Enniskillen Running Club were well represented on day one of the Provincial Age Group Championships held at the Mary Peters Track on Sunday.

The 1500m races got the track programme underway at the Upper Malone venue and the ERC athletes were on fire getting the day’s proceedings off to a super start.

Annabelle Mc Kenzie took her first club provincial title when giving a dominant display in winning the Girls U16 race. Mc Kenzie ran smartly sitting in on the early laps before moving clear to take the win in a huge personal best of 4.54.19

The Girls U15 age group was stacked with quality with multiple clubs and schools medallists toeing the line for the three- and three-quarter laps.

After a very exciting race Kate Kelly in her first track race over the distance took the silver medal in a race won by Darcie Clarke of Finn Valley. Clarke took the title in a time of 4.48.80 with Kate second in 4.50.22 with another Finn Valley athlete Saoirse Gilligan in third in 4.53.61.

Jack Donnelly continued the medal rush for the Enniskillen outfit taking another silver medal to add to the gold medal he took home from day one of the championships in Antrim. Donnelly ran a very mature race behind Michael Donaghy of Letterkenny and beat several established 800/1500m runners in doing so.

In the afternoon session Donnelly made it a hat-trick of medals when taking the U17 2000m Steeplechase title in 6.56.58.

There were two further medals in the Steeplechase with Alex Irvine picking up his first Provincial individual medal when taking Bronze in the U18 age group while Jamie Mc Donnell also picked up Bronze in the U20 age group.

Many others gained valuable experience, in sprint, middle distance and hurdle events in these championships and this is a vital building block which they can build upon in the years ahead.

The championships have been a very successful one for the Enniskillen club, which to many is seen as one of the best developing clubs in the province in the last 4-5 years which is testament to the work that is been done by the qualified coaches in the area over the past decade with the assistance and support of the athletes parents and guardians.

Conditions throughout the day were far from ideal but the heavy rain throughout the day failed to put a dampener on things as there were a host of pbs and European qualifications standards attained across the track and field events.

Having raced across Ireland and the UK in search of the standard for the European Juniors at 1500m over the last six weeks, St Michael’s Frank Buchanan was again on the start line in a quality mile race where five of the competing fifteen were already sub 4 minute milers. Frank’s focus was on the 1500m split and the magic figure he was looking for was a time of sub 3.46.50.

In the race, the pace was hot from the off with the field running in single file after the first 300m.

The St Michael’s athlete sat off the pace but was right on the time he required as the laps passed. With 250m remaining Buchanan went for it and moved through the field and as he hit the 1500m marker it was tight to the B Standard he needed, despite this he rallied down the home straight to finish 8th in a superb 4.02.63 the fastest ever for a Fermanagh athlete over the distance.

Despite being confident he had got the B standard for the 1500m he had to wait some ten minutes for the official split which when announced was well inside the time required recording a time of 3.46.11.

Frank was delighted post race stating that despite the very wet conditions there was little or no wind and that was the main thing.

“ The race was always going to be quick with the standard of athletes that were lined up, for me it was to remain focussed on the job in hand and it was perfect the way it panned out.

So that’s part one of the exercise complete but I need another time sub 3.46.50 to be considered for selection as you need two B standards if you don’t attain the A standard which is a massive ask as its set at 3.44.00.

“ I have another four weeks to get a second B Standard but getting the right race and being on form is the key, so it is not straight forward, but I’ll be doing my utmost to try and get the time.”

A number of other local athletes were also competing in this meet with Harry Mc Kenzie, Annabel Morrison and Mark McCaffrey all giving good accounts of themselves against quality Senior opposition.