Springwell Running Club athletes out in action all around Europe

Spring has definitely sprung for Springwell Running Club, and this weekend’s fine weather saw the purple vests in action in Omagh, Belfast, Manchester, London, and Paris and that’s before we even start with the parkruns!
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Omagh Half Marathon

Sunday, April 3, saw the return of the extremely popular Spar Omagh Half Marathon and 5k. This event regularly attracts hundreds of runners from all over the country and this year was no exception as almost 1500 competitors took to the streets of Omagh.

Springwell RC had 20 members in the half marathon while Stephen Fillis was the club’s sole representative in the 5k. The cool, calm, sunny conditions offered perfect running conditions with the possibility of some fast times, so it was great to see so many Springers achieving personal bests.

Alan Platt and wife Sheena at the LLHMAlan Platt and wife Sheena at the LLHM
Alan Platt and wife Sheena at the LLHM

5k - 7th Stephen FILLIS 17:24

Half Marathon - 21st Christopher McNickle 1:17:53 (PB), 56th Fergus Irwin 1:22:43 (PB), 60th Stephen McLaughlin 1:23:12 (PB), 90th Maurice Walker 1:25:45, 126th Ryan Kennedy 1:28:38 (PB), 189th Niall Kennedy 1:32:43, 219th Mandy Stewart 1:34:37 (PB), 277th Judith Buchanan 1:37:06 (PB), 329th Sarah Stewart 1:39:55 (PB), 419th Lynne Young 1:43:15 (PB), 422nd Jeff Young 1:43:16, 424th Timothy Bacon 1:43:16, 494th Michael Mulvenna 1:46:04, 495th Geoff Allen 1:46:20, 534th Roy Buchanan 1:47:34, 556th Ryan Gray 1:48:14, 616th Michael McKeown 1:49:42, 625th Majella McAteer 1:49:55, 978th Mariette Mulvenna 2:02:03, 1105th Andrew Wilmot 2:08:46

Schneider Electric Paris Marathon

Sunday saw two Springwell members go continental for the Paris marathon.

Aaron Steele at the Paris MarathonAaron Steele at the Paris Marathon
Aaron Steele at the Paris Marathon

A very scenic course afforded over 24,000 competitors the opportunity to take in many of the Parisian attractions. The weather in Paris also provided perfect running conditions and the cool, calm conditions saw Aaron Steele run a personal best of 3:09:21 to finish 2580th and Richard Ross produce a strong performance to finish 11821 st in 3:36:41 in his thirteenth marathon.

Manchester Marathon

Springwell’s Laurence Kegan Blair travelled to Manchester on Sunday to take on the marathon. As he continues his comeback from injury Laurence ran a very respectable 3:54:01 as he finished 4823rd .

Titanic 10k

Garvagh Forest VolunteersGarvagh Forest Volunteers
Garvagh Forest Volunteers

Sunday’s theme of good weather and personal bests was continued in Belfast as four Springers took on the Titanic 10k. One of the most popular 10k races on the calendar with a field of over 734 runners it’s an opportunity to run around the iconic landmarks of the East Belfast dockyards with the finishers medal themed of the SS Titanic.

Springwell RC - 430th Rose Lynas 51:06, 625th Gemma Craig 1:01:56 (PB), 34th Aidan Mooney 1:02:17, 728th Caroline Owen 1:19:18

London Landmarks Half Marathon

Springwell RC’s Alan Platt was on his travels on Sunday as he took on the London landmarks half marathon. A fantastic half marathon taking famous London attractions such as Tower Bridge, London eye, the Shard, and many others, Alan’s efforts on Sunday were all in support of charity as he clocked up the miles for Combat Stress to finish 5485th in 2:09:53.

Gemma Craig at the Titanic 10kGemma Craig at the Titanic 10k
Gemma Craig at the Titanic 10k

East Antrim Marathon Series - I Pity the Fool Challenge

Saturday, April 2 was the East Antrim Series looped event in Jordanstown, taking runners on a climb from the Loughshore up to the Knockagh monument.

David Campbell and, on a welcome return to Springwell colours Lesley Logan, took on the two loop challenge with just over 20 miles of running. A determined display of stamina on the hills saw them both top the podium in the event as first male and first female.

Parkrun

This weekend saw 43 Springers enjoying their parkrun at eight different venues with three personal bests recorded - all at Garvagh Forest.

Despite such a busy weekend of racing, numbers at parkrun were still strong. Thanks to those who volunteer without this the weekly parkrun would not exist. Well done everyone for getting out the door on a Saturday morning and getting the miles in!

Laurence Blair at the Manchester MarathonLaurence Blair at the Manchester Marathon
Laurence Blair at the Manchester Marathon

Please consider volunteering, the race calendar is getting busier by the week and many runners are often away at races leaving events short of numbers.

Well done to Roy Buchanan who achieved his 25th volunteer milestone. Roy celebrated this at Garvagh Forest Parkrun.

Brighton & Hove - Catherine Byers 31:36

Portrush - David O’Neill 20:44, Mervyn Thompson 25:58, Fiona Martin 26:13, George Brien 26:29, Cathy Adams 26:33, Peter Jack 26:52, Patricia Craig 28:13, Barry McBride 28:59, Alanna Millar 30:02, Liz Dowey 31:21, Pauline Duke 34:02, Andrew Wilson 34:40, Emer Thompson 42:43, Deborah Purdy 46:14, Kenneth Bacon 46:24

Hilly Fields - Aisling Hynes 33:19

Castlewellan - Gary Kendall 21:29

Limavady - Chris Denton 17:21, Catherine Pinkerton 22:29, Adrian Finlay 22:58, Gary Moore 23:44, Peter Tees 24:17, Pauline Mullan 25:18, John Butcher 25:50, Janet Patrick 25:59, Alan White 26:52, Alison C Duncan 28:00, Heather McLaughlin 29:14, Nicola White 29:33, David McCool 29:34, Alan Steen 31:50,

River Valley - America Aznar 19:54

Garvagh Forest - Alan Nevin 18:18, Rodney McPhee 19:02, Deborah McPhee 25:25, Enda Young 35:00, Caroline Owen 45:19

Derrynoid Forest - Andrew Wilmot 27:37, Amanda Scott 28:32, Deborah Archibald 29:18, Elaine Montgomery 31:10, Bernie Drain 31:11