Foyle Valley AC’s Keith Shiels is among the pre-race favourites for today’s Seeley Cup 10k in Belfast.
Foyle Valley athlete Keith Shiels.
Regarded as one of the most exciting races on the Northern Ireland athletics calendar the event, expected to attract in excess of 1,000 competitors, will also incorporate the Athletics NI 10k Championships.
With last year’s champion Paul Pollock (Annadale Striders) and the current AAI National 10k champion Stephen Scullion (Clonliffe Harriers) expected to miss out as they, alongside fellow NI athletes Ryan McDermott (Annadale Striders) and Ann-Marie McGlynn (Lifford AC), prepare for next week’s European Cross Country Championships in Serbia, today’s event is expected to be keenly contested.
Shiels (Foyle Valley AC), Declan Reed (City of Derry AC), Conor Bradley (City of Derry AC) and Scott Rankin (Foyle Valley AC) will all be hoping to play a prominent part in what could well be the most exciting line up of the year.
Shiels has won no less than 16 races in 2013 and achieved new personal bests over every distance that he has covered, namely 3,000m (8:47.82), 5k (15:11), 5m (25:51), 10k (30:59) and Half Marathon (1:09:32).
The highlight of his year has been his win in the Waterside Half Marathon.
Just two weeks ago, Shiels took a bronze medal in the competitive veteran 35 category at the British and Irish Masters International Cross Country in Cardiff, Wales.
Athletics NI 5k (road) champion and winner of the recent McConnell Shield Cross Country, Declan Reed, will also be amongst the front runners.
After several weeks on the sidelines with a niggle, the Spartan looked in great shape as he surged to victory in Ballyclare earlier this month.
His 30:43 finish at the Trafford 10k this year puts the Derry runner amongst the fastest men in the field and therefore one to watch.
Scott Rankin, who finished third in this event last year, will be hoping for a higher spot this time round placing this time around.
Since the Seeley Cup 2012, he has continued to improve, with new personal bests over 3,000m (8:39.43), 5k (14:43) and 13.1m (1:11:39).
His race winning performance at the Jude Gallagher 10m race, where he covered the distance in 52:14, did not go un-noticed either.
Conor Bradley narrowly missed a sub four minute mile this season after clocking 4:01.83 at the Morton Games in Dublin.
The City of Derry Spartan won the 1500m race at the AAI Games in a new personal best of 3:43.39 and also won silver medals over 1500m at the AAI National indoor Championships, AAI National (senior) Championships and the NI & Ulster Championships, as well as another silver over 3,000m at the AAI National Championships.
Off the track, he impressed at the recent Inter-Counties Cross Country in which his finished his first ever 10k in 32:26.
Other Derry athletes expected to put in a challenge for honours include Patrick Hamilton (City of Derry AC), Emmett McGinty (City of Derry AC) and Pius McIntyre (Foyle Valley AC)
The ladies will also feature an exciting amount of talent with Marina Campbell (City of Derry AC) expected to put in a strong bid for a podium place, having started the Cross Country season well, finishing in the top ten in all three races so far.
At the McConnell Shield Cross Country, she finished strongly to take third place, less than a week later, she won the tough ‘Run in the Dark’ 5k in 20:02.
Recently crowned Northern Ireland and Ulster Novice Cross Country champion Sarah Lindsay (Foyle Valley AC) is also expected to put in a strong challenge as is the club mate Trish McClintock.
