Race 8 : Loughshannagh Horseshoe

26th May 2005

Hanna takes his first victory as he out stays McNeilly

One fine day in the whole week and, for once this spring it turned out to be Hill & Dale Thursday. Just as well, for this week's offering at the hands of race organiser Father Joe McCann was the Loughshannagh Horseshoe. The toughest race in the eleven-week series still attracted a motley crew of 104 of whom only 102 were destined to finish. This was the 8th race of the www.mountainandwater.com 2005 Hill & Dale series.

The initial climb on the 7.30 gun saw the runners take on Ott Mountain and then over and down to commence the climb of Slieve Loughshannagh itself. At the front Deon McNeilly, in the absence of Alan McKibben who had clocked up 7 wins out of 7 in the previous weeks, was intent on winning this week. However, the Mourne pair of Eddie Hanna and Stevie Cunningham tracked him early on. Behind them were ACKC's Gary Bailey, Des Woods and Armagh AC's Don Travers with juniors Adam Mitten and Jonathan McCloy also well to the fore. In the ladies race it seemed to be well set up for a tussle between Alwynne Shannon and Clare Galbraith.

The plunge through the heather off Slieve Loughshannagh took the runners to the very scenic trek across to the remote peak of Doan - the beautiful conical mountain that only the fitter among the population ever see. The first three had a fierce descent of the technical descent of Doan and then they circled around the tranquil shores of Lough Shannagh itself. Then came the sting in the tail, the climb of Carn Mountain. Carn is steep, very steep and hands and knees quickly become the order of the day as the heather becomes thigh deep in places requiring that a careful check for ticks is needed after the race.

Eddie Hanna is a relative novice to mountain racing, but what he might lack in experience, he is making up for in raw talent. This is only Hanna's second serious season in the hills and he is making big progress. He climbed hard and for the first time broke the elastic from McNeilly and reached the summit in front. Smelling the victory, he set off through the bog for home with his piercing eyes almost lifting out of his head with the effort. It was worth it as he sprinted home in 40 minutes and 49 seconds, 13 seconds clear of McNeilly for a famous victory. Cunningham was only a further 22 seconds back in third.

In the ladies race it was equally close with Shannon coming home first in 57 minutes and 53 seconds only 24 seconds ahead of Galbraith. Physio&Co' Helen Cassidy had her best placing of the season close behind in 3rd in 58 minutes and 38 seconds.

Adam Mitten made it three junior victories in a row to put more pressure on Mid-Ulster's Jonathan McCloy who had seemed to be running away with the series in the first half. Billy McKay made into the top ten again, an excellent performance for a vet50 and Jim Brown showed further improvement in his fitness coming home 12th and first vet45. Newcastle AC's Barry Wells had his best result of the season in 13th to win the vet40 category and Willowfield's Ricky Cowan was first vet55 in 61st.

Race organiser Joe McCann wants to send his personal thanks to his four marshals who spent a long time out on the peaks this week - namely Roy Mooney, Jim Johnston and regulars Mark Hanna and Billy McNeilly (who free range egg sandwiches are eagerly awaited in the pub each week, however, imagine his reaction when realised that he had forgotten them and that he had to traipse off home from the Spelga Pass and then back to Mary Margaret's Horseshoe Bar near Hilltown - oh, and buy the way he also found time to liberate some pigeons on the way). McCann has a unique style of organisation among the eleven different organisers and he brings much amusement throughout the field. Let's just say that he has the art of delegation perfected - after all what more should an organiser be expected to do.

Back to Fr McCann, who by now had settled into Mary Margaret's kitchen where he had gone to cut the sandwiches but was now enjoying a pot of tea with official race timekeeper Frank Morgan. Swiss rolls and jaffa cakes were the order of the evening as the masses crammed into the bar in the next room to await the egg sandwiches.

Meanwhile series sponsor, Marty McMullan of Blue Lough gets fitter as each week passes and has now completed the last four races. He was so confident that he brought along his business partner John Keating for his virgin race of the season and beat him by eight minutes.

Brian Ervine supplies a pair of Walsh Mountain Racing Shoes for the Series winner each year and also sells quite a few pairs over the weeks of the season. This week he was further in luck as one unfortunate runner lost a shoe - 'the bog jumped up, sucked of the shoe and it disappeared never to be found'. Another true story - the runner made it home with one shoe on and one shoe gone. One man's cloud is another's silver lining.

A few week's ago at Moughanmore we had a demonstration of French finishing, this week it was a demonstration of French 'marché' with Patricia Gasper intent on finishing but also equally sure that she would not be running. Ninety-four minutes after starting she crossed the finishing line - thank goodness it was a clear night. Ahead of her by seven or eight minutes in 101st place was local restaurateur of Buck's Head fame, Alison Crothers, on the occasion of another birthday milestone she abandoned the kitchen for one night and managed the full course with no training in the bank.

The special prize of the evening went to Gary McLoughlin. This week's prize was a pair of designer glasses specially crafted to help Gary avoid falling whilst climbing. Falling on the descent is quite normal for the sport but to be doing the sort of damage that he has been doing to himself on the climbs is unique. Let's hope the glasses work.

Next week is number 9 out of 11 over the beautiful Rocky Mountain course from Leitrim Lodge - midges galore.

BOGBOY