East Antrim Harriers AC

Another club handicap this morning with some of those who have been putting in a strong winter training block showing their form over the 6 mile cross country course. Chairman Jim Finlay was first over the line, closely followed by Phil Smyth & Andy Liddle. We would like to quash any rumours that the Chairman was involved in setting the handicaps! Well done to all runners.

Several club members were involved in various races over the last few days with some strong performances. First up was Chris Collins, Pete Fraser and Nikki & Peter Tucker who all competed in the Craic 10k in Belfast. Chris was first club runner over the line in a time of 36.40 for 29th position with Pete running 40.15 for 78th. Then on Saturday, Ross Mercer managed a podium place at the Larne 5k race. Ross mixed it with the front group for most of the race, crossing the line in 17.09 to continue his good form.

John Neill took the trip up to the North West on Saturday to compete in the Walled City 10 Miler. After a really consistent winter racing, John’s hard work was rewarded with a strong run and a huge personal best as he finished 12th in an impressive time of 57.48. Well done John!

It’s been a busy weekend for our runners as several club members tested out their hard winters training with many good results & notable performances over a variety of distances and terrain. First up was the inaugural Coleraine 5k Road Race with both Brandon McKeown & Ross Mercer picking up PBs in the Elite Race. Brandon finished in an impressive time of 15.52 for a credible 18th place in a strong field, while Ross crossed the line in 16.30 for 31st. Next up was the Shane’s Castle Marathon & 10k. Chris Collins took on the Marathon distance, smashing the 3-hour barrier for the first time and placing 2nd overall in a time of 2.56. Nicole & Peter Tucker both ran the 10k, with Nicole finishing as 3rd lady in 58.55. Elsewhere, Rick Hill placed in the top 20 in Carlingford Half Marathon, recording an official PB of 1.20.10 for 18th position. And shout out to Kirstie Annett who recorded a new Parkrun PB.