Race 2: Tollymore Mountain Center

15th April 2006

Graham makes it two in a row, Sturm snatches canny victory

At last there was a glimpse of spring with the sun coming out, the temperature about 5 degrees warmer than last week and 139 runners turning up at the Tollymore Mountain Centre for the 2nd race of the Blue Lough (www.mountainandwater.com) Hill & Dale Race Series. Even with the recent rain, underfoot conditions were relatively dry and made for fast running on a race route once again slightly changed due to felling in the forest. Estimates are that it was just about a minute running time longer for the leaders than the course of two years ago with race statistics being 5.2 miles with around 900 feet of climbing.

Once again this small corner of the Mournes proves to be a magnet for people who travel startling distances to test themselves against the terrain at this time of the year on an almost weekly basis – Castleblayney, Omagh, Coleraine, Draperstown, Carnlough, Larne and not to forget Bryansford.

The start is fast, downhill from the Mountain Centre to Parnell’s Bridge with the leaders dipping under four-minute mile pace (wonderful thing gravity) before hitting the ‘wall’ of the first climb and seeing pace drop to slower than ten-minute miles. Last week’s winner Ricky Graham, from Comber but in the red and yellow colours of Newcastle, was once again running a controlled and relaxed race and by the top of the first climb he had disposed of the whole field. Club mate Deon McNeilly was in a clear second with a group of six behind vying for third place.

Graham went on to win comfortably in 30 minutes and 55 seconds, nearly a minute clear of McNeilly (first Vet40) and is starting to look like a champion. Graham’s time, with the extra minute or so taken off, compares favourably with the original route record of McNeilly’s from 2001 of 29 minutes and 25 seconds and is the fastest of recent years.

In the Ladies race, it was more cat and mouse. Last week’s winner Martina Hawkins was initially chasing club mate Alwynne Shannon who had missed the first race. However, Hawkins soon took the lead but Omagh’s Junior Michelle Sturm was covering every move. Sturm had finished second last week to Hawkins, but just like last year at this race, she waited to the final climb to the Mountain Centre to pounce and pull away to win by nine seconds.

Shannon took third and first Lady Vet40 closely followed by rapidly improving Shileen O’Kane. In 5th and 3rd Newcastle AC runner home was Catherine McCloskey followed by club mate Clare Galbraith. Spare a thought for McCloskey who missed the first race with a bruised coccyx sustained recently in a car park (?) and then managed to fall on one of the smooth descents producing plenty of the red stuff from the same area. She has vowed that this was her first and last Hill & Dale race – let’s hope not.

The junior category has real talent starting to come through with the Wild Man of Mid-Ulster Jonathan McCloy taking an early lead in the Series last week from Pegasus’ (Coleraine) Jason Wilson and the Omagh contingent showing strongly including Connor Moore and Lorcan Healy. Once again this week, McCloy had a storming run to come home in 6th overall in 33 minutes and 7 seconds. His running might be good but his hair deserves a special mention. For the past few weeks he has been looking more and more like the Wild Man from Borneo never mind Magherafelt or Draperstown. However, there has been a method in his madness. This week he turned up with the cutest of dreadlocks – well practically dreadlocks – woven through his hair. As he stood on the start line with bandana added, BARF’s Jim Brown, now in the Vet45 category and someone who will be remembered for his great flush of hair as he descended the mountains at breakneck speed, looked somewhat enviously at McCloy and thought of his own rapidly receding hairline. Maybe we have finally understood why the Mighty Mitty, who has previously given McCloy some good races, has not yet appeared this year yet. His pineapple head is not quite ready yet?

The veteran categories were once again strongly contested. Eamon McCrickard registered his highest ever Hill & Dale finish in 8th place overall to take the Vet35 category in 33 minutes and 15 seconds. Jim Brown of BARF took first vet45 in 14th overall beating last week’s winner Dominic McGreevy of Ballydrain who was in 19th place. Albertville’s Billy McKay took first vet55 in 21st place in 35 minutes and 8 seconds with Armagh’s James Gillespie in 23rd place taking first vet50 in 35 minutes and 21 seconds. BARF’s Denis Rankin improved on his performance the previous week to come home in 96th place and take the Vet60 category.

Once again Newcastle AC won the team race with 7 points and contributed 26 runners to the race. Larne AC was second with 38 points with Armagh third on 48 points.

Mourne Runners (aka ACKC) continue to flatter to deceive and this week showed the early (or is it late) fruits of their Youth Development Policy with Tom Donnelly making his first appearance in the Series for around three years or so and coming home a fine 127th and first Vet Over70. Not enough, I’m afraid for Mourne Runners to make the rostrum – maybe next race? At least they won something when Bob Cooke received a spot prize in the pub afterwards.

First timers this week included ‘Miss Pink’ Denise Dongal, who has made many a post-race pub visit in the past, but never before having raced – she conceded that the experience is even better having raced (! …?). Also a newcomer was Jennifer Black, who after a ‘sometimes bruising’ series of visits to the NIMRA ‘internet forum’ did herself justice romping home in 121st just behind another newcomer, local Paddy McCrickard.

Spare a thought for Jim Patterson, currently battling his conscience about a move from Newcastle AC to Mourne Runners (aka ACKC). If he does so, his career will have spanned more clubs than a golfer typically takes out for 18 holes – so it would seem to be inevitable. Home fresh from a Canaries bike trip, Patterson arrived at the Mountain Centre on the Mourne Runners Team Bus (his bike) – another clue to his future team allegiance? He was promptly handed two forms, one to register for the Series and the other a Mourne Runners Application form (another clue?) and he then presented £3.20 in cash to cover the £4 entry fee (“I remember when it was only two bob to enter a race”).

Having once again run well to come home in 31st place and first 59-year-old. Patterson spied a bottle of Blue Powerade belonging to Marty McVeigh, commandeered it and asked for a couple of sandwiches to sustain him back to Newcastle. You would think that he would know by now that you have to go the prize giving (which this week was in the Leslie’s Bar in the Avoca Hotel) to get the sandwiches. He was last seen close to Marguerite Park on the Team Bus with empty Powerade bottle in hand. When will he be seen again?

Race three takes the Series to the South Mournes and the beautiful location of Kilbroney Forest in Rostrevor for the Slievemartin race. The race consists of one good climb with some ‘real’ mountain thrown in for the first time this Series and fantastic views over Carlingford Lough for anyone looking from the top of the climb. Please be there before 7pm.

BOGBOY