EAMONN Christie has put together another action-packed afternoon of athletics on Saturday at the Mary Peters Track with the much-anticipated Belfast Irish Milers’ Meeting.
While Christie would be the last to point out that he has done it single-handedly, it is impossible to escape the fact that he is the architect and builder of what has gone from being a club meeting to rivalling the best in Ireland in the space of just a few years.
He has also been aided by the support of travel company Trip Advisor and a host of smaller local sponsors keen to assist Christie in attracting the cream of this country’s top athletes as well as a sprinkling of accomplished performers from across the water and beyond.
For the past two years, the women’s 800m has been the highlight of the meeting and tomorrow looks like being no different.
In 2021, Yorkshire lass Alex Bell clocked the fifth fastest time in the world to punch her ticket to the Tokyo Olympics while 12 months ago Louise Shanahan managed to get the better of home favourite Ciara Mageean to set a new Irish record of 1:59.42.
It was a double reverse for Mageean as she had held the previous mark of 1:59.69.
Both are set to return, and no doubt Mageean’s target will be regaining her record in front of what should be a partisan crowd.
The pair are the only two in the field to have broken two minutes, but four others boast times between two minutes and 2:01. That number comprises Ireland’s Georgie Hartigan (2:00.18), England’s Isabelle Boffey (2:00.25), Scotland’s Jenny Selman (2:00.70) and Irish Olympian Nadia Power (2:00.98).
The men’s two-lapper is no less interesting. With John Fitzsimons opting for the 1500m instead of a three-in-a-row victory, a new name is guaranteed on the Bobby Farren Memorial Cup.
It is likely that name will be one of three Englishmen. Archie Davis (1:44.72) and Tom Randolph (1:44.98) are fastest on paper but new kid on the block, 20-year-old Ethan Hussey (1:46.61), the World Junior bronze medallist, looks more than capable of upsetting the odds.
England’s Hannah Nuttall (4:09.66) and Marissa Damink from the Netherlands head the women’s 1500m field while Fitzsimons could his extend his winning streak in Belfast by defeating more experienced performers in the men’s metric mile.
An Irish record is not beyond the realms of possibility in the men’s 100m, if the conditions permit, when the current record holder Israel Olatunde opens his season.
At the other end of the distance range, Tyrone teenager Nick Griggs also takes the wraps off for the summer in the 3000m.
Two enthralling 400m races are also in prospect with Britain’s multi-time relay medallist Seren Bundy-Davies taking on the best of Irish in Phil Healy and Sharlene Mawdsley in the women’s contest while Jack Raftery comes to the men’s race after a record-breaking performance at the recent Irish Universities’ Championships.
The meeting opens at 11:50am with one kilometre races for both boys and girls and concludes just after 5pm with the women’s 800m race. Entry is free.
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IF you want advice about running 26.2 miles, who better to ask than a man who has run the distance in the world class time of two hours, 10 minutes and 25 seconds. He has competed in the marathon at two Olympic Games, a World and a European Championships.
Paul Pollock (right) is offering an exciting opportunity to 10 NI-based runners who believe they can achieve a sub-three hour marathon time at the Irish Life Dublin Marathon this October. And he has volunteered to coach each and every one of the chosen athletes up to and including marathon race day.
Pollock’s project is run on a purely voluntary basis by everyone involved and there will be no cost for the chosen athletes. He welcomes applications for the project from ambitious and enthusiastic athletes who are prepared to take on approximately five runs per week.
“The project will include athlete meet-ups and training days in the Belfast area, approximately every four weeks, with the first ‘in-person’ meet-up planned for Saturday, May 27 at Victoria Park parkrun,” said the Annadale Strider.
“Successful applicants will receive a complimentary entry to all three events in conjunction with our friends at the Irish Life Dublin Marathon,” he continued. “The Irish Life Dublin Marathon Series events Fingal 10K (Sunday, July 16) and Dublin Half Marathon (Saturday, September 23) will be included in the project, which will culminate with the Irish Life Dublin Marathon on Sunday, October 29.
“I set up this project in combination with Ryan Maxwell, with the overall aim to improve marathon times by Northern Ireland runners.
“My hope is that, in the near future, a greater number of local athletes will be able to represent Northern Ireland and Ireland at the highest level.
“We have recently seen a resurgence in distance running in Northern Ireland, with male and female Northern Irish athletes being regular members of international teams at major championships,” added Pollock.
“I hope that this trend will continue over the coming years.”
Anyone interested in being part of this project should send their details to dreamrunproject@gmail.com.
The closing date is Sunday, May 14.
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A RE-GRADING of the fastest to slowest of the 760 parkruns (excluding prisons) in the UK has thrown up some interesting results with two Northern Ireland events ranking in the top six.
Statistician Tim Grose, the man behind the Power of 10 website, has changed some of the algorithms and Pegwell Bay in Kent has now been declared the fastest parkrun in the UK with Bromley, Poole and Hull hot on its heels.
It is no surprise that Belfast Victoria comes in at number six, but it only ranks second in Northern Ireland after MUSA Cookstown shot up from number 80 nationally last year to fifth in the current re-grading.
That is unexpected as runners who know the MUSA course report that it has two hills, but it has also been suggested that it is not the correct distance.
No doubt the MUSA organisers will refute that.
Craigavon’s Citypark is ranked third, 27th in the UK, ahead of Limavady (71), Comber (72) and Ballyclare’s Sixmilewater (80).
At the other end of the scale Crawfordsburn (701) is listed as being the slowest in the north, just behind Larne (684), Colin Glen (674) and Rostrevor (671).
A fuller list of NI parkruns with the UK ranking shown is as follows: 5 MUSA Cookstown, 6 Belfast Victoria, 27 Citypark, 71 Limavady, 72 Comber, 80 Sixmilewater, 103 Antrim, 131 Ormeau, 154 Ecos Ballymena, 221 Waterworks, 240 Omagh, 243 Stormont, 248 Strabane Holy Cross College, 277 Carrickfergus, 352 Lisburn Wallace, 386 Dungannon Park, 414 Derry City, 447 Queen’s, Belfast, 458 Derrynoid Forest, 474 Orangefield, 570 Glengormley Valley, 576 Armagh, 592 Garvagh Forest, 593 Falls, 603 Enniskillen, 604 Portrush, 671 Rostrevor, 674 Colin Glen, 684 Larne, 701 Crawfordsburn Country Park.
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EUROPEAN Athletics has named Ireland’s Rhasidat Adeleke as Female Athlete of the Month for April. The nomination comes after Adeleke blazed to Irish 200m (22.34) and 400m (49.90) records on her outdoor season’s debut in Gainesville, Florida.
The Tallaght athlete is currently on an athletics scholarship at the University of Texas and will be taking part this weekend in the Big 12 Conference Championships in Norman, Oklahoma.
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The Week Ahead
Friday
7:00pm: Maguiresbridge 10K – Maguiresbridge Primary School
7:10pm: Glasswater 5K – Glasswater PS, Crossgar
7:30pm: Drumkeen NS 5K – Drumkeen, Co Donegal
Saturday
11:00am: Seskinore Forest 5K Run & Walk - Seskinore Forest, Nr Omagh
11:50am: Belfast Irish Milers’ Meet – Mary Peters Track
Sunday
11:00am: Drumlin 10K - Emyvale
Wednesday
7:30pm: Colaiste Ailigh 5K – Letterkenny
Thursday
7:30pm: Crana College 5K Walk & Fun Run – Buncran
