Heath Graham Ards 5 Mile

The Heath Graham Ards 5 Mile starts and finishes at Londonderry Park in Newtownards, County Down, named in memory of the late Scrabo Striders coach Heath Graham. The route heads out along the Portaferry Road before turning up Finlay's Road and running through Loughries, Heath's homeland, then continuing towards the town down Bowtown Road and Upper Greenwell Street, before returning along Portaferry Road and back into the park for the finish. The course is entirely on road, run on a Friday evening in early September. A children's water station is set up at the top of Finlay's Road, adding a genuine community feel to the event. Formerly known simply as the Ards 5 Mile Challenge, one of the longest-running fixtures on the Scrabo Striders calendar, it now carries a specially themed medal based on the captain's cup Heath once won, making it a poignant and popular fixture for club and visiting runners alike.