Lisnaskea’s Glenn Phair became the first Fermanagh man to win the Enniskillen 10K when he romped home by two clear minutes to top the podium in a time of 33 minutes and 11 seconds.

Glenn revealed he was “ecstatic to win the race” after it was the first 10K he ever run back in 2007 as a 16-year-old and to come back one day and land the title was always an ambition for the Lisnaskea native who now runs for Annadale Striders in Belfast.

It also meant much to him to win so decisively in front of his watching family.

However, the winner, a Northern Ireland international, also felt that the lack of a prize-giving or any hospitality after the race meant for him that “the organisers didn’t make me feel like there was much to be proud of!” Glenn explained: “Don’t get me wrong. I was ecstatic to win the race but I think there are a few points worth raising. It is the first race I have ever competed in without a prize-giving and to be told your ‘cheque will be in the post’ is terrible. I am not looking for global publicity but some recognition in front of those who turned out would have been nice. A cheque is not a good memento for winning a race of over 1,000 people, I remember there used to be a piece of Belleek,” revealed Glenn who added that the tough terrain of the course does not encourage elite athletes.

“The course is bad because it goes off road and includes a killer hill. Top runners want flat courses to record fast times. Conan McCaughey finished second and third in the past two years but didn’t do it this year because there’s nothing to be gained from it. Older people have told me about the old course and how much better it was, but I’m a tad young to remember!

“Omagh half marathon and the Bundoran 10 are two events I’ve done of similar size, and they offer great hospitality afterwards, something runners really appreciate, reliving the highs and lows of the race.” In response to the make-up of the course, Fermanagh District Council replied that the route of the course “is not a closely guarded secret and has been used for the past nine years”.

They said: “We are aware the course is not ideal for elite runners. The purpose of the Enniskillen 10k Road Race and Leisure Walk is to attract participants of all ages and abilities and it is therefore not specifically aimed at just elite athletes. Approximately 90 per cent of participants fall into the recreational runner or walker category and for safety reasons, we aim to keep as much of the route off road or off main vehicular roads. Before entering the race details of the route are provided and available for potential participants. The route is not a closely guarded secret, the same route has been used for nine years. Course details are also available from our website and staff are always on hand to answer any questions from participants or to assist people who are entering for the first time. They also said that there was no prize-gving as “feedback from previous prize-winners was that they did not want to wait around for a presentation ceremony afterwards and preferred to go straight home after the race. They felt it was more convenient for prizes to be posted to them or they would collect them at a later date”. The council did add: “We will however take these comments into consideration and this may be an aspect of the event that we will revisit next year.” The race itself went superbly for Glenn who led from the start to come home by two clear minutes from Omagh’s Paul Barbour while Fermanagh runners filled the next three places namely through Fergus McGirr, Stephen Cassidy and Oliver Kane. Helen Stockdale was second female home and all in all well over 1,000 people completed the course.