With autumn now firmly established, conditions were ideal for another weekend of parkrunning. As preparations continue for the upcoming Ulster Cross Country Championships, many of our Junior Stags are now firmly focused on their training programmes, although a number still took the opportunity to test their progress at local parkrun events over the weekend. Dry conditions and a light breeze provided excellent running weather across both Saturday’s 5km parkruns and Sunday’s Junior Parkruns, and several of our athletes made the most of the favourable conditions with a number of impressive Personal Best performances.
Park Run – 5km
Saturday saw six of our juniors represent the club at parkruns across Belfast and beyond. A special mention this week goes to Cillian Coy and Séadna O’Hare Lynch, who both recorded new Personal Bests. Achieving a PB is never easy and is a reflection of the hard work and commitment they continue to put into training.
Well done to everyone who took part.
Waterworks – 5km
| Position | parkrunner | Gender | Age Group | Group | Time | |
| 48 | Georgia OSHAUGHNESSY | Female | JW10 | North Belfast Harriers | 24:00 | |
| 158 | Cillian COY | Male | JM10 | North Belfast Harriers | 28:27 | PB |
| 165 | Keona MCALLISTER | Female | JW15-17 | North Belfast Harriers | 28:42 |
Ormeau – 5km
| Position | parkrunner | Gender | Age Group | Group | Time |
| 170 | Erin O’REGAN | Female | JW11-14 | North Belfast Harriers | 25:42 |
Edinburgh – 5km
| Position | parkrunner | Gender | Age Group | Group | Time | |
| 59 | Séadna OHARE LYNCH | Male | JM10 | North Belfast Harriers | 21:12 | PB |
| 515 | Naoise LYNCH O HARE | Male | JM10 | North Belfast Harriers | 35:50 |
Junior Park Run – 2km
Sunday morning again brought excellent running conditions, with dry weather and only a light breeze greeting our junior athletes. Thirteen North Belfast Harriers runners completed the 2km course at Waterworks Junior Parkrun.
Special congratulations this week go to Luke Doris and Olivia McAvoy, both of whom achieved Personal Best performances. It is always rewarding to see months of training and consistency reflected in improved times, and both runners should be very proud of their achievements.
Waterworks Junior Parkrun – 2km
| Position | parkrunner | Gender | Age Group | Group | Time | |
| 6 | Luke DORIS | Male | JM10 | North Belfast Harriers | 08:17 | PB |
| 10 | Oliver BISEWSKI | Male | JM10 | North Belfast Harriers | 09:01 | |
| 12 | Miles MCKINNEY | Male | JM10 | North Belfast Harriers | 09:08 | |
| 15 | Charlie MCCURDY | Male | JM10 | North Belfast Harriers | 09:25 | |
| 16 | Olivia MCAVOY | Female | JW10 | North Belfast Harriers | 09:30 | PB |
| 20 | Eva MOONEY | Female | JW10 | North Belfast Harriers | 10:39 | |
| 23 | Fóla O’KANE | Female | JW11-14 | North Belfast Harriers | 11:23 | |
| 28 | Maeve MCIVOR | Female | JW10 | North Belfast Harriers | 12:17 | |
| 30 | Annie CULLEN | Female | JW11-14 | North Belfast Harriers | 12:19 | |
| 46 | Hollie BRENNAN | Female | JW11-14 | North Belfast Harriers | 13:42 | |
| 51 | Tommy BURNS | Male | JM10 | North Belfast Harriers | 14:14 | |
| 59 | Sophia DORIS | Female | JW11-14 | North Belfast Harriers | 16:25 | |
| 65 | Dara MCLAUGHLIN | Male | JM11-14 | North Belfast Harriers | 21:57 |
Important Messages from the Coaches
Upcoming Ulster Even Age Group Championships
The Ulster Even Age Group Championships will take place at Billy Neill MBE Country Park on Sunday 25th October.
This is one of only a small number of targeted races throughout the year where the club will pay the entry fee and complete race registrations on behalf of athletes. As a club, we are keen to field strong teams across all age groups and compete for Ulster team and individual titles.
To give ourselves the best possible opportunity of success, we need as many junior stags as possible to enter and race. Every runner counts and participation across all age categories will be vital if we are to challenge for honours.
Parents are therefore asked to complete the championship spreadsheet using the link below.
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1i80pYcCZdI8McvoxUyz_-pcp2ljrpqiNyKq8OdTY4tA/edit?usp=sharing
Entries will be submitted this weekend, so it is important that all intended participants are recorded before the deadline.
We would encourage every eligible junior athlete to take part and represent North Belfast Harriers in what promises to be one of the highlights of the cross-country season.
Provisional Timetable below.
Cold Weather Reminder
As the evenings become darker and colder, please ensure your child arrives at training wearing suitable warm clothing. A hoodie or jacket should always be available for before and after training.
Medical Information
If your child requires an inhaler, please ensure it is brought to every training session. If there are any other medical matters that the coaching team should be aware of, please speak to one of the coaches.
Social Media
Don’t forget to keep up to date with club news through our social media channels and website for the latest information on training, competitions and club activities.
Thank you for your continued support of North Belfast Harriers Juniors. Well done to everyone who ran this week and best of luck to all those preparing for the upcoming championship season.