Write a commentAfter a quiet previous race week, Newry AC are now knuckling down into the tough endurance racing of the winter season.
Saturday 3rd November
Powerscourt Ridge Mountain Race, Wicklow Way
Esther Dickson and Rory Mulvaney made the journey down to Wicklow to compete in the Powerscourt Ridge Race. Tough weather conditions were anticipated but this was of no worry to these two hardened mountain runners.
This is a race of difficulty rating 9 and a 690m climb and approximately 8 miles. The Powerscourt Ridge Race began from Crone Woods on the Wicklow Way and moved up steadily to the summit of Maulin, were the competitors experienced tough weather conditions, then over Maulin's challenging trail paths to a fast descent before a climb up towards Djouce and a long run back down to Crone Woods. Due to high winds the route was changed to avoid summiting Djouce, the right and safe choice by the race director.
After her success in the Hill & Dales and NIMRA Series in 2018, Esther Dickson continued her strong form and finished 2nd Female in a time of 1:13:14 and 17th overall. Rory Mulvaney finished in a time of 1:15:59 and 32nd overall. These were great results against a race field of 145.
84th McConnell Shield Cross Country, Six Mile Water River Park, Ballyclare
3 Newry AC athletes attended this race which is one of the oldest and most famous races in the local cross country calendar. The weather was mild, dull, dry but with extremely strong winds. The ground conditions were good.
First to race was Club Junior, Meadow McCauley in the U16s, 2 mile race. Fresh off the plane 42 hours prior from Orienteering in China, Meadow gave a strong performance in a time of 13:30 and lifted 2nd place in her race bringing home the silver for Newry AC.
Next up was Joanne McCauley in the 3 mile ladies race. Battling an ever increasing head wind in the open field sections, she held a steady pace to finish in 24:35 and match her current course PB.
Gary Crummy complete the trio’s performances with his cross country debut and also a debut of this 5 mile distance. The pace was hard and fast from the offset and Gary initially fell into the trap of trying to maintain the pace being set by the lead pack. However, he soon settled into the race, found his pace set and maintained a steady placing. Gary ran consistently through the last 3 laps with the headwinds becoming very difficult and maintained his placing finishing in a fantastic 26th place in a time of 29:33.
Born2Run Race Series, Minnowburn, Belfast
Sarah Jane Beattie took part in the opening race of the Born2Run Race 5k Series in Belfast. In stormy and damp conditions, Sarah Jane ran well finishing with a fantastic 10th overall position, 6th female and in a time of 21:29. This was out of a large 5k race field of 167 runners.
Saturday 27th October
Bobby Rea Cross Country Championships, Greenmount Campus, Antrim
Joanne McCauley competed in this popular cross country event which was drew in clubs from both the North and South. Ground conditions were good underfoot with only a few mucky patches in the back woodland area. The weather was dry but extremely cold. Joanne completed the ladies 6k race in 29:07 and gained a new course PB.
