Ulster event a great success for cross-country ace Rachel

The Martinstown youngster clinched second place in the under-13 section of the Ulster Cross Country Championships for the Uneven age groups (under 11, 13, 15, 17) at the beautiful coastal setting of Killybegs.

Rachel, a Year 8 pupil at Ballymena Academy, was running for Ballymena & Antrim Athletic Club in the Under 13 age group and was hoping to emulate her older sister Suzannah who achieved third place in the same event two years ago.

The distance was set at 2000m on a course which included a mixture of sand and grass with several wet areas and uneven surfaces. The nature of the ground added considerably to the task in hand.

Rachel managed to look effortless throughout the race, she implemented her pre-race tactics and finished 2nd in a time of 9min 49sec, being beaten by the shortest of margins with one stride separating first and second places.

Rachel also picked up gold with Team Antrim finishing the first County home with 6 runners in the top 12.

Rachel has qualified for the All Ireland Championships in both under 13 years and under 14 years to be held at the end of the year.

To cap a memorable day, Rachel also had her photograph taken with Paralympic gold medal winner Michael McKillop.