The Annual 5 Mile Handicap Race will take place on Tuesday night.  Meeting at the Newcastle Centre as usual at 6:30pm.  The race will begin on King Street with the first runners leaving at 6:50pm. Unfortunately on this occasion the Handicap Committee will decide the starting times as one or two engaged in a touch of self-generosity (it would be unfair to mention anyone by name, but both Brannigans and Pol Og MacWhirt know who I am talling about!!!!).

For those unfamiliar with the race format, the idea is to give everyone a chance of winning by setting the athletes out at intervals depending on their pace.  In such a race it is first past the post who wins and not the runner with the quickest actual time.  In terms of Saturday’s race in Tollymore, the Handicap Time is the official race result with the actual time provided purely for information to let everyone know the actual time they took to complete the course.

There will be a cup of tea and a mince pie for all taking part and a small presentation in the Burrendale Hotel at 8:30pm.  To make sure you have a handicap for the race (parformances in sessions over the last number of weeks and on Saturday will be considered by the handicap committee!) please confirm your attendance by text or email if you plan to run (thanks to those who have already confirmed.  See you all then for the final pre-Christmas blast!

The course: Starting at the bottom of the Bogey Line on King Street.  Go to the end of King Street and turn left onto the main Kilkeel Road back towards Newcastle.  As you make your way into the town the first mile marker is at Newcastle Police Station.  Go past the Rock Pool, O’Hare’s, The Anchor before truning left into Tullybrannigan.  Take the first left (Shanslieve Drive) follow the road past the old St. Mary’s Girls’ PS.  Keep going until Greenhill Park (2 mile marker).  Proceed along until making a rignt onto lievenamaddy Avenue and go to the bottom, around the right handed bend before taking a left onto Spelga Avenue.  At the end of Spelga Avenue tiun left ang go the mini roundabout on the Bryandford Rd (3 mile marker).  Go towards the town and take the second left into Beechfield Park then another left onto Larchfield Park.  Continue on to Marguerite Avenue and turn left at the top. Continue along Marguertie Park heading towards the Bryansford Road.  Take a left onto the Bryansford Road and continue through the mini roundabout to the traffic lights at the junction of the Shimna Road and Braansford Road (4 mile marker).  Take a left and continue along to the Castlewellan Road and run towards the Burrendale Hotel, passing the Mourne Observer, St. Patrick’s Park and Tesco.  The finish is opposite the entrance to the Hotel.

The shortened version is that it is the same route as the 2×2 miles last week with a run out to the Burrendale from where we finished!!!!!