BY LEE MAGINNIS
ESTHER Dickson came to mountain running very late. Already with a successful sporting career at Portadown Ladies hockey, she had gone on to play football for Loughgall Lakers.
Then she decided to turn her hand to athletics and showed up at the local running track, not all that far away from where she works a farm with her husband, taking charge of the poultry section. To say nothing about raising three children as well!
At Newry AC, her strengths were quickly spotted and Esther’s coach set about getting her ready for hill running. She won the Hill and Dale title at her first attempt and has gone on to win many other accolades.
2024 didn’t start very well for Esther as she struggled to recover from an injury. She began the Hill and Dale series far from fully fit. But, in typical fashion, rapidly began to improve.
It says a lot when a season that she could easily have sat out turned into one of her most successful yet.
In June, Esther was crowned Hill and Dale champion for the sixth time in a row. She was also NIMRA champion for 2024, became the inaugural Ulster Champion and was also Irish Champion.
Esther has also introduced her young niece, Megan Barrett, to the sport. Megan has been doing very well in athletics, particularly in 5K road races.
She was selected to race for the NI team last weekend in the British and Irish U17 Championships in Wicklow. She loved every minute of it and finished 13th overall, making her was the first home for NI and second out of all Ireland.
Megan Barrett in action in Wicklow
