Victoria Park and Connswater AC
“Training with Lions”
About Us
At Victoria Park & Connswater AC we are open to athletes willing to compete in various distances (mainly from 1500m to marathons but we also have athletes who like to compete in shorter distances and in ultras) and willing to try various terrain (road and cross country mainly but also occasionally track, trails and fell running)
Our motto is ‘Training with Lions’ which means that we like to train hard together whilst supporting each other, as in a pride of lions, to get to the best of our ability, set objectives and go for the prize.
Victoria Park in East Belfast is our home and we meet several times a week to train. We encourage a supportive atmosphere at the training sessions as well as at the club’s target and internal races. With experienced and passionate coaches, we are here to help you achieve your best. Get in touch if you’d like to come and try our training sessions and find out if our club is a right fit for you.
We regularly take part in parkrun (Victoria Park, Orangefield, Stormont,…) and help out with Jog Belfast programmes.
Membership costs £60 (£25 for students, unemployed and people on benefits) a year and includes: registration with Athletics NI, strength and conditioning sessions, club training and racing clothes, free entry to club targeted races, and more!
If you want to work hard to be the best that you can be at your favourite distances, then we would like to help you achieve that. Get in touch!
Club Committee
Ralph Coetzee
Chairperson
Ghislain Demeuldre
Treasurer
Aine McAllister
Club Secretary
Anne Moore
Membership Secretary
Caitríona Hamilton
Club Captain
Temporarily Vacant
Coaching and Competition Coordinator
Club coaches
Gary Keenan
Club Coach
Pete Thompson
Club Coach
Club Officers (non-committee)
Mark McFeeters
Welfare Officer
Jenny Black
Information, Media and Marketing Officer
Liz Watt
Information, Media and Marketing Officer
Emma Hall
Information, Media and Marketing Officer
Sile Brennan
Jog Belfast (C25k) Coordinator
Temporarily Vacant
Environmental Officer
Simon Watson
Club Vice Captain
Rob Powell
Club Vice Captain
Temporarily Vacant
Kit, Equipment and Merchandising Officer
Club Life
Training
Our training sessions take place in Victoria Park, Belfast BT3 9EF.
Our weekly training:
| Session | Day/Time | Location |
|---|---|---|
| Tempo/progression run | Monday 6:30pm* | Victoria Park |
| Main training session - intervals | Wednesday 6:30pm* | Victoria Park |
Warm up drills at 6:20pm
26/27 Target & Championship Races
| Race | Date | Fee refunded* | Club Championship |
|---|---|---|---|
| May Fair 5/10km Ballyclare | 23 May 2026 | ✔ | |
| NI Masters track event | June 2026 | ✔ | |
| Coleraine 5km | 12 June 2026 | ✔ | ✔ |
| Mallusk 5 mile | August 2026 | ✔ | |
| Ards 5 miler | September 2026 | ✔ | |
| Seaton Classic 10km | 26 September 2026 | ✔ | ✔ |
| Saintfield 5/10km | October 2026 | ✔ | |
| Seeley Cup | November/December 2026 | ✔ | ✔ |
| Athletics NI XC League Races | Various | ✔ | ✔ |
| Raheny 5 mile | January 2027 | ✔ | |
| Washing Bay 5/10km/half marathon | March 2027 | ✔ | |
| Connswater Cup 5K (Victoria park) | TBC | FREE | ✔ |
| CS Lewis Shield 4 mile (XC Victoria park pitches) | TBC | FREE | ✔ |
| Joe Craney Naked 5K | TBC | FREE | ✔ |
Events can be added or amended at discretion of committee.
Finishers eligible for race entry fee refund where applicable subject to volunteering at least once in Jog Belfast programme preceding the race.
26/27 Club Championship Points System
- 10 points for completing race
- In addition, 1 point per finishing position
Example: If 14 lions/lionesses compete in a club championship race, the points will be:
- 1st finisher: 10 points plus 14 position points = 24 points
- 2nd finisher: 10 points plus 13 position points = 23 points
- …14th finisher: 10 points plus 1 position point = 11 points
Road races will be aged graded.
Club Perks
- Refunds to target races
- London marathon club place
- Strength and Conditioning classes
Club Records
| 1500m | W | 5:57 | Edyta Różycka-Gabryś | 2018 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1500m | M | 4:16.06 | Ronan Toland | May 2026 | Mary Peters Track |
| Mile (Road) | W | 5:43 | Sarahjane Cooke | 2018 | |
| Mile (Track) | M | 4:32.77 | Ronan Toland | May 2026 | Mary Peters Track |
| Mile (Road) | M | 4:32 | Peter Thompson | 2023 | Griffith Avenue Mile race |
| 3000m | W | 11:04 | Jenny Black | 2018 | |
| 3000m | M | 8:45 | John Craig | 2020 | |
| 5K | W | 17:19 | Sarahjane Cooke | 2021 | Down Royal |
| 5K | M | 15:09 | Ronan Toland | March 2026 | Belfast |
| 5 miles | W | 29:57 | Leann Gibson | 2020 | |
| 5 miles | M | 26:25 | Mark Monteith | January 2026 | Raheny 5 Mile |
| 10K | W | 35:40 | Sarahjane Cooke | 2021 | Coastal 10K |
| 10K | M | 32:04 | John Craig | 2019 | |
| 10 miles | W | 1:06:15 | Leann Gibson | 2018 | |
| 10 miles | M | 54:06 | Ronan Toland | 2026 | Portaferry |
| Half marathon | W | 1:16:43 | Sarahjane Cooke | 2021 | Antrim Coast Half Marathon |
| Half marathon | M | 1:11:27 | Ronan Toland | 2025 | Belfast City Marathon |
| Marathon | W | 2:46:49 | Natalie Hall | 2021 | Wrexham |
| Marathon | M | 2:32:07 | Pete Thompson | 2025 | Amsterdam |
Club Honours
| 2017 | Male | 🥈 | NI Half Marathon Road Championship Silver Medalists (Team) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | Male | 🥈 | NI 10K Road Championship Silver Medalists (Team) |
| 2018 | Female | 🥉 | NI Master Road Relay Championship Bronze Medalists |
| 2019 | Male | 🥈 | NI Master Road Relay Championship Silver Medalists |
| 2021 | Female | 🥈 | NI 5K Road Championship Silver Medalists (Team) |
| 2021 | Female | 🥈 | NI 10K Road Championship Silver Medalists (Team) |
| 2022 | Female | 🥈 | NI Half Marathon Road Championship Silver Medalists (Team) |
| 2022 | Female | 🥇 | NI 10K Road Championship Gold Medalists (Team) |
| 2022 | Leann Gibson | 🥉 | NI Half Marathon Road Championship Bronze Medal (Individual) |
| 2022 | Female | 🥉 | NI Master Road Relay Championship Bronze Medalists |
| 2023 | Female | 🥉 | NI Marathon Championship Bronze Medalists |
| 2023 | Male | 🥈 | NI Half Marathon Road Championship Silver Medalists |
| 2024 | Individual | 🥈 | Ronan Toland - Athletics Ireland 5000m track V45 Silver |
| 2024 | Individual | 🥇 | Ronan Toland - ANI 3000m track V45 Gold |
| 2024 | Individual | 🥇 | Ronan Toland - Athletics Ireland 5000m track V45 Gold |
| 2025 | Female | 🥈 | NI Marathon Road Championship Silver Medalists |
| 2025 | Individual | 🥈 | Ronan Toland - Athletics Ireland 5 Mile Silver |
| 2025 | Individual | 🥉 | Ronan Toland - Athletics Ireland 10K Bronze |
| 2025 | Individual | 🥉 | Ronan Toland - Athletics Ireland 10 Mile Bronze |
| 2026 | Individual | 🥈 | Ronan Toland - Athletics Ireland MV45 5 Mile Silver |
| 2026 | Individual | 🥇 | Ronan Toland - ANI Masters XC V45 Gold |
| 2026 | Individual | 🥇 | Ronan Toland - ANI 3000m track V45 Gold |
| 2026 | Individual | 🥇 | Ronan Toland - Athletics Ireland 5K V45 Gold |
| 2026 | Individual | 🥇 | Ronan Toland - Athletics Ireland 10K V45 Gold |
Contact
If you’re interested in training with us or have any questions please get in touch and we’ll do our best to help.