A Few Memorable Miles in Belfast

Early morning training runs don't work for some runners. The mind, body and spirit aren't in sync, which is one reason why jetlag can be a good thing.

As has happened on other trips to far-away lands, it was an hour before dawn in Belfast, Northern Ireland and I couldn't stare at the hotel room walls and watch CNN repeats any longer.

The opening session of the first day of the World Cross Country Championships was still several hours away, leaving plenty of time for an hour run, a leisurely shower, breakfast and a good, long newspaper read.

As I've learned through the years, the best place to find out about local running routes in unfamiliar areas is the hotel concierge desk. Sometimes, hotels even have running maps, and this was the case with the staff at the Hotel Europa.

But a lot has changed in the past decade. Once an area best avoided, the city center is now busy as an after hours hangout for college students, business people and tourists.
Located at the far end of what's known as the Golden Mile a varied cluster of restaurants, shops and legendary pubs the hotel and the adjacent opera house share a dubious title. The block the buildings occupy is the most bombed location in Northern Ireland.

But the past is not easily forgotten. Some of hotel personnel knew the two facilities have been bombed a combined 33 times. The manager also confirmed a story I had heard about on a previous visit. The hotel used to provide departing guests with neckties that featured the slogan "I've Survived The Europa."

"I've been the manager for 12 years and I've never seen one of those ties, though,"she said, smiling. "I'd like to have one, too."

Such exchanges make for good travel memories. But they don't completely soothe the pre-run anxiety of venturing into unfamiliar terrain before the sun rises.

But the afternoon before a concierge had not only offered a map, but had penciled the directions to a nearby "towpath," the wonderful term the locals use for multi-use recreation trails. "It's no problem, lad," he assured me. "It's perfectly safe."

And, of course, he was right.

My run began through the center of town, along city streets - some paved, some cobblestoned. A few shop owners lowering storefront canopies acknowledged me with curious smiles. Others looked perplexed, perhaps wondering why I was parading around in running shorts and a T-shirt on a windy, sub-40 degree morning.

Within two miles, I arrived at a park entrance to the Lagan Towpath, which meanders along the River Lagan. Like many European parks and trails, the towpath's landscape was primarily overgrown shrubbery, green and rolling. Combined with the overcast morning and absence of a crowd, the run progressed with a feeling of eerie serenity.

"Across the river the Minnowburn flows into the Lagan," read one section of the park's brochure. "The National Trust owns the property, which also includes the Minnowburn bridge and a picturesque stand of mature beech trees known as the Minnowburn Beeches. There are riverside and woodland paths through beautiful, quiet countryside."

A few locals were walking their dogs. Stopping well short of any perception of infringement, I asked a few of the fellow towpath dwellers if their beasts were friendly.

Several exchanges of pleasantries later and perhaps four miles into the run, I turned around and began the return trip. Several groups of runners wearing their national uniforms came into view on the opposite side of the river, and added to my sense of security.

I ran through a park, highlighted with beautifully manicured flower beds and moss-covered greenhouses. And then, when I could see the hotel on the skylight, tucked between industrial buildings and old brick churches, a runner wearing a South African warm-up suit passed me.

Tall, thin and long-legged, he loped along the city streets. When he extended his lead to several blocks, I increased my speed.

He was unaware of my tactics, but the gap between us narrowed. I was near a sprint and the South African fellow was barely loosening his muscles, a study of effortless running grace. It was the synergy of running, shared by one, on a memorable morning in Belfast.

For more information on the Lagan Valley Regional Park, contact the Park Officer, Belvoir Park Forest, Belfast BT8 4QT.