Race 9: Rocky

1st June 2006

Maxwell smashes record and makes it 7 out of 7

Mourne Runners’ Fiona Maxwell has taken the Blue Lough Hill & Dale Series by storm this year with six wins from six starts prior to this week’s race over Rocky, which also doubled up as a Northern Ireland Championship race. Already crowned Hill & Dale champion for 2006, Maxwell runs for fun, to break records and most of all to win.

This week’s race from Leitrim Lodge took in Altnataggart, Pearse’s Castle, Tournaman Rock before the final climb and decent of Rocky back to the start. The weather was superb with beautiful sunshine and summer heat greeting the 129 runners who pitched up for the start.

The start is fast before the field climbs steeply alongside the end of Kilbroney Forest before rejoining the main track heading for Altnataggart. One of the great things about the Hill & Dale series is the wide variation in each of the 11 races and also the variation within each race itself. This week the ground covered included smooth track, rough boggy and tussocky terrain, gentle and steep climbs and descents.

Newcastle AC’s Alan McKibbin led a select group including North Belfast’s Neil Carty, and Mourne Runners’ Eddie Hanna, Des Woods and Brian Ervine. McKibbin, Carty and Hanna then broke clear and all the way round McKibbin seemed to be watching the other two waiting to pounce. On the final climb he did and came home 14 seconds clear in 32 minutes and 6 seconds, 66 seconds inside Deon McNeilly’s old record.

Where, I hear you ask, was McNeilly? He was there doing a reasonable impression of Michael Jackson with one white glove on his right hand and running with a limp (or was it moonwalk practicing?). Picking up his number at registration he jogged off to warm-up before deciding not to compete and effectively relinquished his Northern Ireland title, or maybe not? He has had little luck this year – first he took a bad line on Bernagh when he was the leading local at the time, then he turned up half an hour late for the Annalong Horseshoe, ran anyway for more than two hours to make it up the field to 14th and this week he took a big fall on the promenade (whilst out running) and didn’t make it to the start line.

Maxwell – the find of the season

As ever Maxwell set out at a hot pace, taking no prisoners and came home to win around 50 seconds clear of Newcastle AC’s Alwynne Shannon with Martina Hawkins in third place.

Maxwell became the first lady to break the 40-minute barrier for the anti-clockwise Rocky route with a time of 39 minutes and 55 seconds – an amazing 2 minutes and 12 seconds inside Shileen O’Kane’s 2002 record – O’Kane this week was a non-finisher after damaging her ankle badly half way round.

The 45-year-old Maxwell left her native city of Edinburgh 22 years ago and has lived in Northern Ireland for the past 8 years where she is a computer lecturer and proud mother of 14, 16 & 18-year olds. She admits to a love of the mountains and the inklings of a competitive urge when doing the 2004 Lowe Alpine Marathon in Scotland with her husband, more of a walk than a run. She is turning out to be very competitive and in 2005 decided to race a couple of 10km road races, including the Glasgow Ladies 10km where she recorded 42 minutes 10 seconds, amazing given the limited training regime.

Even now she only trains around four times a week including a mere two runs (Hill & Dale on a Thursday and a Sunday run) and a couple of sessions in the gym (cross-trainer, stepper and spin bike plus circuits and weights). Yet she is producing record-breaking runs – how? Well it helps that she is a natural build for mountain racing and does not carry any excess weight and the other part of her armoury is a strong mind that believes she can win and enjoys every second of it.

She is very popular among the other runners and returns to the pub every Thursday after each race, a fundamental part of the ‘escapism’ experience away from ‘normal’ life. ‘This is a real shock’, reflects Maxwell, ‘winning, I mean. It is encouraging me to train more seriously to see what I really might achieve. Every race is different and I love it. I want to come back next year and win again – the sky is the limit’.

Maxwell is already the All-Ireland Champion for 2006 and well on the way to win the Northern Ireland Championship Series. All of this achievement is set in the context of being diagnosed with ovarian cancer in 2002 with a very concerning prognosis. Yet her operation was 100% successful and she has come through this devastating experience as a renewed character. An optimist by nature she says, ’cancer does not have to be a death sentence’. She is a welcome breath of fresh air to the mountain racing scene for 2006, she is a true champion and her final comment is ‘you can do anything if you put your mind to it – age shouldn’t come into it – it’s never to late to try something new’.

Steptoe & Son

Talking of age, Newcastle AC’s Declan McElroy has been mentioned before as one of the most improved runners this season, but recently he has been gaining (if that is the right word) some advice from evergreen Jim Patterson, who if you remember is between clubs at the moment – not for the first time. Patterson is a man of leisure these days and he is keen to advise other ‘younger’ runners on their approach to improving.

McElroy has been keen to gain the scalp of the more senior Patterson – all season. On Sunday last during the group run in Tollymore he even slowed to a walk declaring that he must keep his pulse below 123. It was like Patterson had a voodoo doll in the image of McElroy – he is deep inside his mind. Nonetheless, as they approached the finish of Rocky this week, for the first time, McElroy was leading his guru and there was a hard sprint ongoing for the finish. If any readers are struggling to picture the scene, just think of Steptoe & Son and you’ve got the picture. Congratulations Harold on your virgin victory over the old man - wonder how much advice you’ll be getting from now on?

Cassie’s Tale

Harry Teggarty and his stalwart Labrador, Cassie, have been exploring the outer reaches of the Mourne Mountains for the past few years and have compiled a fascinating and engrossing account (with fabulous pictures) of the 50 mountains in the Mournes. Harry has broken down the task of peaking them all into seven strenuous walks, although his manuscript also describes the trials and tribulations of doing all 50 in one day – a feat that Cassie and him have achieved. Teggarty and Cassie are regular attendees at the Hill & Dale and are on the look out for a local publisher to, of all things, publish his fine work. If any publishers out there fancy hearing more (and you should) Teggarty can be contacted at e@teggarty.321.fslife.

Unbelievable, but it is already race 10 of 11 next, based at the Happy Valley taking in Meelmore and Meelbeg – be there by 7pm on Thursday.

BOGBOY’

PS Mourne Runners took their first Hill & Dale team victory at Rocky – see below.