WARD PARK RUNNERS (WPR) WEEKLY ROUND-UP
21 - 27 Sept 2022
Written by Mary Slocum
Bangor 10k - Saturday 24 September
This weekend saw the welcome return of the Bangor 10k and there was no shortage of WPR members out in force. This Cinema Coffee event also doubled up as the NI and Ulster 10k Championships.
The event was anticipated with a great deal of excitement, particularly as it was back after a 3-year break. This was reflected in the inspiring words of our very own Kirsty Davidson:
“Some of us will run with great memories from previous years, some of us are taking part for the first time, some of us will be aiming for a time, some will want to just enjoy the run with friends. Others are not able to take part for lots of reasons and hopefully those running will see a few friendly faces supporting along the way. The main thing is we are taking part in a fabulous event with some lovely scenery along the way on the coast. Support each other and remember - your race/run - however you want to run it”
Nearly 70 members competed, which was the largest WPR turnout seen at a race since the pandemic.
The sun shone and the sea glistened as runners took to the slightly windy coastline after completing an easy first kilometre descent through the town.
The route then took runners through Ballyholme, on to Groomsport, before returning to Ballyholme, along the Esplanade.
The best was saved until last as athletes took on the 300m hill at Shandon Drive, which felt like 3000m!
Thankfully the end was soon in sight as runners made the short final journey to the finish at Ward Park.
This year’s race was worth waiting for as both the men’s and ladies course records were broken. Belfast athlete Ben Branagh crossed the line in 29:54 and it was the first time anyone ever completed the course in under 30 mins. Local runner, Jessica Craig finished in a new course record time of 34:39.
We had a few members taking part in their first ever 10k and what better place to do this than in Bangor itself. Sharon Taylor, Andrew McCorkell and Peadar Allen will hopefully complete many more 10k races in the future after their debut performances at the weekend.
We also had Clare Haycock running her first 10k as a member of WPR.
The first WPR athlete to finish was Kevin Brookfield, who completed the course in 38:22. Kevin was followed by Tim Taylor a minute later, who crossed the line in 39:27.
First female WPR to complete the course and win her age category was Mary Slocum in a time of 41:22.
Aoibhinn Clinton, who also won an age category prize was next to finish in 42:39.
No doubt Oran Kane, who was due to take part today, would have featured amongst the top finishers but unfortunately was prevented from doing so due to illness. This didn’t stop him from coming out to support the WPRs as they cruised up Shandon Drive.
Get well soon Oran!
PBs were achieved by Andrew Curry, taking part in his first Bangor 10k (46:37), Brian Cavan (47:08), Irene Cavan (54:31), Sonia Martin (54:41), Mark Anderson (1.00.41) and Kelly Morrow in (1:08:07).
So many great performances today by all our runners but more importantly, it was a day where we all came together in our hometown and celebrated belonging to a fantastic club and being part of the local running community. We celebrated with some new enthusiastic members who have brought great energy to the club, alongside our longer established members who continue to welcome and inspire those who are new.
Thanks to all the club members and their families, friends and dogs who took the time to come and cheer us on today.
Due to the great turnout and performances, we are now in 3rd position in the Cinema Coffee rankings. There are 4 races left, so please be sure to enter as many of these as possible, so that we can maintain our current position or even better it. Details of upcoming events are shown below.
Parkrun Roundup Saturday 24th September
Not everyone took part in the Bangor 10k on Saturday and as our local park run was cancelled, a few members travelled to other nearby venues. Simon Cummings ran at Comber, with Elizabeth and Charles Budde taking on Crawfordsburn.
Patsi Mitcham travelled further afield to attend in Portrush.
Don’t forget to update your parkrun profile with details of our club
14 - 20 Sept 2022
Written by Sarah Wilson
The events and activities over the past week were more subdued than normal as the nation mourned the death of HM Queen Elizabeth II. WPR cancelled its training on 19 September as a mark of respect and many local parkruns held a minute’s silence to remember the late Queen and the Royal Family at this time of great loss. However, the races planned for the weekend of 17-18 September went ahead and WPR members were able to put their training to the test at the Dublin and Belfast Half Marathons.
Dublin Half Marathon
It was an early start for Oran Kane on Saturday 17 September as he took up his position in Phoenix Park for the Dublin Half Marathon which kicked off at 9am. This is a race that had been on Oran’s list ever since he completed the Dublin marathon in 2019. The entire course of the half marathon is situated within Phoenix Park, one of the largest enclosed public parks in any capital city in Europe.
Oran’s verdict on the event: “Although it was a little eerie, turning up to a start line knowing nobody, it was extremely well organised with 20,000 runners taking part. With about 650ft of elevation, and plenty of scenery, you certainly don’t feel like you’re in Dublin City, but I was never too far away from hearing “ah go-wan lads!” from the few spectators, which was an immediate reminder. As it’s not in the city centre, the support wasn’t as consistent as it would be at the Belfast half. Possibly the downfall of this event. I would however do it again, and would definitely recommend it.”
Despite the lack of support, Oran was in excellent form on Saturday, finishing in a very impressive time of 1:27:03. This was a new PB for Oran by approximately three minutes. Fantastic running, Oran!
Mash Direct, Belfast City Half Marathon
The main event of the weekend was undoubtedly the Belfast City Half Marathon, which returned on Sunday 18 September after a two year hiatus due to the pandemic. The preparation started early for WPR, with pack collections taking place on the Saturday and the trusty trio of Ian McEachern, Brian Cavan and Arthur Spence travelling to Ormeau Park to put up the club gazebo. This was much appreciated by everyone on the day, as we all felt like we had a home away from home and a place to store all those racing essentials….protein snacks, dry clothes, blister plasters and toilet roll (Irene thinks of everything!). The list is endless!
Weather conditions on Sunday morning were perfect for running, with no rain forecast and the temperature a bit lower than of late. The blue and green vests were out in force with 21 WPR athletes pinning on their race numbers and lining up for the 9am start. Representing WPR were Rhiannon Carver, Brian Cavan, Irene Cavan, Andrew Curry, Kirsty Davidson, Paul Fitchie, Sonia Hastings, Danielle Houston, Philip Ladd, Andrew Millar, Sonia Martin, Maria Morrison, Dawn McEvoy, Tracy McKittrick, Josué Ortega, Mark Rogers, Mary Slocum, Arthur Spence, Claire Thomson, Belinda Tunnah and Sarah Wilson. A special mention to Josué, who was taking part in his first race as a WPR member having taken Andrew Kane’s place at the last minute. Welcome to the gang, Josué!
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As we all know, WPR is fast acquiring the reputation of having one of the best support crews around, and Sunday was no exception. Other participants running alongside WPR athletes would most definitely have been envious to hear the heartfelt whoops and yells of encouragement and support, particularly at the bottom of the Ravenhill Road and as we approached the finish line on the embankment. A massive thanks to the crew who made the event a hundred times more enjoyable for all of us taking part. Terry Murray, Tom Pritchard, Lucy Reid, Robert Poots, Glynis Poots, David Yell, Bruce Thomson, Andrew Kane and family, Oran Kane and family – you rock!
For anyone who had previously taken part in this event, there were a few changes to the previous course, including the long climb up the Ormeau Road to the roundabout at Rosetta (reminiscent of the final stages of the full marathon route) and the replacement of the Sydenham Bypass section with part of the Connswater Community Greenway. Also unexpected was the position of the finish line on the embankment, a change that took many by surprise as they were saving their final push for when they had turned the corner into the park.
However, none of these changes detracted from the runners’ enjoyment of this very well organized event and they certainly didn’t detract from the strong performances of all the WPR athletes.
There were many highlights, but one that surpassed everything else was Mary Slocum setting a new Irish Half Marathon record for her age category (F60), finishing in a superb time of 1:29:23. This was incredible enough as a stand-alone achievement, but it was only the latest in a string of successes for Mary, who has set a new Irish F60 HM record three times in only three weeks! Her previous record breaking performances were at the Antrim Coast HM on 28 August (1:30:31) and the Irish National Championships HM in Co. Meath on 10 September, where she became the first Irish F60 athlete to complete a HM in under 1:30:00, finishing in 1:29:41. We are used to Mary performing very well, but these achievements are in an entirely different league! Congratulations Mary from everyone at WPR! We are very proud to have you in our club.
The first male finisher for WPR was Philip Ladd, who was hot on Mary’s heels with a time of 1:29:50. This was a huge PB for Philip and a massive personal achievement as he had set himself the goal of clocking sub 1:30:00. Well done Philip – what a star! There’s definitely more to come from you.
Along with Mary, Rhiannon Carver, Maria Morrison and Dawn McEvoy are in training for the London marathon on 2 October, and all put in excellent performances which will stand them in good stead for their 26.2 miles around the capital. Andrew Millar is also taking on a marathon next month, having been building up the miles steadily since returning from a lengthy period of injury. Andrew’s very strong performance on Sunday surpassed his own expectations, and this should boost his confidence as he prepares for the Dublin marathon on 30 October. Also returning from injury was Tracy McKittrick, who decided to test her running fitness after a number of weeks on the bench. Tracy sailed round the course with ease and proved that her strength and determination was more than enough to make up for all those weeks of no running. A fantastic comeback, Tracy.
As someone commented on Facebook, running is definitely a team sport and it was certainly the case for several of our WPR athletes on Sunday as they crossed the finish line together. Captured on camera looking very happy and relaxed were Sonia Hastings and Claire Thomson. Sonia was so pleased to reach the finish line that she broke out into a little dance! Also crossing the line together after meeting up along the way were Rhiannon Carver and Belinda Tunnah. These ladies are also great at posing for photographs together, as we could all see from the evidence on Facebook!
PBs were achieved by Mary Slocum (1:29:23), Philip Ladd (1:29:50), Sarah Wilson (1:39:19), Paul Fitchie (1:44:09), Brian Cavan (1:44:40), Andrew Curry (1:51:10), Rhiannon Carver (1:57:35), Maria Morrison (2:00:50), Irene Cavan (2:01:43), Josué Ortega (2:07:30) and Laura Payne.
Last but not least, events like the Belfast Half Marathon cannot take place without a huge number of volunteers giving up their time to ensure that everything runs smoothly. There was a last minute call for extra volunteers and WPR members Lisa, Linda, Heather and Nikki stepped forward to help. It was lovely to see their smiling faces as they helped participants at the bag drop off points. Thank you so much ladies for giving up your Sunday morning. We were delighted to see you there!
parkrun
WPR members indulged in quite a bit of parkrun tourism over the weekend (read on to find out more), but our club was still very well represented at our home parkrun, with 21 members running in Ward Park. First finisher for WPR was Andrew Barrett, who was 7th overall in an impressive time of 19:14. There were new PBs for Lauren Williams, Jenny Watson and Karen McVicker, all of whom came through the C25k programme in the last couple of years and subsequently joined the club.
Down the road at Crawfordsburn, there were six WPR members on Saturday, with Gary Martin setting a new PB of 23:26.
Terry Murray and Gillian Shorter enjoyed a well-deserved break from their volunteering duties on Saturday and made the trip to West Belfast where they met up with the Gruffalo at Colin Glen parkrun. Known for her colourful turns of phrase, Terry said “I’m not going to lie, it was Big Hilly McHilly who came first in a hill competition in Hill-land, but it has to be done!” Don’t let Terry put you off this parkrun as it should be on everyone’s to do list. Remember, what goes up must come down!
In South Down, Mark Brown made his mark (no pun intended!) in his home town of Castlewellan, where he achieved a new PB of 19:55, finishing in 3rd place overall. Further north, Big Ivan and Fiona Prue finished in 6th and 7th place respectively out of 37 runners at Limavady parkrun.
Finally, Elaine Boyd and Joyce Nickell, who were on their travels at the weekend, were first timers at Woodhouse Moor parkrun, Leeds.
7 – 13 Sept 2022
Written by Lorna Parsons
Portaferry 10k
Otherwise known as Abi’s Butterfly Breeze 10k, this charity race was a very significant event for the community in the Portaferry area as it was held in memory of Abi, a 15 year old girl who tragically lost her battle with mental health in September 2018. Her family launched Abi’s Butterfly Breeze in 2020 to celebrate Abi’s love of butterflies and raise much needed funds for mental health charity Inspire Wellbeing. Due to the pandemic, the first two events consisted of a virtual walk/run between two Butterfly centres in Ireland (Seaforde Butterfly House in Downpatrick to Letterkenny’s Tropical World), a distance of 103 miles. This year, the easing of restrictions enabled the family to organise a 10k road race on Friday 9 September, with all proceeds again going to Inspire Wellbeing.
On what turned out to be a beautiful early autumnal evening, a total of 127 athletes gathered at the start line in the grounds of Portaferry GAC for a one loop course along tranquil and scenic country roads, with very little traffic and mainly only the cows coming out to spectate! Well done to Sarah Wilson who was the third female to finish with (another!) new 10k PB time of 44.49, and Danielle Houston who finished in 53.16.
This was a very well organized event with ample car parking and the best post-race spread we have ever come across. Definitely one to consider for next year!
Ratoath Half Marathon
Mary Slocum travelled to Co Meath on Saturday to compete in the Irish National Half Marathon Championships. It started at the entrance to the famous Fairyhouse Racecourse, before taking on the flat and fast course around the roads of Co Meath.
Runners finished with one lap of the racecourse and then a sprint finish in front of the iconic Fairyhouse Grandstand.
Mary was the first F60 to cross the line in a time of 1:29:41 and became the Irish National HM champion in her age category. She also set a new Irish record as being the first Irish woman over 60 to run under 1hr 30, as well as beating her own record by 50 seconds. Another incredible performance, Mary!
parkrun
This week 26 WPR members ran and 12 volunteered at Bangor parkrun. As a mark of respect, the 244 athletes and 31 volunteers stood for an impeccably observed minute’s silence before embarking on three laps of Ward Park in sunny conditions.
On Saturday, 4 of our members completed their first parkrun since before covid as they had been protecting a vulnerable family member. Well done to Angela Briggs, Nicola Williams, Linda Angus and Barbara Ward!
Oran Kane, Chris McClean, Mark Rogers, Matilda Heaney, Sharon Taylor, Jenny Watson, Linda Angus and Lauren Williams all achieved amazing PBs on Saturday – Congratulations!
Jonny Morrison got a PB at Portrush parkrun, going from strength to strength after his successful triathlons this summer.
Big Ivan ran Garvagh and 5 members ran Crawfordsburn parkrun with PBs for Marcus Ross and Andrew Curry. Joyce Nickell and Elaine Boyd did some parkrun tourism at Knockbracken Reservoir.
Next Saturday Trinity Church are looking after Bangor parkrun and the following week (24th) there will be no Bangor parkrun to facilitate the Bangor 10k
Sunday Social
9 WPR members met at the McKee clock on Sunday morning for the Sunday social. The conditions on Sunday morning were great for their run, and the rain stayed away until everyone had finished.
These runs are usually arranged during the week on Facebook and everyone is welcome to come along to run whatever distance and pace suits you. If you are not on Facebook, speak to one of the coaches or committee at training to find out how you can join.
31 Aug – 6 Sept 2022
Written by Mark Anderson
GRC Coastal 5k
Mary Slocum flew the flag for WPR on Friday night at the GRC Coastal 5k. This race was a point-to-point route along the beautiful Antrim Coast, between Carnlough and Glenarm. Conditions were not forecasted to be very favourable, but by 7pm, the winds had dropped to a moderate breeze and the rain never appeared!
This was one of the Fibrus Five races, organised by Glenlough Running Club. Therefore, the field was competitive, particularly as it’s a flat, fast course and most runners were doing their utmost to perform well.
Mary finished in a time of 20:26 which was a 3 second PB for her over that distance.
Waterside HM
Mary Slocum, Brian Cavan and Irene Cavan had their alarm clocks set well before the crack of dawn before heading up to the ‘Maiden City’ for the Waterside Half Marathon. They were joined by Sarah Wilson, Andrew McCorkell, Joyce Nickell and Elaine Boyd who had decided on the sensible option of travelling there the evening before, so were not suffering the ill effects of an early start. Having said that Joyce and Elaine have a reputation for turning up for races on the wrong day 
, so it could just be that they went up a day early by mistake 
, so it could just be that they went up a day early by mistake 
Unfortunately, Andrew’s run did not go to plan and a recurring injury forced him to withdraw from the race. 
Speedy Recovery Andrew and hope to see you back at Training very soon!
Speedy Recovery Andrew and hope to see you back at Training very soon!The 2022 course had a few slight changes this year but the race once again started in Ebrington Square and finished in St Columb’s Park.
The forecast was dismal with an 80% chance of rain and wind speeds of 40mph predicted! However, upon arrival, the sun came out, the rain disappeared and the wind eased, at least until the runners were facing into it for the last 3 miles!
The first 5 miles were pretty flat, however the long climb up to the Foyle Bridge and beyond tested the stamina levels of the fittest of runners.
There was great support throughout, particularly on the approach to the Peace Bridge, which carried the runners across the finish line. First WPR member to finish was Mary Slocum, who crossed the line in a time of 1:31:49 and in doing so is the new Ulster and NI F60 Half Marathon Champion. 
Next WPR finisher was Sarah Wilson who competed the course in a time of 1:41:59. Brian and Irene Cavan also crossed the line with of 1:49:22 and 2:02:04, respectively. All three recording new PBs for this distance!
Joyce finished in a time of 2:22:19 and Elaine in 2:22:31
Laganside 10k
Sunday also saw the next event in the popular Cinema Coffee 10k series. The Laganside 10k is a reasonably flat, and fast race incorporating two laps of a route which takes in Ormeau Park, both banks of the Lagan and the lower Ravenhill Road.
There were 9 WPR athletes taking part in a large field of 558 competitors. Weather conditions by the time the race started were challenging, in that while it was dry it was also very warm 
which made the performances put in by our runners all the more impressive.
which made the performances put in by our runners all the more impressive.
First home for WPR in 62nd place with a time of 38:52 was Oran Kane closely followed by Tim Taylor (40:21), Andrew Barrett (41:39) and Andrew Curry (49:55). Dawn Daly was the first female WPR to complete the 10k route in 51:04. Kirsty Davidson (56:15), Colette Archer (56:52), Ian McEachern (57:32) and Cathy McEachern (59:56) all finishing strongly.
Fantastic Running everyone!
parkrun
Despite the inclement weather 
WPR was, as usual, well represented at Bangor parkrun with 19 athletes taking part. Milestones this week include Danielle Houston chalking up 150 parkruns, while Andrew Curry celebrated his 50th parkrun with a PB of 21:59 - well done to you both! The runners were particularly grateful this week to the volunteers who braved the rain to enable the event to happen with a strong contingent of 18 from WPR. Elsewhere, WPR members Jennifer Elliott, Elizabeth Budde and Charles Budde took part in Crawfordsburn parkrun.
WPR was, as usual, well represented at Bangor parkrun with 19 athletes taking part. Milestones this week include Danielle Houston chalking up 150 parkruns, while Andrew Curry celebrated his 50th parkrun with a PB of 21:59 - well done to you both! The runners were particularly grateful this week to the volunteers who braved the rain to enable the event to happen with a strong contingent of 18 from WPR. Elsewhere, WPR members Jennifer Elliott, Elizabeth Budde and Charles Budde took part in Crawfordsburn parkrun.24 - 30 August 2022
Written by our Development Committee
Ards 5 Mile
On Friday 26th August, 14 WPR members supported our neighbouring club, Strabo Striders, by participating in the Ards 5 Mile challenge. The route started in Londonderry Park, then along the Portaferry Road, up Finlays Road (just a small incline!) and finished back in Londonderry Park.
Conditions were perfect on the night, not too warm and no wind to hinder progress on that hill!
Gareth Robson was on side to capture photos on the night in his usual professional way. However, the award for best amateur photographer must surely go to Terry Murray for her
pre-race impromptu pics of us all, looking nothing like the athletes we like to think we are!
Mary Slocum was the first club member to cross the line in a PB time of 33:30 and took a podium place as the 3rd female finisher. Following close behind was Aoibhinn Clinton in a time of 33:51. Aoibhinn was the 4th female and was the first F35 finisher.
Sarah Wilson was the 3rd WPR athlete to finish in 36:17. Given Sarah’s form recently, this was always going to be a fast performance and she was in fact almost 7 minutes faster than her previous PB. Superb performance Sarah!
As I write this, she is tackling the hills on Rathlin Island. More about that later!
The first male runner in club colours to complete the course was Paul Fitchie in 36:19. Next was Brian Cavan who finished in a new PB time of 38:35.
Other WPR finishers who secured PBs include Andrew Kane, (38:42), Irene Cavan (43:32), Sonia Martin (44:12) and Cathy Mc Eachern (46:12).
Tom Pritchard, Ian Mc Eachern, Joyce Nickell, Belinda Tunnah and Elaine Boyd also put in great performances in club colours.
Well done to everyone representing the club and coming out to support our local running community!
Portrush 5 Mile
Lawrence Martin was WPR’s sole representative in Portrush for the annual 5 mile race. This is an out and back route which takes in the West Promenade, before climbing the short but steep Blackrock Hill and on to the Portstewart Road before turning.
Lawrence completed the course in a superb time of 36:03, over 4 minutes quicker than his time last year.
Brilliant running Lawrence!
Antrim Coast Half Marathon
The Antrim Coast HM was the place to be on Sunday 28th August. Like previous years, this event attracted elites from around the world and Jo Pavey, one of the UK’s finest Middle Distance athletes paced the 2hr group!
The course is an out and back route, along the magnificent Antrim coast to Ballygally and is billed as Ireland’s fastest Half Marathon. However, it must be said that the slight change to the route this year brings this claim into question! Runners were treated to more of Larne’s Lovely hills around the town than they would have wished!
We had 10 members participating in the event, 3 of whom were making their HM debuts, Dawn Daly, Colette Archer and Andrew Curry.
Dawn made it look easy as she breezed over the line in 1:55:30, followed by Andrew in 1:57:05 and Colette put in a brilliant performance by finishing in 2:06:47.
Fantastic running by all 3 and hopefully it will be the first of many HMs in club colours.
Gareth Robson left the camera behind on this occasion and completed his first race as a full WPR member.
Welcome aboard Gareth!
The first WPR finisher was Mary Slocum who completed the course in a PB time of 1:30:31. Mary finished 1st in her age category and set a new Irish Record in the HM in the process, by 6 minutes.
The first Male club member across the line was Oran Kane, in a time of 1:37:41. This came after a great performance in parkrun the previous day.
Other members who completed the event were Kirsty Davidson, Paul Morrow and Chris Nesbitt.
Kirsty wasn’t sure if she would be able to participate before the race, but she was determined not to let all that training go to waste and with trepidation, she took to the start line.
There was no need for concern as Kirsty crossed the line, looking strong in a new PB time of 2:02:01.
Well done Kirsty!
Not such good news for WPR member Peter Cosgrove, who started the race but had to pull out due to a leg injury. We hope you rest up Peter and are back at Training before too long.
Rathlin Run
The organisers of the Rathlin Run describe it as ‘the most unique and challenging road race in Northern Ireland’. If you’ve ever been brave enough to try it, you’ll know they’re not exaggerating! On Saturday 27th August, hundreds descended on Rathlin Island for the 20th annual Rathlin Run, choosing between the original 10 mile route and the 5k option.
Amongst those heading across on the ferry were three intrepid adventurers from WPR: Sonia Hastings, Terry Murray and Sarah Wilson. All three had previous experience of the Rathlin Run, so they knew exactly what they were letting themselves in for! Sonia and Sarah took on the arduous 10-mile route, while Terry opted for the 5k course which was far from flat or easy. All three survived the hills and crossed the finish line with ease, with Sarah completing the course over 11 minutes faster than the last time she did it in 2019. She was also running on tired legs after doing the Ards 5 mile race the night before!
If you’ve never done this race, it’s definitely one for your bucket list. The running itself feels like it’s almost secondary to the other highlights of the day, including the excitement of dolphin spotting on the ferry, jumping in the sea to soothe those aching post-run legs, heading to the bar for the post-run celebrations, visiting the quirky little craft shop, soaking up the party atmosphere on the island, and finishing off the day with award winning fish and chips in Ballycastle. If you get the weather, like we did on Saturday, you really can’t beat it!
parkrun
Bangor Parkrun had a fantastic turnout of WPR members on Saturday – 26 runners and 20 volunteers! Kevin Brookfield finished 6th overall with a PB time of 18.38. Other members who achieved PBs were Sharon Taylor, Jenny Watson, Karen McVickers and Lauren Williams, who also reached a milestone of 25 parkruns.
Lawrence Martin completed Portrush parkrun in a great time of 23.57, after running the Portrush 5 mile race the previous evening. 4 WPR runners completed the Crawfordsburn Park run, Elizabeth Maxwell, Ian McAleer and Elizabeth and Charles Budde – Charles also volunteered as tail walker.
Well done everyone!
Oran Kane is on a mission to run all NI parkruns and isn’t doing too bad this far! This weekend was a run in Downpatrick, his 33rd venue, with only 4 more to go! Oran crossed the line in a brilliant time of 18:23. He has completed 211 parkruns and this was a PB time for him.
Brilliant running Oran!
18 - 23 August 2022
Written by Mary Slocum, Vice Chair'
Storming the Castle 2022
Storming the Castle was the main event of the weekend with 26 WPR athletes taking part. It’s one of the favourites in the racing calendar and is renowned for being flat and fast.
Starting at Carrickfergus Amphitheatre, it encompasses the picturesque promenade along the Marine Highway and waterfront areas, before finishing at the impressive 12th Century Norman Castle.
Warm conditions prevailed and for a while there was concern that this year would be a repeat of the scorcher of 2019! However a nice coastal breeze helped to make conditions bearable and enabled our runners to finish with a fantastic set of results.
The first WPR athlete to cross the line was once again Oran Kane, in a superb time of 39:20. Hot on his heels was Tim Taylor, who finished in an impressive time of 39:40.
The first female club member to complete the course was Mary Slocum in 41:42. Mary secured a podium place as the Female Runner-Up. Next female to finish was Sarah Wilson in 45:21. Sarah produced yet another 10k PB and won her F40 age category. There is no stopping Sarah at the moment!
Other members who achieved PBs were:
Lawrence Martin - 45:18
Brian Cavan - 47:43
Belinda Tunnah - 54:15
Sonia Martin – 54:59
Claire Fleming - 1:01:00
Bruce Thompson - 1:09:29
Other WPR competitors were Mark Rogers, Andrew Curry, Paul Morrow, Chris Nesbitt, Dawn Daly, Irene Cavan, Joyce Nickell, Colette Archer, Ian McEachern, Claire Thomson, Mark Anderson, Elaine Boyd, Joanne Larkin, Kelly Morrow, Claire McQuillan and Joyce Thomson.
Brilliant running from all our athletes!
Post-race refreshments were provided by Seapark AC who put on a fantastic spread. The bling wasn’t bad either! It was an amazing day out and great to see so many members taking part.
Bob & Bert's Gortin Forest 5k
Bob & Bert's Run the Race Series kicked off at the end of June with their North Coast races, followed by the Stormont 5k and 10k at the end of July. The third and penultimate race in the series took place on Friday evening in Gortin Forest Park, just outside Omagh. WPR athlete Elizabeth Maxwell signed up for the entire series without realising she would have to travel as far as Omagh, but she was determined not to miss out and decided to bring her husband along for company. Elizabeth was the sole WPR representative at Gortin Forest and completed the 5k in 35:45. Well done Elizabeth and good luck for the last race in the series, the Bob & Berts North Down 5k and 10k on 10 September. We’ve a feeling you may have some WPR company at that one!
Peninsula Sea Sprint and Top of the Mourne Triathlons
Keen triathlete Jonny Morrison took on the Peninsula Sea Sprint Triathlon in Donaghadee on 21 August. Jonny finished in 74th position, in an impressive time of 1:26:52. He completed the 750m swim in 19:09, the 21km bike ride in 44:55 and the 5km run in 23:43.
This event came shortly after Jonny took part in Top of the Mourne Triathlon at the end of July, his first ever Olympic Distance triathlon. This involved a gruelling swim and 40km bike ride, followed by a tough 10km run which included three laps through Kilbroney Forest Park.
Jonny completed the event in 3:31:07, an excellent achievement. Whilst he is proficient in all the events within the triathlon, Jonny says the bike is his favourite leg and, like many triathletes, he’s usually glad when the swim is over! Congratulations Jonny on yet another superb performance!
Mourne Seven Sevens Challenge Walk
The Seven Sevens is an 18 mile walk, which gets its name because the route takes in the seven highest peaks over 700m in the Mournes. The course starts at sea level in Newcastle before climbing 850m to the top of Slieve Donard (1). From there it’s a short up and down to the top of Commedagh (2). The route continues on to the beast of Bearnagh (3), the toughest mountain in the range. This is followed by a short climb up Meelmore (4) before hitting the grassy slopes of Meelbeg (5). The route then veers away from the Mourne Wall towards the granite fortress of Binnian (6) and then on to the final challenge of Lamagan (7). This race is a real test of mountain skill, mental strength and fitness.
WPR member Belinda Tunnah took a break from running to complete the challenge on 6 August 2022. It doesn’t take a genius to work out that it wasn’t exactly a relaxing break! Belinda said the following about her experience:
“Walking is easy, right? Especially if you’re in a running club! The challenge – the Original Mourne Mountains 7-7s - an 18 mile walk over the 7 highest peaks (each over 700ms) and back down to sea level before dark! I joined 250 walkers who set out at 6.30am on 6 August – compasses and maps in hand and I am proud to say I was among the 190 finishers – even if I was near the tail. I covered almost 80,000 steps and climbed 2500m vertical ascent in 12hrs 47mins. Like any marathon, preparation was key – have a plan, train consistently, get the miles in your legs and, if possible, do it with a fabulous team of like-minded people!”.
Well done Belinda on completing such a tough challenge. It sounds like a marathon would be easy in comparison!
parkrun
Who likes running and volunteering in the rain? Ward Park Runners do! The rain didn’t spoil what was quite an eventful morning on Saturday 20 August at Bangor parkrun, where WPR had 17 runners and 11 members volunteering. Oran Kane finished in fourth position overall in a time of 19:49 and Andrew Kane and Lauren Williams both achieved PBs. Run Director, Colette McIntyre also had a reason to celebrate as not only was it her birthday, she also reached the big 100 milestone as a parkrun volunteer!As you can imagine, this represents many hours put in to support the parkrun community and ensure that parkrun is there for us to look forward to every week. A massive thank you to Colette and all the other regular volunteers who keep the parkrun show on the road.
Elsewhere, Lawrence Martin and Gary Martin ran at Crawfordsburn, where Lawrence finished in fifth position overall in a time of 23:32. Charles Budde was WPR’s sole representative at Comber, as was Maria Morrison at Victoria Park, where she got an impressive new PB of 26:50. All the London marathon training is clearly paying dividends for Maria. Further north, Big Ivan and Fiona Prue ran the beautiful Portrush parkrun where Fiona showed that she is on the road to recovery from her recent injury, finishing 8th out of 101 females in a time of 25:54. It’s great to see Fiona making her comeback!
Even further afield, Danielle Houston, who was on her travels again, was a first timer at Highbury Fields parkrun in Islington, London. Danielle is a frequent visitor to London and always packs her running shoes! She wanted to try a different parkrun this time, and so she completed the Highbury Fields course in a time of 25:22.
Don’t forget to let us know if you visit a new parkrun– we love to hear about it.
WPR Tourism
Danielle clearly had her sights set on more than just a parkrun when she packed those running shoes in her suitcase. On Wednesday 17 August she completed the Chase the Sun Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park 5k in London. The course was flat and fast and Danielle finished in 24:53, securing first place in her age category! She went on to repeat this success on Sunday 21 August when she completed the Regent’s Park 10k in 55:34, again winning her age category. Congratulations Danielle on a super few days of running! We hope Chris and Rachel didn’t miss you too much while you were flying around those races!
Danielle was not the only WPR member running in high temperatures last week. Club chairperson, Arthur Spence, was on holiday in Salou and decided that he was not taking a holiday from his running! Nice to see you taking the WPR vest on tour Arthur.
10 – 16 August 2022
All this week’s running was affected by the mini heatwave in Northern Ireland with temperatures in the low to mid 20s even during the evening. Well done to everyone who raced in that heat!
Connswater 5-mile Challenge
11 WPR runners travelled to CS Lewis Square in Belfast to compete in the Connswater 5-mile race on Friday. The course started in the Square, which is situated at the intersection of the Comber and Connswater Greenways and therefore is a gateway for some scenic routes.
The traditional pre-race photo was taken in front of one of the 7 bronze sculptures from CS Lewis’ book ‘The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe’.
The course took runners along part of the Comber Greenway and into beautiful Victoria Park before finishing back at CS Lewis Square.
The route was a mixed terrain of road, path, trail and grass which the athletes enjoyed, whilst enduring temperatures of around 24°. Some shade was welcome in parts of Victoria Park, although counteracted by periods where direct sunlight made running conditions tough.
The first male WPR finisher was Oran Kane in a time of 30:36. Oran has been putting in superb performances in club colours recently and this is another to add to his list. He took over 3.5 minutes off his previous 5-mile PB so fantastic running Oran!
The first WPR female finisher was Mary Slocum who completed the course in a brilliant time of 34:03. Mary won her age category, and in the process, secured a PB over that distance. Well done Mary!
Other WPR finishers were Andrew Barrett, Lawrence Martin, Mark Rogers, Elaine Boyd, Joyce Nickell, Joanne Larkin, Lorraine Rogers, Lorna Thrush and Claire McQuillan. Gareth Robson also ran as a WPR affiliate.
Well done to everyone who took part in extremely hot conditions!
Born2Run Dambusters
On Saturday 13th, 5 of our athletes travelled to the Silent Valley to take part in the Born2Run Dambusters race. This is a tough course - especially in the heat – but the (small!) compensation is the beautiful views along the course which takes the runners through areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty with the backdrop of the Mourne Mountains.
Elizabeth Maxwell completed the 5k in 32:30 while 4 athletes took on the 10-mile race – Tim Taylor (1:22:22), Rhiannon Carver (1:35:29), Dawn McEvoy (1:43:02) and Arthur Spence (1:49:02).
Members enjoyed – and had earned - their hotdogs in the sunshine after this run. Well done for taking on that tough course in the heat!
parkrun
16 of the 203 runners at Bangor parkrun on Saturday morning were from WPR. Tilly Heaney was the 14th female to finish with a PB of 25:21. Well done Tilly!
There were also 3 WPR runners at Crawfordsburn parkrun on Saturday – Elizabeth and Charles Budde and Andrew Kane.
There were also 11 volunteers from WPR at Bangor parkrun and 2 at Crawfordsburn. Thank you to them all for helping to make parkrun run smoothly every week.
James Irwin ran at Stormont parkrun and we had 4 runners at Victoria parkrun – Paul Morrow, Lawrence Martin, Chris Nesbitt and Danielle Houston.
parkrun Tourism
Killarney House parkrun
Sarah Wilson rounded off her holiday in Co. Kerry with a new 5k PB of a very impressive 22:52 at Killarney House parkrun. This was the first time Sarah had visited this parkrun and she was the third female finisher at this flat, fast and very scenic course in the grounds of the historic Killarney House. Well done Sarah who has achieved a number of PBs in recent weeks! Despite the intense heat, a significant number of the 81 participants also achieved a PB so Sarah recommends this PB course if you are ever in the area on a Saturday morning.
Portrush parkrun
There are days when you get pleasant payback for all those rainy, cold, miserable times when you are out running over the winter and Saturday was one of them. The sun shone, the breeze was cool and gentle and the company great craic! Portrush parkrun is run entirely on sand and involves a 2.5k run from close to the Arcadia out along the East Strand to White Rocks and back again. Its reportedly the first beach parkrun in the world and on Saturday it was just beautiful!!!
Irene and Brian Cavan, Terry Murray and Mark Anderson had their alarms set early and were on the road before 8am to be up to Portrush on time. WPR founder members Ivan and Fiona Prue, who now live near Portrush, met us on the beach for a quick chat and photo before the run started. The good weather encouraged 306 runners to take part with a large number of visitors, coming from all over the UK.
Thankfully high tide had passed over an hour before the start so we were able to run in the firmer sand near the waterline and not the soft stuff further up the beach. Nevertheless, running on sand certainly makes it hard going, especially with the added obstacles of other beach users and the odd jellyfish or two.
After the run there was a very enjoyable catch-up with the Prue’s over a coffee and some pastries in 55 Degrees North – who offer a discount to parkrunners – and still be home by 1pm. A great morning out and many thanks to Brian for driving.
Rock the Lakes and Lough
On Sunday morning, 4 athletes went to Craigavon to take part in the Rock the Lakes and Lough races. The event started at the South Lake Leisure Centre, and the 5k route circled the Craigavon lakes, while the half marathon route included the lakes and the beautiful trails around Oxford Island.
Three athletes completed the 5k race – Bruce Thomson (33:08), Joyce Thomson (37:44) and David Yell (37:51).
Claire Thomson took on the half marathon route and completed it in 2:24:21.
Well done to David and all the Thomsons!
3 - 9 August 2022
Crawfordsburn 5k Trail Race
On Wednesday night (3 Aug) 14 members headed over to the country park in Crawfordsburn for the annual 5k trail race. This is a technically challenging course with a number of steep hills and downhill sections which test your fitness, running technique and the grip on your shoes! It was a great night for running, with the race superbly organised and marshalled by NDAC – and we even managed to get home before the heavy downpour.
First home for WPR in 8th place was Oran Kane in an impressive 19:07.
Other WPR competitors were Andrew Barrett, Kevin Brookfield, Tim Taylor, Mark Brown, Andrew McCorkell, Mark Rogers, Andrew Curry, Tom Pritchard, Arthur Spence (who actually managed to park in the country park this time!!!), Alan Craig, David Yell, Mark Anderson and, making a very welcome comeback in club colours, Teresa Mungur.
Co Down 5k
Perfect running conditions prevailed in Downpatrick on Friday night, where the annual Down 5k took place. WPR’s Mary Slocum was the only member participating in this race, which was 7.5 laps of St Patrick’s Square and is regarded as one of the fastest 5Ks in the Province. The race went off in 3 waves, each finishing before the next wave started. This resulted in a great atmosphere in the centre of Downpatrick, where runners and spectators provided immense support during the laps.
It was a very competitive field, with the sub 17min wave hosting a junior world record holder and a previous Olympian!
Mary finished in a time of 20:29 which was a PB for her over this distance and she was the 15th female finisher overall. Free ice cream for the kids and burgers provided for all finishers certainly enhanced the experience for everyone taking part! Great running, Mary!!!!
Mallusk 5 Mile Race
A special mention goes to Claire McQuillan who was WPR’s sole representative at this event. This single-loop race features a gruelling climb which always saps your energy, but Claire finished in a time of 1:00:14. Well done, Claire!
Run The Trails, Mount Stewart
The fabulous Mount Stewart House was the backdrop on Saturday night for a series of runs covering 5k, 10k and HM distances. As usual for these local events there was a good turnout from the club with some very notable performances. The course takes place all within the grounds of this spectacular National Trust property and is one of the most beautiful settings for running in North Down. The estate was looking splendid in the evening sunshine and the runners enjoyed the rich landscape of woodland trails.
The 10k race saw Andrew Barrett finishing 2nd in 40:27 and Tim Taylor finishing in 3rd in 41:27 and Sarah Wilson also finishing with a podium place as the 3rd woman over the line in a new personal best of 47:55 (Sarah is really racking up these PBs in recent weeks!!!). An error with the results on the night nearly denied Sarah her podium place, but justice prevailed and photographic evidence was not required but was to hand if needed!!! Big congratulations to Andrew, Tim and Sarah for some really great running. Lawrence Martin, Paul Morrow, Brian Cavan, Irene Cavan, Arthur Spence and Chris Nesbitt also put in super performances in club colours.
In the 5k race Mark Rogers was the first WPR runner home, finishing with a time of 23:27 in 6th place, with Ian and Cathy McEachern, Alan Craig and David Yell also competing.
Well done to everyone for representing the club so ably!!
Feile 10k – and not a bodhran in sight!!!! 
Sunday saw the next instalment of the Cinema Coffee 10k Series which took place in West Belfast as part of the Féile an Phobail. Starting at Malone Integrated College the route took runners down Finaghy Road North on to Andersonstown Road, up to Davis Street, through Falls Park (and up that hill), along a section of the Falls Road before a U-turn took runners back along the Falls Road, Andersontown Road and returning to Malone College.
Conditions were pretty much perfect being dry, not too warm and a welcome cooling breeze. The race was well-attended – with 468 runners – and was well-supported along the route by the competitors’ friends and family and a good number of local residents cheering on the runners.
Current series leader and WPR member Mary Slocum put in another excellent performance, finishing in 43rd place with a time of 42:46, which has kept her in top spot. Andrew Millar (52:00) and Mark Anderson (1:05:00) also ran in this race flying the flag for WPR.
The Cinema Coffee Series is timed and ranked using an age-graded scoring system, meaning the series is carefully designed to take account of gender, age and ability – so while your time is a crucial element it is more important how your time compares with others at your age and your gender.
parkrun
It was a lovely sunny morning at Bangor parkrun and the event was still able to go ahead despite extensive preparations for the ‘Let’s Rock’ 80’s concert taking place in the park in the afternoon. We even had our own 80’s music played by one of the volunteers. As usual, we had a good representation from WPR with 11 runners and 12 volunteers. A special mention goes to Joanne Larkin who celebrated her 50th parkrun and to Sharon Taylor who achieved a new personal best in a time of 27:51 – well done to both!
A further 8 members took part in the event at Crawfordsburn.
Simon Cummings, who recently celebrated 200 ParkRuns, was at Armoy on Saturday to take part in a new ParkRun event at Limepark, also taking part were WPR founder, Ivan Prue and his longsuffering wife Fiona.
If anyone is interested in going to Portrush ParkRun on Saturday 13 August, please respond in the comments below. Brian & Irene Cavan and Mark Anderson are heading up to do this iconic, beach-based ParkRun and will also be meeting up with Ivan and Fiona Prue.
28 July - 2 August
The 2 races that dominated the calendar this week were Bob & Bert’s 5k/10k races at Stormont and the Giant's Trail race in Belfast.
Bob & Berts 5/10km
We had 9 members taking part in the challenging Stormont course, which took in a mix of trail and road, not to mention the hilly section leading up to Parliament Buildings. Descriptions of the level of difficulty that our members endured are plentiful on Social Media! The club had 4 athletes competing in the 5k. First home was Elizabeth Maxwell who finished in a time of 32:41. Alan Craig completed the course in 33:16, Kelly Morrow in 36:52 and David Yell in 38:49.
5 of our athletes took part in the 10k. First to cross the line for WPR and 5th finisher overall was Andrew Barrett in an impressive time of 44:50. He was followed by Dawn Daly who was the 15th female finisher and did so in a time of 56:56.
The other members who finished the tough 2 laps of this race were Sonia Martin in 1:03:25, Colette Archer in 1:05:02 and Ian McAleer in 1:07:13.
Well done to all our runners who completed in the first ever Bob & Bert’s 5k and 10k event at Stormont.
Giant's Trail Race
Over at Queens playing fields, Sarah Wilson and Andrew Mc Corkell were our sole representatives taking part in the Giant Trails. This was a 6-mile challenging course on a combination of forest trails, pastures and the Lagan Towpath. The runners, whilst dry initially, soon became drenched, but they still enjoyed stunning views of the river, whilst passing through the woodlands of Minnowburn and passed the ancient environs of the Neolithic monument of the Giants Ring, before arriving at the finish line.
Many people do this race for the spread afterwards and runners weren't disappointed - all homemade (the Biscoff rocky roads deserve a special mention)
Sarah finished in a time of 49:22 and was the 19th female finisher, (113/291) which was an amazing 9 minutes faster than her time when participating in 2016!
Andrew crossed the line just over a minute later in a time of 50:34, (127/291). This was his first local race, his most recent event being a Half Marathon in the Arctic in early 2020! Andrew may have been the only runner NOT to find the Giants trail a challenging route!
Brilliant running Sarah and Andrew!
Sunday Social
On Sunday morning, WPR’s Oran Kane, Mark Brown and Simon Scales got their social run under their belts by completing a 11.6-mile route from Helens Bay to Helen’s Tower and back. Just a few small inclines on the way to the historic Lookout tower to contend with!
Another WPR social run was taking place along the coastal path, led by pacers Brian Cavan and Paul Morrow. They were joined by Tracy McKittrick, Chris Nesbitt, Gary Martin, Irene Cavan and Mark Rogers. A tad warm by all accounts but good training for their forthcoming Half Marathons.
Great running by everyone.
Remember to post on our members' Facebook page, if you would like some company on your weekend run. As you can see there are always people willing to take part!
parkrun
It was a deceptively warm and muggy morning at Bangor parkrun on Saturday. Runners and volunteers were encouraged to dress up for the event in rainbow 
colours to celebrate Pride week, so there were some brightly coloured running outfits on display. As usual WPR was well represented with 16 volunteers helping to make the event possible and 25 runners. There were no milestones or PBs to report but we can vouch for the warm conditions making it a tough one to run fast!
colours to celebrate Pride week, so there were some brightly coloured running outfits on display. As usual WPR was well represented with 16 volunteers helping to make the event possible and 25 runners. There were no milestones or PBs to report but we can vouch for the warm conditions making it a tough one to run fast!We had 6 WPR runners taking part in Crawfordsburn Parkrun. Oran Kane finished in 3rd place in a time of 19:23. Great running Oran!
Further afield in the foothills of the Sperrins, WPR founding member Ivan Prue celebrated his 300th parkrun in Garvagh. What a fabulous achievement! Hopefully a WPR contingent will travel northwards to visit you at a local parkrun very soon Ivan!
WPR’s Simon Cummings joined Ivan to celebrate his milestone and ran a course PB of 23:09. In nearby Portrush, Audrey Worthington completed her parkrun in soaring temperatures, whilst outside of NI, Lawrence Martin flew the WPR flag at Jersey parkrun.
Well done to all parkrunners, who attended local events or who ventured elsewhere.
Keep sending us details of any non-local runs that you take part in, so you get a mention here!
Other news
Jonny Morrison took part in his first ever Olympic distance triathlon at the weekend. With the event name ‘Top of the Mourne’, there are no prizes for guessing if it was hilly or not!
After completing the gruelling swim and 40km bike route, competitors took on the tough 10km run which included three laps through Kilbroney Forest Park. The terrain was a mixed bag of road, gravel grass, hilly mountain bike traits and sharp descents. Just what the legs needed after the bike route!
The finish line was at the top of a travellator-like hill!
Jonny finished in an amazing time of 3: 31:07. Fantastic achievement Jonny. We are looking forward to seeing you complete many more triathlons in the future, even if you probably can’t think of anything worse right now!
21 - 27 July
Annadale Striders’ Night of 3000s
On Friday 22 July Annadale Striders hosted an evening of 3000m races at the Mary Peter’s track. Oran Kane, who was the sole WPR representative, was there to take part in his second track event. He completed the 3000m in a very impressive 10:41 and was presented with a can of Guinness 0.0 as a reward for his efforts. Well done Oran, you definitely earned that drink!
Blayney Rockets 10 mile race
On Saturday 23 July, Sarah Wilson and Mary Slocum travelled to Castleblayney to represent WPR in the Blayney Rockets 10 mile race. The rest of the group they were travelling with decided to do Castleblayney parkrun as their warm-up, but Mary and Sarah (being sensible for a change!) decided to save their legs for the actual race. The first three miles were hilly in places and despite assurances beforehand that the rest of it would be flat, the hills didn't disappear completely. The course mainly consisted of quiet rural roads around Lough Muckno and some forested trails at the edge of the lake. Runners were serenaded by ‘Paul the Piper’ at the top of the first hill and again around seven miles into the race. It was magical coming across him when we least expected it. Towards the end of the race the light rain got a lot heavier, but that didn’t dampen the spirits of the hardy runners as they sprinted along the track at the Castleblayney Faughs GAA pitch to the finish line.
In tough conditions, Mary Slocum came first in her age category, with a time of 1:10:45 and was the 4th female runner to cross the line. Sarah Wilson put in a very credible performance, with a time of 1:18:40, which was her fastest 10 mile race to date. Well done to both our runners.
parkrun
The unseasonal grey skies and drizzle didn’t deter the 23 WPR members who turned up on Saturday to run with 171 others in Ward Park. Fourteen WPR volunteers were also there to ensure everything ran smoothly.
Kevin Brookfield was the first WPR athlete to cross the line and indeed the first finisher overall in a time of 19:04. This was Kevin’s fourth first finish at Bangor. Well done Kevin!
Six WPR members opted to do their parkrun at Crawfordsburn where Andrew Kane was able to cheer them on as he carried out his volunteer duties. Out of the 59 runners taking part, Chris Nesbitt was the first WPR athlete home in a time of 26:27. He was joined at Crawfordsburn by club mates Paul Morrow, Tracy McKittrick, Sonia Martin, Ian McAleer and Ron Mitchell.
Since they moved up to the North Coast, Ivan and Fiona Prue have become regulars at Garvagh parkrun, which celebrated its first birthday on Saturday. Ivan and Fiona were amongst the 82 runners who turned up for the birthday celebrations, which included one of the best parkrun cakes anyone has ever seen!
At Stormont parkrun Laura Payne was the sole WPR representative, while Dawn Daly was the only WPR member at Castlewellan parkrun where she bagged herself a new PB and was the fourth female finisher. Well done Dawn!
Across the Irish Sea, Jayne Chambers was a first timer at Aberdeen parkrun which was very busy on Saturday, with over 300 runners taking part. Well done Jayne for taking the WPR t-shirt on tour!
Hillsborough Running Festival 5k, 10k and Half Marathon (report by Mark Anderson)
On Sunday, nine WPR members descended on the picturesque town of Royal Hillsborough to take part in this year’s Festival of Running. With three distances on offer there were plenty of competitors taking part and it’s always nice to see so many clubs represented at events like these.
All races started in the fabulous setting of Hillsborough Castle – the Queen’s only official residence in Northern Ireland – and took in surrounding roads and the local forest park and finishing back in the Castle’s gardens.
First off was the half marathon, with WPR’s Maria Morrison as our sole participant. On a very challenging course Maria, who is in training for this year’s London Marathon, posted a chip time of 2:13:14! Well done Maria!
Next to start were Colette Archer, Dawn Daly, John Wyers (a late substitute for Mark ‘Sick Note’ Anderson) and Claire Fleming in the 10k event. Dawn completed the course in 55:12, Colette in 1:01:28, Claire in 1:04:25 and John in 1:05:55. This was a fabulous achievement for everyone, especially Claire who completed her first ever 10k. The first of many we hope!
Elizabeth Maxwell, David Yell and Bruce Thomson completed the WPR line-up by competing in the 5k race. Elizabeth ran the hilly course in 31:19, coming second in her age category and Bruce (33:52) and David (37:20) finishing 1st and 2nd in theirs – Bruce’s second category win in a week. What a legend!
Well done to all our representatives for flying the WPR flag/fleg so admirably.
Sunday Social Run
On Sunday morning, WPR’s Oran Kane, Tim Taylor, Mark Brown and Simon Scales took the 9.25am train to Holywood and ran the nine miles back along the coast. It was a very enjoyable run by all accounts.
14 – 20 July
The racing season is now in full swing and this week was busier than normal, with the return of some very popular local races for the first time since 2019 tempting many of our runners to pull on their club vests and enjoy the buzz of taking part in a mass running event. Some members were back racing for the first time since before the pandemic and it was great to see them representing the club again. Others couldn’t get enough of the races this week, and had to make sure the club vest didn’t hang about in the wash basket too long as they needed it on more than one occasion! It is just as well there has been plenty of good drying weather recently.
Born2Run Events - SEA2SKY
It was a beautifully balmy evening on Friday 15 July, perfect conditions for the return of Born2Run’s Sea2Sky event for the first time since 2019. The event, which features both a 5k and a 10k race, starts in Newcastle and heads out along the Kilkeel Road before a 110m ascent through Donard Park for some spectacular views over Newcastle and Dundrum Bay before a steep descent back into the town to finish along the promenade. The 5k race is mostly downhill, starting close to the highest point of the 10k route in Donard Park.
Fifteen WPR athletes took part across both distances – some doing this event for the first time. Ten club members opted for the 10k distance (Mark Brown, Andrew “6 hotdogs” Curry, Jonny Morrison, Maria Morrison, John Wyers, Arthur Spence, Mark Anderson, Joyce Thomson, Claire Thomson and Sonia Hastings) and five took on the 5k route (Joyce Nickell, Elizabeth Maxwell, Alan Craig, Bruce Thomson and Elaine Boyd).
Once again, Arthur managed to park in the car park farthest away from the start line but did at least make it in time for a team photo.
During the 10k race, Joyce nearly lost a shoe in a particularly muddy part and Claire and Sonia could hardly run for laughing so much. Joyce repeated this story at least 26 times after the race was over to anyone who would stop long enough to listen.
In a very tough race, Mark Brown put in a very creditable performance, finishing in 54th place with a chip time of 45:11. In the 5k race Joyce Nickell led the WPR contingent home, finishing in 41st place with a time of 29:37.
At the time of writing, the age category winners had just been announced and WPR scooped two of the prizes: Elizabeth Maxwell was first in the F65 category and Bruce Thomson won the M65 category. Congratulations Elizabeth and Bruce from all your club mates! And well done to Sonia Hastings who won ‘face of the race’ with a fabulous finish line photo. Sonia bagged herself a free entry into another Born2Run race. Which one will she choose?
All those who travelled down to Newcastle seemed to have had a great time with a good number of WPR members staying to enjoy the post-race hotdogs in O’Hare’s Bar. With at least one member enjoying the hotdogs more than others….no names will be mentioned!
This is a one-of-a-kind event featuring road, trail and bog (!) sections, and is superbly organised by the Born2Run team. It is well worth considering if you want to try something a bit different.
Portaferry 10 Miles
By 9am on the morning of Tuesday 19 July, it was already very warm and sunny. While most people were rejoicing to see yet another glorious day (all too rare in these parts), four WPR athletes were anxiously checking the weather forecast in the hope that clouds and light rain were on the horizon for Portaferry that evening. Failing that, there was talk on Facebook of a lady with a hose who lives along the route of the 10 mile road race. Would she be there again to give runners a much needed shower on the way past?
As the day went on it became clear that it was going to be a balmy evening but not a blisteringly hot one, which settled the nerves of the almost two hundred runners heading down the road to Portaferry for the 7.30pm start. The 10 mile race and 5 mile relay are part of the Portaferry Gala Festival, which makes for a great atmosphere as the local community is out in force to offer plenty of support to the runners as they make their way through the town in the early and final stages of the race.
Starting at St Columba’s school, the route is downhill and then flat and very scenic for the first mile and a half along the coast, before the runners head inland then back to the coast again on a route that takes them along winding, peaceful country roads. This part of the course is smooth and as flat as a pancake, in between the hills that is! Just before the final mile there is a significant hill, but thankfully for the WPR contingent Mary Slocum had strategically placed herself there to give her club mates the boost they needed to propel them up the hill and then back into the town for the speedy finish downhill into the main square.
First home for WPR was Philip Ladd, who finished 42nd out of 190 runners in an impressive time of 1:09:50. Following closely behind was Peter Cosgrove, who sailed home in 1:10:11 (44/190) and came first in the M55 age category. Next was Sarah Wilson who finished in 1:20:16 (92/190), taking over 7 minutes off her 2019 race time. Arthur Spence who, along with Sarah, counts Portaferry as one of his favourite local running events, finished in 1:37:15 (153/190).
As usual, the race was extremely well organised by Mags Mathieson and her team of volunteers and the WPR contingent thoroughly enjoyed taking part. A big thank you to everyone involved and to Mary Slocum for making the trip down to Portaferry to be the WPR cheerleader and chief photographer!
Donaghadee 5km
Wednesday saw a large contingent of over 50 WPR athletes descend on Donaghadee, to take part in the popular 5k race which returned after a break of three years. Thankfully the extreme heat from the previous days had diminished, although runners would have welcomed slightly warmer temperatures as they waited at the start line in what was a fresh coastal breeze.
The race started at the Pier, before taking in the seascapes on the Commons, then returning to the Pier and completing one loop of the historical Lighthouse. Finally another circle of the Commons took runners to the finish line.
It was a fantastic event, hosted by Dee Runners, with an amazing atmosphere and support throughout.
First home for WPR was Oran Kane, who finished 7th out of 299 runners, in an impressive time of 18:29. Tim Taylor was next across the line in a time of 19:30 (17/299). The 3rd WPR to finish was Andrew Barrett in a time of 19:56 (20/299), followed closely by Mark Brown, a mere one second later, in a time of 19:57(21/299).
Mary Slocum was the first female WPR to finish and the winner of the ladies race in a time of 20:44 (28/299). Danielle Houston was the next to finish in a time of 24:36 (90/299). Third and 4th WPR ladies were Tracy McKittrick and Rhiannon Carver, who stormed home in 25:01 (98/299) and 25:12 (101/299).
It was a fantastic turnout by the club and an impressive set of results. Well done to everyone taking part and thank you to the WPR members who came along to support the runners and photograph the event.
UPDATE - the age category winners have just been announced today (Friday) and WPR has swept the board with no fewer than 11 members finishing in the top three within their respective categories.
- M35 - Oran Kane (1st)
- M45 - Mark Brown (3rd)
- M50 - Lawrence Martin (3rd)
- M65 - Ronald Mitchell (2nd)
- M70 - Alan Craig (3rd)
- W45 - Tracy McKittrick (1st)
- W50 - Danielle Houston (3rd)
- W55 - Belinda Tunnah (2nd)
- W55 - Maria Morrison (3rd)
- W60 - Mary Slocum (1st in age category and first female overall)
- W65 - Lorna Thrush (2nd)
- W65 - Joyce Thomson (3rd)
It was certainly a successful night for WPR!
WPR ‘Naked Run’
For Monday night’s training session coach Sarah organised a ‘naked’ run with the help of coaches Tim Taylor, Brian and Irene Cavan. This was a pairs competition with teams of two estimating the time it would take them to run four laps of the park (two laps each). The distance was just over 4k in total and the runners had the extra challenge of carrying a very heavy baton in the form of an IKEA straw! With several members commenting that running with a straw helped them go faster, the coaches plan to discuss how they can incorporate more straws into the training in future…watch this space! Given the intense heat that evening, participants may have been tempted to shed a few items of clothing, but thankfully for the passers-by the run was only ‘naked’ in the sense that no watches were allowed. There was the option to make a voluntary donation to a prize fund with the money collected going to a charity picked by the winning team.
The winners were those whose actual time was closest to their predicted time as follows:
1st Paul Morrow and Chris Nesbitt (10 seconds out)
2nd Robert and Glynis Poots (13 seconds out)
3rd Clare and Kelly Morrow (16 seconds out)
A total of £80 was raised through voluntary donations and this will be donated to Marie Curie in memory of our friend and fellow WPR member Jackie Palmer. Many thanks to all who contributed and well done to everyone who took part. It was surprisingly good fun and all ran smoothly once we'd sorted our number 1s and number 2s.
A huge thanks to Sarah Wilson for organising and to Tim, Brian and Irene for their help on the night.
parkrun
Well done to all the WPR members who participated in local parkruns on a very hot July morning. As usual, Bangor was the parkrun of choice for WPR with 22 of our members joining 142 others in Ward Park on Saturday morning. Out of the 89 male participants, Kevin Brookfield finished in 4th place (19:30) and Mark Rogers was the 9th male finisher (21:39). The first WPR lady home was April Heaney who was 7th out 69 female participants (23:52). Claire Thomson was obviously feeling energetic as she completed parkrun after taking part in the Sea2Sky 10k the night before. A big thank you to Run Director, Nicola McKenna, and all the other volunteers, including 13 WPR members.
WPR runners at Bangor parkrun: Kevin Brookfield, Mark Rodgers, Dale Heaney, Christopher McClean, Stuart Hatfield, April Heaney, Irene Cavan, Sharon Taylor, Ian McAleer, Richard McClean, Gillian Shorter, Joanne Larkin, Andrew Millar, Alan Craig, Claire Thomson, Lorraine Rogers, Elizabeth Budde, Lorna Thrush, Gary Martin, Jayne Chambers, David Yell and Charles Budde.
Three WPR members (Andrew Kane, Sarah Wilson and Stuart Thompson) opted for Crawfordsburn parkrun, joining 50 others who decided the shady forest was the place to be on Saturday morning (with a bit of sun exposure along the coastal path)!
The volunteers included Lawrence Martin and Glynis Poots, whose presence and encouragement was much appreciated by their club mates.
Taking on the flat and fast Belfast Victoria parkrun were Oran Kane, Tracy McKittrick and Laura Payne. Congratulations to Oran who notched up a new PB (18:32), finishing 13th out of 86 male participants, and to Tracy who achieved a new 5k PB (24:24). This was Tracy’s first time at Victoria Parkrun and we’re sure it won’t be her last! Coincidentally, Tracy was also 13th out of the 53 female participants.
At Comber parkrun, Paul Morrow and Chris Nesbitt were first timers and they were joined by Danielle Houston, who is becoming a regular here. Well known for its friendly atmosphere and community spirit, Comber parkrun should definitely be on your ‘to do’ list.
Further afield, we had Ivan and Fiona Prue participating in Garvagh parkrun, along with 46 other runners.
However, the prize for the most exotic parkrun this week goes to Paula Montgomery who took part in Hampstead Heath parkrun in the furnace that was London at the weekend.
7 - 13 July
Welcome to this week’s round up of WPR activity.
There may have been fewer events taking place this week but there was still plenty of running to report.
parkrun
Bangor parkrun returned after an imposed break with 30 WPR members taking part, either running or volunteering (or managing to do both!). Saturday saw a number of milestones achieved by WPR members. It was nice to see Ward Park decked out with bunting to celebrate (although this may have been for the bowling tournament taking place!).
Simon Cummings notched-up his 250th parkrun, an amazing feat! It was great to see his family come along to cheer him home and they were very kind in bringing celebratory cake to share with other runners.
Mother/daughter combo Joyce and Claire Thomson also reached a significant milestone with both completing their 100th parkrun.
Last but by no means least, WPR Membership Secretary, Kirsty Davidson, cheered on her Dad, Terry, who joined Joyce and Claire in the 100 club! Well done to everyone who achieved a milestone on Saturday! Congratulations also to Andrew Curry on getting a new course PB.
A big thank you to all the volunteers, including our very own Terry Murray (Run Director), Andrew Curry, Sonia Hastings, Andrew Millar, David Yell, Gillian Shorter, Tania Kelly-Baker, Joanne Larkin and Nicola McKenna.
Meanwhile over in Crawfordsburn our very own Oran Kane was making his debut as Run Director. He was ably supported by WPR volunteers Mark Brown, Tracy McKittrick and Andrew Kane. Five club members turned up to run the course: Andrew Barrett, Marcus Ross, Lawrence Martin, Sonia Martin and Elizabeth Maxwell. A successful event by all accounts – well done, Oran!
Taking part in a little bit of parkrun tourism were brother and sister Dale and April Heaney who ran at Rothay Park in the Lake District, husband and wife combo Brian and Irene Cavan who ran at Falcarraghin Donegal and, closer to home, Charles Budde at Comber.
North Belfast Harriers’ Afternoon of Miles
Later on Saturday, Oran was the sole WPR representative at the North Belfast Harriers’ Afternoon of Miles at the Mary Peters’ Track, recording a very impressive 5:21 for the mile. Nicely done, Oran.
Irish 10 Mile Championship
On Sunday, Mary Slocum took part in the Irish 10 Mile Championship in Phoenix Park, Dublin.
This was Mary’s first time going under 70 minutes, with a time of 1:09. She easily won her new age category, coming in a remarkable 10 minutes ahead of the next faster runner, and can now call herself a F60 Irish champion!
As for the race itself, well the sun decided to show its face as the gun went off and the athletes baked in temperatures of 21 to 26°.
Even the Irish President came out to see the runners as they left the park 
.
.Final highlight of the fun filled day, which started at 4am, was the bus breaking down on the way home! You can’t have it all, Mary 
Nevertheless, another super performance from Mary. WPR is very proud of you, our very own Irish champion.
Sunday Social
The Sunday Social is a great way to meet club members and perhaps try for a longer distance than your usual run. They are generally run at a slower pace. The general rule of thumb is to meet at the McKee Clock at 9.30am and those running will decide on a route. That said, it is a good idea to keep an eye on our Facebook page for details.
Last Sunday two runs were held (that we know of). Mark Brown and Oran Kane did a 9 mile run around some roads and beautiful trails taking in parts of the Ulster Way at Clandeboye.
Meanwhile, Tracy McKittrick, Mark Rogers, Chris Nesbitt, Paul Morrow and Lawrence Martin took a route along the carriageway to Helen’s Bay, back along the coastal path, through Carnalea for a 7 mile run with flat and hilly sections.
29 June - 6 July 2022
We hope you enjoyed hearing about the events and activities that our members took part in last week and you are waiting with bated breath for the next instalment!
It has not been as busy as last week, with the main racing event being the Larne 10k on Saturday 2 July.
However, with Bangor parkrun being cancelled this weekend, this has given members the opportunity to travel further afield and take part in some parkrun tourism. As everyone knows, displaying picnic creativity and baking skill at such events is as highly regarded as the run itself and this weekend was no different!
Larne 10km
Saturday morning saw WPR members Mary Slocum, Kirsty Davidson and Peter Cosgrove head off to the Antrim Coast to take part in the Larne 10k. This is one of the best 10ks in the province, being a relatively flat, scenic out and back route, starting and finishing at Ballygally Castle.
It started as a cloudy, blustery morning and as the 391 runners were about to take off, the clouds broke and warm sunshine was the order of the day. The spectacular Antrim Coast was at its finest as the runners took on the picturesque route.
It was widely acknowledged by most at the finish, that on the turn at 3.1 miles, runners were expecting the wind on their backs as they headed back to Ballygally. But the unpredictability of the Northern Irish weather prevailed and the second 5k was a battle in the heat and the wind.
Peter Cosgrove, who was the first WPR athlete to cross the line, did so in a fantastic time of 41:17. When signing up for the event, Peter thought he had entered a 10-mile race, but on the day, seemed happy enough to call it quits at 6.2 miles! In doing so, he managed to come 4th in his age category. Brilliant running Peter!
Mary Slocum was next to cross the line in a time of 42:08, winning her age category in the process. This is the last race for Mary in her current age category unless she scours the province in the next couple of days for a final race!
Then, Kirsty Davidson, battling the elements, managed to achieve a remarkable PB of 54:14, beating her previous recent PB at Comber by 12 seconds.
Well done Kirsty. Plenty more to come!
Many thanks to Larne AC for another well organised event, with amazing hospitality afterwards.
parkrun Tourists
On Saturday 2 July, four intrepid adventurers from the club headed to Waterworks in North Belfast for some parkrun tourism.
Terry Murray, David Yell, Andrew Curry and Mark Anderson enjoyed the warm welcome from the Run Director and other participants, and especially enjoyed the no nonsense first timers’ briefing! Great running conditions ensured good performances from our team, including a course PB for Mark. Brilliant running Mark!
Of course, it wouldn’t have been a WPR day out without a post-run picnic featuring baked goods and Terry’s ‘naked balls’ (You had to be there)!
Cinema Coffee 10km Grand Prix / Fibrus Fives
The most recent results for the Cinema Coffee 10k Grand Prix were published after the Larne 10K. Ward Park Runners are in 4th position in the Team Rankings which is a great achievement, given that we are a smaller club than many others taking part. In previous years, we have secured 3rd and 4th place, so we would be thrilled to maintain our current position or even exceed it!
For those of you, who are not familiar with the Grand Prix, it is a series of 10k running races for individuals and teams. It is timed and ranked using an age-graded scoring system. Generous prizes are awarded to the top 25 finalists and the top five clubs. Participants must complete 6 races to be eligible for a prize but there are 8 or 9 races still left so there is plenty of time to enter.
Mary Slocum currently leads the individual rankings, having completed 6 races to date. However, there is stiff competition, with many participants not yet having completed 6 races so it’s all to play for!
Check the ChampionchipIreland website for more details and how to enter. You should receive a Cinema Coffee code on entering and this can be used when applying for individual races in the series.
The Fibrus Fives is a similar series for 5k and 5 mile races. There is no team competition but there are still lots of races remaining in the series, with the same Cinema Coffee code being eligible for use. Participants are only required to run 5 races to be eligible for a prize.
So, if you haven’t already entered and are planning to run some of the races in the series, get signed up as soon as possible!
WPR Sunday Socials Return
Last Sunday saw the return of the much-loved Sunday Social Run, with 12 members participating in total. Five ran the popular Groomsport route, with the other seven WPR members completing a mixed surface, scenic 6.5 mile loop, starting at Bangor Sportsplex, taking in the Belfast Road, Helen’s Bay, the coastal path to Crawfordsburn and then back to the Sportsplex via Carnalea.
As is always the case with social runs, the pace was relaxed to allow participants to chat and enjoy the scenery along the way!
Keep an eye out for info on the next Sunday Social Run in our private members' Facebook group.
If you are planning a run on a Sunday, would like some company, but the proposed times don’t suit, please post on the Members page and there is always a good possibility that a few would like to join you.
WARD PARK RUNNERS (WPR) WEEKLY ROUND UP
22 – 29 June 2022
Welcome to the first WPR Weekly Round Up. We hope you find it helpful in keeping up-to-date with all the events and activities our members have been taking part in!
It certainly feels like a good time to launch this report, with the racing season being well and truly underway and lots of our members starting to think about a bit of parkrun tourism now that summer has arrived (although looking out the window today you definitely wouldn’t think it!). So, grab yourself a cuppa, put your feet up and enjoy catching up on what our members have been up to over the last week or so!
Vitality Lisburn Half Marathon and 10k
On the evening of Wednesday 22 June thousands of runners descended on Lisburn to take part in the popular Half Marathon, 10k Road Race and Fun Run, organized by Lisburn and Castlereagh City Council after a three year absence during the pandemic. Among them were Peter Cosgrove, Mary Slocum, Mark Anderson and Ian McAleer, all proudly wearing the blue and green vest on an extremely warm and clammy night which made for tough running conditions.
Peter Cosgrove was the sole WPR athlete taking on the half marathon distance and despite the brutal conditions he finished in a brilliant time of 1:37:13 (92nd/738 runners) and was 4thin the M55 age category. Well done Peter on a fantastic performance!
Not to be outdone, the other three WPR athletes didn’t let the heat and humidity get the better of them in the 10k race. Mary Slocum is in top form at the moment and her performance in the Lisburn 10k was no exception. In a very strong field of runners, Mary won her age category (W55) and came 64th out of 929 runners in a remarkable time of 42:13. Although Mary is well renowned for winning an age category prize, this doesn’t take away from each individual accomplishment. They all reflect Mary’s incredible fitness and the hours of training she puts in to stay in top form. Congratulations Mary on another brilliant achievement!
Ian McAleer and Mark Anderson both finished in very respectable times and I think it’s safe to say they were relieved to get to the finish line as the heat and humidity just seemed to get worse as the night went on! Well done guys and thank you for doing such a great job in representing our club.
Ards Half Marathon
Two days after the Lisburn races, on the evening of Friday 24 June, Newtownards was the only place to be as almost five hundred runners took on a 13.1 mile course which many describe as one of the toughest half marathons in Northern Ireland. Also returning after a three year absence due to the pandemic, the Ards Half is a firm favourite amongst local runners and this year was no exception as the event more than lived up to its reputation as being one of the best organized races in the province. We had fantastic support from the marshalls and local residents, there were pacers for every target time imaginable, the medal was fabulous and there was even a post-race barbecue. It is hard to think of a local race that has more buzz about it than the Ards Half Marathon, and all credit and thanks are due to our friends in Scrabo Striders who did such an amazing job in organizing it.
No doubt due to all its great features as mentioned above, WPR was very well represented in the race with 23 WPR members and one affiliate member taking on the challenge. Clearly, we were not going to be put off by a few long and fairly steep hills, most notably the hill up towards Scrabo in the early part of the race and the mile long Moate Road hill which is a real challenge as it comes at the ten mile point when the legs are definitely getting weary!
The first finisher for WPR was Mary Slocum, who again easily won her age category (F55) in an amazing time of 1:32:22. Mary was 28th out of 498 runners and the 4th female to cross the line. Her time was so impressive that she would have won the F35, F40, F45 and F50 age categories too! Mary was followed by Andrew Barrett, who stormed home in a superb time of 1:34:16 (36th/498). Next was Peter Cosgrove, whose performance was all the more remarkable in that he had taken on the Lisburn half marathon only two days beforehand! Peter was also first in his age category (M55) and finished in 1:34:52 (43rd/498). With only one second (chip time) between them, Peter was closely followed by Philip Ladd who crossed the line in 1:34:53 (44th/498). The next WPR athlete to finish was Aoibhinn Clinton, who also had a brilliant race and won her age category (F35) with a chip time of 1:36:42 (51st/498).
Aoibhinn was followed by Mark Brown, Simon Cummings, Mark Rogers, Tim Taylor, Sarah Wilson and Paul Fitchie, who ranged between 1:40:14 and 1:49:55 chip time. Sarah was delighted to get a new Half Marathon PB, less than two weeks after she set her previous PB in the extremely tough Wild Atlantic Way Donegal Half Marathon.
Also very pleased to achieve a new PB was Brian Cavan, who was next to cross the line and came in at the same time as the 1:50 pacers. Brian was wearing his new Nike Vaporfly running shoes and after his performance in Ards he says he would definitely recommend them! Brian was followed by WPR affiliate member Gareth Robson and Lawrence Martin, who both finished comfortably in under two hours.
As already mentioned, WPR was extremely well represented in the race as we also had Paul Morrow, Tracy McKittrick, Rhiannon Carver, Arthur Spence, Maria Morrison, Irene Cavan, Dawn McEvoy, Sonia Martin, Andrew Kane, Lucy Reid and Oran Kane, all conquering those hills and making it to the finish line in good shape. Rhiannon, Arthur, Maria and Dawn were delighted to achieve new PBs and Rhiannon had her first ever outing in the WPR vest. Welcome to the club Rhiannon! Along with Maria and Dawn, Rhiannon has a place in the London marathon in October. Judging by their performance in the Ards Half, their training is definitely going to plan so far. Oran Kane was volunteering as the 2:20 pacer and WPR members David Yell and Lorna Parsons were marshalling along the route.
Last but not least, WPR had some excellent supporters, including Robert and Glynis Poots who popped up everywhere and provided much needed encouragement as well as taking lots of photos and videos! Thank you Robert and Glynis and anyone else who came along to cheer us on!
Beyond the Wall Triathlon
If you thought the Ards Half Marathon was the only show in town last weekend, you were mistaken! Organised by Down Triathlon Club, the Beyond the Wall Triathlon took place in the picturesque surroundings of Castleward on Saturday morning. WPR member Jonny Morrison is no stranger to triathlons, belonging to Peninsula Triathlon Club and competing in them regularly. The race on Saturday consisted of a 750m swim, a 20km bike ride and a 5km run. Jonny completed the swim in 16:48, the cycle ride in 40:59 and the run in 26:03, with an overall gun time of 01:31:51. Well done Jonny! Now we all know who to go to for advice if we are tempted to take on the challenge of a triathlon.
Giant’s Causeway Mighty Hike
Elsewhere on Saturday, WPR member Andrew Curry took on a marathon Mighty Hike along the North Coast. In aid of Macmillan Cancer Support, participants could choose from the full marathon or the half marathon distance. If you know Andrew, you’ll not be surprised to hear he opted for the full marathon! The route started at Carrick-a-Rede rope bridge and finished at Ulster University in Coleraine, taking in Dunseverick castle and the windswept beaches at Portrush. Covering 26.2 miles on foot is no mean feat, whether running, walking or climbing. Well done Andrew!
Parkrun
You could be forgiven for thinking parkrun would be a quiet affair for WPR after the antics in Ards the night before, but not everyone was involved in the Ards Half Marathon and WPR was, as usual, well represented at local parkruns. As is the case every week, the parkrun of choice for WPR was our home one in Ward Park, Bangor. Last Saturday 25 June, 15 WPR members completed Bangor parkrun with Kirsty Davidson achieving a new PB. Kirsty is running very well at the minute and is going from strength to strength. Well done Kirsty!
At Crawfordsburn parkrun WPR was represented by Stuart Thompson, Glynis Poots and Mark Anderson, while over at Stormont Oran Kane was the sole WPR representative. Oran obviously wasn’t too tired after his pacing duties at the Ards Half the night before!
After a very impressive performance the night before in the Ards Half Marathon, Simon Cummings must have been up early on Saturday as he travelled to Limavady parkrun where he met up with Ivan Prue (AKA Big Ivan). Most of us will know Ivan as it’s thanks to him that WPR exists in the first place. Ivan led the Couch 2 5k (C25k) in Bangor for many years and it wasn’t long before he identified a need for a 5k to 10k running group to support C25k graduates who wanted to continue with and improve their running after graduation. This 5k to 10k group, which met in Ward Park, was very popular and the coaching team soon expanded to include Charise Boal. The rest, as they say, is history, with WPR being established in 2017 and going from strength to strength ever since! Sadly for us, Ivan and his wife Fiona moved to the North Coast just over a year ago. They both continue to support the local running community, with Ivan coaching at Springwell Running Club and both Ivan and Fiona regularly volunteering at or participating in local parkruns, like Garvagh, Portrush and Limavady, where Simon met Ivan on Saturday. Ivan and Fiona will always be part of our club, no matter where they live. If you’re reading this Ivan and Fiona, you are greatly missed!
Notwithstanding Simon’s relatively long journey on Saturday morning, the prize for the most exotic parkrun this week goes to Danielle Houston, who clearly managed to find space in her suitcase for her running gear on her trip to London at the weekend! Danielle was a first timer at Finsbury parkrun, which is now in its 13th year and is described as a challenging course with two tough hills with the course being entirely run on tarmac paths. It’s good to see WPR is spreading its wings and hopefully Danielle will have inspired the rest of you to consider packing your running shoes when travelling over the summer!
parkrun
The unseasonal grey skies and drizzle didn’t deter the 23 WPR members who turned up on Saturday to run with 171 others in Ward Park. Fourteen WPR volunteers were also there to ensure everything ran smoothly.
Kevin Brookfield was the first WPR athlete to cross the line and indeed the first finisher overall in a time of 19:04. This was Kevin’s fourth first finish at Bangor. Well done Kevin!
Six WPR members opted to do their parkrun at Crawfordsburn where Andrew Kane was able to cheer them on as he carried out his volunteer duties. Out of the 59 runners taking part, Chris Nesbitt was the first WPR athlete home in a time of 26:27. He was joined at Crawfordsburn by club mates Paul Morrow, Tracy McKittrick, Sonia Martin, Ian McAleer and Ron Mitchell.
Since they moved up to the North Coast, Ivan and Fiona Prue have become regulars at Garvagh parkrun, which celebrated its first birthday on Saturday. Ivan and Fiona were amongst the 82 runners who turned up for the birthday celebrations, which included one of the best parkrun cakes anyone has ever seen!
At Stormont parkrun Laura Payne was the sole WPR representative, while Dawn Daly was the only WPR member at Castlewellan parkrun where she bagged herself a new PB and was the fourth female finisher. Well done Dawn!
Across the Irish Sea, Jayne Chambers was a first timer at Aberdeen parkrun which was very busy on Saturday, with over 300 runners taking part. Well done Jayne for taking the WPR t-shirt on tour!
Hillsborough Running Festival 5k, 10k and Half Marathon (report by Mark Anderson)
On Sunday, nine WPR members descended on the picturesque town of Royal Hillsborough to take part in this year’s Festival of Running. With three distances on offer there were plenty of competitors taking part and it’s always nice to see so many clubs represented at events like these.
All races started in the fabulous setting of Hillsborough Castle – the Queen’s only official residence in Northern Ireland – and took in surrounding roads and the local forest park and finishing back in the Castle’s gardens.
First off was the half marathon, with WPR’s Maria Morrison as our sole participant. On a very challenging course Maria, who is in training for this year’s London Marathon, posted a chip time of 2:13:14! Well done Maria!
Next to start were Colette Archer, Dawn Daly, John Wyers (a late substitute for Mark ‘Sick Note’ Anderson) and Claire Fleming in the 10k event. Dawn completed the course in 55:12, Colette in 1:01:28, Claire in 1:04:25 and John in 1:05:55. This was a fabulous achievement for everyone, especially Claire who completed her first ever 10k. The first of many we hope!
Elizabeth Maxwell, David Yell and Bruce Thomson completed the WPR line-up by competing in the 5k race. Elizabeth ran the hilly course in 31:19, coming second in her age category and Bruce (33:52) and David (37:20) finishing 1st and 2nd in theirs – Bruce’s second category win in a week. What a legend!
Well done to all our representatives for flying the WPR flag/fleg so admirably.
Sunday Social Run
On Sunday morning, WPR’s Oran Kane, Tim Taylor, Mark Brown and Simon took the 9.25am train to Holywood and ran the nine miles back along the coast. It was a very enjoyable run by all accounts.
Finally, just a quick note to say that if any of you are currently not running due to injury or any other reason, volunteering at parkrun is a great way of not losing touch with your friends in the running community. As we all know, the core team at parkrun are always looking for volunteers each week and it gives them a warm feeling in their hearts when they see a full volunteer roster early in the week! The appreciation you will get from them and from all the parkrunners will most certainly give you a good feeling too! As they say, no volunteers, no parkrun! Similarly, WPR has opportunities for any of you who are not running to help out at training sessions. We often need extra marshalls and it’s a good way of continuing your involvement with the club if you are injured or unable to run for any reason. If you’re interested, please let one of the coaches know.
Well, that’s all for now folks. Please don’t forget to let us know if you do any parkrun tourism and any other events we may not be aware of, so that you can get a mention in future reports.
The WPR Weekly Round Up team.
parkrun Tourists
On Saturday 2 July, four intrepid adventurers from the club headed to Waterworks in North Belfast for some parkrun tourism.
Terry Murray, David Yell, Andrew Curry and Mark Anderson enjoyed the warm welcome from the Run Director and other participants, and especially enjoyed the no nonsense first timers’ briefing! Great running conditions ensured good performances from our team, including a course PB for Mark. Brilliant running Mark!
Of course, it wouldn’t have been a WPR day out without a post-run picnic featuring baked goods and Terry’s ‘naked balls’ (You had to be there)!!!
Cinema Coffee 10k Gran Prix/Fibrus Fives
The most recent results for the Cinema Coffee 10k Grand Prix were published after the Larne 10K. Ward Park Runners are in 4th position in the Team Rankings which is a great achievement, given that we are a smaller club than many others taking part. In previous years, we have secured 3rd and 4th place, so we would be thrilled to maintain our current position or even exceed it!
For those of you, who are not familiar with the Grand Prix, it is a series of 10k running races for individuals and teams. It is timed and ranked using an age-graded scoring system. Generous prizes are awarded to the top 25 finalists and the top five clubs. Participants must complete 6 races to be eligible for a prize but there are 8 or 9 races still left so there is plenty of time to enter. Mary Slocum currently leads the individual rankings, having completed 6 races to date. However, there is stiff competition, with many participants not yet having completed 6 races so it’s all to play for!
Check the ChampionchipIreland website for more details and how to enter. You should receive a Cinema Coffee code on entering and this can be used when applying for individual races in the series.
The Fibrus Fives is a similar series for 5k and 5 mile races. There is no team competition but there are still lots of races remaining in the series, with the same Cinema Coffee code being eligible for use. Participants are only required to run 5 races to be eligible for a prize.
So, if you haven’t already entered and are planning to run some of the races in the series, get signed up as soon as possible!
The Return of the WPR Sunday Socials
Last Sunday saw the return of the much-loved Sunday Social Run, with 12 members participating in total. Five ran the popular Groomsport route, with the other seven WPR members completing a mixed surface, scenic 6.5 mile loop, starting at Bangor Sportsplex, taking in the Belfast Road, Helen’s Bay, the coastal path to Crawfordsburn and then back to the Sportsplex via Carnalea.
As is always the case with social runs, the pace was relaxed to allow participants to chat and enjoy the scenery along the way! Keep an eye out for info on the next Sunday Social Run in the WPR Members Facebook Group.
If you are planning a run on a Sunday, would like some company, but the proposed times don’t suit, please post on the Members page and there is always a good possibility that a few would like to join you.
parkrun
The unseasonal grey skies and drizzle didn’t deter the 23 WPR members who turned up on Saturday to run with 171 others in Ward Park. Fourteen WPR volunteers were also there to ensure everything ran smoothly.
Kevin Brookfield was the first WPR athlete to cross the line and indeed the first finisher overall in a time of 19:04. This was Kevin’s fourth first finish at Bangor. Well done Kevin!
Six WPR members opted to do their parkrun at Crawfordsburn where Andrew Kane was able to cheer them on as he carried out his volunteer duties. Out of the 59 runners taking part, Chris Nesbitt was the first WPR athlete home in a time of 26:27. He was joined at Crawfordsburn by club mates Paul Morrow, Tracy McKittrick, Sonia Martin, Ian McAleer and Ron Mitchell.
Since they moved up to the North Coast, Ivan and Fiona Prue have become regulars at Garvagh parkrun, which celebrated its first birthday on Saturday. Ivan and Fiona were amongst the 82 runners who turned up for the birthday celebrations, which included one of the best parkrun cakes anyone has ever seen!
At Stormont parkrun Laura Payne was the sole WPR representative, while Dawn Daly was the only WPR member at Castlewellan parkrun where she bagged herself a new PB and was the fourth female finisher. Well done Dawn!
Across the Irish Sea, Jayne Chambers was a first timer at Aberdeen parkrun which was very busy on Saturday, with over 300 runners taking part. Well done Jayne for taking the WPR t-shirt on tour!
parkrun
The unseasonal grey skies and drizzle didn’t deter the 23 WPR members who turned up on Saturday to run with 171 others in Ward Park. Fourteen WPR volunteers were also there to ensure everything ran smoothly.
Kevin Brookfield was the first WPR athlete to cross the line and indeed the first finisher overall in a time of 19:04. This was Kevin’s fourth first finish at Bangor. Well done Kevin!
Six WPR members opted to do their parkrun at Crawfordsburn where Andrew Kane was able to cheer them on as he carried out his volunteer duties. Out of the 59 runners taking part, Chris Nesbitt was the first WPR athlete home in a time of 26:27. He was joined at Crawfordsburn by club mates Paul Morrow, Tracy McKittrick, Sonia Martin, Ian McAleer and Ron Mitchell.
Since they moved up to the North Coast, Ivan and Fiona Prue have become regulars at Garvagh parkrun, which celebrated its first birthday on Saturday. Ivan and Fiona were amongst the 82 runners who turned up for the birthday celebrations, which included one of the best parkrun cakes anyone has ever seen!
At Stormont parkrun Laura Payne was the sole WPR representative, while Dawn Daly was the only WPR member at Castlewellan parkrun where she bagged herself a new PB and was the fourth female finisher. Well done Dawn!
Across the Irish Sea, Jayne Chambers was a first timer at Aberdeen parkrun which was very busy on Saturday, with over 300 runners taking part. Well done Jayne for taking the WPR t-shirt on tour!
