Weekly Race Report - 4th May 2025
Spring marathon season is well and truly under way now with club members taking part in three big marathons over the past two weekends – Belfast, Manchester and London. The mountain runners have been busy with mid-week trips to the Mournes for the Hill and Dale Series, while the club was delighted to host the successful Purple Ladies 5k in Bally money last week. We also had Nickey Frizelle and Peter Jack challenge their endurance with 100k ultramarathons, Nicky running the Altar 100k in County Wicklow, and Peter running the Brighton to London 100k.
Belfast Marathon
All roads led to Belfast, and the steps of Stormont in particular, for the beginning of Sunday’s Belfast City Marathon. The conditions were relatively favourable for runners – the sun was out although there was still a bit of a chill in the air, particularly when in the shade, and there was a cool breeze to cool the runners down when in direct sunlight. As well as the marathon itself, as ever at Belfast marathon there was also a marathon relay race and an eight mile walk.
The marathon route is a challenging one, starting at Stormont in East Belfast and with a slightly downhill run into Ormeau Park, before heading towards the city centre, past City Hall, and then out to West Belfast via Boucher Road. It’s here where the climbing starts – a gradual climb through Finaghy up to the Andersonstown Road, then onto the Falls Road before making tracks for the Shankhill and then on towards Ardoyne and Cliftonville in North Belfast. At this point most of the climbing is behind the runners and they start a descent for a few miles that takes them through the Waterworks Park, down the Antrim Road and through New Lodge.
The route then takes them onto the tow path along the Lagan, from Lanyon Place to the Ormeau Road, along which they have some peace and quiet to gather themselves for the last climb of the day up the Ormeau Road to Rosetta Roundabout. That climb up the Ormeau Road at that stage of the marathon feels like climbing Everest and has put a dent in many PB attempts in the past! From here it’s all downhill, down Ravenhill Road before turning onto the Ormeau Embankment, and then into the finish line in Ormeau Park.
There were nineteen Springwell Runners in the marathon, with super performances from the team across the board. First home with an impressive 20 seconds PB was Andy Whiteford in 2:53:19. Following Andy, and with a 24 seconds PB was Stephen Fillis in 2:57:05, who had to dig very deep in the last 5k to get to the finish. Niall Kennedy’s impressive well-paced run saw him earn a PB by over 20 minutes, in 3:07:59.
Jack McKibbin, on his marathon debut for the club, ran a remarkable 3:20:21, and he was followed by Brian Moore who can be delighted by his PB of 3:23:35. Catherine Pinkerton took a massive 7 minutes off her personal best to run a time of 3:31:49, while Conall Doherty bettered his marathon PB by over 40 seconds in a time of 3:44:21. Alison Duncan also continued her fine form of late with another PB, in a time of 4:13:44.
Fantastic runs from the rest of the team, reflective of the hard months of training that they have all put in to prepare for the race.
In the Marathon Relay, Springwell had runners competing in various relay teams, including Hannah Lau, Paddy Magee, Pauline Duke and Julie Corbett, and Ingrid Hamilton, Heather McLaughlin and Linda McMichael took part in the 8 Mile walk before providing some support for the rest for the team out on the course!
Andy Whiteford 2:53:19 (PB); Stephen Fillis 2:57:05 (PB); Niall Kennedy 3:07:59 (PB); Jack McKibbin 3:20:21 (PB); Brian Moore 3:23:35 (PB); Aaron Steele 3:24:27; Ian Smyth 3:31:14; Catherine Pinkerton 3:31:49 (PB); Mark Goldsworthy 3:36:11; Adrian Finlay 3:39:29; Conall Doherty 3:44:21 (PB); Helena Dornan 3:51:52; Cara Patterson 4:00:11; Leanne Quigley 4:10:55; Alison Duncan 4:13:44; Kathryn Campbell 4:29:39; Enda Young 4:31:47; Sinead Graham 4:32:12; Ryan Campbell 4:57:55
Manchester Marathon
Crowds arrived at Old Trafford early on the morning of the marathon by the tram full to get a record breaking day of marathon racing underway in Manchester. Even those arriving before 8am to start in the early waves were greeted by a blazing sun set in a clear blue sky, with little to no clouds to be seen. There was not much need for a t-shirt or jumper to keep warm in the waiting area, while suncream was being passed around the crowds and generously applied, and race plans were being rewritten!
There was a strong representation from the club in this year’s Manchester Marathon, with twelve club members in total participating. Ciaran Ferris, who paced the Sub-3 hour group at this event last year in his first ever marathon, stepped it up a level this year to pace the Sub-2:45 group. Ciaran executed his job for the day to perfection, finishing with a fantastic evenly paced 2:44:46, with particular praise due as he was pacing this group on his own.
With temperatures soaring through the morning, the direct sunlight and lack of a breeze meant that it was an extremely tough outing for the majority of the field, with paces dropping drastically in the latter stages of the race. Next home after Ciaran was Stephen McLaughlin in 3:03:51, who was closely followed by James Weir. James had a fantastic performance to record a personal best time of 3:04:35.
Next to make his way up the home straight outside the University of Manchester was Rodney McPhee in a time of 3:16:38. Mark Gardiner had an impressive debut race for the club, running 3:27:41 after picking up an injury early on and still only narrowly missing out on a PB. Aaron Steele completed marathon number 22 in 3:35:10, with Timmy Bacon putting in a solid performance of 3:46:32.
Paul Quinn, on his return to the club, also ran a personal best time of 3:47:05. While Jeff Young and Jonathan Huddleston, who both picked up injuries at about half way, found each other out on the course and worked together for the last 10 miles to push each other to the finish line.
Deborah McPhee finished in 4:10:53, and Rachael Campbell crossed the line in 4:31:43. Conditions on the whole were far from ideal for many for fast times, however, those who started in the later waves got the worst of the conditions, with temperatures at or over 20°C for much of the race. Well done everyone for finishing the race, and massive congratulations to those who ran PBs on a difficult day!
London Marathon
Proceedings in London for the masses got under way at 9:35, just after the Manchester Marathon started, with slightly higher temperatures forecast here than what the marathon runners were experiencing up North in Manchester. The higher temperatures in the South, coupled with heat from the buildings in London, would create particularly difficult conditions for runners through the morning and early afternoon.
However, despite the hot conditions, Christopher McNickle ran an impressive 2:39:11 just 4 seconds off his personal best, while Gael Butcher (3:57:30) and Alan Platt (4:08:41) recorded super personal bests.
Louise Hanna had a strong run to finish with a time of 4:54:18, and Seamus McAteer enjoyed every minute of his time running the roads of London finishing in a time of 6:01:12!
Unfortunately, Coach Ivan Prue had a tumble and got badly injured at 17 miles, and Fiona Prue had to retire at 18 miles feeling unwell. We wish them both a speedy recovery.
Purple Ladies 5k
Springwell hosted the annual Purple Ladies 5k last week in Ballymoney. This has become a very popular ladies only race over the years, with the winner presented with a cup named in the memory of friend and former club member Debbie Tutty.
The ladies were welcomed to sunny Ballymoney by a team of club members, and there was a vibrant atmosphere around the Joey Dunlop Leisure Centre as the various clubs and running groups gathered outside the leisure centre for their team photos before the race got underway.
Peter Jack had the music playlist sorted for the start line down by the football pitches as the ladies went through their warm up routines, before Peter started the race at 7:30. The course took in ¾ of a lap of the football pitches, before heading towards the town before turning and coming back to the pitches via Riverside Park.
The run was followed by an abundance of tea, sandwiches and sweet treats for the runners while race director Kenneth Bacon was busy sorting out who the prize-winners were! Gemma Turley from Ballycastle Runners was the clear winner with a time of 0:18:55, followed by Natasha Henderson of North Belfast Harriers in 2nd place with a time of 19:39, and in 3rd place was Naomi McClelland of Ballymena and Antrim AC in a time of 0:19:58.
Great performances from all of the Springwell Runners, with a standout performance from Fiona Martin who placed 1st in her age category.
Jenny Chartres 0:20:48; Fiona Martin 0:21:02 (1st F35); Ashley McPhee 0:21:44; Deboarh McPhee 0:23:02; Alanna Millar 0:24:28; Pauline Mullan 0:24:42; Helena Dornan 0:25:06; Cathy McCollum 0:25:37; Fiona Walker 0:25:41; Gillian Rudden 0:25:51; Alison Duncan 0:26:37; Sinead Graham 0:26:45; Christine Bonham 0:26:54; Bronagh Archibald 0:27:01; Janet Patrick 0:27:10; Karen Campbell 0:27:30; Sonya Colville 0:29:30; Heather McLaughlin 0:29:55; Leighann Barker 0:30:14; Paula Chartres 0:31:03; Angeline Platt 0:32:15; Hannah McCaw 0:32:15; Bernie Hannigan 0:32:18; Anne-Marie McKenna 0:32:40; Catherine Byers 0:33:46; Pauline Duke 0:33:50; Linda McMichael 0:34:18; Ingrid Hamilton 0:35:25; Caoime Quinn 0:38:59; Deborah Purdy 0:41:00
Bay Road 5k
The sun made an appearance midweek for the Bay Road 5k on the banks of the Foyle, hosted by City of Derry Spartans. The course started at Sainsburys and runners made their way over the Pennyburn Bridge and along the Bay Road before taking in 2 laps of Bay Road Park, then returning back to Sainburys for the finish line.
Eleven Springwell Runners made their way into the Maiden City for the race, with newcomer Jack McKibbin having an impressive debut run for the club to finish 45th place in a time of 0:18:04. Jack was very closely followed by Darren Walsh, who ran 0:18:06 – a 47 second PB. There was also a PB for Brian Moore, who finished in 0:18:50 to take 65th place. Another noteworthy performance was that of Iris Wilson, who ran 0:32:56 to record her 5k PB!
Jack McKibbin 0:18:04; Darren Walsh 0:18:06 (PB); Brian Moore 0:18:50 (PB); David Shiels 0:19:41; Fiona Prue 0:20:04; Shaun Carton 0:20:53; Fran McFadden 0:21:24; Pauline Mullan 0:23:10; Catherine Pinkerton 0:24:33; Gary Moore 0:24:33; Iris Wilson 0:32:56 (PB)
Whitehead Easter Road Race
Easter Monday meant time for the Whitehead Easter Road Race! A 5 mile road race that closes down the town for the afternoon to give runners the opportunity to run off the Easter eggs consumed on Easter Sunday, and make room for some further guilt free chocolate consumption on Easter Monday evening!
Alison Duncan and Shaun Carton made the trip to Whitehead for the race, with this being a particularly special one for Alison with it being a return to her home town! The course for this race is an undulating one consisting of 3 laps of the town, with a larger ‘hill’ to tackle on each of the 3 laps.
Both had fantastic runs with Shaun coming 51st with a time of 0:36:54, and Alison finishing 123rd in a time of 0:42:57.
Hill & Dale: Slieve Martin
The excitement and buzz for Race 3 in this year's H&D started immediately after Tollymore. The chat of 2 mile uphill and fast 2 mile downhill quickly disappeared on the start line when word spread the course was running clockwise for the first time in the races history.
Conditions at the start line were near ideal as runners took off straight in to the 2 mile climb (1,700ft of elevation) through Kilbroney Forest and onto the ascent to the summit of Slieve Martin where conditions took a foggy & chilly turn.
Next it was onto a steep and technical descent, there were a few slips and slides on the soft ground where runners are more used to scrambling up before returning to the forest for a flat out downhill sprint to the finish.
Quickest to navigate this challenging course was Peter Tees, who finished 31st in 43:03. Peter was followed by Adele Tomb who finished 134th in 53:10. Hot on the heels of Adele, Fergus Thompson was next back finishing 136th in 53:13. Carolyn Crawford finished 165th in 55:50, and going from strength to strength on the hills, Kate O'Loan had a super run and finished 199th in 59:15.
Descending is the game this year for Conor Duffy where a wise line choice saw him take back the place lost to Sarah Milligan earlier in the race. Conor finished 239th in 1:03:32, while Sarah Milligan, returning from injury finished 248th in 1:04:22
Hill & Dale: Slieve Binnian
Next up in the Hill and Dale series after the Slieve Martin was Slieve Binnian, the shortest of the Hill and Dale race series. This distance is just over 2miles, but it’s arguably also one of the toughest as it's just 2 miles straight up the mountain with 1,800ft of elevation. Starting at the Carrick Little Car Park, the race begins with a gentle run up the lane. And that's exactly where the gentle fun stops. From the foot of Slieve Binnian, the race then becomes a relentless climb towards the 746-meter peak. The third highest in the Mournes.
Conditions on the night were near perfect for the unrelenting ascent to the finish line on the mountain top. A lot cooler on the summit - it was jackets on, admire the sun setting over Silent Valley, quick pic and then off for a social back down the mountain.
Adele Tomb was first to the summit from the club in 130th in 40:03. Hot on Adele's heels, Fergus Thompson bagged his 3rd Hill and Dale this year with a strong run finishing 137th in 40:19. Sarah Milligan finished 191st in 43:28. The only club lady to have raced all 4 Hill and Dale races so far this year is Kate O'Loan who finished 207th in 44:34. Conor Duffy is the only club male to have also raced all 4 H&D's this year and finished 238th in 47:01.
Altar 100k
The Altar 100k took place at Beyond the Trees, in Avondale, County Wicklow - the course was a 3.24m loop (31 times for 100k) that took in some beautiful scenery and fair bit of elevation (5,377ft in total). The race started & finished at the grand Avondale House, the 100k participants were required to make the 50k mark in 8 hrs in order to continue in the 100k race.
A looped event of this distance really pushes the mental boundaries for an ultra runner, things can go very wrong without a good support. Luckily there was a phenomenal support team at hand, made up of Bernard Mullan who had a full tuck shop at the end of every loop, and Olivia who ran the last 9 laps with Nicky to keep her going. That's nearly 30 miles as a support runner.
Nicky who is training hard for the Norn Iron 100 Mile event in June, realised at the half way point that she'd maybe gone out too fast. With the help of her support crew, she had to refuel & refocus to get the job done.
Nicky finished 2nd Female (5th overall) in a time of 12hrs 4m 10sec.
A fantastic achievement on a hilly course in hot conditions.
Beyond Marathon's Brighton to London 100k Ultra 2025
This is a classic race between the two cities, taking place on the same weekend as London Marathon. The route, which starts as mainly trail, crosses the dam at Ardingly Reservoir for a picturesque view and uses a combination of major trails like the South Downs Way, Sussex Border Path and London Loop, and a few quiet sections of country lane. The route becomes predominantly road/tarmac as you get closer to London. The race has an overall cut-off time of 18.5 hours and includes Elevation of 1540m.
Peter Jack was the sole representative from Springwell and put in a serious effort to finish in a time of 18:16:00 for 55th place.
