Orangegrove Athletics Club

It was a warm one at Tuesday training last night. Quote of the evening has to be "what is this nonsense?" 🤣🤣🏃‍♀️🥵

But we were there and got it done!

🏃‍♀️🍊♥️

ANI JULY OPEN MEET

COMPETITION IS PART OF DEVELOPMENT.

Training prepares you.

Competition teaches you.

Open Meets give athletes the chance to test:
⏱ Race ex*****on
📈 Progress over the season
🎯 Competition skills
💪 Confidence under pressure

The goal isn't always a medal.

Sometimes the biggest achievement is a new experience or a new personal best.

Enter now: https://athleticsni.org/Fixtures/Track-and-Field/ANI-July-Open-Meet

Well done George Gribben 👏 Fantastic result for the team 👏

Northern Ireland Veterans Over 60s Soccer Initiative member George Gribben who also plays for the Northern Ireland over 70s Walking Football Squad have just won their tournament in Limerick today finishing top of their group and winning the Final on a sudden death penalty shootout with our very own George scoring the deciding spot kick, all at the Northern Ireland Veterans Over 60s Soccer Initiative would like to Congratulate George and the squad for their brilliant achievement today, well done Lads 👏👏👏⚽️

🧡 Join Us for Tuesday Training — All Abilities Welcome!

Thinking about getting into running or looking for a friendly group to train with? Come join us this Tuesday at 6pm, meeting at Dixon Playing Fields.

We’ll jog together as a group to Grosvenor Grammar School track, where we’ll split into three ability‑based groups — so whether you’re brand new, building confidence, or chasing a PB, there’s a group that will suit you.

The session is simple, supportive and easy to follow:
We’ll run relaxed 1200m intervals, focusing on good technique and finishing each rep a little stronger. No pressure, no racing — just steady improvements at your own pace.

We finish with a gentle jog back to Dixon and some stretches together.

If you’ve been thinking about joining a club, this is the perfect time to give it a go. Friendly faces, no judgement, and a session designed to help you feel stronger with every lap.

Come along — we’d love to see you. 🧡

🧡 OAC parkrun Report - Saturday 4th July 2026

Holiday season has started but there's still time for parkrun!

Here's how we got on:

🍊 Orangefield
Andrew McIntyre — 20:00
Eric Fairfield — 23:07
Colin Simpson — 23:38
Kimberley Reynolds — 26:42
Richard Bartley — 29:15
Ciaran Lowry — 30:54
Philip Hamilton — 38:07

💧 Waterworks, Belfast
Thomas Leitch — 20:28
Paul Woodman — 34:23
Rachel Woodman — 36:05

🟦 Belfast Victoria
Tom Smith — 20:18
Jean Stone — 35:18
Erin Beattie — 37:05

🌲 Crawfordsburn Country
Selina Myles — 31:58

🌳 Stormont
Stephen Hamilton — 27:12
Alan Montgomery — 31:18
Anne Devlin — 32:52

🏃‍♂️ Ormeau
David Montgomery — 23:33

⛰️ Valley, Newtownabbey
Danny Bradley — 19:00 (1st male & 1st overall)
Shelley Bennett — 24:10 (1st female)

🎓 Queen’s, Belfast
Gerald Harvey — 30:07

🌿 Belvoir Forest
Judith Dalzell — 38:50

🚴‍♂️ Citypark, Craigavon
David Gilliland — 24:51

🌾 Limavady
Keith Weir — 21:22

🌲 Pomeroy Forest
Elaine Weston — 29:13 (3rd female)

Danny Bradley and Shelley Bennett had fantastic runs at Valley parkrun, taking 1st male and 1st female positions. Over at Pomeroy Forest Elaine Weston also impressed with a 3rd female finish!

💛 Well done, everyone!

Another weekend doing our favourite thing...🏃‍♀️🏃‍♀️🏃‍♀️

Danny Bradley, Thomas Leitch, Michael O'Donoghue & Elaine Weston took on Ards Half Marathon. It was a warm one!! ☀️😎

John Gribben & George Gribben went for gold & silver at the NI Masters Track & Field event in Belfast.

Well done everyone! 👏👏

Thanks to Belfast Sports Photos & Phil Childs (philchilds.co.uk) for the Ards Half pics 📸

Club Championship - Race 7 - Naked parkrun!

Saturday 20th June, 2026 - Belvoir parkrun

It's not what you think! We turned up at Belvoir parkrun sporting our lovely orange kit but no watches or timing devices were allowed. Closest to predicted time was the winner 🏆

The winners, who earn 20 CC points, are:

🏆 1st Female: Jenny Cochrane 🥳
🏆 1st Male: Colin Simpson & Richard Bartley 🥳

🥁 After careful consideration, the spot prize for best photo goes to:

🎉 Keith Weir! 🥳

Congratulations Keith!

Well done everyone 👏

📅 Next up: 1 Mile Time Trial in Victoria Park on Tuesday 28th July.

Club Championship Race 6 – Fairhill 5 Mile Road Race
Thursday 4th June • 7pm

The first part of this race was a challenge in itself! Finishing work, battling through Belfast traffic and hoping Ballymena wouldn’t feel a million miles away. Thankfully, we made it to the start line on time.

The race kicked off at 7pm with an amended route due to a waterlogged course. The weather gods were kind on the night as the rain stayed off until every OAC runner was across the finish line.

The results are:

Male:
28:49 — Andrew Carson
28:53 — Andrew McIntyre
30:38 — Keith Weir
34:46 — Sean Tanuvasa
34:52 — Michael O’Donoghue
35:51 — Andrew Bates
39:52 — Philip Hamilton

Female:
33:49 — Gemma Blake
36:22 — Shelley Bennett
41:53 — Kimberley Reynolds
45:36 — Elaine Weston

🏆 Championship Highlights
1st Female: Gemma Blake — 20 championship points
1st Male: Andy Carson — 20 championship points

Lifetime Bests: Huge congratulations to Shelley Bennett and Andrew Carson on achieving PBs over the 5‑mile distance.

Thank you to Ballymena Runners for a great event!!!

🔜 Next Up: Naked parkrun – Saturday 20th June
No watches. No pacing tools. Just run! There's a spot prize for the best race pic!!