BY LEE MAGINNIS
The Newell 5K, held at Coalisland, had been billed as a fast, flat course and it certainly didn’t disappoint.
Annadale Striders’ Hannah Gilliland, coached by Paul Lawther, had been close to breaking the 16 minute barrier this year already, but it had just eluded her. However, the Irish National 5K champion went well under the mark when winning the race, setting a new personal best time of 15:51.
Over the same distance, but on the track, Roise Roberts, of the Belfast-based CNDR club, obliterated her 5000m PB when competing at a British Milers Club event in England, running 16:36.
That was around 20 seconds faster than she had ever run before. Roise ran for Ireland in the European U23 cross country last winter and is the reigning NI and Ulster 5000m champion from 2024.
Finally, English based North Belfast Harriers athlete Emily Haggard Kearney ran what will likely be ratified a a Northern Ireland record for 5K, when competing at the Mid Cheshire 5K, with a time of 15:13, later rounded up to 15:14, still a NI record by some 10 seconds. Ciara Mageean was the previous holder.
On Saturday evening, Finn Valley’s Roisin Flanagan broke her own Northern Ireland record when competing in Brussels in the 5000m. The Gortin athlete ran a superb time of 15:25.51.
East Down AC’s Anna Gardiner headed off to the States last year on an athletics scholarship to Provident College. It’s a big change for the young athlete, but she seems to be taking it all in her stride. Competing in the Big 10 Conference meeting, she broke the Irish and NI U20 5000m record running a time of 16:17.63!
Roisin Flanagan
Hannah Gilliland
