Find out about our races in Belfast, Omagh and Manchester over the jump!

Warmup
A Dub, who we all know and love, has christened us as “The PB Club of the Year”. To say that at the end of the year would be impressive, but to say it by the end of March shows the dedication of every single one of our runners who are pushing themselves to beat their bests. You know I can’t believe that they cancelled Vivaldi after just four seasons. Let’s take a look at who was running this week!

Queen’s 5k
If you cast your mind back to Wednesday evening – you might remember that it was a horrible and grey evening with lots and lots and lots of rain. Basically, ideal conditions for a 5k race! This classic event, two and a half fast and mostly flat loops around the River Lagan, once again featured a stellar cast of Dubs who set their sights on the big prize:

Great running everyone – on an evening where it would have been much easier to sit in rather than racing. Conditions were wet and windy which added some character to the race and greatly reduced the chances of nabbing a personal best (except Danielle – who somehow pulled one off!), but determined performances produced some great times! There’s always time for some pizza after this one, thanks to Paul who was on the scene for this photo:

Omagh Half Marathon
For a Belfast club, for some reason this Tyrone event always seems to be popular with us blue tops. With no less than 11 Dubs making their way to Omagh town, this undulating and sometimes tight route takes in the sights of the town centre, the stunning scenery close by and the hospital site – well two out of three ain’t bad! Our starting eleven were:

That was a bit of a club day out! Fantastic running from all our Dubs at this one – our training sessions over the last few months are really starting to show fruit now. A special mention to our Jimbo – who only went to absolutely smashed his half personal best from Larne a few weeks ago to now sit with a sub 1:25! Every one of our Dubs pulled in impressive performances, especially considering the increasing heat and sunshine – totally unexpected after the conditions all week. I also hear that the Dub meal booked post-race was great fun and a chance to debrief and analyse the morning’s running (read: drinking session). Thanks to Claire, who wasn’t running but was cheering and taking photos:

Manchester Marathon
United. Oasis. City. The Smiths. The modern history of Manchester are seeped music and sport – so where else would you want to venture to run a marathon?! Starting off by the canal in the heart of the city, runners move southwards before returning via the west then east bound with a run in to Old Trafford (the cricket ground). Atmospheric course, rolling route and a supportive crowd make this one an event to remember – and our single Dub running made sure it was an event he’d not forget:

Take a bow Gavin – that was magic. After two marathons last year, and setting new personal bests in each, you had your own expectations going into this event – and you absolutely nailed this one! Outstanding running and a well-earned drink at the finish line! Mega running with times most of us in the club can only dream about! I hear some celebratory cake was had on Sunday evening (we’ll allow that). Thanks to our Steven, who was eagled eyed and snapped you crossing the finish line:

parkrun
We conclude this week, as we do every week with the parkrun faithful. These are dedicated runners make the weekly pilgrimage to the nearest parks (and in come cases beaches) every Saturday morning, just to run a 5k (okay, the lure of cake is pretty hard to deny too)! Despite divided attentions this past weekend, a troupe of blue tops were taking part:

Nice running everyone – and an interesting selection of parkrun events too – you never know were a Saturday morning is going to lead to! If we all have our hats – let’s get tipping! It was the top step for Steven on his first official run around Stranmillis College, then a duo finishing in third place – Roisin (at Falls) and Natalie (at Ormeau). We also had some new course PBs set by Roisin and Nessa (at Falls) and from Ronan and Rose (at Stranmillis College). Finally, a few newbie tourist PBs this week from Joanne (at Queen’s) [welcome to parkrun Joanne!], Peter M (at Stormont), Steven (at Stranmillis College) and Mike S – now on 75 parkruns – running his 75th different parkrun at Princes in Liverpool! We had some impressive performances around Belfast’s newest event:

Warmdown
It wasn’t the most jam-packed week ever – but it was jam packed full of outstanding running and teamwork – and that is what we love to see here at Roundup Towers. Easter is fast approaching, so we’re going to have lots of races on – so if you’re doing something random, give us a heads up and we’ll make sure that you’re included! I don’t mean to brag, but I’ll have you know that I made six figures last year – so they named me the worst employee at the toy factory!

Live long and prosper.

Disclaimer: Every effort was taken to ensure the results above are correct (give me a break, please!). If you’d also like to make a complaint, then you’ll automatically volunteer yourself for writing duties 🙂