Weekly Race Report - 24th August 2025
The local racing calendar has been packed with events of all distances over the past two weeks and Springwell members have been making the most of all the opportunities to race. Springwell’s purple vests could be seen on four consecutive days of half marathons in Donegal in what is known as the ‘Quadrathon’, in Reykjavik at Marathon and 10k races, at the Antrim Coast Half Marathon in Larne, and on Rathlin Island off the Antrim Coast at the Rathlin Run. There have been age category wins at races close to home in Portrush and Broughshane, as well as podium finish on Rathlin Island and in Armoy.
Quadrathon
The annual Quadrathon, hosted by Extreme North around the Inishowen 100 and Wild Atlantic Way, always attracts several of our club members. With both half marathon (Quest) and marathon (Warrior) distance races on each of four consecutive days it’s a proper test of endurance for those who choose to run each of the four days.
This year, we had six of our members take on the ‘Quest’ version of the Quadrathon, which is the four half marathons on consecutive days. Up first was the Kinnego Half Marathon, which begins by passing Kinnego Bay before a tough 1k climb before 11 miles of rolling scenic coastal roads passing Tremone, Ballyharry then through the beautiful Culdaff and onto the beautiful tourist village of Malin and the welcome sight of the finish line in the Green in the middle of the village.
Day 2 was the Malin Head Half Marathon, starting at the Pier Road the route follows the coastline to Banba’a Crown, Irelands most northerly land point, where the only thing the runners could hear was the sound of the waves lapping off the rocks and their feet off the tarmac. Halfway through the race, the runners embarked on their main climb of the day, Knockamanny Bends, which was just under 600ft of climbing over a 2 mile distance. However, once they got that over them, it was either all or completely flat passing beautiful beaches at Lag then back to the finish line again in Malin.
The Mamore Half Marathon was on the menu for Day 3. This starts off relatively flat for the first 4 or 5 miles, a nice warm up for the climb that lies ahead. The Mamore climb is 880ft of climbing over 1.2 miles, rising sharply over the beginning and end sections. Few Very few attempt anything that resembles a run on this climb, for most it’s a very slow walk! When the runners got to the top, the beautiful clear day gave panoramic views of Donegal, which the runners all took in while catching their breath. It was mostly downhill from here, although still a couple of smaller climbs in store before a final mile along the shore path and into the finish line in Buncrana.
The final day of the Quadrathon for our runners was the Muff Half Marathon, and a welcome break from the hills! Day four’s route starting in Muff village and headed straight to Moville along the West Bank of the Foyle, passing Quigley’s Point and Redcastle. The final finishers medal awaited in Moville, where those who completed all 4 days could get all 4 medals assembled together to make one giant ‘Quadrathon’ medal – representing the giant effort that they had put in over the previous 4 days.
This year the Quadrathon fell over a weekend when temperatures were well over 20 Celsius, and the clear blue skies meant great visibility. Great conditions for taking in all the scenery and enjoying the beautiful Irish countryside! We had six members take on the 4 half marathons: Conall Doherty, Alison Duncan, Ingrid Hamilton, Heather McLaughin, Aidan Mooney and Dara Watterson, with Reggie Colville joining in for the half marathon on Day 3. Full Results below.
Conall Doherty 1:51:21 (17th); 1:55:01 (22nd); 2:03:14 (23rd); 1:53:45 (22nd)
Alison Duncan 2:48:32 (96th); 2:54:43 (96th); 3:19:46 (94th); 2:54:40 (105th)
Ingrid Hamilton 2:48:30 (95th); 2:54:50 (98th); 3:19:47 (95th); 2:54:37 (104th)
Heather McLaughlin 2:48:33 (97th); 2:54:47 (97th); 3:19:49 (96th); 2:54:41 (106th)
Aidan Mooney 3:32:08 (111th); 3:08:24 (106th); 3:25:34 (97th); 2:57:54 (110th)
Dara Watterson 1:58:49 (33rd); 2:02:09 (31st); 2:10:39 (30th); 1:53:45 (24th)
Reggie Colville 1:52:04 (7th)
Reykjavik Marathon
The Reykjavik Marathon course offers runners a blend of urban landscape, seaside views, and glimpses of striking Icelandic nature. Starting in the heart of Reykjavik, the route leads participants through the city’s streets, passing landmarks such as the Hallgrímskirkja church and the modern concert hall, Harpa.
The route then takes runners along paths that hug the North Atlantic coastline, providing spectacular views of the ocean, distant mountains, and, on clear days, the silhouette of the Snaefellsjökull glacier. Portions of the course wind through tranquil residential neighbourhoods and green parks, with stretches alongside the Elliðaár river. With just over 500 feet of elevation in total, the first 9 miles are generally flat with the remaining miles certainly more undulating and challenging. Temperatures can be favourable for marathon running here, although there can often be strong wings rolling off the Atlantic (much like home!!) – which runners experienced this weekend.
A group of Springwell marathon runners took on the challenge, with Rodney McPhee the first home in 45th place with a time of 3:07:57. Adrian Finlay came in 187th position finishing in 3:44:29, with David McGaffin not far behind him in 3:48:24 for 205th position. Next home was Deboarh McPhee in a time of 3:56:21 to claim 234th place overall, while Helena Dornan completed the marathon in 4:18:56 for 332nd position.
There were other race distances on offer on the day, and Shirley McGaffin opted for the 10k distance. Shirley competed in the 10k, which started and finished in the same location as the marathon and followed the same route as the marathon before turning off for the finish line just before the 10k mark. Shirley finished in a personal best time of 1:12:44.
Antrim Coast Half Marathon
There was a strong contingent of Springwell runners toeing the line in Larne this morning for the Antrim Coast Half Marathon. Promoted as a flat and fast route, it attracts runners from all over the UK and Ireland, and further afield, chasing fast times and personal best. Today’s weather was the complete opposite to the wet and cold conditions that fell on the day of this event last year, and runners felt the heat although still producing great performances.
Mark Gardiner continued his good form, leading the club home in 443rd place in 1:31:44. Mark was closely followed by Jack McKibbin in 1:33:13 in 484th place, with Reggie Colville hot on his heels finishing in 1:33:31 for 650th position.
Hannah Lau was the first of our women to cross the finish line, with a fantastic run seeing her finish 817th in a time of 1:41:10. Rachael Campbell followed Hannah in 1:53:50, and Pauline Mullan was the next of our women in a time of 1:55:32. Vickie Eakin (2:11:15) and Chrissie Taggart (2:53:35) had great debut runs in the Springwell vest.
Full club results below.
443rd Mark Gardiner 1:31:44; 484th Jack McKibbin 1:33:13; 537th Reggie Colville 1:33:31; 650th Brian Moore 1:38:21; 762nd Ryan Pierce 1:39:31817th Hannah Lau 1:41:10; 825th Francis O’Hagan 1:40:44; 990th Alan Platt 1:44:36 (PB); 1044th Paul Quinn 1:45:16; 1395th Jim Bradley 1:50:00; 1741st Pauline Mullan 1:55:32; 1792nd Rachael Campbell 1:53:50; 2170th Nicole O’Connor 2:00:46; 2588th Adam Henderson 2:08:56; 2971st Vickie Eakin 2:11:15; 3365th Mark Neely 2:25:52; 3394th Julie Corbett 2:24:34; 3480th Kathy Donaghey 2:27:40; 3484th Pauline Duke 2:27:01; 3744th Maggi Gilmore 2:35:47; 3931st Chrissie Taggart 2:53:35
Portrush 5 Mile
A 30 strong contingent of Springwell runners descended upon Portrush West Strand Promenade on Friday evening to compete in the annual Portrush 5 Mile Race. This is a race hosted by Springwell Club Member Mervyn Thompson, with proceeds going to the Prostate Cancer UK charity.
Runners lined up on the West Strand Promenade Start Line at 7:30pm for the beginning of the out and back course which takes runners on the footpath as far as Amici just outside Portstewart, before turning and making their way back to Portrush West Strand. Shortly after the beginning of the race, there is a climb up from the promenade up to the main road, which makes for a quick finish for runners who have measured their effort well on this undulating course.
First home from the club was Maurice Walker in 11th position in a time of 0:30:06, which also seen him claim first place in his age category. There were also age category wins for David Shiels (0:33:56) who finished in 30th place overall, and for Fiona Prue (0:34:19) who finished in 36th position overall. There were fantastic performances across the board from Springwell members, and a great debut run from Denise McManus who only joined the club at the beginning of the month. Full club results below.
Congratulation to Mervyn (and the team of volunteers) for putting on another great events, and well done to everyone who took part.
11th Maurice Walker 0:30:36 (1st M55); 14th Andy Whiteford 0:31:23; 30th David Shiels 0:33:56 (1st M60); 32nd Rhys Walker 0:34:00; 36th Fiona Prue 0:34:19 (1st F55); 51st Mervyn Adams 0:35:42; 65th Fergus Thompson 0:36:49; 75th Cathy Adams 0:37:21; 79th Paul Laverty 0:37:36; 86th Shaun Carton 0:38:17; 96th Alanna Millar 0:38:57; 114th Pauline Mullan 0:40:12; 129th Louise Hanna 0:40:53; 139th Alison Duncan 0:41:37; 147th Andrew Wilmot 0:42:17; 160th George Brien 0:42:40; 166th Liz Dowey 0:43:38; 167th Christine Bonham 0:43:45; 197th Janet McNicholl 0:44:40; 199th Tara Stinson 0:44:42; 201st Janet Patrick 0:45:00; 223rd Dani Haslett 0:46:59; 248th Bernie Hannigan 0:50:59; 258th Fergal Mackle 0:52:32; 260th Anne Marie McKenna 0:53:00; 268th Linda McMichael 0:54:35; 277th Denise McManus 0:58:09; 280th Heather McLaughlin 1:00:31; 281st Caoime Quinn 1:04:35; 282nd Deborah Purdy 1:04:35
Broughshane 5 Mile
Ballymena Runners hosted the Broughshane 5 Mile Road Race in warm, sunny conditions last Monday evening. The route for this was a loop around Broughshane village starting and finishing near the Broughshane Community Centre, where the smell of burgers sizzling on the barbeque greeted competitors as they approached the finish line.
Despite the hot conditions there were super performances from Springwell members. Aaron Moffatt returned to racing action with an age category win in an impressive 0:30:14, while Fiona Prue also put in a stellar performance to win her age category in 0:34:58. Full results below, well done everyone!
Aaron Moffatt 0:30:14 (1st M45); Maurice Walker 0:31:05; David Shiels 0:34:23; Fiona Prue 0:34:58 (1st F55); Rhys Walker 0:35:17; Christina McQuillan 0:36:25; Mervyn Thompson 0:39:58; Patricia Craig 0:44:49; Janet Patrick 0:44:50; Emer Thompson 0:48:16; Pauline Duke 0:54:24
Rathlin Run
Three Springwell runners boarded the ferry from Ballycastle to Rathlin yesterday morning for the 2025 Rathlin Run. This is a challenging 10 mile run on Rathlin Island, with entry numbers limited by the number of ferry spaces available that morning to ship the runners across.
Despite the rugged and challenging terrain our three ladies who donned the purple vest put in very strong performances. Christina McQuillan earned herself a place on the podium, with her finish time of 1:18:18 seeing her clinch 3rd Female and 14th overall. Bernie Quinn was close behind in 1:21:05 for 22nd position, while Kate O’Loan finished in 60th place in a time of 1:36:00.
Storming the Castle 10k
An army of purple vests ‘Stormed the Castle’ in Carrickfergus on a very hot and sunny Sunday afternoon. Starting at Carrickfergus Amphitheatre, the 10k route then takes in the promenade along the Belfast Lough and passing the Marina before finishing at the Carrickfergus Castle.
The army of purple vests was 18 strong, with Mark Gardiner continuing his impressive form of late and leading the team home in 40th position in a time of 0:39:34. All club members performed well despite the intense heat on the day.
Full results below.
40th Mark Gardiner 0:39:34; 160th Paul Quinn 0:46:51; 185th Shaun Carton 0:47:48; 197th Paul Laverty 0:48:13; 343rd Andrew Wilmot 0:53:22; 424th Patricia Craig 0:56:21; 452nd Fiona Walker 0:57:28; 533rd Roisin Walker 0:59:31; 623rd Karen Garvin 1:03:28; 649th Amanda Scott 1:04:57; 712th Catherine Byers 1:08:49; 714th Lorraine Abernethy 1:09:01; 726th Sheila McConnell 1:08:49; 747th Lynn Stewart 1:09:22; 775th Pauline Duke 1:11:57; 806th Rhona Laverty 1:14:06; 813th Noeleen Cairns 1:14:35; 814th Julie Armour 1:14:35
Donegal Half Marathon
Having run the Quadrathon in Donegal last weekend, and the Portrush 5 Mile race on Friday evening, you would have through that Alison Duncan would have seen enough of the hills of Donegal and races to do her for a few weeks. However, the draw of Donegal Half Marathon was too much and she managed to talk Sinead Graham into going for the road trip as well.
Despite the hot conditions and hilly route, both ladies put in super performances, with Alison finishing in a time of 2:00:56 and Sinead in 2:12:07.
BlueBelles 5k
Acorns AC hosted the BlueBelles 5k on a hot Wednesday evening, a race dedicated to the memory of a former Acorns member Denise Dallas. The race was hosted in the grounds of Springhill House, a National Trust site outside Moneymore, which made for a challenging course for the race. There were plenty of hills on offer across trails, gravel and tarmac, and after 2 laps runners had a bit of a downhill to finish in front of Springhill House.
There was suncream required on Wednesday evening at race time, when the sun was strong and temperatures were still up around 25°C. We had 3 Springwell Runners among the 128 finishers of the race, with Pauline Mullan the first purple vest home in 15th place in a time of 0:27:02. Pauline was followed by Christine Bonham, who finished in 24th place in 0:28:52. Janet Patrick wasn’t far behind Christine, finishing in 0:29:42 for 30th position.
Scrabo Hill Race
The penultimate race in the NIMRA Championship was held last Thursday evening. It was a beautiful evening for the 4 mile and 1,100 ft elevation course through Killynether Wood and Scrabo Quarry. The delightful two lapped course has plenty of technical ground to tackle before the final leg sapping climb up to Scrabo Tower.
Carolyn Crawford was the sole Springwell member in attendance and finished 62nd place overall in a time of 0:43:41.
McCooke 5k
Armoy Community Association hosted the inaugural McCooke 5k race in memory of two local running legends, Steve & Charlie McCooke. The course was 2 laps around the mixed terrain of Limepark playing fields with some short hills and plenty of sharp turns.
Peter Tees bagged 2nd place and Andrew Wilmot had a strong third run of the weekend having already completely the Portrush 5 & Portrush parkrun/
Thanks to Armoy Community Association and all their wonderful volunteers for a well-run event, great hospitality and a good spread of post-race snacks.