Armagh Athletic Club hosts annual 10-Mile Road Race & 6k Fun Run

The calm weather and the bright October sunshine gave us excellent conditions last Sunday week for the annual Armagh 10-Mile Road Race & 6k Fun Run on the roads around the Navan Centre. These races were hosted by Armagh Athletic Club, and very generously sponsored by Digby’s Restaurant of Killylea; Autobits of Armagh; and JMW Meats Ltd of Caledon.

The Navan Centre, one of the gems in the Borough Council’s crown, has for over 25 years been regarded as the ideal base from which to organise this great day out for athletes and family groups. The runners and their friends came, not just from Armagh, but from Portadown, Lurgan, Belfast, Omagh, Magherafelt, Strabane, Castleblayney, Monaghan, Carrickmacross, Carrickmore, Donegal, Newry, Bangor, Meath, Louth, Kildare and Cavan - and there was even a runner from Clonmel in Co. Tipperary, and yet another, who made the long trip from Manchester! The feedback was good, with many praising the very helpful staff at the Centre and promising to make a return visit to ‘do the tour’ of the on-site exhibitions and the historic Navan Fort itself.

The 10-Mile course is renowned for the good mix of uphill, downhill, and flat stretches as it snakes through the rolling Armagh countryside, and is used by many in their preparation for the Dublin Marathon.

Winner of the Men’s 10-Mile event in 52 minutes 25 secs was Robbie Hagen, a seasoned International Road Racer, who had 78 seconds to spare over runner-up Adam Smyth of St Peter’s AC, Lurgan, with Armagh AC’s Brian McElvanna (54.34) taking a superb third place - a vintage performance for a man who only took up running after his Gaelic Football career had come to an end! Peter Donnelly (54.55) of Candour Track Club was 4th, Patrick McColl (55.01) of Road Runners AC was 5th, and 6th place was filled by Armagh AC’s Brendan Heaney, running a personal best of 55.04 for this race. Incidentally he, in company with clubmates Brian McElvanna and Michael Fox, formed the Armagh AC team which took silver in the All-Ireland Marathon Championships at the end of October last year.

The Women’s 10-Mile, run in tandem with the Men’s event, was won in the excellent time of 59 mins 5 secs by Maire Ferguson of Willowfield Harriers, followed a minute later by Catherine McNabb (60.07) of East Down, with Pamela Kirk of Roadrunners AC taking bronze in 60.46. Last year’s winner Dearbhla Cox of Annadale Striders had to settle for 4th this time, but she will be pleased with her 63.12 performance. One minute further back was Caitriona Eddington (64.20) and just 16 seconds behind her came Georgia Wright with 64.36.

Armagh AC retained their Men’s Team title, while the Armagh AC Women were delighted to also take first place in the Women’s event with an emphatic win over Knockmany Running Club!

The 6k Fun Run was dominated by Armagh AC runners, with the Wilson brothers making it a one-two for the family, with Harry just getting in before his brother Tom, while Padraig Jordan had a fine run to finish ahead of Peter Rice (4th), James Delaney (5th) and Nathan Keys (6th). In the Female section, the first 6 places were filled by Armagh AC runners, with Aoibhe Delaney taking first place after a ding-dong battle with team-mates Alanna Matthews and Grace Wright in 2nd and 3rd respectively. Also finishing strongly for Armagh AC over this unfamiliar race distance were Ava Powell, 4th, Emily Dougan, 5th, and Amelia Wright, in 6th place. The Fun Run had a record entry of 322, including 100 members of Lisanally School Staff, and 59 young footballers from the Pearse Ogs (the fastest of whom was Donnacha McVeigh who produced a superb performance to finish in 12th place overall!).

The Joint-Directors of the races this time were Julie O’Neill and Julieann Keys, and the event ran so smoothly under their management that it looked as if they had been doing it all their lives! Every aspect of organisation received their closest attention - and they even found time for innovation, with sponsored volunteer pacers supplied to assist 10-mile debutants with pace-distribution. The club is deeply indebted to them and to the some 60 volunteers who freely gave of their time in the months of preparation and on the day to ensure that the event was a success. And then there was their decision to enlist the services of Armagh AC’s Alan Stretton as Commentator for the day, which turned out to be an inspired choice! Better known as a mountain-runner with Armagh AC, Alan certainly scaled the heights of his new role, though when interviewed later and asked if we could expect a repeat performance, possibly in the New Year, his reaction was to laugh off the idea…without actually ruling it out….

Results: Armagh Men’s 10-Mile: 1. Robbie Hagen Unattached (U/A); 2. Adam Smyth, St Peter’s AC, Lurgan; 3. Brian McElvanna, Armagh AC; 4. Peter Donnelly, Candour Track Club; 5. Patrick McColl, Road Runners AC; 6. Brendan Heaney, Armagh AC. Teams: 1. Armagh AC (B. McElvanna 3rd, B. Heaney 6th, Kyle Wilson 7th, Martin McKenna 13th) 29 points; 2. St Peter’s AC, Lurgan, 110 pts; 3. Flying Machines RC, 165 pts. Veteran Category Results (Men): M40: 1. Kyle Wilson, Armagh AC. 2. Richard Craig, U/A; M45: 1. Liam Fergus, NE Rnrs; 2. Wesley McDowell, Dromore AC. M50: 1. Martin McKenna, Armagh AC; 2. Barrie Atkinson, E. Down AC; M55: 1. Sean McCabe, Carrick Aces. 2. David Graham, U/A; M60: 1. Francie Gallagher, 1Zero1; 2. Paul Lappin, Monaghan Joggernuts; M65: 1. Declan McNally, Glaslough Hrs; 2. Chris Withers, Omagh Hrs; M70: Ernest Hall, Newcastle & Dist. 2. Patrick McGowan, U/A.

The Kevin McGarvey Cup for the first Armagh AC Male finisher was presented to Brian McElvanna, by Veronica McGarvey wife of the late Kevin after whom the trophy is named. Kevin was a key member of the Armagh AC team which took Killarney Racecourse by storm in the mid-1980s to win the club-title at the Rás na Mumhan International Cross-country against all the odds.

Armagh Women’s 10-Mile: 1. Maire Ferguson, Willowfield Harriers; 2. Caroline McNabb, East Down Hrs; 3. Pamela Kirk, Road Runners AC; 4. Dearbhla Cox, Annadale Striders; 5. Caitriona Eddington, U/A; 6. Georgia Wright, U/A. The Armagh Sports Cup for the first Armagh AC Female finisher was presented to Jacqueline Wright, by Dermot Kerr, proprietor of Armagh Sports. Teams: 1. Armagh AC, 100 points (Jacqueline Wright 12th, Molly Keenan 25th, Judith Jameson 28th, Christine McBirney 35th); 2. Knockmany RC, 130 pts; 3. EMC Fitness, 213 pts. Veteran Category Results (Women): F35: 1. Dearbhla Cox, Annadale Striders. 2. Emer McNicholl, St Peter’s AC, Lurgan; F40: 1. Sinead Murtagh, Newcastle AC. 2. Julie Robinson, Dunamis Performance. F45: 1. Jacqueline Wright, Armagh AC. 2. Breda McFadden, Monaghan Town Runrs. F50: 1. Barbara Murray, Glaslough Hrs. 2. Tina Davies, U/A; F55: 1. Louise Smith, North Belfast Hrs. 2. Ellen McGrattan, Portadown Running Club; F60: 1. Kate Comiskey, U/A; 2. ----- -----; F65: 1. Carol O’Hare, Manchester YMCA; 2. Patricia Lee, Monaghan Town Runners.

6k Fun Run [Male]: 1. Harry Wilson (Armagh AC); 2. Tom Wilson (Armagh AC); 3. Padraig Jordan (Armagh AC); 4. Peter Rice (Armagh AC); 5. James Delaney, Armagh AC; 6. Nathan Keys (Armagh AC). 6K Fun Run [Female]: 1. Aoibhe Delaney (Armagh AC); 2. Alanna Matthews (Armagh AC); 3. Grace Wright (Armagh AC); 4. Ava Powell (Armagh AC); 5. Emily Dougan (Armagh AC); 6. Amelia Wright (Armagh AC).