place in his age category.
Well done to you all!
Parkrun Results
With the school half term holidays upon us, we have some Parkrun Tourism to report on – great to see our Juniors popping up in different locations both at home and further afield. We hope we have managed to spot you all!
Waterworks Parkrun 5k
| 104 | Sophia KIELTY | JW10 | 27:03 |
| 231 | Annie CULLEN | JW11-14 | 32:38 |
| 234 | Ellen CULLEN | JW11-14 | 33:00 |
Queens Parkrun 5k
| 134 | Katie-Louise GOODFELLOW | WWC | 30:42 |
Wroclaw Poland Parkrun 5k
| 102 | Erin O’REGAN | JW11-14 | 31:01:00 |
Waterworks Parkrun Junior 2k
| 4 | Jessica MURRAY | JW11-14 | 09:16 |
| 8 | Sophia KIELTY | JW10 | 10:01 |
| 9 | Eloise MCAULEY | JW11-14 | 10:29 |
| 10 | Fóla O’KANE | JW11-14 | 10:46 |
| 12 | Miles MCKINNEY | JM10 | 10:58 |
| 14 | Ronan O’NEILL | JM10 | 11:20 |
| 27 | Hollie BRENNAN | JW11-14 | 14:23 |
Woodvale Junior Parkrun 2K
3 Finn MCCONNELL JM10 19:03
Well done to all our Parkrunners, in particular Erin, who wins the top prize for the furthest afield run and donning her trainers whilst in Poland!! Anyone who can beat that, you will have to let us know!!
Extra Training Session
There was a good turnout at the extra training session put on for the Ulster qualifiers – our thanks to the coaches for continuing to go the extra mile to ensure our Juniors are in tip-top shape for this week’s main event. All those racing in the Ulster Schools on Wednesday at Mallusk are reminded not to come to training this week – rest is just as important as the training itself, if you are to keep yourselves in good shape and injury free – we send our best wishes to you all and look forward to catching up with the results next week!
Future Events
Turning to some events that everyone can still sign up for…
The East Coast Athletics Club mini series continues next month with 2 more races organised on 1st March and 22nd March in different locations in Larne – our parents and Juniors are always great supporters of this series, particularly for the very youngest members of the Club, as these are one of the few events at which all our Primary School children can get a go at racing in a very friendly, supportive and non-intimidating atmosphere. There are a range of events for everyone born between 2007 and 2020 so please take a look at what is on offer. We would strongly encourage those Mini Stags who haven’t tried Cross Country racing before to give this event a go and sign up https://register.enthuse.com/ps/event/ECACJuniorXCSeries26
We are also looking forward to seeing how the children do in the forthcoming Primary Schools Cross Country series, with events taking place over various dates in March. Hopefully the kids’ schools are involved and our athletes will get a chance to show their teachers what they are made of!
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 on 11th March 2026 – the link to sign up is here https://in.njuko.com/deep-river-rock-queens-5k-and-3k1766789809984?currentPage=select-competition
We would continue to encourage anyone who hasn’t already to sign up for our own Laganside Junior Mile Event in September – places are filling up fast, so don’t hang around on this one – https://in.njuko.com/laganside-10k-and-junior-mile-2026
Finally, can we remind all parents that children should not train on the Girls or Boys Model tracks outside of our designated training times – this poses an insurance risk, as well as the possible withdrawal of this facility, so please speak to your kids to advise them that this cannot happen. Also, please ensure that the children continue to come to training in weather-appropriate clothing given the persistent cold, wet weather.
Good luck everyone running this week!!