Foyle Valley still going strong

Under the guidance of coach Gabriel Bell the Waterside based club, which was founded in 1992, cater not just for experienced runners but also beginners and Bell is encouraging anyone looking to just get fit, to join their club.

In fact he also feels that maybe parents along with their children could possibly think about joining them just as a new year is about to get underway and he says the club caters for all types of athletes.

“We train at St Columb’s Park all year round, apart from the track, the conditions are perfect and youngsters are more than welcome to join the club, we have a couple of coaches that can deal with them adequately,” admitted Bell.

“There are facilitates within the club, who would not necessary join the Saturday morning group, but for those who would like to join the club, with a view, because they don’t know their talent until they run.

“Yes we would like more members, not just from the Waterside, even new members from the Derry side could park their car over the town and then run over the new ‘Peace Bridge’ and that takes them right into the Park, so maybe it could be someone’s new year’s resolution looking to get fit for 2012, then check out our website and join us.”

Bell is hoping in the weeks and months to come that the track at the Waterside venue will improve and lights will also be newly installed.

“We have different facilities at St Columb’s Park and it’s great, we have the track and to be honest it isn’t in good order, but what we are doing is we are pushing and liasing with the Council trying to be up grading the track and install lights so that we can use it in the dark evenings.

“The actual location is perfect because St Columb’s Park is in a bowl and it’s much better than any other venue, because we don’t have the same wind conditions, which you would have at Templemore Sports Complex, then you have the lovely area just beside the tennis courts, which we use every Saturday.

“We train on a Monday evening at 6pm and book the all weather pitch and train there and we also use the lights of the Astroturf pitch to reflect on the football pitch beside it; we cater for all sorts of athletes, as I have said I concentrate on middle distance athletes.

“We are developing the club in a way that we want to use the facilitates on the track at St Columb’s Park, so hopefully we can get into partnership with the Council even if it means getting some money so that we can upgrade the track.”

One man who certainly has shone under Bell’s guidance particularly this year is Scott Rankin, who recently secured the Furey Insurances 5K Series and middle distance running is the Foyle Valley’s coach speciality.

“I’m a middle distance coach, we also have coaches from within the club, coaches for youngsters and coaches that would deal with marathon running, but I would deal with middle distance runners.

“Middle distance training consists from 1,000 metres up to cross country training and as a club we would target a lot of 5K races and they are held mainly from the spring right through to the autumn and then from the autumn we target cross country races.”