Big interest in resurrected Strabane club

TREV and Ann-Marie McGlynn were blown away by the numbers who attended Strabane Athletic Club’s launch night.

After making the decision to resurrect the long-established club, the couple were hoping for around 30 athletes to attend its opening night, but they were left pleasantly surprised when more than three times that number turned up.

With such a huge amount of prospective athletes attending, they needed to think quickly as they were unable to accommodate so many on their first night, so they swiftly arranged for two sessions to take place this week so everyone could take part.

“It took us by surprise with how successful it was and how busy it was,” Trev said. “We were expecting 30 people, max! But there were 48 for the circuit class, we turned away probably another 30 and we had almost 20 seniors too.

“It was really, really good, massive numbers. We had to reschedule, so we’ve doubled the days – we’re doing a Monday and a Tuesday now because it was really disappointing to turn people away because they wanted to be there. But just for safety, we couldn’t accommodate any more, so we’ve put on an extra day, we’ve created a booking system and we’ve capped the numbers for each session.

“But we’re delighted with how everything is going, everything is great.”

Even with so many more potential new club members turning up on the night, the training session went well and it seemed to be enjoyed by all.

“We made it fun and we made them sweat!,” Trev explained. “That’s what we did and the kids had a brilliant time and there was really positive feedback about it.”

Since opening night, Strabane Athletic Club has hosted further training sessions, for kids and adults, which have also been well attended and the McGlynns are enjoying seeing the rebirth of the club, which they stress is for everyone, certainly not just for elite level athletes.

“We had athletes there from the Melvin Walk/Jog group, we had football players, Gaelic players, rugby players, there were people there from all different clubs looking to join in,” Trev beamed. “A lot of adults think [the club] is for elite level athletes because myself and Ann-Marie are taking it, but it’s not.

“It’s open for everyone for all standards. No-one gets left behind. Hopefully we will have some elite level athletes in the future but it’s open to everyone, all standards, all abilities. It’s about inclusivity and ensuring no one gets left behind.”

Meanwhile, the SPAR Omagh Half Marathon and 5K Run is returning on Sunday 6th April 2025. It is set to be a spectacular day for the town and local retailer, SPAR NI, is showing full support for the event for the 17th consecutive year.

This year will mark the Omagh Half Marathon’s 35th birthday, which has grown to be a major fixture in the Athletics road running calendar, with many runners returning year on year to participate and enjoy the festival atmosphere.

This year, Omagh Harriers have increased their entry numbers to over 3500 half marathon runners, which will be their largest participant field to date, with a further 1000 running and walking the 5K route.

This year’s race sold out in record time, a true testament of the race’s esteemed profile throughout the athletics community in Northern Ireland.

This year’s Half Marathon Walk commences at 08:30am, with the Half Marathon Run setting off at 09:30am, followed by the 5K at 09:45am. All participants start and end at Omagh Leisure Complex on the Old Mountfield Road and it is anticipated that there will be a total field of 4500 runners, joggers and walkers.

Race Director, Michael Ward said preparations for the race are well advanced: “On behalf of all the organisers, I’d like to pay tribute to our title sponsor SPAR NI, the team from which have worked closely with us to grow and develop the race into the popular event which exists today.

“We have witnessed this event grow enormously over the past 35 years. There is a growth in the amount of people pursuing a healthier lifestyle and with the pace and stresses of everyday living, running is a great release and also a way of meeting new friends.

“The Omagh Half isn’t just for competitive runners”, Michael continued. “Our annual 5K run also attracts huge numbers, right through from primary school children to the more experienced. This year’s race also welcomes a new and exciting element for the 5K runners. There is a team prize up for grabs for the winning non-running sports club, this can be any sports club from rugby, Gaelic or football to badminton, table tennis and darts.

“For those who aren’t registered for this year, we would invite them to come down and enjoy the magical atmosphere on Sunday 6th April, it might even encourage you to register to walk, jog or run the course next year”.

The half marathon event for 2025 is sold out; however, registrations are still open at sientries.co.uk for the 5k Run. Early entry is encouraged to avoid disappointment.

This year’s beneficiary charity is Care for Cancer. Care for Cancer is a local charity that provides support to individuals and their families who have been affected by cancer in Omagh and surrounding areas, providing a drop-in service, transport to hospital appointments, reflexology sessions and much more. This year, Omagh Harriers will donate £3 from every half marathon entry to Care for Cancer. Participants are welcome to raise additional funds, to find out more about the charity, visit careforcancer.co.uk.