The 2017 crew
Mallusk Harriers is a running club based in Mallusk, Newtownabbey. Although the ’24 in 24′ concept is slightly mad, Alan’s clubmates are only too glad to support him with the idea. The guys have trained hard, are determined and remain focussed on raising money for Action Cancer. They would like the local community to get behind the event and show the runners their support by sponsoring them for Action Cancer.
Alan “Nap Time” Ladd
Age: 34
Started running: 2003
Marathon PB: 3:25
No. of marathons: 3 + 1 Ultra
Longest distance: 39.3 miles
No. of parkruns: 109
Trivia: Since the birth of his second son Caleb, Alan has rarely had 20 minutes of uninterrupted sleep.
Marty “Marathon Man” McCready
Age: 47
Started running: 2004
Marathon PB: 3:38
No. of marathons: 17 + 1 Ultra
Longest distance: 39.3 miles
No. of parkruns: 148
Trivia: Marty did not feature in the beheading scene of Ned Stark in Game of Thrones.
Alastair “Spike” Houldsworth
Age: 32
Started running: 2015
Marathon PB: 3:23
No. of marathons: 1
Longest distance: 26.2 miles
No. of parkruns: 6
Trivia: Alastair and Alan both hail from West Yorkshire which is statistically the only place in the world to suffer worse weather than Northern Ireland.
Danny “Shiny Shoes” Donaldson
Age: 26
Started running: 2014
Marathon PB: 3:02
No. of marathons: 5 + 1 Ultra
Longest distance: 39.3 miles
No. of parkruns: 115
Trivia: Danny will be played by an actor on the day so his new coach will not be able to identify him in the pictures.
Jonny “Dr Do Little” Ladd
Age: 29
Started running: 2006
Marathon PB: 4:20
No. of marathons: 2 + 1 Ultra
Longest distance: 100 kilometres
No. of parkruns: 8
Trivia: Jonny’s qualifications include a Doctorate, a BA in music, 5 As at A level, 10 GCSEs and a 200m swimming certificate.
Micky “Mountain Goat” McAuley
Age: 39
Started running: 2015
Marathon PB: 3:50
No. of marathons: 5 + 2 Ultras
Longest distance: 39.3 miles
No. of parkruns: 6
Trivia: Micky and Alan’s bands played a gig together before they ever met. No one knows when or where this happened, but it happened!
Neil “Chatty Cathy” Campbell
Age: 43
Started running: 2013
Marathon PB: 3:24
No. of marathons: 3 + 1 Ultra
Longest distance: 39.3 miles
No. of parkruns: 42
Trivia: Average words per minute: 91. Inside leg measurement: 91.
Paddy “Shortcut” McGuckin
Age: 41
Started running: 2004
Marathon PB: 3:26
No. of marathons: 8
Longest distance: 26.2 miles
No. of parkruns: 138
Trivia: Also has a 25 mile PB of 3:26.
Paul “Shuttle Service” Skillen
Age: 41
Started running: 2013
Marathon PB: 4:21
No. of marathons: 4
Longest distance: 26.2 miles
No. of parkruns: 82
Trivia: Unofficially, Paul clocked up 52.7 miles at Connemarathon by completing his own half marathon and ‘shuttling’ back and forth to bring the rest of the club’s runners home.