Derry XC returns to Thornhill College this weekend

‘Tis the season, and that means it’s time once again for the ever-popular Derry XC, which will take place at Thornhill College this Saturday.

One of the most popular events in the running calendar, the Derry XC has evolved and been rebranded in recent years, but whatever the name, and no matter the location, runners from all across Northern Ireland and beyond make sure to participate. A part of the Athletics Northern Ireland Cross Country League, the numbers for the event will always be significant, with close to 500 expected across five different events.

“It is very much so, it’s a classic end of year event in the mouth of Christmas and runners, for whatever reason, seem to want to round the year off in style,” Race Organiser Gerry Lynch explained.

“One of the attractions of the race also is that it’s one of the scoring races in the Athletics NI Winter Cross Country League, which means that clubs are all vying for points in the league so cubs are trying to get as close to the top as possible, so we do get a really big turnout from a lot of the clubs, as far as Newcastle and the Belfast hubs and others.

“Add in the Derry, Donegal and Tyrone clubs, you can imagine. It’s another big entry this year. We do five races, from P4-P5, right up to the Senior Men and Women and Masters and we’re currently looking at around 500 in total, and that’s quite big.”

There really is something for everyone this Saturday, with races for P4-P7 students, followed by an U13 event, an U15-U17 event and then the Open Race.

“The P4s and P5s will run 600m which is a lot, but they love it,” Lynch continued. “And then you’ve got the mums and dads, and the brothers and sisters and the grannies and grandas coming down to see the kids running. It’s the first run on the programme ad it kicks it off in style and then a lot of them hang around to see the other races, so there’s something for everybody. In fact, looking at the entries coming in so far, there is one 80-year-old running in the Open Race.”

Elements

Last year’s event, which actually took place back in February due to a late cancellation last December, saw North Down AC win both team titles in men and women, and the champions have a big contingent again coming back to defend their titles.

This time of year presents arguably the biggest challenges for runners, who are competing against the elements as much as other participants.

“Cross Country is a law unto itself,” Lynch acknowledged. “You rarely, if ever, around these parts, get a perfect Cross Country course in the sense that there’s no mud or no water or no rain or win, snow or ice. It’s a demanding side of athletics, but at the same time, it does actually bring people in to challenge themselves absolutely.

“We have to get a course that’s reasonably runnable and set it up and make sure it has facilities such as a place to change and a place to register, so it takes quite a while.  You’d like to think that on the day, there won’t be too much mud, or wind or rain, and hopefully, this year, I don’t think snow is on the forecast at all. So, fingers crossed, come Saturday morning, it will be fine and dandy at Thornhill.”

One big advantage of hosting the event at Thornhill is that it is advantageous for runners and spectators alike.

“Thornhill has stepped up to the mark,” Lynch added. “They have got extensive grounds, and while it has smaller laps, it is contained and it is big enough for spectators who can see all of the action.

“The runners appreciate the fact that they are running past people on a regular basis. There are two decent cross-country courses in the city at the moment to cater for the bigger events. Oakgrove is another good course, though for shorter distances. Templemore is another one. That has a tendency to be heavy in the winter months, but that is four courses that can cater for cross-country, and hopefully everyone there on Saturday appreciates Thornhill opening the facilities for us.”

Race registration is 10: 15 at Thornhill College Gym. The first Race P4-P5 will take place at 11am followed by P6-P7 at 11:15am, followed by U13 at 11:30am. The U15-U17 combined events starts at 11:50am and the day concludes with the Open Race at 12:30.