THE last two events of 2024 took place after Christmas with Kirsty Davidson the sole Ward Park Runner to take on the CIYMS 5k race on Boxing Day, finishing in a time of 29:18. Elsewhere on Boxing Day, Andrew Kane was running at the Turkey Trot event at Bryansford and finished in 1:18:47.
Saturday was the date for the much-anticipated Christmas Cracker at Castlewellan. Run over a course that changes each year and of varied terrain, the race has to be run in pairs and both runners must finish together. This year, two Ward Park members paired with a runner from another club. First to finish was Brian Cavan in a time of 1:32:45 and he was followed by Andrew Curry at 1:33:37. The first club pairing of Rhiannon Carver and Paula Montgomery finished in a time of 1:42:29 and were followed by Maria and Jonny Morrison 1:47:21, Irene Cavan and Sonia Martin 1:51:57, Colette Archer and Dawn Daly 1:53:12 and Claire McQuillan and Kelly Morrow at 2:10:05.
2024 has been a very successful year for Ward Park Runners with members taking part in races of all distances from 5k to marathons throughout Ireland and the UK or further afield. Most notably, Mary Slocum has completed 10 marathons this year and is now world champion for her age category. Andrew McCorkell meanwhile has been globetrotting to compete in marathons and in October he won the Yeti Marathon in Nepal.
Ward Park Runners is an inclusive club for runners of all abilities. Check out the club Facebook page for details on training sessions. New members are always welcome.
